Greetings IJ fans!!!

I'm really new to pinside. I've been in and out of collecting pinball machines for many years and over time I've trimmed my collection to just one machine...and it is IJ! This is one I will never let go.

I am preparing this fall, to tear down the machine for a complete restoration. I acquired the machine many years back (2010)... slowly over time I've purchased all new parts, mods, etc for a complete restoration.

I'm very excited to be here and excited to start this project.

- "See ya tomorrow Indiana Jones"

Excellent! Always good to see how people do these things. My next step is to get organized and formulate a plan. I've a rough idea of how, I just need to prescribe it and follow my own directions

Anyone ever thought of creating a mod that makes the planes move? I've kicked around a concept where a tiny gearboxed motor is basically driving a rod on a cam that would make the planes pivot along their center point. This could be activated when the ball goes through the ramps. I've almost got it to work but needed some metal work in order to properly re-mount the planes and hide the motors. I dropped it in the proof of concept stage...but I think it could be done and may be a cool mod. I've always liked the propeller mod but having the planes actually move would be kind of a neat effect.

Didn't know if anyone has thought of or tried this before... or if its a dumb idea.

Where is everyone getting these awesome plane models and parts for kit-bashing these cool plane mods ???
Thanks!!!!

I've been communicating with KornFreak28 on one possible solution to this. I've the material to make an LED harness, one that is PCB-less. There is really nothing to the circuit (couple of diodes, resistors and LEDs). It can hopefully be built using shrink tubing and it may even be able to be put inside the plane... but we need to prototype it first... dunno how it will all work/fit. In the next couple of days I will put together a prototype and if it looks like it will work, I will donate the completed harnesses to be installed in the model(s) for whomever wants them. Please give me a couple of days... I WILL do this, I think KornFreak28's models are awesome and would like to see them completed.

Oh I'd love to but I don't want to get in the way of this, I'm just not ready yet. I've still got some mechanical details to work out and have to get some parts made.

Totally with you on that! There are only 3 additional components. The PCB originally was designed to have both LEDs independently controlled... but is disabled by a jumper as they are both controlled together. This eliminates two parts (a diode and a 0 ohm resistor). So we are talking two resistors and a diode. I'm going to embed them in the cable assembly so they don't really need to be in the plane. They are just so minuscule I can't see them being a problem no matter where they are put.

We can also play with different types of LEDs instead of those bland standard reds.

LED wiring harnesses for the fighter planes are coming guys... I couldn't find my supply of .093 pins/sockets and I wanted to get two different LED types... 5mm and 3mm(super bright). I will hook it up to my machine so you can see what they output for light.

Hang tight.

(...oh and my machine finally decided to take a dump... I need to rebuild the 5V power supply)

Scorpion LED harness for plane... it can be bent/twisted/glued ... whatever. Also can cut back on the heat shrink a bit for it to be a bit more flexible. I’ve the 3mm super bright LEDs... they put the original 5mm LEDs to shame! I’ve a vid to show how they look

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I've an idea to make this work. I've got some black 1/4" ABS stock... I will integrate some custom made led holders out of this material as part of the harness. ABS will glue nicely with either locktite or other plastic glue. It think this will work well.

Rev 2 of the LED harness coming ... I've got a busy week so this weekend.

Rev 2 will have less heat shrink tubing (more flexibility) and I also want to incorporate the ABS LED mount/holders for rev 2. For whatever reason, thought I had the .062 connectors... I had .093!!! so I had to pick up a bunch ... those will be here today or tomorrow.

I would also like to build 2 of the Rev 2... one with 3mm and another with 5mm LEDs. Both are superbright with wide-angle flat top LEDs... I think for external mounting... the 5mm would be brightest ... but for integrating it within the plane... the 3mm is a better fit and plenty bright... but I'll leave that up to you and others to decide. These can be made to order... once you figure out what you want to do.

I'm using 26AWG (need to double check) but that's generally what I have on hand.

New LED harness... bigger and brighter !!! Also has mounting sockets !!! I’m pretty satisfied with it! The larger LEDs are WAY better.

I’ll be mailing this and the previous one to KornFreak28 this week for him to experiment with.

