Just picked up my first Tommy. Great game, and I've always wanted one. This one has a nice playfield, and great action, cabinet needs a bit of TLC, otherwise a really nice starting point. The game is the air ball champ of the world - one even flew through the gap in the apron during multi-ball. Didn't see it, but I heard a thunk, like a ball landing in cabinet bottom, and low and behold - one actually did. Quickly had my suspicion confirmed that a ball found its way to bottom of the cabinet after it went into ball search mode. Funny.

Question - is returning the playfield to the down position from having it propped up on the "support bracket" as difficult for all of you as it was for me? Wrestled with it until a big thump and it went back in place. Seems like it wants to be lifted from back while moving the PF back in place. I've owned dozens of pins over the last few decades, but this one kind of threw me.

Also, any "just too cool to pass on" mods or otherwise that are unique to Tommy?

Looking forward to breaking this in and then on to a Pinball Magic maybe next year.

On it as to the fresh foam. Thanks.
RE the blades, I ordered mirror blades yesterday. I think they'll be perfect.

I do have the blinders, which are awesome, but I think the ball flew through the left hand side, which is pretty wide open. Maybe I'll install a target and switch in there and make that the super skill shot.

Thanks a million for the tips. The only DE I had previously owned was a Phantom of the Opera. It was a long time ago - actually the second pin I owned back in 97'. It may have been bad too, but it's been so long and I was so clueless I would not have noticed. I am glad to hear that I am not missing something.

The propellers look very cool, Thanks!

I'll check on the upgraded firmware tonight. Color DMD for sure.

Really liking this pin more than I thought. Just installed two Cliffy protectors last night - the mirror one is slated to go in tomorrow.

Thanks again...

Thanks for the size/type info - I was wondering about that. In 20+ years of collecting, I've never pulled the pin on buying a color DMD [I went with a B&W one I bought at a show in TZ which was pretty cool], and I was kind of getting a bit confused as I was pawing through the DMD site - this info helps.

So now that I have my new Tommy, I decided it would be smart to get in over my head and get a pinsound board and speakers. I see the sound samples on the pinsound community, but my wife wants Sir Elton singing and I do not think the samples on the community use that song. Anyone know if there is a file with Elton John's version?

I have another question: is it unusual for the screws holding the propellers to be inhumanly tight? Do people use Loctite on them? Before I start applying heat, and/or gorilla force, I thought I would look for some feedback

Pliers and brute force with a screwdriver then?

Ugh ...

Ha, I've chickened out for the moment. But thanks for asking. I thought it a much better investment of my time to blow up an enerGI board I bought. Managed to get that smoking real good- but fortunately no damage to anything other the enerGI board. Still trying to figure out what the heck I did on that one.
I have had lot's of luck with a pinsound board, a lot of repairs, new blinder servo and arm, adding LEDs and some custom lighting, so all in all a positive experience. Going to add my mirror blades last - after I work up the nerve to try removing the propeller screws tonight. I'm going to add a bit of heat to see if someone put on Loctite - these screws are ridiculously tight. If I think I'm getting to the point of breaking off the heads, I'm just gonna offer up the new propellers to someone else.

If you (or anyone) discovers where to get the Union Jack decals, please let us know!

Yes. The ones pictured in post #905. I’d love a set.

So, where did both the decal set and alternate translite come from? Are they still available? Inquiring minds want to know

Thanks so much for checking. I’ll be curious to hear about its origins. I did run across a company that said the can print custom decals, but just discovered it the other day, so don’t know a lot.

Thanks again

I have an NOS set of straight Stern rails that look like the stock Tommy rails [no flipper area protection]. The only difference for me is that they screw in at several points throughout the rail rather than just at both ends.
I was going to swap out my old rails, which are a bit battle-worn, for the new ones, but so far I have not felt comfortable yanking the stock ones off because they are adhered to the cabinet with tape or glue. Tried tapping in a putty knife, but these babies are welded on. So, something to check and contemplate as you think about switching.
Love to hear if others have seen this and how they overcame this obstacle without trashing the cabinet.

