I've been thinking up a similar solution for the right orbit on my SW. I may try bending some piano wire and see what i can come up with. I replaced mine with a cliffy repro, which has helped... i still think there's a better solution though--something like what you were talking about.

Congrats!!! Mind sharing the price with us?

Just to throw my 2 cents in: i paid 700 for my Nine Ball about 2-3 years ago, and 900 for my Seawitch about 4-5 years ago... Both in players/routed condition, but i love them both. I don't forsee selling them any time soon.

Also, John Greatwich is in the process of making repro playfields for Seawitch...sounds like yours may be a good candidate for one.

Yeah, that was dumb. Not sure why i bothered posting that stuff since it's irrelevant to the modern pricing of these games. My bad.

Thanks, man! I hope this inspires you to take it to the next level. If you wind up making some, I'd love to buy one from you.

I was considering the same option of cutting into the side rail a bit to get it to rest flush. Figured I'd test it for a bit first to be sure before i make the cut. I'm also considered putting a small shim behind the metal ball guide to even it up with the gate instead of cutting a groove on the side rail. The curve on the gate definitely needs more work as well. Plus it'll need to be relocated a bit--at the moment it's anchored in one of the screw holes from the old metal-flap ball gate.

I'd also like to come up with a different, less visible location for the spring. I suppose the spring tension can also be adjustable, allowing the least resistance to the ball opening it, while closing quickly enough to allow the ball to roll back down the other side of it on a soft plunge.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Ah, good point. I'll have to make a notch in the side rail for the gate to rest in once i have a more finished design ready to go. Thanks for your help!

Someone more experienced can probably explain better, but i think it's a matter of the voltage at the displays getting fed back to the sdu and possiblly the mpu if a display is removed with power on. Never happened to me, but apparently it can make quite a mess of the boards if that happens. Any repair guides I've read have always made it very clear to avoid doing that. As the above posters have suggested, swap the displays with the game off and see if the problem moves with the display.

I'm sure plenty of us here are interested, it's a Quicksilver in very nice shape!

So, is the dibs buyer going to purchase the game?

I'm curious how they handled the shooter lane ball flap/loop guide on Beatles. It looks like they may have just put a one-way gate there. In fact, it appears that a soft plunge would send the ball down that odd little passage above the right slingshot and into play.

Well, he did start this thread...

Omg that's an amazing price! Hope you got it!

That big drop target mech has a total of 8 coils--a big one for resetting the bank, and 7 small relay-type coils used for dropping the targets. Unfortunately the mech is a pita to service, but it might need to be taken apart to check the small coils. If you should find a bad coil, i would check the associated driver transistor on the SDB and replace it if it's bad.

Also, the 2 metal 12-lamp boards under the playfield sit very close to the big drop target mech. I've seen electrical tape run in between the drop target mech and the lamp boards to prevent any potential shorting etc. Make sure there's no contact being made there, too.

What size/thickness piano wire is needed to make new lane guides for Seawitch and Nine Ball?

Perfect, thanks!!!!

Here's a thread that should be helpful: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-electronics-sling-arm-info

Looks like the Williams part A-12664 may be the closest option, since nobody has repro'd that part.

What's the difference between the type 1 and type 2 flipper bushings?

This is great info--thank you!

Another question about the bushings: does anyone know what lengths they are? I have a few different ones laying around and want to determine which i can use for my classic Stern's.

Where can i purchase some credit button stickers for my SW and NB? I'm talking about the round shiny blue decals that go around the credit button on the coin door.

IMG_20190725_084219.jpg

Thanks!! I saw they are also selling them on eBay. Just wanted to make sure they are the real deal. Gonna order them up today

Someone converted a Flash Gordon into a custom Ghostbusters machine and used a similar approach to RedKetchup for custom sounds, here's the link:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbusters-custom-pinball-inside-look#post-748212

Where is everyone buying flipper rebuild kits from? It seems the kits i bought from pinball life for my Seawitch 4-5 years ago are already starting to wear out. I began noticing at some point the flippers weren't moving back to their resting position sometimes. After trying a bunch of stuff, i swapped over the flipper mechs from my Nine Ball and that fixed the problem. Not sure if anyone else has had this experience with pinball life flipper rebuilds for these games, but it seems like a fairly short life span for the parts. Maybe that's par for the course these days, though.

Well, i gotta say that's definitely the case .

I'm gonna go ahead and order new plungers and stops. It'll save me a few bucks instead of getting the complete rebuilds.

Thanks for the responses!

