Welcome to my new project and the Wife's latest bugbear.

In the grand scheme of things I am new to pinball, my limited experience is documented here...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-magic-circle-semi-sympathetic-playfield-restoration
...so yet again pandering to my masochistic tendencies (according to my female boss) I have invested in this.

Pacman PF1 (resized).jpg

Parts1 (resized).jpg

Wire1 (resized).jpg

s-l1600 (resized).jpg

s-l1600 (1) (resized).jpg

s-l1600 (2) (resized).jpg

The plan is to get this working again and have it in a coffee table, yeah I know many of you hate coffee table mods but space dictates that this is the route I must take for now.

Additionally I will be adding some extras like optical rollovers to replace the switches, optical sensors on the kickout holes (maybe), the star rollover will be replaced with an IR tripwire and there will be a battery driven attract mode, essentially a secondary set of LEDs mounted under the playfield running of an Arduino. Who wants a power cable running over the floor all the time.

LED displays will also be used as the originals were not supplied, I am considering mounting them at the player end of the table flat under the glass or maybe making a lift mechanism so they pop up at the far end, Arduino again.

Should also be incorporating self levelling horizontal and manual vertical (just to spice things up), as with two small kids the thing is bound to get knocked about.

Power cable will be retractable - Hoover stylee but without the foot pedal.

Shout if you think I am mad,

Moonbus

PS. I started this about a month ago but I am not beyond testing and cleaning stuff. I have got the proper rectifier board and a Squawk as well as a transformer. Feel free to chime in, good or bad as long as its not "I hate MMPM", ill set the kids on you.

PPS. Im going to be documenting the restore of what I have as well as the Mods. I used this forum branch as there will inevitably be more mods than restore.

Thanks for the luck, I am sure I will need some.

First things first...

What have I got and how does it all fit together, I love a good puzzle.

I dont really know the background of these bits beyond what the ebay seller told me, "They came out of a machine with a knackered cabinet". I'm cool with that.

My saviour on identification was on the UK forums...
http://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/lost-in-the-pac-maze-another-obsessive-restoration.34712/

nedreud a big thanks for your amazing documentation and photos.

First the wire nest, if im going to be able to identify anything I need to be able to see the colours first so into the dishwasher it went, after the missus went to bed.

Dishwasher1 (resized).jpg

I then dried it as in the pic in post 1 and laid it over the playfield.

harness1 (resized).jpg

Most of the lamp sockets were still mounted on the underside of the playfield secured by the staples braiding so I could match up wires as required and solder join. For some reason, probably a contaminant, the solder took lovely to the clean harness but was 'reluctant' on the playfield side.

Process is simply, tin each side. Slip on heat-shrink, solder together, heat the shrink.

resolder1 (resized).jpg

resolder2 (resized).jpg

resolder3 (resized).jpg

Im going to be adding a PTEG sheet over the playfield as I don't have the means 'yet' to be able to clearcoat.

I bodged up a method to do this on my other machine but in order to do this I need to have the playfield stripped both sides.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-magic-circle-semi-sympathetic-playfield-restoration#post-3444293

At least now I had the harness connected to all the lamp holders so when it is removed the holders and the braid should help with setting it back down. I used a sharpie to mark the route of the braid then off the lot came came..

Stripped playfield1 (resized).jpg

Only thing left to take off was the star rollover. I did a lot of googling on this and was surprised that the general consensus was fight with it a bit then break it and buy a new one. I will not be beaten...

Heatshrink to the rescue.

Step 1. Slip a bit of heatshrink over the arrow head retainer.
star2 (resized).jpg

Step 2. Tuck the heatshrink into the plastic tangs. Tuck under one and rotate with gentle downward pressure and the heatshrink will soon feed in. Note that at no point is any pressure applied to the 'brittle' red tangs.
star3 (resized).jpg

Step 3. Gently push the heatshrink encapsulated arrow head and wiggle clockwise (or anti if the desire takes you)
Step 4. Hey presto...
star1 (resized).jpg
star4 (resized).jpg

After doing all this I found this post...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/replacing-star-double-star-rollover-inserts-moving-part#post-3186928
Its amazing how the internet works. Thanks internet. Oh for a straw.

