Thanks for that tip Nosro.

Would something like this be a good option if it could be found in an 18" length?
DO NOT BUY THIS! This bulb is 4' long. Just thought it was really cool to take more heat off the machine and the translite. Any thoughts on this?

http://www.amazon.com/BestLed-Warranty-Equivalent-Fluorescent-Replacement/dp/B00K2IWDIC/ref=sr_1_7

This could be a good inexpensive alternative to dull the light coming your current fluorescent.
http://www.amazon.com/DC-Fix-3460276-Self-Adhesive-Window/dp/B007B9PQ5W/ref=sr_1_10

Or you could try tinting film. Just wrap it right around the light bulb.

I REALLY like the idea of the LED tube. It would be great if you could post a link for everyone who may be interested in buying one to see.

How's about my idea of wrapping the tube with the "Pearl Self Adhesive Window Film" in my previous post with the Amazon link? That will not only filter the light, but with the different facets so to speak in the film, it may also redirect it in multiple places and disperse the light that shines through even better.

Any thoughts?

I'll be back on in a couple hours. Gotta run some errands. Looking forward to reading responses. Thanks all!

Well, I bought the tube. It should be here in a few days thanks to Amazon Prime.

Now, because I am an ANAL SOB, (LOL) I took a nice RFM, and decided to make it perfect. I have stripped the entire cabinet down, I bondo'd all imperfections, sanded it baby bottom smooth and painted the whole thing inside and out with 2 coats of paint. I'm now waiting for the decals to be made and shipped to me. After I install them, the game cabinet will look mint. I also took all the hardware and painted it with a black metallic fleck paint to give it a cool, spacey, Mars look, feel and effect. They really came out nice and I'll try to get some pics up soon.

The first thing to do when experience monitor problems is usually a full chassis cap kit. That solves like 75% of all monitor problems. After that, I'd replace the flyback.

Good luck.

http://www.therealbobroberts.net/

He is the best by far. Only thing that stinks is that you place and order and then you have to send him a check or money order. Out dated way of doing things, but that's the only way he does orders. The site is confusing too. But just find the EXACT model number on your chassis and then look it up and order. If you have any questions, you can ask via e-mail. They are usually quick to respond. Good luck.

Hi guys.

So, I finally got my RFM all up and running. I'm just waiting on that decal set. But I had to put it back together to play it. I mean, those decals are supposed to be here next week, what if they get delayed? I can't wait that long. LOL

Anyway, I installed the tube light and I tell you, it's a MUST have. Not only does it burn a lot cooler but it shines perfectly across the entire translite without reflecting off the PF glass. Additionally, it hooks right into the existing ballast. No modifications or connections are needed. AND, once it's in, you can actually turn the whole light and point it where you want. I actually have mine pointing about 60 degrees upward. It's perfect. Doesn't blind you either. You will love this light.

Here's the link...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00852A8SO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Now a trouble shooting question for you guys. My right martian is not moving at all. I put a tiny bit of oil on my finger and spread it all around the linkage arm to see if that would free it up more and get it working. No dice. Any ideas what I can do to get it working? I'm thinking maybe it's just a weak coil. I could feel the coil working when I was touching it in the martian mode. It moved up and down a tiny bit, but that was all. What do you guys think? Thanks.

^^^ Highly recommended.

The new speakers really sound nice. I never heard the old ones in my machine because I tore it apart the second I walked in the door. But these sound great.

Installing the new ones (as recommended in the thread) required some work. For starters, the speakers are yellow. So, I took them and sprayed them with the metallic black fleck paint that I painted the rest of the hardware with. Anyone can spray paint them with a spray can. I recommend using a flat black spray paint as it will help to conceal the speakers. Flat means no sheen/shine in the paint.

Also, the speaker grill no longer fits on the machine. You won't be able to screw the 3 lower torx security screws into the magnet shield. The inside top lip of the grill was hitting the curve of the speaker. I took out my Dremmel with a cutter blade and I notched out the grill some more. After I did that, it fit right in.

