(Topic ID: 43909)

Theatre of Magic Club

By Nilroc

11 years ago


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#1002 7 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

So is it as simple as just disconnecting the cable bundles from the back box and lifting it out? (obviously taking into account any wire/cable management, glass out, etc)
Maybe I've been making a bigger deal out of this than it really is...

On most modern games you dont even have to unplug the cables.
There is enough slack to completely remove the PF out of the cabinet and set on a rotisserie or table near the cabinet.

Repairs and live assessments are easier to troubleshoot outside the cabinet.

2 weeks later
#1024 7 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

I checked the connections (again) in the backbox, no change. I removed and tested all fuses, nothing failed. I got out my voltmeter and checked continuity. Two wires were traced back to the backbox (the green/brown? and the white with green "dashes") and had continuity. I also traced the white with the green spiraling stripe, and it goes to the left outlane switch (ultimately) and it tested good for continuity.
I also checked the connection for the wires for this switch to look for burns, and there is no evidence of any. At least visually.
I also tested the switch itself using the volt meter. When the switch is open (as in a "no ball present" situation), the outside two connections tone out good, and neither tone out to the middle (with the green wire). When I press down and close the switch ("ball present" situation) then the outside lose continuity instantly, and the one end that does NOT have any regular wires connected, tones out with the middle connection. I am attaching a picture of the shooter lane switch to show what I am talking about. I tested that previously mentioned outlane switch, and it reacted the same way as this one, with the same continuity changes when its switch was "open" as well as pressed. (Note: I took this while I was testing continuity, I've sense pushed the middle connected wire all of the way on.) The image shows where I get continuity "tone" with the voltmeter and when....
Next step would be desoldering switches and swapping the outlane for the shooter to see what happens, but it just seems odd that everything else seems to work according to the volt meter, but stranger things have happened.
Anyone have any other suggestions that I can try as well in case the switch-swap doesn't change anything?

How does it test in switch tests with a ball?
Also check all switch connectors in the backbox and push in all affected the wires on the IDC connectors in with either an IDC tool or a credit card edge, make sure all wires are deep in the connectors.
It sounds like a loose wire connection in an IDC connector or maybe dirty contacts there.

2 weeks later
#1045 7 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

Thanks for the feedback.
I actually had the right brass wireform ramp out last night before I saw your post just now. It was pretty straight forward. the end of the ramp goes "into" the playfield, something much be holding it there, flip up the playfield, find the two bolts, undo the nuts, bam... It is out.
Everything sent off to get plated.
Anyone know how durable the plating is for high touch areas like the lockdown bar where your hands rest?
Getting a lot of pieces plated, but that is my biggest concern.... wear from use.

Heavy powdercoat seems to be more durable than thin plating...but if struck just right it can chip.

#1047 7 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

Yeah, the plating is being done by the same place that did Mike Chestnut's work in the past, and people seemed to LOVE that, so hopefully it will hold up.
I know that Stern has been cranking out powdercoated metal on their pins for the last many years. Some looks obnoxious, but it is SUPER durable, but it is too "dull" and "blah" for trying to make it look like "gold."

I think the recent trend in powdercoating has to do with corrosion.
Lots of games are plated in an assortment of colors, but sadly they all rust,corrode or tarnish over time.
We will have to wait and see if the powdercoating lasts as well through the years.

#1055 7 years ago
Quoted from Slingshot:

I'm having an issue and hopefully someone may be able to shed some light on this. My trunk is not turning and if and when it does it is sporadic I get the trunk error but then when I go into the trunk test it will not respond to command via the button input. I have done the leon fix board and cleaned the gearbox and added a new motor. I also just replaced the U3 and U4 chip on the motor control board and I see 12v and 5v where I should there as well as 12v to the motor. Really stumped at this point. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
link to my other thread before I replaced the L6203 chip:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tom-trunk-error-leons-fix-anyone-done-this/page/12

Put the old board in and see if there is a difference.
Who knows, you just might have a bad replacement board...

#1058 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

Can someone tell me the color black to use for the front on the Backbox? Also the color black for the wood next to the shooter lane. Thanks.

Krylon black satin or semi is good.
Small scratches a sharpie is a good match but dries a little glossy, a wipe down with a dry cloth will rub off the gloss.
I have even sprayed the paint into a cup and applied with a que tip for little nicks and gouges.

#1076 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

Brasso smoothed out the wire but it still looks the same. At least it Will be smooth. I have one lock light that I keep getting to work and it keeps going out again. Any ideas what I can try?

use nerv-dull keep rubbing until smooth, keep rubbing until its polished. tear off what you need put it back in the can.
wipe off any white residue later, if any with mist n shine.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/George-Basch-Co-NO.L-5-Ounce-Nevr-Dull-Polish-Wadding-Each/21984076?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=795&adid=22222222227021769000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=51794510711&wl4=pla-83197939271&wl5=1026201&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=112562476&wl11=online&wl12=21984076&wl13=&veh=sem

#1093 7 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

Yeah, but isn't 1.4 known to have some (rare) multiball failure or something? I remember there being some reasons why people said not to go to 1.4... It would be nice to have the saw spin as designated by the 1.4 ROM though...

I have finshed the wizard mode many times and never a hiccup. So if there is an error it must be super rare that only a very few people have seen it.

2 weeks later
#1129 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

So I was playing today with the kids and during my turn the game just turned off and reset. We then played another game without issues. Since getting the thing out of storage, its probably been played 50 times without incident. Should I worry about this or is it just a freak occurance? Using 1.4h home rom.

A lot of resets are from low power or power fluctuations from the wall outlet.

1 month later
#1283 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

Anyone else have problems hitting the right loop? I can hit left loop no problem but right hardly ever. It's usually just luck and considering midnight madness is my favorite part, it kind of sucks.

Its a tight shot.
I usually focus on it during multiball and can get it done by ball one or two on a good day.

1 month later
#1398 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

How do you find where it drops when we play 3 player games and it does it maybe once in 30 to 50 games. Probably more like once in 50.

Sometimes the wall current is low, or too long of an extension cord, or a multi outlet strip is the culprit on resets.

I lived in an apartment where, whenever the air conditioner went on it would reset my TZ.

1 week later
#1432 7 years ago
Quoted from lyonsden:

The TZ is not a reimport and neither is the NGG. The ToM is probably a reimport.

Looks like the ToM missing the upper right carriage bolt above the coin door?

#1434 7 years ago
Quoted from ramegoom:

That must be a hole placed there when on route, for the lock shackle they frequently install. I have three previously routed machines, all with suspicious filled holes where the hasp would have been.

I would just put a black bolt in there to fill it as a more finished look, since there is a hole, and be done with it.

#1443 7 years ago
Quoted from Paddypaws:

Thank you for that, I'll check switch 47, I've noticed on page 2-43 an opto, switch no. 36 in the trunk, does this just do the trunk back door (falling down the basement feature) ?

Its always good to clean opto's with a q-tip whenever you do a cleaning/waxing.

#1472 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

mine just tries to save and fails. the magnets activate but the ball gets through.

I have noticed that when the magnet is tight to the core and pressed firmly to the playfield wood, the magnet is way more powerful.

When the magnets are loose they barely work.

I would like to know more about this behavior and work out a fix for it.

When my game was new the magnets worked flawlessly, although the left one was always a little weaker than the right.

If the spirit ring can grab the ball off the ramp from 3" away, Im certain that the PF magnets should be at least that powerful since they are the same magnet.

Does anyone think its the core of the magnet that needs to be looked at as far as magnetism? Or is it something else?

#1473 7 years ago
Quoted from GreenMachine19:

Anyone know where to buy nice laminated price/instruction cards?

pinballrebel.com and get some self laminating material to cover your printed cards?