Think you are thinking of:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tommy-alternate-backglass

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Indeed it would. I heard that the person selling this glass didn’t, so it might still be available.
I have not had luck reaching the guys who did the Union Jack decals. I’m going to reach out to a pinball vendor who advertises that the can make any decal set you can provide art for. If I figure that out, I’ll post on it

If anyone is looking - CPR has Tommy plastics listed now [I just ordered mine]. Also, on ebay there is someone selling an NOS set for $308 [OBO] at:

ebay.com link: Tommy Pinball Machine Original NOS Complete Plastic Set Of 33 Items Data East

And I've emailed the folks at https://virtuapin.net/ to check on the viability of making the Union Jack cabinet decals.

Beginning to think I have too much spare time on my hands - which I do not ...

Sorry, already spoken for by a buddy of mine. I will only have an extra one of pumpkin-yellow reproductions that’s been floating around.

Well, if you have no takers on your offer to buy the second plastic from a CPR set, you can have my off-color one for free once the new set arrives. Honestly, it's not too noticeable - unless you notice it... and even then, it's okay. You are welcome to it and it's better than epoxy.

$255 with 5 days and 22 hours left and 25 bids. I can never understand why people get in a bidding war that far out. Baffles me.
And wow! I bet this goes well over $300. Guess I’m just going to stick with my giant silver Christmas ball for now and get a color DMD instead. I guess if you have the cash and want a stock and perfect game, you have to pay to play. Good luck to the bidders.

So nice - that’s next on my list.

I tried too. Nothing. I emailed and left a message with the company that touted the ability to do custom cabinet decals. Nothing. I plan on trying again this week.

Beginning to feel unloved....

Do you have the blades in the correct position relative to the throw of the servo? Otherwise, I’d check out the two adjustment screws/pots on the driver. Seems like they might be acting up.

Totally works. I used Tommy OST and it works perfectly. It’s here: https://www.pinsound.org/pinballs/data-east-r3/the-whos-tommy-pinball-wizard/
I later modified it by swapping in different versions of a few songs, and it still was fine.

I just install both in my Tommy. Very nice. Had a minor issue and the CPR folks totally jumped on it. The protectors are a great addition - especially on the judge VUK plastic that gets slammed from the inside as well as the outside.

Yeah, I had fits when I was first starting to use the pinsound board. Same exact issue. Lame (me) thing I discovered is that I was using too small a USB thumb drive. It just wouldn’t hold enough to load everything up. And it does take a long time the first time you do it, because it’s basically creating all the files.

A great resource was here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tantrums-guide-to-pinsound

As I got more comfortable with working with the files, it became apparent how to swap different songs and do things like that. My ultimate discovery was that everything I was having trouble with was easily solved - Nothing I had to resolve has anything to do with anything terribly technical. If you’re going to just run the sound package without trying to change anything, it should be very simple. Really make sure that you have a big enough drive first.

Glad it was simple. The Pinsound board is a great product indeed. Totally agree that Tommy is awesome.

Wayyyy better. More use of blinders. Don’t wait. Do it now!

Look here:

http://www.pinballcode.com/tommy5

I like the way you think!

I bought a set of nice, but used Stern rails with that feature built in for $40 that look like new. I've not had luck getting the old crappy rails off, which appear to have put on with something beyond Gorilla Glue, but then again, it is one of my "to do" projects when I feel up to attacking the problem. However, I thought this was a good solution that avoided the add on look of the protectors. If you want the add on type, look here at Marco:

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/500-6238-03
or
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/502-6801-00

Depending if you want plastic peel and stick or metal.

These are the rails ("lollypop") I was talking about. I got mine for $40 at a show - used but minty... They are $89 new at Marco.

rails (resized).jpg

Me too. I was just getting ready to start the “how do I purchase” dialogue with him.
I think the translite he is including with the decals is different than the one I think you have, which is mostly red, an actual glass and very cool. This looks to be the same as the production translite, but with different TOMMY lettering/accenting that is more Union Jack and goes with the decal scheme.
I did end up with a prototype translite, but it’s actually 2” shorter than the production version. Same width. Figuring out if and how I want to use it.
Decisions, decisions.
If there is a group purchase, please let us know.

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Probably. Wouldn’t surprise me.

You have a picture of the entire thing?

Thanks. Oh well, another wall hanging. One of those good faith purchases. I’m going with the thought that the guy who sold it to me didn’t know. I have faith in my fellow man.

