Where does the plastic with the 2 black legs go on the playfield? its by the blue ferris wheel.

Any Hurricane owners know where I could get a Complete spinning disk for the backbox? Mine is all warped in need of a straight one. Let me know if anyone has an extra they would sale me. Thank You!

ebay.com link: itm

Howdy! Im now in the Hurricane club! Found a beautiful resto in my area. New everything, sideart, RottenDog, super clean paint job and really nice overall machine. Payed $2600

My GI isnt that bright (It was fine when i got it) something is loose I suspect in the move. I know where it is on the board but havent resolved it yet.

My lights on the clown face stopped working. When i had a look in the backbox, they suddenly worked again. And then they were out again.. What is happening? Does anybody have a tip for me? I suspect maybe a connector, but so far disconnecting and reconnecting did not help.

so my backglas motor also didn't work that great all of a sudden. Also left outlane Light, and right inlane and outlane light.
decided to clean the fuses. that solved the problem. i guess there wasn't enough current for all lights?!

i don't know, but cleaning fuses seems to be the thing with my hurricane. that worked before on a different error.

i would never say i am an expert hihi, but for my experience with my hurricane, i would suggest cleaning the fuses .
that solved a lot of problems i had.

i would always guess that it is some connector, but in the end, my fuses had some dirt on them. and only when i took care of the fuses, everything was better after.

What are the best tournament settings for Hurricane? Any suggestions?

Is the main hurricane ramp (the large one on the right side) available?

And, has anyone modified their playfield mounts to the sliding rail style on the more recent WPC machines?

Larry at Starship has mentioned he might do that one at some point. He has the mold. It's qute large.

Can anyone tell me if the Ferris wheels are supposed to start running as soon as your power on the machine? Thanks.

Mines on freeplay and the wheels don't start until you press start.

Hi fellow Hurricaners! Sorry for the lengthy post. After a long hiatus from Pinside I have returned...on the occasion of finally bringing my Hurricane, purchased in '13, back from the dead! My machine apparently suffered minor battery leakage damage on the CPU board prior to my ownership, but the restorer had it working. Eventually it crashed and sat unused for a couple of years. My extreme thanks and kudos to Joe Schall for nudging me in the right direction and providing links and lots of advice, including the link to this Hurricane forum! Long story short I replaced the CPU board entirely except that I had to swap 3 game-specific chips from old to new boards (it still has board-mounted batteries - I will deal with that in due course), and I had to do some board-level troubleshooting on the power driver board - it had no 12-volt "digital" power due to a burned-out trace on the board top side hidden under C2. (No idea why that trace "blew out" instead of fuse F115...?!?) Several other minor problems have also been addressed, notably the ubiquitous slipping Ferris wheel. I also had no lane-change/status report functions on the right flipper button from day 1. I always suspected a bad opto isolator, U8, even bought a replacement, but that problem "fixed" itself during the driver board repair, probably as I reseated many connectors, thus I never had to shoot that problem any further.

So onward and upward! I also added lights to the 3 pop bumpers that were never there, wired into the matrix vs. G.I. - that makes a huge difference in being able to see the ball when it's in that area and I highly recommend that mod. to anyone who didn't get the lights already installed. I have ordered a speaker upgrade kit primarily due to the fact that I noticed my "sub" no longer has any "compliance" - I can see right through it to the floor! I'm also contemplating the upgrade to the ColorDMD product (even though my original display is still perfect) and maybe the undercab lighting and pin shaker. I also bought flipper rebuild kits and the rubber replacement kit in anticipation of future problems.

One mod I want to make but cannot determine/find what I need - my Hurricane has no lights in the topper dome. I see Hurricanes both with and without those lights so I suspect that like the pop bumper lights, the topper lights were eliminated at some point to reduce cost? Any idea what parts I need and where to source them? Calling Ericpinballfan - I think you mentioned what I need in post #200 above, but there was no further information provided.

So, great forum that I will be watching religiously now. Any help with the topper lighting would be greatly appreciated - and I hope I can share my modicum of expertise with others...!

Another quick question - I could have sworn that when I had Hurricane running before its "crash", it would occasionally make sounds (music and "dummy talk") whiile in the "Attract Mode". Page 1-5 of the Operations Manual seems to confirm this in the Attract Mode paragraph where it lists the displays and further says "These (or similar) displays reappear occasionally, accompanied by sounds and music..." Since I resurrected the machine however it has remained completely silent in the Attrract Mode. Is there a setting or switch somewhere that controls this? I like to have my machines look and act like they would in an arcade, like requiring coin drops and with full tilt functions. (I joke with my friends that they have to use their own quarters as my machines are my retirement fund raiser...!)

