July, 2013:

I've been wanting a Sorcerer for 2 months after playing one at the local pin expo.
Saw no bites on nationwide-CL or ebay for 8 weeks, then BAM! 4 appear all at once...
Price points: (add $450 for NAVL to Calif.)

Click here to see all the highlights: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sorcerer-project#post-986009

1. $2500+450 (ebay) very high price from a reputable flipper. (saw quality pics, looked good, not $2500 good -- very funny how people don't know how to represent value... Instead they want you to bank on, "Trust me, it's worth every penny, we really cleaned this up!")
2. $1700+450 (CL) -- no idea on condition, never saw quality pics
3. $1000+450 (CL) -- no idea on condition, never saw quality pics
4. <$1000 from a Pinsider 4hrs away... delivered to my home (I paid for half the gas.)

Moral to the Story?

1. Pinsiders rule. Keep meeting quality people on here.
2. Wait for it... and buy local.

Met some nice people today, and have a new project that is tons of fun...
Thanks Pinside!
-mof

---
I'm ready to tear it down and do (what I hope is) a quick 16-hr restore on it so I can really enjoy playing this game before midnight Sunday (with CAX tomorrow!!! argh!!!)... All prepared with $350 worth of parts to get it playing sharp: (prices are rough guesses to the nearest $5)

1. cliffy flipper guides (2) $25
2. star posts (50) $15
3. set of rubbers $15
4. flipper bats (3) $10
5. replacement (used) pop caps (2) $65
6. 3 flipper coils (coming soon!) $35
7. replacement fuses $5
8. replacement incandescent bulbs and a set of 100 LEDs from Nifty (met them at CAX) $110
9. replace broken stationary targets and replace all target stickers $25
10. replace batteries/check for previous damage (looks good on first glance) $0
11. replace pop bumper skirts $5
12. resistors and capacitors $5
13. replace all plastic white nuts $5
14. new balls $5
15. lockdown bar assembly $25

She's a bit dirty coming fresh off route -- no worries, she'll shine and play like a dream within a few short days, stay tuned!

OVERVIEW
Lower PF has some tiny paint wear spots, but luckily has VERY flat mylar put over THAT (after some wear), but... with NO raised inserts (miracle). Typical black border paint missing around inserts. Upper PF has no mylar, and has some moderate wear in three areas. (someday) I'll need to learn to layer that up then paint it by hand. Not too worried about it for now, since the wear isn't in a ball-drain area, so it won't affect game play much -- if at all. I have no tolerance for ball wear in front of the flippers, though... that would be painful. Cabinet has typical knicks and fade. Backglass is great.

-mof
201307-sorc-prepared.jpg
sorc-dirteee.jpg

MEDIUM SHOP JOB: 37 hours

Completed (37 hours): (July, 2013)
* remove all items on top of playfield
* remove all items under playfield
* Troll cabinet for parts, and clean it out
* Clean apron, install cabinet hinge-block
* Tumble shooter assembly
* Clean cabinet floor
* Clean lockdown bar receiver
* Clean coin door area
* Adjust and assemble shooter
* Handle all the pass-through wires, and wires that solder into the GI braid (4 flasher bulbs with grey wires)
* Assemble lockdown bar receiver, clean coin door switch, clean and install power switch
* Clean + Polish speaker panel trim
* Clean coin door by hand (didn't remove parts yet)
* Paint pen on cabinet, coin door, and backbox to clean up the look
* Replaced flipper switches with new parts
* tumbled front end parts
* Three flipper assemblies re-built
* Rebuilt 3 pops
* new stickers on standups
* Coil test and fuse test
* Install new plastics, and verify I have the supporting hardware
* Left Side Shop: Polished posts, screw heads, cleaned plastics, new rubbers, installed new nylon nuts and acorns
* Right Side Shop: Polished posts, screw heads, cleaned plastics, new rubbers, installed new nylon nuts and acorns
* Remove Playfield

PLAYFIELD SWAP PREP (hours 1-13) (Aug, 2015)
Completed:
* Hours 1-2:Harness prepared for cleaning (removed switch plates, added plastic zip ties, cut old zip ties, remove bulbs)
* Hour 3:Scrub, dishwasher and dry harness
* Hour 4:disassemble, clean and reassemble drop target assembly
* Hours 5-6:disassemble, clean and reassemble solenoid assemblies + remove all solder
* Hour 7:Molex three flipper assemblies
* Hours 8-13:Ultrasonic everything

