(Topic ID: 206322)

Meteor restoration........

By Pinball_Nate

6 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

You

Linked Games

  • Meteor Stern Electronics, 1979

Topic Gallery

View topic image gallery

5Cab (resized).jpg
cabside (resized).jpg
pinb (resized).jpg
shooter (resized).jpg
bb1 (resized).jpg
DSC_8886 (resized).JPG
Stern_VolumeControl.jpg
a1 (resized).jpg
a2 (resized).jpg
20181126_182929 (resized).jpg
switch (resized).jpg
1 (resized).jpg
2 (resized).jpg
3 (resized).jpg
4 (resized).jpg
DSC_8849 (resized).JPG

You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider Pinball_Nate.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

#1 6 years ago

Love Meteor strategy and have warmed-up to older Sterns in general.

Purchased this one during Allentown this past year. Had to laugh because I hadn't seen many Meteors for sale and thought I jumped on a good deal when someone advertised having a project Meteor they could bring to A-town. Once I got there and paid for it, I go inside and there are like FIVE Meteors set-up with very reasonable prices!!! Doh!

Anyway, I am now a proud owner. This game is an early production, has the flat base plates for the flippers, I think the sticker on the side of the cabinet mentions 1979.

Playfield is in very good shape, inserts are not cupped much at all, and the only wear spot is at the bottom of the bonus ladder where the rockets are. Most of that is black, so I should be able to paint it over with little problem.

This card was tucked into the game manual:

14RegCard (resized).jpg14RegCard (resized).jpg

#2 6 years ago

First step for me is playfield, I am most concerned with getting the playfield looking great and taking apart all the mechs and going over them - the drop target banks are HEAVY, especially the six drops at the top.

I take LOTS of photos of everything as mounted under the playfield, off of the playfield, how the wires are soldered on, then I label the wires with notes as to their locations - then I finally unsolder everything and remove.

First, here are some photos of the project pin. The cab is rough, but I'm not too concerned with cabinets being perfect. There's a strip of wood out of the "R" in Meteor on the left-side. I may run some wood putty into it to smooth it out and then re-do the red paint - or I'll leave it alone. The red is faded no doubt and would be hard to match.

The diver board (I think it's called that?) beneath the playfield looked scary so I went ahead and ordered a new replacement. Also, the wires from the transformer have been joined to the board with wire nuts, instead of soldered so I will solder those and remove the nuts.

The only wear is there by the bonus ladder at the rockets, should be an easy touch up. The rest needs a good cleaning and black lines re-painted around all the inserts. Rubbers and plastic posts are all dry rotted. The lane guide on the right is bent way out of shape, so I'll try to re-shape it.

1Playfield (resized).jpg1Playfield (resized).jpg

2Playfieldwitharch (resized).jpg2Playfieldwitharch (resized).jpg

3Playfield (resized).jpg3Playfield (resized).jpg

4Playfield (resized).jpg4Playfield (resized).jpg

5Cab (resized).jpg5Cab (resized).jpg

6Cab (resized).jpg6Cab (resized).jpg

7Playfield (resized).jpg7Playfield (resized).jpg

8DriverBoard (resized).jpg8DriverBoard (resized).jpg

#3 6 years ago

Shot of the playfield mostly stripped of hardware. The top drop target area at the top has an extra post sandwiched into the center, there are seven instead of six across - is this a spot where the ball gets caught??

9PFbreakdown (resized).jpg9PFbreakdown (resized).jpg

#4 6 years ago

Flipper mechs are very dirty and beat-up. I have the older, flat base plate - I was thinking about upgrading to the Williams flippers but I may just purchase entire Stern rebuilds and install. The rebuilds use the newer plate on "legs" so I will need to make new mounting holes or use my old mounting bracket. Is there really any difference in the two brackets?

10Flipper (resized).jpg10Flipper (resized).jpg

#5 6 years ago

The wiring for the two flippers appears to be very different. The one on the right (from under playfield view) looks to have a lot more wires running to it than the one on the left. Also, there is a crazy four-way leaf switch on the right flipper that I don't think belongs......here's a comparison of the two flipper mech sides......is this correct?

10FlipperWiring (resized).jpg10FlipperWiring (resized).jpg

12FlipWiring (resized).jpg12FlipWiring (resized).jpg

#6 6 years ago

The leaf switches on the slings are toast - can I assume that I can purchase new ones based on comparing how they look? (ie: same location of tabs in rear of switch?).

