There's a club, and no one told me?? Just picked mine up last weekend, here's the post.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/picked-up-a-gorgeous-unrestored-pinbot-yesterday
(Topic ID: 70838)
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Pinbot
Williams, 1986
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2 months later
Quoted from sethbenjamin: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.
Red is the strongest spring there is, and not correct for Pinbot. You want a blue spring.
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.
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
4 weeks later
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.
Power supply F1/F2 were the only ones I was already sure about. It's the ones I listed that were iffy.
Thanks Wayout, much appreciated.
Oddly, in making the same list for my Earthshaker fuses, the 8A 32V is spec'd in the manual for slo-blo, I wondered why they changed the specs.
Quoted from wayout440:Also, if not present you should add a fuse holder at the input side of the backbox cabinet mounted bridges on early system 11 games with an 8A fuse installed to prevent the possibility of damage or fire if a bridge fails.
I'm guessing you've made this addition to your machines, would you have a good photo so I can see exactly what & where it should be? IIRC there are two bridges, does each get a fuse?
3 months later
Quoted from sethbenjamin:I *wish* my PinBot had had mylar!
Same here. My unrestored cabinet is in amazing shape, translite and speaker grille just about perfect, under the playfield it looks brand new. But the only mylar installed was in front of the slingshots and around the pops, so there's a little wear on the grid and the eject holes. If they'd put the full sheet on when the game was new, the playfield would still look new.
Quoted from wayout440:Meh. It all comes down to cleanliness and ball condition.
Indeed it does, and on this particular Pinbot, the mylar would have prevented the only real wear on the machine. It's still a nice pf, I'm torn between installing the CPR repop I picked up recently or doing a touchup and clear when I eventually get around to disassembling it.
2 weeks later
I dig the red left side/blue right side look, but to me the LEDs tend to wash out the playfield/plastic colors a bit too much. Has anyone here with a red/blue Pinbot tried colored #44's instead of LEDs? I'm thinking that might be the trick to add the red/blue lights without overpowering the rest of the colors on the game.
1 week later
7 months later
Quoted from Leeb18509:I'd like a new ramp flap. Anyone know if those are available? It looks like the Jackbot one is the same part number but not very many search results for them.
Buy a sheet of blue spring steel from PBR and make your own. You'd just need to measure the original with a caliper to make sure you order the correct thickness.
1 week later
4 months later
Here's a closeup from the Pinbot flyer, showing that nylon spacer above the tapered rubber. I would think that Williams clearly intended for it to be used, and was just discarded or lost at some point when machines were shopped. Earthshaker (and others, I'm sure) uses the same tapered rubber, and also uses the spacer. I've seen similar nylon parts at my local Ace Hardware, wouldn't be surprised if they were exactly the right size.
pin_bot-1986-f-3_(resized).jpg
Another thread on the same topic:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinbot-what-part-is-missing-on-my-game
Quoted from pinheadpierre:I love this! It confirms a suspicion I have had for awhile that machines tend to "evolve" (or devolve) slowly over time due to operator error or unavailable parts. Without original photographs or diagrams from the time of production showing every little part in a machine, those little errors and omissions get copied and perpetuated until most people have forgotten how it was originally meant to be put together.
It's like a pinball version of the game of "telephone".
2 weeks later
Quoted from sethbenjamin:....which reset Solar Value after each game, rather than having it accumulate from one game to the next
There's no dipswitch setting in the factory roms that accomplishes this?
3 months later
1 month later
Quoted from Leeb18509:I hosed this mini-PF royally but it started out brand new and might be an improvement on somebody's PB. PM me if anyone wants it for the cost of shipping.
Yikers! Please tell us how you managed that level of destruction, so those if us with replacement mini-pf's can avoid it.
1 month later
Quoted from SteveNZ:Also, the post rubber in front of the 5 bank of round targets, is conical, is that the correct rubber? and the plastic spacer does it go on top of the rubber or on the bottom?
Yes, correct tapered yellow rubber and yes, plastic spacer goes above it. The rubber part number at Marco is #38-6579, looks like you could use a new one.
1 month later
Quoted from Plumonium:Funny, I asked a well known restorer an he said there were none factory and I should not install one.
HUO, all-original, and no bracket. As long as you're going to bolt down the head anyway, why add holes to the cabinet?
4 weeks later
Quoted from WhiskeyTango:I have the high quality scan
I bet we could all use parts of that scan, any chance of making it available @ Dropbox or somewhere?
1 month later
Check out this weirdness, apparently "Top Pin" was a Bell Games conversion kit to turn your Bally into a fugazi-Pinbot. This one's on Ebay right now. Cool but weird!