After photo documenting the braid lines I then sanded the rear playfield to remove any flaking, solder splatter or other imperfections. This is in prep for both the protector and any hole filling or new stuff that needs to be done like drilling holes for T-studs.

Snad1 (resized).jpg

Thanks and thanks, Unlike my last thread I hope to update this weekly as I am doing things so those who are interested can have some input.

The MPU board has some battery damage and I assume by the 'flow' work around the ground line that the board has been worked on before.

Having not worked on anything like this prior to this outing I guess the battery is an after market addition as well. It looks like the original battery messed up the board, someone fixed it and added another leaky battery. The plan is to get this working and then add a capacitor backup, for me it is probably the most economical solution.

Picture bombardment...

MPU1 (resized).jpg
MPU2 (resized).jpg

MPU7 (resized).jpg
MPU6 (resized).jpg
MPU3 (resized).jpg

Removing the battery and revealing the underside...
MPU4 (resized).jpg
MPU5 (resized).jpg

Documenting solder side prior to pulling IC socket...
MPU11 (resized).jpg

IC socket pulled...
MPU13 (resized).jpg

MPU8 (resized).jpg

MPU9 (resized).jpg

MPU10 (resized).jpg

My understanding of battery damage is limited to lost tv remotes and forgotten kids toys. Thankfully there are loads of tales on here regarding this so I set myself too and attacked the board.

I removed the following...
IC sockets U6, U7, U8 and U11.
IC U2 (555)
Transistors Q1, Q2, Q5
The LED
R3
R1
CR7
VR1
CR5
C5
C13

Cleaning of boards seems to bring out a lot of opinions but as I had resigned myself to a total rebuild if necessary I had nothing to lose so I picked the aggressive route.

All the socketed IC's left in the board were removed and I then did a local application of toilet cleaner to neutralise the battery damage.
Board was then washed off with water and soaked in a vinegar solution as I was not happy with the discolouration on the rest of the board solder work.

After a little while the board was put through a low temp full sandblast clean in the dishwasher and then another rinse cycle.

Unfortunately I neglected to take pictures of the result but it was warm and sparkly.

That was the main reason I invested. Additionally, either the seller or the previous owner had already removed the mylar so that stress was also taken away, all I have to do is get rid of the glue.

I am split between 'trying' to restore the playfield or just touch up and cover.

I got a reasonably priced 'as is' Squawk and Talk Board from Alpha1 on the uk forums pinballinfo. Thank you.

First inspection revealed a broken cap and a missing crystal. When I purchased the game bits I knew I would need this board so I pre-purchased some bits and salvaged the cap from another project.

S&TCap (resized).jpg
S&TCrystal (resized).jpg

I replaced the broken cap and the crystal, attached a speaker and fired her up using an ATX power supply, turns out she was from an Eight Ball Deluxe.

After adding the MMPM ROM's and changing the jumpers the board would not work, the LED locked on the 5th flash.
Turns out jumpers Q, U and Y had zero ohm resistors in them and I confused them for part of the circuit. Once I realised that, fixed it and got it working, never has such low bit sound been so sweet to the ears.

Crystal, broken cap, and all other recommended caps replaced. New ROMSs installed. and jumpers fixed.
S&TDone (resized).jpg

Whilst I was messing about with the S&T board I got all the bits I needed for the MPU and set about rebuilding it.
The removed IC sockets were replaced with SIP strips, Other components were replaced with like for like where possible and the jumpers were set for 2732 ROMS.

E4 - E13a
E12 - GND
E7 - E8
E10 - E11
E31 - E32
E16a - E29
E33 - E35

'BallyWilliams Suck' on the uk forums helped me out with some new chips for U10, U11 and U7 as well as a test ROM for U6. MinistryOfPinball sent me a 6800 and new game ROMS and ebay sent me a new U8.