I notice a tiny diode attached to these that I don't recall on later games - what number are these? and do they go bad or can I re-use them?

13LeafSwitchwDiode (resized).jpg13LeafSwitchwDiode (resized).jpg

#8 6 years ago

Ok, all hardware is off the backside. From reading the Meteor club posts, it appears that my numbered drop targets are the "chicklet" type and thus original - while the ones with an arrowhead type top are newer replacements? Is that correct?

Also, it looks like the "1" targets have the smaller lip beneath the target, the metal piece is turned "upside down" in order to hold the target up high enough above the playfield.

The "2" targets are correct, with a longer "stem" insert, and you can see the plate mounted opposite so allow for proper target height. If they work correctly, I think I may leave them for now.

My "Meteor" drops are mixed between arrowhead and chicklet so i'll order new ones to make them uniform.

17Dropswithlongstem (resized).jpg17Dropswithlongstem (resized).jpg

18DropswithShortcatch (resized).jpg18DropswithShortcatch (resized).jpg

#9 6 years ago

Slingshots are two different hardware configurations. Any help as to which one is the correct one for Meteor? There is a washer at the top of the spring where the link is, not sure that is supposed to be like that?

19Slingshots (resized).jpg19Slingshots (resized).jpg

#10 6 years ago

Removed the board from bottom of the cabinet. All the wires from the transformer were attached with twist-on wire connectors. I'll solder them and then attach the other ends - that I marked with tape as to where they go - to the new board I ordered.

I'll also have to re-pin the connectors along the bottom of the board. Are these called Molex connectors? Are there different sizes or are they all the same size?

24DriverBoard (resized).jpg24DriverBoard (resized).jpg

#11 6 years ago

After removing the drops mech, I saw a Christmas card used to either shield light from the pf bulbs, or perhaps protecting any metal-to-metal contact between the metal light sockets and the back of the drop mech??

First time I'd seen up-close the tiny solenoids used to hold down drop targets (I am guessing these are used to "memorize" the drops that are down from player to player?). The leaf switches on this unit look fine, should anything be cleaned or tweaked on this particular part of the drops? I unscrewed this assembly and left it wired to the pf while I clean up the drop targets, etc.

20MeteorDrops (resized).jpg20MeteorDrops (resized).jpg

21MeteorDropCoils (resized).jpg21MeteorDropCoils (resized).jpg

23GreetingCardDrops (resized).jpg23GreetingCardDrops (resized).jpg

#15 6 years ago

setzkor, thanks for all the input. I found an invaluable article comparing the Sterns to the early Ballys - I am working my way through that and should learn a lot. I did buy a brand-new rectifier board so thankfully will not have to be replacing the actual male pins, just the female molex plugs.

I had the exact same thought, just purchase the new METEOR drops in tombstone, and keep the others on hand. I do have the decals from the seller when I purchased the game, and have already scanned all of that for future reference should I need more stickers down the road.

Ben, yes, I will run something between the contacts on those leaf switches, but otherwise that unit looks to be in pretty good shape.

Does anyone "dry lube" the hinges on these drop-target units?

#19 6 years ago

dasvis, TheLaw, and dothedoo:

I will admit to taking the "path of least resistance." I did want a more "reliable" board with upgraded components - and I was very careful to label all the wiring connections from the back of the board before removing them. I knew that it worked, but it looks terrible and had three heat-sinks removed from the center, and screws going into them and into the board mounting bracket?

My competency level with electronics is little to none unless following explicit instructions or putting things back exactly as removed - I am more of a mechanical/appearance fixer-upper where I can actually see what is wrong.

I purchased a new board with the "divide by 2" Meteor chip installed and also a new board allowing use of LED's - even though the older boards do work. I want this thing running smoothly once I get it all shined up!

I will also re-pin the connectors (female side), which is not quite as daunting as testing boards, soldering, etc.!!! Although soldering wires to the back of the new board looks easy enough so I'll give it a try once practicing on the old one.

Hopefully you guys will follow along as I tackle this thing, keep up the comments both good and bad - I welcome them all.

My last resto was a Taxi with no issues except mechanical/cosmetic - this is a little more involved being an older machine and harder to find parts. I have been reading this (http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/ballyss/rep/index1.htm) which has proven very educational and informative.