And one final question...for now! What NVRAM chip are folks using to replace the U8 2064 S/RAM chip on the CPU board? I assume once that swap is made there is no further need for batteries at all. Thanks again...

Couple of updates. Thanks to photos Ericpinballfan used in his listing I was able to build and install my own topper light board! I used a 1/2" piece of cabinet-grade plywood for the board itself, and sourced the sockets, wedge lamps, ID connector, and "Z" adapter at various on-line stores. With the adapter this assembly plugs into to the heretofore unused connector in the wiring behind the back panel light board. It works and looks great - the lamps and flashers are part of the matrix so they animate in sync with the backboard lights. I might experiment with different colors, maybe red flashers?

I also installed the ColorDMD option Eric helped develop and recommended. What a difference that makes! And I installed the upgrade speakers I mentioned above, which takes me from a 6" to 8" subwoofer and matching coaxial speakers on top. The added bass is substantial, almost like a shaker, LOL!

I highly recommend all of these upgrades, including lighting the 3 pop bumpers, for all Hurricanes that don't already have them. I might still add undercab lighting and maybe the shaker, but otherwise I consider this project essentially complete. I would still appreciate answers to the other 2 questions I asked in posts #265 and 266 above, however.

Thanks again all...I think there's a Hurricane building up now...time to check it out...!

Hurricane Topper I built, back side - 7-25-22 (resized).jpgHurricane with new Topper and ColorDMD Installed - 7-25-22 (resized).jpg

AMAZING !!!! That looks very Nice. Congrats on game and glad I could help a little.

It was a LOT more than a little, LOL...! With many projects I just need a nudge to get off the starting line, but to build that board I needed a good bit of detail that was not in the Williams documentation or anywhere else I looked. Proverbial case of "picture(s) worth 1,000 words"...

And your info about ColorDMD going back 2 years in this forum with recent recommendation pushed me towards that as well! If they're not already, they should be paying you a commission...!

Nice work! Your dome looks nice and bright, might have to upgrade my bulbs. Did you get the inchworm to show up yet? He looks great in color!

Thanks! I contacted at least a dozen pinball parts suppliers with the photos Ericpinballfan used in his listing including Planetary Pinball that now owns the Williams rights. All said and done it probably took less time time to build one than I spent on line searching for an OEM assembly! I have about $40-45 in parts and a couple of hours of bench time into it. At present it has warm white LEDs in it but I think I'll switch to the cool white versions to match what's in the rest of the back box display.

In almost 9 years of owning this machine I believe I saw the inch worm only once on the orginal display, not yet on the color screen. I'll report back when I do...!

I can tell you the sequence of events if you'd like. We get it often enough these days that we play "the inchworm game". The only goal is to get the inchworm. What makes it even trickier is there seems to be a 50/50 chance you get the ducks instead. One of my kids hit the shot the other day and out came the ducks!!! She was pissed!

Absolutely! I'm always looking for new challenges on Hurricane...! Ducks...??? (JK, LOL...!)

To get inchworm...

1. Shoot the ferris wheel so that the ferris wheel light goes out.

2. With the ferris wheel light out, and after the dummy stops talking (or is it), and no quick score lit, shoot the ferris wheel again. You should get the "shoot ducks to light ferris wheel" message.

3. Repeat step 2 and either the inchworm or ducks should appear. Note, this need to be done before the ferris wheel is lit again, if you accidently shoot all the ducks, you need to start over.

One time the inchworm did pop his head out while the dummy was talking, never saw that happen again though. He quickly disappeared, we were shocked!

Let us know how it goes. Love that inchworm!!!

Got 'em on camera!!!

20220730_172717 (resized).jpg

So wanted to scoop a hurricane again, but prices are out of hand and space is at a premium. So day.. awesome looking game!

Thanks! Sounds like fun. I'll print this out to keep it on (or maybe under!) the glass...!

GOT 'IM...!!! Just SGL (Shit-Grinnin' Luck), to be sure...but I lit that worm up for the first time in color just now! I wasn't following the "rule" you outlined but somehow I musta hit the sequence and there he was! You'll have to take my word for it (I'm an Eagle Scout!) since I didn't record it...maybe I'll set up a camera and try to hit the rule so I can share it with you...!

