Well i'm in (sort of), machine is on the way and can't wait to get hold of it, will post some pics when the mother ship arrives

The Mother ship "landed" today and for the money i paid i'm really stoked ($2900 Aus dollars). The machine is in quite good condition, not the best i've seen but surely not the worst. Cabinet is in good shape, no broken plastics/ramps, decals still good, translite perfect and the playfield is excellent apart from a little wear around the stroke of luck hole. After playing it all afternoon i have noticed that sometimes it has a quick glitch in the volume (very brief, bit like static, but louder than the regular volume) but apart from that it's all good. First order of business is to update the software as it's still running version 1.1 and then some Leds all round. Not quite taken with the yellow T- moulding so might change that too. I did come across a mod site once that were selling Led saucers with a multiple choice of patterns for the green Led's but cant seem to find it again!!. Anyone got any ideas for mod's, etc??

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Yes it could be, can it be turned off??

Thanks arpman for your tips and the links. I understand what amplifying something means but i'm just curious as to what benefits the video amplifier has?

OK, being new to this machine i'm not familar with it's quirks as yet. If i leave my RFM turned on for a length of time the monitor seems to turn itself off (goes dark, even if i start a game). The game still plays as per normal though and if i turn the machine off and back on, the monitor comes back on as per normal. Is this some kind of power saving feature?? or is my monitor or something else going dodgy??. Any help would be greatly appreciated, even to the point of some Home Brew Honey Bourbon Hand Out's

Right, scratch part of my question on the previous post, there is Definitely something wrong with the monitor or associated parts. I dont know enough about this machine to track it down though. It does this :- after turning the game on and the initial boot all seems fine, sometimes there is a clicking noise and this manifests on the screen as what i can only describe as "Ripples", after a short while (and the time varies), the screen goes dark. Nothing is affected with the game play so it's all about the monitor. It's almost like a dodgy starter in a fluoro!! Anyone had this problem before??

Thanks Pinfidel, any idea where i can get a chassis cap kit from to suit these monitors?

Hi Silverunicorn, it's a Wells Gardner 19K7302, i have tracked down a cap kit for it and ordered, just gotta wait to get it and then do the discharge bit !!

I tried ordering one of those led tubes, the site said it couldnt be posted to Aus

This is just a crazy idea, but couldn't you "slot" the holes where the ends screw to the main metal part so they can be moved inwards further, hence reducing the gap??

Hi Guys, Firstly, can i say, Pinfidel, TY mate, i very much appreciate you taking the time and FAITH, to buy, and then send the LED tube BEFORE getting any payment from me, that's bloody awesome. The tube turned up (bubble wrapped enough to survive a mini nuke) and it is EXCELLENT. The difference between the fluoro is quite noticeable and, of course, the LED tube will be far better physically on my translite (all the more reason being a new translite). There was a slight difference in size (as has been pointed out by some people on here), but i put that down to good Ol' Chinese construction (it is getting better let's be real, Japanese produced electronics were once ridiculed as shite too). It is sad to hear to that some people that bought these tubes had failures but i can only guess that these people were just unlucky. I must also point out that i agree entirely with Pinfidel that if you bend the ballast ends in (the metal part), it will fix the problem with the gap between the tube ends. I personally just got a bit anal with it and felt that "maybe" doing this "may" change the angle of the ballast contact points so my solution was this :-
I used my trusty Dremel tool and cut off the end (on the right side) close to (or just in from) the inner point, trimmed the cut off part flush, and then Mig welded it back on, about 5-6mm in total (but i recommend measuring your original fluoro up against the LED tube and noting the difference in size between the outside of the pins). That's about it really, if you don't have access to a mig welder then i also think you could glue a plastic spacer to the back of one ballast, but you would need to leave a small "cut out gap" at the back so the plastic "pin" can seat behind it. I will just point out that bending the ballast ends in should work just as well, it came down to my own "preference" in the end. I have attached some pics, but ask any questions if you guys need to !!
END NOTE "I LOVE THE LED"

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I'm not sure if something is missing from my machine, but the key lock to the left of the coin door doesn't seem to serve any purpose at all. The cam inside doesn't actually lock into place anywhere. I assumed it was to stop the lockdown bar ratchet from moving but the cam on mine doesn't touch the mechanism or slot into place anywhere at all. What's the go guys?, has something been removed or changed on my machine that i'm not aware of?