Thanks,

Nate

#22 6 years ago
Quoted from Gizmonic:

You can't use the original flipper bats with the type 2 Stern flipper baseplates, the flipper shaft is too short. Found that out the hard way on my Stars.
Ron...

Thanks for that "heads up" - I think I'm going to stick with my original mounting plates and just buy the rebuild kits for the linkages and springs, etc offered by Pinball Life. Also buying new flipper bats w/shaft. My coils and everything look fine - I actually have some of the original(?) metal coil sleeves that look in very good shape.

#24 6 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

Yeah you have to cleanse yourself of the idea new=better. Think of it this way, that board has been working on this machine for almost 40 years, pretty impressive

On the flip-side, how much longer does it run after I put everything back together?? I'd rather replace now, these parts were not the best quality to start with, and in no way were they expected to last this long!!

I'm very "old school" with everything else - in no way do I subscribe to the "newer is better" idea, that's why I still have tape cassettes, a VCR, turntable, and tube tv!!!!

-Nate

3 weeks later
#26 6 years ago

Used a rainy, dreary day to get the white painted in. Here's before and after.

PFwhite2 (resized).jpgPFwhite2 (resized).jpg

PFwhite1 (resized).jpgPFwhite1 (resized).jpg

3 weeks later
#27 6 years ago

Was able to repair the slingshot arms using replacements from Pinball Life. Also got a new armature with linkage for both. I think they will work! I purchased a coil to replace one of the originals, the plastic back cracked on one corner on the other original coil. However, why is the new coil looking so much thinner than the other original one??

slingshot (resized).jpgslingshot (resized).jpg

#28 6 years ago

Hand painting the orange areas because there is way too much to trace and cut to make an effective stencil, I also do not have an airbrush. Using Creatix airbrush paint, it's not hard to get an even coat w/o brushstrokes once you have enough paint layers brushed in. Time consuming and tedious - you can see the difference around the Steve Kirk signature - there was a LOT of ground in dirt. I have a few coats to go on this side before it looks smoother - the other side is almost finished and looking good, waxing the pf afterwards will add luster to the paint.

DSC_8561 (resized).JPGDSC_8561 (resized).JPG

paint1 (resized).jpgpaint1 (resized).jpg

#30 6 years ago
Quoted from setzkor:

If the area around the signature bugs you, that would be a relatively easy decal to make. Scan or take a picture of it, then print just the black lettering to a clear decal.

Yes, I've done decals before - considering doing that if I can't free-hand my way into the middle - that side has some more coats of paint to go yet.

Thanks for the input!!

3 weeks later
#32 6 years ago

Thanks Coyote, life has gotten in the way of this resto-thread.................it is coming along and I have some photos to post. Turns out the paint job on the pf is VERY unstable, so every time I put down some masking, taking it off would remove some paint!!! Doh!

Not having access to clear-coating can have it's drawbacks. But, hopefully a coat of wax will help seal the paint in when I prepare to put on the mylar.......

Thanks for your response about the "extra" post - appreciate the input.

Stay tuned..............sorry for the long delays!!!

#33 6 years ago

Shot of the center of pf, first two "ladder" scoring areas to right are painted in with black - compare to left-most area. This entire area has since been finished.

Also removed mylar protectors from around the pop bumper and the slings - no paint loss, just a lot of residue to remove with flour and rubbing alcohol.

mylar1 (resized).jpgmylar1 (resized).jpg

ladderpf (resized).jpgladderpf (resized).jpg

#34 6 years ago

Shot of the Meteor drop-target area of the pf, before and after touch-up. Some of the paint-loss to the background in the upper right area was from the masking used to paint the arrows, paint was coming up with the masking tape.......

I decided to forget adding the yellow line back into the circle design where it was worn out and just painted all the areas with black. I also masked off the arrows and repainted those. Used some purple and blue also to fill-in where it was worn around these inserts........

before (resized).jpgbefore (resized).jpg
after (resized).jpgafter (resized).jpg
after2 (resized).jpgafter2 (resized).jpg

1 week later
#35 5 years ago

Working on touching up the rockets area on my computer paint program - I've already painted in the black areas and touched-up the rockets, am now working on the tails of flame - that is the worst area of wear.