#1480 7 years ago
Quoted from canea:

I think this is a known issue that's never really been resolved - maybe others can chime in more definitively. The left and the right magnets draw their power from two separate sources so one is less powerful (?) than the other. Generally the right is stronger than the left. The left sometimes won't slow the ball to a stop and results in a drain even when it shouldn't. My left magnet never slows the ball completely to a stop so it can outlane if you're not careful; right lane comes to a full stop, never drains. Just another Theatre quirk?

I have played other NIB ToM about the same time I got mine and the left magnet was always weaker than the right in all games I played, including mine. So I beleive its engineered that way from the start.

I have however noticed that when the coils are loosely fitted they are way less effective that if they are tightly fitted against the wood.

I an curious though if there is a stronger magnet available. It might be hard as the fuses blow on the magnets really easily when tinkering with them, or even if you do too many tests.

All I can say it that my 1980 Black Knight magna save stopped the ball securely no matter how fast the ball hit the outlane, and I think its the same magnet? Although all black Knights have burned off the PF artwork over the magnets, maybe due the the strong magnet?

And I havent seen any ToM PF's worn out over the magna-save yet. Is this by intent?

One other thought, maybe bore out the PF and install the silver core like on all modern games? Does this newer system give you more power? Or is it just to eliminate wear on the PF where the ball sits, as you can polish out the core as needed?

Seriously though that would kill off the magic trick as you would see the magnet, so I wouldnt advise it.

2 weeks later
#1519 7 years ago

4.5 billion is my highest.
I finshed all the tricks twice and got the 1 billion on the first wizard mode, failed to do it on the second one.
Stock settings with ball saver enabled 6.5 degree PF pitch.

#1535 7 years ago
Quoted from ramegoom:

The piece you're looking for is out of stock:
http://bayareaamusements.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=BAA&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=GS-TOM7
You will also need some plastic snap-in standoffs, 1/4 in. Not sure where you go for those.

Pinballdecals may have the plastics set

http://www.pinballdecals.com/PartsByGamePages/TOM_Page.html

#1559 7 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

I agree for 1000 it would bother me. Otherwise not so much.

verses $2500 for a true clearcoted NOS thats not even perfect, just a TAG standard? If you could even get one.

Hearing that some of the repros are crap is disturbing....
My hope is that the new Mirco repros are of good quality, and that Mirco can get hold of a NOS TAG to copy.

I know they are capable, look at the JJP playfields they are gorgeous.

I would buy a couple.

1 week later
#1567 7 years ago
Quoted from MajorHavoc:

Wondering if anybody else has experienced this trunk malfunction?
When I power up the machine, the trunk spins so the solid side of the trunk is facing the flippers. Then, when the start button is pushed, it spins again and stops with the trunk opening facing the flippers. It remains here throughout game play and never shows the magnet side.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Theatre of Magic

How does the trunk work in test?
Do all of the optos register and does the trunk rotate properly?

Also is the trunk disabled in the service menu?

Does the trunk eddy sensor see the ball in test? Or does the eddy board need adjustment?

#1570 7 years ago
Quoted from MajorHavoc:

Thank you, meSz!! Did you replace the playfield lights?
pinballinreno THANK YOU! Adjusting the eddy did the trick!!

You're welcome!

I have since, replaced all of the eddy boards with automatic ones from pin-bits.
they are continuously out of stock on these:

http://www.pinbits.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=29b45755d2506d22524f8cdbf5e612b4&keyword=theatre+eddy

But you might contact them and get a replacements for all three.

Or maybe someone here on pinside has a spare trunk one they want to sell if it takes too long to get back in stock.

I think the new boards respond faster and you will never have to adjust one again.

1 week later
#1603 7 years ago
Quoted from MajorHavoc:

Thanks again nickbuol drewblood419 robl45 jsa mesz I ordered the Ultimate kit from Pinball Bulbs at 10% off!
Next, looking at ledOCD.com, I see two items, LED OCD and GI OCD. Whats the difference and which do I need? ...or both? Are they simply for different areas of LED's?
Is ledocd.com the only source for these?

You need both if you upgrade the GI lighting (non colored illumination lights) to LED.

#1609 7 years ago
Quoted from rogerdodger:

Hi guys:
Are any of you having a problem with the 3amp fuse blowing, if you get the left or right Hocus Pocus ball save magnet energized more than 2 or 3 times in quick succession?
Thanks.
Roger

Umm, dont artificially hammer the magnet over and over, the fuse will overheat and fail on most games

1 week later
3 weeks later
#1682 7 years ago
Quoted from MajorHavoc:

None of my flashers seem to be working. Any ideas? FYI, no errors and all new LED's. Regular lamps don't work either.
Thanks!

blown fuse

1 week later
#1702 7 years ago

Maybe make up some of these 3d tiger mods.
I think originally the game was supposed to have a better tiger.
They were made in very limited quantities by hand before 3d printers were widely available.

1 week later
#1725 7 years ago
Quoted from NeilMcRae:

Whilst on the subject of the trapdoor - when it ejects the ball where should it go? And how does one adjust it? Quite often it goes sdtm on mine.

I have mine going to the right flipper.
Adjust it to hit roughly the high middle of the flipper, with variation in the game it will hit lower but not STDM.

For me adjustment was some bending, some warping and tweaking of the trap door assembly.
Also wear and tear makes the assembly sloppy and inconsistant.

After 6000 plays I finally ordered a new assembly from mantis and its rock solid, plays like new.

#1728 7 years ago
Quoted from Frogman:

I ran the test. When the solenoid test says something like trap door "up" the door opens and closes immediately. Is that the expected behavior during the test or should it stay up?

The test just bumps the door quickly on mine also.

#1733 7 years ago
Quoted from FatPanda:

Any thoughts on how to fix a squeaky trap door? Its the flap and the springs that squeak.

Dry lube with teflon

2 weeks later
#1779 6 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

Same thing happened to me when I added a Pinduino (on top of the ColorDMD, motorized saw, etc) and it was more than the TOM could take.
It is due to a limited 5v source for all of the "goodies" that we all add.
Could be that something is going bad, but more than likely it is just too much of a draw on the 5v source than the machine can handle and then it resets.
Easiest solution is to buy a small plug-and-play board specifically made for this problem $29 fixed my problem...
http://www.kahr.us/daughterboard.html

I think that the power problems with all of the add-on mods should be solved by adding a switched receptacle to the service/convenience outlet and adding seperate power thru an adapter for the mods.

Its a quick and easy fix and you would have near unlimited power for low voltage mods.

2 weeks later
#1810 6 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

Just echoing nickbuol above here. That thread is the right place and others have asked this question.
I used to think I had the courage to do playfield restoration, but I'm not there. At some point I'll do a teardown and restoration of my ToM, and when I do, I'll probably send my playfield to HSA. Meanwhile, it's just too much fun to take it apart for months.

Mirco has new ToM playfields available right now, they arent perfect but they look ok. It might be the best option, you might get one while they last.

Restorers have an very difficult time on these. if you have cracking on the trick inserts, its near impossible to do a clean touch up.

So its a toss up, lower quality repro or noticeably touched up repairs possibly at high prices.

Alternatively there do exist, a very few original cearcoated NOS playfields if you got the money to pry them loose.

2 months later
#1857 6 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

I'm now experiencing the trap door/SDTM issue for the second time since I've owned my machine. Things I've already tried:
- Tightening popper guide on armiture
- Replacing armitures and coil sleeves
- Replacing springs
- Adjusting coil stop depth
The popper coil has some slop (meaning, the coil can rotate in the bracket). I know vid1900 has said in the past for other rebuilding techniques that the coils should be tight in the bracket...Could that be it?
Obviously, the trap door mechanism has a "backboard" like a basketball net, and the angle of that metal backboard effects the direction of the pinball. There is a tiny amount of play in that direction, but honestly only the mount allowed by the slot guide in the bracket for the trap door armiture, which seems like it's moving as designed.
This worked for about six months before starting to fail again. Anyone have any thoughts?
-Jay

Depending on wall current the coil will fire strong or weak. If its strong it will fire SDTM. Weak seems to be just fine.
I just elongated the mounting holes in the weldment about 1/16" (sidecut it with a drill bit).
This lets you set the mech and aim it where you want. 1/16" to the right seems to fix it permanently.