3 months later
My original is one piece, my CPR set is two. Here's what I'm thinking: Williams made 12,000 of these things, and in the first batch(es) of plastics that part was a single piece. It was found to be easily breakable right where the plastic is narrowest, and somewhere along the line Williams revised it to be two separate pieces.
That, or CPR redesigned it as two separate pieces to avoid the breakage problem.
1 month later
Quoted from vec-tor:Also, the game came with two 2" spacers that were attached to the back leg feet
that raised the game to a steeper slope than regular games at that time.
Never heard of this before, got a pic of an original leg/foot setup? Or part number(s)?
Quoted from vec-tor:The closest thing to the original set up is page 90 from the book PINBALL-
- the lure of the silver ball -- Gary Flower & Bill Kurtz. The game they show
- is Gottlieb Arena that has a 1" spacer on the back legs. Pinbot was double
- that size. They have a picture of Pinbot on page 94 without the back spacer.
- I have one that I saved many years ago but do not know where it is at.
- A lot of operators did not know what to do with the two spacers and most
- likely threw them away. But Pinbot factory playfield setting was a steep pitch.
Haven't got that book. Is it something that screws into the leg, and then the leg leveler screws into it from underneath? Or is it like the platform under a platform shoe, in that the leg leveler rests atop it?
Quoted from Darscot:Yes I get it but I was picturing before seeing the picture is something that would actually extend the bolts an additional 2 inches. This would not make it a crazy steep I think mine is around that angle. I was imagining back legs 2 inches taller than that.
Same here, I thought these were going to jack up the rear of the game for a steeper playfield angle. If not, what is the point of them?
Quoted from lyonsden:Game is being borrowed for a while at a friends house (lyonsden "get people addicted to pinball by letting them borrow one" program).
The first hit's free!
3 weeks later
Quoted from Rat:I said it was whatever balls the operator at the time wanted, but does anyone know what it was set as from the factory?
The instruction cards in the photos in the flyer show it set to 3-ball, not that that makes it official or anything. Pinbot was made in 1986 and 3-ball was pretty standard even around 1980.
2 months later
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:I think it has potential...Mylar, keep or not to keep?
Keep the mylar. Lose the yellow flipper bats.
1 month later
A question, while helmet decals are the current topic: my decal fits the helmet fine on the left side, but hangs over the front on the right side by a good 1/8". Is this normal? Whoever originally designed these at Williams should have measured a second time.
Quoted from chaskett:I do have the red spring, but still noticed a hairline crack forming.
I'm pretty sure Pinbot is supposed to use the blue spring, part #10-148-3. IIRC the red spring is the strongest one, maybe that's how your ramp got broken.
1 week later
Quoted from wizard_mode:Woah! At least there is one eye hole! LMAO!!!
Yarrrr! Pirate Pinbot!
Quoted from Aniraf:Is the leg spacing on this game more narrow than others (Gorgar, #tom, #cv for comparison)? I can’t tell if the cabinet I have is the cause of the legs being so narrow, or this is by design.
I've noticed this too on my Pinbot and Earthshaker. I think it's those Sys11 legs with the short rib, for some reason the bend angle is not as great as earlier no-rib legs.
I'm setting up my Pinbot after several years in storage, finally have the room for it in a new house with a basement. I noticed over the weekend that my MPU is running REV 2 roms, and I think the newest version Williams had installed was REV 5, right? I haven't played a game yet, still some work to do on the playfield first, but so far I notice a couple of things:
1. When it displays the rules in attract mode, the word DURING is substituted for SCORE twice. The text should state RAISE RAMP TO LITE SCORE ENERGY and instead says RAISE RAMP TO LITE DURING ENERGY. Also instead of the correct GO UP RAMP TO COLLECT SOLAR SCORE OF XXX,XXX (whatever the score is at the time), it says GO UP RAMP TO COLLECT SOLAR DURING OF XXX,XXX. Very strange.
2. When adding a credit, only the rearmost two flashers on the playfield and the center four in the topper light up. In the Visual Pinball version, which I use as a comparison and uses the REV 5 roms, all flashers on the playfield light but the topper is not shown so I don't know what happens up there. I don't know if they're all supposed to light but possibly I have a faulty resistor, would someone with REV 2 roms be able to confirm this.
Can anyone tell me or is there a database somewhere that shows what changes were made to later versions? I don't mind the text errors but if I'm going to be missing out on improved gameplay or a fun lightshow, I'll switch to REV 5.
In what order are the left clear ramp, blue ramp, and left rear corner plastic under the blue ramp removed? I can't remove the blue ramp without first taking off the clear ramp because of the metal flap, can't get to one of the clear ramp's bracket screws without removing the corner plastic, and can't remove the corner plastic with the blue ramp still over it. Fiendish.
Edit: Aha, now I see, you just have to finagle the blue ramp around the metal flaps a bit.
