Yes thats my revision and I have trunk save set to on.

Yes thats my revision and I have trunk save set to on.

Looked at sorens thread, how do you get a copy?

I will PM you

That's OK soren just sent me a copy I believe. Thank you all the same

I would love a copy of the latest of that too if anyone is willing to send it. I have the ones still available in that thread, but they weren't the latest. Thank you.

+1

Hi all, I got a question. Having an issue I'm trying to run down and need a helpful answer that may get me closer to fixing it.

Is the Advance Clock insert at the entrance of the right loop supposed to stay on most of the time? When should it be light and when should it be off? Mine seems to stay on most of the time.

The issue I'm having is probably on the CPU somewhere and I've been struggling with it for years. It's a problem that only shows up after a game has been playing for a while. Not after you just coin up. After a while when I hit the left stand up target in front of the middle ramp I'll get this target to register and an Advance Clock award. The clock will move to the next hour.

It's been a while (years) since I've unsuccessfully tried to fix it. I've also looked at this target and all other ones around the playfield for diode problems. Haven't changed any diode though. I've also replaced a chip on the CPU board (sorry Can't remember which one right now) per Clay's guides.

Does anyone know the plunger spring strength on TOM? I need to replace mine and am completely unsure what to use! Couldn't find it in the manual.

I manged to source a spare DCS Sound Board. Dropped it into my TOM last night and played a load of games without any issues. So my problem definately appears to be with the original sound board rather than anything else in the machine. Any idea's what could be wrong with the sound board that would cause it to just cut out after a couple of games?

The ToM manual says it's a 10-148 spring, see page 2-29.

shooter spring (resized).png

So it should be this one https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/10-148

I was really lucky and came across a nice TOM this weekend that needs some work. Does anyone have any mods they might sell? I am particularly interested in the motorized tiger saw mod and a nice trunk. I would love George's unbreakable one sooner than the waiting list would allow, but I have a feeling no one is selling one of those that has one, so original might be fine for now while I wait too. If you do have anything, please PM me. Thanks.

Wondering if someone here can help. A friend is working on helping me get my ToM back in good shape, and he's trying to fix the Levitating Woman insert that is missing some color at the top as you can see in this picture. He has scans of the insert words that are in black and white, but we're trying to get it sized with the right blue color in there. It's driving me nuts as it is right smack in the middle of the playfield of course.

Has anyone done this color correction before or have an insert that they've created? Or would anyone know how to add the right color if I send you the black and white scan? I'd be happy to contribute to your efforts or buy a decal that you've created. This is not something I am good at, that's for sure.

Please do PM me if you are able to help. Thanks so much.

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I can't help, but if you find a solution, let me know. I've owned my TOM since 1998. From the start it had one issue with with playfield.... The "A" in MAGIC is chipped away on my otherwise really great condition playfield. I've asked for help over the years. Decal sets that you buy have their own issues with not truly matching the rest of the playfield or colors being off. There was the option of printing a few pages worth of replacement options on clear decal paper all with slightly different color hues to find the closest match and then use that one as a replacement. Then I would have had to remove the insert, scrape off the rest of the "A", add the new decal, add clearcoat, and reseat the insert so that it wasn't above the playfield. It still wouldn't be a perfect repair. The only other option that was recommended would be a full playfield tear down and repair. This would fix any issues at all and not just the "A" for me and would run about $1000. It would take many many months before I would get it back. I was SO close to doing this, but just worry that even with tons of photos and videos I would still struggle to reassemble. I then almost bought a reproduction playfield from Mirco when they first came out, but the reproduction film that he was able to purchase was a "Sun Process" one with a lot more purple, and less clarity than the more desirable "TAG" (Thomas A. Grant) version like I had in my machine already. The idea of a replacement playfield was a nice one though as I would put the new and old side-by-side and swap everything, but not having the colors or detail that I wanted was more important to me.

So at this point I just play mine as is. It is right in the middle of the playfield like yours is, but honestly, most casual players that come over (family/friends) actually don't look that close at the playfield. If I ever do decide to do something about it, I would probably duck it up and ship off the playfield to get everything fixed and clear-coated.

Have you both thought of looking out for a donor playfield. i.e. if someone does a playfield swap for a Mirco playfield, but the old one doesn't have a problem with the Levitating Woman or the A inserts. You could then swap in an original insert.

Hadn't thought of that, but I would be willing to try. Right now I did find someone who is willing to try to recreate the insert on Photoshop. I can let you know what happens.

