Haven't seen the plunger being "loose" like this. Travel should be pretty consistent. Is your shooter sleeve worn or damaged?

hmm One of the 330ohm resistors is laying in the bottom of my pinbot. Just noticed it today when I was doing some cleaning. it did not effect play as i have been playing it alot and all the flashers seam to be working. It came from the board next to the shooter lane. I saw something about taking these out for led? before I fix it since I am going to led the game what does that one control and should I replace it?

Re: vortex shot - I replaced the ENTIRE SHOOTER ASSEMBLY. It's as tight as they come; whatever degree of looseness is there is inherent to the design. At this point I can only surmise that this skill shot is simply a flawed design. A wide-body version of the playfield might address this by having a shooter lane that guides the ball all the way up to the base of the vortex ramp. It's really too bad, as the skill shot in PinBot is a significant part of scoring and can really make or break a game, especially when playing competitively. I've checked out other threads about this problem, and there doesn't seem to be a silver bullet solution. Frustrating...

You can't make yours right so it's a flawed design? Mine works fine. At this point I can only surmise it's a perfect design, which is great since its a challenge in competitive play

Hey, man, any helpful advice you can give would sure be appreciated. I've tried everything I can think of, so by all means, let me know if there's something I'm missing here.

If anyone has any 7 segment displays and/or slingshot plastics they want to sell please PM me.

Trying to restore my Pinbot back to its origional glory.

Thanks, Eric.

If you are going to LEd the flashers. Cut all the grounds off the transistor board.
Just keep the power and driver wires connected.

The only ones you really need to cut are the topper. Backbox finger flashers. And upper left blue ramp flasher and I think the two top flashers in the visor.

Those Led flashers will be locked on if you dont remove the grounds from the boards.
When you do remove or cut the wires they will work perfectly.

The warming transistors will no longer be used. So no need to replace.

I cut my grounds off and put heat shrink over the ends so nothing can get shorted.

Yeah what he said. Resistors.

where is it hanging up, at the rubber ring inder the mini PF? If so, try stretching it on the inside a but and putting slack on the cabinet side. That will thin the rubber slightly. Loosen the nut holding the spiral located about about 11 o'clock about a turn if its bashing on the ramp. no clue why it works but it can. look for any bad transition form the PF to the ramp or the right ride of the ball to the ramp. make sure the wood rail in the shooter lane isnt too far right.

I'd like to join this club as I pick my pinbot up on monday. I will post pics once she is settled in her new home. Paid £600 for her and she is all original minus the topper:'(

Various things happen. Sometimes it smacks nastily into the post to the left of the ramp entry. Sometimes it ricochets into the pops. Sometimes a full plunge has enough backspin that the ball can only just make it to 5,000. And sometimes it shoot smoothly and tightly up the vortex, just like it's supposed to.

I've moved the plunger assembly around, but it's easy to tell when it's situated correctly - not too far up or down and aligned with the slot the ball rests over. One variable I haven't explored is changing the spring. It's always had a red spring, what kind are the rest of you guys using? Considering getting the next step down and see if that helps at all.

I love the concept of the skill shot, and not being able to use it dependably in competitive play is just what makes me the craziest. It's so cool when it works! But mine mostly doesn't, and it really diminishes the game.

Red is the strongest spring there is, and not correct for Pinbot. You want a blue spring.

Well, now, wouldn't that be terrific if replacing the spring takes care of the problem? Pinball Life order happening NOW.

Different question: My blue "solar value" ramp is in good shape except for the little loop on the RH side where it attaches to a post. That loop broke. I still have it, was wondering about just using Testor's plastic model cement to glue it? Testor's melt/welds parts together, but I don't know if it works on all plastics the same. Anybody else had to do this fix?

As a long-time car model builder, I pretty much shun Testors model cement, it's crap. You're better off using a product like Plastruct plastic weld (orange bottle), which works with many more types of plastic than Testors; or a superglue like Zap-a-Gap. Having said that, the attachment point is not going to have the same structural integrity as on the original unbroken ramp. You may want to fabricate some sort of small metal bracket to glue underneath the loop to give it some strength, before screwing it to the post.

Plastic models are made from polystyrene, the Testers will not hold. As Jibmums has written a small metal brace should be added under that glued connection. This will give the adhesive more area to grip.

Marco lists 4 different springs. With the strongest spring you will risk breaking the top of the Red Spiral. Some one with a parts manual may have the right part number for the correct spring. A I was looking through the Game Manual it does not even have the plunger assembly broken down.

The blue spring is the factory-installed one for Pinbot. I started a thread a couple months ago that has all the correct System 9-11 plunger springs on it, after having to track down a few for my own games.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/shooter-spring-strengthcolor-database

And here I thought it was spec'd for a red spring. I was certain of it! Only thing that made me think twice was the memory of the Jackbot I played at White Rose. Will replace ASAP. (Maybe the whole "left side blue, right side red" play field color scheme thing stuck in my head a little too well...)