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Yeah they are made of ABS... they will glue nicely

Harness has been sent your way!

Cool... yeah my thought was just to glue the flat spot to the underside of the wing... run the wires wherever you want. You can also just pop those sockets off and ditch them altogether and have the LEDs sticking out the edge of the wing (if you are putting the wires in the plane). They are friction fit.

When this is finalized, PM me if you want me to make one for you. I will be doing them all at once, for one shipment to KornFreak28. At the moment I have enough to make 7. Not sure how many folks are committed to this... but I can always get more.

10:4

For the LED harness, I've got the final tweaks/recommendations from KornFreak28 and I will begin making them once I have the total number requested.

So...

For those who wish to have the LED harness made and incorporated into their fighter plane please pm me. I've already one request.

I will collect requests from you and build them in one lot. I can't be doing them one at a time and mailing them individually, it just doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to do it that way. They will be direct shipped to KornFreak28.

I've not decided on $$$ yet. ... honestley its about 2 bucks in parts... it's more about my time and shipping. In my brain... I'm thinking around 15-20 bucks... Let me know if that sounds ridiculous.

Thanks
-Jim

Tore down my Indy for playfield restoration.

3 days... lots of pics, labels and bins/bags.

Honestly ... I feel like I want to throw up. I’m super excited to finally get this project going... but holy shit!!!! People that do this all the time have a strong stomach. It’s like a long drive... it’s a good thing it’s gonna take a while on the playfield ... I’m not ready to hook it back up for a bit.

In the mean time I can start working on the cabinet.

I’m keeping this game forever so this has to be done for posterity.

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Thanks!!! I’m amazed at how much work it really does need... once you get all the crap off of it.

Not gonna lie... I’m scared shitless to ship it.

Yeah he’s ready to go... licensing is a problem. If he ever can secure the license... I’d probably buy one anyway.

Yeah I read Vids guide... he said that too!

^^^^^ YES!

Heck yeah! I was skeptical about it ... quite simply because I was so familliar with the factory mix and really worried that I would be put off by the voice actor... I was shocked at how great it was and how much it cranked up the entertainment factor for the game.

My only issue I have is that off and on Pinsound+ will fail to detect the USB stick. I’ve not debugged it (other than checking my power supplies which are rock-solid) and I’ve read here and there that people live with this behavior... it’s something that needs to be fixed cause it’s unacceptable to me.

That's a ton of work dude, GREAT WORK! Congrats on the preservation of such a great machine!
- "That belongs in a museum!"

Go into test mode and activate the test for it... the test mode will put them in a flashing state. If they don't flash on and off in test mode then you need to do a little more digging.

You can see if your LEDs on the plane are working by disconnecting the harness under the playfield (with the power off) and connecting a 9V battery across the terminals (of the plane side of the harness... not the WPC driver board side). You will need to rig some wires into the plug. If your LEDs don't illuminate then it is at the very least, a problem with the components on the PCB of the fighter plane. If they do illuminate then its a problem with the connection to the driver board or a problem on the driver board itself.

Hope this helps.

Man those look good... I’ve always thought they would look great in green.

Excellent!!! Colorized to a similar hue as the greenery of the plastics?? I would be interested in a set!!!!

I want that! Sending you a PM!!! I think the green will be a nice blend with the entire pin.

I’m more of a fan of the stock look in general... this is just a nice tweak.

Received my custom air-ball guard plastic from Davi today.

VERY VERY NICE!!! Professional quality product! (also included was captive ball guard not shown)

Can’t wait to put this into play ... one day when I get my machine back together!

Thanks Davi!!!

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These are fantastic! I've taken your pic and added some numbers so I could comment (I hope you don't mind).

Changing this color has a very significant impact on the overall look of the game. The original red is a nice tie in with all the red in the playfield... it also makes the POA pop. That being said, I think green would look really great and balance well with the existing artwork. Your original green sample (previous post) matched really well with the darker green in the plastics artwork... not sure if that's shown here (it may be #4 but with pics/lighting are sometimes see the true color)... but I think that's the best green IMHO. All the earth tones (2,5,6 and 7) would look great as well. It looks like for 9 you went with a color that is closest to the original ruins. I also like that because it adds balance to the game.

