(Topic ID: 245996)

Midway White Lightning restoration/retrofit!

By dudah

4 years ago


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  • Latest reply 4 months ago by jdjdt1
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    #1 4 years ago

    A month ago I found this abandoned operator warehouse on facebook marketplace up in Milwaukee. Got in touch with the dude and checked it out. He had sold the majority of stuff a year past and needed to liquidate what was left. Based on what games were there, and what evidence there was of other games, it had already been extremely picked over. I spent a ton of time over a few weekends picking through this filthy old warehouse for any possible gems of parts. There was a hole in the roof which made holes in the 2 floors underneath it from all the water coming in. I assume there was a ton of mold in there too. The building had also previously been hit by lightning a year prior and was partially on fire. Some areas were extremely sketchy with the risk of the floor going beneath you and the ceiling coming down from above.

    Upon the seller sending me a bunch of initial pictures, I noticed in the background a Midway White Lightning of one picture!!!
    I love these old mechanical games, and have never seen one of these for sale!
    I thought it may be too big for my house, but would figure that out later!
    I checked it out the first trip up there and it was certainly huge and heavy.
    It seemed to be complete except for the gun assembly which I'd never find online.
    After some thought I decided I must have it, I'd figure out 3D printing a new gun or something.

    So I picked it up the following weekend.
    I had some more time to poke around the 8 floors of the warehouse.
    Most of the stuff was on one floor.
    However, on 3 other floors, there were batches of mixes of crane games, jukeboxes, shuffle bowlers, and EM pinballs.
    Along with a good amount of other random shit you'd expect to find in such an old abandoned warehouse.
    I looked desperately amongst ALL this shit for hours to declare the gun is long gone.

    I brought a bunch of tools, and took off the corner brackets that held in the glass.
    The game was on it's heavy end and some kind soul from the past left it on a wheeled cart for me!
    I wheeled it out to the freight elevator and we took it down.
    The very sketchy freight elevator couldn't go down all the way, leaving a 2' edge at the bottom.
    Fortunately, I was chummy with some other dudes grabbing all the jukebox parts and they helped me safely unload it and take it to my car.

    I have a 2011 Honda Fit that I keep specifically for moving games.
    I've moved a ton of big heavy games and things in this car, but this was by far the biggest and heaviest.
    I had measured prior and felt good about it fitting in there.
    I needed to remove the shroud at the top. It very clearly was removable, but I had to get to the bolts inside the back.
    Naturally it was locked, and a key in the coin box that fit in it didn't work.
    I took a flat blade screwdriver and elegantly popped the back and got the very long bolts out - next time I'll remember my cordless.
    Popped her in and she barely fit! I was worried the top would hit against my rear windshield, I managed to squeeze a box in between and hoped for the best.
    Every time I pickup a game in this car, the people question if it will fit, this was no exception.
    Needless to say, they were all pretty impressed!

    I'm looking forward to bringing this one back together.
    I can't find much information on these games, who else has one?
    I'd love to get a copy of some other documentation that came with it.
    Per this ad - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/em-arcade-games-schematics-and-manuals
    I know a parts catalog and instruction book exist.
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    #2 4 years ago

    I unloaded her in the garage and found a place for her to rest.
    Suprise - she's filthy.
    Gave her a good wipedown all over.
    Bent coin door, busted wood by there, and some busted corners. I bondo'd them before putting legs on.
    The ledge where the gun mounts is half gone. The formica is beautiful! A light marble with some gold flecks! Doubt I'll be able to find something similar.
    The scenery and backglass are dirty but in very good shape! The score motor is also in good shape.
    I plugged it in and it even seemed to work for the most part!

    My favorite part of going through a new game is finding all the little bits of history throughout it.
    Outside a bunch of green lead paint flakes, I found a complete 1974 tax sticker - torn up! Very cool!
    I will be scanning this and make some repro's!
    Got her up on legs, pulled the scenery and backglass and cleaned out the whole game.
    I always right away clean up the backglass and seal it. This one is near perfect!
    The scenery and backglass I will scan in case I want to make some reproduction art down the line.

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    #3 4 years ago

    Backglass is near perfect!
    Masked off for triple thick.

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    #6 4 years ago
    Quoted from edward472:

    Try https://www.flippers.com for the instruction and parts catalog. It's listed as them having it https://www.flippers.com/pdfs/JohnsJukesManualsList.pdf

    Thanks!