I’m gonna order the decal set with the alt translite.

Between that and the pinsound plus board, their new shaker, the ENERGI board for the LEDs, new plastics and my eventual purchase of a color DMD, I’m running out of things to buy - and we can’t have that.

Very well done.

Love the color DMD. LED?

Oh ... I can sympathize

I too tend to do the same. In fact, for Tommy, other than a color DMD (I’m leaning toward LED), the stencil set to repaint the cabinet (scary), and a Union Jack cup holder, I am out of things to add or upgrade.

Have you added LEDs w/ the EnerGI board or mirror blades? Two of my favorites for this game. The Pinsound upgrade is great.

I await my pinsound shaker.

It’s a sickness....

So, and please excuse my ignorance, how does one go from a file to a translite? Are there firms or businesses one takes a file to and then they print out a translite?

Just installed the "flipper toppers" and target decals. Excellent quality. Easy to install, and I did like the attention to detail with the flipper toppers having a hollowed out section to accommodate the "DE" logo on the flippers. Really nice and I'm very pleased.

That's how to perfect a product. The divot worked flawlessly on the set you sent my way, so at least two down successfully. Once again, thanks for doing this.

Neat!

I just put mine in two days ago. It is pretty cool, but I programmed it and need to dial it in. The “explosion” setting is very strong, and I used it a bit too much.

I had great luck with the effect whenever the plane roars by. Also, had success with glass shattering, the ramp noise and most everything else.

Ultimately, I’m really happy with it and want to spend more time fiddling with it. Super easy to change shaker effects and to assign to different sounds. Very easy to install.

The Pinsound site says there is a Tommy package, but I don't see how to get to it. I'd like to see that package to see how they put it together. My sound package is different than theirs ( exchanged a few songs) so I needed to do the shaker effects myself.

Just download the PinSound Studio, put your thumb drive in your computer, open the file in the studio and go to the sound effects. highlight and click on the shaker effect you want to add - save. Put it back in your game and you are rumbling away. The files have to be in the latest format and your firmware needs to be up to date.

I got it all working and I'm fundamentally a Luddite when it comes to anything too complex with computer stuff - In other words, if I can do it, anyone can.

when I say "thumb drive" I mean the one from your Pinsound board with your current sound package

Finished my installation of the PinWoofer set up for my Tommy the other day. The sound is very much improved and does the game justice. I have a pinsound plus board, but was kind of “eh...” with the sound. It was good, just not great in my opinion. I love the versatility of the pinsound product, and I also installed their shaker (which is pretty cool). Thought I’d try PinWoofer set up and I’m really happy with the results. The installation was ultimately pretty straight forward. The best thing of all was the outstanding service from Dan Dean. Since I had the pinsound board, I needed a separate power supply, which was pretty cheap (see it below the sub in the photo). The power supply required a certain draw to work, so I added a string of LEDs, which I incorporated into the back box speakers. I ran the power supply off a 110v switched lead that was already installed in my game that came off the game’s power switch, so that was easy. Just had to add a ground. Dan was super helpful with the installation and would regularly check up on my progress and made sure I didn’t blow anything up or electrocute myself - thanks Dan.
Great product and great service. Very happy with the purchase.

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I think it looks awesome and pops pretty great as is. Almost seems a shame to mess with the colors by adding colored bulbs - in my humble opinion....

I did just that and ended up with a great soundtrack now (one that my wife loves too since I added Elton John for her, and that transcends any of my passing musical preferences). I added a PinWoofer amp upgrade and my brother-in-law says my Tommy now sounds as good as his home entertainment system.

Yeah, that’s a good addition. I use it for volume (duh) and also find it handy at midnight when I’m playing. If you plan on using headphones, don’t go cheap. My $35 eBay Grado headphones have been perfect!

Nice Job! Great selection of songs. I did a modified JULIEN42 and added some other songs form the movie soundtrack, the Who's original rock opera and a different version of the play. After listening to your playlist, it might be time for some changes.

The LED color DMD will will work with 5.0

One end should have a divot. hard to see in the photo.

I installed a Pinsound board with a PinWoofer sub and no problems with clearance. I started with the pinsound and flipper fidelity sub which also fit fine. Both were 8” subs.

