Hi All-

Just signed up Saturday but Ive had an RFM (two actually) since 2000. The first one was HUO but I traded it away when I moved across country so in 2005 I bought this one off ebay. It had been on-route in France and while worn nothing too serious. Worst problem was a worn flap, which cracked and got to the point the game wasn't really playable so it was time to put in the SWE1 kit and restore the RFM components. That was about 12 years ago, but this past weekend I finally got to work on it. After replacing the flap and cleaning the playfield I swapped out the daughter cards and - oops. Software needs to be updated.
No problem- already have a PIB loaded for SWE1, although I prefer to just leave it as such in case I want to put that kit back in some time. So I already arranged for another PIB but in the meantime I realized that I had a laptop with the proper ports running WIN 2000 sitting in the closet. Somehow that thing came up and I thought I was home free until I realized that this machine is MISSING the port (and the cable behind it). Also MISSING is the playfield switch and door interlock. That I knew - I just hadn't thought about what the electromechanical counter put in by the route operator to satisfy French auditors (I presume) had taken the place of.
So, for future reference- does anybody have the wiring harness and door interlocks they want to sell?

Also for general interest- this counter shows 35319 games on it. That's nearly 30,000 plays as a route machine- and the playfield shows wear but not that much! I already messed up my first attempt at a post here so Ill add additional photos in a minute. For now- just the bracket with no connector. You can see the counter behind it. Also a particularly dreadful hack by the route "repair" man. Note the SCREW through the broken plastic over the stroke of luck! No wonder that saucer is missing!

20200413_143147 (resized).jpg

20200413_143209 (resized).jpg

Another interesting detail - that high score came with the machine. YVE got an honest 1,131,988,200 on a three ball route game. Im RJH. My best score ever was when I got through attack Mars on a route machine in our Elks Lodge in New Mexico back in 1999. That was only 800 million something though. In my defense it was BEFORE I had a home machine.

20200413_143612 (resized).jpg

Thanks Sven- I figured as much, I assume that I just hook directly to the 9 pin connector.
What REALLY annoys me is the missing switch- the other problem- which I don't think relates to the software update, is that the left flipper isn't working. I cant easily test the solenoids since the switch is missing altogether. I know the power board and flipper contacts are fine since it worked two days ago with the SWE1 kit in place.
Falling back on my old EM skills - power the bastard up and don't get electrocuted!

So I successfully updated my software using my handy Windows 2000 IBM Thinkpad (knew I kept that for something). All the bulbs in and flippers rebuilt, playing fine, so the final step is- RECAPPING the DUCKSAN!
I am a don't fix it if it aint broke guy (an engineer). So in the interest of efficiency does anybody know the answers to the following:
1) My monitor is bright and the color is good. When first turned on it is sharp and clean as could be. But as it warms up it starts to defocus. It is slow enough not to be real noticeable for about 10 minutes or so. But by 30 minutes it is fuzzy enough you cant easily read the scores. Does anyone know which capacitors are the ones which are likely to affect focus? Or whether that circuit is on the main power board or the neck board?
2) It appears to me that I can pull the main power board and neck board out the back without pulling the CRT or chassis- is this correct?
3) Other than the obvious HV hazards/crt implosion etc anything else to look out for?

Is limited defocusing a symptom of a failing flyback transformer? It certainly isn't losing brightness, color, or doing anything else weird, so I would be inclined to say, no. I can leave it on all day and it is stable but out of focus. But if you could point me to something definite then I could at least move on to other options.

Well that's helpful indeed, thanks much. Now where to find that transformer!

Interesting link- thanks again Irishbastard! It gave me two additional clues- it may be the flyback, but if not, then the neckboard, Also- I was just in there and the boards in the head of my machine are covered in crud. It was on route in a French bar for 6 years before I got it and the condensed cigarette smoke has left a generation of dust sticking to everything. I will start with that board, and a good cleaning may help,
Or not, in which case at least I know I tried. Anybody out there with a good monitor in the DC area?

So this morning I was letting it run and recording the picture defocus, when I realized that I could see the edges of the monitor in the reflection on the glass- in other words, the brightness was up way too high. I turned that down, and lo and behold, the defocus problem mostly disappeared. I probably had cranked up the brightness back when I had the machine in a brightly lit room. Now it is in a dedicated pinball room with no windows, it looks great with the brightness at the proper level- and while the focus isnt perfect it is plenty good enough to play.