    #7 4 years ago

    So here's a fun twist to the above story - despite there not being many games left, there were about 15 various redemption games nobody wanted.
    I remembered there was another gun game - Exidy Troll.
    Could find next to no information on the internets about this game, not listed on their KLOV or Wikipedia entries.
    Thought the gun looked familiar to one that was on their shooter arcades (Cheyenne, Combat, Chiller, etc.).
    Sure enough it is.
    The whole gun and assembly is heavy, at least 15 pounds!
    But it is complete and very nice so I'm happy to have something instead of nothing.

    Surprisingly, it was also a projectile game and used a compressor and very similar ball dispensing mechanism to the White Lightning one.
    It was a no brainer to snag both.
    Hoping it's pretty much just hooking this gun up to the original ball dispensing mech and it just works!

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    1 month later
    #8 4 years ago

    Remembered to get documentation on my first Steve Young order, fortunately he had it all!

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    #9 4 years ago

    Got the scans stitched and 90% cleaned up. Wasn't planning on reproducing these but I might as well. Will also laser cut some custom PETG protectors!

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    #10 4 years ago

    No real progress on WL just yet, but I did spend a few hours cleaning up and organizing my garage which was long overdue. Finishing up Monster Gun rifle game first, then WL!

    Also brought in the tax sticker, scanned and stitched it. Will be another fun rainy day project!

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    2 weeks later
    #11 4 years ago

    Spent 3 hours in the garage tonight:
    Put on the hood
    Disassembled entire target assembly
    Scanned artwork
    Cleaned switch blades and contacts
    Relubed contacts
    Reoiled all motors
    Cleaned and relubed chains and gears
    Cleaned plastic protectors
    Reassembled
    Put in the tray, targets, ball delivery tube, and ball catcher

    The target assembly was a bit trickier than a normal rifle game.
    I had taken my Monster Gun one apart the previous night.
    They're basically 95% the same!

    I wanted to put on the hood so I could measure the area for the new side glass.
    I busted out my electronic angle measure tool and was all prepared to do some math, but quickly realized - it's just pinball playfield glass!

    Made a laundry list of stuff to get from Home Depot for next steps!

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    #13 4 years ago

    So to remake the control panel the gun mounts to, I knew I'd need to route to make it perfect.
    Girlfriend's dad gifted me his old Craftsman 1HP router and a bunch of bits.
    A little table also but the fence was missing.
    Spent a few hours tonight putting together this router table I got on Craigslist ($20) a few months ago.
    It was NIB from Costco from 2003! It's pretty big and includes some extension tables I don't even need.
    Mismeasured my cuts so this one will be an experiment. I currently have the front and little sides 1/2" off the edge of the cabinet, perhaps a nice bevel?
    Tested routing to line up with the existing lip in the cabinet. The crappy particle board is messed up in a few parts so I'll have to straighten that out also.

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    2 weeks later
    #14 4 years ago

    Spent a few hours and made the control panel piece (correctly).
    Used a cool measurement tool I've never used before to help.
    I am NOT a woodworking guy, butook my time and double checked everything and am very pleased with the results!
    Not sure how I should finish the edge with - the 1/2" roundover bit I have on the top (and maybe bottom) or a larger one just on the top.

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    #15 4 years ago

    Rigged up these clamps to the bottom and inside of the cabinet to keep it secured - https://www.amazon.com/Favordrory-Toggle-220Lbs-Holding-Capacity/dp/B07K1QJ34Y/ref=pd_cp_469_2
    Put a rounded edge on the top
    Cleaned up the circle
    Made a template for the screw holes and drilled em
    Sanded and primed - there's a knot on the left I'll need to fill and sand but otherwise looks great!
    May try wrapping it with vinyl or just painting it

    Very happy with this so far!

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    #16 4 years ago

    Painted the control panel. Going to paint it again and clear it but mounted it to test!
    Wired in a new line cord
    Put in the backglass
    Reinstalled the bell
    Cleaned sanded and relubed all the contacts on the motor and shots unit
    Soldered a few loose wires
    Cleaned the switches on the motor unit
    Cleaned the score reels
    Cleaned all the jones plugs
    Hooked up the gun, despite 2 different plastic connectors, they matched!
    Measured the range of motion of the gun for the contour that will be cut out of the front plexi.

    Put in a credit and tried to play a game - it's a bit of a basket case right now with the scoring.
    It recognizes credits and starts a game, the trigger/ball mechanism works
    It cycles through a game, counts the shots, and ends at the appropriate time

    The air out of the gun is very weak.
    Next move is to pull the compressor and ball loading mech and clean them all out.
    Probably make a new gasket for the compressor, maybe new air lines.

