Quoted from Markharris2000:

Alot of the questions can be answered here. For some of the little hands-on stuff, you'll want to find and become friendly with some local Pinsiders to lend a hand if needed. You'll probably want to ask around to find a local 'pinball repair guy' that can come over for the bigger items at a fee. You'll find the most time consuming part will be finding replacement parts. MOST parts that wear out are available with enough looking from one of the dozen main sources, but a handful are not (like rudy's eyeballs or his face) and that is where the adventure begins.

Quoted from LeMansFan:

Hey everyone! If all goes to plan, I will be doubling my pinball collection tomorrow and picking up a Funhouse! My other pin is a Sopranos, but Funhouse has always been my first love. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be posting a lot of questions soon in this thread! I'm not very handy or known to fix things around the house, so buying a used, older machine has got me a bit nervous! But as the kids say nowadays, YOLO!

Quoted from CLEllison:

Depends on the couple of last owners. When I bought mine (first machine) wow was it clapped out in so many ways. Ask questions such as what have you done to it since you've owned it. Do you know if and what the previous owner did to it? Chances are it hasn't really been serviced properly and will need the flippers rebuilt, coil sleeves and coil stops replaced and new slingshot arm assemblies. All that will tally up to ~$300.
If the display is emitting a high pitch squeal or lines are flickering it's on it's way out and more bargaining for you.
Ramps are usually tatered. Those ARE NOT fun to replace and NOT cheap.
Another problem that is common with FH is the clocks inserts are raised from heat generated from the bulbs. That's super irritating as it does affect ball travel.
Make sure if the machine is on when you get there turn it off and then turn it back on. See if any errors are present. Oldest trick in the book to hide issues.

Quoted from LeMansFan:

Hey everyone! If all goes to plan, I will be doubling my pinball collection tomorrow and picking up a Funhouse! My other pin is a Sopranos, but Funhouse has always been my first love. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be posting a lot of questions soon in this thread! I'm not very handy or known to fix things around the house, so buying a used, older machine has got me a bit nervous! But as the kids say nowadays, YOLO!

Quoted from dsuperbee:

Most likely the sling arm assemblies will be fine. Even if not, three
flipper rebuilds and sling arm assemblies will not run anywhere near 300.

Quoted from arcadenerd925:

IMHO, most important thing will be to have the person your buying it from run through the Rudy tests (eye movement, eyelids, jaw, etc) to make sure all that works normally.
Look at the boards, if the batteries are still on the MPU, look closely to check for acid leakage/damage.
Play some games on it, make sure the trapdoor opens/closes, etc.
Good luck!

Quoted from CLEllison:

It doesn't take much to hit that $300 mark to freshen up a machine.

Quoted from jawjaw:

Agreed. You just want to make sure there are no large problems like missing parts, bad boards, or weird issues. I also agree with CLEllison about repair costs. I pretty much expect to spend $300+ on any used pin I buy replacing parts, rebuilding flippers, leds, etc. I always end up spending more but fun getting a pin all fixed up and playing perfect.

Quoted from LeMansFan:

Well... you live close by. New friend...

Quoted from pincity:

Thanks! I should have a chance to play around with this on my machine this weekend and I'll let you know.

Quoted from pincity:

Just to close the loop... I can hear Rudy’s lovely voice again, lol. Got everything working by confirming polarity on the speakers and then wiring up according to the "Pre-DCS Speaker Connections - Early Games" section on http://www.dziedzic.us/wpc_speaker_sound_info.html.
Knowing the head would have to come off to move the game again, I installed a removable connector where the connection is made between cabinet speaker wire and back box speaker wire.
On an unrelated note: I need a FH manual - do you guys prefer an original or reprint?