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I agree, it does make sense and after reading your explanation, the reason why mine was just spinning uselessly around and making no contact became clearly (and embarassingly obvious) The lock down bar handle had been bent inwards towards the back of the cabinet, hence not making any contact. Easiest fix in pinball history (well, mine, anyway). TY

I haven't had my machine for that long myself but i recall reading a post about the lamp matrix error before. From memory, the machine will do this when regular bulbs have been changed to LED's and won't effect the machine. As for the drop target switch error, i have seen something about this before too but can't remember the reason behind it.

Bit of an update on my machine. FINALLY got the monitor problem sorted and machine is back to normal operation. The flyback transformer on the chassis was knackered and i got super lucky by picking up a NOS chassis board I've got a bunch of bits on the way, including, updater card from Rob @ Lockwhenlit (should be here in the next few days), some pretty cool looking target decals, and a spaceship topper (it's for an AFM, but i'm hoping i can still use it), the same saucer mod as Toucanf16, some modded martians and last but not least some Galaxian green T-molding to replace that yellow (i unashamedly stole/borrowed/copied that idea from Pinfidel ) I will post a pic or 2 when it's all attached.

Pics or it didn't happen!!, and here they are >>> to revise :- Updated to version 1.6, some NICE target decals (although the set didn't include enough for all the targets more to be ordered), spaceship topper (which was super easy to adapt for this machine), those TASTY saucer mods (from pinsider applejuice), modded jiggling martians and the Galaxian Green T molding (which i thank Pinfidel for giving me the idea )

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From a guy on Fleabay (from the US), i quite like them, they are a tad oversize for the targets but i haven't had any issues so far. They are also thicker than most target decals but i haven't noticed any difference in the the game play (as far as weird bounce off the targets, etc). The only gripe is there wasn't enough decals in the set to do all the targets.

The glass is a special reflective type which is available still (about $250-$300) depending where you get them from. You should be able to get them from a glass company but the price would still be comparable i would think.

It's one BIG island !!
but YEP Mark still has some in stock.

To be honest, it's far easier to do via PUB card, takes bugger all time !!

If you have the original RFM PC unit in your machine then the PUB card fits into a vacant slot inside the metal box behind your translite (basically like a female JAMMA connector). Has your PUB card got the most recent update on it though?

I've never played AFM, don't know anyone who's got one around here and SURE not spending MEGA bucks (9-10 grand Oz money) to find out how the 2 compare
On a side note, i LOVE my RFM and all my non pinhead mates who play it get stuck into it BIG TIME. Out of all my machines it's the one people play first and, usually, either stick with or come straight back to after dabbling with the others!!

And it's still working a treat mate!! TY again

Like the one i've got on my machine? See pics on page 6 of this thread.

I've got green super bands on mine but black flippers. I'd go clear with the red flippers myself

I'll be really interested to see what you come up with Design post haste PLEASE !!

Liking it so far. If you could light the whole tower, i agree, it would enhance the overall look. Where were you considering hiding the UV light?
Any other mods in the pipeline for RFM?

I'm glad you highlighted this
I would also add >> MAKE SURE your free hand is NOT touching anything it can ground on, tuck it into a back pocket, whatever. It's only a precaution but a sensible one. Also be prepared for a noise (slight crack), which will occur if the monitor has been used within the last 12 hours or so (can vary). These CRT monitors do discharge if not used for some time and you may not hear anything at all but i still recommend doing this procedure twice.

For the neck board removal, pull back gently (at first anyway) without any lateral movement, this is to ensure you don't bend the pins!

They are sure JAMMED in that space

WOW, gotta take the bowling balls out and just use regular pinballs
I've never seen this happen in all my time owning machines, but i do replace the bats when they get cracked though. That's an epic fail of the plastic that !!