After a lot of tweaking, head scratching and logic probing she came to life. The wife was not happy with the probing.

MPU Reset (resized).jpg
MPU sockets (resized).jpg
MPU U16 (resized).jpg
MPU bare (resized).jpg

The E12 to GND link
MPU E12 (resized).jpg

Now I know the MPU is working I will clean her up some more and give her a lacquer to stop any more issues as well as add the capacitor backup.

All boards mounted in order for security along with the correct rectifier (needs touchups) and the 6803 transformer.
Transformer insecurities documented here...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-as-2518-54-rectifier-voltage-tolerance#post-3717219

Pacman boards (resized).jpg
(photo taken before the MPU and S&T were finished)

lol, got to start somewhere

This evenings antics...

Displays.
The original displays were not included in the bits I bought so I got some LED replacements in kit form from Pinball Solutions. You get two board per display and a load of loose components along with instructions outlining what goes where.

I sorted the components for each board and attacked it like a production line. Its laborious but if you don't mind repetitive jobs it is not so bad.

Displays1 (resized).jpg

I decided not to put the headers and connectors on yet as I am not sure how I am going to mount the displays. I may even decide to use a smaller size segment display that I will have to make myself. If I do I will need to put the driver sections under the playfield and run ribbon cables up to the displays. I also have to make this wire loom as it was also absent.

Displays2 (resized).jpg
Displays3 (resized).jpg

Need to clean them up a bit and lacquer but the worst is over, unless I have put something in the wrong place which would be a pain in the ass as they are all matching.

Pop Bumpers...
Never worked on these all in ones before and they were in a few bits when they arrived. Vid's rebuild thread has been a help.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-rebuilding-pop-bumpers/page/4#post-1841900

How they were...
Pop2 (resized).jpg

Pop1 (resized).jpg

How they are now...
Pop3 (resized).jpg

Got new bodies, skirts, yokes, rings and switches. The switches are for another brand of bumper but It seems to have all the bits I need and along with the broken ones included with the original parts I should be able to get something that works.

All the other bits were put in a small ultrasonic cleaner with toilet cleaner, rinsed with water, buffed with Brasso and waxed to seal.

Yeah 11 is not used.

Just making a table up to help with this job. Will be dropping the high voltage lines.
display loom (resized).jpg

Delivery...
Got all the bits from ebay today relating to the IR aspects of the project.

IR sensor
IR1 (resized).jpg

Realy
relay1 (resized).jpg

Voltage regulator
Buck1 (resized).jpg

Plan is that one voltage regulator should be able to run run all the IR mods powered by the GI line. LED's will be used throughout meaning the overall load should still be less than original.

The construction of the circuit is very simple as most of the work is done by the modules and it is just a case of getting them talking to each other.

I had the idea of doing this and some googling turned up this from the model train website ogaugerr.com
IRswitch (resized).JPG

I wired it all up and have started running some position / depth teats on a bit of scrap I had...
Rollover test1 (resized).jpg

Caught 1 of my boys trying to fix the EM machine...
Kids2 (resized).jpg

I put them both to work on an a Frankenstein harness I got from ebay, was cheeper than buying separate wires and gives me the colour combinations.
They were looking for the 17 wires needed for the display harness.
Kids1 (resized).jpg

Well they found all the cables or ones close enough.

We made a new harness using the molex plug from the door as I could not find any 24pin types. I need to make a IDC punch down tool, as i refuse to pay the silly price for a bit of moulded plastic. For this test we used a fork to push the cables in.

A 6 digit display is mounted under the playfield so I finished that one off to enable light up, it also means I can use it as the credit display whilst I trouble shoot anything else that pops up.

The harness is about 5 foot long to allow for front or rear placement.
Display6 (resized).jpg

Two shots of the display running the test sequence, all sections and segments work.
Display5 (resized).jpg
Display4 (resized).jpg

So far...