I was super careful, first thing I did was disconnect the wires under the playfield. There really is a ton of stuff packed back in there.
2 weeks later
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.........?
Quoted from Plumonium:As far as I know, retro-bright is to make things white again. Because it's dipped in Peroxide and shined with UV. I would not try on the blue ramp.
The ramp is otherwise in perfect condition, even the original decals are still perfect, so it's not getting dipped in anything. I'll live with the green.
I've been stripping the top of the playfield all week and noticed a couple odd things. One, several of the blue & red plastic posts were tightened down so much that the screw heads actually crushed down the tops of the posts. Two, several posts, mostly on the right side of the pf, had a washer underneath the screw, for no apparent reason at all. This is a very original machine and I don't think the rubbers have ever been changed or the game shopped, so likely this was done at the factory. Anyone else notice either of these on a Pinbot they've shopped?
Would someone mind measuring the height of their ADV “X” ramp sticker for me? I have the width of 1-1/8" but my sticker has a cut or something like it at the bottom, so I can't tell if the correct height should be 25/32" or 7/8". I scanned & recreated the artwork this afternoon and want to have a few stickers reprinted.
Edit: I'm sure I'll have a few extras, and since I see I already have a couple of requests, please PM me with PINBOT STICKER in the subject line if you want one, so I can keep a running tally. Thanks.
1 week later
Let's discuss bagatelle playfield differences: the one circled on the left in the pic below has mini-post rubbers on the two red plastic posts in the circle. The vast majority of Pinbots I've seen are set up like this. The example on the right is taken from Williams Pinbot flyer, and shows a rubber ring of maybe 1" - 1.25" between the same two posts. Aside from the flyer, I've seen this setup on maybe 2-3 other games, and on mine. Pretty sure it's factory correct on mine because the ball wear pattern on the plastic playfield shows no wear between those two posts.
You owners that have the two separate mini-post rubbers on yours, were your games always like this or did you change from the larger ring over to the mini-post rubbers at some point? Obviously the larger ring makes it more difficult to drop the ball back into the shooter lane, I'm wondering which setup was more widely used at the factory. I'm trying to decide whether to keep mine as I bought it, or switch to the two mini-rubbers. I can't tell the size of the large ring either, it's has an "ABC" logo on it, and the number 240, which is obviously a part number but I can't find a chart anywhere that has listing of ABC rubber part numbers. Anyone know how to decipher those ABS numbers?
Quoted from Impzilla:https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=319
Those might be the clear plastic ones and the usual metal mini posts. ??
Yeah, I think those are the posts in the flyer too. They have a thicker, tapered body like these. Haven't seen any metal posts that look like that, and you can see the thinner girth of a real metal post in the upper right corner.
Quoted from Impzilla:When I received mine machine it had the larger rubber like the right pic. I would think with the smaller rubbers the odds of a shooter lane return is too high and you could just focus more on ramp - shooter lane - vortex shots for bigger score.
Be interesting to see how most are setup.
Did you keep the larger ring or convert to two mini-rubbers?
1 month later
I am shopping my Pinbot and need to put together an order of rubber rings. Can anyone tell me if the rubber chart in the manual is correct or are there any sizes that I should substitute or add? Thanks.
3 weeks later
3 months later
Quoted from Tomass:Well I made the 12 hr journey to pick up my $300 Pinbot project and join the club. The good:
Playfield looks great with mylar that looks to be factory.
Backglass looks excellent
Appears complete and I have not spotted any broken or missing plastics.
Original topper (not in pic to fit in my jeep).
The Bad:
Battery damage to the board as suspected.
No coin door as an op removed when it was purchased about 30 yrs ago.
Cracked piece on the spiral ramp.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
300 bucks is a nice score. It's a shame the op didn't leave the coindoor and remove the batteries.
1 week later
CPR created and sold actual Pinbot backglasses from the translite artwork about a year ago, adding mirrored highlights. I would think that if this was in the game though, it wouldn't have run only $300, since the backglass alone cost almost that much.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-pinbot-translite-to-backglass-product-cpr
1 month later
From the looks of that photo, I'd guess that your light panel is too far forward; I have this to a lesser degree on some of my Williamses. Try moving the two catch brackets on the inside right of the backbox further in 1/8" - 1/4" or so.
1 month later
4 weeks later
Quoted from ChrisPINk25:Caps are not normal height. Need to buy a slightly smaller pop bumper body for pinbot. I know this because I bought the wrong ones first.
Pinbot (and Jackbot, same type of mini-playfield) does use the standard Williams pop bumper body 03-7443-5. You must have bought one of the Data East / Capcom / Stern bodies that will fit a Williams pop bumper setup but are about 1/8" taller.
