So using this section as an example this would be the normal or factory configuration image (resized).jpg

This would be the violet / white and violet GI strand.
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The problem with it is there is a potential for smashed wires and once you get outside of the junction it no longer becomes obvious which leg of the socket is which is the violet the upper leg or the lower?
Is this still part of the strand or has it changed somewhere you can’t see once everything is covering it?
This is what I will be changing that will help easily answer those questions at just a glance.

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So this is where the violet strand enters the playfield
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It then touches the sockets and loops back into the harness and feeds to this connector.
Knowing that will allow me to pretty much run that section anyway I like and just make sure my run accomplished the same thing that being tie those sockets together and terminate at the connector.

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New and improved section is now in place.

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This will continue with all new wire and sockets down the full length of this strand.

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This will be the next section.

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Next section done. You get the idea.
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The same mentality and process will be used for the feature lamps.
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This style socket seems to have a more common failure point than the other styles used in the era
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What happens is the socket portion just spins freely and often that is a good indicator that the socket will be troublesome or outright no good.
Unfortunately this style is not easily found new that I know of but it is easily replaced with this style. image (resized).jpg
The flex bulb is an important part of that switch to make it work well. image (resized).jpg
Feature lamp sockets now replaced in the shown section and wired color correct
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Installing the lamp boards at this time as well.

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Pin gizmo?

Old school mod already in place also the originators of the third magnet kit.
2002-2004 I think.

Lamp harness is in place.
Solenoid harness is next.

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Getting pretty close to done with the underside.
image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgThe biggest thing now left as far as the underside goes will be neatly implementing the mods.
That means no alligator clips or super long wire runs that have to go from the playfield to areas like the coin door board. image (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpg
I will search out the correct voltages under the playfield and make correct connectors there.

Also needed to finish this portion will be making a new opto pair and wiring for the auto fire cover.

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New harness for the auto fire with protections.

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Playfield wiring complete.

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Next step is wiring the cabinet power box is already in place.

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Now I fully understand why they say a HEP pin is better than a brand new one.

MUCH better!

Watching this process unfold like this is amazing! I honestly didn't know people put this much attention to detail into restoring pins.

Chris , Yr work is Awesome bro !! Back in 2012 , I drove up North , 20 miles from DC to buy a HEP IJ Williams from a Cardiologist .. Secret Service agents were leaving as I parked in his circle , friends of the DR .. Anyway , his collection of 17 Pins had All under gone the Same treatment as the TZ above has .. U know whom I'm talking about .. I've spoken on the phone to U a Few times and U have invited me to Yr shop , but I have been unable to travel the 56 miles to visit U ,, I'll get 2 U soon , and I Love the Black TZ ... Close to 300 Pins I've owned ,, my 2nd TZ is the 1 that I Miss the Most . Stay cOol ,, B_R

Great thread very informative as well.

I sent my TSPP to HEP and now after this thread the anticipation is killing me to get it back!

Congrats yelobird on a very unique TZ. Makes me want to send mine in as well. Going to play like a dream, if you mind putting on the miles.

Keep up the awesome work Chris.

Working on building and wiring up the cabinet today.

I want the wiring of the cabinet to be just as neat and thought out as the playfield wiring I tackled earlier.

The game has a lot of mods and parts in place. Some I would prefer newer or different versions of but considering there is nothing actually wrong with them I will just put a little effort in to cleaning them up in terms of wiring or appearance.

First though I cannot run wires without boards do those are swapped for serviced units.
Serviced dot controller 43615622-C644-45E6-B3E7-9DBB568B67A3 (resized).jpeg
Serviced Driver77A6A2D2-8AE9-4AD6-B6F4-A82F0D6FC9D2 (resized).jpeg
Serviced Fliptronic 2 A5FBD2E3-D5C7-4277-AFC8-D5A5B1D8E4A3 (resized).jpeg
Now we have the Aux driver
This game obviously had a couple locked on flashers and things so when looking at this board it is suspect because it drives some of these features and there have been repairs. Even though I am changing the driver I might still have locked on coils or flashers/clock issues etc if I use it as it is. If you look closely you can see the repairs. Not terrible looking but no telling if the problems were truly solved
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I will swap this with a serviced original as well F6479571-8783-42B9-8DF8-5499C1D9DE40 (resized).jpeg
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Boards are now placed AF4AC54D-A214-420D-AF13-F4CF943E2EFD (resized).jpeg

Now the speaker.
Game had a speaker upgrade but yellow is just not the ideal color for me because I like things to look good and match when and where possible.
There is nothing wrong with it though so I will break it down and dress it up a little better for this build. 0706E9D1-6557-422F-8573-78478BE1B1A5 (resized).jpeg

Remove crossover and the decals one is on top of another. 5AFD16BB-1206-457C-B745-F967F111CB7F (resized).jpeg

Scuff and mask
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Etched in black. Nothing too fancy. 03811144-D76F-4C29-A488-C91D73832251 (resized).jpeg

Reassembled Cut out a coin door decal to dress it up a little bit.
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Next are the flipper buttons.
It seems simple but the game has lighted buttons and they are orange when lit.
Instead of just tossing them it makes for an interesting challenge.
How can I make them work and why toss them only to order more?

I do some initial checks and settle on a translucent red ring with a black center to best match the cabinet.