Repaired playfield harness and reattached to captive lamp sockets.
Stripped playfield front and back.
Added power.
Fixed and capped S&T.
Fixed MPU.
Patched up backbox harness.
Re capped Solenoid driver board.
Mounted, wired, and tested all boards.
Made all displays.
Made new display harness and tested.

I think the next logical step is to clean up the playfield.

When I boot the boards up I noticed I get the seven flashed on the MPU LED then the LED comes on for an eighth time and stays on with a brightness of about half that of the boot flashes.

Is this normal or is it an indication that something is 'leaking' to the LED ?

Playfield:

Old mylar glue stripped off. Used car painters 'panel wipe' and a cotton cloth. Very therapeutic.

Before...(when i picked it up)
PF Original (resized).jpg

After...
PFWhole1 (resized).jpg

Structurally it seems to be in good condition, the paint is stuck on. The original 'clear' seems to be intact and there is minimal damage from when the mylar was remove (good job whoever did that).

The kicker holes and outlane are almost damage free. Only negative is a water stain on the bottom left but the wood seems sound, no delimitation of peeling.
PF Single Kicker (resized).jpg

PF Double Kicker1 (resized).jpg

PF Shooter Lane1 (resized).jpg

PF Water Stain1 (resized).jpg

Pacmaze is also in an ok state compared to many I have seen online.
PF Pacmaze1 (resized).jpg

Playfield cont...

Photo bombardment of areas that may need fixing if I decide to go down that route. Some areas where the top layer of wood was breached I have primed with some createx white to stop any contaminants getting in. Reviewing these pics I seem to have missed one or two spots that need sealing.

PF25 (resized).jpgPF26 (resized).jpgPF23 (resized).jpgPF24 (resized).jpgPF20 (resized).jpgPF21 (resized).jpgPF22 (resized).jpgPF12 (resized).jpgPF19 (resized).jpgPF18 (resized).jpgPF16 (resized).jpgPF17 (resized).jpgPF15 (resized).jpgPF14 (resized).jpgPF13 (resized).jpgPF11 (resized).jpgPF7 (resized).jpgPF8 (resized).jpgPF9 (resized).jpgPF10 (resized).jpgPF5 (resized).jpgPF6 (resized).jpgPF4 (resized).jpgPF1 (resized).jpgPF3 (resized).jpgPF2 (resized).jpg

I am going to scan the whole playfield so one thing I am considering is making a full size gloss poser print and sealing it between the playfield and the poly overlay I will be making.

This way I dont balls up a playfield that someone could probably do a better job on restoring in the future and for $30 I have something new looking.

Ill let you know if it happens

Yeah, most of the damage seems to be from insecure posts the the guides cutting the playfield. I guess once they have initial movement it just get worse.

Other issues are just age. Very little I can attribute to the milar removal.

Playfield continued...
I have scanned the playfield as its always seems like a good idea to have a backup.
Only have a flatbed scanner that I can remove the lid from so the image will need so tweaking to match the playfield holes.

The rough spliced scans...
Whole PF split colours (resized).jpg

I then split the image into the main colours used.

Black...
Whole PF split colours Black (resized).jpg

Yellow...
Whole PF split colours Yellow (resized).jpg

Blue...
Whole PF split colours Blue (resized).jpg

Cream...
Whole PF split colours cream (resized).jpg

Pink...
Whole PF split colours Borwn (resized).jpg

White, 30+ years old...
Whole PF split colours White (resized).jpg

Red...
Whole PF split colours Red (resized).jpg

Brown...
Whole PF split colours Brown (resized).jpg

Ant this is whats left to fill in the blanks...
Whole PF split colours Leftovers (resized).jpg

Indeed, the process has started.

It is almost taking the picture and turning back in time to how it was screened on.

I am using Photoshop elements, splitting the image up into the separate colours gives you more freedom when working on one colour without the worry of messing with another.

This is after a quick run around the image with the paint tool. I am sure there is a way to 'mask' and do fancy stuff but I like to go round and treat it as I would if I could do it with a real paint brush.