To Do:
* Remove apron and tumble two PF handles
* Paint/Stain wood rails

PF SWAP!
* Add GI braid to new PF
* Install GI sockets
* Hammer in T-nuts
* Install pop nails
* Install inlane/outlane switches
* Install wire guides
* Reinstall wiring harness and components
* Install wood rails
* Install topside
* Run system tests and resolve wiring issues

BONUS ITEMS
* Clean up Legs
* Clean backbox and lamp board, tumble door brackets
* Re-do Spinners? or just touch them up.
* build plastic protectors to save new plastics. Check for screw wear on old plastics. <-- top priority
* re-grain metal ball guides
* add new solenoid papers

-mof

HIGHLIGHTS

I'm going to point to a few landmarks along the way here:

1. Pin first shopped (movie) w/LEDs (gross!):
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sorcerer-project#post-1004730
2. Playfield Teardown:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-tear-down-sorcerer
3. Playfield arrived from Great Pinball:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/great-pinball-restored-sorcerer-playfield-the-unveiling
4. Playfield rebuild starts:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sorcerer-project/page/2#post-2617574
5. Movie of final result:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sorcerer-project/page/3#post-2763607

-mof

BEFORE/AFTER PFs
before-after.png

Day #1
4 hours in. Progress update:
3 hours to tear down top.
1 hour to clean cabinet and polish where the lockdown bar mounts.
Thanks for tuning in!
-mof

Day #2: Just a little energy left after a day at the local video game/pinball expo.
hours 5 and 6: magic eraser'ed the wood, and waxed it.
hours 7 and 8: cleaned all parts by hand including every screw.
8-hours in...
ready to polish the mylar tomorrow.
Goal is play it by midnight tomorrow night.

Day #3:
Hour 9: Treasure Coving the Mylar, and Waxing the playfield. Didn't realize how quick that is... Didn't come out as amazingly well polished as I had hoped, but for a first time, at least I was good about not shooting polish all over the place like some flippers do. Also, the fact that there were no star posts present, means I won't have tons of product stuck to the bottoms of them, like you always see -- god that makes me nuts when people push polish/wax on top the posts and leave it there.
Hours 10-11: installing all Nifty LEDs (met Nate at the show who helped me make some good decisions on my very first LED purchase.) Was roughly ~$100 total for 90 bulbs to do the whole machine (excluding the backglass!).
Hours 11-16: Playfield put back together with new rubbers. Looks good!
Had one short celebratory game. Ball looks great in travel, and appears to travel VERY smoothly, especially in the lower PF.
Waiting for new flipper coils to arrive so I can rebuild all the flipper assemblies to WPC (fliptronics)-era style.
-mof

topside-teardown.jpg

inside-cab.jpg

Day #4
* Hours 17-19:
Upgraded Left flipper to WPC (fliptronics)-era assembly.

With the left flipper working properly, I can now really enjoy the game. I have to say, this game design is amazing. Mark Ritchie is a genius.

Day #5
* Hours 20-21
Tore out two broken stationary targets, and replaced them.

So thankful for this collection, and learning about Sorcerer. I love both spinner shots and the ramp and orbit shot. Very good flow.

Day #6
* Hours 22-25
Replaced upper playfield flipper assembly with WPC (fliptronics)-era mechs. Plays amazingly well now. Put in warm white non-ghosting in the bottom row of light in the backbox for the "game over, etc". Replaced the pop bumper cap that was very broken. Cleaned the trough 100% and cleaned the solenoid assembly that feeds the ball. Removed the scoreboard, and put washers under it so it would raise enough to seat properly in the backglass. Installed 1-1/2" washers in the legs to make them stable. Replaced A-B-C-D lane plastics.

Day #7
* Hours 26-26
Unmounted the drop target assembly and removed the stickers, cleaned the targets, re-stickered em. Same with the stationary targets (only they didn't need removal.)

Day #8
* Hours 27-29
Finally hit a snag -- I think I have a bad 2N3904 resistor at Q12 which supports 1J8-7. Result is game tilting when hitting the upper left bumper. Will install a new one Wed night, and pray.