1 week later
#1878 6 years ago
Quoted from Nilroc:

I need a replacement trunk. Broke a piece off it yesterday.
Anyone know where the best place to order a new one?

Marco has them:

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/03-9317

1 week later
#1969 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Yes, I've been referring to the manual. Sure, I didn't have to ask about the hocus pocus bit, but I don't think the manual can answer if a burnt magnet was causing fuse outages (as another member was saying) or when the motorized saw should turn.
I'm also very new to this hobby. I definitely appreciate all the people that take the time to help out, and there's definitely a bunch of you

Shorten the duratrion of the hocus pocus magnets in the settings.
For a lot of games too long of a run time blows the fuse, it gets really hot.
This has solved that particular problem for most.

#1981 6 years ago
Quoted from Videogod:

A lot of of us have had this problem, and this is the best fix (in my opinion). Glue a very small piece of foam as shown. The ball will rest on the foam instead of the post. Then when the trunk rotates, the ball will just glide off of the foam to freedom!

Quoted from FatPanda:

Mine has a star post installed. Ball bounces out and never gets stuck.

A lot of games have either a star post or a metal sleeve and rubber added where the T-nut is in your photo.
Its a simple fix buy removing the screw from underneath and then adding a #10 metal sleeve that has a notch for the rubber, from the top with a longer screw (10-32 I think?).
Then add a nut underneath to firm everything up.

The metal sleeved post looks more factory IMHO...

#1983 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Has anyone encounter this...
After locking 2 balls, when I shoot at the trunk magnet, it just bounces off and registers as a hit. The trunk rotates and returns to the magnet side, but won't grab the ball.
And the balls that end up going in get stuck in the subway behind the little metal post. The post won't clear the balls to the VUK under the basement door.

Check your fuses, check the switches and magnet in test mode.

1 week later
#1996 6 years ago
Quoted from yzfguy:

So..... pinballnreno, can you explain how to change the magnet hold time in settings as you described? I am unable to find any such adjustment.

Its not a magnet hold time per se.
Its how often its used that heats it up and blows fuses in my case at least.

The hocus pocus setting set at 25 on my game has it available almost all the time.
I set it to 15 and stopped blowing fuses.

Also if I test the outlane magets repeatedly like 20 times in a row it will blow the fuse.
It has done this from the beginning when new.

#1998 6 years ago
Quoted from yzfguy:

Aaah. Ok thanks. I wasn't aware of the. Hocus pocus setting. So it just uses the feature less often.

Yes, it allows the system to cool down a little more.

#2035 6 years ago
Quoted from Litedpinballmods:

I am getting a lot of PM's about the tiger. We are making now and will have for sale next week. It will be $99.99, replaces your current tiger, no changes to the game. It can be hooked up to GI or playfield lights (NOT 12V). Comes with everything needed to mount and hook up. We use Comets Matrix system for hook up. The Tiger real helps to light up the game.
This is the prototype and is nearly perfect, making a slight change to the paint, removing paint from back of paw.
Here are a couple more pictures.
Dan

I wish the tiger LED lights were diffused better and not so spotty?
Either way Im in let me know when to pay.

#2046 6 years ago
Quoted from Litedpinballmods:

pinballinreno I have you on our list.
Lighting was a challenge on this mod. The first one we poured we put some lights at the body end, and the light just would not penetrate, it is 9 inches long. We also wanted to have these colored close to the original, so it looks good even with the lights are off. The orange color further cuts down the light transmission. We then tried some middle placement, but the light would not transmit. We tried top placement, but then light would not transmit to the paw. When it is all said and done, we poured 8 with different light placement, and this is what we felt worked the best. The LED light strip in this is 21 lights.
With the angle of the lights and the orange, we feel it does not overpower that area. We feel the amount of light it makes matches the game very well and really accents the orange pop bumper caps well. I did mentioned that we use Comet matrix plugs, and if you want more control over the lights, you can use Comet's light dimer for $1.95
http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/mtxbriteadj.htm
We are getting a lot of emails on this, so I started a list. If you are interested, PM me, and I will put it on my list. We can only make 6 of these a week, and I will email when we have one ready. The reason we can only make 6 of these a week, is because the mold is large and expensive, and it takes 24 hours to cure completely in the mold.
These are hand made, so the light placement does very slightly, less then a 1/4" I would guess, and they are hand painted.
Dan

Have you tried EL tape or cuttable panels?
They glow ok and have no spotty look.

#2050 6 years ago

Litedpinballmods

I actually like this 3d tiger better:

It has the white color underneath.

Can you make something like this?

The LED's inside yours are too spotty. I can light the tiger with a spot.

#2065 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Did I just finish the wizard mode??? I believe I completed the 8 illusions, and then nothing really happened.
Without spoiling it for me (I know, it's supposed to be underwhelming but I still want to see it for myself) but does anything actually happen that would let you know you're in the wizard mode?
Thanks

Did you light all 4 of the stages lit above the flippers?

This puts you into grand finale.
Illusions is only 1 of the things you need.
Midnight madness is probably the hardest one to get unless you win it in the basement.

I dont think its underwhelming at all. Actually its pretty exciting!

#2067 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Alright then, I don't think I did it after all haha!
I did complete the 8 Illusions, but I also needs the stages and midnight madness?

Yes all 4 stages.

Knowing this makes the "clock" meaningful. You have to get to midnight by looping the right orbit.
Also you can advance the clock via a tiger saw award.

If you make the skill shot of "start illusion" by hitting the trunk you can get a lot of free illusions.
You dont have to finish an illusion for it to count, just start it.
I usually time out the magic hat, its too risky.

#2069 6 years ago

How many people would get this mod if made?

The designer made up a few of them a couple years ago. I think its really good!

#2072 6 years ago
Quoted from Litedpinballmods:

We got hit pretty hard by Irma and lost over a week, just getting things back on track.
I am going to start a thread on our TOM mods when we get some stock up and caught up, please reply on that thread. If I get a fair amount of feedback of a change, we can make changes.
The original plastic has more white on it then the translit does. We opted not to put white on the tiger, because no white matches the translit pretty close. With the lights in the tiger it gives you the choice of lights on, lights off or you could dim it.
Please give me some clarification. Please look at picture above of the tiger not lit. Is that what you want, but with white under the tiger? Or are you saying you want an opaque orange? Red eyes? Do you want more white like the plastic it is replacing?
Trying to make one model that meets most peoples needs.
Dan

I guess I want the tiger in the video above? If you can do it.
just light the eyes its a cool effect.

#2088 6 years ago
Quoted from Litedpinballmods:

Solid orange, white under head with a little white on face, red glowing eyes.

And white teeth or fangs!

#2099 6 years ago
Quoted from Litedpinballmods:

Here are some pictures of the opaque tiger. Is this the colors and paint you are looking for? It has white under the face and a few other areas. It has red lights for the eyes, but they did not line up in this prototype, it is giving us some problems. These lights will require more work, may be a few ($10) dollars more.
That is also the second version of the theater mask.
Once we get this tiger right, I will post here and start a separate thread.
Dan

Looks a lot better in my opinion.
It needs more or a brighter white for contrast on the chest and maybe belly? Im no artist but do like the one in the vid a lot even though the front arms are slightly long. But it matches the game artwork better withe the head well behind the saw and is close to perfect
Maybe some better work on the stripes they could be more refined.

Great attempt though, I know its a ton of work.

Again Im no artist at all and its just my opinion.

#2106 6 years ago
Quoted from Cheese_WizardPQ:

This is my game. This mod is incredible! Maybe Andre (great guy) will made more. I'll ask

Its a beautiful mod, I would get one if he would like to make a few more.

#2109 6 years ago
Quoted from Cheese_WizardPQ:

All hand painted. I talked to him this morning. Pretty confident he will do more. Just be patient!