Lastly, do NOT use the supplied speaker screws. They are too long and will go through the speaker panel. You don't want that. I used some small stainless steel screws and painted them as well. You can do the same with the spray paint. Just get a piece of cardboard and pop the screws into it. That will hold the screws up for you. Then you can give them a couple of nice coats of paint. If you should scratch them after you screw them in, take a cheap paint brush. Even a kids paint set brush is fine. No brushes? Use a tooth pick. Take the brush or t-pick and spray paint the end of it. Then dab the head of the screw with it and it will look perfect again.

Yes. It manually moves no problem. I thought maybe the coil sleeve just needed to be replaced at first, but because it moved easily, I don't think that's the issue. I also lubricated the coil shaft with just a tiny drop (spread around) of 3 in 1 oil. Now it moves even easier.

I put it in test mode and it popped up and down so the coil fires. Also, it moves here in there for like a second when activated with the game play.

Even though it shows green in test mode, do you think it's just a weak coil and needs to get changed out? There's no loose wires or anything under there.

Thanks.

You guys who are buying the LED tube lights. I PROMISE you, you will be 1000% glad you did. It burns nice and cool and takes more pressure off the light board. The entire translite is beautifully lit now with NO eye blinding or PF glass glare whatsoever. Be sure to come back in here and recommend it so others will know for certain that's it's a must have. I may try to get these for my Stern machines now that I think of it.

I use glare guards on my Sterns, but there is no glare that I've noticed with the new LED tube light installed. Not only that, it doesn't blind you to look at the screen either.

In fact, I'm going to take a measurement and I'm ordering a few more now.

Edit: This one is too small, a 24" tube is needed.

That stinks. But hey, that's just one seller. Maybe there are other seller around that are near you? You may even be able to get one at your local big box hardware store. I'd start checking there first. GL.

Sorry guys, haven't been on since this morning.

Yes, the tube is 18" in the game. The Amazon link I posted is the exact one I bought and it fits perfect.

Quickest and easiest upgrade ever. Wish everything was that easy.

I also took my tube and turned it to face straight out to see how it looked, and it's even better straight ahead facing the translite. That's definitely the way to go.

So, the UPS guy comes this afternoon around 3. I'm psyched cause I know he's here to deliver my 2 new sub-woofers. Out comes one, then the other. He goes back inside and pulls out a 3rd box. Hmmm, what's in there? Well, I open it up and low and behold...my new RFM decals are here! A week early no less. So, I spent 3 hours working and got the back box completed along with new T-Molding. Let me know what you guys honestly think.

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From decent (when I got it), to perfect!

I like the red T-Molding, but there's a lot of red outlining the decals. So, I wanted to change it up to green.

Now this green is called "Alien Green". I got this cause the one I really wanted was called "Galaxian Green". It's a lighter green and although I like this green, I think the lighter green would've looked even better.

What do you guys think?

Thanks.

Edit: Oh, if you guys look, you can see the black metallic fleck paint on the speaker grill ad the top lock plate. You can see a little sparkle, but it really looks awesome in person.

What I also love is that when you are playing it and the pop ramp lifts, it catches the sparkle off the speaker grill and looks just like I painted the ramp as well. Looks spacey and very cool. I'll post a bunch more pics after I get it completed, hopefully tomorrow.

I got the T-Molding from T-Molding.com

Look at their Galaxian Green. I think that'd be perfect for RFM. When they get it back in stock, I'm gonna order that and change it over. It's only $20 for 20 feet so...

TY brothah! I'm going to order a new coil this week. I suspected that was the problem. Glad to get some confirmation on it.

Okay guys, thank you for all the compliments. I took some pics of me doing the application. I installed them dry for maximum tack.

Now, I will say this...This is VERY easy to screw up. I almost ripped my decal because the ones I got were NOT factory cut. They overlapped the edges and then need to be all trimmed out.

What happened to me was I installed half the decal and when I went to flip it over and do the bottom half, I noticed that I miss aligned it by a hair. Ughhh. Luckily I was able to get it all peeled back without tearing it at all.

I will add that I've done a little sign shop work and know how to install small decals plus, I've been a wallpaperer my whole life. The skills of knowing how to cut and trim with a razor blade as well as how to hold the decal and smooth it out as you go went a long way in helping me do a perfect job.