Quoted from Markharris2000:

To a collector, the printed original is always best. That said, you can easily get the manual PDF from a ton of places on the web (example: bestvaluecopy.com), and have it printed for $35 or so. (My machine had the original printed copy, but those are much harder to find). Hard to beleive, but Funhouse was made BEFORE electronic documents that we all take for granted were commonplace, so the manuals youi find will be physical optical scans of the printed manuals. Some of the PDF scanned versions are better than others. The one linked on IPBD is pretty good and even has the colored cover...
https://www.ipdb.org/files/966/Williams_1990_Funhouse_Operations_Manual_November_1990_includes_low_res_schematics.pdf

Quoted from Markharris2000:

To a collector, the printed original is always best. That said, you can easily get the manual PDF from a ton of places on the web , and have it printed for $35 or so at places like bestvaluecopy.com. (I was lucky, My machine had the original printed copy, but those are much harder to find). Hard to beleive, but Funhouse was made BEFORE electronic documents that we all take for granted were commonplace, so the manuals youi find will be physical optical scans of the printed manuals. Some of the PDF scanned versions are better than others. The one linked on IPBD is pretty good and even has the colored cover...
https://www.ipdb.org/files/966/Williams_1990_Funhouse_Operations_Manual_November_1990_includes_low_res_schematics.pdf

Quoted from pinballinreno:

I prefer spiral bound copies to the originals.
They lay flat and can be back bent.
I have both original and a copy.
I always use my copy, its easier to use.

Quoted from Markharris2000:

Agreed. I use my copy for day to day work. I keep the original in the envelope inside the machine. You can send the PDF to BESTvalue and for $35 they will spiral bound a color copy with a clear cover and thick back page.

Quoted from yzfguy:

Hey, does anyone know exactly which resistor is attached to the cabinet speaker across the incoming speaker lines?
I have one on mine but I can't read what's printed on it. I have a screech thru the speakers when I turn the game off and I am trying anything to get rid of it. I'm thinking this resistor may be bad and my electric testing skills are limited to checking continuity

Quoted from Markharris2000:

Agreed. I use my copy for day to day work. I keep the original in the envelope inside the machine. You can send the PDF to BESTvalue and for $35 they will spiral bound a color copy with a clear cover and thick back page.

Quoted from Markharris2000:

Its a 68mf capacitor across the cabinet woofer, and an inductor across the backbox tweeter... Check the schematic:
http://www.dziedzic.us/wpc_speaker_sound_info.html[quoted image]

Quoted from yzfguy:

Thank you! Please excuse my ignorance, but I went to buy one online and it seems there are 68mf in 100v and 250v.

Quoted from Markharris2000:

68 uf 100v non-polarized capacitor. MUST BE NON-POLARIZED
Something like this:
ebay.com link » 68uf 100v Non Polarized Electrolytic Axial Lead Capacitor 2 Pieces Np Bp

Quoted from yzfguy:

Hey, does anyone know exactly which resistor is attached to the cabinet speaker across the incoming speaker lines?
I have one on mine but I can't read what's printed on it. I have a screech thru the speakers when I turn the game off and I am trying anything to get rid of it. I'm thinking this resistor may be bad and my electric testing skills are limited to checking continuity

Quoted from jawjaw:

Report back if that fixes it. Mine does the same. Not a big deal but annoying. What's the purpose of the coil wired up to speakers? A friend suggested bypassing it but not sure if that's a good idea.

Quoted from Markharris2000:

The capacitor reduces the amount of high frequences emitted by the cabinet speaker which is desireable since it is a woofer. The inductor does the opposite, and reduces the amount of low frequences emitted by the tweeter, again desireable. The mid-range speaker is a general purpose speaker and emits everything thrown at it since it has no other components. This approach is a poor man's cross-over network.
You won't hurt anthing if you mess with those components, but I doubt it will resolve the screeching... That is usually caused by a power supply issue.

