Hi everyone, i'm Steve from Las Vegas, and I am announcing my membership to your club!

My new (to me) Pinbot arrived on Dec 29th 2015 and brings my pin collection to 4, which means my living room has reached capacity!
Some of you may have read about my delivery problems with NAVL in another thread, But I purchased a HUO game from an elderly couple outside of St. Louis. Aside from needing a serious full shop, and hopefully i'm able to buff and polish the OEM mylar, the machine and cabinet are in fantastic condition! Well, except for one thing.... one dreaded plastic piece. <sigh> Anybody wanna welcome a new brother with a HUGE hookup gesture??

plastic_(resized).jpg

Cool, I appreciate that, the tips on both sides of mine are broken off, but I have a protection kit to add so hopefully I wont ever break it ever again! I would also love to get a hi-res scan of the complete piece, I would make my own since CPR doesn't want our money. Those guys at CPR do amazing work, but they have the dumbest "now-or-never" aftermarket business model EVER!

Is there a tutorial around here on that? I need to do that also...

Sweet! I found one too!

Hey folks, a little help please?
Since my game came with no manuals, and the schematics PDF from iPBD is barely readable, can I get someone to post a pic or description of the backbox connector locations for the coin door service buttons and lockout button/switch? None of them seem to be working and I cannot go into adjustment mode.

Thanks in advance!
Steve

Hey gang, anyone got an unbroken one of these for sale? I also need a working player-4 numeric display.

pinbot2_(resized).jpg

Thanks for lookin bud, I appreciate it.

No worries bro, at least you tried, and that always counts for something! I'll find one somewhere, even if I have to get bent over for one online, like I did for "big blue".... My ass will be sore for a long time over that one! lol

Have you guys had someone stand on the side of the machine to look at where the ball seems to be deflected or obstructed?
The problem is not likely the shooter, unless the sleeve is wasted or missing, or you're using the completely wrong (too weak) spring. If the ball even makes it to the energy flasher insert, you'll want to be looking at 2 things... the ball gate and the long rubber opposite of the pop bumpers. Try removing the ball gate and see how that goes, if it helps, try putting a thick washer under each mounting point to raise it up a tad, or replace it. make sure you're using a 3.5" rubber opposite the pop bumpers (and yes, it is stretched to the absolute limit), if that rubber is too long, it will extend too far left and interfere with the ball passing by it to the vortex... There is no margin for error there.

I agree on the last point, and with all due respect to P.A., its a shit design... But I have zero issues with mine, my ball hits the vortex perfectly everytime, 100%. I don't suggest you roll permanently with the washers, its a test to see if your gate needs to be replaced. Those integrated spring type gates do fail eventually, and lets not forget, our machines turn 30 this year!

SW-10A-48. You'll need to reuse your capacitor.

Go man go! Looks fantastic! I am jealous as hell!

WOO HOO!!! my recently fully restored Pinbot will actually get NEW plastics!! I had long since accepted that would never happen!! Thanks for the tip!!! And you were right, I just talked to Larry and bought a set, he has 2 sets left. Hurry!

Good advice, I put a new full protector kit with my old plastics when I did the restore. It was a hard pill to swallow putting the old plastics back in the game, but good ol "Leeb" helped me out with a couple used that were at least better than what I had. I got jacked $90 for a used but complete "big blue", but it did come with a minty complete backbox light panel. I do have a new mask in the game, and im too embarassed to admit what I paid for that! I did some post mods on it that also make it virtually impossible to break "big blue" again.

Hey gang, I posted a bunch of parts for sale if anyone needs, whatever doesnt sell here will go to ebay in a week. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-bunch-of-used-pinbot-parts#post-3072230

Umm... If I understand your question correctly... Nothing! The helmet plastic sits right on top of the ramp and the bolts go thru both pieces into the standoffs

You may want to post a pic on this one, i'm not sure I understand.

Ah, now I see why I didn't understand... That spacer is not an original part of the game, somebody made that. The tapered rubber just stays at the top. I've noticed that most people just replace it with a standard sleeve. The tapered is there to protect the plastic and direct rebounds differently as part of the dynamics of the game.
Personally, I don't like the tapered rubber sitting with the gap under it, so I push the tapered nearly to the top and cut a piece from a standard sleeve (about the height of that spacer) and put it under it.

