Quoted from lilltlc:if you guys have any more questions or want to see more
Yes!! 
(Topic ID: 70838)
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Pinbot
Williams, 1986
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Whew! 31 pages of this great thread takes a while to get through. I'm now in the club (woot!). I got a bot with good bones and it should clean up nicely. after cleaning up the cab (cigarette tar) I separated the translight from the glass. Then carefully cleaned the front with Novus 2 & a micro fiber towel. Then the back got Windex with a tooth brush. Nice vivid colors 
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1 month later
You could also fab a replacement with some basic material. That plastic is one that has a short life unfortunately.
1 week later
Quoted from billsfanmd:My visor insert area is pretty worn. Anyone apply this overlay from Bay Area ?
http://bayareaamusements.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=GS-PB888LM
That's nice looking
3 weeks later
Quoted from Mq90910:Question about the solar ramp! Does anyone know what pieces attach to the end of the lift crank on the playfield, it seems to be a bolt and 2 nuts, found a picture on this thread. Placing an order on Marco for parts, any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Yes!, I just purchased one for my rebuild. The original was warn quite a bit.
Pro tip- "shop by game name" on Marco's site gets more results than just entering "Pinbot" on the search bar.
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Have fun
Jeremy-Central WI
1 month later
Quoted from Darscot:Its the same circuit as the two other lamps that you have LEDs in, mine has 1251'a in all 4 under the visor and 2 in the back box.
Darscot is correct. My machine is the same (all 4 are the 1251).
1 month later
Quoted from Plumonium:That plastic came with CPR plastic set. What is it for?
It goes on the mini playfield, near the bottom.
2 months later
-Polish the Mylar.
-Here's one spot for the decal https://mezelmods.com/products/pin-bot-bank-target-decal
- search this thread for repair procedure. Put a weaker spring on the shooter rod to prevent future damage.
Looks like it will be a nice machine, keep us posted.
2 weeks later
2 weeks later
Quoted from wizard_mode:Balls keep getting trapped under the ramp. Should the ball search lift the ramp to release balls that get trapped under it???
I wonder if your ramp isn't going down when it should be. Perhaps it has a binding release catch?
Quoted from Plumonium:On mine, the ramp only goes down after the ball hits a switch anywhere else on the playfield (guaranteeing the ball is out). Not as soon a energy value expires.
Mine too. I wonder if 
wizard_mode has a sticking pf switch? or perhaps it is a software version issue?
4 months later
Quoted from mrWol64:Spot on,.. just what I was referring to
Nice pop bumper caps,.. are they Britecaps ? Also I see you have rubber that makes the drop to the plunger lane a bit harder.
Thank you 
Yep, bright caps with a white opaque top. Now that TNA is in production they aren't listed on Pinball Life's site (at least they weren't the last time I checked.
Rubber, yep just like the flyer. I find it goes in the plunger lane enough for me.
1 month later
Quoted from Strummy:What do the other 2 do?
I believe they send a small amount of voltage to the lamp at all times so when the bulb gets the full voltage - the flash is nice and bright 
Quoted from RipleYYY:ok, i know, its quite easy...
What? set on 5 ball? Just kidding - nice score
Quoted from Rat:Does anyone use these on pinbot? red or clear? new caps or not? are they good?
https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3624
Yep, here's mine with the opaque white caps & red leds-
DSC03599 (resized).JPGQuoted from mrWol64:These need a #555, and your Pinbot will have #44 unless some special mod done. I have asked the Brite mods folks about the evo’s coz I have them in blue on my BoP and the flash react is quite cool. They said no plans for the evo’s for #44.. and pointed to their brite rings
I purchased mine from Pinball Life. I believe they were sold together.
Sorry I forgot to mention the socket issue. But if you have replaced a pop bumper skirt before than it's no big deal. Remove the pop bumper coil & bracket asm, unsolder the wires to the old socket, pull the old socket out. Then install the new socket (use the type with metal strips not flexible wires), solder the new connections and put everything back together.
1 (resized).JPG
Now one important thing to call out is if you replace your pop bumper body at this time (and it's a good time to do it) - the ones in Pinbot have the top shaved down a bit because of the mini playfield overhead. Just requires some modification.
