Does anyone think it's a dumb idea to have the toy Space Station chromed? Just and idea I had. The cost to have my R2D2 head done is only $25 so I'm thinking the station would be about $40. All comments welcome.

If you do that then you can't do this...
Here is a teaser picture. I should have it done in a couple of more days.
There are 18 LEDs in the circumference and a red flashing LED in the center.
I'll post as a new forum topic.

Space_station_lit_up.jpg

Can you explain more? I don't understand by what you mean with "pinball pro sub" and the "adapter"?

Yes vectordreams posted the new link.

I'm real happy with it. I've probably played over 100 games with no issues.

From a players view which didn't show in the pictures is that the LEDs reflect off of the copper pc board and the Space Station looks like it has perimeter lighting. A little hard to explain. You can see each LED in the reflection. I think this adds to the effect which I wasn't expecting.

The wiper contacts haven't failed once yet. One good thing is that the rotation is in just one direction and it is not turning constantly.

Regarding lighting the miniature space station, here is a picture where I tried to adjust the exposure to show the LED reflection off of the copper surface.Pic with exposure adjusted.jpg

Do you have a test lead with alligator clips? I would clip one end to the green wire terminal on the switch and tap the pair of white wires terminal with the other end of the alligator clip to see if that advances. If this works then you most likely have a bad switch. The green wire is on the very bottom of one side of the switch and the pair of white wires are just above it. Check that the white wires and the green wire are not shorted together.

If you have a meter, you could check the terminals on the other side of the switch. If they check good, you could move the wires to the other side of the switch.

What was the verdict?

You can read about this near the end of this thread:
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-relay-wiring-information-needed

I was referring to the Advance switch.
There are three switches - Advance, Auto/Manual, High Score Reset

I thought you were having trouble getting to the Game Adjustment #23 to select Free Play.

If you don't have a manual, here is a link to a pdf:
http://mirror2.ipdb.org/files/2261/Williams_1987_Space_Station_Operations_Manual_and_Test_Procedures.pdf

Enjoy....

Have the 2 red flashers ever worked?

At the top of the backboard there are 12 large flashers wired as 6 pairs. There are small GI bulbs in between each of the larger flasher bulbs. I believe the pair just to the right of center as you face the backboard are connected with the 2 red flashers that are the issue. Have you seen these backboard bulbs ever flash?

In my case, the wires to the red flashers were cut. All five bulbs were wired in series as GIs. They also removed three of the power resisters in the panel in the back of the cabinet under the play field. When I replaced the missing power resisters (the two yellow flashers on the right side of the playfield now worked), the pair of flashers at the top of the backboard glowed extremely bright continuously after you started a game. I had to remove the bulbs. After studying the schematic for the CPU board, I noticed one of the power transistors was replaced. When I tested the transistor, it was shorted. When I replaced the transistor with the correct one, the top flashers now worked. Then I hooked up the cut wires to the red flashers at the back of the playfield. And they now worked too. This was my case, yours may be different.

Here is a picture of mine that I extended out so that you could see the tip. It is chewed up a little. I will machine a new one from Delrin when it needs to be replaced.

Dennis

left.jpg

You should also check out my strip lighting mod:
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up-part-deux
I would like to know how to change the topic category from Tech:Generic to All:Mod

I also made a ramp protector for the right side out of stainless steel. I first made a cardboard template and copied it to SS.

Dennis

Ramp.jpg

I have an older machine and the clear ramp came with it.

Dennis

There are a few more pictures of my clear ramps in these two topics:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up-part-deux

Dennis

If you have the capability to mold plastics, then I would be interested in a replacement 1-2-3 mini playfield.

Dennis

On my machine, I see 5 rivets on the ramp and 6 rivets on the mini playfield. I would use counter sunk screws to replace the 6 rivets.

I made my own ramp protector. I made a cardboard template first and copied it to stainless steel.
This should be done before the ramp develops cracks.

Ramp.jpg

Dennis

Can you give a little more detail on how you did the lighting? I can play mine in a completely dark room too. Did you happen to catch my last mod

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up-part-deux

Dennis

I don't think anything needs to be accomplished for the hold. I would estimate that mine occurs about 90% of the time. When I was making some mods for the space station lighting, I found a small broken piece of plastic on top of the plunger. So I would check that area for any foreign material.

Dennis

I like the look of yours. My green bulbs are quite dim. When looking to replace them with green LEDs, it seems to be quite a chore. The sockets/wires are all stapled in. They would also be hard to change from the top of the playfield.

Are your spots wired to the white GI? Do they turn off in "condition green"?

Go to page 30 and 31 of the instruction manual for the switch tests. Check the switch levels and Switch edges.
The manual gives a lot of information to narrow down the problems. It could be bad microswitches or some wiring shorts/opens, or something not working on the CPU board. I've had to replace several switches in the past.