    I was considering getting the coin door and gun powder coated, but since the condition otherwise is player's game/survivor, think I'll just paint the coin door and call it a day.

    I'm hoping to get some plexi cut this week and put the sides and front on

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    2 months later
    #18 4 years ago

    Laser cut all the plastics today! Test fit on the scenery - perfect!

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    4 months later
    #20 3 years ago

    Since this game won't fit in my basement, it's on the bottom of the project list.
    BUT I was submitting an artwork printing order and got the reproduction art made!
    VERY pleased with it! While my original art wasn't in bad shape, the repro colors are much more vibrant!

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    1 year later
    #22 2 years ago

    You'll NEVER believe what I found - looking at the EM arcade groups on Facebook there was a Bally Marksman who's cabinet was destroyed and the guy was parting it out. I made a fair offer and it just got here today. I'll probably go powder coat this at the hackerspace. Gloss black on the gun and maybe the hammered gray on the base to match the coin door.

    This project has been on pause for other priorities, but I look forward to getting back to it someday soon.

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    #23 2 years ago

    Well, shit.
    The White Lightning barrel inner diameter is .5" and the Marksman is .7".
    Comparing the two barrels they're extremely similar, but the Marksman is built in there.
    The rotating base is also slightly different.
    My thought now is to get a 0.5" ID tube with 0.1" walls.

    The switch works, but the trigger is rusty.
    While I'm on a good streak with roll pins, I hesitate to pull this apart.
    'Spose I gotta if I'm gonna powder coat.

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    #24 2 years ago

    ebay.com link: itm

    Gonna try this, curious how the silicone will perform.

    This is a good placeholder - https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=121188&catid=567

    Bought some balls from China, who knows when they'll get here - ebay.com link: itm

    #29 2 years ago

    After some VERY stingy roll pins, I made them my bitch. Got everything separated and will allow me to easily powder coat the whole unit.
    Confirmed that this earlier Bally unit is a different design than the later Midway model, with no removable barrel part.

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    #31 2 years ago
    Quoted from ZooDude:

    Heads up to everyone that those 1/2" balls from China do not work in white lightning!
    Working on mine last night after working on the pneumatic system I removed all the old, dirty nicked balls, put in all new and instantly jammed everything up, had to fully remove the gun, disassemble, remove stuck balls, total hassle. Ended up using the old balls and it worked fine.
    Still have some slippage on the score motor clutch causing two balls to shoot every 6-7 shots, but I got the timer working right, was only moving when you pulled the trigger and have narrowed down my problems with the " dance" feature and buzzer.
    Fun game to work on.
    B

    I'm assuming because the rest of the world uses metric these are likely 13mm = 0.511".
    Here's some 12mm ones that may work better ebay.com link: itm

    Or a perfect 12.7mm = 0.5" ebay.com link: itm

    #36 2 years ago

    Powder coated

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    1 month later
    #37 2 years ago

    Since I jump around from project to project, and it's too cold to go work in the garage, gotta keep busy in the basement.
    And I just really love redoing coin doors.

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    #38 2 years ago

    We've been lucky with some 40 degree days so went out and did some work in the garage tonight!
    A spilled bag of bird seed over a year ago attracted some rodents in my garage that I've been slowly cleaning up.
    WL was against the wall with a bunch of cardboard and crap.
    Looking inside a rat left some droppings in the front of the cabinet and a mouse left some in the back.
    Just like edward472 Rifle Gallery, rats love these houses!

    Reading the CDC's site (https://www.cdc.gov/rodents/cleaning/index.html), it seems like a bit overkill, but no doubt poop is gross so here's my protocol:
    Garage clothes, thick nitrile gloves, respirator
    Spray everything well with a 9 water/bleach mixture
    Get a small box to dispose of everything
    Get a bunch of paper towels ready to go
    Dampen the paper towel, try to collect as much poop as you can and drop it in the box
    Repeat until it's all cleaned up
    Remove gloves and put in the box and throw it in a garbage can outside
    Put clothes in hot washer and shower immediately, washing hands and forearms real good before touching my face

    Again, probably overkill, but it makes me feel better knowing this game will be in my house someday.

    Fortunately it looks like they were just in there briefly and there was no nesting or evidence of urine (tested with UV flashlight).
    He did seem to eat some of the chip board at the bottom of the cabinet.
    I cleaned up the loose chunks, will bleach again, sand and dump some wood hardener on it.

