Pinbot
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Just thought I'd mention here that I am working on a mold for the main Pinbot ramp. Will be available in clear, transparent blue or transparent turquois...or red is someone wanted that. I have started a list for anyone interested.
I also plan on making the lift ramp as well.
Quoted from Sinistarrett:Does anyone know if the giant plastic in the back left can use a Jackbot plastic in its place?
They look slightly different but pretty close.
That's part of the ramp. The Jackbot and Pinbot ramps are basically the same ramp. The Jackbot does not have the cut-outs for the flashers and the Jackbot has two tabs on the upper edge (inside of turn) to support brackets.
Quoted from Sinistarrett:Hey Mark this is the plastic Im talking about, it sits under the ramp.
Got it!...My bad.
Quoted from jibmums:I'm cleaning up my blue ramp and it's discolored in spots to a greenish-blue, likely from exposure to sunlight because it's on the same right-hand side of everything. Polishing isn't removing it so I'm guessing that nothing's going to bring it back to the proper blue, unless there's something one of you other Pinbot owners knows that I don't.........?
Yeah...New ones coming!
Might be a common problem. I happen to have a Pinbot on loan to me right now so I can make the ramps. Just took a look at that post and on this machine it does not have a rubber on it. Solves the problem, but the post in unprotected. I think I will fix that before I return it!
Quoted from Pinballerchef:Freeplay40 will be producing transparent PINBOT ramps at some point....this looks like the perfect candidate for an upgrade!!
Pinbot is next. I've already reproduced the complete lift ramp, and working on the molds for the main ramp and the visor. May do the helmet as well.
Quoted from mrWol64:Freeplay40 Very interested in the main ramp and visor,.. are you doing coloured or clear for the main ramp?
The main ramp will be a transparent color. Blue for sure and someone else thought maybe red would look good. Visor can be smoked or another color.
Quoted from CollinT:freeplay40 I would be interested in some of these parts!
Does anyone make the stickers to go on top?
I alerted Planetary Pinball that I would be making the pieces and asked if they would supply the decals. Believe I got something along the lines of "We'll see" as a response. I have a Pinbot in the house but I also purchased a Pinbot main ramp to use for making that mold. I successfully removed the existing decals pretty easily and they can be reattached to a new ramp. I wish I was more artistically endowed as I think a redesign of the stickers could be very cool given the piece will be made with transparent plastic. Could leave areas in the decal open to allow the light to show through.
Quoted from Pinballerchef:freeplay40 is it possible to do a smoked visor plastic with glitter in it to give it a shimmering effect ?? I seen an old PINBOT restore thread on here where someone did this.
Don't think I'll try that.
Quoted from jdoz2:Looking for a pinbot visor if anyone has one. Mine is cracked/melted
I think freeplay40 has talked about remaking these so you should sell me your old one to help pay for your new one
Casting the mold today...
Quoted from MustangPaul:I'd like one of those for my Jackbot. Is it the same?
Not sure... oops...posted before I saw post above.
I should have the molds for the main ramp and the visor finished today and hope to start forming by tomorrow. Photos should be coming soon!
Ramp update... I'm having a local sheet metal company make me a larger stainless steel vat so that I can dye the larger ramps. I've been wanting to try a multi-color ramp for some time so while I'm waiting for the new vat I decided to try it with Pinbot just for fun. Pinbot has a blue side and a red side theme to the playfield so I took a new ramp and dyed the left side blue and the right side red. I will likely offer this theme to the owner of the machine I have on loan (that I've had waaayyy too long!) if he wants it. Not sure if there would be any demand for it.
The blue on the left side demonstrates the color I will be using for the blue ramp.
IMG_1391 (resized).JPGIMG_1392 (resized).JPGIMG_1393 (resized).JPGQuoted from MustangPaul:You should post the ramp in the Jackbot club.
Will do.
Quoted from someotherguy:You are going to do all-blue ramps though? Regardless of the subtle red/blue split in the game's color scheme, I'm not too excited about deviating that much from the original ramp. I do think the translucent blue though would look good instead of the solid original. I wonder if anyone is making good reproduction ramp and visor decals? I see Bay Area is out of stock on them currently...