The startup is saying that it detects something wrong with these three circuits.

Dennis

If not here is where he can download a copy:

http://mirror2.ipdb.org/files/2261/Williams_1987_Space_Station_Operations_Manual_and_Test_Procedures.pdf

You might want to check out my part 3 of the LED modifications that I made to the space station.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-led-mod-part-3

I liked MustangPaul use of the purple spots. The closest that I could find were blue LED's since I wanted them high density with 120 LED/meter strips.

Dennis

Speaking of possible software bugs. Sometimes when I'm due an extra ball, the ball does not appear. The score increases by increments of 1000 about once every second. After some time, I give up and start a new game. Any one else have this issue or know of a solution? It does not happen very frequently and I can not generate it on demand.

Dennis

Here is what I did:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sound-controlled-speaker-led-lights

Dennis

I took a look at mine and the plastic tip was chewed up too. I have 1/4 in Delrin rod that I could make a new tip with. I took the mechanism apart but could not remove the plastic piece. I wasn't desperate enough to drill it out. There was enough left that I could file it smooth.

After putting it back, I have never seen it shoot the ball out so far!

See if you have enough left to file or sand it back to shape.

Dennis

It is easy to remove the plunger. Two sheet metal screws holding the front cover plate. Push the cover plate toward the flippers. Then two screws holding the solenoid. You should be able to slide the plunger and spring out.

If there isn't enough plastic left to file or sand the tip, then you can drill out the plastic.

Marco sells Delrin rod:
http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/66-WPR14

You could cut off a small section and epoxy it in the plunger. Then file/sand the tip with a circular bevel.

I have made 4 LED mods to the space station. This one may be of interest to you:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up

Dennis

I just added a 7 segment LED strip from cometpinball.com to just above the three drop targets. This made a big difference because that area is rather dark. I soldered it to one of the GI sockets under the playfield.

A question I have is: Did the original Space Station come with decals on the drop targets or were they just black? As you can see in my picture, one of mine has an orange sticker on it.

DropTarget1.jpg

DropTarget2.jpg

Paul is correct. I was going to try attaching it without taking anything apart. But decide to take it apart anyway since the rubbers by the drop targets needed changing.

I cleaned the underside of the plastic with 99% isopropyl alcohol. The LED strip comes with adhesive. Just pull off the protective strip. I fed the wires through the hole where the flasher wires run. There is a GI bulb and socket next to the hole. I soldered the LED wires to the GI socket under the playfield. So the LED light turns on and off with the GI lighting.

I'm thinking maybe reflective (red - white - blue) might be neat. I'm also thinking something reflective on top of the drop target would work too.

Dennis

OK, Paul. I went to Target and bought a roll of Duck brand Prism tape. It is very thin which is great. It appears to be mylar based so it should work good. Here are a few pictures. I had some plastic tape in red, white, and blue. I put this on top of the drop targets.

DropTargetDOWN.jpg

DropTargetUP1.jpg

DropTargetUP2.jpg

One last picture. I replaced the top red-white-blue tape with reflective R-W-B stickers. I left the prism tape on the sides. Also added the white reflective sticker to the top of the bay door drop target.

R-W-B-1.jpg

I bought some pop cap rings but decided to use them in the speaker cavities (sound controlled) instead:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sound-controlled-speaker-led-lights

I am using these LEDs in my pop bumpers:
http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/6smdfan.htm

I was looking for a replacement upper 1-2-3 miniplayfield too. It took about a year. Finally found one here on pinside. I need to give Jason (coz6) a big thanks....
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-playfield-and-plastics

Dennis

Neat! Now you need to wire it to the "bay door" drop target so it turns on only when the bay door is open.

Dennis

Does it chase back and forth or just in one direction? What is the total strip length? Can the strip be cut shorter and still work correctly? Is yours made for 12 volts? I wonder if two were attached in parallel, would they chase in sync.

Looks like this one on Amazon is similar to yours for $8 and it does say that it flows in one direction.
http://www.amazon.com/iJDMTOY-Scanner-Lighting-Interior-Decoration/dp/B00H9OQ0XQ/ref=lh_ni_t

If I can find the right ones, I may replace the blue ones on my machine.

Dennis

ebay was overwelming trying to find it. Here is a video of the one on Amazon:

Thanks Paul, I didn't know the chasing LEDs existed. Here is what mine now looks like:

Dennis

I bought the ones I found on Amazon. When they first turn on they are in sync. After a minute or so they get out of sync. They look good either way. How did you attach yours? I used clear RTV sealant. Takes about 6 hours to set and 24 to fully cure. I did three spots, the ends and the middle with a glop of RTV. I cleaned off the old RTV with isopropanol and my finger nails.