-mof

201307-sorc-after2.jpg

Day #9:
* Hours 30-30: Replaced the Q12 transistor, switch errors solved!
Day #10:
* Hours 31-35: In the home stretch now. Pops are done. It is important to get the original bulb sockets out of there -- they are horrible. The bulbs I installed in them bounce and shake around in the original sockets. I also borrowed the Ed Cheung style of using wood screws and washers to hold the leads in place: (scroll down 1/4th of the way down his page, or search for "Pop Bumper Light")
http://www.edcheung.com/album/album08/pinball/tz.htm
and no longer rely on tinkering with staples. I didn't bother taking apart each spoon assembly, I'll leave that level of perfection to another day. Goal for today was to get all the broken skirts out and future proof to make the next pop cleaning or upgrade easier. I did that.
Day #11:
* Hours 36-36: Replaced a 27ohm 2watt resistor, that was causing 1J7-4 to not work in the lamp matrix.
Day #12:
* Hours 37-38: Shined up the lockdown bar receiver from 100 grit up to 300 grit, and installed it. NOW I'm really done with Phase I: (functionally complete, and playing as nice as possible.)

201308-sorc-pops-closeup.jpg

20101308-sor-shop-job-complete.jpg

120 grit sandpaper

I sand where the ball strikes the one-way metal "brackets" -- like at the end of the shooter lane -- so that the ball is hitting smooth edges, then I Noxon the outside of the bracket so it looks Cylon-shiny-nice.

It came out nice, I was hoping it would have a more bowling-alley shine. I haven't watched the Treasure Cove DVD yet, perhaps I used wrong "technique."

-mof

I will post some videos soon, I promise.
-mof

Enjoy the video!
-mof

Great question. Just so I don't have responses in two places -- I'd like to redirect you -- I have a post regarding this here:
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tech-help-lower-pf-lighting-issue
-mof

36 hours in (over 3 weeks). So close. Almost complete with all high priority tasks.
(posted updated pics above)

Very pleased with the results. Surprised by the amount of time required to restore a beater.
I have a whole new level of appreciation for the brave people that restore machines. Feed them well, and keep their beer glasses full ! I can imagine an additional 40+ hours AT LEAST left to do to complete all the medium and low priority issues to really make this machine perfect.

Last high priority item is:
* solve the lane change mystery lighting http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tech-help-lower-pf-lighting-issue

Looking forward to guidance on that from another tech angel.
-mof

This restoration project would not have been possible without help from our sponsors:

Nexyss (for delivering a beater from Reno for a fair price -- he had picked it up in a trade hours before...)
Vid1900 (for his nifty guides)
Kneissl (for lending me his teardown pic gallery)
Terryb (for his guidance in tracing the problem to the faulty Q12 transistor)
Geocab (filming movies to show how lane lights should operate in Sorcerer)

Also thanks for the kind encouragement. We all take turns inspiring each other here to keep putting love and time into making our machines shine!

Now go fix something!

-mof

Lamp matrix solved due to a hack from some previous maroon's sabotage-repair. Hacked wire removed, and 27 ohm 5w resistor replaced (the correct fix), and she's golden.
Enjoy!
-mof

Haha great story. What have we learned here?
Just remember, kids! Never get stoned before making a sale, you'll just be saying/feeling, "SURE MAN, TAKE IT!" Conversely, if you can catch a seller stoned, RUSH OVER NOW.
Haha...

Ok your beater was more beaten than my beater, but I'm still calling this one a ex-beater.

=)
-mof

October, 2013...

Just added the final piece. Now I'm truly complete with Phase I!

Functionally complete, and plays as smooth as possible. I have a stainless steel coin door in the works, but I'll need to mod the coin door wood to enable this project. I have a few threads open to assist with that.

Here are the pics from hours 37-38.

-mof

eagle_has_landed.jpg lockdown_bar_receiver.jpg lockdown_bar_rusty_(before).JPG

It's time to finally necro this thread after 532 days.

Where were we?
Phase I: I got the machine to play 100%: check, got that wrapped at ~40 hours in Oct, 2013.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sorcerer-project#post-1105662

I am very much looking forward to doing the playfield swap on Sorcerer. I got my teeth cut on the High Speed playfield swap over xmas break that turned out well: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration
That first swap had to happen to get my skills up to speed, before I tackled more precious playfields like a Sorcerer and a Seawitch. Everything is going according to plan.