I found the official Pacman colours online and corrected each colour, then I just went around and deleted or filled any major blemishes.

Progress so far...
Original playfield scan...
Whole PF split colours (resized).jpg

New...
Whole PF re-colour sample (resized).jpg

The blue seems a little light but its easy to change.

What about a mix of both. By night (the lower side of the PF) Pacman serenades the wife on the rooftops. By day (top half of PF) Pacman fights off the remaining ghosts.

Whole PF re-colour sample1 (resized).jpg

Wow, 16 days since an update...
So I started cleaning and it just went on and on and on and on and on.
I will admit that I have read some restore threads on here and wondered why most people who do this a lot just send stuff of to be re-chromed, plated or coated but now I fully understand why.

The quality of chrome/plating on this generation of machine is pitiful (pun intended) compared to the 60's machine I worked on prior.

All the bits have been through the following process...
ultrasonic cleaner
spot treated for rust
ultrasonic cleaner
Coke and aluminium foil rub down
ultrasonic cleaner
Brasso buff
Wipe clean
Wax to seal
Polish up

I realised that given the state of most of the bits that 'Chrome Porn' was out of the question. The units were structurally sound but cosmetically lacking and rust infected, once started the process must be finished.

Some pics of prime offenders...
Rust4 (resized).jpg
Rust6 (resized).jpg
Rust5 (resized).jpg
Rust3 (resized).jpg
Rust2 (resized).jpg
Rust1 (resized).jpg

So tonight, aided by beer is the big rebuild. No pub for me, I got 18 cans, some screw and socket drivers, pliers and this to deal with...Parts2 (resized).jpg

Well the kids played up going to bed so the rebuild and the drinking didnt work out. I only got about an hour to work on it but I at least managed to get some bits back together...
Together1 (resized).jpg

After last-nights shenanigans I put the kids to work before breakfast...

Screwing stuff
Rebuild2 (resized).jpg

and quality control
QualityCtrl (resized).jpg

All ended in smiles and the mechs are all back together...
NoKidsHarmed (resized).jpg

...minus a few bits that need tweaking like these plungers with rusted in pins and the gate relay that has a riveted on broken bushing.
RustBound (resized).jpg
GatePlate1 (resized).jpg

Winning...

Soaked in rust dissolving toilet cleaner, rinsed and then the pin was pushed out using a bench vice and a wrench socket.

FreePins (resized).jpg

Been experimenting with an old drop target that was included in the box of bits. Cant take credit for this as I found it whilst on a google adventure...
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=303680

I liked the idea so have started trying to find something that works for me.

Take one old drop target,
Drop1 (resized).jpg
Clean,
Drop2 (resized).jpg
Sand off the old image remnants, this one was embedded into the target and I was probably a little over zealous with the sanding but it was otherwise rubbish that was providing a service.
Drop3 (resized).jpg
I used permanent 65 sheet clear labels ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/TRANSPARENT-Label-POLYESTER-Self-Adhesive-Printable/dp/B009ZTANMC/ref=sr_1_1?s=officeproduct&ie=UTF8&qid=1495486140&sr=1-1&keywords=65+sheet+laser+clear+labels ).
Dropstickers (resized).jpg
Drop4 (resized).jpg
The end plan is to probably have one label with the image on and then to cover it with another clear label to seal the ink in and offer better protection.

As can be seen the label is a good fit width wise without any trimming. The bottom will need to be trimmed to cover the latch bump in a way that there is not an edge to be caught during the up/down operation.

Ghost images from:
http://pacman.wikia.com/
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=303680

Thanks, progress is slower then I would like but it is progress non the less. Once I can start putting things back together it should be more interesting.

Question regarding the 'Spinners'

Are they 360 degree spinners or do they just wobble 180 degrees back and forth ?
What is their function in the game, like what happens score and lamp when the pall hits them ?
If the spinners do only wobble back and forth, ie they are not able to rotate fully, what would be the effect if they could rotate fully ?

