(Topic ID: 35625)

TECH: DE Simpsons Cooling Tower stuck ball fix (hack)

By bargoyle

11 years ago



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  • 3 posts
  • 2 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 11 years ago by bargoyle
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#1 11 years ago

Was talking with MT45 and he's having the same stuck ball issue I was having, and since I cant figure out how to send pics via pinmail, and figure others out there may have the same issue, here is the solution I came up with:

I used an old spring I had lying around, but a large paper-clip will work if you can get the tension right.

Remove the plastic above the bowling pin drop targets, and then remove the rubber ring from the top of the post right where the ball always gets stuck.

Unroll the paperclip, then wind it, bottom to top, around the post. Wind it as tight as possible. You may need to roll it around the post and then remove it (the first wind will just get it nice and "spring shaped" then you can tighten it with your fingers and slide it back onto the post so it stays put.

Of course, if you have a spring, just unroll a bit of the top. Its the tension of the spring between the playfield and the rubber on the post that holds it in place. I've had this fix in place for over 10 years, and haven't had to replace/re-fix it yet.

Put the rubber back on the post, and then its just a matter of getting the "arm" of the paperclip/spring in the right location.

Unfortunately, none of my pics show it well, but its JUUUUUUST inside the white pop-bumper trigger plate. This way, it doesn't prevent the ball from rolling onto the trigger, and the pop bumpers work just as they did/should, BUT the ball doesnt have the empty space between the cooling tower and the post to sit and stop the game.

You may have to play around with it until you get the angle perfect, but its not too hard. Most important is to make sure there is no play in the clip/spring. Stretch it out if you need too, so that it fits very tight to the rubber on the post.

Good luck, and let me know how it works out!

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#2 11 years ago

Nice, mine does it too. Now if I can figure out a way to disable the giant magnet on the left drain I'll be all set.

#3 11 years ago

Amen HFK!

Simpsons is still the most unforgiving table I have. Love it, but it just OWNS me some days.

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