I am considering doing JUST the playfield swap (~70 hrs), and come back and do the cabinet in the distant future (~40 hrs?). The reason for this is that I'll have both the Seawitch playfield AND the Sorcerer playfields arriving in May. This means I'll be staring at a Seawitch playfield knowing it could be in the game. Also, I'd like to install a stainless steel coin door in Sorcerer, and that will require all kinds of wood-working magic and bondo skills that I have yet to develop.

So I think I'm going to do my Sorcerer PF swap, then the Seawitch PF swap, and then circle back afterwards and clean up all the cabinets in my collection that need attention during the second half of the year. Cabinets that need attention are: (Embryon, Fathom, Sorcerer, Seawitch, Diner)

For now, I'd like to begin the project by considering the shopping list of parts to complete the swap, and being cleaning and polishing all the parts, before the PF arrives.

-mof

My first ever tear-down happened here last May:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-tear-down-sorcerer

I then sent the playfield off to John G. to get the playfield re-printed and cleared. It required a redo in January, and it's due back in April or so. Very excited!

-mof

Yes.
-mof

Doh. Brakes are back on. I gotta shop this Gorgar first.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/resto-gorgar-mof-20150301
-mof

Fine by me, Sorcerer will take me 2 months, but I'd sure like to start Sorcerer by May 1, boss!
-mof

Thanks man. I can't wait to see my playfield...
-mof

Actually, life happened, and I can't start Sorcerer until summer, fingers crossed!
Looking forward to seeing that PF !
-mof

August 5th is arrival. Fingers crossed. Pinballholder was kind enough to drop off his Sorcerer fully populated PF so I could have a solid reference point for the GI braid and such. What a hero!

-mof

PF comes today...
-mof

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/great-pinball-restored-sorcerer-playfield-the-unveiling

Time to clean up the shop and get prepared to put this beast back together...
-mof

Shop cleaned up.
Friend lent me his Sorcerer PF to assist with the swap.
Old harness laid out and ready to clean.
I think I'll start by molexing any items I don't want to run through the harness cleaning process.
I'll draw up a more complete plan tomorrow.
It's nice to have the previous plan to reference:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-swap-guide
One thing we know is that the game played great before the swap, so I have every expectation that this will go smoothly. (ha!)
Excited!
-mof

Here's the NEW harness plan:
-mof

1. replace all blue tape identifier-lables (that match with the screw bags) with plastic zip-ties (I hope the sharpie ink will stay on the plastic)

2. snip all ties like VID mentioned with looser ones.

3. molex and remove the three new flipper assemblies (no reason to risk losing the paper on those coils, and the coils don't need cleaning as they are new)

4. check for relays TWICE on sorcerer harness (don't *think* there are any)

5. tie down all switch stacks that might separate

6. Take it to the street and start with degreaser and a hose with a strong jet. Get the first layer of BLACK out of the system -- throw it in a plastic tub

7. Finish with a dishwasher run to wrap it up

8. Bake it in the oven on low heat for an hour or so

9. Review by hand and air-blast the coils or any components that are holding onto water.

I realize I haven't done "everything" possible before starting the PF swap. I haven't tumbled and polished all the old equipment first. Just a note to myself to decide later on where the hours for "tumbling and polishing mechs" go...

-mof

Last night, I took Vid's sage advice and started removing all the zip ties to the harness so the wires would clean out a bit better. My hands were BLACK when I was done. I DID install new ones right away in places where the tangles and turns were a bit odd. Where I found a nice straight-away without any turns or branches, I did not put a new zip tie on (for now). After cleaning -- I'll need another hour later on to remove the 30-40 I put on, and add another 100 back into the system. Tedious but like everything else in pinball... worth it.

I like that I'm going to invest a few hours on JUST getting the harness cleaned up right.

note: I'm working on a piece of 2' x 4' acrylic that allows me to carry the harness around easily, and the clunky mechs won't scratch any glass.

-mof

201508-Sor-zip-ties-off.jpg

201508-Sor-zip-ties-off-replaced-a-few.jpg

Hour2: Removed 5 solenoids (cut at lugs), and disassembled the drop target assembly for cleaning. Added some of the new zip ties with the labels on them.