Lotsa fun...to be sure...it just adds to the allure of Hurricane! I'm so glad I decided to invest what it took to resurrect this wonderful machine and make the upgrades I outlined above (I'm just a bit south of $1,200 total spent since May)...but I don't regret one cent! I hope to play this machine 1,000s of times before I cash it in myself...!

Awesome! One of my kids managed to get both the inchworm and the ducks on the same ball yesterday. First time any of has pulled that off. Was going for a 3rd, but knocked down the last drop target and re-lit the ferris wheel.

Glad you're enjoying your Hurricane! Seems to get the most play in my collection. Kinda funny, since when I bought it, it was mainly because I had a Comet and Cyclone and figure I should complete the set.

Here he (she?) is! I have to confess, this was staged. I had to pull the glass for another reason mid-game, so just for giggles and grins I staged the scenario you mentioned above: Ferris wheel ramp lights off, Dummy lit but not speaking. I then rolled the ball up the FW ramp 4 times - first 2 we got ducks, then the second 2 it was the worm! I don't know how you figured out that sequence, but it's spot on...!

Onward and upward...!

Hurricane worm in color (resized).jpg

Awesome! I read somewhere they have something to do with the ferris wheel. So I just kept shooting for that and got them to show up a couple times. Eventually I was able to figure out they would only show up after the "shoot ducks to light ferris wheel" message.

You all are giving me something new to shoot for, I have only seen the inchworm a couple times ever but I almost never shoot the Ferris wheel unless I am trying to complete the clowntime lights so there you go.

I'm looking for the round ground braid (that runs through the GI in system 11) to do a pf swap on Cyclone, does anyone know where to buy it? Thanks

Like this...

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1041-third-coast-pinball/00662-18ga-stranded-tinned-bare-wire

Your awesome thanks for the link bud!!

Recently joined the club with a pretty nice Cyclone followed by Hurricane! I’m going to restore both, eventually and gradually. I have a new CPR pf for Cyclone, and new cab decals for Hurricane. New center ramp too. I added blades from Retro Refurbs that are made for RCT, but I liked them best for Hurricane. I have a color DMD I might drop in Hurricane too. I find myself hitting the start button on Hurricane a lot. This game is a lot of fun, and deceivingly hard! The shots look like they should be easy, and wide open. But with no ball save, and a risky dunk the dummy shot, the ball times can be surprisingly short. Now to get that inchworm to appear…

0A8E0EB9-ECED-44A2-AC8B-72082D1C466D (resized).jpeg

4F4EE017-316F-45BE-9AD8-A283A5FBB79B (resized).jpeg

61349944-5BF3-4B27-B6E8-F6BE821E60CE (resized).jpeg

6DD39A82-09B9-43F8-9E7E-4CA204FF4EB3 (resized).jpeg

930DDF82-849E-4921-9BA8-7B3A0628E602 (resized).jpeg

Good looking machines Pinkitten. Hurricane appears to be in a GREAT, very clean shape! May I ask, where did you get the Hurricane cab decals you mentioned? The decals on my back box look great but for some reason both sides of the lower cabinet are badly faded - the red is especially washed-out - so I'd like to replace those if possible.

I like how you store the paperwork for Hurricane! I use a similar method - the smaller binder is the original Operation Manual that came with the machine and a lot of supporting information I found online and printed. The thicker binder has 2 detailed Hurricane Service Manuals from Williams, one of which has (almost) complete schematics that fold out to a large size for better visibility. I also have all the receipts and other documentation in that one related to the repairs and upgrades I made to my machine.

Time soon to unbox my NIB Rush LE...!

Cheers...

Hurricane Binders (resized).jpg

Snap. I have the same pair.

br6 (resized).jpg

Classic Arcades on EBay! See below. Ministry of Pinball also carries them, but I can’t say which set is better. My Hurricane has a pretty nice playfield. The main plastic up the middle above Dunk the Dummy is broken, but I have a new one coming. I have a new center ramp too. My cabinet is pretty rough. I need to fill, sand, paint and re-decal. It’s a big job, but with a power sander it will go faster. My Cyclone has a decent playfield, but I tried to remove the yellowed mylar and pulled up some art on a couple inserts. I have a new pf for Cyclone, maybe I’ll swap it this winter. The cab is decent on Cyclone. I won’t restore that one.