3 weeks later
Quoted from pinballplusMN:Mn had one of the first test pinbots on location in 1986. The game had a womans voice that said "you got lucky" when the solar value ramp was hit.
In 1998 or so I ran into this same game and the operator made a copy of the extra sound chip for me to put in my game prior to selling in our store.It seems this phrase was on one chip on the sound board.
In production the chip was not used to save costs thus the quote was not in production games.
Simply adding the eeprom enabled the extra quote which was cool. If i ever run into the game again i will get a copy to post here.
Neat! I never knew that about Pinbot.
Quoted from Rat:I finally got round to installing my Britecaps today, happy with the result, the bulbs in the pops were very dim before. I have set these at about half maximum brightness and they are still perhaps a little too bright, but whatever I'm enjoying them They light underneath the bumper also which is great for this dark area of Pin-Bot.
I have them set so that the middle flashes when they are activated which is a subtle but cool feature.
I was ready to change out the lamp holders to #555s but it seems old mate I bought if off already did that so they were plug and play, cheers, welcome surprise.
They raise the caps a bit so I had to stick small washers under the upper playfield hold down screws.
My pics don't do them justice they look better in the flesh, motivated my gameplay, first ball I got what must be a record for me 9 Solar Value shots
Next up will be the Pinduino ramp chaser leds that a mate is helping me build from the kit. [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Nice work! 
2 weeks later
1 month later
Quoted from DLsmith:Looking for switch 40, Ramp Entrance. Manual says SW-1A-164, but what I can tell that is not available. Anyone know what the replacement number is?
Thanks.
Mine's a bit flakey as well. The switch only makes a sound and doesn't score any points. For a replacement switch find one with the same length blades and swap those blades into your old switch wafers. Leaf switches are just like a sandwich. The exact part number might refer to that side tab so you should be able to make something work.
1 month later
Quoted from mof:Ok, so I'm a late bloomer!
I only recently discovered that Pinbot is a great game...
-mof
in-da-club...
[quoted image]
Welcome to the club
Quoted from mof:And doing that "eye section restore took about $10 in oil-based pens, magic eraser, mylar, wax paper, naptha, 3m pad for the graining, and about 2 hours. It was really easy. Even removing the ramp and head bracket pins was easy peasy compared to a Taxi, Diner, or Whirlwind...
Oh, and I forgot to mention... GREAT game. (yeah I'm in the honeymoon, but the more I tighten this up and play it, the fewer flaws I'm noticing, and really rejoicing the speed, solidness, and the great programming.) I'm hitting solar value once per game now, so there's no score inflation (until I get the roms switched out)
-mof
Looks great! Personally I like the extra bounce from the original yellow rubber posts sleeves vs the newer style sleeves you have installed. But your setup looks better
Back on track - Pinbot is my desert island pin and daily driver. I'm always up for a quick game. Sometimes for fun I go just for the planets. It's so satisfying to sweep the drops (doesn't happen all that often). For something different - when you are playing focus on the music and sounds - it's amazing the variety that's there.
Jeremy
3 weeks later
Quoted from Aniraf:One more issue…is there a way to adjust which hole the actuator comes out of on a cherry switch? I need the new one from PinballLife to match the old non-working eye socket one.
[quoted image]
For the switch you will have to carefully drill the plastic pegs (two?) that hold the switch together. Then even more carefully separate the switch and move the lever to the other set of holes. Practice on the old one first.
1 (resized).jpegQuoted from CthulhuTilted:I had to take a look at where my shooter was striking the ball when I switched to the blue spring. It was off-center on the ball and I made some adjustments to the housing (putting a washer under one side) in order for it to be completely dead on. Once I did that, it shot almost perfectly.
This is 100% correct, the shooter tip has to hit the ball dead center to transfer the most energy. On mine I switched to a black shooter tip to find the sweet spot for power. As the black tip transfers more energy (higher durometer).
Also important on games like High Speed.
Quoted from JFink8222:Currently in the middle of a restore / playfield swap. Will post more pictures along the way. Have a NOS playfield that I’m swapping in to. If anyone has any hints about the playfield swap I’m all ears. It’ll be my first one!
[quoted image]
Lots of good threads about pf swaps out there. Take more photos than you think you need is one recurring comment I see.