Richard
Yes I intend to make all blue ones as soon as I get a vat large enough to do it. I reached out to Rick at Planetary about the decals and have not heard back yet.
Pinbot/Jack Bot ramp update. I had quite a setback with the first batch of blue/red ramps with a couple spots that did not accept the dye. It has taken me a week just to resolve the problem and am now finishing up the dye process on the first dozen of these made. Typically when I discover flaws I discard all the bad ones. With the amount of work that goes into these I plan on offering the "seconds" at a discounted price. I will post photos of the flaws. There are a couple spots right at the entrance where the blue did not take, but are partially hidden from view and another spot on the outer wall of the red towards the exit. The red flaw is parallel with line of sight when playing the game so not terribly noticeable. So much work went into making these, just seems a shame to toss them.
Getting quite a few inquiries on the blue/red "seconds" so I thought I would post a couple photos. They are pretty much all the same. I think I have 12-14 of them. These are still close to the original forming.....not cut out at all. I've circled the problem areas on both. The blue will be partially hidden once in a game. The red problem is towards the exit on the outer sidewall so looking straight on you probably won't see it. I will be selling the new perfect ones for $130. As far as price on the seconds....thinking $90-$95. I can make these up in either Pinbot or Jack Bot and yes I will still offer free riveting of the 2 switch plates on the Pinbots.
IMG_1398 (resized).JPGIMG_1399 (resized).JPGQuoted from mrWol64:Are the switch plates that need to be riveted on available to purchase on any of the usual pinball siites?,.. given I am in Australia, taking mine off would mean I’d be without my Pinbot for ages,..
I've looked a couple times and I cannot find them anywhere. There are ways to manually rivet without special tools. I think Todd Tuckey even posted a video of first using a center punch to flare the rivet then a flat punch to spread it. The trick is to have something very solid to support the head. I often use a 3/8" bolt with the bottom ground a little concave and then placed in my vice. I could include some rivets for you.
If by chance you can find them here in the US, you could have them shipped to me to put on a ramp.
Quoted from Tomass:I am gonna do a resto on this, along with my Comet and my Cyclone this winter (ak has very long winters). Will it hurt if I let it sit for a few months? Can it get worse with batteries removed? If so I will do the board work now and then leave it till I start.
Personally I would remove the batteries and the battery holders and scrub the board down with a vinegar/water (50/50) solution to minimize any further damage. I usually finish up with an alcohol rinse then blow dry with compressed air.
Quoted from Tomass:Should I replace all the components where the white appears on the back of this board? Some look good from the top.
[quoted image][quoted image]
I would just clean that area up with water/vinegar.
Quoted from MustangPaul:Wouldn't the guy repairing it want it uncleaned to better see what needs repairing?
My point was just to stop further corrosion until it can be repaired.
Quoted from Robotworkshop:Problem is you can't easily clean under the IC and see what damage is there. The PIA chips aren't that expensive and if you want to ensure you deal with all the battery damage it is easier to cut off those chips, clean, put in sockets and new chips. I'd rather sacrifice an easy to source chip than damage the board. If you couldn't get the chips I'd understand but I'd rather ensure I get it done the first time. I've found lots of crud under chips I've taken off before.
Totally agree.
I'd go a little further and heat and remove all the chip legs and suck out the solder....OK...really I'd probably keep going and get the new sockets in!
Pinbot Ramp Update....Yes, I'm still working!... Damn elves spent too much time on the beach. So, as I mentioned earlier, since so much work having went into the first run of the two color main ramps (seconds), I did not want to just toss them but offer them at a discounted price of $95. I have about a dozen of those as well as a couple all blue "seconds" completely finished. If that is all you are interested in, you can contact me now to purchase. If you get one of the seconds and decide you do not want it because of the flaws, you can return it for credit (less my initial shipping cost) against the new ones. Also note that if you wish, I will rivet your two switch plates to the new main ramp for free if you send them to me.
I have about a dozen of the new Blue/Red (not seconds!) that I just need to machine finish...that will probably take about one day. So basically those are now available as well for $130. I will produce more of these and all blues on demand after this initial run until I get everyone covered.
The lift ramps are already done and available.
The Visor...I of course used a thicker plastic for these, but realized there is a very tight clearance on the inside of the visor as it sits over the plastic below it. My first run did not have enough clearance, so I modified my mold and just successful produced a perfect prototype. I will begin forming the new ones today and immediately begin dying them.
