Hey, I've got "real" pinball tables, and I understand why lots of people hate Star Explorer and its 2-flippers-at-a-time cousins, but the games are cheap, light and still fun. For little kids, they are approachable and easy to learn. Sort of an entry drug for pinball! Anyway, am I the only one (besides Ken Layton) who cares?

$1200!

What I like about the little guy is that he's cheap (well, should be), simple and accessible. Seems like he has a role for beginner players as well as for fixer/restorers.

Marijuana is legal here in Washington, but most smokers buy the illegally-grown "skunk" version, 'cause it's cheap. I get the same sick feeling every time I smell that smell. It gives me the urge to ask "why don't you at least smoke the good stuff?!". So, I accept what you say.

I have a Flash, too, and there are a lot of those around. Still, it's fun!

Since this may prove to be more of a memento for people restoring Star Explorers in future years, I'm just going to document what I did to get my machine to work better. Not as a "how to", but rather "how I did".

First problem was that the left flipper was dragging and had made a narrow crescent scuff in the playfield paint. That was improved by disassembling the flipper connector bracket, cleaning everything, reversing the 2 bushings to get the better one on the left, and installing nylon washers on the flipper shafts. The new washers are 3 times as tall as the original metal washers and boost the flippers about 1/8" higher - just enough to not scuff while still low enough to contact the ball solidly.IMG_1549 (resized).JPG

Next, the plunger bracket is molded so that it has a tiny inclination to the left. As a result, the plunger tip scuffs on the sharp metal edge of the ball trough and cuts the rubber. Here's what that looks like:
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My next post will be regarding what I did to solve that.

More of a gasket, cut from inner tube (seen from behind, so backwards in the photo). The smaller one turned out to be enough:

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Those are really neat flyers. The family that plays together has a very nice looking mom!

As for the 67.5 pounds total weight, my wife and I found that to be refreshing after coercing 3 "real" machines, including a tank of an EM, into our house.

Hey, thanks for the detailed story! One of the many cool things about these games is that you don't risk ruining a $1000 game by trying repairs or mods for the first time.

Hey dudemo,

I'm sorry your repairs didn't "stick". My Star Explorer does some of the same behaviors - static over speaker, ball kicked out on power on, no ball kick out for 2nd and 3rd balls in a game. However, my display seems OK.

What was it you fixed with the transistor replacements?

...and tslayer71, yeah, independent flippers would make the game play more like a full-on pinball machine. In my case, the game is for a 2-year-old granddaughter, whenever she gets big enough to care. At first, I think the dual flipper action will make it easier for her to play, so I'm leaving this one as-is.

Hmmm... assuming I'm not the only one attending to this thread (remember Dr. Johnny Fever broadcasting to 4 or 5 people on WKRP?), I wonder if you have any suggestions regarding my little machine's current problems:

1) It counts balls (I think using IC 106 near the top of the display board, and at upper left on the schematic) correctly, but it pauses :15 - :20 between balls.

2) It activates the pop bumpers correctly, but doesn't score 100 points when it should.

Schematic is located at: https://www.ipdb.org/files/5642/Sentinel_Inc_Wonder_Wizard_CB_Charlie_Owners_Manual.pdf

With Ken's help (he's the patron saint of these little games), I'm down to 2 major problems that I know of - my game doesn't score 100s and it takes :10 - :20 to register a ball in the outhole and kick it out or increment the ball count. We've been working on the second problem first.

Capacitor C103 and diodes D102, D103 and D104 are associated with the ICs which do ball count and outhole kicker. Diode D104 (a tiny one!) passes voltage in both directions. So, maybe there's one component I have to replace - that is if such diodes are identifiable and available. It appears to be marked 161 -1 ITT or 181 -1 ITT.
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Congratulations! Now you have a store of spare parts as well!

"Away from Seattle" is a good situation at the moment.

I have some used ones on a Williams driver board; for expediency I'm gonna give one a try.

Wonder_Wizard_schematic.pdf

Congratulations!, and thanks for the photo. You can see diode D104 near the top center of your photo. Yours is the normal golden color; mine is blue and smaller. The two are equivalent spec-wise, but it's nice for me to see yours in place on the board.

