So I was going to swap out the coin reject's from yellow to blue in Tron. I opened up the door, and two of the hex screw/bolts that hold the front face of the coin door are sunken into the plastic housing, so I can't possibly get a socket around the bolt. Any ideas on how to remove them?
Here is a pic:
Hmm good idea, too bad I don't own one... I guess I got another tool to buy. I was wondering how they got it in there in the first place, and that's probably my answer. Thanks Lloyd.
^^ Ditto. ^^
I hate those screws on Happ doors and face plates. Would be nice if you could remove them with a Phillips screw driver, not just the ones above the reject button (what's up with that?!?).
^^good question^^
unless they are sub-assemblies sourced from different vendors, it would seem that it would be easier for stern as well
Grrr, so I bought a set of nut driver's and it still won't grab that damn bolt! Any other ideas? This shit is ridiculous, just want to replace the ugly yellow acceptors with blue ones.
1. Use a bench grinder to narrow (grind) down the head of the nut driver.
2. Hard to tell from the pics, but I bet I could get it with the right size wrench from an ignition wrench set.
3. Needle nose pliers.
Some games get flat washers for those screws, some don't. Yours obviously didn't.
use a dremel, cut a slot in the top of the bolt, use standard flat screwdriver to remove, easy-peasy
Unfortunately there are problems with all of these suggestions, but keep them coming, please!.
1. I think the heated up socket would cause damage to the plastic around it, not willing to risk that.
2. The bench grinder suggestion sounds nice, but unfortunately I don't have any tools like that.
3. I looked at some pics of ignition wrenches, but they didn't seem much different from a normal wrench, and there just isn't enough leverage of the exposed part to grip it.
4. Not enough room to get a good enough grip to actually turn the damn thing, the bolt is in super tight, so that doesn't help things.
5. No way to use a dremel in that tight area without damaging the plastic.
Thanks guys! I'm really stuck here on what to do. I might just have to live with the yellow acceptors, but that's really annoying since I already bought the blue ones, and every other Stern I have doesn't have this damn issue!
Quoted from flashburn:1. I think the heated up socket would cause damage to the plastic around it, not willing to risk that.
I understand ,how about heating a flat screwdriver and flattening the protruding plastic ridge?
Just press and slide lightly to move the plastic allowing socket access.
If you have room to get in there with a drill and small drill bit---and if you have good drilling skills--you might be able to drill a small hole into the bolt head and use an EZ Out to pull it. A lot will depend on how large of diameter the bolt shank is.
Quoted from tomdotcom:I would just file down a socket so the wall is thinner...simple
I would, but I really don't have any tools to do that I don't think. I do have a dremel though, so perhaps with the right attachment I can do it. I'll see what I got. I'd rather damage the cheapo nut driver I have than the actual game, so this sounds like the first thing I should try.
Quoted from RobKnapp:Buy Cointaker 555 Ultra Bright blue LED x2 . And replace the 555 that light-up the coin mech.
This is no solution. The plastic is still the wrong color and it doesn't look the same adding more of the light behind the wrong color.
When I did mine, I think they came out with a 3/16 Kline socket driver I had from pinballlife. I remember having one so far in the driver couldn't grab it. I may have cut some plastic back to get to it. Are all the screws on yours this way or just a couple?
Get the magnetic nut driver, they are worth their weight in gold. Ever have the PF up and your taking a hex head screw out of a socket holder and you hear a PLOP-Tink or PLOP and no TINK? That screw just disappears into the mass of wires and mech. parts. Been there, done that until I got that driver set.
I don't see how a magnetic nut driver would help in this situation, since I can't get a grip on the bolt head, regardless if the driver was magnetic or not. I'm going to attempt grinding down the outer wall of the nut driver, and see if I can get it to fit.
Needle nose vice grips? The angle is different than regular needle nose pliers and might allow you to grip it when you can't with pliers. Those things have saved me from going ballistic while fixing a machine more than once.
I use these on the job all the time. When you pull out a bit to get to the 1/4 nut driver, you are left with a very thin sleeve that would probably fit over your bolt head. You might have to get a bit creative getting in there to turn it, but this is by far the thinnest nut driver you will find.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B0015SBILG/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0
Quoted from charm86:I use these on the job all the time. When you pull out a bit to get to the 1/4 nut driver, you are left with a very thin sleeve that would probably fit over your bolt head. You might have to get a bit creative getting in there to turn it, but this is by far the thinnest nut driver you will find.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B0015SBILG/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0
Nope, unfortunately those are 1/4" and this bolt head is 3/16", won't work, I tried anyway.
Quoted from pinwillie:use your soldering iron to carefully melt the plastic around the screw. this might allow the nutdriver to grab the head of the screw.
Not a bad idea.
I am wondering if that screw isn't recessed, but rather who ever assembled it went overboard shooting it in and sunk it into the plastic.
LTG : )
Went ahead and melted the plastic with a soldering iron. I actually had to melt quite a bit more than I expected, but whatever, mission accomplished! I still wasn't able to grab it with the nut driver, but it allowed me to get enough of a grip with needle nose pliers to turn it enough so that I could use the nut driver.
Quoted from flashburn:I actually had to melt quite a bit more than I expected, but whatever, mission accomplished! I still wasn't able to grab it with the nut driver,
Nothing a flat washer wont fix. 
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Hopkins, MN
Using a propane torch heat the end of the socket till it gets hot ,quickly line it up with the hex and start removing it fast, as not to melt too much plastic! 
Kamloops, BC