Left-hand side is finished, working on the other two.

Rather than attempt to free-hand the paint job, I'm going to print water-slide decals on white backed decal paper. These will slide directly over the flames - I may have to slightly shade the white areas so they blend in better with the entire "years of dirt and fade" overall color scheme.

I've also toned-down the original yellow and red/orange colors to better match their surroundings.

RocketsSticker (resized).jpgRocketsSticker (resized).jpg

#37 5 years ago

Thanks phototamer - I know, the createx paints are so thin, it takes multiple coats, only drawback is that you end up with a slight "lip" around the painted areas (more so when you mask an area off).

Are you masking off the letters? Wow, yep, the free-hand painters are a patient bunch!!!

#38 5 years ago

Starting to replace some pf hardware beneath the playfield. Most of the switches are toast. This fits beneath the pop-bumper.

Switch (resized).jpgSwitch (resized).jpg

1 month later
#40 5 years ago

Moving at a snail's pace, finally got the colors close to the originals on the pf. I shot close-up of the rockets and touched them up in photo editing program and re-sized to fit the originals. I used the white backed slide decal instead of the clear so I can use the white - which doesn't register as a printable color.

Hopefully I'll actually get them applied in the next couple of days.

Thanks to everyone's patience with this thread, it got really de-railed this year due to non-pinball issues.

roxkwraoverlay (resized).jpgroxkwraoverlay (resized).jpg

1 week later
#41 5 years ago

Finally go the water-slide decals on for the rockets. I cut close to the outer edge but being sure to leave some black so the decal would blend in better with the background. These decals were the largest I had worked with and proved challenging to get onto the pf at just the right angle to directly cover the graphic that was there originally.
One mistake - I didn't paint over some bondo filler that I used on the right-most rocket trail where the paint had worn down all the way to the wood below. the Bondo is a clay-red color and shows through just a tad on the decal. You can see anything that is a bit dark that I attempted to cover with the white decal - the decal was little too thin to really hide dark colors, so be smart and cover with white paint ahead of time.
I used white decals instead of clear because I knew I couldn't print the white color and would just use the background white.
Also ran some black paint along the edge of the decals to hide any seams - applied a coat of wax - and looks acdeptable!!!

Rocketsdecal (resized).jpgRocketsdecal (resized).jpg

3 weeks later
#43 5 years ago

Yes, I only had to do the rocket trails - thankfully, after they fully dried, the middle section (where it is a bit darker) lightened up so it looks better.

Around the pop-bumper shouldn't be too bad - shoot a pic and print it to clear decal paper and you should be good to go - keep in mind that you may want to do sections where the wear exists instead of the entire ring at once - these water-slide decals can be hard-to-handle the bigger they are.

Again, moving at a snail's pace on the resto. I had a mylar fiasco that required me to remove what I put down and re-touch the playfield. It's ready for my second attempt - I think my downfall was using a piece of mylar that was too wide and pre-flattened. This time I'm using a narrower piece and leaving it rolled-up, unrolling as I apply.

#45 5 years ago
Quoted from Chalkey:

What happened? Did it crease as you applied?

For some reason, the center area, once I got past the first bank of drops area decided to start creasing up - directly center, multiple areas - not sure why except that this was a wider piece than I usually use, and I had it flattened before applying.

I've done this before, so this is the only exclamation I can come up with................

3 weeks later
#46 5 years ago

Ok, I'm still here. Been hot n' humid so took the occasion to flatten all of my playfield plastics. I just took two sheets of glass and clamped them down with some, um, clamps - and let the sun shine on. Did a good job - took about two days.

Getting up the nerve for the second attempt at mylar - hopefully finished very soon - stay tuned for fortune or failure!!!!

#48 5 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

I prefer the oven technique. No UV fade that way

I turn the plastics face-down so I don't think UV fade would be an issue.

Using the oven - is that microwave???

#51 5 years ago

Great work on that Time Fantasy!!

I have a time fantasy of my own - that I have enough time to finish Meteor!!! Hhahaha

#54 5 years ago

DocFinlay : Will do, hoping to get underway soon - ebay prices are not "realistic" in general! Sterns won't fetch a lot of money, but like anything else, if someone really wants a nice re-conditioned pin without doing the work themselves, you will probably sell it for 1,200 or so - I will have spent upwards of that on mine just fixing it up - but it's more of a hobby for me and I'm not really thinking about what it's worth other than to me personally, once I reap the enjoyment of playing it.

