Nice catch!

Just got three cows on the same casino run... I've had quite the dry spell lately so I think she is being generous.

Any updates on the LED special code?

Wait do you get something for cows!?

A cow on the tumblers awards an instant special for 500M and a credit. This is different from the usual Special award since you have to cash out the casino run to collect a regular special and don't collect if you go bust.

In the process of moving, then need to find someone local who can grab the file off the chip.

So, I am Officially 13 months into my Jack*Bot ownership and simply put, I fucking LOVE this game! It's been one of my grails since I really started following pinball in 2018, and every day I grow more in love with it. In my small collection including a Getaway, T2, and SFII, this is still by far my favorite. Many of my non-Pinball Family and Friends really enjoy the overall simplicity and game play as its relatively easy to understand. This game is 100% bolted down, and will NEVER be leaving my Home!

The only real major issues I had was the Shooter rod / ramp vortex issues which I've since resolved and threaded on the Pinbot Vortex Ramp threads - Plus had an issue of constantly blowing F107 which ended up being related to the Pop Bumper GI, and was resolved once I rebuilt all three Pops.

Many upgrades I've done which makes a huge difference include: ColorDMD, Color Matched NG Comets for the inserts + all Cool White for the GI, Titans, Matrix Lighting for Both eyes and Game Saucer (The eyes were just way too dark), Speaker Lights, Rebuilt Flippers and Coils, Rebuilt Pop Bumpers with Comet LED Red Rings with clear caps (The Pics don't do justice), Mirrored Sideblades, and a playfield protector... However, one of the best improvements that really sets this game apart, is a PinSound board with a Klipsch 12" Powered Sub. I was super bummed to find out there weren't any custom soundtracks... So I made my own including many gambling songs and others that really fit the games motif and bill... Some of which include: Daft Punk, The Gambler, Ace of Spades, Overtones Gambling Man, Notorious BIG, Guns and Roses, and Jamiroquai. All the music orchestrations are completed, and now I just need to work on upgrading the call outs and sound effects. I've tried uploading my custom soundtrack to PinSounds website, but for some reason it wont upload... I've since reached out to Nicholas on it but never heard back. I may plan on doing a quick YouTube video running through all the upgraded Music, but if anyone is running a PinSound on their J*B and is interested in my custom sound bill, let me know and I'll gladly share it.

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Awesome! Any gameplay video so we can hear the songs with the game?

Cool! How did you manage to set up the pop bumpers led rings? I wanted to but there is so few millimiters with the mini pf above, I would be very interested in doing it too..
Waiting for your video on youtube!

Here’s a topper that came with my early prototype machine. This hangs above the backbox so it looks like her leg is hanging off the side. It’s printed on thick foam board. I wonder how many of these were made and if arcades actually used them?

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Question about the "hit-me" blackjack hand... is the awarded card based at all on game play or truly random? I understand that shooting for "hit-me" is basically asking for a drain, just curious on how that mostly ignored portion of code works.

Just had a casino run spin with all tumblers hitting 45mil. I got a knock and I'm pretty sure was awarded the 500mil special. I don't recall ever getting a 3x match on casino run so that was a surprise event.

I estimate I'm at around 5000 games. It's awesome that such a basic playfield and ruleset can still dish out a surprise now and then. The other one-off phenomena that comes to mind is the Slot Machine special I got a few thousand games ago. Until then I didn't even know that was a possible award on the Slot Machine. Still waiting for that one to surprise me again.

I always will say Casino Run is one of the most exhilarating modes of all pinball. The risk/reward is a thrill.

Well after a long search, I’ve finally joined the Jack*Bot club. Wanted to find another under-appreciated (and undervalued) 90s DMD with great gameplay & code. I have a strong feeling that JB is a long term keeper, very similar to how I feel about BSD. Wanted this one really bad for tourney & group play with friends.