Quoted from Marvin:the photos aren't detailed but if that is the only issues it not that bad. That's not saying its a good PF. Usually there is major wear over the grid lights and that look's pretty OK. Its hard to tell but the eye locks look pretty worn too. If it was me this would be about the bottom end of what I'd be willing to have restored. More than this amount of work and it would be unreasonable to do in my mind. If the whole PF is planked and going to be losing art then its bad. I good restorer could fix the bad areas on this field.
Great points to you both. On a Pinbot pf I look at the grid first. I only glanced at the area by the flippers and mistook it for reflection. As I focus on it now - yea.... that is some good wear there.
Quoted from topkat:If Someone could please post a photo of their power board but not zoomed in
I have an orange wire that is not connected anywhere.. it’s paired with a black wire
Thanks
Photo attached
15476436784761168617504 (resized).jpgQuoted from JFink8222:All I can do today. Next step is to remove the playfield from the cabinet. Question for everyone.... MYLAR around wear areas or not? The new playfield is triple clear coated and this is for HOU. Currently the previous owner installed Mylar protectors near the flippers and slingshots. Looks like factory Mylar still up at pop bumpers. Thoughts?
New playfield photo too
[quoted image][quoted image]
No mylar. Plays faster
Quoted from Twilight1:I’m in the club again what a great game don’t know why I ever sold my first one
Welcome back, Pinbot is my daily driver. I personally like the light show on the "energy transfer" (shot under the lift up ramp). Next best for me is a sweep of the three drops.
Quoted from cngizbleevng:I'm running into a problem where the skill shot at the start is messed up because the ball almost always hits something before or as it gets to the spiral ramp. It's all going too fast for me to see where it's hitting.
I suppose this is a somewhat common problem because I seem to remember that happening back in the '80s when I originally played Pinbot. What's the most likely culprit and is there a fix?
Make sure the plunger tip is hitting the ball squarely on center.
Quoted from topkat:Are there any issues putting leds through the pf? For example the ones behind the visor? [quoted image]
Those may be 24v bulbs. So choose wisely
Quoted from PantherCityPins:Simple question, the translite on my Pinbot seems to be adhered to the glass at the bottom. Was this glued from the factory or is it stuck there from years of gunk? Should I try to separate it or just clean it as best I can and move on?
I believe they used something like a butyl tape or perhaps hockey tape. If it is stuck just on the very bottom a razor blade should help separate it. Up to you how far you want to risk it. I pulled mine all apart and it was worth it because I could really clean the glass and translite fully.
Quoted from PantherCityPins:Turns out it wasn't a metal tube, it was a very old plastic sleeve that the ring had long broken off of. I pulled the metal shooter rod housing and was able to push out the tube. Also gave me a good chance to wire wheel the housing and clean it up as well.
Excellent!
Quoted from kciaccio:Here is a little break from the restore threads.....A music video where Pinbot is the star....
Thanks! Good video Also shared it on Pinball Mayhem's Facebook page and added it to our (Pinball Mayhem) YouTube "videos from other creators" playlist.
-Jeremy
Quoted from PantherCityPins:Question on the shooter lane gate. Mine seems to be slowing the ball down a lot when it goes through it. I am wondering if there are supposed to be washers underneath it to raise it up a little more or do I bend the wire gate somehow to lessen the tension??
Move the ball through it by hand. Is the wire not going high enough? (something else?)- take some photos from different angles and let us know where the issue is.
1 week later
Quoted from PantherCityPins:My Pinbot has finally gotten to the point of being somewhat playable after a serious cleaning and refurb after I bought it. I was testing it out tonight and noticed that my bank targets are registering too many hits or registering hits on incorrect colors. Any ideas on where to start with this? I have not taken the bank apart to clean it yet. Is that the next step or is this a software issue?
Well the switches do take quite a beating, a visual inspection is a good place to start.
Quoted from wayout440:As long as everything is working properly, Pinbot is a very fun game. On also has one of the best soundtracks and light shows for this era of Pinball. The rules are evenly spaced between too easy and too complicated....like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, these rules are just right. You can focus on individual tasks and shots such as locking balls and getting multiball or obtaining all the planets. In most cases this game is a long term keeper. It was difficult for me to let go, and if I could have kept them all this is one that I would still have. I say go for it, everyone should own a Pinbot if even for just a little while.
