Finally got around to making a replica Nine Ball spinner. I still have to do some test fits in a game to see how well it works.

I had this Fun Land spinner in a box of parts that someone had already removed the wire from. Next I’ll have to try prying the wire out of a broken Stern spinner I have to see if I can make a few more.

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A guy hit me up the other day looking for a NB spinner. You can sell that if you get it perfected. It looks real good.

See those little depressions in the target face next to your wire axle? Those are how the wire is crimped in. A small, real small chisel might open them for you.

The company that was making apron decals was in Australia. They closed up shop about 3 months ago. There is another pinsider in Australia who knows Lee and the other guy. Maybe he will come on here and help you out; Maybe they have some left over inventory.

But Pinball Rescue in Australia was your only source to get any Stern apron decals.

Good Luck.

Any updates on progress cottonm4 regarding the repro Classic Stern slingshot arms/pivot brackets Mantis Amusements are fabricating?

Meteor sound issue

New SB300 remake, alltek MPU

Sound issue is background noise, you can hear tones

What is the volume potentiometer value such be? 25 K ohms?

Thoughts on what could be causing background noise?

No. I need to ask Mantis about that, but since he is not emailing telling me has the solution, I figure it is not going to happen. I'll send him an email.

Thanks for the reminder.

Lightning playfield display problem the third digit is not working I reflowed the connector and installed a new LED display and it's still out game is running an Alltek mpu I guess it's a problem with the bonus/timer interface board has anyone run into this before?

interface board.pdf

So after looking at that under pf shot of Cosmic Princess, I was confused by the controlled 5-bank and @i_p_d_b's info that it uses the same roms as Magic , which only has a 3-bank drop. https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=3967

After watching a video, I'm 99.9% certain it uses Trident roms. Can anyone confidently confirm?

Magic and Cosmic Princess do use the same ROMs. Magic doubles the drop target switches on the two outer drop targets so they score 1,000 points while the centre drop target scores 500 points. That's how they got away with a 3-bank drop target on Magic.

Trident code is about 98% the same, the difference is that Magic awards climbing points on drop target completion. Trident doesn't but awards them at the saucer instead while Magics saucer awards collect bonus.

I have code updates ready to release for these three games. Might upload this weekend..

Well shut me up! Curious what your updates to Trident will be. I love that game and I’m not terribly interested in the 2020 code update (though I absolutely appreciate what Dick is doing with those. I think I’m just too partial to the original code. I do certainly love the burst of energy and interest they’re driving toward games like Trident).

Hoping to do a playfield swap on my Trident soon. It needs some rewiring and a full tear down before it’s playable again.

I thought I read that Nugent uses Magic roms.

I'm in the same boat and am in awe of what Dick has done, it's amazing and very clever indeed! But modern rules/games aren't my thing.
I actually did the Trident update before BSOS 2020 came about, but just never got around to releasing it. Like the Stingray update I'm working on now (nearly finished) you'll need to modify the MPU board for dual 2732 EPROMs to run the updated Trident code.
The key features is has are:

01. Freeplay support.
02. Millions scoring using real 7-Digit displays or virtually with existing 6-Digit displays.
03. Bonus multiplier option up to 14X.
04. Fast bonus countdown once option by pre-multiplying the bonus 1k step against the bonus multiplier.
05. Saucer big scores option up to 65,000 points.
06. Flipper return lane big scores option up to 20,000 points and resettable on entry.
07. Disable the upper slingshots from advancing bonus option.
08. Extra ball kept option when the ball in play is tilted.
09. Colored standup target special options to be open ended and/or lit after completing two times rather than one time.
10. Drop Target special added options to light on the 1st or 4th completion of the bank, and/or then every second bank completion.
11. Drop Target option to disable the drop target releases (always requires player to hit all five drop targets).
12. Show the Highest Game to Date at the start of the last ball.
13. Record Highest Game Credits to Date in Freeplay Credit Reset mode.
14. Show *every* closed switch in switch test mode.
15. Improved test mode/audit navigation.

Nugent shares the same ROM with Lectronamo.
Dracula shares the same ROM with Wild Fyre
Stingray shares the same ROM with Pinball
Cosmic Princess shares the same ROM with Magic
Hot Hand has some unused switches programmed so they may have either decided not to wire them, or the ROMs may have possibly been to support a different layout/game. Though MPU-200 was around the corner..

Alright, the code updates are up:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/magic-stern-1979-software-update

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cosmic-princess-stern-1979-software-update

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/trident-stern-1979-software-update

I had issues similar when I refurbed my Lightning. I don't have the game anymore, but this thread might help.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-lightning-bonus-display-missing-digits-need-expert#post-4525057

One cool thing about the 2020 code is that you can switch back and fourth pretty easy.

I started a fresh thread on the Classic Stern Drop Targets if anyone would like to get these:

- $10 AUD each
or
- 10 for $100 AUD + a free one with every 10 purchased

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/classic-stern-tombstone-drop-targets-13a-11

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Last summer I made a bad mix with my clear polyurethane. It was supposed to be clear, not blue.

Now, 10 months later, here is how poly acts. It does not get hard hard. At least the brand I am using does not get rock hard. This is one contributor for poly's chip resistance, I think.

Or perhaps, it is just that a thick chunk of poly takes for ever to cure. Perhaps like concrete? as I have read the concrete in the Boulder/Hoover Dam is still curing out even today and that concrete was poured 90 years ago.