Quoted from Aniraf:Could someone help me figure out the installation order for the mini playfield? I’m struggling to figure out what type of post goes into the hole in the plastic to receive the ball deflector thing on the shooter lane, then also understand how the little notch in the playfield somehow goes into the post on the right hand side of the full playfield.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Hopefully these photos will be of some help.
100_8685 (resized).JPG100_8698 (resized).JPG100_8707 (resized).JPG100_8708 (resized).JPG
100_8686 (resized).JPG 1 week later
While that visor motor cam is on everyone's minds, what parts of it, if any, need to be lubricated? I was figuring on a tiny bit of teflon Super Lube between the stud and the sleeve that slides over it, since there's metal-to-metal contact, but not the sleeve and the plastic housing for the five standup targets, right?
Quoted from PantherCityPins:Quick question. I recently acquired a pretty dirty/neglected Pinbot and am in the process of trying to get it to playable condition.
I was cleaning around the vortex today and found that the space shuttle clear plastic is broken where it connects to the bottom metal support. Can I just epoxy this back together and move on or should I hunt for another?
Also, is removing the visor a matter of removing those retainer pins and lifting it off? I need to get to the face plastic to replace it and clean back there.
The retainer pins on either side hold the visor to the metal framework that lifts it. If you need to remove it entirely, you will also need to tilt the visor back and unscrew the hinge that attaches it to the playfield, but I don't think that's necessary just to replace the face plastic.
AFA the shuttle plastic, glue is your best option for now as you're likely not going to find one of these for sale.
Quoted from jmountjoy111:Can someone help me out and post a picture of the 89 flasher socket set up and wiring in the topper?
I have the topper but someone removed all the sockets and wiring from it. I have tons of sockets so I should be able to recreate it if one of you fine gents would do me a favor and snap me a picture. I’d greatly appreciate it.
I have these in my folder of teardown photos, hope they help.
100_5841 (resized).JPG100_7994 (resized).JPG100_7995 (resized).JPG100_7996 (resized).JPGQuoted from jmountjoy111:This set up was really cute don’t you think. Lol
[quoted image]
Sure, if you want Pinbot to "guide your sleigh tonight".
Quoted from PantherCityPins:Ok so the ball gate on my machine has a wireform gate and then there is a strip of metal that provides the spring to the wire gate. I can't seem to adjust the tension on this spring because it is riveted into the gate itself. Any ideas here? The ball is still getting significantly hung up going through that gate. This is the gate I am talking about:[quoted image]
Have you tried one of those slotted tools used for bending leaf switch blades in a tight spot? Something like this:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/77-SWK
3 weeks later
Quoted from RichWolfson:OK. Are those factory? It seems that the left and right are the same but flipped. Is there a part number for these or do we simply have to make them if when we take apart the Visor mechanism and find they are broken?
///Rich
The "support bracket" is part #01-8494. Three bucks each at Marco:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=01-8494
The rectangle of plastic right behind it, "target carrier retainer", #03-8028 is also at Marco:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/03-8028
Check the Jackbot manual for part numbers if you can't find them in the Pinbot manual, sometimes parts are the same.
1 month later
What size rubber are you guys using here? This is actually a question for a Jackbot, whose manual specifies a 1" rubber, the posts are the same as Pinbot and a 1" is way too tight. The Pinbot manual has a rubber list but there's no "map" to where they're used, the only comparable sizes mentioned are 1¼" and 1½", so it's got to be one of those. The one on my Pinbot is an "ABC" brand, which doesn't show a size on it, plus it's all stretched out and dried up.
Quoted from Robotworkshop:Does anyone have an extra set of the plastic retaining clips that hold the coin mechs in place for the Pinbot wico coin door? I'd also like to find a good pair of the original style plastic mechs. I'd like to finish my machine off someday.
There are several plastic brackets for Wico coin doors at Marco if you do a search for "coin door".
Quoted from FelixTCat:Time to flip it for 5x what I paid !!!!! lol It is machine # 549 though so early build at least
All Pinbots are game #549. What's the full # on the serial sticker?
There's also a similar sticker inside the cabinet on the right side, and in the head each board should have a smaller sticker with the same serial number. Sometimes boards have been replaced and you'll find a different serial numbered sticker, sometimes even from a different games (like a Space Shuttle power supply board in a Sorcerer).
Quoted from someotherguy:Beats me, but possibly. Mine has serial # 12575 which is a higher number than claimed production of 12001 so either the production # is erroneous, or the serial # isn't sequential from zero.
Serial #'s don't seem to be sequential from zero, but I can't quite figure out where they started to number their games from either. The lowest Pinbot serial numbers are 01XXX, so theoretically I'd guess they started with 54901001. But then if you look at games like Grand Lizard, the lowest serials are 35XXX, or Road Kings which are 45XXX, or High Speeds which are 75XXX. I would have guessed that the serials ran sequentially from game to game, but that just doesn't seem to be the case.