Anyway, following on the above posts, I removed D104 from my display board and replaced it with one from a Williams driver board. No improvement.

New question: do diodes have to removed from the circuit before being tested? Both my D104 diode and the 1N4148 from the Williams read .6V in the forward direction and 1.4V in the reverse direction in circuit, but both read 0V reverse direction out of circuit. Same for the other 6 on the Williams board.

Hey Dudemo, now that you've had 2 display boards in your machine, you can give me a clue or two. Did your machine kick out balls and increment ball count the same with both boards? And in each case, right away or after a delay?

1st - thanks for the info.

2nd - your game was working, but now it just trips the circuit breaker and shuts off? But you didn't do or change anything?

Well it's strange that it changed (sounds like Neil Young!). Maybe a short, or another component failure?

BTW, I bought those 4433 chips you found. I need one for my "100" digit in the display. I just got the other ones in case, but would share if useful.

Yup, sixtyfourbits, our Star Explorer is gonna get used by grandkids with the same white stool as in your pic! They like it that the game is relatively simple and the flippers easy to work.

...and dudemo! What can I say? You're going to corner the market!

I'm glad to hear that. I think the kids get a chance to feel like they can play, instead of just watch the ball go down the drain.

I once saw a photo of a guy's game room, which had a sweet lineup of only kids' and home-use pinball tables. I thought "this guy's got style". I think you, dudemo, may be on your way to a similar game room. Way to go! You can line up 5 or 6 machines before you even hit $1000.

Hey Dudemo, is that some king of optical illusion in the picture of 2 Flying Aces? It looks like the one on the left is smaller than the one on the right.

Here's a small conundrum: display board IC 106 is supposed to be a 4017, yet on the actual boards (that is, mine and dudemo's) as well as the one in the pinwiki photo, IC 106 has the same labels as ICs 102, 103 and 104, which are 4433s. Did they label different ICs the same?

I do notice that IC 102, 103 and 104 are marked "165-1", and IC 106 is marked "164-1". Is that all they did to differentiate ICs?

I'm glad dudemo could get more of those 4433s. I'll be glad to share, if needed. BTW, I had to buy 10 4017s, so can share those too.

Anyway, I replaced IC 106 (4017) and IC 102 (4433) today and my game now scores 100s. It's got one permanently lit segment on the display. It still pauses :5 to :20 before incrementing the ball count.

It's getting close.

p.s. Do I get a special hat for being "Supreme Commander of the Galaxy"?

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Ball and LED are synchronized. Funny behavior - let's say I turn the game on now; the ball will kick out immediately for ball 1. I play it, lose it, and it takes maybe :6 for the LED to increment and the ball to kick out for ball 2. Same for ball 3. Now, tomorrow, I turn on the game and the delay between balls is :21 each time. Pretty much the same gap between balls on any given session, but a different gap on another day!

Anyway, I cleaned and gapped the switch on the outhole today, just to make sure, and nothing got better.

The 136,300 score is legit, but the next game was about 12,000. It's a simple little game, but hard enough that scores don't come for free!

Well, out comes the driver board again... I'll keep you posted, thanks.

Hi dudemo, no - no progress, though mostly 'cause I'm waiting for some more parts. I ordered a Motorola 741 chip to replace IC107, which also contributes to the ball count. I was going to replace that anyway, as it's the other chip which contributes to ball count and kick-out.

When you replaced your Q111 - 113 transistors had all 3 of them gone bad? My LED increment and ball kick-out occur simultaneously, no matter which ball, and with the same delay from ball 1 - ball 3. That makes me suspicious it's something upstream from the transistors.

Cool idea!

OK, the replacement IC107 chip is installed, and my game still counts balls correctly but slow. The school of pinball goes on....

You know, if it's a game and you can play it, and it makes you happy to be in the room, how can it be bad?

On an old subject, when you tested q111-113 transistors, what was your testing method?