All that said, you CAN do this. I would recommend a little soapy water added to help a novice have the ability to peel it back if needed. I need to upload pics off my phone I took as a little tutorial for some tips on how to do this.

I will try to figure out how to download the pics from my cell phone tonight. If I can't figure it out, my wife will have to do it next week as she's away for the weekend.

Okay, with a little phone help from my better half, here's a few pics of me decaling with some tips. Hope this helps anyone else looking to do this as well.

First thing you want to do is strip your cabinet...IMAG1283-690.jpg

Next, you want to give it a nice sanding. Then, bondo any holes and imperfections. I actually had 2 chunks of wood rip out of the back box while peeling off the old decals. After some nice bondo'ing and sanding, you'd never know they were there.

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Next, you want to paint you cabinet inside and out with black OIL based paint. I went to HD and bought a quart of rustoleum satin finish paint. First, you want to paint the cabinet inside and out...

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Painting that first coat did 2 things. First, it seals up all the wood & bondo. Second, it raised all the grain in the wood.

Next, you want to give the cabinet a real good sanding. You should be able to get it super smooth inside and out with some 120 grit sandpaper.

Before sanding...
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After sanding. Now it's nice and smooth.
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After you've done that, run your hand over every inch of your cabinet. Carefully feel for any spots that may need some more sanding or more bondo'ing. If more bondo is required, make sure to sand it down nice and smooth after it dries. NOTICE: While waiting for the decals to arrive, I assembled the game and played it. When the decals came I took it apart again. This picture is of me pulling the PF out again. MAKE SURE you pull your PF out for this work and do yourself a favor and cover it so the sanding dust doesn't get all over it...

After that, you want to remove all the bolts on the outside of the cabinet. NOTE: You want paint the heads of all the bolts. They get scratched up after sanding. Paint them with a nice coat so that when you reinstall them, they look like new. I believe there's 5 on one side, 6 on the other because of the board protector arm inside the cabinet. All those bolts MUST be removed and there's nothing to it. After you've done that, you're ready to decal your cabinet.

It will cause the cabinet to feel rough to the touch. That's the wood grain. You want to sand it down nice and smooth.

Don't know why the pictures didn't get added. I'm trying to update them now and do them 1 pic at a time.

Gottcha bro. I've been painting for over 30 years myself. As the oils in the paint seeps into the wood, that helps to raise the grain. And oil is far superior than latex paint. That's why I used it.

Onto the decaling...

Note: When you go to decal, the first thing you want to do is make sure the surface you are going to decal is absolutely clean. ANY LITTLE SPEC of dirt will cause a bump/imperfection in your decal. You don't want that. Me, I blew it off with some compressed air, then (HIGHLY recommended) I tack ragged the surface.

After you have a perfectly clean surface, trim your decal with a pair of scissors leaving a little bit of the white part for touching and holding.

After it's trimmed, lay your decal out o the surface. MAKE SURE it is lined up PERFECTLY. Use a tape measure to make sure you get it even from end to end. You don't want to install the decal and look back on a perfect job only to see that the decal is crooked and you can't fix it. So measure, re-measure, then measure again to be 100% certain it's straight.

I'm sorry I don't have any pics to show this next step. But after it's lined up, take some painters or masking tape and tape it down to the machine in the middle of the decal. Then, take a razor blade and make a slit a half inch beyond the tape on the side you are going to adhere. As you cut that slit, DO NOT go right up to the cabinet with it, come a quarter inch away from the cabinet with that slit. This relieves the pressure on the decal and allows it to curl nicely so you can work it into place. You DO NOT want to crease your decal! So take your time.

Now, It's nice to have someone to hold the decal up as you are smoothing it down, but I did it solo. What I did was take a 5 gallon paint stirring stick and stuck it to the white edge of the decal about a quarter inch is all you need. I did take some pics of that...

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This allows you to hold the stick in the middle without the decal curling into itself, sticking to itself and ripping on you. So stick it down to that stirring stick good.