At the moment, I have not made any of the main ramps for Jack*Bot. If any are interested, contact me. I will make those on demand.
Quoted from Pinballerchef:What are thinking about dying the visors at this point? Sticking with the smoke color or adding variants?
Planning on a similar smoked look but it will be different. As soon as I get one dyed I'll post a comparison. Not sure any other color would look good.
Quoted from darcangeloel:Does anyone have the rainbow visor decal? I just joined the club and I am shopping it out. (Awesome game, it impresses me how awesome a two ball multi ball can be when the game play is awesome). I am looking for one and it seems like pinball center has them but they don't seem to ship to the US? There are work around for that but I was hoping maybe one of the owners would have one or know where I could get one. Thanks!
Here's a link to Planetary Pinball that has the decal in stock for Jackbot...Looks the same as Pinbot's.
http://www.planetarypinball.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PPS-31-2327-7
Quoted from Aniraf:Does freeplay40 sell the completed ramp like that? If so, sign me up!
Yup...$65 plus $10 for shipping. Send me a pm if you want one.
Quoted from Aniraf:Does anyone know why my advance x ramp would be “pulsing” when I start the game? It can clearly lock in the upright position when I run the coil test, it just does this little jumping thing I can’t explain.
On my first attempt to reproduce this ramp, I used spring steel where it bridges to the ramp that was too thick (.008"). The result of this was that the ramp would not fall to the lowered position under it's own weight and as you are experiencing, it pulsed up an down because it would not fall completely down. When I redid the ramp with .005" spring Steel, the ramp easily fell under its own weight. So question for you is....In the down position, is the ramp all the way down to the playfield?
Well, you could pull it out of the machine and heat it very patiently and just give it a slight upward bend.
Quoted from GRUMPY:Heat gun, just keep it moving.
It takes time for the heat to fully penetrate the plastic, so as GRUMPY says, keep it moving then pull it away so the heat you just put on it can "sink" in....then just keep repeating. You want to slowly bring the plastic up to the temp where you can bend it. Once you get it where you want it, keep it there until the plastic cools....or you can use a wet cloth to cool it.
Quoted from henrydwh:Great minds think alike!
Had a nice chuckle when I saw both posts.
Quoted from Aniraf:According to the physics of pool (which is the closest thing I can find) I would actually want the plunger to come downward toward the right bottom. I don’t know that I have that much play in my shooter even with shims and other craziness.
Just a funny....
A few years ago at the NW Pinball show, I was showing Steve Richie the new ramp for High Speed. I was just closing up the game and told him I was adjusting the plunger trajectory.....He replied, "you know how we fixed that issue on games in production?....2x4 and a hammer". 
One other thing....In the shooter housing, there is a plastic sleeve just like you find in the coils. Does the rod move smoothly without noticeable wobble?
Quoted from orangegsx:Is anyone making these decals? I have a new set for the spiral ramp but am looking the visor decal, upper helmet, and blue ramp decals. Everyone seems to be sold out.
[quoted image]
You can get the visor decal at Planetary...Just look under Jackbot...Same decal.
Quoted from wombat:Unfortunately, there are differences.
Noted...There is a difference in blue shade and a slight difference in the red shade but otherwise perfect fit.
Who needs an advertising effort when I have you guys! When I made that blue visor for @volkdrive, I went ahead and made two of them. Since you posted the photos, the second one is already sold.
Thanks!
Quoted from topkat:When reinstalling the visor is there a trick to get it to sit down properly When I hooked mine up and power up it doesn’t rest in the down position.
I once was talking to Steve Richie about the new ramp in my High Speed. I said I was having a little issue with my shooter rod alignment. He commented, "Do you know how we dealt with that at production?"..."A 2 by 4 and a hammer!"
Probably not the cure you are looking for. I would loosen up the bracket where it attaches to the playfield so it can move a little until you find the sweet spot.
Quoted from FLASHBALL:I havent seen them anywhere. Might be better off finding a good scan and making them yourself. I'm going to need some whenever I get around to replacing my ramp as well.
I was able to remove the originals pretty easily with Goo-Gone.
