Ali
Stern Electronics, 1980
Big Game
Stern Electronics, 1980
Catacomb
Stern Electronics, 1981
Cheetah
Stern Electronics, 1980
Cosmic Princess
Stern Electronics, 1979
Dracula
Stern Electronics, 1979
Dragonfist
Stern Electronics, 1981
Flight 2000
Stern Electronics, 1980Quoted from BorgDog:Which is the correct shooter rod for these? I didn't know they made a shorter barrel spring, thanks for that one.
i could not find the right replacement for the shooter rod, ended up going with a Gottlieb that is pretty much the same leght though the C-Clip slots is further from the tip than the Stern's. Anyone has a better option?
Quoted from woody76:Do classic sterns have a specific style?
Yes sir
Often difficult to locate too.
Quoted from woody76:my nine ball has no lockdown bar. Do classic sterns have a specific style?
this has been discussed at length. Data east is a known replacement if you can't find an original. Check pinball life.
I bet you can have it sand blasted, then sand in the metal grain to look like original.
If it's made of standard steel, you'll need to spray with clear so it doesn't rust.
Quoted from woody76:my nine ball has no lockdown bar. Do classic sterns have a specific style?
There are two types:
Pins through Hot Hand had a button to insert in the receiver.
Pins Meteor forward used slots to fit in the receiver. I can post a picture of what you’re looking for when I get home.
Gott_Lieb Usually has some for sale on his site but it looks like he’s out. Pm him and
too-many-pins to see if they can locate one for you. https://www.jtamusements.com/store/
Quoted from RC_like_the_cola:Hey folks, anyone have a couple used Stern flipper buttons? The white ones (off white or cream at this point in their old age). I have a game that came with one correct and one replacement gottlieb button, so I wanna replace the gottlieb with the correct button.
Thanks,
RC
I have some, but new ones are not all that much. And you still have to pay shipping.
https://www.pinballlife.com/search.html?Search=flipper%20button
Quoted from cottonm4:I have some, but new ones are not all that much. And you still have to pay shipping.
https://www.pinballlife.com/search.html?Search=flipper%20button
I'm the weirdo that would prefer an aged original over a new set. Shoot me a pm and I'll happily buy a used original or a few from you.
Thanks,
RC
Quoted from RC_like_the_cola:I'm the weirdo that would prefer an aged original over a new set. Shoot me a pm and I'll happily buy a used original or a few from you.
Thanks,
RC
Let me dig them out. Standby. Could be couple of days.
Quoted from Flynnyfalcon:Adding post to this thread (from Quicksilver members thread) for more potential eyes.
I’m half way through my full restoration and need to order my last (hopefully) batch of spare parts. I’m struggling to find the part numbers however. Can anyone help?
Flipper Cabinet Switches
Flipper Bats
Flipper bushings
Coil Sleeves - How do you determine? (no listing online anywhere for these)
Correct plunger spring (internal and external)
The long thin (carriage) bolt at the front of the side rails (pretty sure used for earthing)
Is there a better resource than the manual for parts as it’s pretty light on. Thanks
May be able to help out with the flipper bushings and carriage bolts. I bought the wrong bushings for my Meteor, if your flipper baseplate sits off the playfield they will fit. And I should have a couple of spare bolts. PM your number and I will have a look tonight.
Quoted from Flynnyfalcon:Is there a better resource than the manual for parts as it’s pretty light on. Thanks
Parts manual here
Several months ago I made a post of how you could swap Bally drop targets into a Stern drop target assembly. I did that today and here are the pics.
Dragonfist is supposed to have red drop targets. You cannot buy red drop targets to fit a Stern. But you can buy red drop targets to fit a Bally. The pics that follow show this swap in action.
Here is Stern drop assembly.
Here are 3 red Bally drops and one white Stern drop. The first thing you will notice is that the Bally drops are rather square up top. They do not have the small side curve as the Stern's do. This is cosmetics. I could make the sides curve like the Stern but I would have to destroy another drop target to make one drop look like a Stern. These are only $3 each. It would cost $27.00 to do this.
