Cleaned up and reassembled the switch and spotlight that mounts behind the gate.
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Cleaned up the lights that mount in the "Shoot T-rex when lit" metal shield.
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The upper right flipper coil is the correct coil but it has a different solid blue wrapper on it. I believe the "Solid State" wrapper is yellow for this coil. I had already re built the flipper but this ugly coil and ugly wiring kept staring at me so its time to update it.
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New Wrappers.
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Ok. that's a lot better.
I added some plastic tubing to protect the wires from the bracket.
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Time to work on the ramp. This ramp was pretty new when I got the machine and its in really nice shape with no cracks and it seems pretty thick. The only problem is someone was not very careful when they were handling/installing it so it has some scratches on it. And somebody used pop rivets to put it together.
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Here is the bracket that holds the wire ramp. It doesn't even look like they cleaned it up before they installed it.
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Off to the vibrator
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The lower bracket was homemade. I will try and replicate the original unless someone has one for sale.
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I have the working gate mod so I will just store this stuff.
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Flame polishing is an amazing thing if done right. There were no ball tracks in the ramp because it was barely used but like I said, there were some scratches. I was able to get most of the scratches out using a torch and most of the ramp is crystal clear. There were a couple of scratches that were to deep to take out with the torch but overall it looks really good. A ton better than most around.
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I got the machine on some temporary legs with wheels on them This allows me to work under the cabinet when needed to install lights/flashers etc. This was the first time I have used the new cabinet protectors and I really like them. You can see just a little space between the leg and the cabinet when looking straight down at the leg but you cannot tell when just looking at the machine. I will make these standard on all my games from now on.
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Just a couple of fun pics. Yes, for you guys and gals that will get on your knees to look under the machine....It is color coordinated.
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Got the new coils in. They actually had the correct coil wrappers on but they were kinda sloppy.
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Decided to replace them. Added some wire protections at the solder joints aw well.
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Put some decals on today so I guess its a good time to talk about how I made them. I went through several stages along the way and changed my mind several times. I had new decals for all the machine except the two that go on the metal piece that sits in front of the T-Rex.

I spent a ton of time working on the graphics and cleaning them up. I feel like I have some pretty good decals now. I spent several weeks and plenty of money on a local printer and was not happy with the results so I decided to do attempt things myself. The biggest problem is the light green color. A normal printer cannot print this color. I felt like I had to match it because the new decal that is around the eject hole has it and I think if they didn't match it would look funny.

Since the decals have to be laminated for protection, during the design stage, you have to put some kind of laminate on them because that will change the colors. So there is lots of printing and laminating to get a result and then compare and make adjustment and do it again. The final version will be heat laminated but this can be costly to do during the testing phase so I just use the sticky self adhesive laminate for the testing phase. It doesn't look as good but will give you a pretty good indication of what the colors will look like when heat laminated. When trying to match colors I get a color close and then I print out a scale extending steps on the lighter and darker scale. Sometimes it take a few tries to get it right because sometimes it takes other colors that you might not have thought of. What I do is punch a hole in the color and then hold the sample over the real color (plastic/decal etc), This makes color matching easier instead of trying to match colors side by side etc. Its real easy to see if a color is wrong when looking through the hole.
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I saw some shipping labels the other day that were neon green so I printed the decals on this paper so the paper itself had the lighter green that just had to be tweaked to get it right. Below are several examples with the different greens. This is also the paper I used to create the flipper coil labels.
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Here is the one that matches the original decal.
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As I am looking at the plastics etc, I see that the green is not as "neon" as the originals and therefore doesn't perfectly match the new decals. Its close so if I had all new original decals, I would probably use them anyways but as mentioned before, I have to create some. Since I am creating some of them, I decided to change the green to match the plastics and use all custom decals. So basically, all the stuff I just described is a waste. Of course I have a good match for original decals if I ever need them. The only draw back is these decals are printed on paper with permanent adhesive and not vinyl. They would be laminated and I have no reason to believe they would not hold up but just a note since they were not vinyl.