Yep i have, check out the pics on page 6 of this thread. Considering my machine had PUCE yellow T molding when i bought it the choice of Galaxian Green made a world of difference. I'm very bias when i say that i prefer the green over the stock red

I think it was dark on purpose, but don't quote me on it. Although the playfield glass is reflective at that end i'm not sure adding extra lighting would be the right thing to do.

Do you mean the metal pop up flap that balls launch off or the ball catcher assembly itself? The ball catcher switch may not be registering the hit from the ball. I found with my machine that over time the switch went out of whack and i needed to readjust it, it was basically on all the time instead of only activating when the ball hits the perspex and knocks the assembly back onto the switch.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, been flat chat busy lately on various projects. Take off the black plastic cover (2 screws) that sits behind the catcher assembly (pic 1) and then you can easily access the switch. The assembly should be in the correct position anyway as it has a spring that pushes it forward (bottom/middle on the 2nd pic). Have a good look at the mounted switch, does it have any broken wires? If the wiring looks ok, check to see if the switch activates (makes a clicking noise) when you manually push the top of the assembly back. If not, the tab on the switch is bent backwards somewhat, which will cause the switch to be on all the time and hence not register when the ball hits the assembly. There's usually not a great deal of play in the assembly, perhaps 1/4 of an inch at a guess. If the switch seems alright it may be a loose plug or the diode might be gone (doubt that one). You can also check in the switch test to see if it's working (switch number 75).

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LOL, you haven't heard the half of it MP Happy to oblige.

There is usually a label on the chassis board telling you which type (either Wells Gardner or Ducksan) and also my machine has a label behind the translite on the left strut that holds the fluoro tube. You will also find the brightness and adjustment controls in the middle behind the translite. YUP, caps can make a big difference to how good the image is (or not having an image at all) and that is all the caps on the chassis board. A full cap kit will replace all of them!! but you need to know your chassis type and number before getting a cap kit. There is another way to adjust brightness, although if you're not familiar with CRT monitors i advise EXTREME caution tinkering behind the monitor. The anode cap (rubber cap) is a BIG NO GO AREA and also the board attached to the neck of the CRT. Caps of course can and do hold charge as well. On the flyback transformer there are 2 black knobs, one adjusts brightness and the other is for focus. If the other brightness control makes little difference you can adjust the flyback brightness knob but only use small increments, just be bloody careful !!

Well that's made my mind up about the Led T molding, i'll pass on this option. Don't get me wrong, those machines look great, just too much red on the RFM for my personal preference and i think it's also the reflection off the blades that doesn't blow my hair back

That's more than likely MP. Arcade PCB boards don't fair well sitting around unpowered for long periods of time either. Daytona USA is one that comes to mind straight away, should be fired up at least every month!

If he does....hmmmmm.........wonder what the odds are on winning twice?

Wonder how much the aliens get charged for getting their spaceships chromed

The competition is ON .... before it's even been announced

I was under the impression it's meant to be dark back there so the image is more easily seen from the CRT

1. May be due to the foam behind the targets being worn although sometimes air balls just happen anyway.
2. Is it binding on anything? Check the mechanism to see if it's catching somewhere. As far as i know it's not adjustable, it's either up or down.
3.The catch assembly doesn't have foam anywhere that i know of. The whole assembly is spring loaded, when pushed back manually does it move freely? It should push back about 10cm (approx) and then return. Sometimes the ball can deflect off this in a weird way, pretty normal.
4. I agree with Zitt, i'm almost 100% positive that's how it's meant to be.

Heat gun method works a treat Are you planning on keeping the same red T-molding? the machine looks good with Galaxian green

Just go with whatever colour pleases you I have black bats with green superbands mainly cause the green matches with my green T-Molding.

+ 1 from me. Cool Mod that's been engineered very well and options on saucer colours. That reminds me, must do the software update, need to borrow a lappy.