You remember Lionel trains - "Big Toys for Small Hands", right? Model railroaders just hated them (still do) because they weren't serious. Well, this thread is way off on the toy end of the spectrum. If some pinball buffs don't like these little games (real or virtual), there's plenty of other stuff for them to discuss elsewhere.

Meanwhile, I'll give those transistors a test tomorrow or Monday. BTW, did you remove them from the board to test?

Removed Q110 - 113 transistors and tested out of circuit. Replaced Q112 because of volatile readings between base and collector. Put board back in machine, started a game and ball count/kickout incremented in :7 instead of :71. Second game and delay was up to :12-:15. Third game and now :30+.

It acts like something is getting warm and slowing down, but what?

Meanwhile, back at the game which delivers ball 2 after a fairly long delay, I may have discovered a small clue.

When ball 1 is lost and sitting in the ball-return hole, I can push the circuit breaker which resets the display board and cause the ball to be ejected for play. The score goes up by 1100 points (?!) at the same time. If I just sit and wait, it takes about :25 before a new ball is delivered for play and nothing goes wrong with the score.

Any ideas?

Hmmm, it doesn't reset the ball count - it increments it.

Weird, huh?

Do you have a soldering kit? That's the first question.

A slight diversion while I await my parts care package from dudemo.... A local friend gave me an old Van d Graaff generator which didn't want to do anything. I shined it up and cleaned everything, as well as adjusting the spraying and collecting meshes. Now it at least levitates sheets of tin foil. I'm off to borrow the neighbor kids, who have fine, straight hair, to see if we can do the hair trick!

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Yeah, I don't need to incinerate anything with a big spark.

Wow, I adjusted things "just so" and the little Van de Graaff generator now makes 4" to 5" sparks! Have to keep it in isolation from the pinball supplies!

Days pass... and the Star Explorer gets a home-made prop stick system. I cut some bits to glue on the bottom of the cabinet, as well as one under the playfield, and glued them on with carpenter's glue. Then I cut a prop stick and beveled the ends to match the tilt of the playfield and cabinet bottom. It's not fastened to anything as it would be on a "real" pinball table, but the bevels keep it from sliding around.

Now I can prop up the playfield and inspect or work underneath without crimping the wires under an edge, and without the playfield trying to tip over or slide out of position. It seems to work.

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You don't like the factory-issued blue bread ties?

Wire dressing aside, I fired up the game yesterday after a couple of weeks of disuse. The ball kicked out after 4 - 5 seconds on one game, 7 -15 the next and 20 - 25 on the third. I let the game sit over night and tried this morning - about 12 second between ball arriving in outhole and kicking back out.

What kind of component would deteriorate after it has been powered for just a minute or so? Is it possible I have capacitor(s) which test OK cold on a multimeter, but charge too slow to work right in the game? Transistor(s) which deteriorate as they warm up under power?

I don't know how to test components when the board is powered on.

Yesterday I removed the driver board, unsoldered transistors Q303 and Q304 and tested them. Reassembly and installation of the driver board resulted in no ball count or kick-out at all. Ever.

I wonder if a solder joint came loose under the mother board - it flexes quite a bit when the vertical boards are removed/installed. Or, perhaps I did poorly soldering the transistors back in. Anyway, it all comes back out again for another look.

No broken solder joint, as tested with continuity tester. Speculate the 2 transistors didn't survive their removal and reinstallation.

So, I'm taking my machine to a friend who's a professional pinball and arcade repairer for some expert attention. It's time to call in the cavalry!

dudemo, forgive me for butting in if you're there, but you've been silent for a while. Anyway, the answer: yes. The 2 rows of 5 transistors at the top of that board, each numbered with a "Q" at the beginning.

You're welcome. eBay has 'em if you don't have a favorite pinball supply house:

ebay.com link: 2N4401 General Purpose NPN Amplifier Transistor 20 Pack

ebay.com link: 5 pieces TIP102 Darlington Transistor 8A 100V USA FREE SHIP

Entertainingly, I have the same set of transistors to replace this week. In my case, I had a pair failing and when I took them out to test and put them back in, the heat from the solder/desolder killed 'em.

Your other hobby has you way up at the heavy-duty end of the soldering spectrum!