FWIW my Pinbot s/n is 05525 and it shows no evidence of ever having had a head latch. I'd love to know the story behind those Wico coindoors though (mine has one), it's such an anomaly as Pinbot seems to be the only Williams pin to get them.
1 week later
Today I pulled out the visor motor assembly to clean it up, and the bushing on the cam was stuck fast to the stud with dried gunk. A little warming with a hair dryer and I was able to remove it, and now that it and the stud are cleaned up it turns freely again. Is this part supposed to be lubed at all? If so I'll add a touch of Super Lube, but my guess is it's supposed to remain dry.
bushing (resized).jpgQuoted from lecter:I've recently used just a little bit of lubricant because it didn't turn freely. Anyway you should know that on my device there's a sticker like this:[quoted image]
I've never seen that sticker before. Since it mentions destroying the plastic of the target assembly, I bet it refers to the sides of the switch carrier & plastic retainers that it slides up & down on.
2 weeks later
That's it, although new eject hole shields will have slightly larger mounting holes than the originals, likely for #8 screws versus the original's #6 screws. Probably won't matter once all four are tightened down.
4 months later
Quoted from pacman11:What am I missing to lock these coin mechs in?[quoted image][quoted image]
Here you go.
100_7891 (resized).JPG
100_7911 (resized).JPGProbably going to be tough to find, as it's a Wico door and not the more common Coinco door that Williams used. Here's a link to what I believe is the correct part at Marco, though it's out of stock.
3 months later
I never noticed before that the backbox corner was chipped on the "Big" machine. Does yours have the same chipped corner?
Quoted from emubird:ha! good eye![quoted image]
Your chip looks a little different, the movie one looks almost twice as tall. Compare each to the thickness of the plywood at the top of the backbox, yours looks about the same 3/4", while the movie machine's looks to be about 1 1/4" - 1 3/8" tall.
1 month later
Quoted from Blackbeard:Anyone see the recent pinbot listed? Absurd pricing.
Look at coin door and bonus multiplier decals.
Some people are crazzzzy....
"I believe their is no Pinbot more beautiful than this one."
Guess he doesn't get around much.
1 month later
Quoted from Bospins:where did you get that decal for the top of the chest target? I really like that.
Those were made by Pinsider pinball_customs several years ago.
6 months later
Quoted from Bublehead:.....and one moving violation. (Ten bucks to whoever gets that movie reference)
You're in the wrong thread for that reference. That belongs in the "Sternnnnn!!!" thread.
Quoted from alexmogil:Does anyone have a line on the rectangular yellow and clear(ish) blue targets?
I looked all over for the clear blue target face for my Jackbot, with no luck. Used a solid blue one from Marco, and I like it a lot better as it matches the round blue standup target nearby. I always wondered what was the point of the single clear target when all the others are opaque.
targets (resized).jpgQuoted from alexmogil:Yeah, I am good with getting an opaque blue but that yellow one seems unobtainable?
Action Pinball has it, but you'd have to buy the whole switch. Sometimes 20 bucks isn't that much if it's the last part you need.
2 months later
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!
Be very careful about drilling rivets out of plastic, if they spin they will heat up and melt the surrounding plastic. Not a big deal if you're going to toss the plastic part they were in anyway, but let's say you were riveting into a new visor, didn't clamp down the rivet right, and wanted to try again. Drilling it out could potentially ruin the plastic. I've found a safer method is a Dremel tool with a grinding bit, and then carefully grind off the end that has the washer or metal under it.
1 week later
Quoted from Briks-707:Finally added a system 11 to the collection (thanks to pinsider dancosta!).....and not just any system 11 but one of my favorite machines from the 80’s Pinbot. I might swap out the legs to blue when I do the LED upgrade. What do you guys think, yay or nay on the yellow legs?
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Emphatic nay. Go with original chrome legs, they match the lockdown bar and siderails.
2 months later
Quoted from alyssa:- pick up some new pinballs. Seller removed them for transport with a strong magnet, and the magnetization of the balls is affecting gameplay. Any suggestions for pinball brands are gladly welcomed!
Ball Baron balls are fantastic.
Quoted from alyssa:- front legs are not original. All 4 legs have been spraypainted in Rustoleum stone grey speckled texture. Definitely want to track down original front 2 legs, or at least refinish all legs with a chrome silver finish.
Just pick up a set of brand new System 11 legs next time you order from Pinball Life. 55/set or 52 each for 2 or 3 sets.
https://www.pinballlife.com/williams-system-11-chrome-legs-set-of-4.html
1 week later
Quoted from alyssa:Soo frustrated today trying to get a project pinbot.. TLDR: "free" listing turned into "offer me more than $3500!"