Geeez, got me thinking now. It was a year or more ago i think, only been one update as far as i'm aware. I don't have a lappy, only a desktop and bringing the machine to the PC or visa versa is a pain in the arse

The one that Pinfidel added a link to was a drop in replacement and needed NO modifications, i got one myself (which Pinfidel kindly purchased and sent over to me), why some people bought these and had trouble with i have no idea, mine is still working fine after a few years. It is possible the specs were changed or perhaps some peoples machines were set up somehow differently, you wouldn't expect so BUT it does happen

I think it's just a standard one trimmed shorter isn't it?

Like the sound of those, would match my Galaxian green T-Molding nicely Just clicked on the link, international shipping available?

If it was just the image playing up on the CRT i'd suggest that the chassis board may need some work but that sure wouldn't effect the flippers

Another vote for this option, did this myself, easy to do and no stuffing around trying to upload from a lappy

I'm still a big fan of keeping the machine CRT if at all possible, some will agree, some won't. Is the monitor itself bad? or the chassis needs repair? If you look back through this thread i'm pretty sure people have mentioned the process involved in changing the machine over to LCD/LED, and from what i remember reading it's not a majorly difficult job to do. Whatever you decide on it's an awesome, fun game

The focus adjustment is on the flyback transformer itself and generally speaking, if the screen doesn't become clear using this then the flyback is going/gone bad. I agree, CRT's can be scary but once you know the do's and dont's they aren't that bad to work on. I'm not sure if there is a replacement flyback for either the Wells Gardner or the Ducksan chassis so sounds like swapping to LCD may be the option if you can't find a chassis replacement.

Mine is still CRT so i'm not the best person to guide you on that, but others in this thread have changed over so hopefully they can give you some tips.

If you have tried adjusting the focus pot on the flyback (one of the 2 on there, the other is for brightness) and it doesn't make any improvement to the screen quality at all then i can only assume the flyback is bad. I had a Super Off Road machine that had a bad flyback, did exactly the same thing.

The monitor chassis could be repaired but i'm not sure if you can get a replacement flyback for that model, and from memory i can't recall the model number. Not too long after i bought my RFM the Wells Gardner chassis flyback died but i was extremely lucky in tracking down a NOS chassis of the same model. I know that quite a few WG flyback's have been reproduced just not sure about this one, and also not sure about the Ducksan chassis flyback, RFM's used both brands of monitor chassis.
As i stated in a previous post i'm a fan of keeping the CRT...IF at all possible, if that's not feasible then your only option is to go flat screen, either LCD or LED.

That's fair enough and that suggests to me that replacement Fly's aren't available, Borygard is far more knowledgeable than myself. Put it this way, everything else on a chassis board is pretty much either repairable or replaceable but some Flyback's just don't exist anymore that i'm aware of, and that part is a major one. I'm only commenting using my preference as a guide, in the future it's most likely i will have to go down the LCD pathway too

Just as a matter of interest, i have a couple of arcade 19" tubes that have issues, one has a shorted yoke and the other one has no neck glow (blown heater i believe). I know you can swap yokes but can the one with the blown heater be fixed?

You can buy adhesive backed thin felt strip to go on the edge of the playfield which helps to prevent scratching on mirror blades. You can still get scratching on the Pingraffix style also i might add. I had a set on my STTNG ages ago and then changed to mirror blades...... both ended up getting scratch marks

You can buy degaussing wands, about $25 over here. They work fine on any arcade monitors, sometimes takes a couple of passes to get it right.

Hmm true, good point!! Supposed to work in a circular motion from the center to the outside and sweep away so to speak..... With the amount of room either side that could be difficult.

That's fairly common for this machine to be worn/broken around the stroke of luck hole. A Cliffy protector "should" cover most of that damage'

Do my eyes deceive me or is there a hole in the cab mid point just below the rail?