I found a supplier that has a laser printable white vinyl. I bought some to try and experiment. Using the recommended settings, the prints didn't work at all. You can see from the picture below that the ink was not sticking to the paper. It simply was not hot enough. You can see from the bottom row, I started increasing the heat and it started working better. Bad news was that as I finally got the setting dialed in, I ran out of paper.
Image1 (resized).jpg

I finally got some more paper in and got a set of decals printed that looked great. They are Heat laminated and ready to go. Since I could not fit everything on one sheet due to the paper having a 3/4 inch piece of tape at the top to help it not come apart in the printer. I took all the grass decals and put them on one sheet and since so I duplicated them to take up the rest of the paper so I have some spares if I mess them up while cutting. I heat laminated both the colored page and the grass page in 3 mil laminate. I made another copy of the grass page and laminated it with 5 mil laminate.
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You can see that I extended the hunter green color beyond the edge. I did this so if you are not perfect when cutting, you will not see a white edge
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I powder coated the two metal pieces that sit in front of the T-Rex. I just thought it might look cool for the exposed metal to be the middle grass color than silver. I forgot to mention that the only place the hunter green color appears is on these grass decals so I matched it with the powder color. It was already pretty close to the original color but I tweaked it to match.
Dscf6447 (resized).jpg

The decals feel pretty thick but when you pull the backing off, you are pulling off the back laminate too so it feels about the same thickness as an original.
I used 3mil on all the decals except for the front one that seems to get bashed to oblivion. I used the 5 mil for that one.
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Here is the playfield one.
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I got a new translate from arcade overlays and I have to say that is looks awesome. Some of the reproductions I have seen do not look good and have a messed up sunburst. This one looks great.
Dscf6444 (resized).jpg

I am going to add lighting to the T-Rex scoop and make it interactive. You cant just add light sockets here because the wood above it is the lower area and you might screw through to the other side. I made some brackets to I could remote mount the sockets. I will add more about the wiring when I get the control board in.
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Worked on the interactive T-Rex eject hole lighting. I want the hole illuminated Green to match the grass around the hole for most of the game. When Red "Shoot the T-Rex" light flashes, I want the green light to turn off and a red light to turn on. You know..eating...blood..

I showed the lights mounted in a previous post. I got the control board in so time to wire them up. I tapped the GI line for the green light.
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Wires added to the lights and ran back to the boards.
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There are two boards needed to make this work.
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One is the F2S board from Tim's Pinball mods (on the left). This board takes a flashing light and normally allows you to hook up a light that will be solid. I am using it to give a steady 12V signal. I am using this signal to power another board. With the second generic relay board (GRB) (on the right), the green light is hooked up through the GI line. The wires are hooked up through the normally closed line. When powered by the F2S board, it will go "open" and turn the green light off. The red light is powered from the original "Shoot the T-Rex" light.

So here is the process

1. "Shoot the T-Rex" (STT) is off so the GRB is not powered and the green eject light is ON and red eject light is OFF.
2. STT light starts flashing. This causes the F2S board to put out a solid 12v signal that powers the GRB which opens the green eject line and turns the green eject light out. The red eject light flashes alond with the STT light.
2. STT light stops flashing. This causes the F2S board to turn off the 12v signal to the GRB board so the Green effect line is powered again and the green eject light turns on. The red eject light is OFF because the STT light is off.

Now that it is as clear as mud I will cover a few more details. The yellow plug above provides attaches to the plug from the STT light bundle. This taps the yellow wire for the STT light and duplicates it so it can send a signal to the red eject light and the signal for the F2S board.
Dscf6460 (resized).jpg

The red wire for the STT light is a little different since it uses the diode. This diode is not at the lamp like most of them, It is mounted to the playfield and then a wire is ran through the playfield to the lamp. I need a signal from this wire to go to the F2S board and I do not want it from the diode side, I need it from the normal side. The red eject light will need a diode just like the STT light so I added a diode and mount that is like the original.

The green circle is the original diode. there were two wires on the left lug and a diode crosses to the lug on the right and then the single red wire goes to the STT light. I added a third wire to the left lug to power the F2S board and then I added a new lug and diode for the red eject light (red arrow). Then a red wire goes from the diode to the red eject light.

My brain hurts now.

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A couple of other custom mods I am prototyping 8).
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Thanks. I was trying to decide what color to use and I was going back and forth between the two and then I had the "idea"

I really like what you have done with these boards and I think you are gonna like what I have in mind for the servo boards.