Please excuse the clown puke. She’s getting stripped, ripped & all the bells & whistles under the hood. Really looking forward to shopping this one

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Quick question: Are there enough dimming GI effects on Jackbot to warrant purchasing the GI OCD board? I know it’s really beneficial on certain games that have lots of dimming effects (like BSD or DM), I’m just wondering owners opinions who already have it installed.

I’ve got a replacement ramp...if anyone needs one, shoot me a PM

I have LED on all GI, the 25x Keno card, and white/green inserts... traditional incan on the rest. I don't have the OCD boards and really like the way the lighting presents. I have never played one with the boards so can't make a comparison, but I really don't think it's necessary on this game. There aren't any dimming effects in the programming that I am aware of.

If you decide to skip the boards I recommend non-ghosting bulbs for above playfield ramp mode indicators (light game saucer and mega-ramp) and right lane award (cashier, mega-ramp, EB, 25M) since ghosting on those is obvious and annoying.

Congrats on the JB acquisition. Replayability on JB is as good as it gets. I have several thousand games on mine and zero desire to add another game since JB keeps calling me back for more. That being said, I do have an Old Chicago that occasionally gets some love.

Yeah I'll be putting NG LEDs everywhere like I always do. I've just never installed the OCD boards before. The one for the inserts isn't even in stock now anyway, so I'll probably just hold off on both for now. I just don't see the value of installing the GI OCD if there's no GI dimming effects programmed into the game.

Ordered a whole bunch of parts & upgrades yesterday Still figuring out my bulb order. That clown puke has got to go! Excited to tear into this shop job & finally get her setup in the gameroom.

I installed a couple of red/blue bulbs in the GI on either side at the back of the playfield just for fun, super bright cool white for the rest.

Good luck with the shop. JB is remarkably easy to maintain compared to other games from the era.

There are dimming effects that will strobe a little bit at Multiball / Casino Run start (maybe at Mega Visor as well? Havent been to it in a while). Not enough during general play to warrant a $140 board to me and Jackbot has been one of my favorites for many years. Spend the money on R&M art blades or mirror blades instead.

Yeah I've been spending a small fortune this week. Mirrored BG, various LEDs & add-ons, cliffys, new pop hardware, flipper rebuild kit, plastics, rubbers, etc. I'm probably going to buy the OCD anyway when they are in stock. I don't mind because I'm just really thrilled with this game. It's a great feeling when you know you just purchased the perfect addition to your gameroom.

I'm just really looking forward to getting all the blue & red GI bulbs out of there. They've washed out the colors of the playfield artwork & plastics so badly. It's going to look so sharp when I'm done with it

I was going to start a thread, but I might as well post here instead. My Jackbot is just about finished. All I have install is the CPR mirrored BG, because I didn’t have the correct trim & lift bar for the new thicker glass. That said….

BEFORE
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AFTER
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I’ll just post some ideas I had that turned out pretty well….

I rebuilt the pops. Cleaned & new coil sleeves. Clear bodies, multicolored skirts, EVO pop lighting, new red caps, new sockets resoldered. These came out awesome, thanks to the cool white underside lighting that really brightened up the pop area. These EVO lights raise the pop caps about 5mm, so you’ll need to use spacers to raise the bagatelle so it doesn’t rest on the pops & wear off the bride artwork.

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The original plastic just didn’t pop enough, so I bought the replacement plastic from PPS, which has more colors. I used clear mini posts & used a variety of colored rubbers for the bagatelle. More color the better on this game.

So the translucent red pops light the artwork from underneath & wash all the nice plastic colors out. So I added a spotlight by the bagatelle exit area with a bright optimax cool white bulb. Now you can see the nice colors of the bride artwork.

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Photo of the matrix lighting added behind the ramp. I ran two 12v flasher strips to each side of the back panel & tied them into the left/right eye flashers.

Also added purple strips inside the spiral ramp, tied to the GI.

I already had the Freeplay40 red/blue ramp, so I added red/blue matrix strip to add some additional hued lighting & tied it into the GI lighting. Colored frosted bulbs in the GI is awful. It washes out the playfield art & all the plastics. But if you install white GI bulbs, then add some colored light, the effect is subtitle & not severe.