1 month later
#55 5 years ago

Yes, we have mylar applied! Second time around - still NOT perfect and a little frustrating, I officially proclaim this pinball to be cursed!! Here's what happened......

Mylartear (resized).jpgMylartear (resized).jpg
#56 5 years ago

As you can see, when applying the mylar from the topside down, for some reason, the large circular hole was too much of a "blank area" to attempt to cover. In hind-site, I should have had a piece of cardboard fit into the hole, flush with the playfield to avoid any buckling of the mylar.

Soooo, I ended up with bubbling under the mylar where it wasn't exactly applied straight and taught enough. I was forced to cut the mylar above and below the pop bumper ring to remove the air pockets. Thankfully, the pop-bumper skirt will cover a lot of this damage and it won't affect gameplay.

I'm now replacing mechanisms to the underside of playfield, dealing with the maze of labeled wires telling me what goes where!

Labeledparts (resized).jpgLabeledparts (resized).jpg
#57 5 years ago

One question - when I replaced the slingshots, I noticed that the armature is actually touching the baseplate underneath - a metal-on-metal contact (circles in yellow) that wore a small groove into the mounting hardware. Is this typical of Stern???

Is there anyway of stopping the armature just short of banging into the underside of the table? Can I put a piece of firm rubber there to lessen the impact?

Thanks for any suggestions..............

Rebound1 (resized).jpgRebound1 (resized).jpgrebound2 (resized).jpgrebound2 (resized).jpg
1 month later
#58 5 years ago

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/meteor-club-we-will-let-you-know-when-the-danger-is-past/page/20#post-4622130

Posted the above in club thread with no reply - anyone able to verify wiring? Thanks.

#61 5 years ago

cottonm4 and vid - Thanks so much for your help.

I will use the flipper photos to make sure I've got these hooked-up correctly. I knew the upper flipper was missing something................

Best,

Nate

#63 5 years ago

cootonm4 - thanks for some more information.

Yes, I did replace the kicker arms and kept the original kicker mounts - it seems to work fine, the mounts are not in that bad of shape although I did notice one of the arms that extends through the playfield looks like it is a little "skewed" to one side - could that be the reason??

Oh, I also straightened out the "skinny coil" issue - it was the wrong coil and I got a corrected replacement.......

#64 5 years ago

Question about the spinner - is it viable to clear-coat the spinner? I'm worried that the added weight of the clear may affect the "spinnability" since it is almost inevitable that one side may have more clear (weight) than the other causing a balance issue.............................does anyone mylar the sinner surface - or does that cause the same problem???

My spinner is in good shape, and I scanned the graphics for future replacement - it looks like really the very bottom of the spinner is most affected and showing paint loss.

#66 5 years ago

Atari_Daze - good to know - I think I'll clear only. I have some silicone I can use.

I can't help but think mylar would weigh it down a bit???

#68 5 years ago
Quoted from Atari_Daze:

I think the additional mass of the mylar is negligible in relation to the overall mass of the spinner.
Curious what others think my self.

Well, if there's not a thread, you could always start one - I'd be surprised if this wasn't talked about before on Pinside.

Those older spinners take quite a beating after 30+ years!!! Mine is in remarkably good shape with only the orange paint missing from the bottom(s) - I was considering trying to "jazz up" it's appearance with some glitter paint over the meteor graphics, but those graphics are SMALL........

#71 5 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

All you need is a small strip of mylar to cover the ball contact point. But you also need to place another strip on the opposite side to maintain balance.

Was considering that - thanks, that's the easiest - glad you're on my page!!

I hope to have more photos, at the moment I'm (slowly) rebuilding the pf - waiting until after York show since I'll be purchasing bulbs there from cointaker........

#72 5 years ago
Quoted from Atari_Daze:

Yep, all things have been talked about on here before.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/best-lube-for-spinners
30+ posts in just this one thread and almost as many suggestions for lube.
so IMHO, YMMV LOL
Then there is this:[quoted image]

Excellent! I'll check it out!

-Nate

#75 5 years ago

cottonm4:

Thanks for the recommendation - don't hit me, but I already mylared the entire playfield (I like to play, mylar if waxed doesn't bother me.......).