I suppose Nine Ball might count?

Sometimes one bad display can affect the others in weird ways.

Before proceeding: it's critical you *never* unplug or plug in a display with the power on. You'll damage *lots* of stuff if you do. In addition to that, it's high voltage at the displays, so proceed with caution.

Power off, unplug all but one display. Power on and test display. If good, power off, plug in another display, power on and test, repeat. You may find most work, but there's one or more that don't work properly. Once you fix the bad ones, they should all hopefully begin working properly (or at least better, they may still have minor issues). There are a number of recommended fixes/upgrades for these displays, as described by other posters above. Don't worry about compatibility, either Stern/Bally will work fine.

Could potentially be a connector issue in that case. I'd still process this way and see if that reveals anything.

That is weird. So if you put the Harlem displays in the magic they all work fine? I would think that would rule out the mpu and connectors. Hard to imagine you have 5 bad displays. You said the Magic displays do nothing in the Harlem, but you also mentioned a Meteor. Have you tried the Magic displays in the Meteor or vice versa?

One other idea: have you tried clearing out all the audits? Not sure why, but apparently sometimes a factory reset can clear garbage out of the ram or something, which may be leading to this weird behavior. Does the game have a battery or NVRAM?

Could anyone tell me what type of bolts I'll need for attaching the head to the cabinet on a Stars? I think i have the pitch/diameter, just need to know the length.

Thanks!

Thanks guys! I was thinking of doing that but i figured if anyone had a bolt laying around i could get the info from them. I try to minimize the amount of backglass removals as much as possible

Anyone know where to get the parts to rebuild the chimes for Stars? I would like to get new grommets, sleeves, etc. The parts currently on the game look rigged up/not original so I'd like to get it all back in proper order.

I'll drop The Pinball Resource a line and see what they say. I'll report back with any info i receive.

Thanks!

Seawitch decals are available from pinsider topwif

He did a great job, mine look good as new after years of use. Highly recommend!

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!

Awesome, thanks for the quick response!

That looks great! I've never done any touch up with before, but I'm considering giving it a shot. Out to curiosity, what kind of paint did you use? Any specific brand or variety you can recommend?

Thanks a bunch! That's very informative!

Just got my Stars running recently and i love it!

The chimes are great, ripping both spinners is so satisfying, and chasing the 100k shot is a blast! I'd grab it while it's still available. I don't plan on letting mine go anytime soon. It'll eventually find it's home in my lineup next to my Nine Ball, another Steve Kirk masterpiece.

Btw, a quick update for anyone with a Stern game that uses a chime box: these are the parts the Pinball Resource recommended for rebuilding it. I bought the parts from them and they work great.

8x Gottlieb 2752 Grommet
8x Bally M122-24 Eyelet
4x Short bell sleeve (flanged coil sleeve)
4x Bally Plunger A550-6

IMG_20200411_184628.jpg

Go for it! You gotta start somewhere! I never thought I'd be up to doing board work, but with practice and patience i managed to get there. I still make mistakes sometimes, but I've come to learn a lot of mistakes can be fixed (even if the fix is a bit unsightly )

I've always wanted to order a set of those displays to assemble. Heck, I'll assemble them for ya if you can't seem to make it happen. (Of course that would mean sending them down here and back, but that's totally up to you--just thought I'd offer since I'm currently unemployed and enjoy that sort of work for the most part).....i think you can do it though. Just gotta have the right tools and a bit of practice.

Right on, man! Feel free to hit me up if you need any pointers or you want to take me up on that offer. Good luck!

Does anyone know where to get the upper backglass trim for Stars? I can't lock the backbox properly without it.

I think that's the one i need, but I'm not sure...my backglass was missing that piece when i got the game.

Here's the bracket that locks the backglass in place, the 2nd one kickabit posted:

IMG_20200515_130925.jpg

Good to know. I'll order up a piece next time I'm placing a parts order. I've also noticed a bit of wobble from the backglass when it's installed and locked, hopefully adding the trim will help reduce that. Thanks for the info!

What exactly is wrong with the drop target bank from your NB? Might have an easier time fixing yours than finding a replacement, but you never know. Good luck either way!

You can also try a couple layers of scotch tape on the surface of the coil stop, that's another easy way to determine if magnetism is your culprit.

Congrats!!! Stars has quickly become a favorite among my buddies, and it's an awesome game for multiplayer. Can't get enough of those spinner rips!!!