I'll be very interested in your results. "dudemo" has 4 or 5 of these games and I expect his advice will be helpful.

Thanks, Ken.

I'm awaiting CD4093 chips in the mail to try replacing the timing chip on my game. It's still waiting a minute before spitting out the next ball.

If it's any consolation, I replaced those pairs of transistors and got no improvement as well. I was hoping maybe Ken Layton (the patron saint of these little games) would notice your post and pipe up. You could try Pinside Messaging him and see if he's got a suggestion. I think Dudemo's out for the time being.

I installed my new CD4093 timing chip today, and it didn't fix the problem of long delays between balls. It did, however, speed everything else up. Now, bonuses are awarded much faster and to a very up-tempo warble from the sound system!

Yes sir.

I got several of those chips at once, I suppose I could try a different one. Another friend suggested replacing all the electrolytic caps. What do you think?

OK, thanks.

That's an interesting idea. I may try to skip the circuit breaker on the display board and see what happens. Anyway, I'm glad you're making progress; the little games are fun to play and look neat. Not, maybe, as neat as a 6-wheel troop transport in your driveway, but neat.

I'd send you a couple, but they're cheap and fast on eBay anyway:

ebay.com link: 1N4004 10 pcs 1A 400V Rectifier Diode from USA

...and here's how to test a transistor with a multimeter:

https://vetco.net/blog/test-a-transistor-with-a-multimeter/2017-05-04-12-25-37-07#:~:text=Hook%20the%20positive%20lead%20from,OL%E2%80%9D%20(Over%20Limit).

You're welcome. It still cracks me up that a guy who plays with half-tracks is having to fool around with teeny diodes!

You know, if you survive the Star Explorer experience, you might find yourself an electromechanical pinball machine from before 1976 or so. No solid state stuff, only relays, solenoids, stepping units, etc.. Possibly like what you're used to seeing in your military surplus equipment. I much prefer EMs to solid states!

I found a source for the big 6800uF 50v filter capacitor:

ebay.com link: 270099 41 NICHICON CAPACITOR 6 800UF 50V ALUMINUM ELECTROLYTIC LARGE CAN

Cap (resized).jpg

Stay tuned... I've got one on order and will test it on arrival.

tekman - welcome to the little club! I can't answer all your questions, but the bonus kickout saucer in the middle of the playfield scores 8000 points and makes a warbling sound while scoring, then kicks the ball out and up toward the pop bumpers.

This one?:

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Hey Ken,

To interleave a question with those of tekman78, I got my big filter cap in the mail. I've removed the mother board and see that the small cap tab (at the top center in the photo above) and both lower tabs are soldered to traces on the board. How do I connect multimeter probes to test this style of cap?

Thanks!

No, not mine, though I do have a 2-player electromechanical Bally. Ken was refurbishing a Chicago Coin EM the last time I saw him. They're neat!

A wise man (as compared to a wiseguy) once told me to get one solid state machine and one EM, and I'd soon know which kind I preferred maintaining. He was right - for me, EMs are more enjoyable. Having said that, this afternoon's project is installing a bunch of components on the Star Explorer's mother board....

Hey tekman - congratulations!

While I'm chasing my tail regarding the slow next-ball-kickout issue, I decided to improve the tilt mechanism. As delivered, it's way too easy to tilt, so I stuffed some tin foil up inside the little bell, filled the bell with thermal glue and jammed a heavy nut and bolt into the glue. The tinfoil is to keep the thermal glue from insulating the bell where it hangs on the metal chain.

With the increased mass at the bottom of the chain, you can bump the game around without tilting, but if you give it a big yank it tilts reliably. Seems better!

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"If there are multiple bridge rectifiers that could be replaced to improve this, I'd like to know which they are, and if they are all the same."

You'll notice when you remove the 2A rectifiers from the mother board, that the 8A rectifiers are physically larger and the legs are farther apart. My mother board has a separate set of holes appropriate to the bigger leg spacing, as if Philips originally planned to use 8A rectifiers for some games.