Awesome mod! Im in if it gets done.
Way better than the last offering I think.

3 weeks later
#2137 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

So, I replaced my Hocus Pocus magnets, and also replaced the sensors with Pinbits.
The right sides is working perfectly, but the left side isn't activating at all. I can feel the right side vibrate, and when testing, it catches the ball. The left side does not vibrate, and as expected, does not grab the ball.
Any suggestions on what this may be?
This machine has a lot of Gremlins, but I'm down to just this and a Left EOS issue.

Did you check the fuse? They blow very easy, especially when testing.

4 months later
#2383 6 years ago
Quoted from weaverj:

is the spirit ring magnet supposed to be secured somehow? mine just sits on the ramp ledge. since my cover is raised a hair by washers, it rests at an angle, too. i tried taking the washers out, but it created a ball stop. maybe i'll post a pic tonight.

The magnet itself is glued/taped into the brass cup/holder that is attached to the bracket.

2 weeks later
#2409 6 years ago
Quoted from Binger:

I was looking for help under another thread but maybe this is the place to be. I just put my ToM back together. My issue is with the trapdoor for the haunted basement. I does work. It passes the test mode and will open, hold and pop a ball out for multiball or end of the game. However......After hitting the center targets and the center ramp...and lighting the theatre basement....It will not open the trapdoor. My boards are fresh back from coin op cauldron and the manual only discusses wiring. I am stuck because as I said.....The darn thing does work properly at other times. Has anyone else had this issue or have any ideas? I have checked my switches and everything seems ok..etc. I'm stumped. Thanks

check or replace ramp switches maybe.
test the switches with a a ball, they might not activate during a game with a fast moving ball.

#2415 6 years ago
Quoted from Binger:

Well..... after a lil tinkering.... okay alot of tinkering I solved 2 issues tonight. The basement door now works as it should. Thanks to Fatpanda and PinballinReno for the suggestions and help. It ended up being that center ramp switch. Since its buried under the other ramp I could only activate it with a screwdriver..... leading me to believe it was working correctly. However.... as suggested... the ball was skimming right over it and not registering. Presto!

Weak marginal switches are a real annoyance.

Its not recommended to bend the metal actuator tab (but we all do it anyway) to compensate for a weak switch.

You can adjust them for a while, but Its best to replace marginal switches that are buried, the next time you do a tear down for cleaning.
I keep a list of what I think I want to replace inside each game on a small notepad with the part numbers.
It comes in handy when I order parts.

Get original cherry switches if you can. The new cheaper ones (generic Chinese) are ok but I dont see them working as good for the long term.

#2421 6 years ago
Quoted from weaverj:

exactly. would marco actually say "cherry" in the item description?

yes

1 month later
#2456 5 years ago
Quoted from embryon:

Thank you very much. I have seen the post spacer in place of the one you have pictures and the t nut as is. What is screwed into the t nut and can it protrude through it, I'm guessing not?

I added the post on the t nut due to continually having ball hangs there.

So far in 20 years it hasn't been a problem or broken anything.

#2461 5 years ago
Quoted from jsa:

I personally feel a post above the t-nut is a bad idea. FWIW, Jpop also confirmed this a long time ago. Still, you can’t argue about 20 years. Just know if a ball gets caught between the trunk and that post, which I’ve seen happen, the torque can damage a playfield, which I’ve also seen happen.

Since the hollow post goes over a longer machine screw thru the t-nut, theres not much damage that can occur since the post rests on the t-nut, not on the playfield itself.

In an extreme and rare condition the screw might get bent but thats about it, Or maybe jam the trunk, but the trunk motor isnt that strong and will stop if jammed due to overvolt condition protection I guess?
I tried to force a ball into the area years ago with the trunk moving but on my game I cant get it to jam in there.
I have seen the same fix as mine on location games with thousands of plays and it seems ok.

But I agree with you that anything can happen in pinball and impossible things seem to happen every day.

#2462 5 years ago
Quoted from Tjohejsan:

I have a problem with my trunk
I have a new pindora box trunk board.
But sometimes the trunk stops working, and it shows " trunk error".
I start the trunk test, and it shows error.
Then i test the trunk pressing (+) (-) in test mode.
Then it works fine again.
But then stops working when playing again.
I bought a new pindorabox board. Thinking that was the problem?
And as seen in the pictures. This is how the optos are lining up when the two locks on the trunk is showing.
I think its wrong?
The spring/gap on the interuptor is facing left where the screw is.

Get the Leon's fix combo board from german-pinball it should correct the error.

#2465 5 years ago
Quoted from embryon:

so what you're saying is leave the exposed/upside down t-nut as is so the ball can run over it unhindered. So if a ball goes on the right hand side of the trunk it can roll back down and exit the area. This area of my game did get severe damage there and will be getting this repaired shortly. Do you suggest filling in the t-nut area and simply have no hole and just solid artwork there and only have the post spacer near the ramp present???

No
The T nut has a bolt going into it that mounts the trunk assembly so it has to be there.

There was an earlier fix 20 years ago that said to put a longer bolt through the T nut from the bottom and put a hollow steel post over it secured with a Nylock nut on the top.
You will end up with two metal posts in the locations referenced in the picture that JSA listed above.
1 screwed into the Playfield as shown and another which goes in the location over the exposed T nut.

JSA has listed a similar Post in his second choice referenced above from Marco specialties.

I don't know if that's the exact post but it has to fit over a 10-32 screw.

As mentioned there are pros and cons to this fix. Most games suffer no damage and it solves the ball hang in that area. Some have reported that it may cause other problems. In my case it has posed no problems and solved the ball hang issue.

The area above the T nut definitely has to be addressed in some way. It is a serious ball hang area and if balls get hung there a lot it will cause playfield damage, trunk damage and put pressure on the small metal post near there.

I believe it's also responsible for cracking the ramp down there if a ball continuously gets trapped there as the trunk motion continually grinds at it once the ball is trapped.

1 week later
#2470 5 years ago
Quoted from Davefinn:

I wish it was broken, mine is missing...

You might have to build that from scratch if you can borrow one to copy, Its not too bad.

You might also consider a PC board cloning service if you can borrow one.
Its surprisingly not too expensive, there are a lot of them.

#2475 5 years ago
Quoted from Davefinn:

Thought about etching one from scratch using pc board material but right now I'm considering using individual insert sockets. Then creating a custom harness that mates to the factory connector for that lamp board.
Hoping to eventually find an original one...

I'd cut it out of perfboard to mount the sockets and just wire in the traces if I were going that route.
But getting a clone board would be nicer if someone would let you borrow one for a scan.

2 weeks later
#2493 5 years ago
Quoted from wizard91:

Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone can help with a question I have about theatre of magic.
I've had my table for some time now but I've noticed the last few months it is almost impossible to make the metamorphosis ramp shot. I know this is a difficult shot at the best of times but I seem to remember hitting this at least a few times when I first got the table but now I can't remember the last time I made the full ramp even with what I feel is a decent clean shot. At best I get the ball half way up and it drops out of the mid way hole by the trunk.
I'm pretty sure the left flipper coil is correct as per the manual but wondering if a flipper rebuild is required or if there is anything else I can do / check to try and make this shot slightly easier it just seems an impossible shot at present on my table which is a shame for such a cool feature. I did replace the flippers and flipper rubbers a while back but as far as I know they are positioned correctly etc.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Check the pitch of the Playfield itself not the glass. It should be about 6.5 degrees.

Pull the flipper assembly apart by moving the two screws that hold the coil stop in and check the coil stop, plunger, link and pawl.

Also examine the coil sleeve.

Remove any black dust accumulation in the coil sleeve which could cause binding on the plunger.

Check for any binding or worn parts.

Coils themselves rarely wear out but sometimes the bobbin can swell and bind on the coil sleeve.

The coil sleeve should slide in and out relatively easily.

Also if the plunger link is worn or loose you will get less power.

If there is slop or play in anything you will lose power.