Here is close up of the two styles of drops.
1) Bally has a half-moon land just below the target's lower edge. Also, if you look down you will see the boss where the spring attaches is little different.
2) Stern made its lands a little different than Bally. You can see the long skinny piece of plastic extend about 5/8" below the lower edge of the target. And the boss where the spring attaches has less meat around the hole for the spring,.
Keep these two different styles of target lands in mind. Operationally, both styles of lands operate the same. But Sten's style does it better. I'll get to that in a minute.
IMG_3275 (resized).JPG
===============================
The teardown.
This is where I remove a white drop target and swap with a red one.
============================================
The Stern target has a piece of angle bracket that holds the targets in proper position.
From the top and looking down, you can see the land of the targets landed on the angle bracket. This is Stern's way of doing it.
IMG_3279 (resized).JPG
For Bally, with the half-moon land at the bottom of the target, the bracket that holds the target place needs to be reversed.
This is all you need to do to use Bally drops in a Stern assembly. The reverse also holds true. You can install Stern drops in a Bally assembly. And you reverse the bracket where the lands sit.
=======================================
Here is the drop installed with red drops. As mentioned, the profile on the Bally Style drops are different than Stern; That could be fixed with a little bit of work. And while they are red, I don't know how close this red is to the original red.
IMG_3281 (resized).JPG
==========================
This is where the rubber meets the road. How do they work? The answer is: Not worth a shit. NWAS for another new acronym plagued world.
They can be knocked down---with difficulty.
So, as I fairly much thought, I will have to modify the lands. There is just too much plastic contact for the drops to release quickly. For the next time through, I will trim back the half-moon land and make a smaller land area. Perhaps with less material on the land the drops will release a little easier. If that does not work satisfactorily, then I will trash an extra drop target for material to extend the Bally land down lower like the Stern drops are.
So, they work but need improvement. Making the improvement will not be hard to accomplish. I'll be back when I make that mod.
My question is why do the Bally targets so hard to drop? I have noticed any Bally I have played to have lousy working drop targets.
Hello everyone. I got a Star Gazer, but it will only go through 3 beeps on startup and then nothing. What should I look at? It has an Alltek MPU and Solenoid board. The rectifier was hacked up, but I replaced with a new one and repined all wires with new housings. I changed out the MPU and solenoid board with the same result. What does only 3 beeps tell you?
Thanks
Quoted from cottonm4:My question is why do the Bally targets so hard to drop? I have noticed any Bally I have played to have lousy working drop targets.
Their nickname is Bally Bricks
My theory is with the landing spot higher you have less leverage as it’s shorter from the “pivot point”. Sterns is longer from the landing allowing for more leverage. Also the land is skinnier on a stern. Less metal to plastic contact. Less friction. Less force needed to move it off.
Quoted from TheLaw:The Fakers Guide: no fourth flash means U10 (6821 PIA) is bad.
But that’s on the MPU right? I switched out with another Alltek MPU with the same result.
Quoted from TheLaw:Yeah on the MPU....hmm...I'll have to defer to someone else on that one, sorry.
No problem. Thanks for the try.
Quoted from bluespin:There are two types:
Pins through Hot Hand had a button to insert in the receiver.
Pins Meteor forward used slots to fit in the receiver. I can post a picture of what you’re looking for when I get home.
gott_lieb Usually has some for sale on his site but it looks like he’s out. Pm him and too-many-pins to see if they can locate one for you. https://www.jtamusements.com/store/
Hot Hand and Magic use the Meteor type bar. And you are correct, we are currently out at the moment.
Quoted from cottonm4:Several months ago I made a post of how you could swap Bally drop targets into a Stern drop target assembly. I did that today and here are the pics.
Dragonfist is supposed to have red drop targets. You cannot buy red drop targets to fit a Stern. But you can buy red drop targets to fit a Bally. The pics that follow show this swap in action.
Here is Stern drop assembly.
[quoted image]
Here are 3 red Bally drops and one white Stern drop. The first thing you will notice is that the Bally drops are rather square up top. They do not have the small side curve as the Stern's do. This is cosmetics. I could make the sides curve like the Stern but I would have to destroy another drop target to make one drop look like a Stern. These are only $3 each. It would cost $27.00 to do this.