I did not get any of the assemblies with the game so will have to make my own and these pictures from nedreud seem to indicate that the spinners do not rotate fully as there does not appear to be enough space between the mounting screw and the spinner 'offset' leg.
Right Spinner (resized).jpg
Left Spinner (resized).jpg

Thanks, and thanks for the great answers.

As you have experience with this game, do you think the game play would be ruined if I swapped the wire 'wobble spinners' out for true solid spinners that could take a good ripping, apart from the scoring being increased ?

Same thought, If I go down that route I was thinking of ghost on one side and Pacman on the other so that when it is spun it looks like Pacman punching a ghost.

I had to find a way of fixing the lower gate mechanism as although I got the lower plate with the relay I was missing the shaft, gate and pivot bit.

Complete it should look like this...
Gate Mech (resized).jpg

My gate is like this...
MyGate (resized).jpg

The top part of the gate should not be too hard to make as its is essentially just a wire mounted onto a 1/4" shaft. The tricky bit for me was the pivot bit below the playfield.

Most things available that were similar, such as the depth stops for drill bits are made of hardened steel and would therefore be a pain to modify due to them being hard.

I settled on using a hardened aluminium coupling that I had available from an old CNC project. This I hope will still be tought enough for the required task but soft enough for me to work with, it also had two grub screws for securing to the shaft.
Coupler (resized).jpg

Sawing aluminium with a junior hacksaw is a pain so I just stuck a length of 1/4" in the end and snapped it off...
Gatepivot1 (resized).jpg

I then used a file to get rid of the bur and sanded back the rough edges...
Gatepivot2 (resized).jpg

It aint pretty but the lip will be on the side away from the relay arm so it will be as good as invisible. It is also a little thinner then the original would have been so I will need to have CerClips above and below the bushing on the new shaft.

Here is the new bit (minus pin) on a temporary shaft mounted on my mech.
Gatepivot3 (resized).jpg

As I said it is not perfect but it should do the job and it took 5 mins to bodge up.

Connector madness...

All the mechanisms that I received were already cut from the harness. Fortunately the person that did this left good cable tails so matching them up to the playfield harness should not be a problem. Because of this and that I wish to use a lot of the assemblies in other projects in the future I have decided to re-attache the mechanism to the harness using various types of connectors, thus enabling their removal in future without the use of a soldering iron.
Powerconnectors3 (resized).jpg
Powerconnectors4 (resized).jpg
Powerconnectors2 (resized).jpg

The duplicate cable tails have been left on for the moment to assist with matching with the playfield harness. The duplicate harness ends will then be joined in the terminal on the mating connector. Finally the extra tails on the mechanisms will be cut off.

Thanks,

I had to take a step back from pinball related time wasting as work became full on over the student exams period and my kids decided to turn into monsters. Now I am back.

The lower gate is an odd thing. On my EM there is a similar gate that uses a full blown flipper assembly to open and close it. The Pacman version does indeed seems to be unique and cheaper. I cant quote anyone on this but I have read in a few places that as Pacman was licensed any unique parts are unobtanium, like the bumper caps.

Regarding your gate not working... I have never played the game so I dont know when or what makes the gate open or close. I am probably going to have similar issues with everything on my playfield. Have you tested continuity from the trace under the the connector A3 J5-7 to the gate solenoid and back to A2 J1-7 ?
When I start having to do this I think I am going to use croc-clip to short the coil and then just buzz the relevant IO sockets.

Good luck with this and your other projects.

Wow, you found a whole playfield, looks good.

What is the plan ?
Does it have Mylar ?

As I was forced to take leave from the project it gave me time to think about what order I should be doing things in as I have a tendency to drift from one thing to another to break up the monotony and ultimately this can result in a lack of direction.

So before I start doing anything crazy I thought I should see if the repaired boards, bodged power supply, frankensteined displays and patched up playfield would actually work together.