As to ramp plastic - I'll consider one of those other adhesives. Yeah, I figure it won't be as strong as it was, but I just don't like having broken things on my game (like the long, skinny plastic next to the eject hole...is anybody's *not* broken off at the very end?) For now I've been sandwiching that connection between 2 washers, which holds it quite securely. Will probably continue with that setup.

You guys! You guys! I FINALLY got my holy grail of pins and can officially be a member! I brought it home from Houston this past weekend and couldn't be happier. It needs a few minor things like flipper coils and coils for the slings, but it's one of the better ones I've seen around. The remainder of this year will be spent buying parts, LEDs, and cleaning the heck out of it because it's MINE! I even already had the signed Python prints hanging on the wall waiting for it to arrive. Now I have to go back and re-read this entire thread to school myself on anything Pinbot I need to know.

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Nice! Looks really clean!

Who on this group can tell me about the ROM which stops the Solar Value from carrying over game to game? When I sent my boards out, Clive updated the ROMs to "revision level 5", but I think the score still carries over. It's the one thing about the scoring I never understood...collecting the big jackpot can happen to any dummy who hits the ramp during multi ball after a bunch of people had lousy games.
Pretty sure I didn't just imagine this programming option, has anybody else heard about this?

The rom is on IPDB. Its called ...

ROM Hack (Solar Value Reset Each Game 500,000; Solar Adv. 250,000)

It replaces 2 rom chips on the mpu.(u26-u27)
As far as I can tell looking at whats in the .zip file it doesnt have a rom version #.

Here are the text notes copied from the .zip

1. Rom Checksum test as been skipped. (If you have a bad rom, the programm won't see it)
2. Factory setting is at freeplay.
3. Everytime you start a new game, the Solar value is reset to 500 000.
4. The setting for the advance solar value is now 10 000 to 990 000 (factory 250 000)

Please note that this roms has not been modified by a professional. Use at your own risk. I'm don't want to be held responsable for any damage that can be caused by this rom.

Hmm, this seems a bit out of my depth. So weird that it isn't an option in the game adjustments...but alas.

Anybody know where to find this leaf switch?

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I need a couple of SW-1A-118 switches which are the leaf switches for Pinbot for the spiral ramp holes. Does anyone know what the replacement part # is and where to buy them?

Is this part the same? http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-11664

Check out Bondic plastic weld. It's UV cured and will do what you want.

So a friend of mine just created a mod for The Walking Dead LE that lights up a shot on the game that was previously a bit dark. The thing is that shot on TWDLE is very similar to the Solar Value standup shot on Pinbot. I'm thinking of getting one of this mods and installing it on my pinbot. What do you guys think?

Mod Post:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/twdle-bicycle-girl-light#post-2032175

Video:

Dan

Interesting. So you'd get a glow from under the ramp when you collect the Energy Value shot? Pretty neat idea.

Not sure. I'll help him try several variations, and we'll see what looks best. Stay tuned.

Dan

A piece of advice to all Pinbot owners, and 2FlippedOut in particular since he just got his game: I had the visor switches break on me, one a couple years ago and the other just last week. (These are the switches that tell the game when the visor is open or closed all the way and indicate when the motor should stop) The switches cost a few bucks and are pretty easy to replace. The game acts REALLY WEIRD when those switches get broken. Depending which it is, the visor will either refuse to close, or it will just keep opening and closing and freeze up the game. My advice to PinBot owners is, if you haven't replaced them, do it. They're cheap, it's an easy fix, and they WILL break on you. The light gauge metal arm on those just gets flakey and craps out. While you're in there, you can add the foam weatherstripping behind the spot targets, as the existing foam is either turning to dust or has fallen out long ago. (Wish I'd thought to do so when I first got my game - one of the spots' plastic cracked as it had no padding behind it. Fixed with epoxy and packing tape and looks OK now, which is good because the only replacement parts I could find are in freaking Norway...)

Another thing to be aware of is that the plastic bracket that guided the spots when they drop down is held to the underside of the play field by 3 wood screws. These screws are subject to a certain amount of stress, and the threads in the plywood may be getting tired after 28 years. I noticed that one of my screws was not longer really "biting" into the wood, so an epoxy repair on the threads is on the docket for my weekend.

I replaced my shooter spring with a blue one. I don't know what setup you guys are using, but it is entirely underpowered. JUST makes it to the 5,000 point mark on a FULL plunge.

That said, after removing the play field from the cabinet and shopping out a bunch of stuff, I partially put the PF back together and (once I put the red spring back on) voila! It *seems* to be working perfectly. I'll have to see how well the shooter ends up working in the course of normal play, but repeated attempts send the ball up the ramp just as it should go. Full plunge actually sends the ball flying OFF the vortex. Guess now I know why that clear shuttle plastic needs to be there.

Here's a question for you all: in stripping down the play field, I saw for the first time that there are 2 bulbs underneath Pinbot's inner "face" plastic. Mine were completely absent; are they supposed to be #89s or are these #1251s? The manual is pretty cryptic on this.

I already did something similar to my Pinbot. I added a lamp socket under the ramp. And installed a superbright blue Led. That is tied to the energy value insert.
So when the energy value lights when the ramp lifts the whole thing lights up blue.