A lady near me listed two machines free: just pick up! There was no description,no info on if they work, and no photos other than the side cabinets (other machine is Fire!). They are both dusty and neglected..and being used as storage (things stacked on top!) in a basement or garage.
I wrote to her immediately last night and she said they were available! Of course she went quiet as I'm waiting for her address, then she says someone is picking it up and an hour later they're marked as sold. Ugh..
Fast forward to this morning and they're relisted again! She stopped replying to me, but when my Dad inquired to figure out what the deal is she told him "someone's car broke down" and that the other person is offering to pay.
We said we'd be willing to pay, and she tells us she has "3 offers of $3500+". She's gotta be kidding right? 1750 each with no info on either? I'm so frustrated, oh well.
Offer 2500/each if you can pick right away. Then ghost her.
3 weeks later
Quoted from bigjimm64:Does anyone else’s Pinbot male this annoying sound after the power has breen on for about 15 minutes? I assume it’s probably a capacitor needing replacement.
Have you tightened all the screws on your boards? I was getting the most unbelievably hideously loud electronic buzz/whine from my High Speed when I brought it home. I thought for sure that I'd have to send a board or two out for repair. Figured the first thing I'd try was also the simplest, just tighten all the screws in the backbox, and that quieted it down to the same faint buzz in my other Sys 11's. Was I ever thrilled and relieved.
1 month later
Quoted from Bublehead:The roll pins are supposed to stay flush, you tap them up from the back when adjusting the at rest position on the flippers. Once you have the at rest position locked in, you tap them back down. Thats how they are supposed to work.
I don't think you're supposed to move or tap them at all. From what I've read, you insert a thin dowel or toothpick into them from topside, and your flippers rest against them as you tighten from beneath. See how in Vin-bot's photo a toothpick would rest right against the edge of the rubber. That's how I've always done it and it's always worked perfectly.
2 months later
Quoted from WhiskeyTango:Can someone post a pic of the switches on the underside of the playfield for the Vortex ramp? I'm trying to figure out why the arms keep popping off.
Thanks.
Hopefully these might help.
100_8751 (resized).JPG100_8752 (resized).JPG100_8753 (resized).JPG100_8754 (resized).JPG100_8755 (resized).JPG 3 months later
Quoted from ROMM:So for black friday, I ordered a bunch of parts and bulbs for my Pinbot. I LED'd the machine with cool white, which I think looks really good on this machine. I did not color bomb the backglass, as personally, I really don't care for that look. Also did a few star post lights. In an earlier post, I had asked if anyone had tried to backlight the cool plastic pieces of the astronauts in the small pods at on the sides of the playfield towards the front. Well I attempted to do it and I think it looks really good. The couple of the pics make the lighting look a little bit brighter than it really is btw.
My 3 old helping dad LED the machine[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
That does look pretty damn cool.
3 months later
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:Anyone know if a wiring diagram is available that shows the wire colors and setup for the topper? I found a few photos but the resolution isn't the best. Looks like a few wires are daisychained but can't see for sure. The output Molex connector on my machine is present but the harness and bulb sockets are gone, have to make myself.
Hopefully these will help.
100_5841 (resized).JPG100_5842 (resized).JPG100_5843 (resized).JPG 7 months later
Quoted from dr_spidey:My thought on flippers. Look at the back glass. Pinbots “fingers” are the flippers. White with red bands on both sides. That’s how I did mine.
[quoted image]
Yes, this. Plus, white flippers with red rubber match exactly the fingers printed on the playfield directly under those flippers. Consistency!
2 weeks later
The plastic and flaps were looking a little time-worn on my lift ramp, so last week I made a new one from 1/8" lexan and blue spring steel, and polished & reused the original bracketry. I had made a similar one for Jackbot a few years ago so was able to avoid a few of the mistakes from that one (like, don't rivet the bracket underneath until you've blown all the dust off of the lexan).
Also scanned in and recreated the ADV "X" decal to be as close a copy as possible to the original faded one. Same font, same size, printed on clear vinyl, it's a nearly exact match. I have several extra decals available for sale, PM me if you're interested.
1 week later
Quoted from Blackbeard:Hey guys, i'm at work wondering about the GI on pinbot.
Prior owner has the all red all blue on the sides, and i loathe it.
I want to redo it, but wondering if i have to pull the plastics on top, OR, hopefully, the sockets/bulbs can be changed from below by just unscrewing the sockets and changing.
Anyone know?
My playfield just happens to be up, so I thought I'd take a look. Appears that most/all of the GI sockets are the kind that staple to the underside of the pf, so yeah, you're shit outta luck, gonna have to pull the plastics.
Quoted from waletboy:Excellent! Thank you for making these!
[quoted image]
You're welcome. Looks great! Is that a Jackpot plastic I see next to your lift ramp?
