there's some nice union jack flipper toppers for sale by a member in this thread, would look good on your machine. i like the blades, have mirrors on mine.

New decals, new translite, new playfield, pinsound, upgraded speakers, the Who sound tracks, wow a new Tommy!

Just missing the words on the top of the backbox does anyone have a highres good quality image of them?

Or can someone please take a photo and send to me so I can print them out and pop them on my backbox so I can see them in the silver ball topper.

I also need to change the backbox LEDs as they are too bright for the translite any suggestions for backbox LEDs?

20200530_132307 (resized).jpg

20200530_132315 (resized).jpg

20200530_132327 (resized).jpg

20200530_132337 (resized).jpg

Ah ..ok

Part number for that is 530-5268-00 Propeller Shaft

You prob know that. And I can't see it listed FS anywhere.

That art is so much better, how difficult were the decals to work with?

Hey Julian,

Here is a photo of the original as well as a scan of a sticker I had made (for a white cab) if this helps. Send me a email if you want the original files.
Tommy Mirror Writing (resized).JPG
Mirror ball decal 001 (resized).jpg

Actually I did not have that, but able to remove the broken screw...and all back up and running again...

I did not do the decals a friend sis them but I think they were OK to work with.

Tommy is such a great game.

I just installed a Color DMD into my Tommy. Love it. I went with LED and it looks fantastic. I've seen the game fitted with an LCD, and it looks great too. They have a different feel to them, so it really is just personal taste in my humble opinion. I don't see that one is better than the other. I happen to like the LED.

I must say though that the provided instructions are needlessly vague and incomplete. Unfortunately, step 9 (hooking up power and the ribbons) is missing, so I went on line to confirm my best guesses. Warning - it is kind of easy to install the 5v plug backward if you are not careful. I had it on backward. I had not fired it up yet, but I came close. Ended up working like a charm and I'm up and running. There is ample support among hobbyist. If you are installing one, I suggest reviewing a video or two, at least for a Data East install. Remember to check your 5v plug alignment and that with the ribbon cables, the red line is toward the #1 pin side. Have fun.

I had an LCD one in mine for a time. I found the colours just seemed a little muted - I'm guessing they look more vibrant with the LED version.

I didn't see an option for the LCD from Colordmd...was this something they once offered?...I was told the size of the DMD was the issue with the LCD and that's why only the LED is now offered for the Tommy.

LED version came out after they colorized Tommy. LCD was the original option but required you to modify (cut) the inside of the speaker panel to account for the size of the panel. It also required removal of 2-3 bulbs at the bottom of the backglass. It was extra work, for sure but was worth it to get color. I agree the led version is brighter and probably looks better on Tommy if you don’t want the other style options. I’m a sucker for high-res though.

People apparently modify (cut) the top ridge of the speaker panel. That way the larger LCD can be fitted to the game. With this modification, the housing of the LCD protrudes an inch or so behind the translite. I saw an LCD Tommy at a show and it looks pretty good. I just happen to like The LED.

I have the LED and I can not agree more that it is fantastic. I also installed the full pinballbulbs led kit. The results are fantastic. It makes the play field much more modern. The only thing is that I had to disable all of the flashing which I do not miss at all.

I installed an EnerGI board which took care of the LED flashing issue. It makes the pulsing of the LEDs like incandescent. Totally a must if you go LED otherwise the flashing is really too much to deal with. Not sure if the board is still in production, but I’ve seen it available on occasion used and I think there might be other boards that do the same.
Check out this thread:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/led-gi-smoother-for-data-east/page/9#post-5678834
Check out the creator’s site:
https://sites.google.com/site/energimaestro/home

I don't believe these are available anymore. I did manage to find one used though...If you know otherwise let me know as I need one for another machine I'm working on...

There are some adjustments on the board, but I've never played with it and left it as it came...So I can't answer that specifically. I did turn the flash level down to the minimum level as I recall though.

There is a two pin connector on the power board on the top upper left in the back box. Here is a link talking about it. I can get the exact pins next week for you.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/led-gi-smoother-for-data-east#post-2089154

Here is a picture that show which connector from the power board in the back box. This is the top left board. The connector is between CN8 and CN2 which is the second down from the top on the left side of the board.

It took me an hour after installing LEDs to figure out how to disable this. I do not miss the flashing one bit nor do I miss the relay clicking.

Tommy power bd (resized).jpg

It does not. This is the power to the blinking relay. Nothing to worry about.

Looking for a turn key CQ Tommy. Someone on this thread has to have one to sell. Drop me a PM. Let’s talk and exchange my money for your Yommy!

