Hi mate

I have done exactly what you need to do.

I will get some pics and write you up a fix in the next day or so
thats absolutely "bullet proof"

cheers

DR

Protecting that ramp would be a benefit even for those with nice ramps currently. No one likes plastics destroyed every 200-500 games. I'm interested to hear what you've done Devil rider!

OK lads, here we go

you will need :

1. strip of polished stainless (I used portion of a side rail that was polished & then cut short
for a SAFECRACKER restoration)

2. a "DREMEL" type rotary tool with a "cylindrical" shaped grinding bit with a flat base

3. angle grinder with stainless cutting wheel

a. first polish the stainless portion you want to use (easier on larger piece)

b. use the angle grinder & cut a 150mm length, 30mm in width (check against your ramp)

c. smooth the edges down & make sure they are square

d. using the DREMEL rotary tool with the cylindrical bit, "square off the internal
ramp radius curves against which the stainless strip must rest against so that
the strip will fit snugly in the ramp AND flat against the base*

*mine fits so well that it "snapped" into place and doesnt need any "glue" to hold it
in place but a THIN application of silicone was going to be my choice here

*if you have some nasty bumps in the base of the ramp due to the magnets
melting it, you can grind them down slightly to better accomodate the strip

*patience is the key, working the strip AND the ramp to achieve a snug fit along
the 150mm length to BOTH SIDES of your strip, if the ramp is very irregular you
are better off grinding the strip to fit rather than taking out too much plastic

my ramp melted & sunk in the area immediately in front of the midway "one way gate"
forming a ridge parallel with the gate AND at 90 degree angle across the exist to the
wireform so the ball would get stuck there

as a result I made my "stainless strip" start at the "sunken gate ridge" and run up until just
short of the last magnet and tweaked the gate flap spring to ensure a ball not making it all
the way up & over would get a good kick out on roll back & flow back down the wire form

the attached pictures speak 1000........

result : works awesome, will NEVER break and at best I'm good for 6 "jumps" around the
accelerator loop before it beats me

good luck & careful grinding....you only get one shot

DR

NFhabit.JPG NFrampover.JPG NFrampside.JPG NFrampfront.JPG

hassanchop, i think that you need a resistent plate that isn't magnetic. Like a strong plastic, kevlar or other kind of material.

The problem on our No Fear is that metalic plate, between the magnet and the ball, conduct the magnetic field and the ball isn't pulled.

Basically, the waves (blue line on image) emitted by the magnets will flow on the metallic plate and in the ball with much less power.

On this 2 youtube video you can see the influence of magnet in the balls.

On these videos if you have a metallic plate (like on our machine) that experience don't work so good.

magnets-wires4.jpg

I've been looking for some material to build my own ramp and i found the polycarbonate.
I think that can be a good choice.

"Polycarbonate is a transparent amorphous polymer which exhibits outstanding physical properties such as outstanding impact resistance (almost unbreakable), heat resistance up to 125°C and excellent clarity, although opaque and translucent grades are also available. Polycarbonate is often used to replace glass or metal in demanding applications when the temperature does not exceed 125°C." Font: http://www.omnexus.com/tc/polycarbonate/index.aspx

The hardest part is how to recreate the ramp and maybe the price.. Maybe someone here allready have done anything like this...

Polycarbonate vs Acrylic Plastic:

no worries mate.

your "metal plate" is the problem, both in thickness AND where it starts "mid corner" before
the "mid ramp gate"

the ball will slam into the start of the thick metal and jump up into the back of the gate
and/or rattle to a stop

the ball needs to flow around the corner & into the "back straight" BEFORE it comes into
contact with the metal strip fix, which itself must be like that described in my solution
^^^^^ above

The fix WORKS AWESOME m85.......I dont know where you are going with your suggestions???

so well in fact, that on occasion I have "back handed" the HILL CLIMB RAMP from the left flipper!

follow the 1,2,3 / a.b.c steps to the letter and you will be

DR

Great posts, miglea85.

A much better solution.

I believed that your soluction works awesome.
The soluction that I proposed is to make a new ramp with a good impact and heating resistance too.

hassanchop, I dont now at all what temperature that magnet go. But "polycarbonate strip" works good at 125ºC and probably its suficient to what we want.

How do you make the ramps so clear?
My ramp is ok minus some cracking over the magnets,
I put a sticker over it and it works ok.
I hunted quite a while for a new ramp but couldn't find one.

Flame polishing. Wash to remove all oils and dirt, sand with 600- 1000- 1500 wet sandpaper, propane torch and a careful eye and bingo. new (looking) ramps

When you flame polish ramps, how do you deal with Decals that are on the underneath side of the ramp? Will the flame polish heat / ruin the decal. Decals are hard to find/ replace and scanning them on a flat bed scanner is not practical either because of their location..

Doesn't hurt the decals, you don't need to flame under the ramps.
You don't get them that hot, you can see the plastic flash as you run the torch over it.
The enemy of good enough is better when flame polishing.
You have to remove almost all if the ball track and grime like Cliffy stated above, anything on the ramp will be flashed into the plastic if you don't.
Flame polish is a final step for clarity, it won't remove the ball track and you will melt the ramp trying.

YIKES!! thanks.. Is it better(for control) to use one of those small hand held solder butane type torches instead of the standard propane torch with trigger/igniter?

@devil_rider, could you possibly make me a metal insert for the jump ramp that goes over the magnets.
I would be willing to pay for meterial cost & postage.
Let me know if you can, if you read this post.

Here ya go, this ought to help

AHHH The butcher from bakersfield.
I love his vid on how to fix up Translites (Star Trek)