I think so, and equally a good fit.

I went with Comet sunlight white throughout. They are excellent and do not washout any of the color inserts. I added some spotlights and color accent lights under the ramps.
You should also get an EnerGI board otherwise the flashing is way too intense.
Happy to share some more detail and better photos. These downloaded at a low resolution and look crappy. Couldn’t delete them. If any colors look washed out, it’s the photos. Insert colors are quite rich. Also PF is much brighter in person - once again, crap photos.

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I did go with with the Mr. Tantrum stickers and flipper covers. Really like the effect

As far as the EnerGI, people do sell them used and I think there is another board type available - although I cannot recall what it’s called.

I never could get that to work. Curious to see what people offer.

Should have three wires extending beyond the full enclosure. Sort of two on top and one on the right side. Mostly though the ball just drops to the lower ramp once it leaves the full enclosure. The right side wires that extend beyond the full enclosure really only come into play on my game when a ball jets up and those wires keep the ball from over shooting the lower ramp. Make sense??? If the top ramp is aligned correctly, it should never plop into out lane, and definitely not into the launch lane. Absent using a hammer and vice, I couldn’t even adjust my wire form to accomplish that. Can you post a picture. Something sounds weird.

I did. I like it. I have to adjust some of the explosion effects (I went a bit overboard). Very easy to adjust and I’m fundamentally a Luddite when it comes to computer programming type things. Very cool.

I was trying to dig up who did mine, and this popped up and reminded me. Rompingirl did mine. Fast delivery, reasonable cost, worked perfectly.

I installed these and they are top notch. Everyone who plays the games notes and comments on how well they compliment the game. Excellent mod.

Did you install LEDs? I did, and at first I thought I was going to go blind or have a seizure or both. I installed Comet "sunlight" bulbs, which are between the really harsh "natural" and the yellow "warm" lights. So, I was surprised at the whole blinding, flashing bit. I installed an EnerGI Maestro - LED GI Smoother, which when dialed in, reduced the impact of the flashing madness to a very nice level and totally solved the problem. Basically, rather than going from 100% off to 100% on with your LEDs, you go a game that fades from off to on.

look here: https://sites.google.com/site/energimaestro/

They may not be available right now, but I believe others are, and the fellow manufacturing these seems to offer up more boards now and again if not available now.

Well, EnerGI Maestro aside, there is a lot of truth in Ive’s statement

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.

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 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

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 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.

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.

Welcome aboard. Awesome game with many worthy opportunities for you to spend copious money on some really great upgrades. Great game to boot! Nothing beats those flipper blinders....

The real one has a base that fits the big hole on the top of the head. Looks more like a big round silver lightbulb. The homemade ones, like mine, are usually spheres made of plastic (mine was a jumbo outdoor Christmas ornament) or metal (a glazing ball). The replacement ones are then attached in a variety of ways that usually involve a metal plate or rod that is screwed into the bottom of the fake one.
If you’re asking about a reproduction done to the specifications of the original, I am not aware that such a beast exists. If it did, I couldn’t tell you how to tell the difference. But also, if it did exist, I’d love to hear about it.

The game always had blinders as far as I know and they are a must. Once you upgrade the software to v5.0 (think that’s the version designation), they are used a bit more. Several folks make a reproduction. Here is a blinder set up on Pinside:
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1203-thedudemods/02682-tommy-blinder-assembly-repro

Agreed. Absolutely should not be dark. Mine almost looks like it has Pin-Stadiums. I did add a couple of spots on the slings just to give it a tad more, but it really should be a fairly bright PF.

I had a similar experience. The only thing I did that was different was adding Pinwoofer speakers and amps. I felt that added a much richer sound. I also opted for the Pinsound shaker - kind of a compliment to the sound.

I used the OST by Julian42 sound package (on Pinsound’s site) and modified that a bit.

Happy with it all. Pinsound is a great upgrade for Tommy.

I dropped my flippers a couple of mm and it made the scoop shot, the targets, holiday trapped ball and the loop much more accessible. The scoop is still the hardest, but now way better. It didn't take much of an adjustment to make a big difference.

I find that the right ramp is a shot that I can consistently make by hitting the ball at the very tip of the flipper. More the angle than the strength of the shot. That's at least the way it works on my game.