Anyone looking to join the club: pinsider Whridlsoncestood has about 10 classic Sterns up for sale in CT.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/northeast-us-for-sale-thread/page/473#post-6853150

Which is the best power supply board? X-Pin, Alltek or Big Daddy? For a Meteor.
thx

Sadly, his Meteor isn't one of them, so I'm still looking

I recommend the Pinball Life board. It comes with the fuses, connectors, pins and standoffs.
https://www.pinballlife.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PBL-100-0070-00

The X-Pin is the only power supply board I've used that isn't OEM so I can't offer an opinion on the Alltek, BD, or PBL but I will say I do like the X-Pin. In particular:

1 - the LEDs behind the fuses let you know if your fuse is blown without having to take it out and put it on a meter.
2 - the "no soldering needed" push button terminal insertion connectors for the transformer wires. Some people don't like them, but I think they're great (and convenient). I don't mind doing the solder work, but being able to remove and reinstall wires easily makes any future maintenance a breeze. And after hundreds of games, I've to yet experience a wire "falling out" of the connector.

The only negative thing I'll say is that those push button terminal insertions connectors do prevent you from putting on the OEM plastic shield, but that was no big deal for me.

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I build my own with Andrews kits.

https://nvram.weebly.com/

Sorry to interrupt (I'm interested in the rectifier board discussion too), but...

My F2K slingshot kicker islands are held to the playfield by machine screws which pass through star posts from under the playfield. Underneath, mine have a pair of jam nuts and a phillips head on the machine screw. On top they do not have the nut shown in these photos. Both pics are of a "standard" F2K, I think - not mine.

My machine screws wiggle in their holes; should I have something other than the machine screws, or can I add nuts to the top? Would that still allow acorn nuts to fit on last?

F2KNutAnnot (resized).jpgF2KSlingAnnot (resized).jpg

I think this is what's supposed to be installed, but where do you recommend getting it? PBR is out of stock:

Post (resized).jpg

Stern didn't use those they used carriage bolts from underneath. Someone has already replaced those on yours. If you can get more than a couple threads on the post you posted into a newly mounted tnut that's the way i go with them.

Marco has several post studs in stock. Not all studs are the same. You need to find the longest ones you can get to extend through to the lower side of the play field.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=posts

Your machine screw posts should not wiggle in their holes. Years of high energy impacts with the silver ball can contribute to wallowing out holes. You might need to fill your wallowed out hole with some dowel rod. If you need more explanation on how to fix an oversize hole, just ask.

T-nuts are a more friendly way to install your posts. But you need open up the hole to 1/4" on the lower side of the play field to allow the T-nut to pull into the wood. But don't drill the 1/4" hole all the way through. Use a drill stop.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/4406-01118-00

Add a DON'T to that last statement. referring to the 1/4" hole for the T-nut.

pinball life carries some of those as well, both in #8 and #6 at least. https://www.pinballlife.com/playfield-posts-metal.html

Thanks.

Like slochar states, Stern used carriage bolts that came up from underneath. You can't find those carriage bolts anywhere. But what you can do is install the 6-32 T-nut and then get a 6-32 machine screw of correct length and run it up from the bottom though the T-nut and simulate a carriage bolt.

The advantage of making a simulated 6-32 carriage bolt is cost. You can buy 6-32 machine screws in any length at any hardware for 10-15 cents plus the cost of the T-nut.

The 6-32machine posts at the pinball shops are around $2.00 each.

This image you posted is for these apron mounting washer posts, not star posts. Just FWIW. They're secured from underneath like this because you pull on them to lift the playfield.
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Dam i want that dragonfist!!!
oh well .. saving funds for alien i ordered ..
still that would be so cool to own.
cant have everything . its a dam shame.

been on a donnie yen/bruce lee marathon lately .

That makes 2 of us!

I wish I'd remembered while at TPF to ask Mirco wtf is up with Dragonfist playfields. I wanna build one.

[double post delete]

Dragonfist went the fastest. Long line on that one.

I thought my touchups in the face were bad but yours were the best.
I wish someone would repro the playfield already I think a lot of people will scratch build this game given the mechanical parts. They're a lot easier to source than some other games.

Regarding my clingshot kicker bolt question - thanks for the helpful advice! I'll study it later today.

One question, though - If Stern originally used carriage bolts passed up through star posts from below, did they put a metal nut on top and then an acorn nut?

Yup, they were pretty damn long

Thanks!

According to an email exchange with Mirco a couple of weeks ago, he said they are busy gluing in the inserts. But he has told me stories before so I take it with a grain of salt.

I sent Mirco my Dragonfist play field 18 months ago. It is taking a real long time for him to get it done.

Before Mirco, I had been in conversation with Stu at CPR and the offer of my 99% play field was declined.

And yet they made the plastics.
If they thought it wouldn't sell well what is the point of them advertising boutique playfields with small runs off they don't really want to do it?

1 of the 2 playfields i sent him just passed the 3 year mark

Resuming the sub-thread re: my wiggly slingshot post screws (sorry for the Mirco de-rail):

Comparing what you explained to me about original Stern carriage bolts, I see what a previous owner of my F2K did. He replaced carriage bolts with 2.5" 6-32 machine screws, jam nuts and washers. Oddly, 3 of the 4 sling islands have no nuts on top of the star posts, just acorn nuts on top of the plastics. I imagine that helped get the playfield holes out of round sooner.

Anyway, what if I wood-glue dowels into the oval holes, redrill the holes, then use the machine screws with t-nuts below the playfield? I can add 6-32 hex nuts above the star posts and finish with acorn nuts on top of the plastics.

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Thx for all of the replies. Sounds like there are several good ones to choose from.

Ditto that from me as well.