-mof

201508-better-zip-ties.jpg201508-Sor-harness-ready.jpg

I have the 6 standups ziplocked off, we'll see how they survive 2 washes. I have backup stickers if that set fails.
Vid's idea to remove most of the zip tie was MONEY. I wish I had known that tip when I did my High Speed harness in the street.
Here's the harness after a quick Mean Green spray down and rinse, and then a wipe down with a rag. Not much came off on the rag, that means the Mean Green did it's job. (My hands were BLACK after messing with this harness the other night.)
-mof

201508-Sor-Mean-Green.jpg

Oh, and thanks to the tip added to the playfield swap guide, where it was suggested that it's smart to cut and re-solder ALL solenoid attachments. Look what I found!
-mof

201508-Sor-why-we-clip-all-solenoids-off.jpg

We are in the dishwasher now, I chose the top rack to be far away from the heating elements.
I'll have a beautiful harness or a comedy story ready for you in 2 hours...
-G

I got dishes piling up in the sink -- any second now...
-mof

Opened it up and saw this...
and this...
No problems!
-mof

201508-Sor-end-result1.jpg

201508-Sor-end-result2.jpg

No random parts fell in the dishwasher. I think it was important to pre-degrease in the driveway, to limit the amount of crap I disperse into my dishwasher.

Here are the final braids. They feel great. Very clean stuff.

I put the 6 stickered standups in plastic bags with zipties. 4 of 6 held. 2 of 6 took in water. One nice aspect, is I can see how dirty the water was. Not too dirty, kinda of a golden color... ?

-mof

201508-Sor-end-result3-bag.jpg
201508-Sor-harness-after2.jpg
201508-Sor-harness-after1.jpg

I can see I have a few weeks of tumbling and cleaning parts before the actual swap begins, so bear with me.

Last night I took apart the drop target assembly, ran it through the ultrasonic and reassembled it. I didn't take enough pictures, and was very clumsy at reassembly. Thankfully I have populated Sorcerer PF here as a reference, and so it was easy to make corrections and continue on. It sounds just beautiful now that it's super clean. Crisp. It will be a joy to knock these things down.

I scrubbed the 3 maroon drop targets with 91% IPA and a black plastic brush to preserve the stickers...

-mof

BEFORE
201508-Sor-drop-target-assembly-before.jpg

RUST, GROSS
201508-Sor-drop-target-assembly-before2.jpg

AFTER

201508-Sor-drop-target-assembly-after1.jpg
201508-Sor-drop-target-assembly-after3.jpg
201508-Sor-drop-target-assembly-after4.jpg
201508-Sor-drop-target-assembly-after5.jpg

Now, what's the best way to keep the drop target stickers looking like new, and give them some longevity?

* spray clear? which?
* mylar?

-mof

How should I trim the mylar? To precisely match the shape of the sticker?
-mof

Time for the solenoid assemblies to hit the ultrasonic:
-mof

201508-Sor-dirty-solenoid-before.jpg

Holy smokes, cleaning up solenoids and blowing the foam out is FUN stuff. For best results hold the air right up against the coil until you find the "Sweet Spot" and then all the foam comes flying out the other side. Repeat process when done as a "check" to ensure there's almost zero water left in the system.

Will need to place an order with BAA soon for labels.

I'll knock the old solder out later tonight.

-mof

201508-Sor-solenoids-after.jpg

That's a good idea to keep in consideration. I could shoot a vid of the drops dropping and see how much clearance the sticker side has from the metal brackets on the way down.

-mof

Wondering which side should take the washer.

On the example I have at my house, the washer is NOT on the arm side.
On my version of Sorcerer, the washer is on the arm side.

See pics...

-mof

MY VERSION

201508-Sor-my-version1.jpg
201508-Sor-my-version2.jpg

OTHER EXAMPLE

201508-Sor-other-example1.jpg201508-Sor-other-example2.jpg

It seems interesting to put the washer on the side where it can sneak through that hole.

BUT, it makes more sense to me for stability to put the washer on the other side.

PERHAPS, there should be two?

Who knows...
-mof

You are a funny man!
-mof

Fair enough -- another clue I have is that on the "example" game -- the triangular part that pushes the three targets up is different than the one on my game... (perhaps it was removed)

-mof

Hours 8-13:
I've gone through 10 baggies of parts and run them all through the ultrasonic.
Prep work moving swiftly.
-mof

Getaway is almost done. A few tiny tweaks.
-mof

Yes, I wanted to further familiarize myself with WPC.
-mof

Getaway is pretty much done.