What about a tan color that is close to the plastics that sit below the POA??? It's a light shade of tan... that may also provide a nice tie in to it.

Anyway I'm getting one... I like sticking with the original style for this machine. The realism effects look nice but I think because the overall look of the game is "toony" when you go to realistic, it doesn't look right... that's just my opinion.

Again these are all fantastic, you've chosen all the right colors and tones, not a stinker among them. Its purely a matter of personal taste as to what works.
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Do you have the latest firmware version for your Pinsound installed?

Oh I wasn’t criticizing your red color... I was making the statement about the original choice of red by the game designers. All your colors are great!

Working on getting my cabinet re-fabricated. I may have an opportunity to setup the job on a CNC... I've done a rough document of the dimensions of the machine.. not quite finished yet.

I'm working off a sample of one... so these are still in draft form but free to anyone who wishes to look at them and use/verify/critique. Just putting them out there. Before I put them into CAD (when I have the time), I'm just rough drafting them for now. Guarantee there are errors in this, like I said the numbers will get verified once I get them into the model.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aRr8DnU4rIXNyRnF10Dy8mS4fx81azbU

I’m tearing down my IJ... anyone notice the shelf that the transformer is mounted to is just a back box side panel???? I’m not thinking this is just mine ... I’m guessing this was pretty common.

Also I’m looking for cabinet decals... I’ve see them for sale everywhere... but I’ve not seen ones with the particular name that is on mine ...
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Has anyone tried this replacement ball deflector?

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/01-8806

This one is curved compared to the original. I've only seen the straight (original design) replacements available up until this point. This may be irrelevant, but it's something that I just noticed, and I look at this crap a lot!

Yup there are many ways people have devised to deal with this issue...
- Removal of the deflector + Drop dead foam
- Elongated mounting holes on the deflector to adjust it back from its original position (mantisamusements.com sells these)
- Clever shock absorbing spring loaded bracket

I bought one of these Marco curved deflectors however my machine is in pieces and won't be able to test it for a while. I'm not expecting much... just intrigued.

Powder coated awesomeness by Robert Stone!

I'm dazzled!!! This is the PERFECT finish for this machine. I can't recommend Robert enough, brother does fantastic work and has an eye for color! Photography simply doesn't capture how fantastic this looks.

There is only one sucky thing... My cabinet isn't ready to receive these spectacular trim pieces.

The color is "Nocturnal Gold". I just bought a set of U channel H channel and lift trim to be finished as well... might as well do it ALL!

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Does anybody know what the heck these T-Nuts are for in the cash-box area?

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Agreed! Also, there have been many attempts at toppers for this machine ... none of them are slam dunk awesome. It’s tough because there is so much to draw from.

The only thing I can think of is that it’s for bolting down a cash box for tighter security maybe ????? They have a really odd layout. Someone’s got to know.

The two closest to the coin door look like they are symmetrical.

Has anyone on here tried this particular mod...
ebay.com link: Indiana Jones Pinball Inner Cab Backboard Decal Set Mod

Personally I think its perfectly matched to the machine. I favor enhancements that are more of a style that fits with the overall cartoon-ish look of the playfield and this one is very good in that regard. I'm Interested ... but not sure if I want that much sticker on my machine.

I'm in the LED camp, I like the updated "original" look... but its really tough to say one is "better" than the other. Either way... it's a super upgrade.

I'm half tempted to just get a set and review them... but I've been dumping money into this machine like a fool... and a 100 bucks is just a bit too much to blow on a maybe.

Looks fantastic!

Hands down the best realistic mod I've seen on IJ. Its just subtle enough not to contrast heavily with the toony styling of the game. This is one I kind of wished I got in on.

I will never ever let IJ go. It will be either my coffin or something my kids have to deal with when I’m dead.

I know there are a ton of great themed pins... and much of the newer stuff has better tech... but IJ is perfection in my book in terms of the thematic elements that have been incorporated.

I like the superball... and have it enabled.

Standard equipment is a matte brass finish, not chrome or polished brass.