Everything has to be fairly close fitting with no binding to get maximum power.

There should be no binding of anything anywhere when properly assembled.

Make sure the end of stroke switch makes full contact just before the end of travel of the flipper or just before the plunger hits the coil stop.

2 months later
#2525 5 years ago
Quoted from meSz:

Anyone ever encounter their Subway Release Coil stop working? Mine did after moving the machine. It's not working in TEST mode either so figured maybe wire came off but to no avail!

Check for a loose connection on one of the back box circuit boards. Refresh the connections on the ribbon cables refresh to connections on all of the cables on all of the boards first.

Use regular troubleshooting procedures following the schematic, then tracing the wire to where it goes or finally ends up.

#2528 5 years ago
Quoted from meSz:

Thanks for the replies. It was the F901 Fuse on the Fliptronics board (for anyone else that comes across this issue)

Fuses get brittle after a while just like the filaments in light bulbs. a lot of times moving the game or nudging it will cause the filament to fail.

#2531 5 years ago
Quoted from javagrind888:

My machine only registers 309 plays. I know I bought a really nice condition machine, but is there a way someone could have reset the counter at some point? I just find it hard to believe that a 20 year old game has only been played so little (and I've put in at least 60-70 plays on it myself.)

Everything can be reset.
Probably thats how many plays since the dead batteries were replaced.

#2534 5 years ago
Quoted from javagrind888:

The newer pinball machines made have more permanent counts right?

Nope, everything can be reset to zero.

4 weeks later
#2561 5 years ago
Quoted from Tjohejsan:

I have problem with my trunk it sometimes stops working.
After trunk test mode it works again for a short while.
I bought this new trunk board, but still same problem:
Art.nr: FP-A-19749
Brand new design Theatre of Magic Trunk Opto Board. Based on Leon's Trunk Fix. Will automatically adjust! Direct replacement board for the original Theatre of Magic Trunk Opto Board.
Would the new board (look post before me) work?

Gear box might have to be cleaned and re-lubed.
Also motor might have to be cleaned out. You can clean out the motor with circuit cleaner. The ends come off if you are careful.

Does wonders but it's a pain.
Fortunately you only have to do it once every 20 years.

After that maybe get the new board from german-pinball

3 weeks later
#2585 5 years ago
Quoted from McSquid:

Anyone know how to improve/strengthen the outlane magnets? My right lane stops the ball well and drops is straight into the inlane, but the left one wiggles around so much that it still goes in the outlane %50 of the time

Bend the washer under the magnet so that the magnet coil is firmly snuggled up the the wood.

#2590 5 years ago
Quoted from Djshakes:

Hey, I don't know if anyone did this but this is my ball stuck mod.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Yes that or 2 posts is one of the possible fixes.

#2592 5 years ago
Quoted from Djshakes:

Mine came with a post in that t nut but I removed it. I thought having one there was a big no no?

I installed it in mine when I got it NIB. Its been there 20 years and was a good fix for me.
However I dont have 500,000 plays on my game. Closer to 20,000.

I imagine that anything can happen though.

1 month later
#2621 5 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Hey everyone,
I have a bit of a mystery with my machine, and I'm hoping that I might get some ideas going here that might open my eyes to the root of this.
The F903 fuse keeps blowing on the fliptronic board, and at that time, the left magnet stops working as it should, and the left sling and left flipper can actually trigger the magnet intermittently (for example, something hitting the left flipper 3 times will trigger it, sometimes 4 times. It's seems random).
I installed the new Pinbits Eddy sensors, but I recall the issue occurring even with the stock sensors.
Anyone have any ideas as to what this might be?
Transistor? Ground issue?
Also, can anyone explain why the manual refers to "lower" and "upper" flippers?
Thanks

check all the affected switches in the switch test.
you shouldn't be getting multiple switch activations at the same time.

If you are then its a bad cable or a wire or a connector or a pc board pin or IDC connection.

Lower the time the magnet is active in the settings. On most games the magnet fuse blows if its on too long, or you test it 15-20 times in a row. It gets hot and blows the fuse. This is somewhat normal.

In your case if the magnet is incorrectly being triggered by a short, then of course the fuse will blow, as its on way more often than its supposed to be.

1 week later
#2632 5 years ago
Quoted from allsportdvd:

Thanks mate
Didn’t realise TOM was made in 1983! All jokes aside I’ve been reseating the lamp board connector that houses all the Magic & Theatre letters and the problems seem to have subsided.

Time for new cables and header pins. It only been 25 years... lol

#2634 5 years ago
Quoted from soren:

Theatre Of Magic revisited. A new mod created from scratch, featuring new stuff…
A basement award scheme for competition play.
Compensation outlane saver for when the magnets fail to divert the ball to inlane.
And a harder Spell theatre rule, requiring additional shots than just the left orbit.
Oh, and the Trunk now do not go into error state under normal conditions of play.
Plus the combo and bonus-x features of the previous mod are now tweakable in feature adjustements.
Special thanks to Lars, Jim Belsito and Steve Bowden.
Further info and download link...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-theatre-of-magic-software-mod-version-2

Wow, this is big!

#2643 5 years ago
Quoted from ababapanos:

thank you again.
I found the opto switches in the trunk ,but I did the test and they also function normally.
really very strange what happens...
Also, something that does not work properly is when it turns the trunk to the target selection that has the magnet. The game asks you to shoot at the trunk, but when the ball strikes the magnet does not turn on. but I tested it in the tests and the magnet of trunk it works correctly even though the game is not activated.
what conclusion do you get out of all of this? does the problem is ROM?

Check the trunk eddy with a ball.

Start reseating all of the connectors on all the boards in the backbox.

Press all the wires into all of the IDC connectors with a credit card.

Be on the lookout for any loose, burnt or corroded connections or pins.

There are quite a few, take your time.

#2654 5 years ago
Quoted from ababapanos:

one more thing, today the ΤΟΜ does not open, I looked at the backyard and I saw a fuse burned from the board fliptronic II controller (F903)
This is the reason does not open; I still wanted to ask what type FUSE to put? in the manual he writes 3A SB, but in the burning fuse writes 10A
what is right to do?
thanks again!

10 amps is way too over-amped for that circuit!

I would stick to the 3 amp slow blo that is listed in the manual or a 4 amp, if thats all you can find.

Ceramic appliance fuses last longer than the glass ones if you can get those, they have a better duty cycle.

If the game is blowing the proper fuses, you have to investigate.

#2658 5 years ago
Quoted from ababapanos:

I replace the fuse with new ceramic fuse 3A , but the machine not open.
the other I see them ok. what to do?
[quoted image][quoted image]

Do you have no lights, no power anywhere?
Check the main fuse/thermistor in the AC box?

Check all the fuses with a meter set to ohms? Visual inspection is useless.
Check wall current?

1 week later
#2664 5 years ago
Quoted from Larrymc:

I’ve recently started having an occasional ball bounce off the right wire ramp when plunging a ball into play, and getting stuck between the wire ramp and the cabinet. Everything in this area is tight, and I’ve never removed/moved anything there either. I’ve launched the ball countless times at different speeds, and I can’t see a pattern to why a couple of percent of shots do this. I’m thinking that maybe the deflector on the top of the shooter ramp has worn, allowing the ball to shoot up the ramp too much instead of being deflected straight down onto it. Before I try anything, I thought I’d ask if anybody else has experienced this. Thanks.

Shooter spring is too strong.
Get a weaker one.
I think it's the brown or blue one? Maybe...

#2676 5 years ago
Quoted from cosmokramer:

Before I try to heat up and pry this spirit ring magnet off can someone confirm that it just held on with adhesive?
[quoted image]

Yes, its glued in.
Can be difficult to remove, but heating it carefully works.

#2682 5 years ago
Quoted from cosmokramer:

I suck....
[quoted image]

At least now you can get it out...