Quoted from MydknyteStyrm:Just realized that it’s broken. The wire doesn’t extend enough through the hole. How would I replace it? I wouldn’t even know what part number it is lol. Thanks!
The part of the wire that sticks up thru the hole should be exactly 5/8" long, from the bend to the end.
Quoted from Cariba:Looks like I will need to remove/separate the back box of my PIN*BOT to get it down the stairs to my basement.
I know this is not the best course of action. Other than taking lots of good pics of wire harnesses, connecting points etc...and proper labeling, is there anything else I need to do or watch out for?
Thanks in advance,
Slowly and carefully. Take extra care not to bang the topper into anything. And don't forget to unbolt the hinges from the head before trying to lift it off. It's really not a difficult job as long as you're careful. And while you have the head off, you can touch up any paint or fill in missing wood on the neck.
1 month later
While we're on the subject of flashers..... the ONLY places #1251 flasher bulbs are used are in the two eyeballs in the backbox and two under the visor, correct? Eveything else is #89? Reason I ask, the flasher socket under the orange dome on the left side of my playfield is labeled from the factory with one of those white-with-red-printing "LAMP 28V. #1251" stickers. I'm certain it's incorrect, just want to corroborate.
Quoted from Cariba:Not quite...yes the two eyes on the back box...but also, in total, 6 bulbs are 1251 (28v) under the visor; not just 2...4 are accessed from top, 2 are under playfiled and light up the saucer plates.
Let me know if you want further details.
Thanks, I see what you mean. I didn't know they were all #1251's, they're not labeled on mine, so aside from the backbox:
2 directly behind the saucer plates, passing through the playfield,
2 between the saucer plates, passing through the playfield,
and 2 mounted under the playfield, lighting the saucer plates from underneath.
That all correct? And I assume the mislabeled one under the left orange dome should should be a #89.
1 week later
Quoted from Gornkleschnitzer:Bit more progress on my somewhat low-priority Pinbot resurrection. The motorized bank was binding up on worn-out switches. As long as I had to take the mech apart to refurbish the moving parts, I figured why not do a tiny little bit of work on the target bank itself, too.
[quoted image]
So, after some new target faces, a bit of tumbling, and a lot of cleaning... I think it looks a tiny bit better (although I still gotta add back the cable clamp).
[quoted image]
I see you added an opaque blue target face. I did the same to my Jackbot, I think it looks so much better, and it matches the round blue target face now. Never understood why Williams went with the single transparent target face.
Quoted from Vandy89:Just started working on my Pinbot restoration and I’m at a loss as to where this goes(or does it even belong in a Pinbot)? I usually take a million pics during tear down, but can’t find any that show this part.
[quoted image][quoted image]
That's the large plastic that hangs over the blue ramp and visor. It's supposed to be covered with a decal, like this.
visor (resized).jpg
Quoted from Brunsie:Small put on the LED discussion. Comet makes a neat icy-blue LED that I use occasionally. On PinBot I used it in the Neptune insert to add little variety to the planet colors.
I use those in the chest grid on Jackbot and (when I have it back together) Pinbot. Regular blue is just too dark next to the other four colors in the chest grid, ice blue brightens those inserts and looks so much better.
1 month later
Quoted from floyd1977:I ordered the wireform referenced and it is curved. It looks straight in the pics linked above.
[quoted image]
It's quite possible that Marco just sent you the wrong wireform. Call and ask them to check the rest of the pieces in their stock, and be prepared to email a photo of the incorrect part when they ask for it (the photo of the correct part in the above post wouldn't hurt either). I've gotten one wrong item in each of my last few Marco orders, but customer service always takes care of it.
Hey wait a sec -- I thought that photo looked familiar -- that's my Jackbot!
2 weeks later
I just noticed that the black/yellow and gray/yellow wires circled in my photo are clipped. This is a very original and otherwise unmolested game, so I'm wondering if it was like this from the factory. Would any other owners mind checking their games and seeing if they have the clipped wires, or if they're not clipped, where they lead to? Thanks!
wires (resized).jpgQuoted from kciaccio:To optos that never happened.
Excellent! I love things that I don't have to fix.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Cariba:Can anyone post a few pics/angles of the switches under the back ramp, particularly the first one (enter ramp switch) ..want to compare mine (and diode wiring etc) to another one. Thanks.
100_8676 (resized).JPG100_8677 (resized).JPG 2 months later
Quoted from TronGuy:Also I have a loosely applied sticker on top of the drop down. Is there a replacement out there?
Those were made by pinball_customs back in 2014. PM him, maybe he's still got a few.
Quoted from Vin-bot:Thanks Freeplay40 .. I will put a t-nut on it then.
Make sure you add a washer between the post and the top of the playfield, or those sharp edges are going to chew up your artwork when you tighten it.