I actually moved those colored strips to the back edge of the playfield & pointed them up towards the ramp. Ended up looking a lot better.

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I also added some flashers to the backbox. I measured to place a purple flasher in the center of pinbots visor, then ran the wire to the visor flasher in the center of the playfield. I also heated some thermal plastic & created a visor blackout guide for the backbox, just to contain the light strictly to the visor face on the back glass. Not pretty but it works well.

I also added a red flasher behind the bride’s heart, and then tied it into the super pop playfield flasher.

Little touches that most players won’t notice, but Jackbot lovers will

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looks great!!!

Care to sell the old plastic bagatelle playfield?

Hi, super nice job! One question, you mentioned spacers under the bagatelle to avoid scratches, but how do you manage entry/exit in the bagatelle itself? Does it fit the same without issues? Thanks

I thought I took a better photo from the side, but you can see the black spacers I used here. Got them from pinball life. I can't recall exactly what size I used. Either 1/4 or 5/16 I think. You just want to raise the plastic enough so that the art doesn't rub off on the pops. I also had to use slightly longer hex screws to secure everything.

There was plenty of clearance where the ramp exits onto the bagatelle area, and the exit guide simply slides into the riveted bracket at the bottom of the bagatelle. So being about a 1/4 inch higher didn't effect the path of the ball at all.

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When I installed a new bagatelle board, I found it pretty much sitting on top of the pop caps as well. I just cut out three 1.875" circles of mylar, figured out exactly where they should be located on the bottom of the bagatelle to cover the pop caps, and stuck them there. Essentially invisible, and no worn-off bride artwork.

My lower pop cap had worn a small bit of artwork off the mini pf, I touched it up with water acrylics and then protected the touchup with a bit of clear mylar tape too.

Do you have any way to just scan the front? I’d LOVE to put that on mine and I’ll add the foam lol

The only thing I could not locate during my build was the back board artwork decal. That must have been a custom item & never produced for sale.

I have a new one with a small scratch if you are looking for a reasonably priced one.

Appreciate the offer, but Hoaky already hooked me up with his old one! (mine had the same scratch from a previous owner's shoddy repair of a pop-bumper/cap with a drywall screw ).

Great work with the backbox visor and bride heart custom flashers! Fantastic ideas--your game is looking great.

I have the freeplay red/blue ramp, but it's still sitting in the box after a couple of years. I might copy your matrix lighting example when I finally get around to making the switch.

Installed the CPR backglass tonight. It’s thicker than 1/8” but thinner than 3/16”. The old WPC trim didn’t work, so I had to use System 11 trim & lift bar from pinball life. The lift bar was pretty snug after using friction tape. Had to tap in with a rubber mallet, which was a bit nerve wracking.

But it looks good! Nice colors, a little darker overall. The “mirroring” effect is laughable at best. More like a cloudy gray than a mirror surface. But I’m glad I purchased.

OLD TRANSLIGHT

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NEW CPR MIRRORED BACKGLASS

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The mirroring on my CPR backglass is excellent. I can see the cloudiness in your photo and mine definitely does not have that. However, the printing on mine shows obvious banding from the printer passes. It's not too noticeable from playing distance, but it is there and I am pretty disappointed in the quality overall. That being said, it does look unquestionably better overall than the original translight, so it stays.

I switched to 2SMD cool white bulbs in the backbox to counteract the lower transmission. I also had to do a little custom work to find a solution for the trim. I ended up not even using a lift bar so I have to use some rubber or a sweaty palm for friction to lift and remove it.

Yeah that's what I have installed in the backbox. 2SMD frosted cool white. The visor flasher effect is somewhat diminished due to the darker BG, but it works for me.

I'm declaring this Jackbot shop job done. Time to play the hell out of it & go on a couple nice Casino Runs

I'd want a friggin' refund or a replacement on that glass, one of the main points of redoing it on glass was for the mirroring. I've pondered getting one but not if the mirroring might look like that.