And added another socket with a ultra bright red that is tied into the solar value insert lamp.
So the clear ramp glows red.

I also added a 3 blue led strip on the left side of the visor over the blue ramp. It brightens up the back of the playfied a bit more and makes the ramp glow.

It looks great and is so easy to do.

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There are 2 in there, and if I remember it correctly they are #89's. These only light up when the visor is open.

That sounds worth copying! I'm unclear on where you're mounting the bulbs. Do you have the red LED right under the metal flap and the blue one just behind it, under the blue ramp? And since they're tied to the "energy value" and "solar value" lights, do the LEDs blink as well? (kinda cool if they just glowed solid while the play field lights blinked...but either way)

I'm totally doing that. Great idea.

I believe those are 1251's. When I changed out my pinbot to LED's Those were the only two that still have the 1251 bulbs due to no one making a 1251 LED.

Add a 10-15 ohm resistor to the socket and 906 leds can be used.

I know that the ones that blink alternately are 1251s (after having used 89s and had them burn out really quickly); these are underneath the inner plastic. I have extra of both; figure I'll try the 1251s and see. It isn't the hardest spot to get to to change them over, so no big deal ultimately.

(There are 2 other 1251s - in the back box to make Pinbot's face light up.)

Definitely inclined to replace *all* the lamps w/LED but I need to read up on it. Another phase of the tinkering.

My friend is getting close on a prototype, so stay tuned. The version he's making uses a microcontroller to flash red under the made shot and then it fades away as the ball exits. I've seen it on TWDLE, and it's very cool.

A non-microcontroller version where you're just hard-wiring lamps to the inserts would of course work as well but would not have the fading effect. It would also light that area in red during the jackpot shot, which would not be the desired effect but would not be a huge deal.

At any rate, I'm not affiliated with the mod at all, just encouraging him to make it and helping with R&D using my machine. Everything I find in R&D regarding best placement of the lights, etc. will be passed on to the community, so anybody who wants a DIY version can of course make one.

Dan

Hi. Yeah they are both under the metal flap. Standard 555 sockets will screw right under it no problem.

They are wired to the bulbs under the inserts. So they flash in attract mode. But while playing only light up when the insert is lit.

Green and purple look nice under there too.

Too bad my phone photos leds so crappy.

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What are you all using to illuminate the vortex ramp? Mine didn't even have bulbs, so I didn't realize it even lit up. I'm excited to see that; it's kind of a pain to access, though. I'm going for blue and red lights, wasn't sure if red would be too dim to light up the whole ramp though. Was thinking of just using warm white and letting the plastic glow from inside? Or going nuts and using a slow fade multi-color...though in an ideal world, it would glow solid and switch to slow change multi only when the ball is on the shooter lane switch But I don't know how to do that...

plastic is too thick, it wont glow through. you can use a colored light to have some color if you want from the holes. and since there isn't art there you wont be making the playfield look crappy.

So you think the white bulbs are the best bet? I was leaning toward that option.
Interesting idea about simply adding bulbs - lighting mods are new territory for me, but it's really appealing to be able to dress up the game in a way that's simple and cheap! Makes tinkering around with ideas a lot more appealing.

(I just posted this to Pinside in general, then thought maybe I should post it here as well)

This questions pertains to Pinbot but must be applicable to other games as well.
When the ball touches the right inland switch, it is supposed to activate the kick out hole shot at the upper left side of the play field. I know that the switch is making good contact as any time I roll the ball over it, there is a sound which goes along with that. What *should* happen every time, but now is only happening some of the time, is the activation of that kick out. I've adjusted the switch to bring the leaves closer together and also cleaned the contacts. Again, the switch is making contact but the other part of what is supposed to be triggered is mysteriously not always going through somehow. I just had Coin-Op Cauldron service the CPU board. Ideas?

Do any of you guys have a list of the correct fuses for Pinbot? I've gone thru the manual, the info printed on the circuit boards, the stickers in the backbox, and the fuses themselves, and I have a few discrepancies/questions.

1. Power board F3 - Manual says 8A 32V and sticker in backbox just says 8A, nothing mentioned about slow-blow; this is definitely a fast-blow fuse, right?

2. Power board F4 - Manual says 2.5A 250V. Sticker in backbox says 2.5A slow-blow. I'm assuming an SB is correct, that's what's in there now, but would prefer to make certain.

3. Power board F5/F6 - Manual says 7A 250V slow-blow on one page, just 7A on another. Sticker in backbox just says 7A. Machine currently has SB's which I believe are original. Which is correct?

4. Flipper power board F2 - Manual says 5A SB. Label says 5ASB 50V. Current fuse is 5A 250V SB. I'm thinking the "50V" is just a typo as I can't find reference to a 50V 1.25" fuse anywhere, so the 250V must be correct?

5. There's a bank of 4 fuses mounted to the backbox below the power supply board. I see no mention of them in the manual, and can't fit my fuse puller behind to pull them out. Just wondering what these are for and what the rating is, so I can order a few extras just in case.