I recently got a clear ramp from Mark, "Freeplay40". He did a great job. My plan is to build a couple of brackets to hold the chasing LEDs rather than use adhesive. They will attach to the mounting posts that hold the ramp.

Dennis

First, do you have a manual? If not you can download one from here:
http://mirror2.ipdb.org/files/2261/Williams_1987_Space_Station_Operations_Manual_and_Test_Procedures.pdf

1) After the ball gets to the left ball popper, it will dock either to the left or right depending on the diverter (item 30). See page 55 item 22, 23 & 30.

2) The 3 drop targets should reset at the beginning of the game and after each "new ball", and after all three have been knocked down. After the three have been knocked down, the point multiplier is increased from 1X through 7X.

I replaced one of the TIP122 transistors on my CPU board. If you look on page 65 of the manual you will see a note at the bottom of the page regarding the TIP122. It says "special selected TIP 122 for Williams, (P/N 5162-09410-00)". The one I replaced was replaced prior with a non special. Maybe that is why it blew again. It controlled some of the flashers. Caution, the CPU board is double sided. Cut the leads off the transistor head first then desolder the three leads individually. I like to use desolder braid. Also check the associated 2N4401. Mine was OK.

I got mine from Marco:
http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/TIP122

My Space Station mod has been working far beyond my expectation:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up

I'm also happy with my other SS mods too....

Dennis

I was lucky to find a used 1-2-3 mini-playfield here on pinside about a year ago.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-playfield-and-plastics

After a little polishing:

mini playfield.jpg

This was my solution to the dark playfield:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up-part-deux

Dennis

All 4 LED mods have been working fine without any issues.
1 Miniature space station lit up
2 Side rail lighting switching from white to condition green
3 Ramp with blue chasing LED triggered by drop target
4 Sound controlled speaker lights

Note: all of these mods can be controlled with dimmers for your individual likes.

And as you and I have said in the past, pictures of the mods don't do it justice....

Here is an old link to my lighting up the space station:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up#post-1266354

After 2 years it is still working great....

Dennis

I did add some small rubber "dots" to the diverter so the ball would roll out of the diverter easier.
These dots are peal and stick 5/16in diameter and 1/16in thick bumpers left over from Ikea projects.
Here are my pictures of the four positions:

ramp_gap_(resized).jpg

exit_right_lock_(resized).jpg

back_entrance_(resized).jpg

exit_left_lock_(resized).jpg

Sorry for the response delay. Been out of town without internet.

Check out my mod link:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-led-mod-part-3

I switched out the LED to the chasing LED. They are on only when the drop target is down ("Bay Doors Are Open")

They are wired to the 12 volt DC power supply in the lower right corner of the back box.
I can post a picture in a few days when we get home. If that would help.

Dennis

This is where I got to the 12 V DC power supply. I used alligator clip leads to attach to the bridge rectifier with an inline fuse. The dimmer controls the brightness of the LED mods. The relay switches the aux strip lighting between GI white and green modes.

Dimmer_Relay_(resized).jpg

Not sure what you consider impressive. Here are links to some of my mods:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/miniature-space-station-lit-up-part-deux
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-led-mod-part-3
Changed the ramp LEDs to:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/sound-controlled-speaker-led-lights

Dennis

Find posts in this topic

Show only posts in this topic that match certain words or are written by a specific Pinsider. Or both!

Just search by poster "MustangPaul"
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-club-members-only?tq&tu=mustangpaul

http://www.greatlakesmodular.com/

SY11-RB1-A
System 11 24V Solenoid and GI Relay Board
Pricing: $25.00 + S/H
Cross-Reference
OEM P/N #C-11998
PCB #5768-12243-00

Looks good. Pinside would not let me respond to your PM because I'm not verified!

"I removed the 1-2-3 decals from my old playfield. They were not in very good shape to begin with.
I scanned it and the image would need to be repaired with photoshop. I can email the image to you if you are interested?

After you repair it, you could print it on mylar and glue it to your playfield.

I live in Ahwatukee, BTW. I would need your email address other than pinside to attach the scanned image."

Dennis

Check out my post #1276
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/space-station-club-members-only/page/26#post-3343874

Dennis

When mine did that, it was due to the metal guide at the back of the right flipper. It was preventing the flipper from operating correctly. I just had to move the guide slightly away and tighten it down. I would check that first.

Dennis

This is on top of the playfield. There is a metal guide that the ball strikes near the right flipper. My guide was slightly loose and touching the backend of the flipper. You need some clearance around the back of the flipper.

I've had the "creeping point addition mode" happen too. Never could figure it out. I just turn the machine off and start over.