Here's what it looks like totally adhered on the side with the stirring stick overlapping the edge.

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Below I peel the stick away. It doesn't take much for that decal to hold fast to the stick.

IMAG1369.jpg

I would return it via Amazon and ask for a replacement. Mine went right in issue free. That has to be a defective tube. Definitely get a replacement.

Sorry that happened to you.

Back to the decal...

Now it should be said that as you're holding the end of the decal up with the stick, you are SLOWLY and CAREFULLY smoothing down the decal from the middle where you taped to the edge. If you do this, you shouldn't get a single bubble in your decal. After one half is done, remove the tape in the middle of the decal and flip the decal over. Remove the protective backing and do the same thing with the stick to help you hold the end of the decal and careful smoothing it down with the plastic scrapper.

After I had the decal installed, I took my 4" rubber seem roller and went over the entire decal making sure there were no bubbles. It's also good to run it over the edges of the cabinet to make sure they are stuck down well.

IMAG1370.jpg

I'd did this going sideways from edge to edge in long strokes apply medium pressure.

IMAG1371.jpg

Once you've got your decal down, take a NEW razor blade and trim out the decal. Trim the outer edges, the flipper cut outs and make slits where all the bolts go through to the inside of the cabinet.

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BTW...this is the perfect time (while the machine is laying flat) to reinstall the cabinet side rails. I used 3M automotive trim tape. Worked perfectly.

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Well, here's the results of all your hard work!

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I hope this was easy to understand. If anyone wants, feel free to PM me for more help. We can even talk on the phone if need be.

I understand about low odor. I use latex on walls and on the ceilings. That is of course unless there's water stains on the ceiling, then I'll use Kills and if need be flat oil too.

I always use oil on the trim. Oil enamel is far more durable than latex and does not peel like latex. Oil chips, latex peels. The oil takes a beating and also covers knots in wood too.

Times are changing. Latex paints are WORLDS better than they were just 10 years ago. They're only going to keep getting better as they try to ban the making of oil based paint because of the said VOC's in the paint and cleaners associated with it.

Now, with the cabinet, if you paint it with latex, affix the decal, then have to peel it back, there a very good chance it's going to pull the latex right up with it. Then, your decal is done.

Not so with the oil bro, that stuff holds to the wood surface like nails.

SO, while we agree to disagree in some areas, it's all good because all we really want is the best for anyone who we give advice to or do work for.

Thanks brothah for your comments.

Haven't used that, but I tell you what's absolutely sickening, look at that price, $65 bucks!!! Paint is getting insane.

Paint was $20 - $25 bucks a gallon for a couple decades. The last 5-10 years have been out of control. You go to price a job, and people think your screwing them when you tell them you need $400 in stock alone to paint a room. LOL

Anyway, let's not derail the thread any further.

Thanks. If you have any questions when it comes time for Whirlwind, just shoot me a PM. GL and thanks again.

It was a lot of work for sure. Thanks bro, I appreciate it.

Sorry again about that LED tube. Please return it for a new one, it's worth the time and aggravation.

Yes, you're 100% correct. I did use my heat gun in some spots. Here's the deal, I'd get a spot that wouldn't budge. I'd heat up the section with the gun and start to pull. Once it started coming and the momentum kept it going, I just went with it. LOL

I've removed more decals than I care to remember. I knew that it would splinter the wood a little, but didn't expect the 2 chunks I got. The bondo did the trick and got all the problem areas dead smooth. The trick with bondo is to do it in 2 and if necessary, 3 coats. I always use a metal scrapper to apply the bondo. I put it on and pull it off clean. I do that a second time after it has dried and it comes out perfect. The chunks took a third pass. When you do it like that, it makes the bondo nice and smooth and a breeze to sand.

Anyway, thanks for adding that in.

Thanks also for the kind words all. It was a little bit of a pain, but well worth it.

I should note that I left the metal hasp lock down pieces off. Filled the holes nice and smooth and decaled over it. I think it looks a lot cleaner and nicer. Plus, If one wanted, you can simply drill out the holes again from the inside of the cabinet and reinstall them.