It just looks like a black button when off. 4CF733D0-8F10-4DA8-B2C3-85C0028542F3 (resized).jpeg

When powered the orange shooter was as red and it looks nice,fits the scheme and saves the mod. D5C6FAF0-3698-4B78-AD54-D9594E42A8EA (resized).jpeg

Now that I know the lighted button mod is usable I will better implement it into the build it starts out a mess. All this wire is meant to simple tap 12volts all the way in the head. Not needed but I can appreciate the plug and play aspect of it for the hobbyist.
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The button mod needs 12 volts so I will grad that as close a possible to the buttons off the coin door board. 97443A5D-0690-4BDD-8579-E86020C4F18D (resized).jpeg

The mod has a controller that I want to make easily accessible. So I use two sided tape to mount it in an easy to reach spot. 5DA7316E-4CD6-49CC-B760-7509E3B51BC4 (resized).jpeg

The board is all set now with the tap and controller neatly installed. 3B0A03B5-62C1-4B39-9495-40CC0749A417 (resized).jpeg

Now for the buttons.
I want to hide the wiring as well as possible and also protect it from tugging or shorts. DCC1F926-DD13-4E8C-920E-82E772A825FF (resized).jpeg

This is done with shrink tube and a tight fitting closed loom.

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The wiring was strategically placed to make sure it clears and is masked by the flipper button boards.
Before I rebuild and place those I check clearances. 4348C698-4A3F-48FE-9635-4CBF60F80007 (resized).jpeg

Now for the boards themselves.
These are rough.
First the one on the left is missing the copper stiffener. 27AEE995-708C-410E-9F45-3F7ADBA3470E (resized).jpeg

There’s also issues with the condition of the boards themselves. 1059B9A3-7C38-4BB8-8BCD-6BE03CE09914 (resized).jpeg

I install new boards using new hardware and source a copper blade from my parts stash. Polishing them as well. 31E55A50-7336-4A64-BFFB-14BDAB7A8DAC (resized).jpeg

Boards are now placed and the buttons are crossed off the list. C4EEF98B-FF0C-4E6B-81D8-0FA004CC4100 (resized).jpegC9706813-5E48-4DB5-8D00-0F65FCABA1E5 (resized).jpeg

Cabinet wiring is nearing completion. image (resized).jpg

Getting the lamp panel ready to install the door panel lighting mod is placedonce again. image (resized).jpg

Remote battery holder is placed on the back of the lamp panel. image (resized).jpg
The controller for the lamp panel mod is attached to the rear of the panel neatly and the remote eye is secured and positioned for easy sight of the remote.

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I know its the buyers choice, but I really wish those mod's wouldn't make it past the restoration part. Really ruins the designers original intent with flashy mods.

I gotta say, not bad for your first restoration. Can’t wait to see what you’ll do after you get the hang of this...

Coin door is built and ready to install
First I will place 4 pcs of dense target foam to protect the cabinet from the door.
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Placed near the bolt locations.
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This is my preferred style coin door for TZ and especially for one that is getting black trim. It has been refinished with the same final finish used on the trim although it is a correct textured door so it will show a little differently.

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I know who you are talking about. This collection is the most stunning thing Ive ever seen. I bought a game from him and didn't even look at the game..... I simply agreed to buy it if I could play one of his other games. I think about that collection several times a week. I really felt bad just looking at his games like somehow my presence was devaluing them. I would kill to play a game in that basement.

EDIT: Now that I'm thinking about it.... If by chance you see this I would be honored to come and just look at your games and talk to you about them. You know who you are. Thanks.

Cabinet wiring is complete.

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Not really. I have talked with lots of designers about mods at shows and they love a lot of them. Steve Ritchie went so far as to say the cannon mod on AC/DC was the way he originally wanted it. But it got cut for cost reasons.

Up on four legs.

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Playfield is in the cabinet now.

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Better example is 3rd magnet on TZ. It and other features were designed to be on the game but got cut mostly due to cost. Besides, this is far from a stock restoration. Everything is done to be better than stock with custom touches.

It lives again.

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This is an amazing restoration and it is fun to watch. The craftsmanship and attention to details large and small is impressive. I can see why you set the standard and why everyone seeks you out. Everything you've done looks better than new.

Just curious if you are going to do any other work on the boards. Whenever I rebuild them I end up straightening all the components so that all the transitions are in neat tidy rows and all the others line up as they should. Also use the lead forming tools on replacement components for a factory look. Some people don't notice but I think that extra detail makes a difference.

Almost there.

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Looking good - home stretch!

Mini is on. Tested
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Added a spot light in the corner because it started looking a bit dark up against the wall there.
No light
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With light
image (resized).jpgI didn’t want to mirror that on the other side because it might block the players view.
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The sign looks pretty cool but it is more subtle on the game when in place than it was on the workbench.
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I want this done to all my games!!

You need to buy the whole suit.... and maybe a few spares for kids & guests. 2018 Xmas card idea for the Mod Couple.

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Closing in on the final parts and peices.
The original ramp is cracked and corroded so that will be replaced.
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New ramp is built up with all new switches and a hand made harness that is color correct and runs a bit longer.
The wiring is run through shrink tube to mask it and a smoked version ramp is used as requested.
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The ramp is then placed.
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