That's an interesting idea and one that I wouldn't discount. Once I have juice to this machine I'm going to see how the ball is "thumped" back onto the pf - it wouldn't be difficult to shave off the ends.............

Have you totally restored your SeaWitch??

#76 5 years ago

Atari: Hey, that wouldn't be unheard of on this forum!!! But I'm with you, as long as it's slippery I'm happy!!!

#78 5 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

BTW: I need to complement you on your play field touch up work. You did a nice job.

Thanks! I come from a family of artists so I enjoy that part of the process the most........... I am very interested in the making overlays discussions. I'd like to try that out sometime on a future project.

Where does one buy the polycarbonate?

Have you posted a thread about your making these??

Best,

Nate

#80 5 years ago

Thanks, I actually just ran across that thread, I'm definitely going to try this out!!

-N

#82 5 years ago
Quoted from DocFinlay:

Also working on a Meteor, thought you might like to use my "custom" spinner graphics. One is off center of the other so when it spins the meteor is "moving"[quoted image][quoted image]

Wow - great job!!

Thanks for sharing, I've been thinking about jazzing up the spinner...............

3 weeks later
#83 5 years ago

Slowly, so slowly getting the playfield re-populated. Discovered I didn't order enough short posts so just placed an order for the additional ones. I also discovered after having some of the screws push through ever-so-slightly into the backside of the pf, that there are actually two sizes of screw, but only about 3/8 of an inch in difference!!! The shorter ones (of course) are used on the short posts, so after putting four shorts in with the longer screws I had do re-do that.
There are almost NO short screws from when I took apart the pf, instead they used washers to make the longer screws "shorter" or used very long screws inserted from the back of the pf??!!
I'm going to the hardware store tomorrow night to find the shorter length screws. Here's some photos. I really like the blue posts in place of the red - I'm also thinking about painting those white plastic caps black as they really stand-out and don't match any of the pf colors.

pf1 (resized).jpgpf1 (resized).jpgpf2 (resized).jpgpf2 (resized).jpg
#86 5 years ago
Quoted from semicolin:

anodized locknuts

semicolon: Thanks for the heads up, those are a great idea! I'm not sure they would fit on the type of post in there, the post top is kinda "skinny" it's one of those screw in with extended/threaded top post - I'll consider but may just go with the dyeing suggestion.
Thanks!

cottonm4, that's a great idea! I was thinking about just spray-painting them, but this might be less messy. I see they have purple too, hmmm......have you done this? How dark does the nylon get??

Thanks both of you for the suggestions - glad you reading my (slow, I know) thread!

-Nate

#91 5 years ago

Hey coyote, some of us are piss-poor and lucky enough to afford clunkers to restore to their former glory!!!

New playfield? New playfield.........yep would be wwwoonnnderful!!!

Glad to stir up the thread again, I'm going tonight to try some dye.

I agree, .75 a pop is a little pricey, I've already made this project an expensive one as it is!!!

Think I'll try purple, I assume the longer it stays in the soup, the darker they get?

Thanks all!

#92 5 years ago
Quoted from Atari_Daze:

I second that, I dye nylon in almost all the machines I restore

Wow! That came out great! Please don't expect my complete resotration to look that good!!!

BTW, is that a fun game? I love the graphics on it!!! Especially the guy humping the machine!!!

#95 5 years ago
Quoted from Coyote:

Be curious so see how you to the dye

Sorry to hear about your pf......

Yep, I will show the results (that is, if I don't f**k it up!!!)

#96 5 years ago

Well, Pinball life has nice, new acorn nuts in purple, so I went ahead and ordered them for Meteor - I needed a few odds n ends so threw those in.

Figure it'll save me some labor, and at .40 each what the hell.............

-N

#97 5 years ago

Got the purple acorn nuts from Pinball Life, gotta say, they look nice, and fit really good.

toppf (resized).jpgtoppf (resized).jpgtoppf2 (resized).jpgtoppf2 (resized).jpgtoppf3 (resized).jpgtoppf3 (resized).jpg
#100 5 years ago
Quoted from sethbenjamin:

So this thing is gonna be ready to play by Thanksgiving, right?

#101 5 years ago

Working on the coin door, plan to scuff it up and re-paint with hammered metallic-grey finish. The coin accepts look like they have hardly been used. Another hack on this game is the interior wiring.............a tab from a coil was broken off and soldered into the mix?? Can anyone hypothesize why this was done??