I bought a gazing ball for my Tommy. Never made it to the game...

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Me too - it made a big difference.

Apparently one can cut away a portion of the speaker panel to accommodate an LCD display. It casts a slight shadow at the base of the translite. I’ve seen the LCD installed in a Tommy and I have an LED color DMD in mine and I think the LED is perfect. Very bright and vibrant colors. Easy fit and install (although the instructions are oddly missing a step or two). Just seemed the way to go for me and I couldn’t be happier.

For comparison - my LED

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I bet you’re happy with the LED. Really bright and colorful with great contrast. Very much picks up on the vibe from the original DMD.

I had this issue and it was the size of the thumb drive. Too small. Got a bigger one, reformatted it to FAT, and then easy....

I have a pinsound board and pinwoofer speakers and amps. Sounds awesome with no distortion on the high end. Had to dial it in, but adding the pinwoofer really changed things up and I retained the original grills. Just email pinwoofer and they will go over everything with you. Super nice and helped me through the entire install since I was glomming onto the pinsound board.

Mine has never been plugged into anything.

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Have you looked through this thread?

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tantrums-guide-to-pinsound

https://shop.colordmd.com/led-replacement-display-for-the-whos-tommy-pinball-wizard-pinball-machine/

Very cool story. I have no childhood memories of Tommy because I was almost 40 when it came out, but man it’s a great game and yours looks great. Make sure it has the v.5 software upgrade chip - it makes a really excellent game even better. Have fun!

They are called blades. A few vendors offer them. Some are here:

https://www.retrorefurbs.com/shop/whos-tommy-pinball-sideblades/

Or here:

https://modfatherpinball.com/products/the-who-tommy-pinball-gameblades

Or here:

https://mezelmods.com/collections/tommy-pinball-mods/products/tommy-pinball-gameblades?variant=32589126926433

I went with mirror blades which are here:

https://www.pinballdecals.com/MirrorBladesPage.html

For me, on the low end, I liked the Union Jack flipper covers and target stickers (see pictures)

I upgraded the sound with a combo of a Pinsound board with custom (better) music selections and upgraded the speakers with a pinwoofer setup. At:

https://pinwoofer.com/

https://www.pinsound.org/

And if you really go nuts (like I did), you can add the color DMD (dot matrix display), at:

https://shop.colordmd.com/led-replacement-display-for-the-whos-tommy-pinball-wizard-pinball-machine/

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CLIFFY protectors. Worthwhile, but more work to install than meets the eye. Definitely doable, but make sure if you get a set, really follow the instructions - especially with the scoop.

Well, no matter what you pick, it will be cool, but I thought the mirror blades looked great and fit the motif of the game given the mirror shot and mirror references. Perhaps an all too geeky overthink, but hey - it’s pinball....

Cheap. But you do have to swap out a chip (or 2? - can’t remember) on the MPU. Easy if you’ve done it, nerve wracking if you have not. Search this thread for a link to the person who sells them. If I see it, I’ll send you the info.

Try these. I use the one set on all my games when working on them.

https://www.pinballlife.com/interior-cabinet-protector-blade-set.html

If you are not in a rush, keep an eye out for a used one. I picked up a like new Pinsound+, with all cables and still with a box for $250 shipped with speakers.

I went with Comet “sunlight white” (not too white, not too yellow) for everything and added an EnerGI board to smooth things out. Looks great in my humble opinion.

Nope. Just like regular bulbs. To get to the GI bulbs on the top of the playfield you will have to remove a bunch of the plastics, and maybe a ramp ( can’t remember). If you do that, it’s a good time to do a deep playfield clean and wax. It’s a bunch of work installing all new bulbs and it really adds up in cost fast. I recommend looking for something like the EnerGI board or you might find the flashing LEDs are likely to induce a seizure. Absent such a board, LEDs are either on or off. Incandescent bulbs fade on and off, albeit quickly. The EnerGi board steps the LEDs up and down (you set the speed of the effect), thus mimicking the fade of incandescent. I think there are other boards that do the same thing since EnerGI boards are hard to get. Just something to consider.

It’s tight. That’s why I use the protectors.

I was too lazy to write it out. I’ve attached a photo of what I ordered from Comet Pinball

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