Here’s a fun thread.

It started as a so-wrong-it’s-right joke. I’d just adopted the smallest little (pistol of a) Chihuahua and tried out the name Shaq. It fit. Same shaped head. I’d hate to run into either alone in a dark alley.

So, of course I bought a relatively inexpensive Shaq Attaq after playing it at the Athens Pinball Museum. It’s got some fresh shots.

I have a couple questions for owners, past and future...

1. Is your basket loud as heck... can I lube this motor? It appears to be riveted but I haven’t pulled it.

2. Is the upper flipper bat the same part number as the lower? 25956?

3. Who fixes the score boards? Yes, please.

4. Recommendations for coil numbers for super strong front flippers? That has to do with magnetic winding, no?

5. Where are the ROM hackers when you need them? I’m averaging 12 MBs a game.

Rebuilding my Shaq because I don’t really have a choice. Like a bad roommate, Shaq moved in the apartment and is simply too big to make leave. That’s a subtle joke - imagine what it took to get that thing (which weighs a ton with all the hardware under the playfield) up three flights of NYC tenement stairs. Sure, it’s a money pit but also a great learning experience.

Sending out what is usually a futile SOS for any leftover bits you might have.

Primarily the plastics in the images below.

Unused ramp And jump stickers.

And a playfield. I’ll periodically ask until I have a surrogate in hand. Unfortunately the existing one checked so badly that the clear coat is flaking (like dandruff) along with the paint. No amount of surgery is going to help it.

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Anyone notice this Easter egg?

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1. Go through the switch test. The switch matrix/light matrix is a head scratcher until you realize they’re all daisy-chained. A manual (get a printed one for looking at schematics) Will trace it out. Since one relies on the other, a funky one can ruin the next. Are you having any issues with switches with a one (1) as a first number (SW 10, 11, 12) or a two as the last number? ALSO, there is a second playfield fuse at F24 just for that solenoid. If Q4 is janked...

2. Q14 is definitely on. What’s telling it to Stay on? But it tests ok. Does it test in the 400s or the 600s? Continuity with the machine on? Is that wise? Off? Different reading?

I just went through all my flashers. My issue was the R2 resistor. I troubleshooted with a surrogate Rotrendog driver board.

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And it‘’s a horse. Horse Cock is slang for horse cock. There it is. Deliberately put. There.

There’s a place in the Netherlands that does some plastics. I just received a couple from the set.

Unfortunately they only seem to have the lower ones.

Removing the upper Mylar is particularly risky. I’m 0-2 on this.

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I bought three plastics: upper VUK, the crowd rectangle behind the top of the dome and the ‘advantages’ plastic. From Planetary Pinball for dirt cheap.they appear to be NOS.

Ministry of Pinball ones have a color shift that looks better with warm lights. The yellow neutralizes the slight green tint to the batch I got. They’re tough. To match, you can get most of the lower pieces. The long basket thing on the left is beautiful.

The upper corner one? They’re all bashed there.

Cool game. Easy to work on. I ripped mine apart and reassembled it. There are lots of little things, it’s hard and it nails the basketball theme.

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There are two relays under the playfield - screwed into it. One is the basket. One is the spinner*.

Spinner goes on and off randomly. I have confirmed that with Jon Norris, the designer.

Lastly, there’s a connector that might be unhooked from the motor itself.

The thing about the relay is you can (carefully) articulate it, make the connection and that’ll thell you if power is there or not.

*floor spinner

I thought I’d leave this gem here. It matches up with Designer Jon Norris’ technical drawing (posted years ago).

Yes, I tried to buy it. If you have it, I am interested.

This party is dead, which is a shame because Shaq is a hellava game.

It also weighs 700 pounds, is 7’ 1” and I live in a pre-war walk-up on the third floor.

Therefore it’s not going anywhere soon.

If anyone has any surplus Shaq plastics, oddities or PLAYFIELDS. Call me.

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I tried.

The coils are of slightly different ratings Orange and blue. Or maybe the other way around. The top are 2” and the bottom are 3”. Shafts are a good idea. Seating them correctly is hard. Someone should make a conversion kit.

The circle is a progressive achievement that, when in normal mode, rolls over. It’s a steal opportunity but not worth much if reduced scoring is on (and should be) as there’s no end of game basket point bonus. I think.

From experience the 20m is the hardest light to light (rebound a close second). I takes four vari-target hits on one ball. If break the basket (right in lane being the least helpful) is lit, the hit may be lucrative but won’t advance the bonus.

It’s the only bonus except at the end of the game. A multiplier is up by the drops.

So it’s gonna stay like that.

There is a way to fine tune that si it spots you a circle. I haven’t successfully been able to get it to work, I like the variety-target challenge. Super hard to do.

With the glass on..

I bought mine as a crumbling cadaver and, for the learning experience, rebuilt everything. Those specific basket circles, btw, look best with incandescent bulbs. LEDs will blow out (over illuminate) your inserts.

For a true test, do a glass off run and hit the vari-target (when lit for adv bonus,, not break the basket) until the 20m light above the flippers comes on.

You can set how hard the vari-target needs to be hit to register, but it’s not a very noticeable difference. I think there are five clicks to its switch.

Now if those aren’t registering, you’ll never get that circle light lit.

Unsolicited helpful setting Shaq-isms to make the game as fun as it really can be (it is a hellava game, considering)

Attract speech: on (trust me)

Game difficulty: fine-tune (so you can tweak the following)

Hidden Features: easy - but not a big difference

Hidden features bonus: hard (!!!)

Shaq Attaq Circle advance adjustment #69: hard (easy should spot a circle with every new game, but not with reduced scoring on)

Shaquille Feature: Easy (very important)

Reduced coach speech: on

Reduced Scoring: on

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On the turntable.

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Logan Arcade.

In camera. AF-C w/ slow SS. Rotate camera.

Photo: IG @pinball.by.xtn

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