Agreed! For me Pinbot is my "desert island" pin. They made a ton of them.
Quoted from lecter:Excuse me, I need to ask you somethning I've never heard the sentence like this, is it a slang? What is the meaning: negative or positive?
"They made a ton of them" - a lot of machines was made because they were excellent, and Williams could sell a lot of machines?
"desert island" - the place where you can be alone and rest, far away form family and you boss?
I think it's used in a good way but I want to be sure
Yep, all positive.
Yes they made a lot of them because they sold many - indicating a few things - they earned well, people played them quite a bit when on location, and operators saw the earning potential and ordered accordingly.
"desert island" - if you were stranded on a desert island (with power of course) - what one pinball machine would you most want to have with you? For me it's Pinbot
3 weeks later
Quoted from doublerunner:Hi. I came into a pinbot by accident.. I was looking to buy a NO Fear and a Cyclone. Upon arriving at the sellers house, he had 5 pinball machines and he could not get the Cyclone to work properly. The pinbot caught my eye and we made a deal. That was 2 months ago and I absolutely love this machine. We play this all the time and very rarely use the No Fear game
I do have a question and I apologize if this has been covered before. At startup it displays that I need to adjust the left and right outlanes, #12 and 15. What happens is, when the extra ball is lit up in these outlanes, it does not register if the ball goes out there. I have had the cabinet open and looked at the areas and everything appears complete and normal, but I can not get them to work properly
Any suggestions?
Welcome to the Pinbot club
1 week later
To properly fix this you have to pull out the switch and spoon assembly from underneath and carefully clean the contacts - nothing abrasive. Clean the spoon and plastic peg/pin. When reassembling make sure the spoon is centered on the peg. Then adjust the contact gap as close as you can without them touching. This will give the best pop action.
2 weeks later
1 week later
Quoted from RichWolfson:Also, sounds like it's time for that Special Solenoid Saver board.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/special-solenoid-saver-board-for-wms-3-7
20 minute install and great for peace of mind!
///Rich
That's only for system 3-7. Pinbot is a system 11
Quoted from ChrisPINk25:Works fine on system 11, label is just incorrect. I printed a small grid with correct labeling and mounted in close to the board.
Excellent!
1 week later
1 week later
Quoted from lecter:I can't understand why this sound occured. It started afer I changed a few bulbs to leds. But I don't know what leds have to do with this sound... Do you have any ideas? When I play this sound is all the time played and annoys me.
Is that the sound the ball makes when it leaves the shooter lane?
1 week later
Quoted from Strummy:Does anyone know what the part number is for the 3 eject hole shield plastics? I found this but want to make sure. Pinbot is not listed. Thanks
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/03-9101-9
That will work, I went with 2 purple under the visor https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/03-9101-18
And red for the other one
3 months later
Quoted from locksmith:After 25 years of collecting a Pinbot made its way to me.Bought 3 games,T2,judge Dredd and what I thought was a lonely Pinbot.Wow,after replacing the power supply and some general fixes,I realized the beauty of this game.Ruleset is sweet ,giving you several ways to play the field.T2 is now gone and hopefully the nice Judge Dredd is next.Keeping the dark horse pin that is in really nice condition.Mylared plafield,and a near perfect Cabinet that was clear coated way back in the days.This game is impressive in its all around playability.So,can I join this Club and enjoy Pinbot.One hella of a pin.
Good write up and welcome to the club.
1 week later
1 month later
Quoted from Blackbeard:Guys: i purchased big daddy's power supply cap kit to rebuild power supply.
I have the caps, but no info on what cap goes where. The manual is a bit difficult to figure out which caps go where.
Is there a listing of what cap (ex. C10) goes with what size capacitor?
I look at what was on the original board and go from there.
3 weeks later
3 weeks later
Wow, since it is back lit I don't think the effect would be all that pronounced. I would need to see it in a game.
1 month later
Quoted from wolffcub:A shout out to Matts Basement Arcade for the new tournament rom chips. Much more enjoyable playing my Pinbot now.
https://mattsbasementarcade.com/
I don't see that listed on their site. What advantages does it offer?