#2688 5 years ago
Quoted from ababapanos:

hi
Disconnected the trunk magnet and now plays good , not blows fuse...
Now what do I do? the problem is the magnet; to buy new magnet ? or on the board;

Check the ohms on the magnet.
Make sure it's not shorted or open first.

1 month later
#2703 5 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

UPDATE: FIXED
Has anyone here had to replace an a-14406 coil for #16 on the solenoid/flasher table and listed as "right up/down gate"? (This is what open the gate at the top of the playfield to let the ball up the long wire ramp on the right side of the playfield.)
Mine fails the tests even though voltage is going to it like it should, so I bought a replacement. I *think* that I need to remove the bolt in the center of the mounting bracket, but it doesn't want to budge. Any tips or tricks, or just keep cranking on it?
EDIT: I've attached a diagram of the bracket/coil. Maybe they made massively effective lock washers back in the mid-90s...
UPDATE: I used my cell phone camera to see if there was something that wasn't visible (this thing has an opening that is facing away from you if you are trying to service it, and when I played back the video, I saw a small red blob on the bottom side of the washer. Sure enough, it looks like someone put a tiny drop of red loctite on there. WOW. I've owned my TOM since 1998, so either it was original (doubtful) or in the previous couple years, someone put some on there. So I grabbed my impact driver and carefully let it "hammer" loose the bolt. It worked. Cleaned off the loctite residue, and hand tightened the replacement back into place.
[quoted image]

Red locktite is factory there.
Mine was the same.

Heat the bolt with a soldering iron for 5 min or so. The loctite softens enough to ease out the bolt if it's hot enough.

Forcing it works for the most part but sometimes the head of the bolt will break off, then you are in real trouble.

Heat melts/softens loctite.

#2706 5 years ago
Quoted from Lhyrgoif:

I'm looking for the left ramp protector metal piece that sits at the far end of the plastic ramp, right where it drops the pinball back on the playfield near the flippers. I saw someone talk about making their own of these on page 16, but that was like 3 years ago so...
I think its nr 01-13892.1
Been looking in all the normal pinball stores (plus lots of googling, ebay and such) and simply can't find it anywhere. Anyone got a spare lying around or know where to find one?
Thanks
[quoted image]

Thats the Ramp guard.

They have been out of stock for a good long time, years in fact.

Contact Cliffy, he was thinking of making some up.

Also contact Kerry Stair (mantis amusements) see if he made some.

#2725 5 years ago
Quoted from Lhyrgoif:

So I was rebuilding the pop-bumpers today, cleaning, fitting new skirts and so on (I hate fixing those bumpers) and noticed that one of the coils wrapping paper looked brittle, wrinkled, the white paper is brownish and the coil text was REALLY faded as I could hardly read it. I thought it must have been crispy hot and was thinking of ordering a new coil but I decided to have a closer look at it first as the bumper 100% did work before I started cleaning it.
The coil is using black , thinner, plastic (not white-ish as the "newer" coils normally use) and it still had a brass sleeve inside. Surprisingly enough the brass sleeve slid out without any problems and it was really clean inside
It does look like the coil is an original from when the machine was built, ie ~27 years old, but it does work. The outside looks like crap though, and now I'm on the fence on what to do; keep it and risk future failure due to age or just replace it? What would you do?

My game is HUO all original coils.

They all have white bobbins.

It sounds like an older replacement coil was installed at some point.

I hope this helps.

#2743 5 years ago
Quoted from Lhyrgoif:

All optos/switches works, tested them manually without the interruptor in place. The card is a brand new PindoraBox board and shouldn't have any problems to it.
I noticed that the shaft the trunk sits on have 1-2mm "flex" to the sides before actually turning, probably the gears in the gearbox are worn (didn't see it when I cleaned the gearbox though). If I move the trunk a tiny amount to the sides the switches would detect this and show correct opto states on the DMD while in the trunk test.
My solution was to use a tiny metal file to widen the gap in the interruptor with another 1-2mm, this make the optos to register properly even with the tiny flex present. The trunk now turn to all sides and the switches show correct states as they should.
A new gearbox would probably fixed this thought, but to find a good one is probably hard by now and also rather costly, while this "fix" was super cheap

Are you using the new aluminum opto interupter?

2 weeks later
#2756 5 years ago
Quoted from Its_me_aj:

I’m having a weird problem with my trunk. Every time I turn the game on I have a trunk issue andnhave to go to trunk test. Sometimes it won’t rotaye other times it’s completely fine. Usually the first few games it also will not start multiball. I have the Leon board and the metal interrupter in it. Not really sure where to even start on this one. Anyone ever have issues like this?

Might have to pull apart the gearbox, clean and grease it.

#2758 5 years ago
Quoted from Its_me_aj:

It’s weord because sometimes it will work perfectly fine, other times it won’t work at all.

Sticky, gummy gearbox will do that.

2 weeks later
#2768 5 years ago
Quoted from JerryM:

Joined the TOM club.
Happy to own this machine!
Did a topside tear down. Replaced all coil sleeves. Rebuilt flippers and pops. Dealing with some small issues now. For some reason balls are ejected into shooter lane without even pressing the start button??
[quoted image]

In switch test:

Check shooter lane switch.
Check trough optos.

Count the balls.

1 month later
#2779 4 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

Has anyone here painted their cabinet trim and/or habit trails/wireforms? I'm not sure I want to invest the money in to PC or plating, at least not for the cabinet hardware (might do the plating on the wireforms). I might just leave them silver, easiest... but I have some paint coming in that I was considering using to paint the lockdown, side rails & legs. I'd clear it with 2X Spraymax so with the right prep I would think it'd adhere pretty good.

Paint wont hold up at all. Powdercoat or plating.

plate the wireforms, siderails and legs brass/gold.

Find a plater near you or send them to hod rod arcades. He might have them in stock.

Splatter paint the coin door satin black, replace the inserts etc.

#2780 4 years ago
Quoted from cosmokramer:

Working on my restoration and populating the new (Mirco) playfield with T-nuts. I am concerned with the T-nut on top of the playfield next to the trunk. The original playfield has a deep recession from where the T-nut was drawn into it, allowing it to sit fairly flush with the playfield...
Seems like it would be fairly easy to do on a non clearcoated original playfield but my concern is trying to get the new nut to sit flush without destroying the clear around it. I have the Kruzman kit to remove clear from post holes and such but not sure how to remove the clear from this area and have it look good as well....[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

2 choices here.

dremel off the clear in that area.
Use the forstner bit to make a new recess coat it with CA glue when done.

or

Or clamp or tape a drill guide onto the area and dremel out the area until t-nut sits flush.

Cut around the edge with an exacto knife first to keep the clear from chipping.

If you are worried about the cut edge of the clearcoat, carefully apply thin CA glue around the t-nut after its tightened down or before to put in the t-nut after the glue has dried.
Use a syringe it only takes the tiniest amount.

#2782 4 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

Even with an automotive clear on it? I mean, if that kind of clear holds up on the playfield, why not on cabinet parts?
There is an online pinball plater who has the TOM wireforms all done, $175. I'd probably do that if I end up painting the cabinet parts. I am worried PC won't hold up on the habit trails, my RR WOZ has wear on the PC wireforms.

It has to do the the thin edge where the ball meet the rounded wire.

Lots of wear in exacty the same area over and over again on the wire.

It just peels paint right off.