    Pulled the legs, put on some metal cabinet protectors, replaced the leg levelers with these casters that thread right on the legs: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YYFJQQH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
    Put the nut on the top end of the screw and tightened.
    It was a little sketchy moving the cabinet but if I lift just a little bit the wheels move like butter wherever I want.

    Tested the compressor again, it feels like it has good air pressure!
    The line cord needs to be replaced, it had to be jiggled to get it going.

    Pulled the ball loader mech, since it's so critical to the whole operation I will take it apart and ensure it is clean and working well.
    The weird little rubber feet are falling apart, I managed to get one off whole and quickly model it.
    I will 3D print them with flexible TPU.
    The compressor has some comparable feet.

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    #41 2 years ago
    Quoted from ZooDude:

    So here's a little sneak peek at what I've been dealing with
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    Oof! Maybe some JBWeld will suffice? A lot easier than casting something or CNC'ing.

    Thanks for the tips on the ball hopper. It definitely looks like it all needs to be perfect. I inspected it and it seems to be complete and in good shape, no rust. Definitely filthy.

    #42 2 years ago

    TPU rules.
    The rubber mounts are the same part for the compressor as they are the ball hopper.

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    #45 2 years ago

    Wow!! Quite the fix! Skilled labor is well worth it especially with parts you’ll never find for sale. Working better now?

    #47 2 years ago

    Few more hours of work:

    Took apart the ball hopper assembly, cleaned everything
    The grommet that stops the feeder was destroyed, printed a new one
    The coil sleeve is a bit chewed up but still overall in good shape, left it (after I cleaned it)
    The whole housing is plastic so I was very careful not to over tighten the screws
    Did some quick models of the parts while I had them out
    Put a Molex connector on the coil for easy service
    Trimmed off the excess of the compressor gasket

    The old balls measure 0.4925" and the new ones are dead nuts on 0.5".
    That minute difference is preventing the new balls from loading in.
    Looking at the feeder, I noticed that the roll pin was a little pushed in, when it's in the rest position it's every so slightly off.
    I tried pushing it back a little bit but again was hesitant to put too much pressure on the ancient early plastic
    Thinking maybe shave a tiny bit off of the gray housing that's preventing the new balls from sliding in
    I still have a good amount of the old balls so maybe just clean those up and use those

    Plugged it in and the compressor, compressor relief coil and ball conveyor were all locked on
    Forgot I only quickly cleaned the wipers on the score motor boards, a full cleaning may be due as I can only get in there with q-tips so well.

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    #48 2 years ago

    Went out in the garage and plugged her in!
    Noticed the stepper coil was barely firing, pulled it apart and cleaned the plunger and it works much better!
    Tried pulling the brass coil sleeve and it was very difficult. And brittle.
    I managed to backtrack and put it back without messing it up too much, dangerous game.

    The game appears to start and work fine! The reels are still a little sluggish so may reserve that for long term maintenance.
    I loaded one ball in and it seems to shoot pretty well.
    When it's a little warmer out I'll put the gun back on and test it out.
    Going to stick with what I got (Exidy gun) for now and leave the Bally gun as a future thing.

    #50 2 years ago

    Cleaned up the artwork scenery, it's surprisingly resilient.
    Drilled the plexi protectors and mounted it all, looks great!
    Had to pull the hood to make it accessible.
    Relubricated the elevator motor (3 in 1 oil) and cleaned the ball track
    There was an extra rubber band in the game for the elevator I put on, original was cracking
    Cleaned out all the crap in the coin box

    Hooked up the gun and tested.
    The game seems to work, but I get inconsistencies with the ball shooting out.
    The game came with some 0.6" ID silicone tubing, the run from the ball hopper to the gun is straight and clamped and when I can get it to shoot it's kinda weak and ends up lower than where you aimed.
    Thinking a new air tube is in order.

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    #53 2 years ago

    Me and ZooDude have been working through our issues together!

    I pulled the hopper and compressor and bench tested and concluded that there's not enough pressure coming out to blast the ball.
    It just sits in there and spins. There was also air leaking from the gasket.
    Looking closer at the diagram I can see I confused the gaskets!
    First off, I used a rubber gasket material which I learned I should be using a paper style.
    I also thought it went between the head and the cylinder (body) and that's incorrect.
    In the head part there are 4 screws which remove the head to reveal the gasket.
    A similar style compressor shown here at 8:06


    Mine is STUCK. I am soaking it in evaporust overnight, the youtube guy had a good idea to blast compressed air in there (ironic) to separate it.