To this end I am now here, matching up assemblies with the harness, then crimping on the appropriate connectors.
Playfield rebuild harness (resized).jpg

Is anyone able to tell me where these two terminals go ?

First is this one, next to the solenoid expander, consisting of some black-white cables.
Where Black (resized).jpg

Second is this one, same side of the playfield consisting of a bunch of yellow wires and one orange-black.
Where orange (resized).jpg

Do they just screw into wood or are they meant to be terminated onto something like a ground trace ?

Smashing, That's great thanks.

I finished the playfield harness and those guys were my last issue.

A few IC's to fix on the MPU and I should be good to fire her up.

A moment of glory or a pile of ashes.

Ok, I had some issues with the boards, documented here...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-35-crazy-lamps-issue

That all seems to be fixed so over the next few days I will introduce the mechanisms and hopefully get some progress notes up by the end of the week.

Slowly.
My boys have both started their first years in school, and as I work in a school September to December is always a busy time for me work wise.

Regarding the project I got up to the stage of making sure the game worked as in all boards were acting like they should, the playfield switches and mechanisms responded as would be expected, sounds were correct and the displays indicated the correct things. All done with the playfield upside down so no balls in motion yet.
As I have really limited inside space to work the structural project is on hold until the spring. Before Christmas I hope to have some progress reports on fixing up the playfield. I am leaning towards trying my hand at painting it.

I have given it a lot of thought and decided to give hand painting another go, inspired by the many fine efforts and outcomes of people on this site.

Acrylics is the game and Liquitex is the name, They have lots of recommendations on here. I got a basic set as I should not need that much for this project and I have been reassured that the 'basic' tag just means smaller tubes and the coverage should be ok for the task. I got them for 75% off as well so I cant complain, the 3 brushes cost more than the paint. There is a good colour range and hopefully I will be able to finish the job before the boys get hold of them and use them as toothpaste.

Paints (resized).jpg

I could not find much on prepping this vintage of playfield for painting so used magic eraser and alcohol, then naphtha and then gently sanded with 600 to give some tooth.

Also cleaned up the shooter lane and other wood areas as best I could without digging in to deep.

Before After

All impact posts have had holes drilled through for M4 studding and T-nuts and recess holes drilled on the backside for the T-nuts. One post had snapped off in the playfield, this was excavated and the cavity filled with epoxy putty then sanded flat when dried and drilled.

Holefix1 (resized).jpg

So this is the playfield prepped for its facelift.

PlayfieldRef1 (resized).jpg

I had a few minutes tonight so thought I would test out the t-nuts with the bolts I had, just to make sure they were long enough.

Made a brace out of a bit of scrap with a hole drilled in it, washer is to spread the load from the nut. The bolt is screwed through the t-nut, head side down, then poke the bolt up through the playfield and through the brace, put the washer on, add a regular nut and tighten until the t-nut teeth have sunk in and secure. Simples...

T-nut-jig (resized).jpg

...the t-nut is now recessed and the head of the bolt is flush with the playfield, sorry for the dark pic.

T-nut in (resized).jpg

T-nut flush (resized).jpg

Once the above is done, drop a post on and add regular nut to retain and test with a rubber...

T-nut Rubber test (resized).jpg

..and finally with a plastic, top off with either lock nut or rubber nut, I am not decided yet.

T-nut Plastic test (resized).jpg

For the curious, I wanted all the posts under the most stress to have t-nuts and I also wanted to be able to remove plastics without having to deal with rubbers popping all over. As the regular pinball post screws cost almost $5 a pop over here (if you can get the right ones) this seemed like the logical and economical route to take.

Its been a while but its still going...

After months of touchups, procrastination, fear and missing weather windows I finally got the spray booth setup in the garden and fired up the compressor for the first time. I ran some tests on Saturday and forced myself to grow some balls and use up the remaining clearcoat I had. So this morning with a raging hangover MMPM got her first coats...

MMPMclearcoat1 (resized).jpg

It still needs some work but its getting there.