Let's get this damn party started. Right?

RECAP: will check hours another day.
Week -1: Game shop job = 37 hours
Day -1: Tear Down = 13 hours
Day 0: Part clean up and prep time = 13 hours
---
Day 1: (9 hours)
Day 2: (8 hours)
Day 3: (8 hours)
Day 4: (9 hours)
Day 5: (6 hours)
Day 6: (6 hours)
Day 7: (8 hours) pops wood rails
Day 8: (3 hours) tweaks and stuff

Totals might end up at... 63 prep and 57 on the playfield swap... (120) We'll see...

Guess I'll start with the lamp sockets...

* Line them up
* Bend the legs so they all lay flat
* I'll get the staple gun going in the morning -- GF is asleep.

Where's my guide again? Ah yes -- here it is...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-swap-guide

1. Staple in GI braid
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2136410
2. Staple (and solder) in GI Lamp Sockets
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2138647
3. Hammer in T-Nuts (while the top side is still flat)
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2143472
4. Hammer in all ball wire guides top-side (while the bottom side is still flat)
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/6#post-2176552
5. Hammer in 3 pop nails (while the bottom side is still flat)
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2141420
6. Install all switches (anything else that's at the playfield level)
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2141519
7. Install hardware
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2146019
8. Install wiring harness
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2146019
9. Install wire holders
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/5#post-2145130
10. Install everything top side
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/6#post-2176237
11. Install the wood rails (if you can do this step earlier, your playfield will flex less)
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/high-speed-restoration/page/7#post-2182779

-mof

201510_Sor-15-flush-GI-sockets.jpg

Lesson learned! (already!)

Always pre-bend your legs on the sockets, so that when you staple them in with FORCE, they won't angle and take chips of the clear out of the socket through-holes on the topside. It happened under a plastic, so it doesn't matter. Strangely, I had already predicted this might happen, and I had prepared, and it still happened. Next time, if I want to be "REALLY" safe, I could build a shim out of electrical tape, and place it around the socket before EACH staple... sigh.

BEFORE
socket legs not parallel
20151018_123352.jpg
AFTER
staple-able legs are now parallel
20151018_123339.jpg
-mof

GI Braid stapled in. Check.

Now it's time to flip over the board, and take a tool, and straighten all the sockets perfectly, before further locking them in place with solder.

-mof

201510_Sor-GI-braid-stapled-in.jpg

Get every socket lined up just right.
201510_Sor-every-socket-aligned.jpg

* I counted 17 flush-mounted sockets and 18 t-nuts.
* GI checks out.
-mof

201510_Sor-counted-17-and-18.jpg
201510_Sor-GI-looks-good1.jpg
201510_Sor-GI-looks-good2.jpg

I gotta say this is 3x easier when you've:

* done it before
* got a plan

Sheesh...

2 ball guides in ...

Time to try out a flipper/rubber color combo for inspiration!
-mof

201510_Sor-2-wire-ball-guides-in.jpg

11 wire ball guides installed.
Each hole carefully widened at top with the reamer, then gently drilled 1/8" to ensure no clear in there.
Each part polished on the buffing wheel, and waxed.
Each guide matched for exactly "middle of the ball" height.

Check, check, and check.
-mof

201510_Sor-11-wire-ball-guides.jpg

Making room in the clear for pop nails -- a tough war to fight. Took about an hour of turning the bit by HAND and carving just the right amount of clear out... a few little nicks in the clear near the nails, but overall a success. I refuse to have the nails ride above the clear.

TOOLS and RESULTS
-mof

201510_Sor-pop-nails-are-flush.jpg

201510_Sor-pop-nail-tools.jpg

11 switches...
* 8 lane switches
* 3 trough
-mof

201510_Sor-11-switches.jpg

Next up: #7: install hardware!
-mof

Hardware Check.

201510_Sor-hardware-installed.jpg

Steps 1 through 7: check. Not bad for 1 day of casual work.
IFIRC, step 8 is a doosie!
Next up... #8 Install the super duper clean Wiring Harness!
(tomorrow!)
-mof

Day 2: (8 hours)

A little progress today... wiring harness about 33% complete...

I took the same approach as I did on HighSpeed. Start at the top, and work it down slowly.
I'm leaving lots of slack, and I'm installing the plastic wiring guides as I go, so as to not create more things that "snag" on the harness.
So far so good.