Pics or it never happened. LOL

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Notice that there is no excessive or blinding glare shining through the translite. The light is nice and even across the whole translite.

Just adjust the tube upwards a little bit by spinning it. It will adjust without pulling out of the end connectors. When adjusted, you should get a nice even/consistent light across the whole translite.

@NewPinOwner...Nice speaker install. I got the same speakers from Nosro's thread as well. They sound really nice for a pin.

2 bits of advice. First - the speakers are yellow. You will see them right through the speaker panel and you don't want that. Take a can of black (preferably flat if you can find it) spray paint and lay the speakers down on a piece of cardboard. Now, when you paint them, you need patience. DO NOT try to paint it in one shot. You will get runs all over the place. Just go around the speaker (holding the can away from it about 2 feet) and mist the paint on in multiple coats. Meaning, mist it in, let it dry, then repeat. You should get it nicely and completely coated in about 4-5 passes with no runs. A few runs is no big deal, but you don't want a puddle inside the cone. Don't worry, the paint will not affect the speakers performance at all and when you install the speaker grill, you won't be able to see the speakers at all.

Second - Regarding the speaker grill. When you go to reinstall it, the top inside grill lip hits the outer edge of the speakers. You won't be able to get the grill to line up with the bottom torx security screws. What you need to do is take a Dremmel with a cutter blade and deepen the already existing notches in the speaker grill. Take care NOT to get too close to the edge and mess up your grill.

Additionally, while you've taken the time to take the grill off, you should sand it down with some 120 grit sanded paper removing any chipped or flaking paint or rust. Then clean it off really well by blowing off all the dust or at the very least wiping it and blowing on it yourself. hit it with 3 or 4 coats of paint in the same way you misted in the speaker. and it will look good as new. Good Luck!

It's easy to get inspired with this game. Such a great game. So much fun. There's a reason it's ranked so high in the Top 100. IMO, it should be higher.

LOL!

Those look nice. Where were you when I was buying them? lol

My RFM only has sound rom version 1.2 installed. There are some hilarious call outs. How many other call outs and what sound changes have been made from version 1.2 to 1.6? That's a lot of updates versions ahead. I just hope if I go through (from what I understand) all the considerable aggravation to upgrade the sound, it only add to the call outs and sounds and doesn't remove any of the ones installed now.

Oh cool. Thanks for that info. I know you "could" upgrade it to v1.6, just didn't know what they would've added. Gotta tell ya, some more Clinton call outs woulda been awesome. I crack up during Alien Abduction. "Take the first lady, but leave my truck." LOL "Save the interns." LMAO!!!

I can't believe the problems people are experiencing with these LED tubes. I just got another one that I ordered for Mancave in Australia because they won't ship to him. I opened it up and installed it in my game to make certain it worked before shipping it to him. I put it in, turned on my game and it fired right up without issue. I took it out, bubble wrapped it up and put it right back in the box that they shipped it to me in so I can ship it out to him tomorrow morning.

I don't know what's going on with some of these, but I apologize and am sorry for the aggravation you all are going through. Thank God that with Amazon you can easily return it or get a replacement. I wish they all worked as well as mine. Sorry again. I feel terrible.

Sorry to everyone that I haven't been in here for awhile. I've been a little busy (an understatement) with Pintastic stuff.

@BlondeTall...Thank you for the kind words BT and I apologize again to everyone who had problems with their LED tubes. I just don't get that. Ughhh.

Your RFM looks beautiful and I'm glad that all your hard work paid off and has you playing it more.

@j_m...I know we just PM'd each other, but I just thought of this. If your tube was just short, I wonder if you could've taken the ballast ends and slightly bent it in a teensie bit on both ends to get it to make solid contact?

If anyone else has or gets one with the same issue, try that and let us know if it works. Thanks.

@NPO...Great job with the speaker upgrade. Really looks nice and is a definite clarity upgrade over the originals. Looks nice and congrats!

Additionally, I took one of Comet's 7 strip purple LED light strips and stuck it up under the ball catcher. It shines beautifully on the PF and illuminates the area nicely for game play. The light I have it tied in to makes it come on intermittently and sometimes stays on for a little while. It adds a lot IMO to an otherwise dark area. I will add a picture to this post so you guys can see it soon.