[quoted image]
Here is close up of the two styles of drops.
1) Bally has a half-moon land just below the target's lower edge. Also, if you look down you will see the boss where the spring attaches is little different.
2) Stern made its lands a little different than Bally. You can see the long skinny piece of plastic extend about 5/8" below the lower edge of the target. And the boss where the spring attaches has less meat around the hole for the spring,.
Keep these two different styles of target lands in mind. Operationally, both styles of lands operate the same. But Sten's style does it better. I'll get to that in a minute.
[quoted image]
===============================
The teardown.
This is where I remove a white drop target and swap with a red one.
[quoted image]
============================================
The Stern target has a piece of angle bracket that holds the targets in proper position.
[quoted image]
From the top and looking down, you can see the land of the targets landed on the angle bracket. This is Stern's way of doing it.
[quoted image]
For Bally, with the half-moon land at the bottom of the target, the bracket that holds the target place needs to be reversed.
[quoted image]
This is all you need to do to use Bally drops in a Stern assembly. The reverse also holds true. You can install Stern drops in a Bally assembly. And you reverse the bracket where the lands sit.
=======================================
Here is the drop installed with red drops. As mentioned, the profile on the Bally Style drops are different than Stern; That could be fixed with a little bit of work. And while they are red, I don't know how close this red is to the original red.
[quoted image]
==========================
This is where the rubber meets the road. How do they work? The answer is: Not worth a shit. NWAS for another new acronym plagued world.
They can be knocked down---with difficulty.
So, as I fairly much thought, I will have to modify the lands. There is just too much plastic contact for the drops to release quickly. For the next time through, I will trim back the half-moon land and make a smaller land area. Perhaps with less material on the land the drops will release a little easier. If that does not work satisfactorily, then I will trash an extra drop target for material to extend the Bally land down lower like the Stern drops are.
So, they work but need improvement. Making the improvement will not be hard to accomplish. I'll be back when I make that mod.
My question is why do the Bally targets so hard to drop? I have noticed any Bally I have played to have lousy working drop targets.
Back in the day, I had to fix one of these games. I used red spray paint to make the white targets red.
Hey Guys. Ron Hallett and I did a whole podcast on Stern Electronics this past week here's the link - https://www.thepinballnetwork.net/e/silverball-chronicles-ep-2-stern-electronicsno-not-that-stern/
Quoted from bluespin:There are two types:
Pins through Hot Hand had a button to insert in the receiver.
Pins Meteor forward used slots to fit in the receiver. I can post a picture of what you’re looking for when I get home.
gott_lieb Usually has some for sale on his site but it looks like he’s out. Pm him and too-many-pins to see if they can locate one for you. https://www.jtamusements.com/store/
My Hot Hand had a slotted receiver and lockdown bar. I have no explanation for it. The pin was not beat up so I assume the lockdown/receiver assembly were original. I was thinking HH was the last MPU-100 game and the slotted lock assembly was a transition to the MPU-200 games but Magic came after Hot Hand, however, I don't know what Magic was outfitted with.
Quoted from vec-tor:Back in the day, I had to fix one of these games. I used red spray paint to make the white targets red.
I bet those painted targets, after a few hits, would start looking like some girl's fingernails that needed some new fingernail polish 
You worked on a Dragonfist when it was in an arcade? Not too many can make that claim. I wonder how this pin did on location.
Quoted from spandol:Hello everyone. I got a Star Gazer, but it will only go through 3 beeps on startup and then nothing. What should I look at? It has an Alltek MPU and Solenoid board. The rectifier was hacked up, but I replaced with a new one and repined all wires with new housings. I changed out the MPU and solenoid board with the same result. What does only 3 beeps tell you?
Thanks
You might be missing voltages going to the MPU. Check all the test points with a meter and see if any are missing or significantly off from what is labeled on the board.