#2784 4 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

Ah, I meant more on the cabinet. For the wireforms I am pretty sure I am going to get the plated ones. The only place I can see really being an issue is the lockbar where you hit it with jeans, rings or whatever and around the siderails/buttons. But I would think with an auto clear, a few coats, should be more than sufficient to protect for home use. Paints should arrive any day, just need to do some prep work and I am going to paint the lockbar underside with a few of the colors to see what looks best. Then I'll do the lockbar, legs, hinges, siderails and shooter housing in paint and clear. I'll redo the door in the speckled black gloss. I have to do the door anyhow because the coin mechs are all lira, reimport. Feeling pretty confident about this now that I just finished the auto clear on a playfield and it's tough. I did a motorcycle tank too, the only thing that would prevent gas from eating it up. Got some nice new ramps sitting here, got a vibrating tumbler for the metal work (doing my JP now, looks awesome) and just have to apply decals to the playfield. I am sort of considering clearing it now after the decals instead of the protector. I'm about 2/3 of the way there (just a bit more to remove from the playfield, as long as I can unplug all of the harnesses easy, JP was not easily possible, I can take it outside and spray it as is without removing any of the under playfield structures. Dang.. I might just do that now. I am afraid I'll be unhappy with the newton rings that the protectors seem to have. I think the clear would help to level out the decal edges too.
*Edit - I think this might be the color, ordering now. amazon.com link »
Clear & Primer Package ebay.com link
Also got a semi-matte to see how that looks, never used it before ebay.com link and I think it might look good, sort of like Houdini
Also gonna clear the coin door with the Spray Max, it will be bulletproof.

Several games were clearcoated over the brass lockdown bar and siderail plating to keep it from tarnishing.

It looks amazing when brand new.

It didn't hold up.

I think it was the lack of primer under the paint.

Not even in a HUO environment.

Lots if chips and scratches from rings and watchbands etc.

Powdercoat is the way to go these days.

#2787 4 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

I sort of find that hard to believe still. Almost, if not all, of the "bargain" restores or painting I've seen use regular 1-part spray paint as clear. I know for sure that won't hold up. But the auto 2-part clear that is used on a playfield seems like it surely would stand up way better. Along with a 2-part epoxy etching primer I would think it would be pretty good results. I mean, this is what I painted my motorcycle gas tank with and it gets zippers and such rubbed up against it, not a scratch on it. Worst case, I take it to get PC if it doesn't work out. I've also read the SprayMax website and they specifically say their primers work over coated materials (like zinc and galvanized) so it makes me even more apt to try it.
Let's also mention I just bought a RR WOZ and the wireforms that were powdercoated ruby red have worn sections down to metal where the ball hits (coming out of the castle playfield, etc). So PC surely isn't the end all, be all for wireforms at least. But that worries me for the other items, I mean there are chips in the siderails and such where the PC has been nicked. I don't see a ton of difference there between that and my JP which had spray painted (no clear) siderails for just some shit touchups I did.
Chris, pinball plating or whatever, does not have the TOM wireforms in stock (I thought he did) so he said 1-2 months. That's ridiculous, so I am contacting another plating place that was recommended. I think for the wireforms it makes sense to get brass plated and clear coated. I'll do the 2x Spraymax on those too if the plater doesn't do it.

I wholly agree powder coating is not the end all that people suggest. It is pretty durable though. But it chips easy.

Chris at HEP, sands the powdercoat and clears over it. This would be the best of both worlds.

Oddly, plating doesn't wear well either.

I had my ToM wireforms done 10 years ago and they are due for another plating. It has about 15000 plays on it.

I didnt clear over them but I do wax them.

Waxing really helps cut down the wear.

My WOZ has little wear on the wireforms after 9000 plays, but you can see some wear, not through to the metal though.

That's to be expected.

I do wax them though with P21S.

Changing balls frequently has really made the biggest difference in wear to my games.

And frequent waxing.

1 month later
#2816 4 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

Anyone done the rad cals? I am wondering if they will look out of place given the original finish of the vinyl decals. I have the side rails off now anyhow so I could just do the vinyl, it's cheaper. I wonder what the minimal prep is that has to be done, does it have to go back to bare wood?

Rad Cals are thick plastic.
No cab work required other than being flat and smooth.

Regular vinyl should be applied over very smooth finished wood.
Either painted, varnished or primered. But very smooth or you will see defects.

1 month later
#2839 4 years ago
Quoted from Fairground:

Hello everyone, may I please join your wonderful club? I have added TOM to my little collection. Cheers Allison

Welcome to the club!

ToM is such an amazing game.

Congrats!

1 month later
#2847 4 years ago
Quoted from whitey:

I’m finally getting to my TOM, ordering color dmd ? Anyone put in the LED ? Or only LCD. My CV has the LED and the colors are incredible! Any advice
Thanks!

Get the LCD for this game.
You want the smooth font.
Its perfect.

I have both versions.
LCD for ToM definitely.

LED works for earlier titles like 1992 doctor who., maybe even 1993 TAF?

But again its art, whatever moves you....

#2849 4 years ago
Quoted from whitey:

I like the LCD ! Thanks it’s ordered

4 weeks later
#2861 4 years ago
Quoted from Lhyrgoif:

My pin is missing the left ramp exit guard and as it is impossible to find (in stores) I decided to make my own.
I hoped that I should be able to re-purpose a ramp guard that was close to what I needed from some other pin and after looking around a bit I saw the "01-15200.1-2 STAR WARS E1 (Williams_ Bracket-large ramp end)". Get it here https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/01-15200.1-2
Note: There are two SW protectors, make sure to get the one with the correct curve!
I took a chance and ordered it.
[quoted image]
The protectors curve fit nicely, but the arm is obviously too long.
[quoted image]
Marked where to cut it off.
[quoted image]
After cutting. It's not super round but it's decent enough.
[quoted image]
Measured hole position and used a metal drill (that metal was pretty hard to drill).
Screwed to pin and whoaaah, fits like a glove!
[quoted image]
Looks great imo.
[quoted image]
All in all, the metal works took about 30-40 minutes in total, not bad for making an unobtainable part.

That's perfect!

Well done.

2 months later
#2888 4 years ago
Quoted from 2Fun:

Hey everyone. New owner! Love the game, but discovered it is missing the gate at the top of the playfield. I believe it goes in front of the vanish kickout. I think this is the one:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-19002
First, is this the right one? Second, are they available anywhere?
Also, I don't see anywhere in the menu to turn off the continue function after the game ends.
Any helo would be appreciated!
Thanks!

Bend one out of piano wire.

#2895 4 years ago
Quoted from monkfe:

Not sure what you mean by the continue feature? like to continue the game by "purchasing" another ball? I know you can reduce it from like 4 to 1, I assume you can go to zero too, but I keep it at one on my machine-never tried to go to zero.

The "buy in" feature can be disabled in the service/adjustments menu

2 months later
#2949 4 years ago
Quoted from Vimtoman:

Thought I'd ask everyone for their opinion on the two trunk options.
1. Leons fix
2. Sorens custom rom trunk handling
3. Both at the same time?
I have Sorens version on right now and have had a couple of jams.
Cant remember having a Jam using Leons
Is there any option to rid the jam on the right of the trunk.
Ive seen posts added.
Do they work?

I added a small post back in 2001, it solved the jams for me.

The trunk locking up problem was only solved by the ingo board. The trunk would stop mid-game once in awhile.

4 weeks later
#2984 3 years ago
Quoted from Paulb:

anyone have some cool instruction cards ?

right here on pinside.
Some of the best ive seen:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/custom-apron-cards-printable-versions-only

#2986 3 years ago
Quoted from Captainhook:

There's nothing in there for theater of magic that I have found.

I put in a request.

I could use some too.

#2989 3 years ago
Quoted from DystopicPinball:

My TOM was too dark too. I added 2 spotlight for each side. Now look really bright. (Photo was taken with all room lights off)
[quoted image]

What about theater stage lights like on houdini?

#2997 3 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

All done. Just some finish sanding and polishing but dang it's glass smooth after the last coat anyhow. Decals blended in perfectly with some virigous sanding of the built up clear. No ridge at all, almost blend in perfectly. Hard to re-create the dot pattern of the silk screen by hand and I didn't want to print out decals to try and match it so that's the only real stand out.
The three decals under the trap door and the main rabbit/illusion were all replaced. Way better than I could have touched anything up. Repaired the trunk and trap door entrance as good as I could but didn't try to color match the bondo. Never going to really see it after the cliffy. [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Wait 10 weeks before putting a ball on it or re-assembly.

Die back is a real thing.

Its surprising how much clearcoat shrinks.