Yes, this is correct, that screw with the post rubber on it actually raises the helmet so that the ball can move along the ramp... if you don't have that, the ball will jam between the ramp and helmet and cannot pass through. And obviously the screw can be adjusted for proper clearance. A seriously "mickey mouse" modification by Williams to resolve an issue, but factory none-the-less.

Hey gang, I just looked at the CPR site to check on a preorder status, and they have full plastic sets for Pinbot IN STOCK again!

There are no diodes on the service switches. There are on the coin switches, and they are the same as every common diode used on every switch, light and coil in every other pin... 400x.

I understand the idea behind the diode used in that explanation, but it's not required, needed, nor did it come that way from the factory. Its more of a fix caused by another problem that is more complicated to fix. The 4004 diode is the most commonly used, but any 400x will work. Marco sells the switch assembly, you should start there. http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/5641-09369-00

Yes, a very common mod, go to titanpinball.com and look at the kits section, if they dont have a kit, order singles as desired!

Good luck, but I think you may find that MPU board hard to sell at that price, its very high. You can get a brand new Rottendog for $40 more (plus $25 shipping), which gets you rock solid current technology and NVRAM just for starters. Versus a 30-year-old used board with a ton of obsolete technologies and IC's that are no longer even made? Unless all the numbers match game-wide, there's no real advantage to using ancient OEM boards as replacements. If someone actually does pay that price and finds even ONE board repair on it when they get it, they're gonna be MEGA pissed!! Most used Sys11 MPU's sell around here for about $200... Which is the most I would ever pay for one.

My bad, your post didn't actually say this was an 11 or 11A board... I just assumed it was an 11A since you posted it in here.

Sounds more like a welfare ball, or a section 8 ball!
And please spare Pinside the political BS, this is one of the only websites left on the net where I don't have to read "head up your ass" political opinions from clueless morons who actually believe themselves to be brilliant experts on how government works.

Ok, something weird happened... I think some moderator must have edited my post?? My original post had a sentence at the end where I said that my comment was not directed at you, my statement was about everywhere ELSE where I deal with those kind of people! You actually didn't even say anything offensive or really even political, I just don't want any of my club forums to evolve into any of that... Pinside is my "escape" from election season!

There are no such thing as colored "regular old" rings, those regular old polyester rings only come in white and black. And you're looking at something all wrong, there's no way in hell a set of Titans for your machine will cost nowhere near even HALF of $280!! I did my whole machine using my own custom setup (including the red/blue) and I think I spent like $60-$70, and I always order 1 or 2 extra of every size!!
Make a list of what you need, fill your cart on Titan and see what you end up with, forget their "kits" section.

FYI, I just went to Titan and dumped the first Pinbot kit I saw into my cart, the total was $56.62... I dunno what the hell you were lookin at!

Glad you figured it out! Would have been funny to see what was delivered to you if you HAD paid the $283.56!!

What he ^ said... Stay consistent with the artwork.

They're just standard domes that are riveted to the plastics, you can change them to any color you want. New plastics don't come with the domes, just big holes for you to rivet (or nut/bolt) them in. All my domes are < Blue or Red >.

IMG_3404.JPG

I don't believe the game is actually supplying 28v to those 1251 bulbs, my understanding is that Williams used a higher voltage bulb to reduce the brightness. When I got my machine, it had 89 incandescent's in it and they worked fine. most operators had no idea those bulbs were 1251's, they look exactly the same. I'm using Comet Red & Blue 89 8-SMD LED flashers in all those spots and they work just fine too, no modifications, nothing is burning, and they look badass alternating red-blue when the visor opens!!

I'm not having that problem with mine...

New ones are not available, you have to camp on ebay till a used one appears.

An incandescent 89 bulb wont last forever, but the Comet LED's seem to handle the voltage range very well, I havn't lost one yet. They do only flash quickly and not constantly, nor are they ever lit constantly on. Until one burns out or a problem arises, i'm sticking with them!

I believe I used 2 orange and 1 red to match the graphics under them.

Not an easy pic to take bro, and as much as I wanna help a brotha out, i'm not ready to tear down my PF to get a better shot.