I remember someone else having trouble with the "ambient light" from the coin slot bulbs, so I plan to make cardboard sleeves to fit over the sockets to keep the light forwards.

I have a Stern sticker to put onto the front, and will print another start button sticker.

dr1 (resized).jpgdr1 (resized).jpgdr2 (resized).jpgdr2 (resized).jpgdr3 (resized).jpgdr3 (resized).jpg
#102 5 years ago

Topside of pf pretty much complete.

I got these nifty led lamp boards from pinsider Coyote, to replace the infamously difficult lamp rows used by Stern, but they are not as easy to install as I assumed?! Coyote if you're roaming the hills maybe you can chime in?

I know the wires for each individual lamp are corresponding to the lamp numbers on the boards............BUT what are the "lamp bus" j1, j2, j3 areas connecting to??? I'm thinking this may be more complicated than I can handle........it looks like I am running something from the lamp board down to these areas?

Yes, I have new boards to handle the use of LED lighting.

Heeeelllllpppp!!

I think I'll start cleaning the inside of the cabinet in the meantime, that's a lot easier!!!!

brd1 (resized).jpgbrd1 (resized).jpgbrd2 (resized).jpgbrd2 (resized).jpg
#110 5 years ago

Caffeine Slug, I see, so you can either attach the wires as singles to the corresponding holes, or group them together with a connector that holds a few at a time.......thanks so much for that info! I need to get pins and housings for some other connectors so will order these as well.

Dasvis - what effect are you referencing? I don't think the rocket ladder bulbs have a fade effect to them, do the spinner shot lights do that???? I can't recall.

cottonm4 - the other side of the boards have LED's mounted directly to them. I didn't know that those other boards exitsted.........I'll figure this out - hope that explanation helps? In other words, you take the light brackets completely out and replace the whole thing with these boards.

Thanks every one for their input.

#111 5 years ago

cottonm4, thanks for the link, did not know these existed.

#115 5 years ago

cottonm4: No, you're right on target, I'm a newbie with schematics and wiring, so you're small tutorial was much appreciated!

I AM getting better at reading these things.

Thanks guys.

#117 5 years ago
Quoted from sethbenjamin:

Whoa, those lamp boards are great, didn't know you could get them!

Amazing what is out there, hard to keep up with all the choices!

2 weeks later
#120 5 years ago

Coin door completed today and re-installed. I have made Stern sticker for the door but will put that on later.

I also took all the wiring from the transformer, which had been wired with wire-nuts for some reason and attched all the wires with solder and heat-shrink tubing.

DSC_8849 (resized).JPGDSC_8849 (resized).JPGDSC_8861 (resized).JPGDSC_8861 (resized).JPGfixedcoindoor (resized).jpgfixedcoindoor (resized).jpg
1 week later
#121 5 years ago

Got the light boards installed today, painted the inside of the cab black where it is exposed above the playfield, replaced the switches at the flipper buttons. Used some I already had (brand new) and just opened the contacts - they were originally closed, but Stern uses open switches-to-close on their flippers, etc.

1 (resized).jpg1 (resized).jpg2 (resized).jpg2 (resized).jpg3 (resized).jpg3 (resized).jpg4 (resized).jpg4 (resized).jpg
#125 5 years ago

.

#126 5 years ago

cottonm4 and TheLaw:

Ok, no, that's a good catch. I just assumed that these were usable since they had the same exact contact points, but you are absolutely right, now that you mention it - there might be a delay from button to blade.

Thanks for the heads up. Other than the placement of the contacts relative to the blades I would suspect that these would work??

#127 5 years ago
Quoted from dasvis:

those light boards are slick

Yeah, thanks to Pinsider Coyote! I won't ever have to mess with those light socked boards again!!! The LED's are nice and bright beneath their corresponding window.

#128 5 years ago

Product ID: sw-10a-48
Williams/Bally Flipper Leaf Switch - Single Contact

Is this a valid replacement for the flipper switch??

Those switches I used were Stern/DataEast EOS switches...........

It looks like the cabinet button contact on these is also well-above the blades' contact points??

switch (resized).jpgswitch (resized).jpg
#131 5 years ago

Thanks for the info. Good idea about the extra contact blades! These are not cheap............