-mof

201510_Sor-upper-harness.jpg
201510_Sor-upper-and_right-harness.jpg

Day closes out at about 60% complete underside.
-mof

201510_Sor-harness-60.jpg

Thanks, man...

85% complete with the bottom-side.
Last up:
* 6 standups
* 3 lamps for the drops (running out of spaaace!)
* 3 pop switches
-mof

Day 3: (8 hours) 99% complete with the bottom side. Just need to solder in a few flash bulbs....
All is good.

Learned to work around the lack of small screws for lamp brackets. Use a small washer on regular hex screws.
-mof
201510_Sor-small-hex-workaround.jpg
201510_Sor-complete-under-1.jpg201510_Sor-complete-under2.jpg

Notes:

* having a donor playfield from a friend made this 3x easier than referencing bad photos for hours and hours and having to back out of mistakes.
* working on your own playfield where you can trust all the pre-used holes is 2x easier than having to create them all by hand when it's a CPR -- I still love CPR's very much, but just saying this was a huge time save. I look forward to sending out Nine Ball and Defender to HSA some day to get touched and cleared, at least I know it won't take > 3 days to do the undersides in the future.
* at least 3 of the 24+ hours on the underside was re-building the zip-ties. It's slow, tedious and worth it.
* make sure the dishwasher is in full working order next time a harness is due for cleaning, I found some soap on some parts that needed a wiping. I have already fixed my dishwasher, which wasn't getting enough flow...

-mof

Day 4: (9 hours) Experience taught me to not expect a 6-hour topside completion and to see myself playing it tonight. Always expect the unexpected.

There are several holes that got covered up thoroughly by clear. Some are easy to pinpoint, others are not.

-mof

A quick pick-me-up while I trudge through making sure all the holes are actually THERE.
-mof

waxed and waiting...

201510_Sor-wax-laid-down.jpg201510_Sor-wax-laid-down2.jpg

Missing hole #1.
Left inlane. From a certain angle, I can see concentric circles (barely) that suggest a hole was once there.

I took a dremel and a TINY diamond-coated bit and made a hole as a wild-guess. I took a small drill bit, and drilled up from the bottom only like 1/8".

I repeated this step from both sides until I got daylight. I then used a diode leg to clean out the hole. I worked it from there.

YIKES...

-mof

(see bottom left of pic)
"We have daylight. You got this one correct. Play again? [Y/N]?"

201510_Sor-left-lane-light.jpg

Here's a better shot

201510_Sor-left-lane-light2.jpg

Now the funny thing is that these holes SHOULD be lined up perfectly with the wire guides. Factory didn't ship it that way.

I may be adjusting both at a later date.

-mof

This one was much easier. I could see the darkness through the clear. The last one was flat and white and there was nearly nothing to see. This one had a good clue. I stabbed it with a poker, drilled it with 1/16" bit, then reamed it. Should be good.

-mof

201510_Sor-left-middle.jpg

Next step. Creating an outlane starpost hole. From scratch. I'm going to use geometry, and double-check my work from 4-5 measurements.

1. assume both outlanes are built the same (verify)
2. create a wax paper template from one good hole on one side
3. use poker to create a tiny mark where I think the new hole will be.
4. take 4-5 measurements from different other playfield holes to verify I have it triangulated right.
5. dive in and make the hole.

-mof

RIGHT (good)
LEFT (created)
TOOLS

201510_Sor-left-outlane-starpost-right.jpg
201510_Sor-left-outlane-starpost-left.jpg
201510_Sor-left-outlane-starpost-tools.jpg

Spent another hour opening up all the screw holes (as expected)...
Still need to cut some mylar and drop it on there, wondering what shape to choose...
-mof

Everyone should expect a little fill in from clear. You ream and redrill the top of every hole and move on...

I did not expect some holes to be completely covered and hidden by the white masking or playfield printing.

-mof

I was cruising along with the topside...
(re-using old plastics until I know *exactly* where the WEAR spots are and how to avoid repeating them in new plastics.)
-mof

201510_Sor-topside-progress.jpg

And then I noticed -- another missing hole in the printed playfield. I'll have to remove everything in the area, and do the same on the sample I have at my house. Make a template out of wax paper, and create a new hole.