What about these?

ebay.com link: i

Or these:

https://www.ministryofpinball.com/en/theatre-of-magic-insert-decals.html

I saw that one, but the insert there for "Levitating Woman" is actually different on the playfield in the area where mine is worn.

I actually bought a set of those years ago and the dots around the M-A-G-I-C letters are bigger than what it on the playfield, and the colors don't match. The only way to get them to look consistent would be to replace all 5 letters....

I actually had some PMs going with someone who put in a Mirco playfield and was willing to basically let me "borrow" his old playfield to send off to be fixed and then after I swapped everything I would send him my current playfield after I did the swap. The problem was that his playfield was in a *lot* worse shape than mine, so the repair cost would have been higher and then around that time we hit a family medical emergency that nixed the whole idea. That was mid-2019. I then forwarded the pictures to HSA, but the main guy retired and I wasn't sure if I was ready to be an early test subject with the new person/company (Las Vegas Playfields) doing it although they might be totally great at this point...

I have since fallen out of touch with him (the pinsider) and figured that he either sold it by now or something, but I guess I don't know for sure. Maybe I will have to revisit that idea, not that coming into Christmas time and those expenses make for a great time to do it, but still... His playfield was a bit of a mess for sure.

Hey all, proud new TOM owner here. Slight issue with the wire ramp that begins at the top lanes. When I hit the ball around the left outer loop to that ramp, it begins its journey up with plenty of speed to complete the ramp, however it comes to a screeching halt around where the ramp cover ends and rolls back down to top lanes. I thought it might be getting wedged between the ramp cover and ramp, but there is plenty of clearance for the ball to travel. It doesn't appear to be leaving the ramp into the cover to slow it down; it appears more of a friction of ball and ramp issue at that corner. Frustrating since this is the result about 80% of the time. Thanks in advance for any help!

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I am going to be (happily) buried in my theater of magic pinball when I die. I can't think of a better way to be lowered into the ground.

I hope it's still a long time from now.

Can we consider this my last wish on the matter or do I need something more official?

Digression over. I hope to see the shaker setup mentioned here in action. I might consider that by the glowing recomendations here.

Im thinking of going Pinsound and motion control/shaker setup.

This is going to be hard to tell from my pic, but to me.. it looks like your wire ramp is too far from the metal ball guide behind it. If you think about it, when you slam a shot through there, the ball is going around that corner and hugging that outside wire and riding against that outside ball guide (not rolling between the two wires). If there is too much gap there, i would think it would add too much friction and slow the ball down.

Just my .02 (I have yet to truly shop this thing, so I havent taken that wire habitrail out before)

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I adjusted the ramp cover, and that helped, but shifting the entire ramp over a bit closer to the ball guide really made it smooth! Thanks! And, yes, it's tough to see past that sweet hat mod!

I added Pinsound and upgraded speakers. It is not inexpensive and I am very disappointed. Pinsound is a great product and I love it in other pins, but it adds nothing here. The sounds and call outs sound tinty and hollow. I am considering removing it.

I did not add the shaker. My 0.02

Too bad. I would get the shaker. The shaker ROCKS! lol It completely changes the game.

Im only adding pinsound for the shaker and some of the custom mixes.

Upgrading speakers on an a low quality 8 bit soundtrack wont do much.

My speakers were flood damaged, so I bought the pinball pro replacement speaker kit.

However if there is ever a decent re-orchestration, the better speakers will shine thru.

I’m updating to LEDs. Sticking with warm whites for GI, but wanted some suggestions for colors in the back box. Nothing too fancy or bright, just some subtle color highlights. Anyone who has done this have a map they might share? Thanks!

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Perfect, thank you!

need some help please - I took apart my trunk motor and cleaned and greased it.
I noticed while putting it back together that I'm missing the "stop" pin that goes on the collar (see pic)
what can I use or what have others used ? Marco is out of stock on the collar assy with the stop pin.

** Upon closer inspection, looks like mine is broken off - so I'll have to drill it out I suppose -
and then use some sort of pin to tap in there?

thanks
-M
PS> once I do put it in, how do I align the motor shaft?

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The pins (and hole) are usually threaded and screwed in, if you drill with a too large drill you will obviously destroy the threading in the walls of the hole. If you can reach with a dremel try cut a slit into the broken pin to allow a flat screwdriver to get hold and screw it out.

Made a video of the 2 options (rgb slow fade and fire) of my sorceress mod for the TOM

I am looking for an owner that would like a set of these for free in exchange for pictures of the cards installed in their machine, and possibly a couple of short videos showing the transition effects while installed on their machine. If interested please post here, and the first to respond, the set is yours. Thanks!