Unless something crazy happens, it should be done. I could probably have it ready in a day or two if needed, but I am working on all the custom stuff now. The 3D printer is printing as we speak.

I am pretty confident that I will have everything I wanted in the machine ready for TPF. Been working today and will have an update this evening.

Got the decals finished for the metal plates in front of the T-Rex.
Dscf6464 (resized).jpg

When I did the decal for the big plate. I filled the screw hole area of the decal black. I then cut the holes for the screws smaller than the originals. I used black screws so they blend into the decal.
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Front left installed with a green post rubber.
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I wanted to light the back panel but I don't want to wash out the surroundings with spotlights or an overhead LED strip. I got a large sheet of 11/32 thick Acrylic. I cut it to the same size of the backboard. I then clamped it to the original backboard.
Dscf6470 (resized).jpg

I carefully drilled out the holes to match the holes in the original backboard. I do not want to screw into the acrylic so I made the holes a little bigger and will used screws and nuts to mount the plastic and remp mounts.
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I did a preliminary test with the LED strip.
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I wanted to maximize the light transfer so I covered the back with white vinyl. I folded it over and then trimmed it along the front edge. I left the bottom open for the LED strip.
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I do not want any light escaping so I covered the white with black and wrapped it around the edges and brought it around the front just a little because the plastic is a little narrower than the backboard. This will keep the light from showing through and also make any exposed surface black and blend with the background as the original board does.
Dscf6478 (resized).jpgDscf6474 (resized).jpg

I also put a strip on the front. Even thought this is covered when the board is mounted, I carried the black up about a 1/16 of an inch under the plastic so there will be no light showing through the seam when mounted.
Dscf6477 (resized).jpg

To mount the LED strip, I use an aluminum L channel that is taller on one side.
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I drill three holes to match the 3 lower mounting holes on the backboard. I mounted the LED strip on the L Channel.
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Here is what it will look like when mounted.
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Now the old plastic ins installed to test it out. With the white background, the light is a little more vibrant and a little brighter than the first test. I have a dimmer I can put on if I want to adjust the brightness but I want too but I will probably leave it at full bright.
Dscf6476 (resized).jpg

Thanks Gord, I appreciate that. This thing has kind of taken on a life of its own.

Spent most of my time working today on cleaning up some wiring and working on the custom design and printing of parts. I did test all of the new post lights. These lights run on either AC or DC so I hooked them up to a 5v power supply to test them out. They look great and the dimmer controls work great so they can be adjusted for the best look after I get it back together.

There are two power taps. One is on the "Yellow" GI line and that powers the main playfield posts.
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The other is on the "Purple" line and it powers the three back posts and the backboard that was created in the previous post.
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Got to the ramp today. Attached the wire ramp bracket.
Dscf6483 (resized).jpgDscf6484 (resized).jpg

Attached the ramp protectors.
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Installed the switch and new flasher globe.
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Next I had to make a new ramp flap. I started by making a digital copy and printing it out. I then cut it out and taped it to a new sheet of metal.
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Cut the new shape.
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Using a hole punch tool, I punched the 1/8 inch rivet holes.
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Next, I used a larger hole to make the curved part of the larger cutout.
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Then I cut straight across to finish the cutout.
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Finished and installed.
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One side of my subway ramp attach point at the VUK is blown out. I think most of the JPs I have seen look like this. Other than that, the ramp is in pretty good shape.
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Once installed, the ramp is pretty solid with just the one side attached but I want to add some support to the other side. I took a piece of Lexan and cut a small square and drilled a hole in it.
Dscf6500 (resized).jpg

I installed the screw prom the back side so the threads were facing the ramp. I place the plastic bracket I made on the threads so all the little pieces of the ramp that were left were sandwiched between the metal bracket and the new Lexan piece. The a nut was put on and tightened down tight. This holds the ramp pieces tightly between the two pieces.
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I would have much rather had a new ramp but sometimes you just have to make due when parts are not available.
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Got the decals applied to the "Shoot the T-Rex" metal.
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The one thing I don't like about the original decals is the top decal is not centered with the hole.
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I edited the graphics to center the yellow area over the hole.
Here is the difference.
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I use a guide to cut the hole. Ignore the piece of wood. I place the decal on a piece of glass which makes cutting easier.
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Here is the new vs old
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Finished
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I was testing the Pinsound board and I was getting some vibration from the speaker grill in the cabinet. I took some foam seal and placed it on the cabinet.
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Then the grill is installed.
Dscf6516 (resized).jpg

Then the speaker was installed and screwed down tight.