This is from (Ken's) pinwiki page on these little games: https://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Sentinel_/_Wonder_Wizard#Sound_Problems

"The volume control pot is soldered to the 702605 motherboard in the backbox. The shaft of the control gets banged around alot which causes the terminals of the control to develop bad solder joints on the motherboard.

Sentinel 702602 audio board

There are several pots on the audio board. Don't play with them. Be sure to clean the foil fingers of the edge connector.

Integrated circuit IC202 is the amplifier chip that drives the speaker. It is a type LM380N and can be replaced by NTE 740A. Integrated circuit IC201 is the preamp chip and it is a type LM324. Integrated circuit IC 101 pins 4, 5, and 6 as well as pins 8, 9, and 10 control muting the sound."

"Potentiometer" - variable resistor, as in volume control. They look weird on the audio board 'cause they don't have knobs to grip.

Congratulations!

My machine is down to 2 known faults - one segment of a score display stays lit all the time, and it waits a minute or more before giving you the next ball. The first problem I don't care about, and the second one has me stymied. I can get around it by pushing the display board circuit breaker reset after each ball.

I've stopped working on it for now, to build up some enthusiasm for trying again. Thanks for asking.

No. That only resets the ball count back to 1, and the score to 0. The display board circuit breaker (closest to the transformer) is the only way to get a new ball other than turning the game off and back on again.

...or, that is, wait 1 to 2 minutes for the ball to kick out. We got the neighbor kids to wait that long by playing Uno in between balls.

Tim, I finally opened my machine up again and measured the ball - 1" diameter; is that different from yours?

...and in the on-going saga of incredibly slow ball return, I started testing resistors on board 3 (display) in the circuits affecting ball return. I checked for schematic call-out, as-installed (by color band) and as-tested with multimeter. R123 in particular seems way high. Schematic calls for 470k, as-installed is 470k, and as-tested is 1.65M (or, an ever-ascending value, or, "O.L.").

If I read the schematic right, that's the first resistor in line from the ball return switch. If so, a way-high resistor would slow things down, wouldn't it?

R123 got replaced today and it fixed the problem. I guess it must've been just barely passing current. The new one increments the LEDs and spits the new ball out crisply. The whole game seems peppier.

Boy, I learned a lot about solid state systems working on this little guy. Thanks for the help and encouragement!

Those of us who've succeeded in reviving our little games this year should enjoy this eBay listing. It's a Demolition Derby model, which SOLD for $1,150 plus shipping!

ebay.com link: Vintage Wonder Wizard Demolition Derby circa 1977 Pin Ball Machine

...and by the way, it was NOT EVEN WORKING!

I agree with you - these are clever 3/4 scale machines made with real parts. They look neat and are fun to play, and are less intimidating to work on than full size machines. I sure replaced a bunch of circuit board components before I got around to checking those resistors, though!

@chuckh, @tekman78... when you superglued your loose foil pieces down, how did you apply the superglue underneath?

I gave it a try and it seems to be holding. The rings around the pop bumpers on mine were "Pringled" as well as the rectangles you described. All are flat now, thanks!

HaHaHa!! That is the coolest reason to restore a machine that I know of.

My Star Explorer was bought from a woman who was using it as "decor" in her hipster living room. Nobody to love it at all....

So... was there a year you got a half-track from Santa?

Sadly, Ken passed away recently and won't be able to help anymore. I sold my Star Explorer or I'd help.

I think you're measurements of the actual acrylic sheet in your game are OK. 21" x 43" would fit a standard, full size pinball table.

You're welcome. How's your Star Explorer doing?

I sold mine to the neighbors, who have 6 and 8-year-old boys. Within a few weeks, their grandfather had bought 3 (!) new full-size pinball machines. The little Star Explorer turned out to be a gateway drug.

Rats, I don't have my game or schematic anymore, and as you've read above, Ken Layton, the patron saint of these fun little games died last year. Let's hope some other expert is aware of this thread. Good luck!

I think you're on the right track. Hopefully it will be something simple and obvious (at least in retrospect).

My game would count balls correctly, but would pause a full minute before giving you the next ball. It turned out to be a dead resistor in the ball count circuit. I ended up testing all the resistors on that board and found one other that was weak.