Quoted from cottonm4:I bet those painted targets, after a few hits, would start looking like some girl's fingernails that needed some new fingernail polish
Could try this. Corvette America is a good vendor and one restorer tells me it's tougher than most paint:
https://www.topflightautomotive.com/products/corvette-america-1958-2004-chevrolet-corvette-dye/
I'm sure other automotive parts sites have similar stuff.
Quoted from cottonm4:My Hot Hand had a slotted receiver and lockdown bar. I have no explanation for it. The pin was not beat up so I assume the lockdown/receiver assembly were original. I was thinking HH was the last MPU-100 game and the slotted lock assembly was a transition to the MPU-200 games but Magic came after Hot Hand, however, I don't know what Magic was outfitted with.
See my reply to Bluespin.
Quoted from Whridlsoncestood:I have a spare populated playfield in much better shape that someday I’ll restore and clear and pop in replacement of this. Until then this one just came out of the queue and got it running. Cleaning up nice besides the giant wear spot.
[quoted image]
I, too, have a nice populated playfield that will someday find it's way into a cabinet. I look forward to playing it with slochar custom ROMs.
2973B0BA-8B3A-4309-B546-528858C31243 (resized).jpegQuoted from dothedoo:I look forward to playing it with slochar custom ROMs.
They're not as great as some of the later changes.... I think the last time I touched them was sometime in 2012. Spots an Ace in the mid pocket, and of course the changed attract mode.
Probably due for a revisit at some point.
Quoted from Mitch:Fin, nub or widebody.
for nine ball, nothing fancy just need one
Quoted from cottonm4:What is a "finned" lockdown bar? I have not heard of this term. All of my Lock bars look the same.
Finned is the regular type. There is also a type that has pegs instead.
Quoted from LOTR_breath:Finned is the regular type. There is also a type that has pegs instead.
Ok. I see. I call them slotted and ball and socket.
Quoted from cottonm4:Several months ago I made a post of how you could swap Bally drop targets into a Stern drop target assembly. I did that today and here are the pics.
Dragonfist is supposed to have red drop targets. You cannot buy red drop targets to fit a Stern. But you can buy red drop targets to fit a Bally. The pics that follow show this swap in action.
Here is Stern drop assembly.
[quoted image]
Here are 3 red Bally drops and one white Stern drop. The first thing you will notice is that the Bally drops are rather square up top. They do not have the small side curve as the Stern's do. This is cosmetics. I could make the sides curve like the Stern but I would have to destroy another drop target to make one drop look like a Stern. These are only $3 each. It would cost $27.00 to do this.
[quoted image]
Here is close up of the two styles of drops.
1) Bally has a half-moon land just below the target's lower edge. Also, if you look down you will see the boss where the spring attaches is little different.
2) Stern made its lands a little different than Bally. You can see the long skinny piece of plastic extend about 5/8" below the lower edge of the target. And the boss where the spring attaches has less meat around the hole for the spring,.
Keep these two different styles of target lands in mind. Operationally, both styles of lands operate the same. But Sten's style does it better. I'll get to that in a minute.
[quoted image]
===============================
The teardown.
This is where I remove a white drop target and swap with a red one.
[quoted image]
============================================
The Stern target has a piece of angle bracket that holds the targets in proper position.
[quoted image]
From the top and looking down, you can see the land of the targets landed on the angle bracket. This is Stern's way of doing it.
[quoted image]
For Bally, with the half-moon land at the bottom of the target, the bracket that holds the target place needs to be reversed.
[quoted image]
This is all you need to do to use Bally drops in a Stern assembly. The reverse also holds true. You can install Stern drops in a Bally assembly. And you reverse the bracket where the lands sit.
=======================================
Here is the drop installed with red drops. As mentioned, the profile on the Bally Style drops are different than Stern; That could be fixed with a little bit of work. And while they are red, I don't know how close this red is to the original red.
[quoted image]
==========================
This is where the rubber meets the road. How do they work? The answer is: Not worth a shit. NWAS for another new acronym plagued world.
They can be knocked down---with difficulty.