@ManCave You're very welcome my brothah. I was more than happy to do it for ya. I'm just glad it worked out for you. That is a real nice custom light job. Wish I could weld.

That is also true on that key lock. NJGecko told me about that and what is was for. It's an awesome idea indeed.

This just made my night! Thanks for sharing your grandma's pics with us. Tell her we all said that she really is...AWESOME!!!

Just seeing these most recent posts now.

Great job brothah! YW and I LOVE the Galaxian Green and the topper rocks too! I saw one on an AFM and it was super nice. No reason you can't implement it in on RFM.

I love how you did your machine all up. Target decals are cool too. Someone should design different ones for each target.

Again, great job and congrats!

Just read this. One thing I HATED on RFM is how loud the damn martians are as they bounce up and down. If anyone else feels the same way, you can do what I did. Take a round, felt floor protector and stick it at the bottom of the martian mechanism. As it bounces, the martians hit the felt and it muffles the sound down really nice and low.

I love it now and if anyone else tries it, let us know what you think as well.

Are the light posts there? If not, go to MarcoSpecialties. In the search bar type in RFM and you can buy the posts as well as 2 pre-wired spot lights. Take the lights and screw them to the top of the posts (Buy the right post screws if you don't have any on hand) and then just run the wires down under the PF and solder them to the flashers that correspond to the martians. Then throw a zip tie around each post to hold the wires nice and snug to the post and you're done.

It's not to hard at all really and you should have it done in an hour.

For those worried about over heating issues, I had a couple parties at my house over the summer, so I knew my RFM was going to be on for a long stretch. What I did was I removed the back panel then put a double oscillating fan I bought back there to softly blow cool air in the back of it all day.

I doubt there would've been a problem anyway, but just to be safe and extra sure, I opened the panel which helps a great deal to let air in and dissipate heat. Then I set the fan up on low to move cool air all around. I've had NO issues whatsoever with my RFM and I absolutely love it!

Hey Paul. Just saw your post. Did you get it yet? Any issues? Thoughts?

I had NO problems with mine. Then, others bought it and had issues. I bought a second one a month later for Mancave and mailed it to him in Australia. His worked no problem as well. So I'm curious about yours.

Thanks in advance for the update.

Black here as well.

Hey Man! Glad to hear my friend and you are more than welcome. My pleasure.

You need to have the topper TV set to 4:3 since that what those CRT monitor were. You could buy a 4:3 specific LCD or LED for it. They sell them.

I've seen one just like this and it was awesome. It's on an AFM, but looked equally awesome on RFM as well.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/attack-from-mars-afm-pinball-topper-by-pin-novations
Edit: See the picture in post #13. That's the one that rocks!

Super nice! How bout a shot of your topper. Looks like you have a city with 2 saucers over it blowing up stuff. NICE!

Edit: Looks like a CFTBL doll/topper up there too.

Awesome RFM Topper?

RFM is a great game. I miss mine.

That said, I was looking for something on Amazon and came across this awesome alien thing that is PERFECT for RFM as a topper or game room decoration. I just thought I'd share it with everyone in case someone might want it before they're gone.

To find it, copy and paste this into theAmazon search bar.

UFO Cow Abduction: Beam Up Your Bovine (With Light and Sound!) (RP Minis)

They're only $12. For that price, get 2 and take the cow out of one and replace it with a car. It actually pics up the cow via magnet! Lol So cool!

Would be awesome if someone could wire it up and connect it into the game and have it be interactive.

Anyway, just thought I'd share it with my old fam. = )

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Hey all.

Alien saucer just arrived. I opened it up, and as GILV said, it is small, but I still think it would work well on top of, or even inside of the RFM.

To give everyone an idea of scale, I took a few pics of it on top of my South Park so you could see it in comparison to the other things up there.

GILV, maybe you can add a couple pics on top of your machine and even inside your machine to give people the exact size and look.

My thing is, for a lousy $12 bucks, how can you go wrong?

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