I mean bulletproofing is a fine idea but yes you're probably going overkill. Have those plans and if you want to do them, deal with them a little down the road. Certain(t)ly don't avoid playing the game because of these things.

NVRAM is not a must, You can put a coin battery in there and be safe.

I would not buy a new power supply board. Cap kits are cheap.

I would fuse those bridges to be safe for sure. That can cause a ton of damage. You can simply add fuses without the add on board. Other than that I would play it while you practice some soldering skills.

- Get new balls. Inspect them periodically for scratches and pits. $5
- for now, remote battery or coin cell. Nvram requires solder work that you might not be ready for. $10
- stop reading this and fuse those bridges now! Two fuses and holders are much cheaper, but the replacement board is pretty slick. $6
- you can find a working numeric display for
$40ish and swap it in easily. The old one is likely outgassed.
- recap the power supply, do the high voltage resistors and 91v diodes. $15

Unless the ram chip is socketed, you will need to desolder the chip and solder in a socket for the nvram. You can buy AA lithium batteries to get you through in the meantime.

I misunderstood but reread it. Sorry. There are cap kits available, just search for your system. If it is not acting up, you can play it until issues start or until you are ready. Like others stated, that fuse issue needs done before anything. If it were me, I would fix the fuses, slap in lithiums and play the snot out if it and do other upgraded / bulletproofing as time allows. Really up to you though.

And new balls so you dont damage the playfield.

I owned a HS once.
I would suggest a fresh kickback plunger as the tip wears down.
Inspect the ramp thoroughly. Mine had a small crack near the exit. I bought the Freeplay40 clear replacement with the extra protector. I never had it get worse but having the parts on hand made a sale later easy and I had piece of mind.

That's hard to say, imo. Are you good at board work? If not, it may be a better choice to go with a new one. If you're looking to learn though, it could be a good opportunity.

I'm just thinking if it's your first pin, this could be a chance to gain some skills and knowledge that may help you further down the line. You may eventually need to change out a transistor or some header pins or something, and having the tools and experience already in place will help make it an easier task to navigate. Replacing a board over a bad cap or transistor can add up pretty quickly, though that may not be an issue for you.

Still, if you decide to replace the board, be sure to hold on to the old one to practice soldering on, or offer it up for someone to buy and refurb for their game. Old boards sometimes get a bad rap, but i find they are generally as reliable as any aftermarket boards once properly gone over. Plus there's *tons* of technical/repair info accumulated for the original boards, generally making them easier to troubleshoot and fix than aftermarket boards. I'm not saying every old board is worth saving, but a fair amount of times they probably are. Either way, enjoy your game! (Once you get those bridge rectifier fuses installed, of course! )

grats on getting high speed! it's super fun. remember the freeway spinners become 1000 per spin if you hit them twice during the same ball. this is a good way to rack up a huge score. I'm really new too so i don't have any great advice for the hardware stuff. I do know that converting the game to led lights isn't too hard and looks pretty cool.

I just picked up a Comet a week ago, and was in the same situation you are in.

First thing I did was add fuses to the bridge rectifiers. Cost $3, and about 20 minutes.
IMG_20190823_133022503 (resized).jpg

Then earlier today I added a lithium battery board. Cost $14 and about 45 minutes.
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I went with the battery board because it's cheap, easy, and bulletproof. All of my machines now have them. Adding NVRAM is OK I guess.... It's a bit more involved installing it, but why change a good thing?

While the board was out I inspected all of the solder joints, and while they looked good I still reflowed them, and cleaned off the flux.

The power supply still has all of it's original caps, but it still works great. All of the connectors look good so I'll leave it alone. IMHO the original design is awesome. It's still working flawlessly after 35 years. Can't get any more bulletproof than that. If down the road it fails, or I'm really bored I'll install a new cap kit so it'll be good for another 35 years.
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Good luck with your High Speed! It's a great game.

-Paul

You seem to hung up on this NVRAM (I've had machines with and without it), but if rebuilding the PS isn't worth your time (I think you will find buyers like original rebuilt boards), in no way would I suggest you desolder on the existing MPU.
Do a remote holder or similar for $5 and be done with it.

Play the game first...a lot. What happens if you don't like it or want something else instead? You will have saved yourself a lot of time and money.
If you do decide it is a long-term keeper, then start with nvram. I wouldnt get the rest until you actually need it. You can take 1 step forward and 2 steps back sometimes with pins. What happens if you destroy a trace or make it unplayable for a time?

When I get a new (or new-to-me) pin, I try to play it and get a feel for it. You would be surprised how many don't make the cut.

You don't need a whole new power cord, you could just replace the plug part. $2 Home Depot.

Oh, I was quite happy to step up to a multi mode dmd.
I don't miss HS at all.
After a few years it kinda gets easy, too easy.

Soo...did you play it or tweak it??

You can usually re-position the ball launcher a bit by loosening the nuts or bolts that fasten it to the inside of the cabinet. Try to center the shooter with the ball and re-tighten.

What color rubber tip are you using? A black tip will transfer more energy than a white one.

You can adjust the plunger assembly and the guide rail as well in case it is not guiding the ball up the ramp cleanly.

When the ball is sitting in the shooter lane, is it resting on the tip of the plunger?

One other thing I have had to do on games not getting enough power from the plunger is adjust the little "prongs" that surround the shooter tip. Push them in to make the ball sit closer to the shooter tip. Then it delivers more power.

Did you happen to replace the spring between the plunger handle and the cabinet (not the red one, but the small one that lives outside the cab)? Either way, check out my post in this thread to see if it's applicable:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/help-high-speed-driving-me-nuts#post-4977029

That spring I am holding in my thumb caused my plunges to be super weak - almost like I had a super weak/broken spring. I had to put the original one back.

Hope that helps!

I fought with Grand Lizard to get it to launch consistently. Maybe you need a stronger spring. They come is several strengths. You could play around with that and see what works best for you.

Mine started acting up last week...every ball launched hit the post below the ramp entrance, or strike just above the ramp entrance.
Turns out my side rail had come loose from the playfield, and the steel ball guide had pulled away from the side of the rail. I had to tighten the screws under the playfield to snug the rail back into place, then I had to tap in the nails with a nail set that hold the metal ball guide to the rail. Now I get a clean ramp shot probably 14 times out of 15 shots.

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