    Forgot to mention I also repaired the line cord, one of the crimp butts just came loose, soldered and heat shrinked it.

    Always learning something new!

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    #54 2 years ago

    The evaporust did the trick, banged it on the bench and the head came apart.
    Sure enough, there was an ancient paper gasket stuck on there.
    Some goo gone and elbow grease with a metal scraper and green 3M pad for a half hour and I got it all cleaned off.
    Cut out a new gasket with some 1/32" paper gasket material from AutoZone, scanned and traced it on the computer and cut it out with the Silhuoette Cameo.
    The Cameo blade was only so thick so had to finish it up with a razor.
    The top reed was a little corroded and a little bent, carefully bent it back flat and cleaned up.
    The compressor certainly felt like it had more pressure!

    I also ever so slightly sanded the ball loading side of the hopper to allow the new 0.5" balls to fall into the slot.

    Took it out to the garage and tested it and it certainly seems to have more pressure. But still not enough!

    The air hose had a crack and missing plastic on the compression fitting which probably isn't helping me, going to replace it to be sure.
    I also feel like the gun is too far set back, causing a bend in the tube which isn't helping.
    Going to experiment with the new tubing when it gets here and see what I can fanagle, may have to go right to the Bally gun which is a little more set forward.
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    #55 2 years ago

    Put on new airline and compression fittings to realize there just isn't enough pressure coming from the compressor.
    Even holding down the reservoir pin I'm getting about 30 psi max when the manual calls for 45.
    Took it all apart again to clean everything again.
    This time I got off the eccentric bearing and piston and cleaned all that, sanded and cleaned the motor commutator also.
    Took apart the head to inspect the reed to find that it has a hairline crack through it!
    Ordered some reed material and will remake my own.
    After doing a bunch of research on compressors it seems pretty universal and simple.
    The diaphragm is thankfully in good shape, I sanded and cleaned the edge where it sits this time.

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    1 month later
    #56 2 years ago

    I want this finished up!
    Hooked a real compressor up to it, dialed in 45 psi and balls are shooting great.
    Decided to give up on this dated one (for now).
    Got this compressor on FB marketplace for $50 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M33C8MV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_JZ4SM2YXZHMX9Z02FRZ7
    It's small (will fit inside the game), quiet, and has a 0.7L tank.
    I had also printed a test print in PETG of the ball hopper housing.
    I had made it a block to prevent flimsy feet breaking off but forgot about the spring clearance.
    Was a good smoke test anyways, the little spring insert was massively leaking.
    The plate that holds the spring I drilled off, but the rest was perfect!
    If I can get it to seal properly, I feel it would perform well! May have to wait to get access to a resin printer.

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    #57 2 years ago

    Putzed with the little spring loaded gasket and got the body sealing well and building up pressure and the gun shooting well!
    Decided to take a detour and model up the gun, should I want to use the barrel from the original gun I found in the cabinet.
    The Bally Marksman barrel was too wide, so also thinking of 3D printing an insert to bring down the barrel size and will see what works best.

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    2 months later
    #59 1 year ago

    I've been putzing around with various compressors I got on FB marketplace.
    First - an airbrush compressor with a good size tank on it. Compressor couldn't keep up.
    Second was a used compact "dental" compressor, it was fairly complex and was oil based. I got it to fit inside the cabinet but only sideways and then it wasn't consistently staying on.
    I remember seeing that Harbor Freight has a 1 gallon compressor that just barely works. Found a brand new one locally for $100 vs. $150ish from the store. It's very quiet, comes to pressure quickly, and handles rapid fire no problem! It still has to sit on it's side, but it works great!
    Now to figure out why the target knockdown relay is stuck on...
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    Next up is to finish making a new control panel and mount the other guns!
    I have both the original Bally gun with my barrel inserts to keep the ball straight, plus the 3D printed gun I made with the barrel from the original gun I found in the game.
    When mounting the gun, I tried to center it above the ball hopper so the path for the ball is as straight as can be.
    This is the tubing I'm currently using, it's very nice! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0966XQBRZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title
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    #60 1 year ago

    This didn't fix my score reel issue but I'm glad I did it

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    #64 1 year ago
    Quoted from ZooDude:

    Progress! Very cool Kevin, I've been busy with life/business/art and haven't gotten back into mine, but I did get that same anti kink tubing and it works.....ok, mines 5/8 ID and me thinks it's just a bit too wide, but now I'm back to thinking my compressor needs help too, so it's nice to see what you've tried.
    I'll post some updates soon.
    B

    After EXHAUSTING this with a variety of tubings and compressors, I've deducted the tubing must be as straight as possible, anything you can do to prevent a kink the better. The firm/wire lined tube I posted above worked the best out of the 5ish samples I tried. If you think it's the tubing, it's probably a weak compressor. Slight bends in the tube can be overcome with more pressure. Per the manual I have mine dialed in at 45 PSI but easily adjustable with the modern regulated compressor.