#134 5 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

What happens if one of those LEDs burn out? Anyway to replace?

Hopefully that will never happen - the little I actually PLAY my machines, it shouldn't!

#136 5 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

LEDs are supposed to last a lifetime. But I have seen new cars on the road with half a line of LEDs in a brake light not working. That's why I asked.

Understood.

#137 5 years ago

Installed new rectifier board and cabinet speaker, also repinned the connectors going to the rectifier board. One of the connectors disintegrated where it was burned crispy, so I've got to locate another plug. Making slow progress but enjoying seeing this old, neglected machine given a new lease on life!!

a1 (resized).jpga1 (resized).jpga2 (resized).jpga2 (resized).jpg

#140 5 years ago
Quoted from semicolin:

I know this has been asked before, but I've seen five different answers:
What is the audio volume pot? Resistance? Power dissipation? Log/Linear taper?

Anyone know the answer???

#146 5 years ago

Working on back box, painted the white in, while painting I was treated to years of cigarette smoke smell awakened by the fresh coat of paint. Put in LED's and tested, everything working ok.
Need to re-pin connectors on score displays next.

bb1 (resized).jpgbb1 (resized).jpgDSC_8886 (resized).JPGDSC_8886 (resized).JPG
#147 5 years ago

It's beginning to look like a pinball! Got the back box mounted and the new boards installed. Replaced two score displays with used Bally displays purchased from a Pinsider.

Checked the solder joints on the five score displays, ran some new solder where it looked needed.

Painted the shooter gauge, it doesn't look as "rough" as this close-up photo would lead you to believe.

Just got new Molex plugs to replace some crispy ones, working on re-pinning the 20pin plug now.

pinb (resized).jpgpinb (resized).jpgshooter (resized).jpgshooter (resized).jpg
2 weeks later
#150 5 years ago

Ok, installed my new boards and am waiting for some clarification on the wiring from the line-in or power plug - I need to replace it and I'm not sure it's wired correctly inside the cab.

Patched the cabinet on the left side where the wood was peeled off, hand-painted the graphics back on - not perfect but good enough. I'm not one to worry too much over cabinet appearance as long as it is sturdy - paint matches better than the "fixed" photo appears.

I also replaced the flipper switches I used with "proper" cabinet switches, these have a noticeably larger contact area than the ones I put on there first time around.

5Cab (resized).jpg5Cab (resized).jpgcabside (resized).jpgcabside (resized).jpg
2 years later
#152 2 years ago

Sorry?! It's not a happy ending.

I am still fidgeting with a few problems:

My original sound board is wonky, probably needs caps replaced to restore the sound, which is either really garbled or missing (no spinner sound).

I also have a pop that is temperamental and needs adjusting, for some reason it fires fine *except* for on the right-hand side, where it acts dead.

I lost interest after multiple problems, but it is slowly coming back to life - the playfield looks good, all mechs working great.

With the release of the new ruleset, it has inspired me to try and get this thing done!

#154 2 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

I think you have the old style pops with the steel plate under the play field. This means your pop switch is screwed onto the underside of the play field. It also means your pop switch can get out of alignment with the skirt actuator rod on the pop skirt.
For best performance, that actuator rod needs to be dead center in the bottom of the pop spoon. If your switch is misadjusted , then the skirt rod is riding high one side of the pop spoon and you will get crappy action. This is not 100% but I'm guessing your switch is misaligned. And it could have been misaligned from the factory and there would be little reason for the OP to care.
Take a look. Things are buried in there, so good luck seeing anything

Thanks, I suspected that it might be the spoon/stem alignment - I have had that entire pop unassembled and put back together, so it's possible something isn't quite right.

You really need that pop to work as it really aids gameplay and can throw the ball back to your upper drops for more shots...........

1 year later
#155 1 year ago

Yay! Finished this project.....looks fantastic now and has the new code installed as well.

#158 1 year ago

Will post photos soon! Thanks guys!!

Promoted items from the Pinside Marketplace
$ 12.00
Electronics
Third Coast Pinball
Electronics
$ 69.00
Electronics
Pinball Haus
Electronics
$ 29.00
Boards
RoyGBev Pinball
Boards

You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider Pinball_Nate.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.

Reply

Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/meteor-restoration-1?tu=Pinball_Nate and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.