I have two classic sterns currently. I had a pair of F2K's I bought as projects (one was originally a parts machine for game specific parts with a roached PF). Ended up finding a nice original populated PF and a CPR repro and in the end was able to make two full games (without needed to use the cheesy repro pop bumper caps which i disliked). The first was completed and sold before I moved. i still have the full restore project on the go. Cab work is done and ready for stenciling when i get to it...

latest find which came out of the blue when i was picking up a pin recently was a decent Seawitch. Needs a bit of board work but I have so many spare early stern parts now I'll be in good shape there . Looking forward to getting this one running again too!

Ok Classic Sterners. Just looking for some quick input on what people regard as important in terms of desirability/ value in these games. The Seawitch i got in a package deal needs some board work. Typically i’m fussy about keeping these older games original (of course i dont keep old worn out rubbers in them ). But i do have an Altek i can throw in it. So does the type of boards you have matter much - from a “collectibility” perspective?

Cool thanks. And that was quick! For certain things i think it’s important to “upgrade” like installing a beefier rectifier board to bulletproof that area of the game so to speak.

I’ve seen fs ads where people highlight that the serial numbers for the boardsets match. So thought there was something to that.

Good point. I have a restored F2K and once you put in a repro pf the whole originality of it is kind of lost. But looks much better than the busted up way i found it! My goal there was to return the game to its original glory..

I’ll try and get the original mpu to boot of course. While i’m comfortable doing my own boardwork when i know whats wrong, i can’t profess to be the worlds best troubleshooter. I don’t have a test bench or anything much more than my logic probe (still in original packaging lmao). Ive been luckey so far and havent run into to many major issues.

I threw away those old carriage bolts and installed t-nuts and used the 6/32 bolts made for those star posts.

Does anyone know of a source for new classic stern coil wraps?

I know its not original but my rationale was neither is my repro pf... this way i know they won’t spin.

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Thank you both - i’ll check those out

I have a spare populated F2K playfield i can rob one off of. Pretty sure the kickers are identical.

I believe the nomenclature is “supposed” to be black (hot) to brown, blue (neutral) to white. But whats really important here is the orientation the line cord wires on the top side of the filter. Meaning if the blue is connected to the black wires in the cabinet harness, then the hot from the line cord needs to be connected to that side. Think black to black. White to white. The brown and blue wires coming off the filter are just bridging the gap so to speak.

I just did this when i replaced the line cord on my seawitch. I read vids guide and was confused as to why my wires were reversed to his. What i found was the wire with the ribbed insulation (which is how you identify which is which since original cords do not have black or white insulation) was connected to the opposite side as his, which meant they had to hook up the blue to the black wires, instead of the white. Someone had posted a comment in his thread with the exact same thing and it was suggested it was wired wrong at the factory (according to the color scheme). But my seawitch and F2K are like that so maybe Stern didnt agree with the standard wire color standards, but they are hooked up correctly regardless lol.

Here is the pic from Vid’s Guide

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Double check (test which conductor is actually Hot from the line cord) - but I think the ribbed conductor is the neutral. This is where my differed from Vid's pic. I wasn't reusing the line cord since someone cut the ground prong off, so I just made sure the hot was ultimately going to the right spot as Quench mentioned.

The gap should be half that (a 16th of an inch or 1.6mm). The point at where the switch opens should be as close as possible to the end of the stroke - You don’t want to break the contacts too soon and rob yourself of power. It looks like you have a bit of over-travel in the closed position for a tight contact. What voltage are you reading at the coil lugs?

This may have been answered previously but my search attempts havent found anything yet. So figured i’d just ask the crew here:

What is the optimal playfield pitch for a classic Stern. Say a Seawitch. 6 degrees? 6.5 seems difficult to get to with no support nut under the front legs and the back are jacked up (3” long levelers). I’m measuring in the open area in the middle of the playfield. Up top in the pops is a wee bit steeper than down by the flippers.