    #65 1 year ago
    Quoted from edward472:

    You're going to have to explain to me what's going on here.

    I replaced the ancient diode/capacitor with modern equivalents

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    1 week later
    #66 1 year ago

    I have a problem where the score kept going up and hits kept registering. Unplugging the Jones plug for the targets/motors fixed it so let's look there.
    Noticed some burn marks on the bakelite board.
    Taking a closer look at how the targets make contact, disassembled all the target boards and noticed they were filty and had 2 burnt traces.
    In my experience, the carbon from these traces will only get worse over time, could possibly start a fire!
    Cleaned everything, filed down the burn spots with a dremel, filled in with 2 part epoxy and did my best to level it.
    Barely noticed on one of the target boards there was no solder holding in the wire!
    We will see if this fixes it!

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    #67 1 year ago

    I also put the printed grips on! Last weekend I made a mount for the Bally gun, not big enough but a good stop-gap. Just wish I hadn’t cracked the plexi!

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    2 months later
    #71 1 year ago
    Quoted from ZooDude:

    Finally getting back to mine
    [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    So nice they still make them! What pressure can it generate? I'd love to have an OEM setup if it provides good pressure for rapid shots.
    They are pricey new, but seem to pop up on eBay here and there for chepaer, even the rebuild kit is expensive! https://store.teledyneisco.com/products/ww391

    1 month later
    #72 1 year ago

    I've been thinking what could cause my perpetual scoring/inner target coil locked on issue and finally solved it today! In the few times I removed the PCB I reinstalled in incorrectly.

    How it was mounted, incorrect!
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    Corrected!
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    #73 1 year ago

    Looking at Zookeepers post had me re-thinking my compressor, I will eventually rebuild mine as I'd love it to be original.
    Service kit part number SK927
    Manual - https://portal.thomasnow.com/portal/page/portal/thomas_now_content/TNC_Service_Kits_PDFs/SK927.pdf
    Prices are ALL over online, but I've found it for around $60

    #75 1 year ago

    An interesting twist with the THREE different gun solutions I have:
    The original WL barrel I found in the game crammed inside my 3D printed repro gun - I tested it and it was shooting OK, then very inconsistently with multiple balls, then not at all. I took it apart and there is at least 1 ball stuck in the bottom entrance part. Need to get the barrel straightened out.

    I put the big ass Exidy gun back on because it's on it's own board and easy. I can swap them out in just a couple minutes. It shoots like a champ and the compressor works well.

    The Bally Marksman metal gun with my 3D printed barrel insert to match the ball size - it was shooting pretty well, but the the balls curve like crazy! My guess is it was printed vertically so is concentric rings on top of each other. Reprinted one lying down to get long lines instead and it's much better! Nice firm friction fit and flush with the width of the barrel. You'd never know it was in there.
    If I get ambitious I'll make one with a spiral pattern like you would find in a real barrel.

    A few targets aren't registering hits, but otherwise it's playing great!
    Calling this one done, thanks for following along!

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    1 year later
    #77 5 months ago

    Moved to a new house with a bigger basement recently! Also got an Escalara. Deconstructed all the main pieces out and took her inside! Laying down some wood hardener on the inside of the cabinet and back door. May just cut a new back door out of ply. Looking forward to getting her assembled and shooting!

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    1 month later
    #78 4 months ago

    A couple modifications!
    First, the compressor kept tripping the internal breaker. I am guessing this was due to the extra amperage pull and only so much being able to be delivered through the switch contact and old socket.
    My solution - use the factory socket to trigger a solid state relay.
    Ran a new power line with ground dedicated to the compressor.
    Upgraded to an IEC power connector in the back.
    Left it dangling as I'd eventually like to replace the back door with solid plywood.

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    #79 4 months ago

    I noticed that the score reels had a hard time resetting.
    After some troubleshooting I saw that the tack welds from the score motor plate to the top plate became undone.
    I don't have any welding gear so I disassembled the score reel assembly and JB Welded it back together.
    Using some interesting tools (a hospital eating tray and some cocktail arcade stools) were just the right hight to hold it.

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