IMG_3496 (resized).JPG

I hate to dispute stuff like this, so i'll just say this... I highly suggest that you do not use this method, based on simple electronic theory alone, these resistors (if they dont explode immediately) will run so hot, you'd be able to light a cigarette with it. I would like to know how you came up with the specs for using those resistors, specifically with 89 LED's.

The F-14 manual explains how to modify the lighting?!!? Even for LED's that weren't invented yet?? Could you scan and post that?

C'mon dude, Ive been a factory certified Williams pinball tech since 1990, please don't talk to me like i'm a moron... Obviously what I meant was "super bright" LED technology that allows for an LED replacement for an incandescent 89 bulb... Not invented yet in 1987!

So I looked at the manual, that is NOT a modification for 1251 bulbs, that is a schematic for the pre-heater board circuit installed in the machine for the ACTUAL 89 bulbs! Your interpretation of that schematic as being one resistor soldered across a bulb socket is just scary!
All assuming of course that THIS is what you're referring too...

Image1 (resized).jpg

Ok, rather than continue this pointless pissing contest, I got up this morning and tried an experiment to resolve this issue once and for all.
I addressed all three circuits using 1251 bulbs:
Backbox insert eyes (2 bulbs)
Left visor and eject base (3 bulbs)
Right visor and eject base (3 bulbs)
My experiment was simple, since were dealing with 28-32v, simply rewire the bulbs in series, and see what results I get... My only concern was that the LED's were not made in a way that would complete the circuit internally (like 120v standard household LED bulbs), but surprisingly they are!!
I am using Comet 8-SMD flasher bulbs, rated at 9-13.8v in red (right) and blue (left) and natural white for the backbox eyes.
http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/8smdg18tower.htm

The backbox insert was a no-brainer since there are only 2 bulbs... Wired in series, I ended up with 13.2v at each bulb, problem solved!

With the visor bulbs, I was concerned that by dividing the voltage by 3, each LED wouldn't be very bright, but I was pleasantly surprised that with a voltage of 10.4v at each bulb, they were still quite bright, problem solved!
I considered another option with regard to the visor bulbs, which was to eliminate the eject plate bulbs under the PF (you really can see them anyway) and just wire the 2 topside flashers in series, but I decided not to go that way just now, the flashers are totally bright enough, even at 10.4v.

As a final test, I started a game and pushed the color targets to open the visor, then left the ball in the shooter lane with the red/blue flashers flashing back and forth for 30 minutes. I also set the backbox eyes flashing on/off in test mode for 30 mins. Then I played 4 full games continuously (4 player game, 5-balls per game, plus several extra balls. At least another 40 mins).
Result... To the touch, I was barely able to feel any warmth on all 8 bulbs.

Downside: If one bulb is removed or fails in one of the 3 circuits, the other bulb(s) in that circuit will not work.

WARNING: if you do NOT know what I am talking about when I say things like "rewire in series", please do not attempt to rewire your game until you acquire a complete understanding of this theory!! Below are pics of the backbox insert wiring before (top) and after (bottom). Feel free to replicate what you see, and replace your "eye" bulbs with 89 LED's and see for yourself. I cannot attest to any results for using incandescent 89 bulbs, as they draw far more amperage than LED's. But in theory, they should work just fine.

Original.JPG
Series.JPG

Well said!

Wow! That really is gorgeous! I'd buy this in a heartbeat if my translite wasn't in mint condition!

Or you can go to page 24 in this thread and read my info on how to easily rewire the sockets so you can use 89 bulbs or LED's, instead of 1251's. The ability to use red & blue 89 LED flashers under the visor really makes the game pop!!

They will work for a while, but they will run crazy bright and hot, and then blow eventually... And the possibility of fire exists when electronics overheat, and LED's are electronics. Rewire the 3 sockets on each side in series, problem solved.

Yup.

Umm, that flap is supposed to be like that! there is a recess in the PF that the plastic under it sits into and makes the flap sit flat on the PF! You may have just ruined your flap dude... If you cant get it perfectly flat again, when you install it, you'll have a nice speed bump that'll screw your skillshot.

Install the ramp with the screws in place and everything, and post a closeup pic or 2 of the flap and how its positioned, we can go from there.

http://mirror2.ipdb.org/files/1796/Williams_1986_Pin_bot_Manual.pdf