I'm telling you, if I didn't have this extra PF here, I'd be SUNK with the missing holes.

-mof

MISSING

201510_Sor-another-missing-hole-printed-over1.jpg

FOUND (on sample)

201510_Sor-sleeve-hole-in-spare.jpg

I found concentric circles, hole is pinpointed, prodding/reaming/drilling commencing...
(cross those fingers)
-mof

Victory!
-mof

201510_Sor-last-hole.jpg

Remove old flipper return frames.
Order new ones from Cliffy.
Remove Bells + screws...
Polish all on the wheel...
Clean all...
Wax all...

Install, and look for the 1981-Excalibur-shine!

-mof

201510_three-shiny-posts.jpg

"We've come to see your finished Sorcerer!"
Excalibur.jpg

Another shiny pic...
Not gonna say light at the end of the tunnel, but there's a tunnel approaching soon.
-mof

201510_Sor-right-ball-lock.jpg

Well lookie here!
Time to call the Hole Patrol...
hehe.
-mof

201510_Sor-missing-hole-left_ramp.jpg

More progress.
-mof

201510_Sor-side-horseshoe.jpg

tech note:

To install this ramp, you want to SQUEEZE the ramp into place against the RUBBER, make sure the 2 screw holes line up -- THEN install the outside "flap" that supports and holds it all in place. THEN go ahead and drop in the two little wood screws.

The clear isn't cut away to drop the tip of the ramp down low enough. There IS a small indentation, and I'm going to go with it. initial manual ball rolls "SEEMS" ok. Ideally at some point, I remove that ramp and route that area about 1/32". There's a chance I could cosmetically lose something by doing that, so I'm going to hold off until I know a best approach.

-mof

201510_Sor-left-ramp1.jpg
201510_Sor-left-ramp2.jpg
201510_Sor-left-ramp3.jpg

note: add +1 to the number of T-nuts. Adding one back in now is a bummer.

note: add the woodrail + ball guide at top FIRST -- before starting the ramps...
-mof

I'm running out of parts to install... Safe to say, I can see the tunnel now.
-mof

Just when I thought I was almost done. Another missing hole. LOLLL

This time, as I started to poke the hole, and I scratched my clear coat. Just pointing out the dangers of this kind of work. I took a break and mellowed out. It's very minor, and won't be seen during game play.

Two lessons learned:

1. apply minimal force when making a hole
2. If there's a direction you "can" scratch that will be benign (under plastics) then lean slightly away from that area...

I was really lucky, and I made a line that will be completely covered by the starpost... No harm no foul.

-mof

Camera doesn't pick it up -- but you are looking for concentric circles where the clear coat puddled up over the hole. In this case, it's just BELOW the reflected spotlight.

201510_Sor-hole-near-drops.jpg

Of course you can't see it! But I can -- I've developed a 6th sense!
201510_Sor-final-hole-victory.jpg

Pops, and woodrails left.
I'm gonna call that seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
-mof

Al... most... there...

It's a boy!

And he's popping out Saturday afternoon...

And here's the fun fact. Didn't use the rotisserie this time. Nope. Preferred 3 painters-tape rolled up towels for bottom side, and 4 clamps for top-side.

I may miss using it for the pops, but it was otherwise not missed at all.

-mof

201510_Sor-pops-and-woodrails.jpg

Quick glamour shot. Decided to make just the center "robe" area purple.
-mof

201510_Sor-purple.jpg

I've already done a few test runs with the ball to check flow (rubber/metal spacings)

1. I drilled a new hole right away for the bottom edge of the left "horseshoe" so that the metal flap would lay tight and flush against the rubber on the star post. Took me 2 minutes to execute.

The ball sounds EXCELLENT when it goes up that metal ramp and travels across. Such a neat trick -- an improvement on Firepower II.

-mof

Moved a few machines around. I had the "Sorcerer Cadaver" in the corner of the garage for a while. Time to swap out the legs, levelers, and bolts. ALWAYS be over-stocked on common parts by 1 machine. I am so glad that I didn't have to wait 2 days for a Marco shipment.

ABP: always be prepared...

-mof

It's like seeing an old friend again... (relief)

* cabinet vaccumed
* All wires reattached (inside the head)
* MPU boots up
* woodrails installed

It's pops and go...
Get ready for a drum roll in hour or two.

-mof

201510_Sor-still-boots-up.jpg