Quoted from Heaterguy:

Quick question, is the Pinball Electronics 6264 NVRAM the correct one for my Funhouse? Does it come with a socket?
https://nvram.weebly.com/

Quoted from Heaterguy:

Quick question, is the Pinball Electronics 6264 NVRAM the correct one for my Funhouse? Does it come with a socket?
https://nvram.weebly.com/

Quoted from Markharris2000:

1. You CAN replace the FH CPU board RAM with NVRAM and then remove the batteries completely. I have a new one of the replacement NVRAM chips sitting on my shelf. (I will have to look at the number on it tonight)
2. MOST CPU boards do NOT have the RAM chip in a socket. That means you need to remove the existing chip and put a socket in. Not for the faint of heart. This is why may folks just remote the batteries to solve much of the same issue.
Note: Putting an NVRAM chip in and then removing the batteries entirely will disable the internal clock in FH. Not sure if that matters to you, but it will no longer keep the current time/date if the battery is no longer installed. It will work fine, just the time clock will no longer be accurate.

Quoted from Markharris2000:

1. You CAN replace the FH CPU board RAM with NVRAM and then remove the batteries completely. I have a new one of the replacement NVRAM chips sitting on my shelf. (I will have to look at the number on it tonight)
2. MOST CPU boards do NOT have the RAM chip in a socket. That means you need to remove the existing chip and put a socket in. Not for the faint of heart. This is why may folks just remote the batteries to solve much of the same issue.
Note: Putting an NVRAM chip in and then removing the batteries entirely will disable the internal clock in FH. Not sure if that matters to you, but it will no longer keep the current time/date if the battery is no longer installed. It will work fine, just the time clock will no longer be accurate.

Quoted from scampcamp:

I plan on removing the NVRAM & use lithium batteries
attached off the board so it keeps the current time/date.
I'll do the same for my other games some of which have midnight madness mode.
A big reason is for nostalgia.... why I prefer using coin mechs/no free play.

Quoted from Elicash:

If you DO decide to install the NVRAM yourself, I strongly recommend you just cut out the old chip instead if trying to desolder and remove it intact.

Quoted from Elicash:

If you DO decide to install the NVRAM yourself, I strongly recommend you just cut out the old chip instead if trying to desolder and remove it intact.
This seems to be where most people run into damaging the thru holes and the whisker-thin traces.
Once cut out, it is much easier to desolder the remaining legs. But definitely recommend a vacuum desoldering gun for this step.
Or, as many have said, just send it out to a pro. These WPC CPU boards are irreplaceable.

Quoted from pinballmaniabh:

I am writing to share the restoration work on the Rudy toy from the Funhouse game, performed by an artist here in Brazil.
All of Rudy's face painting was done and I'm changing the playfield for a new one too.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from mollyspub:

Why does Rudy have a Reese cup on his head???

Quoted from Markharris2000:

I think he is showing a portion of the plastic piece that forms the BACK of Rudy's head. It's basically the brown covering that is not seen except some hair and the ears...

Quoted from hisokajp:

I haven't had one of those fail on my before... if that what it looks like when it is starting to go?
[quoted image]

Quoted from mollyspub:

[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from CLEllison:

I like the idea but not so much the execution of it. I think those specific graphics on a clear water slide decal over the original clear plastic would be really neat. Can you share the graphics to the group?

Quoted from CLEllison:

I like the idea but not so much the execution of it. I think those specific graphics on a clear water slide decal over the original clear plastic would be really neat. Can you share the graphics to the group?

Quoted from yzfguy:

I was thinking the exact same thing. I wouldn't want to lose sight of the ball under there.

Quoted from dsuperbee:

Scroll back a few pages to see what i came up with. I really like it.

Quoted from mollyspub:

I went back and forth with some ideas. Balloons, pop corn and if I'm understanding you correctly, your idea.
Pm me if interested wth what I've come up with.

Quoted from thechakapakuni:

So what is the story on the Yellow vs The Red Cabinet art? Is the yellow just faded or 2 types of art were issued?
[quoted image]

Quoted from thechakapakuni:

So what is the story on the Yellow vs The Red Cabinet art? Is the yellow just faded or 2 types of art were issued?
[quoted image]