(Topic ID: 165089)
Linked Games
Addams Family, The
Bally, 1992
Topic Gallery
Napa, CA
No, it's like a scorched bumper cap. The heat source was from under the wood, so the surface is the least damaged level. No amount of polishing or anything like that will help.
For the white cloud, you might could trace the white shapes, cut them out then moisten (not enough to drip) with bleach, or OXI or something like that then carefully apply them. I have no idea if it will actually lighten the scorch, but that's all that comes to mind.
WARNING: you could ruin the playfield if things go south.
[EDIT] that reads like I was saying to cut the graphics out of the playfield and bleach them. What I meant was to cut paper or cloth, dampen and then apply them to the field. Probably won't work, but...it's all I could come up with.
Ok, I have admit that this magnet burn and chair wear actually look better than my TAF. That being said, after installing a cliffy, some fuses on the magnets post replacing the offending components and waxing up the playfield, I seam to care less now about how the magnet burn looks...at least until I get around to doing a playfield swap.
Yea, I'm no professional but overlay or playfield replacements all ya can do. I'd just play the sh!t outta it... 80%or more of these original taf's have some sort of magnet burn
I don't know if you have looked at an AF with the decal over the burnt spot,but they do cover pretty well and will look a lot better than what you have now. I would put one on over that. Than again CPR should be doing the playfield run within the next decade or two.
i have ordered pcbs with 2a sb fuses for each magnet to prevent pf getting burnt if a magnet sticks on.
Can't fix. 3 of my 4 addams have the burn. Just play and restore if you want it perfect down the road.
"Playfield replacement"
Somebody made an overlay years ago, but it looked simply awful, due to improper low dpi.
Sorry, but what damage is "done is done".
Some owners have done complete repaints and attempted another clear coat, but that is a waste of money.
They just do not look right.
Hopefully, you did not overpay.
Damage is done. Replacement playfield is the best bet. Decals second. Play her like you stole her third. Good luck mate.
Quoted from barakandl:hopefully got the tracks right this time. this should save the magnets from burning the PF. One 2amp fuse per magnet instead of one 5 amp fuse for all three magnets.
And where does this board go?
Quoted from AlexSMendes:And where does this board go?
Replaces the one under the PF that drives the magnets. Electrically the same as the original, but has 2 amp fuse in the magnet fuse which should blow after the magnet sticks on.
Quoted from barakandl:Replaces the one under the PF that drives the magnets. Electrically the same as the original, but has 2 amp fuse in the magnet fuse which should blow after the magnet sticks on.
Cool, thanks!
Honestly, I'd try cleaning and polishing the crap out of that mylar first. It's hard to tell, but it kinda looks like the burn is more in the mylar than the playfield. I say that because the darkened area kind of cuts off at the edge of the mylar and the cloud is white again in that strip between mylars.
Hey, it's worth a shot!
Can someone explain, just exactly how a fuse protects the playfield? A coil of wire is going to draw a certain amount of current whether it's on for 1/4 of a second or 5 minutes. In actuality, the resistance of copper goes up as the temperature increases, so as it gets hotter, the current draw goes down. So, is the wire getting hot enough to melt the insulation and short circuit the windings? If that's the logic, then it seems like a fine line between melted insulation temperature and burned playfield paint temperature. Or is it that the circuit is actually drawing slightly more than 2 amps, but the fuse can stand it because it's only drawing for a split second? Then when the circuit locks on, the fuse eventually heats up like a space heater and melts.
When the magnet is pulsing, it's not drawing max current, so it doesn't get hot. When the tranny locks on, it's on wide open, non stop for however many hours the game sits turned on. Over time, the high current draw heats the magnet enough to slowly scorch the playfield. The added fuse blows and interrupts current flow after the tranny goes saturation or dead short and begins to draw the extra current, before the magnet can heat up enough to scorch anything.
That is my understanding of the situation.
Quoted from Starwriter:Can someone explain, just exactly how a fuse protects the playfield? A coil of wire is going to draw a certain amount of current whether it's on for 1/4 of a second or 5 minutes. In actuality, the resistance of copper goes up as the temperature increases, so as it gets hotter, the current draw goes down. So, is the wire getting hot enough to melt the insulation and short circuit the windings? If that's the logic, then it seems like a fine line between melted insulation temperature and burned playfield paint temperature. Or is it that the circuit is actually drawing slightly more than 2 amps, but the fuse can stand it because it's only drawing for a split second? Then when the circuit locks on, the fuse eventually heats up like a space heater and melts.
Honestly not real sure what scenario takes place but it saved my playfield. I individually fused magnets before I stored my game at my sisters house. My nephew noticed the magnets we not working right one day. Sure enough found a popped fuse, put in another one and saw that the magnet was locked on.
Quoted from Starwriter:In actuality, the resistance of copper goes up as the temperature increases, so as it gets hotter, the current draw goes down. So, is the wire getting hot enough to melt the insulation and short circuit the windings?
True, but at no point will the current draw reach zero due to a high enough temperature. As long as there is connectivity, there is current. The thing could be glowing red hot, and still pass electricity through it.
Plus, the playfield ink is very, very thin, white, and over 20 years old. I wouldn't take much at all to discolor it with heat. I've seen the undersides of TAF playfields with burned playfields, sometimes that burned magnet spot looks like someone took a small blowtorch to it.
Quoted from Starwriter:Can someone explain, just exactly how a fuse protects the playfield? A coil of wire is going to draw a certain amount of current whether it's on for 1/4 of a second or 5 minutes. In actuality, the resistance of copper goes up as the temperature increases, so as it gets hotter, the current draw goes down. So, is the wire getting hot enough to melt the insulation and short circuit the windings? If that's the logic, then it seems like a fine line between melted insulation temperature and burned playfield paint temperature. Or is it that the circuit is actually drawing slightly more than 2 amps, but the fuse can stand it because it's only drawing for a split second? Then when the circuit locks on, the fuse eventually heats up like a space heater and melts.
To add to Cody's statement, I will provide a simpler explanation:
More heat equals more wire resistance.
More resistance over specifications equals more potential shorts due to drawn current.
More shorts equals more burns.
More burns equals more ruined PFs.
The process starts from the bottom of of the PF, and moves to the top, before burns become visible. It is not always a "flash" process, meaning not as a result of magnet, wire, connector, or board failure. However, both conditions can occur, one over time, one from "lock on" transistor or coil (magnet) failure.
Installing a fuse allows it to get tripped when the resistance exceeds the drawn current, and prevents magnet overheating and externally interupts current flow, even if there is no transistor short from the PDB.
"Extra safeguard"
It is cheap, it works, and it has been used for decades not just on playfields, but driver boards, and power modules as well. Protects under all circumstances.
GTB loved fuses on power boards.
BLY/WMS sometimes "cheaped out".
On TAF, the fuse size used should never be higher than 2 1/2 amps, 250 volt, slow blow. Many use 2 amp fuses, instead.
When the CPU wants to fire the magnets, it turns on the magnet not solidly, but in quick very rapid pulses. The fuses will not blow to rapid pulsing, but blow when the magnet sticks on (due to component failure which seems to happen often enough). When one 5amp fuse protects all the magnets, the fuse sometimes fails to do its job and the PF gets burnt. Each magnet should have been fused individually to begin with.
Quoted from barakandl:but blow when the magnet sticks on (due to component failure which seems to happen often enough).
Or excessive wire resistance due to heat buildup over a short period of time, and no component failure.
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