So, as I fairly much thought, I will have to modify the lands. There is just too much plastic contact for the drops to release quickly. For the next time through, I will trim back the half-moon land and make a smaller land area. Perhaps with less material on the land the drops will release a little easier. If that does not work satisfactorily, then I will trash an extra drop target for material to extend the Bally land down lower like the Stern drops are.
So, they work but need improvement. Making the improvement will not be hard to accomplish. I'll be back when I make that mod.
My question is why do the Bally targets so hard to drop? I have noticed any Bally I have played to have lousy working drop targets.
After this first post and my first try with modding Bally drop targets to work with a Stern drop target cage, I found out they just would not drop easily.
So I tried modding the land on the Bally targets by taking some material away from the sides of the land. This was also a bust. They would not drop, either.
Screen Shot 2020-03-28 at 10.13.50 PM (resized).png
So, I used the nuclear option. An old drop target was sacrificed to make land extensions. And success ! I can almost make them drop by blowing on them.
And the red does look fabulous.
I recently got my Stars up and running, and i noticed in the process that there is no high voltage fuse anywhere in the backbox. Games from this generation usually have a big red tag stating "HIGH VOLTAGE 1/4 AMP FUSE", but i see no tag, no fuse, and no evidence that either were ever there to begin with. I'm currently using an SDU that has a 1/4a HV fuse, but i want to install the original SDU that doesn't have a fuse installed on the board nor a place to install one. I'd like to know which wire i should be fusing with the 1/4a HV fuse if anyone can help. Looking over the schematics, I'm unable to come up with it. Thanks!
Quoted from frunch:I'd like to know which wire i should be fusing with the 1/4a HV fuse if anyone can help.
It's the red high voltage wire going to pin 1 at the displays. Fuse the wire before the first display the wire connects to which is probably the player 1 display.
Quoted from Quench:It's the red high voltage wire going to pin 1 at the displays. Fuse the wire before the first display the wire connects to which is probably the player 3 display.
Awesome, thanks for the quick response! 
I have a very nice (tho not perfect by any means) bare Stingray playfield (and many other Stingray parts including all plastics) if someone is looking. Gonna post for sale soon, but thought I'd offer in here first.
Quoted from seshpilot:I have a very nice (tho not perfect by any means) bare Stingray playfield (and many other Stingray parts including all plastics) if someone is looking. Gonna post for sale soon, but thought I'd offer in here first.
Can you send me pics? Interested if it’s an upgrade over mine. Thanks!
With all the reproduction stuff available for these games, I can't believe no one has remade the correct Stern drop targets. I know the ones sold by PBResource are not the same and do not play the same as originals. I would think there would be plenty of demand if someone would just remake the originals. I know I would buy them for all my classic Sterns. Nothing looks better on a restored game than new drop targets, but they have to play correctly.
When I restored my Lightning, I got a set of 9 drops from PBR. They play great on this game. They might brick shot like 5% of the time.
Quoted from ita47:I can't believe no one has remade the correct Stern drop targets
I have been very happy with the play action I get with my PBR drop targets.
What do you mean when you say "correct"? What is the difference between a "correct" drop target and the one that Steve at PBR sells?
Quoted from JoshPA:Can you send me pics? Interested if it’s an upgrade over mine. Thanks!
Everything is posted now at: https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/94025
Quoted from ita47:With all the reproduction stuff available for these games, I can't believe no one has remade the correct Stern drop targets. I know the ones sold by PBResource are not the same and do not play the same as originals. I would think there would be plenty of demand if someone would just remake the originals. I know I would buy them for all my classic Sterns. Nothing looks better on a restored game than new drop targets, but they have to play correctly.
I posted 5 original Stern drop targets above. Not in NOS shape by any means, but I have a few if needed.
Hey all. The good news is I just received my full order for the PAA stickers. The bad news is all the cardboard mailers I purchased are still in my office in NYC.
I have every order saved in my inbox, as soon as the smoke clears I’ll reach out to you for payment and get these in the mail. Guessing it’s gonna be a couple months minimum, but rest assured I have enough to cover everybody and as soon as I am in a position to ship you’ll be hearing from me!
Cheers.
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