FWIW, I think the manual may be in error regarding the part # for that post. There were a few of those used on the clear mini-playfield, but this is the post I've seen on many other Pinbots, mine included:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/02-3905
Note the integral washer, and it screws into the playfield rather than into a t-nut. My own playfield shows no evidence of ever having had a t-nut or any kind of locknut underneath in that spot.
Quoted from Vin-bot:Yeah I agree with you on that..
putting a washer between the post and playfield will b the way to go.
I also got one of those wood screw posts, but I recon the option with the t-nut will be a more sturdy option. Do you agree? What do u think?
The hole for that post is in an unfortunate spot where your only choices are either using a machine-threaded post with a t-nut, or the original wood screw post. No luck using a longer threaded post with a locknut and washer underneath because the right flipper base blocks it. Personally, I always tend towards originality except when necessary, and will use the original wood screw post when I reassemble my playfield in a couple weeks, but since you have the other machine-thread post already, might as well use it. It will definitely be more sturdy.
1 week later
Quoted from maestro:Probably been asked before... What do you guys use to replace the chrome strips on the topper?
You can find chrome adhesive mylar at Amazon.
Quoted from TronGuy:Whats correct? I bought a new shooter rod.
yeah and now I know that there are varying spring levels of spring.
It barely makes it to 100,000 hole at launch. Once I level the machine it may make it easier.
Blue spring is correct for Pinbot.
3 weeks later
Installed an LED/OCD in my Pinbot tonight, and WOW what a difference. All the rich colors of LED's and the smooth on/off transition of incandescent bulbs. Watching the chest, planets, and bonus X lamps in attract mode is so pleasant now, none of that LED harshness. Highly recommended.
Quoted from Toine79:Where did you find this?
I got mine a few years ago but they're available now from Comet Pinball.
https://www.cometpinball.com/collections/led-ocd-boards
Quoted from ROMM:Wish I would have known about the OCD board before I put all non-ghosting leds in the inserts. I only learned about the board last year.
This is from Comet’s website: “If you purchase one of these boards, we recommend using bulbs that are not advertised as non-ghosting. The non-ghosting bulbs will thwart some of the advantages of the OCD board, so stick with the standard bulbs.”
I use the plain old cheapie 1-LED bulbs that I got from them years ago, when Art still owned Comet, and they work great with LED/OCD. Just started getting into the 2-SMD bulbs recently for a little more brightness behind translites like Pinbot's, but I prefer the 1-LED's under inserts. Not a fan of super-intense brightness on the playfield.
Question for owners who have previously disassembled/reassembled their games: when I took my Pinbot apart, the uppermost rear plastic, the one that covers the blue ramp, had either two or three short black plastic spacers sandwiched between this plastic and the blue ramp. There are three screws that hold this plastic down though, and I can't for the life of me remember if each screw had a spacer (which means I'm missing one) or if only two of them did, and then which two it would be. Can anyone help?
Finally finished my playfield reassembly this week! This was a super-nice HUO game I bought in 2014, stored for a couple years due to no room in an apartment, took it apart in 2018 when we bought a house, and thus it sat until this year. Playfield is the un-mylared original, I touched up the black keylines and dropped a protector over it. Reused as many original parts as possible, had to replace the slingshot plastics and a couple others due to sun fade. Now I just need to figure out a fix for the speaker hum. One interesting side note, the coinbox was specifically labelled with a WICO sticker for use with the WICO coindoor. Here's a few glamor shots:
100_4814 (resized).JPG100_4815 (resized).JPG100_4822 (resized).JPG100_4832 (resized).JPG100_4813 (resized).JPG100_4812 (resized).JPG
The clear protector I used was a two-parter, one part for the full playfield and another for the area between the rising standup bank and the eyeholes. I wasn't crazy about the eyehole piece as it just "floated" up there, and would likely bounce around every time a ball hit it. I carefully measured and cut my own from Lexan, and it's locked down with the red and blue star posts and the middle metal post. Very happy with the results, here's the one I didn't use up top, and mine on the bottom. And in the machine in the second pic.
100_4786 (resized).JPGQuoted from MoSeS_1592:You're post intrigued me and I ended up ordering one. What a difference. What seemed like strobing lamp seizures now appears how the programmers intended it to with the excellent dimming and 'twinkling' effects that nearly every pf lamp uses in attract mode. Well worth it. This is the first I've actually seen a true pinbot attract mode since every machine I've ever seen has been led. Only observation is the pf lamps overall seem just a tiny bit dimmer (with default settings) compared to unmodded but that could be my imagination.
Right?!! The "twinkling" of the planets and the "sweeping" in the chest grid are just hypnotizing. I have another LED/OCD on the shelf for WPC games that I'm contemplating dropping into my Jackbot (instead of STTNG) for the same reason.
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