I just got to thinking this morning: we're approaching a point where our beloved classic Sterns will nearly be reproducible, brand new. As evidenced by a number of ambitious individuals on this thread, donor cabs + wiring harnesses + new playfields has been sufficient to convert some of the less desirable titles into beautiful new SG, QS, and more.

Following progress around the forums, it seems we're nearly at the point we'll be able to build these games *new*, though piecemeal.

Here's a new transformer from Homepin: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/homepin-official-thread-pinball-parts-machine-progress/page/87#post-5955243

New cabinets are here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/reproduction-classic-stern-cabinets-now-available

Third Coast Pinball seems to be the go-to for new wiring harnesses.

All new boards and displays are available from a number of sources, as well as playfields.

The only pieces left to the puzzle are game-specific parts, namely drop target banks (but I'm sure there's others in not thinking of). Even those seem to be coming along in this thread. Outside of that, i could see ball guide sets becoming available eventually as well. To my knowledge, many other targets and assemblies are available except kicker/slingshot arms.

Of course, there's still many other challenges, I'm sure (Catacomb bagatelle, for instance) and the chance of Viper or Iron Maiden and some others being remade seems slim due to low demand and more game-specific parts involved.

I'm sure I'm overlooking some important things, but i feel like we're headed in the right direction. I'm excited to see the day when we can buy (and build!) "new" Classic Sterns!

Make sure to file the new switch(es)! There's usually some coating or film on it that needs to be filed off for better contact. Also make sure the eos switch blades have a little tension against each other when closed.

If ordering from The Pinball Resource, this is what i got for my chime box for Stars based on their suggestions (and has been working great):

8x GTB-2752
8x Bally M122-24 Eyelet
4x Short bell sleeve
4x Bally Plunger A550-6 (Note from PBR: May be a little heavier)

Reset all your drop targets and see if the problem persists if you haven't already. That may give you another clue where to look of the problem goes away with all the drops reset. Definitely sounds like a wiring issue, or a diode installed backwards somewhere perhaps.

I've had similar experience with new sockets. At some point i discovered that filing the area of the socket you're attempting to solder to (using a metal file) can sometimes be enough to get it to take the solder. Any that still give trouble after that, i put a little dab of rosin paste flux on the area i filed and that will usually do the trick. Make sure the solder you're using has flux in it (most I've encountered do). I've also found some solders work better than others, especially in cases like this. I found Kester solder in particular to be good for this. The kind I've been using is 63% tin/37% lead with "44" rosin core.

I don't know if it's overkill, but i often do my lamp socket soldering/desoldering with a 100w solder gun. Makes very quick work getting things on/off. Have you tried higher heat? I also prep the sockets on my bench (get solder on both tabs) before i install them so there's minimal heat near the pf when it's time to re-solder the wiring. Usually makes the rest of the job a snap when reinstalling the sockets under the pf.

Are these arms universal between earlier games like Stars and later such as Seawitch and Nine Ball?

I know Viper isn't one of the more popular classic Stern's, but I think it's a cool game. I also have only tried it at a pinball show, but thought it was pretty fun and unique...not to mention the awesome artwork. Probably not a keeper in the long term based on others reviews, but I like weird games so who knows.

Congrats, that's an excellent find!

This looks great!! I really like the surface mount chips along with the extra mounting holes for 'regular-size' replacement chips if they should need to be replaced down the road. Excellent work!

This is very good practice, in my opinion. I don't power on any games I buy until I've gone over the basics first: verify fuses are correct rating and type (I'm yet to find a game that had all the correct fuses installed), then get on to upgrades/repairs on the rectifier & sdu, verify good voltages etc etc etc. I also like to leave the other boards unplugged until I have my voltages etc proper first. Pinwiki should have you covered

I also had some trouble with targets intermittently acting the same way, here was the fix I had posted to the Nine Ball Club:

I had this issue with 2 targets in my 8-bank after rebuilding and installing new drop targets. After many attempts to fix the issue, it turned out in my case to be the relays that knock down the targets needed to be adjusted. The armature of each relay has a tab at the end that the target rests on. The tabs on the armatures for the targets that were intermittently dropping needed to be raised or lowered to get them in line with the tabs for the armatures on the "good" targets. You'll need to pull the target bank out to get access to the parts you'll need to adjust.

Yep, exactly. I compared the problem ones with the working ones and carefully bent the tabs to try to match their position. Worked like a charm, thankfully!

That's them! Just need to bend them to get in line with the ones that are working properly...at least that's what fixed mine.