I'm a proud new Tommy owner. This is my first pinball machine, after playing in arcades for >45 years. This is my favorite of all I have played, so I couldn't resist when this local Tommy showed up for sale. I saw The Who Live in 1980 and cannot forget that show, and it sure helps to like the music as well as the way the game plays. Its a 1 owner machine, in decent shape with everything working, but not maintained with like 20 bulbs burned out. Thanks to the detailed and helpful posts on here, I have already tuned the pop bumpers to work much better. I also got a flipper kit, new rubber, and full LEDs on order. For this tune up, is it worth making a rotisserie as I have read here?

Get the pinsound card if you are a fan of the band.

My Tommy and Tales from The Crypt left yesterday. Just too much maintenance on the DE's for me, seem to be broken more than going.. Shame because i loved both.

Strange to hear. I can honestly say that beyond the normal occasional tweaks .... my Tommy has given me near zero issues in over 15 years of ownership.

Welcome! A rotisserie would be complete overkill just to rebuild flippers and install new rubbers and bulbs. Just make sure the two playfield support posts are secure. They tend to have loose screws and/or missing nuts attaching them to the bottom of the playfield.

I will 2nd that. I've owned Tommy for about 12 years and it's been almost trouble free. I even took it to a big tourney in Atlanta a few years ago and it was hammered on all weekend with nothing but a few stuck balls.

Not long after I got the game in 2008 I had to replace a bridge rectifier when I lost all insert lights. Also had to rebuild some connectors for the GI. That's about it.

Hopefully mine will be trouble free for the new owners for many years to come too.

Ditto the “no” on the rotisserie.
Tommy is a great game. I added a pinsound board and PinWoofer speakers and amps (overkill? I think not!) and I love it. Also added the pinsound shaker and a color DMD. Another nice touch was the Union Jack flipper covers and upgraded propellers. Such a cool game.

I’m new to DE pins. What kind of issues were they giving you?

When doing a full LED upgrade, is it easier to remove all the ramps and plastic and do it from the top, or unscrew the socket and do them from the bottom? (for the portion of the lights where needed, I see that many are easy without any removing any stuff.)

Some can be done from the bottom. Most of the smaller 555's can. However, a lot of the playfield lights are staple down type wires, gotta do them from the top. Lots of them behind the translight,too. LEDs are the way to go, brighter, less heat.

You can also install Stern's playfield support brackets (Spike machines) on DE PF's. Makes it much more secure when pulling the PF up.

Und these

Screenshot_20200901-151132_Chrome (resized).jpg

Has anybody made, and sells, new sound chips with the original Who Tommy Album?

Have to install a Pinsound board. They are amazing.

I just joined the club. Bought a Tommy from another Pinsider and a PF from TomDK The playfield has been sent to Ronald Kruzman for clearing. It will all be restored.

I’m thinking of Pinsound with the Pinwoofer kit. Has anyone done that combination?

I did and it is great. I liked the pinsound set up alone, but it just didn’t have the oomph I was looking for. Given Tommy is a rock ‘n’ roll pin, I went for the pinwoofer addition and I’m very happy I did. I had to work with the owner of pin woofer to get it all right, but it was really pretty easy in the end and he was amazingly helpful. I also added the pinsound shaker. Very nice addition.

Pinsound with PinWoofer for the win! Have it in GnR! Amazing! My Tommy has PinSound and Flipper Fidelity speakers, need to add PinWoofer to it next. Also, when ordering PinSound, get the extra power cable as well

I put in a pinsound and it is amazing. I have not upgraded my speakers, but I do not think that it is needed. Put in the pinsound and see how it sounds first.

I went with the Pinsound & the 3 speaker kit for it. The sub is quite good, & also the Tommy album download, it is free. You will love it.

There is wisdom is trying it first without the PinWoofer, but you should find someone who did add it to see if the difference is worth it for you. I found the difference quite profound. Pinsound has at least two [maybe more - it's been a while] excellent downloads. I modified the popular one and changed out a few songs for my own mix. Once you figure out how to do it, it's not that hard. Mr. Tantrum has a pinsound topic that goes into how to modify that's very complete. However, I must say that the download from Pinside is really outstanding. No matter if you modify or not or add a pinwoffers or not, you will love the Pinsound addition. It's absolutely a great mod for a Tommy. Don't forget that Pinside also has a shaker motor that triggers various vibration patterns based on sound effects. Super easy to program and very flexible.

Anyone have a spare speaker grille for a Tommy? I am in need of one. Shoot me a PM if you do.

Looking for Tommy NOS PF. Send PM and let’s talk.

You mean Pinsound? Pinsound helps the audio portions; PinWoofer enhances the output and together they are perfect in Tommy!!

Was Ron looking for one for you as well or is his different?