The game came with the manual in a binder. It keeps everything together, it’s a good idea. I’ll install the new ramp tonight or tomorrow.

8A3D0E0F-210E-40A8-AE7A-D6C563AC4DEF (resized).png

Thank-you very much! My cabinet is in good shape, just faded. Now that I have a source for the replacement artwork I might just consider going deeper into a restoration. My playfield looks great but there are plastic pieces I want to replace (especially the main Hurricane ramp that was broken and repaired before I got it), and there is a bunch of mismatched hardware to replace as well. Good luck with your project and keep us posted!

Put up 72 mil, previous best was 32 mil. Finally figuring out the scoring. Clown Time I hit the Comet ramp a few times and got 8 mil, and I hit the Palace jackpot twice, once for 16 mil. Fun game!

"Hurry, hurry, hurry...!" Yes - Hurricane is still quite engaging and challenging for me even after 30+ years when I first played one on site somewhere; I said then and there "Some day I'm gonna have me one of those!"! That finally happened in '13. I now have my 2 machines side-by-side, Hurricane and my brand new Rush LE. I find myself moving back and forth between both. As much as Rush is the far superior machine with 3 decades newer technology, coupled with the fact that I'm a huge Rush fan, there is now and will always be a place in my heart and mind for Hurricane! I will continue to maintain and upgrade it as much as needed/possible.

IIRC, my highest ever Hurricane score was about 65 mil. but that record was lost in the CPU board crash that took it out of service for several years...

Hurricane and Rush side-by-side (resized).jpg

Get multiball going, then try to catch a ball on each flipper. Keep holding that right flipper and use the left to hit the Hurricane ramp, value is 1,2 and 5 million and repeat.

Once multiball ends scoring is 2x, 3x or 5x for 12 seconds or longer so I just try to hit the comet ramp repeatedly to get to the millions value and rack up points with that multiplier.

Just lost all my high scores and settings the other day. Crappy Energizer lithium batteries!!! Second time they got me. Put them in in early January. I tested them when I removed them. 2 were still good but the 3rd was coming in around .5v. Will test the batteries out of the box from now on. Glad all my other games have NVRAM. At least my kids are happy, it's suddenly much easier to get their names up.

Damn I have those batteries in mine! They are still going strong after I’m guessing 2 years. Maybe I should consider swapping them soon.

I’ve switched most of my pins to Energizer lithium over the past 5 years. I have had great results so far. I use both the lithium button batteries for more recent pins and AA for 80’s/90’s pins. A battery tester is handy and cheap, and should reveal batteries that are getting drained before their time. I’m probably in year 4 with them and no issues so far.

Repeating a question I posed above - What NVRAM chip are folks using to replace the U8 2064 S/RAM chip on their Hurricane CPU board? I assume once that swap is made there is no further need for batteries at all. Thanks again...

https://www.pinitech.com/products/62256_nvram.php

If it doesn't go well you can buy a new MPU with NVRAM installed here...

https://nvram.weebly.com/wms-wpc89-mpu.html

Thanks for that! My new CPU board does have the SRAM chip in a socket - I need to study this a bit more to determine if I can make the swap to the NVRAM board you linked without any other board-level changes...I'd really hate to mess up this new board that cost me nearly $200.

EDIT 1: I have been identifying the SRAM chip as "2064" as that's how U8 is identified in the Hurricane CPU board parts list. In fact that is just one designation for the 8Kx8 RAM this game uses; 6264 is what appears on the chip on both my old board and the one I have installed now. I'll check out instead the 6264 chip NVRAM replacement...

EDIT 2: I ordered the 6264 NVRAM equivalant from Pinside. According to information provided no jumper change is required, should just be "plug and play" for me.

My Hurricane is getting a makeover. Playfield is very nice, but cab needed TLC. Adding a color DMD and new center ramp. Should be really nice!

DAEAACD6-EAF1-46AD-B60D-56C60944FB93 (resized).jpeg

19714F88-4DEA-4E2B-A30D-EDEC93D68441 (resized).jpeg

1DDB1672-744D-4B03-BD1E-1026D8ADF48A (resized).jpeg

2E727AE9-7236-4C8B-9C70-8422357D2690 (resized).jpeg

ECBC738D-E350-4438-8AB3-BCA2B4D12C59 (resized).png

072DD1A6-A6BF-49A7-A20E-DE08D531B8C6 (resized).jpeg