Lodi, CA
I'd love to get you out to Pin-a-Go-Go in Dixon CA May 19-21.
(Topic ID: 179489)
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5 months later
It was a great time meeting Nic and working on pins. We didn't have enough time to finish Grand Prix but I was left with knowledge to keep going. I ordered some 443's for the Dremel and kept at it.
The index wheel on the score unit had a make break that was always make and never break. All of the switches were dirty so i cleaned and adjusted them all. This would be much easier on the bench as its hard to get a side view of the stack while adjusting. Fortunately it is hinged so you can tilt it up.
The outhole relay requires the outhole switch be closed to activate but hard to do with the playfield up. Time to jumper it closed and voila it works.
It plays but it needs tweaking and further adjusting.
Now I have to troubleshoot the left bonus unit, the pop bumpers are weak and sometimes the 100s reel keeps spinning.
Thanks Nic, it was a great time.
Quoted from bingopodcast:Grand Prix...
The act of simply pulling the playfield can cause it, due to the design.
I have a single wire that gets caught on the prop rod and is getting stripped. I need to repair and cover the whole bundle with split wire wrap to protect it.
Quoted from Cliffy:That Jumping Jack just does NOT like being moved! When I bought the game it played great at the guys home. Got it home and Steve (RIP blownfuse) and I pulled each others hair out getting it working correctly again but eventually did. Now you have it Eric and by golly you better bolt the legs to the floor so she doesn't get moved again! I really miss it too. Such a great game. BTW, I see my custom stainless steel home switch is still holding up perfectly on that switch stack
Everyone raves about this machine. Played it at league last night. Top score 48k on 5 balls
Quoted from xsvtoys:I thought the 2018 festival was all set for the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds???
It is, we were doing electrical planning. I don't expect Nic to know the full story. I do hope maybe we can get him to the show next year.
Quoted from spinal:Of the current Dremel cordless models (https://www.dremel.com/en_US/tools/-/search-tools/find-by-category/27343/rotary), which do you recommend for EM repair Nic? Is the 8220 overkill? Is variable speed necessary or 2 speeds enough? What do you think of the 8050-Mirco which is only 2 lbs?
Nic has an 8220 (or an earlier model of the same design). One nice thing about it is the on/off and the speed adjustment are separate controls so the speed is set and forget.
I don't recall having any concerns about weight or size when I was using it.
Quoted from NicoVolta:Visit #37 – Eric Neff (Cheddar) in Lodi, CA
The subjects: Jumping Jack and Grand PrixWe returned to work on Grand Prix. Inside the backbox, the match unit had been given the medieval “Butterfly Torture” and screwed to the top. I can’t explain why this was done. Perhaps because the wiper discs had been lost? No matter… the game would still work without it.
You'd think the match unit wasn't needed but you'd be wrong. The ratcheting gear in-between the plates is used to drive the alternating relay that switches the score bonus and red arrows from side to side. I salvaged enough parts out of a parts machine (space mission) to make it work.
Quoted from NicoVolta:Yes indeedy. Some Gottlieb AS relays also utilize an alternating relay switch in a similar fashion. But luckily the circular disc wipers aren't necessary for that.
Unfortunately it's impossible to keep the gear centered without the wipers holding it in place.
Quoted from NicoVolta:Hmmmm come to think of it I've never encountered a Gottlieb AS relay needing to operate without the wipers. I wonder how difficult it would be to fashion a fix for that.
Yeah this was the butterflied match unit on Grand Prix
4 weeks later
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Thanks to the knowledge from Nic's visit I was able to turn this cold lump of copper and wood into a fun pinball machine.
This one had a replay adjustment pin stuck in the 5 ball selector that made it very hard to troubleshoot. The wire colors were very faded making it even harder!
Thanks again Nic!
Quoted from NicoVolta:Good job Cheddar! Spanish Eyes is really cool once you get it dialed in. Some hate the artwork but it reminds me of being a kid in the 70's... crazy wallpaper and happy memories.
It's hard to pay attention to the art for all of the drop targets and spinners your not hitting. It's amazing a pin without them is so fun but that middle pop lit for 100 makes up for it!