See how these couple look bent a bit to the right? Maybe it's just the camera angle, but they look a bit out of alignment. You may need to bring them back a little bit to the left (or the others are bent the wrong way and need to match those). Take careful note of which targets are dropping and compare the position of those tabs with the reliable targets. Good luck!
Screenshot_20211103-134917.png

FLASHBALL
Post a couple pics of the rest of the drop target assembly, maybe there's something else missing or in need of adjustment. Can't think of anything else

Looks like it could be binding up on the right side against the spinner bracket.

Screenshot_20220201-172807.png

The spinner bracket can be spread out a bit to stop the binding--one of the mounting holes on the bracket is usually elongated to provide some amount of adjustment. Unscrewing the 2 nuts that mount the spinner bracket to the posts should hopefully reveal an adjustment on the bracket. Here's the spinner on my Seawitch, you can see where the adjustment can be made by loosening the screw and moving that leg of the spinner bracket to or fro, then re-tightening:

PXL_20220201_223309769.jpg

Agreed--you can try swapping flipper coils and see if the problem moves with it.

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

That makes 2 of us!

They have it listed on their site now. I know because I requested it!

https://www.pinballlife.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=535-7419-00

Can anyone take a couple measurements from a flipper bushing for an MPU200 game for me please? The part number for the correct bushing is 4A-111-W-2. I suspect I have the wrong bushings installed in my Seawitch, but there's no marking on the parts so I'm unable to tell. Total length of bushing from top to bottom of the one I pulled out is approx 1+3/8" (the lens skews the perspective in the pic a bit, but I believe my measurement is accurate). I appreciate any help!

PXL_20221109_152655503.jpg

I tried using those spacers and they did help...but the problem returned soon after. If the bushing is correct, I'll have to take a closer look at the rest of the assemblies and see if there's something else that might be amiss...

Thanks for the response!

Pinsider Terrapin Mark has a complete one listed on the Allentown buy/sell thread: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinfest-2023-buy-sell-trade-want-no-hotel-talk/page/7#post-7449440

I own both and won't hesitate to recommend Stars over Seawitch. I still really like my Seawitch, but if it had to be one or the other I know Stars would be the winner.

I'd re-pin the female connector J4 at the SDU. I find connector problems so frequently on these games that I'll usually re-pin most (or all) of the 0.100 connectors in the backbox.

I would be tempted to give that pair their own little section with some tall plants and decor to really give it that "jungle" aesthetic

Congrats!!!

Good catch!

Congrats!!! Repro playfields were floating around for a minute, might be a few still up for grabs. Try CPRs site if you're looking. Mine has a rough playfield but it plays awesome. Clean it up and play the hell out of it

I have a little test light that does exactly what you describe--super helpful for troubleshooting lamp issues. Also helpful for testing switches!

PXL_20230605_133645807.jpg

PXL_20230605_134014875.jpg

Is the capacitor on the tilt bob present? If so, try clipping one leg off and see if that corrects it. The left spinner and tilt bob share the same switch strobe in the schematics (ST0, the first vertical column in the following diagrams)--even though they're on separate pages...the playfield switch matrix:

Screenshot_20230714-223650.png
...and the cabinet switch matrix:

Screenshot_20230714-223630.png

A lot of times, these kinds of switch matrix problems can be figured out by looking at the related switches as corners of a square. In this case, we have the left spinner + rollover switch as the 2 'corners' but then what are the other 2 corners (marked in red)?Screenshot_20230714-223650.png

They are both labeled with stars to indicate that they're used--but they're on the cabinet switch matrix diagram:
Screenshot_20230714-223630.png

So take a good close look at coin switch #3 to make sure it's not stuck and is wired correctly (note the coin switch doesn't have a diode--that is normal)... Also check the tilt bob, and roll tilt assemblies. Make sure the diode is correctly oriented there, and clip the capacitor if you haven't tried it already.

You've got to be close to solving this one!

Is your soldering iron temp controlled? May need to crank up the heat a bit if it's not hot enough to melt the solder on the board.

When running LEDs with an Alltek driver, you have to run a wire from the board to the controlled lamp power bus (might be easiest to connect to a socket where the power line attaches). Instructions are printed on the lamp driver: Screenshot_20231127-064831.png

Another thing that might be worth trying is flipping the back plate of the drop target bank. Sometimes if it's put on the opposite way it originally was installed, you can get weird behavior (it has symmetrical slots and holes, so it's possible to be installed 2 ways)...

Part 1B-481-3:

Screenshot_20240405-005315.png