When I put mine back together I'm sticking with black. I've gone up, down and around on this decision... I can't seem to find a color that I like, black just works with all of the outlining of the artwork. I generally don't prefer to create a mix bag of ring colors for different parts of the playfield either.

The only color I added was with the posts... I may end up reverting that to black too. For all posts that are normally black, I'm going with green with the exception of red on each side of the center target that sits behind the drop targets. I made the kit on Titan's pinball kits database.

https://www.pinballdecals.com/PartsByGamePages/IJ_Page.html

Gonna' be a while... still waiting for playfield to be done. I've been out of commission for a while. I'm hoping to get it done before the end of the year at this poing.

Nothing really ... getting all the chips around the inserts fixed and clear coated.

There was a shaker kit made by pinbits for this game. It attaches to the ruins flasher. I got one years ago and I would say its just "ok" since the game was never designed for one, not sure its worth hunting for one.

You've got two of the most important mods for the game... color DMD and pinsound. I've got a set of KornFreak's planes (I'm tangentially involved in that project... so I'm a bit prejudiced here) and they look great, and with the spinning props... just awesome! I'm not much into all the other stuff because it significantly changes the look of the game and I generally don't care for that... and that's just my personal preference.

Enjoy! It's definitely my favorite machine of all time... largely because of the theme, and I believe it to be one of the best theme integrations ever.

Certainly looks like a re-import... 230V and that German "Caution" label is kind of a tell.

Thats interesting... I totally missed that... got hung up on the Vorsicht

I love this look... it’s actually quite subtle and not overbearing IMHO. I got steel lift channel from mantisamusements and had it powder coated and it fits nicely!

Soulrider911 my machine is in pieces but here is the lift channel on the glass...

The lift channel is cut to fit ... I had mine cut to 26 7/8” ... it’s a perfect fit. I’m thinking I will line it with felt or something because I have a shaker in my machine and I don’t want it rattling.

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When all else fails... good ol' Steve Young's site...

http://www.pbresource.com/sockets.html
http://www.pbresource.com/sockit/wll-a11905.jpg

This is the only place I could find an EXACT match to what I have on my machine!

Very interested

Check your mounting and linkage on the post stop. I thought that my post wasn’t dropping ... it was in fact never going back up (at least not all the time). I was fooled into thinking it was actually stopping the ball because it was intermittent.

Looks cool in attract mode. You don't pay all that much attention to it during game play. My reason was just for completeness to the original concept... Indy is so feature rich it just seemed like it belonged to be there.

Your ribbon cables could have intermittent issues (try re-seating all of them) ... this is a common problem with the age of these things.
You're 5V could be getting flaky (this can cause erroneous resets during game play)

You need a multimeter and it can be probed on the CPU board or power driver board. Get your schematics out

... just got my IJ playfield restoration approval pics from CaptainNeo

HOLY $H1T!!!! It looks AWESOME!!!! So pleased and so very excited to get this re-build going! Going to be perfect timing... a great fall/winter project!

Cool! Yeah he had one available last year ... I almost pulled the trigger but the timing just didn’t work for me. I’m also working on an RFM restore. These two projects were supposed to be separated in time... but it’s looking like they will be overlapping!!! So they will be pecked at in increments.

Thanks ... yeah my machine has been in boxes and bins for almost 10 months now.... yeah there's a little stress there

1. Check for mechanical linkage... my solenoid assembly had loosened over time and the post wasn't working the way it should.
2. Check coil, go into test mode and see if the coil is activating.
3. Dig in and check from the coil back to the driver board (diode, connections, transistor).

Strip it, repair and seal/paint... it’s a big job to do it right. Nothing prevents you from just sticking it on top of the old artwork... but that’s not the best way to do it... and they likely won’t adhere well. You’re gonna need to remove all the cabinet bolts ... no way around that step.

.

Pinsound for Indy is one of the single best upgrades you can do IMHO... but you will need the Endprodukt mix to really get the most from it, search the pinsound thread and forums for this info. Their shaker isn't yet available. I've pre-ordered one myself... can't wait for it!