2 weeks later
Quoted from bingopodcast:Wouldn't be difficult. Use three of the same type of stepper (with same gearing) for accurate results. You only need to wire in the max position switch or a maximum travel rivet to the score motor.
Could probably use a single score motor to drive all 3
EDIT: I see, that's what you were suggesting!
1 month later
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Quoted from pinwiztom:Not every place in California is expensive, the catch is the cheaper places are cheap for a reason,
either way out in the boonies or hot hot weather in summers and/or generally dusty, dirty & smoggy.
Example : median home price in Bakersfield CA is about $225K,
and there are lots of home for sale at <$200K,
but then again you got to live in Bakersfield,
and its about 2 hr drive north of LAX.
Compare that to Orange County where homes average $700K.
The san joaquin valley is very affordable. I'm 90 Minutes from SF, 45 from Sacramento and we have 3 (sometimes 4) annual pinball shows.
Quoted from pinheadpierre:Yes, but the entire central valley is hotter than holy crap all summer. I would know - I live there too. In my mind California is all about the coastal communities, but that's my bias having grown up in Berkeley and Arcata. I melt over 75 degrees. It is cheaper, though and smack in between the two more desirable sides of the state. Oh yeah, and plenty of awesome pinball options as the big cheese said.
EXACTLY right!
Yeah it gets hot in the summer. I'm fortunate I live on the tail end of the delta. The ocean breeze comes in at night and drops the temperature. It is not uncommon to have a 40 degree drop from the high temp at night. For that reason Lodi, Stockton and parts of Sacramento are more pleasant in the summer.
Quoted from Heretic_9:In Orange County, they implemented the so-called "Toilet to Tap" water recycling process some time ago, in a mandatory way. Regular stories on the news, where their County gov't. officials are seen visiting the plants, and quaffing a glass of H2O to demo how safe and unremarkable it is -- or so they claim. Yecchh !
We don't manufacture any new water. Every molecule of water has probably passed through somethings body during it's existence
5 months later
Quoted from Heretic_9:Au Contraire (sometimes), I'm forced to chime in here, due to recent experience. Bally part # P 7469-7, for my misbehaving Bow & Arrow, proved to be un-obtainium. Steve could not supply it, and an internet search proved unavailing. The tech had to cannibalize this from some other ailing pin that had this part.
Which prompts a question that was going to be a separate thread, and still may have to be: is there any known way to demagnetize a part that has become magnetized ? A reliable method that actually works ?
I mylared a magnetized plate (coil side) when repeatedly hitting it with a hammer did not demagnetize it. It gave it just enough resistance to break the magnetism when the coil was off
1 week later
Quoted from NicoVolta:Sometimes, you have to get creative to get the word out. Signs are good, but a guy pushing a pinball machine through the square is better!
[quoted image]
Future EM pinball school attendees, this is the place. Lovely downtown location w/restaurants, bars, and of course pinball.
(and Roanoke was once deemed “Magic City”!)
I pushed a space station 2 blocks from the local science museum to a brewpub. We had several people follow us in to play
2 weeks later
Quoted from NicoVolta:Awesome to see the knowledge getting out. I think we need to do a virtual roundtable discussion with the folks on the tour. Like a 3-4 hour discussion of what we've learned and any questions that still linger. Only requirement would be some kind of software which could link all of the cams and make the entire thing viewable by the public for anyone who wanted to follow along.
Google meet works this way and would allow a recording. Zoom.us does the same as well but requires an install
Quoted from Cheddar:[quoted image]Epitaxis, Flippymagoo and Jabbles180 learning the method[quoted image]
Got a fair way into it but could not get it started.
Some things that were odd: Ball Unit (near chimes) what is the zero position? Looks like it should be 1 rivet off. So the left most snowshoe is 1 advance to the left of the first rivet.
Coin Unit: All gummed up but eventually figured out free play
Player Unit: Need to verify zero position
Weird things it's doing:
Always turns on in tilt. Looks like this is so common most people ignore it.
Replay Button only gets 1 cycle on the score motor. Reset relays never trigger.
Happy with the progress though. Each one of these brings more knowledge
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