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, 1980You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider Shapeshifter.
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Quicksilver has gotten crazy popular - I passed on one due to condition 18 months ago but that was probably a mistake.
I found a Catacomb which is a brutal, fast, short ball time kind of game. And the bagatelle does have skill.
From initial videos I thought Catacomb looked a better player than Stargazer but yet to play one for real.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:I love how these threads always turn into show and tell
How come nobody ever chimes in with "I got a stargazer, and it's a real piece of shit?"
These classic sterns rise above the Ballys because they generally have more interesting rules and playfield layouts I'd say. And much better drop target mechs.
And they are much quicker.
Quoted from snyper2099:Anyone that thinks any classic Stern is a better playing game than Fathom is living a lie. Remember, rare does not always equate to good. I love the classic Stern machines but c'mon man... we all know how any why they were made. There is a reason that back when these Stern machines were available they did not earn as well and were cheaper machines to purchase, compared with Bally and Williams.
I just recently played Fathom and Seawitch and I thought Seawitch was way more fun to play than Fathom.
And Seawitch is like number 6 on my Classic Stern list for players.
But, each to their own.
Is Quicksilver really head and shoulders the best player of the classic Sterns? I can't answer as haven't played one. Want one though 
Quoted from snyper2099:Everyone is entitled to an opinion but I just can't get over how the shots in Seawitch are not properly lined up with the flippers. That right orbit area is a dumpster fire.
One reason I like classic Sterns is that you can set them up to be very difficult, while still remaining very fun. But it's harder to fix how the play field is designed.
Seawitch used to be on my list but I found the right spinner shot more frustrating, than fun. It just doesn't line up in a satisfying way.
Fun game but I rate lots of others higher.
Quoted from snyper2099:The connectors will probably not be long enough... Just swap displays for players 2 and 3. You do have to unplug them to swap them. They are the exact same part. Oh, and make sure the game is OFF!
Why does game have to be off? Will do this.
I was able to put connector from display 2 into 3 and display is still garbled. Not had time to swap yet.
Does this mean display 3 is at fault or could it be a board fault - not sure what controls it?
Thanks
Quoted from snyper2099:YES. On the faulty display, reflow solder onto the pins of the connector.
You do not want to be anywhere near ~180+ volts DC when the game is on.
Didn't realize voltage was such an issue on these displays.
In hindsight it probably wasn't a good idea to stick my finger onto the display board to press for loose connections while the game was on....
And jiggle the wires to try and see if one was loose....
Thanks everyone for some common sense!
Quoted from TheLaw:Looks like we need some repro cardboard covers and "high voltage" stickers eh?
You mean like this? 
How did I miss it?
In future I will have game off, as my friend just said to me 'don't mess with things you don't understand'!
IMG_4177 (resized).jpgQuoted from cottonm4:Do you really want to know
I must have seen it!
In my mind, the displays seemed kind of harmless, like bulbs.
I thought the going rate for a nice QS was around $3000?
Thought only Stargazer gets big bucks?
That said not expensive compared to a new Stern pro.
Quoted from smileymatthew:Such a good thread - Wish there were more of these games to go around.
Star Gazer, Freefall and Catacomb are all that's left on my list! Someday, I keep looking! Does anyone have production numbers on Catacomb?
Nothing official but it's very very likely to be around the 1200 mark.
Quoted from pinlawyer:I had a Split Second. It was a bit rough, but I had it to decide if I liked the game before I had it restored. Ended up selling it unrestored. The design is great. The rules, not so much. Not worth owning, IMO. Freefall is a close call, but I want it.
I nearly bought a Freefall.
Rules are ok, not the best.
But man, the backglass is amazing.
Quick question.
I keep replacing a bulb in one of my pop bumpers on Catacomb but over a few days, bulb just goes really bright....and eventually goes out.
Can't be a bulbs, so what would cause this?
Thanks
Quoted from rollitover:I have this same situation on my Viking. One bulb burns super bright for awhile then burns out.
I have been told that I am going through a bad batch of bulbs. In other words, cheap or poorly manufactured.
Though sceptical at first, after about the third try I have not had a problem since.
I was using NOS GE 51's.
Have switched them around.
I looked underneath - someone in the past has worked on this area.
Does it matter if those black or red wires touch top of switch blades? Obviously they are insulated.
I think bulbs are ok.....
But not so good with wiring.
And what is an SRC?