Shows how long it's been since i've had the head off my machine, LOL...ummmm continue on, nothing to see here

Well i've just played my last few games of RFM......for now, i have sold my machine and soon it will be going off to it's new owner. I just want to thank all the guys who have been most helpful in this thread during the time i have owned this machine, with tech help, mod suggestions and general support, and hopefully i've been able to reciprocate in the same manner. I decided in the last few months that i wanted to buy my first ever NIB machine and Iron Maiden ticks the boxes for me, so not having a big heap of available cash reserves something has to go in the list to part fund it I will still hover around in the thread and keep in touch, hopefully one day i may get hold of another machine. Cheers RFM fans, it's been a blast

Cheers Paul, yeah i'll still be around mate and quite likely i will regret the decision to sell this particular pin, i've had a lot of fun with it over the years. I've always wanted to experience buying a NIB machine, only ever had 2nd hand B/W and Sterns and the timing seems about right to achieve this. I guess part of my reasoning is that if i decide i'm not keen on IMDN further down the track then i will be able to trade back for possibly 2 good B/W's, having already at least played the Pro i kinda doubt that but hey, the future is the future I will definitely still hover around the club and if i feel i can add anything relevant i may still pipe up but most likely it's just a back seat role. As you know there is a wealth of knowledge in most club threads and a sense of community spirit to help out your fellow machine owners that is sometimes lacking in other threads.

This in itself seems a bit suspicious. It isn't necessary to cut the fly back wire to remove the chassis from the machine. I'm just wondering if the fly back wire was cut because the fly back itself was toast? I've seen this done before as a preventive measure so other people don't fire them up and potentially set stuff alight. I could be wrong about this, but once cut it's not a simple matter of re-soldering the wire back together due to the high voltages.

Yes you can remove the chassis while keeping the CRT tube in the machine. There will be a couple of plugs to remove (they should all have connector plugs unless it has been previously fiddled with), being the chassis 110V power, the RGBSyncGND plug and the neck board from the CRT itself. Removing the neck board has to be done carefully so you don't damage the pins on the end of the CRT neck so if you're unsure of the method i would recommend googling how this is done. And i always discharge again before removing the anode cap, even if you have already discharged previously, always better to be sure when dealing with those high voltages. I can't give you a major run down on the chassis removal cause it's been a long time since i have done this on my RFM and i no longer have this machine in my collection. I still say CRT is the way to go with this machine when and wherever it is possible
EDIT : There may also be a ground plug with 1 pin that goes to the neck board, other side attaches to the degauss wire section of the CRT. (Again, i can't recall if there was one on my machine's CRT tube but a lot of CRT tubes do have this)

That could also be a bad solder joint on the brightness control pot (on the monitor chassis board). Easy way to test that is to have someone lightly tap that pot whilst viewing the screen and see what happens.

It turned me into a Newt........i got better

DAMN you Applejuice ,wishing i had not sold my RFM now Seriously though...absolutely awesome work man!!!!

I don't have the machine any more but mine definitely had the tilt bob on the LHS of the cab, far as i know that is standard across most B/W machines. It's always "interesting" to see what people do over time to their machines, aka hacks
The first pin i ever bought was BOP and both bolts for the headbox brackets were leg bolts and that's mild in comparison to what others have reported in various club threads

It's possible that export machines had the tilt bob on the left, US machines on the right, or visa versa, whichever the case may be. I'm not sure if my machine was an export originally though unfortunately

9 out of 10 times it's the monitor chassis board that will have gone and not the monitor itself. The chassis boards can be repaired! I don't have this machine any more but i will always advocate keeping the machine CRT whenever it is still possible.

Possibly the pot is on the way out, they do go dodgy over time. You could try reflowing the solder on the 3 pot legs. Could be a different issue with the chassis board but that would be my first thought. The pots are readily available if you need to change one over, just remember to get the correct ohm rating.