Quoted from spblat:Out with the cool bright GI, in with the warm retros from Comet[quoted image][quoted image]
A noticeable improvement, thanks for the pics.
I picked up some of these retros on the black Friday sale - haven't gotten to them yet.
1 week later
Quoted from cshelden:Is this a DPO hack aka I only have wood screws so I’ll use them instead of machine? Or is it what Williams used with metal standoff posts in Pin*Bot? May have to stick with it.[quoted image]
HACK 
Quoted from cshelden:Cleaning up and trying to make a Pin Bit right. There are posts her they don’t belong. That part I know. What I don’t know is what does the proper post look like? The one with a ? Is it supposed to be there?
Plan is to fill that crater. Drill and back w T nut and washers.
Can anyone post up what posts are needed. No pun intended.[quoted image]
At the top of this page is "topic image gallery" It shows all the pics in this thread. Here's a link from post 91 by BadBrad97 https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinbot-fans-and-owners-club/page/2#post-1530688 and the pic is below
1 (resized).JPG 1 month later
1 month later
3 months later
1 month later
Do you have access to a commercial mold remover? Use that first then I would sand and repaint after the mold is gone.
Quoted from Toine79:Thanks.
Where can I find the black speaker tissu?
Mine is broken?
Does it matter when I spray paint the grounding wire in the backbox or does it lose it efficiency?
Thanks
Black speaker cloth can be sourced from audio suppliers. In the USA one would be Parts Express as they have materials to custom build speaker cabinets. Really you can use any kind of cloth but something specifically made for speakers should be better in the end.
For the ground wire - I would pull it out then sand the inside of the cabinet and paint. The length of the braid is short and it's only staples that hold it in. Of course the choice is yours.
Jeremy
3 months later
Quoted from imadork8:Hey Team, need a little help. Just picked up a Pinbot machine. This is my first pinball machine, and am super excited about it!
Played it about 6 times and the left ramp ended up getting stuck in the up position. Opened it up and gently put it back down. The machine was giving a swtch 40 (entry ramp error) to I tinkered with that switch a little and it has stopped giving the error, but the game still will not start. Seems to boot up just fine, but when you hit the start button it just adds another player until you get all 4 added and the game will not start.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Cheers!
Do you have both balls in the ball trough?
1 month later
Quoted from FLASHBALL:I added britecap EVOs to my Pinbot tonight. It was always so dark underneath there. I need to play with the brightness a little bit but much better than the single LED bulb before.[quoted image]
Looks good, I love my britecaps. I have white opaque caps on mine with red leds.
1 week later
Quoted from Croppie1Kenobi:Got kind of a strange problem. The right backbox flashers don't flash. They are on like they should be just don't flash during the "lightning and thunder" sound. checked the resistor board on the backbox door and seems ok. Maybe a relay problem. MPU is new from Vic Tan and is perfect. Thoughts?
They should only be lit when they are supposed to flash - IE flashing, but never on steady.
7 months later
Quoted from WhiskeyTango:Got some leftover parts from my playfield swap if anyone is interested. Here are some pics of the bigger stuff.
Interesting that the grid still looks good
3 (resized).JPG 5 months later
It's a sad day for us Pinbot owners - Barry passed away https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2022/02/22/barry-oursler-dies/
2 (resized).JPG 5 months later
Quoted from Tmendo:My friend's grandkids "burned out" both flippers by holding them open too long. Wondering what part that he probably needs to replace. Thanks.
The games when properly operating are designed to handle kids/drunken people/etc. Holding the flippers shouldn't cause any damage at all. Best to do a visual inspection of components first. But the repairs shouldn't be too bad depending on the condition of the components before the failure.
6 months later
Yes they should. You can also go into the light test to verify operation. Video linked below showing pinbot startup.
Pinball Mayhem Jeremy
5 months later
Quoted from Blackbeard:My upper left flasher is out.
I tried twisting off the transparent cover, but it doesn't spin.
Please tell me i don't have to remove a bunch of plastics to change this bulb...
We wont 
The left flashers don't sync with the other flashers. They are independent, I think tied with the drops and or the target under the ramp.
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