IMG_4304 (resized).jpgIMG_4305 (resized).jpgQuoted from BrianBannon:I think he meant to say SCR, to put it in easy terms, these are the things on your lamp driver board that act like a switch for your feature lamps. If you have a feature lamp that is always on that is a common symptom of a bad SCR. A google search will give you more information about SCRs than you will ever need.
Thanks.
It's definitely not the bulbs as the bulb I took from the other pop bumper has now blown!
Quoted from cottonm4:Shapeshifter, it is time you start learning some basic wiring. This is the same pop assy. you have in your Catacomb. You need to remove yours and see what is going on. Your switch contacts are that little black blob on the left. It attaches with two small straight slot screws. Remove the two screws and let the switch hang. The coil is not installed on this unit.
To remove the coil, remove the two screws at the bottom (not shown). This will allow you to remove the coil stop. With coil stop removed, the coil is going to fall off of its mounting position so look the coil over closely to see how it is setting before you remove it; You will want to reinstall it the way it came off. The coli sleeve is going come out with the coil; Pay double attention to how the coil sleeve is installed. You have been advised. You can let the coil hang or you can secure it with some tie wraps.
[quoted image]
There will be two wires coming from the bottom of your pop assy. You have a wire splice mess going on in there. Don't cut any wires yet, but try to partially remove at least on pop so you can see what is going on. After you have a look and if you feel comfortable, cut your wiring as close to the splice as possible and remove the pop assy. Or don't cut anything. Just pull the pop from the play field and look around. There are only two lamp wires coming from each pop so there cannot be too much to look for.
You biggest challenge/headache is the lousy screws Stern used to put this pin together with. They are a shallow head bolt. They are not magnetic. They are a pain in the ass to reinstall; You will learn to miss Phillips head screws.
The good news is that your pops do not have to be lit for you to play your pin. I don't not have my Catacomb pops lit up and I have good times playing. Lit pops have just not been a priority for me at this time but I will get there.
If you run into problems, send me an email.
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Thanks for this.
Will start investigating!
Have seen a wire is stuck under the pop bumper plastic frame so that is first change...
Restored SG for sale at around $2700!
https://www.flippermarkt.de/community/forum/threads/stern-star-gazer-von-1980.205014/
IMG_9506 (resized).jpgI have asked this question, in more detail in the catacomb thread but figured I would see if anyone here has an ideas for the issues I have.
In a nutshell, every time a drop target bank is completed, the game adds 20000 points.
It also adds it in the bagatelle.
There isn't even anything in the game that awards 20000 points!
Any clues from anyone?
I realise it has done it the whole time I have owned it and for last owner, looking at their high score.
Thanks
Quoted from slochar:All of the drop banks do this? Can you pull the roms out and verify them in a burner?
Maybe you have a different version of the roms than what's commonly available.
Yes, all 4 drop target banks.
Can't pull roms out - they have same numbers as whats out there.
The other odd thing is that there are 3 rollovers in each bagatelle lane. On 3 lanes it's the third rollover that triggers the extra 20000.
On the last lane, it's the second rollover that gives the extra 20000.
Maybe a hard wired fault?
My Catacomb has the letters, not numbers on the grid, if that makes any difference.
Thanks
Quoted from TheLaw:WTF...makes no sense. 20K is MASSIVE!
No idea on this stuff but it's "gotta" be the ROMs
Roms pictured!
IMG_5763 (resized).jpgIMG_5765 (resized).jpgIMG_5766 (resized).jpgOk, not expecting many answers on this but here goes!
My Catacomb will 100% of the time award an extra 20000 points each time a drop target set completes. It shouldn't award anything except 1000 points per drop.
Putting an Alltek board in, the problem vanishes.
So, how on earth do I fix the Stern MPU board? Any idea which component might be responsible for the behaviour?
Thanks
Thanks - so it's basically early code?
I guess they decided it was too easy awarding 20000 for each set of drops.
My game is an early German version, with the letters, and I think the audits go back decades.
Quoted from Quench:Potentially yes. Looks like the German Stern ROM list for Catacomb may have started at version 25 - see page 3 of the below pdf.
It would be great if they could be dumped and the code preserved for the community.
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I agree as it changes the game totally scoring 20000 after completing a set of drops.
Wonder which version is most fun to play?
Quoted from Quench:The question is whether there's other differences in your version.
I will study the ruleset in more detail, but I haven't noticed anything else.
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Elkhart, IN