Has anybody tried LEDs brighter than 2SMDs on this glass? I can barely even read the "A Pinball Adventure" in that pic, is that solely because it's darker or because of the printing there, or is it just exposure of the photo? I've tried warm whites on my translite but it made the colors look washed out so I put the 555s back. The darker glass one must REALLY be dark with standard lamps.

Here's how I look at it....

1) The CPR glass looks better in person
2) It has brighter colors & isn't washed out like a translight
3) CPR's mirroring is what is it is. It's never going to be as reflective as a classic 80's backglass.

I have a CPR Blackout backglass, which is pretty good but not great. I have a CPR Taxi blackglass where the rear view mirror is muttled grey & doesn't reflect at all. This Jackbot backglass is similar to Taxi. It doesn't reflect at all. But it's a big improvement over a washed out translight. But you are correct that the "Pinball adventure" line is harder to read because it has that muttled mirroring.

I have frosted cool white 2SMD in my backglass. You could add more frosted LED strips via matrix connections if you wanted to brighten up the CPR backglass. I just have no interest in doing that though. It looks fine in person for me, and my well lit playfield draws everyone's eye anyway.

Had a buddy over for some pinballing this weekend and during a game of Jackbot I managed to land the ball on top of this bagatelle rubber. Told my buddy "I couldn't do that again if I tried". Slid the glass out, dropped the ball down into the shooter lane and less than a minute later.....same thing!

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My JB has slowly developed a non-issue over the last thousand or so plays. The trough to shooter lane eject occasionally needs a second attempt to get the ball into the shooter lane. The trick is this only happens when loading up for a 3-ball multiball. Never had an issue on routine non-multiball trough eject. I'm assuming there is some sort of voltage drop phenomena present while the game is giving the fancy multiball lightshow that leads to the failure.

It probably only happens <10% of the time and the game usually corrects with a second coil fire after a few seconds. Occasionally it will require a rough shake, presumably to get the failed ball to re-seat in the trough properly to close the trough opto.

I play for the long game. Rather than get too excited about individual game scores, my metric of interest is how high I can run up the replay score. I gradually ran my JB replay up a few million every cycle until it reached 5.9B. I wanted that 6B so bad, but my skills slipped and replay dropped into the 4B range for the last couple of years.

Over the last few months I have increased play and laser focused on my skills. Replay just reset at 5.8B... So close to that 6B goal. Just had a big game to kick off the next 50 game replay cycle, so I am off to a great start!

Merry Christmas to all you JB enthusiasts and owners.

Inspired by HoakyPoaky above, I’m giving my old JB a minor restore this winter to freshen everything up. By any chance, does anyone know the part number for red plastic mini posts (and the associated hardware) for the bagatelle mini-play field?

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/03-8044-9

Found ‘em!

Anybody know if these arejust glued down, or is there accompanying hardware?

Just a #6 3/8 screw?

No glue

Haha, yeah, I’m just figuring this out, as I start the shopping list. Hoaky graciously sent me his old bagatelle, and I’m working on getting it populated. I guess regular #6-3/8 sheet metal screws is it for the new mini posts.

I was shopping out a Jackbot for a friend and it was missing the 2 guide rails to the locks on each side. Had to make my first replacement rails. I think they came out pretty good.

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Nice work! Make sure those wire forms are shoved deep and snug into the playfield receiving holes. The most prominent flaw with my JB is a deep playfield scratch on the left (red) eye from the wire form coming loose on the leading edge and a ball grinding it through the clear into the wood. Luckily it's concealed when the visor is closed and only barely visible when up.

Also, you should change out those post sleeves so they are color matched to their corresponding keno lanes. From left: Yellow, Orange, Red!

Casino Run was most generous tonight. I had an early spin that awarded an EB triple... so, three extra balls and a Special for the triple match.

Unfortunately, I squandered that generosity and came up just shy of a "high roller" score.