The T-Rex rubber skirt is in pretty good shape. The plastic piece that the screws go through to hold it on was is broken at one screw hole and is not clear. Its a little yellow. I decided to print a black one to make it look a little better and blend in with the skirt.
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Finally got the light box printed for the rear playfield sign.
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I had to print in two pieces due to the size so I printed a joining bracket.
Dscf6529 (resized).jpg

Glued together and hope to get it installed tomorrow.
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Its time to get busy. I have been working on a lot of custom stuff and tying up loose ends so I don't see much "progress" when I walk into my shop. Well nothing makes you fell like you're making progress like installing some plastics and wire forms.
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Maybe I will make some stuff available when the dust settles.

Opinion time. I picked up these side decals a year or so ago but I also was considering Pinball Side Mirrors.

What do you guys think?

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These decals actually look pretty good,for what they are. I'm leaning towards mirrors if I can make sure the DE ones will work. I was told the Stern ones would fit but they don't.

I finally found the picture you mentioned. I am putting the collar plastic on tonight so I will see what I can come up with.

The light box turned out nice.
Dscf6532 (resized).jpg

I will mount it behind the sign using longer screws and then tightening the nuts to hold the box. I want it to mount flush with the plastic so I will cut out a notch for the bracket. You can also see the bracket also hits the flash area so I will cut it short.
Dscf6533 (resized).jpg

The lights mounted. They will hook into the 12v power supply.
Dscf6534 (resized).jpg

I wasn't happy with the way the new plastic looked with the lights behind it so I cleaned up my old plastic and it looks sharp.
Dscf6545 (resized).jpg

Got a few other things installed.
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I mentioned earlier that the bracket for my ramp was missing. I mounted the ramp and then marked where the mounting tab should be.
Dscf6506 (resized).jpg

Then I designed a bracket on the computer and then printed it on paper to do a test fit.
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It really helps when you have a good friend that works for a guy that has a Water Jet. I had him cut me 3 out of 16 gauge steel. I had them cut with no holes so I could fit them later.
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Took one and did a test bend by sandwiching it between two pieces of wood and then using another piece of wood and a mallet. I then mounted it to see how it would fit.
Dscf6555 (resized).jpgImg_4542 (resized).jpg

I took another one of the blanks and sanded it and polished it. I then bent it using the same method. Once it was in place I drilled out a the rivet holes and the mounting tab. I don't believe the original had any padding on it but I put a small black pad to help absorb the impact forces.

Finished.
Dscf6556 (resized).jpg

I got the Pinball Side Mirrors installed. The Mirrors do not have a cutout for the rear sign brackets. The light box I made has such tight tolerances that I could not just shove the mirror behind it as most people do. I had to cut a notch out of each mirror.
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Got the back panel finished and installed. It is powered by the same circuit that powers the 3 post lights in the rear of the playfield. That way it can be dimmed if needed.
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After a lot of work and adjusting I finally got the ramp installed. One of the problems that can happen if you want to use plastic protectors is that it can cause a clearance problem. The clear plastic panel that sits under the diverter was too tall and hit the ramp when installed. So I could either get rid of the plastic protector or create a smaller plastic. I chose to create a smaller one so I could use the protector.
Dscf6557 (resized).jpg

One of the problems when using mods is that all the mods are created by different people. They all work great when used by themselves but can cause issues when using them together. I ran into such an issue with the functioning gate mod and the scoop mod I am using. I had the Power shed scoop all ready to install and then I installed the ramp. The gate mod is wider than the original so it hangs over the scoop a little. So I had to rework the power shed mod and now it sits slightly off center but I don't have much of a choice. I think it looks fine but there is a ton of work when making this stuff work together sometimes.
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Here is where she stands right now. The playfield is pretty much done except for wiring up the ramp stuff and I have a couple of custom things to add. I hope to have it ready to power up Saturday when I get back from my trip.
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