Playfield is on its way from captainneo ! Gonna have plenty to do real soon (actually more like a busy winter... gonna wait for the clear to harden nicely !!!)

Playfield back from CaptainNeo ... and it’s SPECTACULAR !!!!
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3 !!!! It’s beautiful . Sent it out last October... totally worth the wait!

There are a couple of things that are a bit wonky... but its easy to just remove them as they are usually just redundant sounds...(meaning there are other clips to pick from). I left them in ... haven't gotten around to remove them. There are just so many clips that it seems that the ones that are are a little off don't hit all that often.

I was originally going to go with brass. I still like the polished brass finish but I saw a few in black and I really like how it contrasts with the artwork. I'm in the middle of restoring mine right now. The color I have is actually "gold"... its almost black. It has gold flake but you cant see it very well in the pictures.
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This is the actual powder I had done:

https://www.prismaticpowders.com/shop/powder-coating-colors/PMB-3000/nocturnal-gold

I’m in the thick of this decision myself. My biggest constraint is that whatever I choose it has to match the artwork of the game. I won’t like anything that is realistic or too far off from the artwork on the playfield and playfield plastics.

I’ve found none that are a slam dunk for me.

Those are the ones that I have.

I got mine from Treasurecove pinball years ago. I think they still have them

If Indiana Jones is your thing... then nothing beats this machine in terms of theme integration. I know people say never say never but I am never parting with my IJ.

They are really classy. Some people feel like it doesn’t really fit the era of the game tho. I think it looks unbelievably great... the mirrored accents are awesome! I’m not sure they are 3 bills great but I dropped the coin on one in a WTF moment of weakness. I don’t regret it.

You know how picky I am about mods... I don't care for stuff that pulls away from the original design/art of the machine. I'm still not sure its worth the $$$ however the mirrored effect is so subtle ... it almost doesn't show. Its weird and difficult to explain. You'd have to see it in person, even photos don't capture how it really looks. I honestly feel like it fits very well. I like the artwork printed on the glass... that alone creates a different look.

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Excellent! I can't wait to get back to this point!

Check out my restoration ... I originally was gonna go brass. I like brass... but I went with a metallized gold flake in black.

The gun is black ... with dark brown accent on the grip

I thought about it... but bang for the buck is really low on this one... primarily because I've never had a single issue with my trough.

This is accurate

I got some PDI for my Indy. I have it on my Star Wars as well ... Honestly I think it’s the most impactful “mod” of any kind. Highly recommended!!!

They follow the flashers for: Right Ramp, Left Ramp, Eternal Life, Jackpot, POA, Left Side and Right Side playfield flashers. There are 12 of them but only 7 drive lines... so most drive more than one led.

I know thats not an exact answer... but you can look at the wiring on the back to see what ones are connected together.

I’ve a PinSound+ and have never heard the gun blast.

As long as my machine is rubble ... I’m happy to help

Man this is great! Thanks for driving this!!!!

I'm getting into re-assembly of my play field. I've got the Pinbits lost plastic light board that you install behind the back board of the play field. Installation requires a slot to be cut out of the back board for the light to pass through the lost plastic behind the rope bridge plastic.

I'm really wondering if i should do this. I'm like 50/50 on it. Now is the time to make the decision. I've not been able to find any pictures of this mod and how well it lights up the plastic. On the surface it doesn't look like its worth it... but I'd like to see one installed and lit to confirm or deny that.

Yes in fact I have. I considered making one myself, the cost of the acrylic is pretty high for making one. I would consider purchasing a pre-made one.

I’m going to try clear bumper bodies to illuminate the general area. I’m also going to try to cut an acrylic back board.

I’m in the middle of my restoration... my playfield is stripped... otherwise ... I wouldn’t bother

Hey now... don’t tempt me

I recently purchased the upgraded ball trough for my Indy, and yeah... that insert doesn't work for Indy. The new trough has some tolerance issues on my machine... the two holes closest to the eject hole do not align with the trough mounting holes. Its fixable by elongating the holes outward. I almost returned it because it was pricey and I wanted it to fit without me having to go at my playfield with a drill bit. I've decided to keep it for now... the rails inside the trough are very nice though... they are gentile on the balls