I'd take those lenticular cards in exchange for some pictures and videos. Yes I have a ToM

Thanks

Thanks! I sent you a PM.

On the hunt for a playfield protector for my ToM. Are the German manufacturers the only avenue for distribution? The shipping is 40% of the cost!

This?
ebay.com link: Playfield Protector for Bally Theatre Of Magic Pinball Machine

Yeah, might be just that one place makes them and sells them. Saw this as well. About $180-$185 USD shipped, similar to the eBay listing, same specs.

https://www.playfield-protectors.com/Home/Details/JpMW1XF13EWCh0MavyyHkA?categoryid=22&category=Playfield%20Protectors

Thanks! I pulled the trigger on one from Cointakers after I spoke with them and they confirmed it was the same product from the German manufacturers. $125 + Free shipping! I know if it sounds too good to be true...we shall see upon receipt of item.

I posted about this before but now have some more detail. Is anyone interested (or can anyone direct me to someone who might have interest) in making a waterslide decal that matches the colors of the Levitating Woman insert and the Spirit Cards insert? As you can see, there is an issue with the Levitating Woman insert missing color at the top and the Spirt Cards insert has a mark on it as well. The Levitating Woman insert blistered through the mylar. I've been told the entire insert likely needs to be sanded down, then have a waterslide decal of the whole thing made, then covered and filled with 2pac.

Any thoughts on someone who might be willing to make the waterslide decal? If so, please feel free to send me a PM. I'd pay for time and efforts, of course. Thanks in advance.

(I have a friend who can likely do the sanding, although I am still deciding whether I have the stomach to have someone try this. Many have advised me to leave it alone. This is really the only cosmetic issue with the game. It's otherwise in great shape.)

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Anyone have some custom instruction cards they would send me for Tom. Would be glad to pay for them. Thanks

Not sure what you are looking for, but I sell these-
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1289-youbentmywookie/04613-theatre-of-magic-lenticular-apron-cards

Having an issue with the eject on my vanish lock. It hits the plastic and dribbles back into the hole repeatedly.

It has the correct coil, new sleeve, and I've even "tweaked" the bracket to change the angle of the plunger a little. I even changed the plastic. Nothing has worked

Has anyone else had this issue?

had the exact same thing happening. what i did was add a plastic washer to the top of the star post back there. that'll push the back part of that plastic up a little, which was what the kickout was knocking the ball into on my machine.

Can i join? I picked up one today

Its in my top 3 of pins. (St:tng, tales of arabian nights and theatre of magic..i have 2 of the 3..just need arabian now).

Back in mid 90's (in my mid 20's) i was a casino dealer working swing shift (dice,.black jack and poker) and on the way to work id stop at this arcade and play theatre of magic. I loved that pin. When i got into arcade hobby in 2014 i said to myself "i gotta get me that pin i used to play"...i couldnt even remember the name of it...then i found out how much they go for and i was like "ummm im gonna stick to arcades". Haha

Well today i managed to scoop one up from a local collector for a decent price. The weird thing is i could have bought this same pin 2 years ago from a different collector but i passed because i didnt go to him for that pin...i was going for a different, cheaper pin (Flash) but he offered Theatre to me while i was there...i told him "no thanks...i dont have that kind of money."

Today that same pin sets in my one car garage arcade.

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I was having a weird problem with my TOM. It seemed to go strange and announce many times in a row MULTIBALL during normal game play. It also would "hang" and the only way to get it back was to cycle it on and off. After a couple of hours of checking switches, looking for spots where balls could get trapped, I FINALLY figured out that the upkicker core for the ball launch had somehow gotten magnetized and was sticking in the up position SOMETIMES after launching a ball. Seems obvious now, but IRL was a real poser. I added a weak spring from a pop bumper and now the game works perfectly again. I find it's always difficult to diagnose intermittent problems particularly when the symptoms are strange and not consistent or even related to the fundamental issue. I searched using many different phrases and never came across anything that describe this problem/fix. Hope this post helps someone else someday.

Having a few issue after pressing start, on ball 1, all balls are kicked out and stacked in the shooter lane.

EDIT: Resolved. The optos were filthy and LEDs just needed a clean. Switch edge test checks out. Got lucky

EDIT EDIT: After a few games with no problems, it started stacking again. Arrgh! Any suggestions?

Go in to switch test mode and check the shooter lane switch