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:I recently purchased a new Visor for my PinBot. Plastic part only. The old visor plastic is attached to the metal hinge piece via rivets. I don't have the equipment for placing these types of rivets and was instead going to simply use small nuts/washer/bolts with blue loctite. Does anyone happen to know what size holes these are? I need to purchase a drill bit set for drilling out the old rivets on the original metal hinge piece and purchase the hardware listed above.
Any advice on this? Suggestions on type (cobalt/titanium) of drill bit for drilling out the metal rivets and attaching new visor? Any way to remove old rivets without drilling? Any unforeseen problems I will run into?
Thanks!
The importance of rivets in many locations on pinball machines is where the ball will travel over them.....rivets impede ball movement much less than a screw head. While not original, screws and nuts will work fine on the visor. The diameter of the rivet is 1/8". I remove a lot of rivets. There are two methods I use.... Drilling (from the bottom) with a 1/8" drill bit until the rolled over portion of the rivet comes off, or my preference for removing them is to use a Dremel cut-off disk and grind the rolled over portion of the rivet until flush with the metal plate. Note that either drilling or grind creates a lot of heat which can melt plastic...so it you were removing rivets from a plastic piece you want to save, take your time to avoid heat build up.
Semi-tubular rivets not only "roll over" on the bottom, but the rivet shaft can also expand a little making them very tight in the metal bracket. With something like a visor, you can take a piece of wood and drill a 1/4" hole it in and then after grinding or drilling the bottom of the rivet, center the rivet head over the 1/4" hole in the wood and use a punch to tap the rivet out.
Quoted from jjga:That looks great. Where did you get the blue translucent loop-ramp? My stock one has seen better days and might need to get swapped someday.
I make those for both Pinbot and Jackbot
Pinbot Jackbot blue red (resized).JPGQuoted from Billc479:Yikes - all I can think of is they riveted the base to the ramp after installing the screws in the base, then built the switch stack.
Are the screws tack welded to the plate? Otherwise, I don’t see any way to tighten the nuts on the switch stack.
The switch stack screws are basically welded to the switch plate. What makes the stacks difficult sometimes to remove is an excess of thread lock applied to the screws when initially assembled. I have taken apart hundreds of them. If they are difficult, you start with removing the top metal plate and the slowly pry them off.... I generally use a razor knife to pry them off. If there is really excessive thread lock, you can chip it off the threads with a razor knife.
Quoted from waletboy:What colors do you do on the Pinbot ramp and cost?
I originally planned to do the main ramp is just a transparent blue, but made up a custom transparent blue/red for the friend that loaned me his machine. Posted it here on Pinside and that's what everyone wanted. I make the ramp for both Pinbot and Jackbot. Cost for the two color ramp is $130. For Pinbot, you would need to transfer the two switch brackets under the ramp to the new ramp. Domestic shipping is $16-$17.
Pinbot Jackbot blue red (resized).JPGQuoted from ROMM:I also have Freeplay40's ramp. Just installed it after doing a major overhaul of my machine. It looks great. Not sure if I will install the ramp decals, digging the translucency lol[quoted image][quoted image]
That's just the way I left my friends's machine....no decals. Also swapped out the orange flasher domes for red and blue. I did cut some PVS pipe into short lengths and painted them black to go over the flasher sockets.
Quoted from sethbenjamin:The magnet switches by M&M Creations are a much more elegant solution than those factory switch stacks, especially if you use one of Freeplay 40’s translucent ramps.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/mampm-creations-mrs-catalog
I could even make a ramp for Pinbot without the roll-over switch cutouts if the magnetic switches were going to be used.
Quoted from Vin-bot:Anyone here that can help me? I tried looking in other system 11 machine manuals, but could not find a part number there. I also can’t find any pics on pinside showing the backend on the underside of the playfield..
Can’t seem to find anything for this straightforward basic part.
Page 49 of the Pinbot manual...
Quoted from Vin-bot:Thanks Freeplay40 , I found that one and I ordered it. But when I want to put it in, I noticed that the thread is way to short. It does not go all the way trough the playfield.
Or maybe it is correct, but it needs a T-nut. i have not seen any documentation showing that there is a t-nut there under the playfield.
T-Nut seems appropriate.
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Bothell, WA