That does sound suspiciously like a possible broken leg on the pot yeah, might be broken through but the two sides still kind of touching each other. Resistors like any component can go bad over time but i'm thinking the pot is the main culprit. I think adding the video amp isn't too hard to do, didn't have one on my machine when i owned it though so others in the club will be able to provide more precise info. I've said it many times in the club...KEEP the CRT if at all possible

Sits to the left of the center targets? I may have a repaired one somewhere, from memory mine was broken in half and it was re-glued and braced from underneath. It's been a while but i'm fairly sure i got a spare new one from somewhere

You should only need to replace that particular pot, but make sure the ohm value is the same as the original. I had a similar issue with a remote board like this on a Leyland Super OffRoad machine, started off with the picture not holding and on closer inspection i realised the pot was cracked through one side above the leg. Once i changed the pot to a new one it was good as gold. I'm not sure what the Ohm value is on that particular pot, they do vary across the board, not always the same ohm rating. Usually the value is printed on the pot somewhere, sometimes on the edges of the body, sometimes on the adjustment side.

Even touching the adjustment part of the pot if it's going/gone bad would create effects on the screen (lines, etc) I'm not sure if those numbers in your pic 52, 25 are the values and i don't have my machine any more to confirm for you. Do you know what type of monitor and board you have in the machine? usually they are either Wells Gardner or Ducksan. From your earlier pic showing most of the remote board it looks like it may be a Ducksan. There will be others in the club who can confirm what value pot you will need. The 52 "could" stand for 520K but i can't be positive on that.

Shouldn't you only need to have the correct ohm value and the same leg pattern, usually in a tri leg pattern but the distance between the legs can be smaller or larger?? All i did for the Super Offroad remote board was match the ohm value to the particular pot i was changing and got the matching leg size as close as possible (these can be slightly bent inwards/outwards if needed) and it worked 100%. Must admit i don't have any experience with the Ducksan board but i would have thought the basics would be the same?
These are the style i used for the SOR board, link is for the 500k though.
https://www.altronics.com.au/p/r2485b-500k-5mm-top-adjust-trimpot/

msj2222 Ok did a bit of googling and it appears that the remote board in question is a Wells Gardner K7300 series. The code number on the remote board matches the code at the end of the page in this link. If the number on the Vertical hold pot is correct in the picture then this info might come in handy (scan down the page to see the trimpot code listing), according to the references it is a 200k pot but i would still be checking the values by testing.
https://www.arcade-museum.com/manuals-monitors/Wells-Gardner_K7300_series_repair.pdf

Try messaging applejuice i know he has some chassis boards for sale and may be able to help you out with a spare or even a changeover maybe?
I would replace the pot for you but it wouldn't be worth the cost of posting to me and back again, the pots themselves are worth bugger all. The other thing is i wouldn't be able to confirm the pot changeover is the main culprit as i don't have the machine any more to test it in. I'm still fairly confident that is the problem though. Hopefully someone your side of the pond can help you out.

No worries at all i just hope you can get it sorted. Until someone tells me that i'm totally wrong (and that's quite possible ) i'm still of the opinion that any tri leg pot that has the same value as the suspected bad one (and pretty sure the Vertical hold is 200k) will be fine to replace. I don't think you need to have a pot that is from the same/original manufacturer, the ohm value is the most important factor and the watt rating will be consistent i think. I didn't need to source an "original" pot for my Super Offroad remote board, just matched the ohm rating as previously mentioned and that worked fine!

Yep they should be fine, 1/2 watt seems to be the norm for these and the Ohm value is correct according to Ken's write up (and the code number on your board definitely matches the code number in his write up also, it's the same board i'm sure). The distance between the legs can be altered by slightly bending, only really needs a few mm of the tip of the leg anyway to go through the thickness of the board to be soldered. Ideally you would use a solder sucker to remove the old solder from the original pot which would then virtually fall away from the board. The main thing is NOT to apply too much heat to the board for too long, if you do you can potentially stuff the "tracks" of the board.

Most likely will be the chassis board that needs repair

Pinball Life have them, possibly other places too.

I don't have this machine any more so i can't recall which type of socket these are but if they are the 555 wedge type then make sure the metal blades inside the socket itself are reasonably close together and i also find that spreading the wire on the LED (if you have Leds) to the outside of the body will ensure better contact. It's more than likely a contact issue rather than a failure i'm thinking.