With 5 coats, after die back, there is still enough paint to do another sanding and buffing to flatten it out again.

#2998 3 years ago
Quoted from SDAmusements:

The fuse for the trunk magnet blew, replaced it and it's working intermittently. Hasn't blown again yet, but the magnet isn't always grabbing the balls. Does the magnet need to be replaced or is that a board problem?

Failing to grab is common.

The mech plunger has to be raised slightly via the adjustment nut at the bottom.

Its a close adjustment.

Adjust until the top flap just barely touches the playfield but stays mostly flat against it.

When its right you will have no further problems like that.

#3001 3 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

What is die back?
Definitely not waiting 10 weeks. I put my DE JP back together a few days after last coat and polishing, seems fine months later.

I fully understand wanting to be done, and enjoy your game as soon as possible!

The solvents in the clear make up 40 to 50% of its volume.

As the solvents dry out over a period of 2 to 3 months the clear gets much thinner and shrinks down very tight.

It becomes rock hard and super durable when fully cured.

All restorers that clear playfields wait 6 to 8 weeks before assembling.
This will equate to 10-12 weeks before the game has a ball rolled on it.

Ron Kruzman advises 3 months to a year before re-assembly.

This avoids halo's, pooling and ghosting of inserts.

Early assembly and game play can also create heavy ball dents known as cratering in the clear that wont shrink out.

So, its better to wait than to not.

Its important to note that a playfield can be too glossy or too smooth.

this makes the ball slide instead of rolling.

It also makes it hard for the wax to adhere to.

So, I generally roughen up the playfield with 3500-4000 grit and wax with blitx or P21S silver.

then buff to a gloss.

#3002 3 years ago

If in the garage a house-fly cant climb the clearcoat and slips and falls off, its too smooth.

I have had this happen and sure enough, game-play was adversely affected.

#3004 3 years ago
Quoted from harryhoudini:

Thanks, yeah, I won't be waiting... it's just not an option in my plans. I'm up to 2000 grit right now, will go up to 4000 and continue with some scratch cutting compound and then wax. I've been looking closely at my JP playfield and I can't see anything that was detrimental from the quick assembly. Maybe it will come down the road, maybe I can't see it but I just don't have the option of having it sit around for another 2 months. The amount of sq/ft that is actually contacted by anything with any force is so tiny and are already dimpled so I'm not that concerned. A ball probably won't roll on it for another 3-4 weeks anyhow (doing WOZ 2.0 this weekend). I'm sure the high end restorers have their reasons and people pay for it but this game won't be immaculate, just a decent home restore. Cabinet has dings in it, doing the dress up parts myself, etc.
I'll see if I can dig up a fly to test with.

#3006 3 years ago
Quoted from Skypilot:

[quoted image]

Needs to be coming out of a hat.....
Beautiful game !

Nice Doctor Who !

1 month later
#3057 3 years ago
Quoted from weaverj:

my tiger saw mod stopped spinning. after inspection, the motor is running but the rubber on rubber contact has just worn down. can a replacement rubber hub be purchased somewhere? this came with the game, so not sure who even sells this one. there's a few of these mods out there, right? ty; happy 4th.

Is it just an o-ring on yours?

There are a few out there, a picture would help a lot.

#3060 3 years ago
Quoted from weaverj:

[quoted image]

I like the rubber friction rollers.

A rubber faucet washer or rubber washer would fix it on the small end.

Or just modify it to put an o-ring.

Who made that mod?

4 weeks later
#3081 3 years ago
Quoted from weaverj:

working before you got it home? check for loose connectors?

The mechanical adjustment on the eddy sensor changes if you just look at it hard lol.

If you have them, its the first thing to throw away and upgrade.

All 3.

#3089 3 years ago
Quoted from ramegoom:

Not detents, turns. So if the pot is 10K single turn, it makes the full resistance within less than a single full turn of the adjustment. A 10-turn makes the full resistance range within 10 full turns so one full turn is about 1/10th of the ohm rating. Much more precise when trying to get the LED to just turn off without a ball over the antenna, and it holds the value accurately.
They should have used a 10 or 15 turn pot in the original production, but costs, always concerned.

I agree with this.
Its a good, solid low cost solution.

That said, newer faster responding automatic sensors are the way to go if you can afford it.

#3093 3 years ago
Quoted from t_robertson:

Thanks for everyone's help w/ the trunk sensor issue. All fixed. Now I'm dealing with a chattering left flipper that won't stay held. I'm going to have a tech come out and look at it but just need to know which parts I may have to order in advance. Thanks.

Machine gunning?
Check the coil diodes

1 week later
#3098 3 years ago
Quoted from KJS:

Been giving my Theatre some love over the last few days. Need a new trunk so on the wait list for the unbreakable version.
Here is my latest mod. I've never really liked the original speaker panel with its hand drawn art. With the help of good friends I finally got around to doing it.
Added art and matched the colours better with the translite.
Did a version without the name plates as well.
The clock and plates will light / interact with the playfield. A lot of time involved but should look great.
Just waiting on my cpu to come back to power up and will post pics when installed.
I think deep down its my favourite game in my collection.[quoted image]

I really like this.

The clock really should be illuminated. I think the proto was going to be lighted.

Are the little signs lighting up in the modes?

Im in if you get it all working!

#3105 3 years ago
Quoted from KJS:

Thankyou!
Got it powered up today, sorry for the poor quality phone video, bit dark and colours blown out.

You need OCDLED maybe to control the LEDs a bit.

With it. Its way better.

That speaker panel is amazing !

Are you selling this mod?

#3108 3 years ago
Quoted from KJS:

Yes I have an ocd board here, but believe it or not its the phone camera doing that flickering! Not evident in real life. But I will look at it further for sure.

Its not the flickering.

Its not the phone.

Its the super harsh on and off flash typical of unregulated LEDs

Put the board in, its like night and day.

Get the GIOCD also, you wont regret it.

1 week later
#3119 3 years ago
Quoted from Andypc:

I have managed to solve both issues. After reseating the ribbon cable for the third time the sound is no longer cutting out but I am missing the correct sounds when the Multiball is triggered?
I also solved the flipper button scoring which was down to the spinner switch triggering from the vibration, so a small adjustment solved that one
Unfortunaly I still have slightly scratchy sound, so any suggestions on what to try next?

google or search pinside for scratchy sound.

It involves a bit more than a simple recap of the board.

Chris hibbler is a good place to send your sound board.

Or upgrade to pinsound plus, the shaker is awesome!

3 weeks later
#3122 3 years ago
Quoted from curban:

I recently joined the club. Hadn't had much opportunity to play TOM before purchasing. What a great game!
I have a question, though. In midnight magic, when I hit the magnet on the trunk, after catching the ball it typically releases it straight down the middle. The game gives another ball, so it's not too much of a problem, but it really disrupts the flow of the game when you hit the trunk over and over during midnight magic.
Is this normal? If not, where is the ball supposed to release? Any suggestions on how to fix?

Loosen and turn the mech or interrupter slightly so that the ball drops to the left flipper.

Check your level horizontally.

#3126 3 years ago
Quoted from curban:

Playfield level was good both in front and back.
So, I’m not really familiar with the machine or the trunk mechanism. It looks complex.
If I loosen the nuts on the board underneath the trunk that has the opto switches, there’s a little play...I pushed it as far counterclockwise that it would go —-I think this would cause the magnet to be rotated more towards the left flipper during midnight magic. Is this logical, or am I misunderstanding the purpose of the board and switches?
Results seem like it may have helped, it seems after first two trials that the balls consistently drop right onto the very tip of the left flipper...better, but not ideal.
I didn’t try doing the same with the 4 nuts holding the whole mech on the Playfield yet. I don’t have the right tools to get to them very easily.
Is there another way to adjust the positioning/rotation of the trunk? Did I misunderstand the recommendation?

No you got it right.

But some tools, loosen it, twist it hard to the left.

#3127 3 years ago
Quoted from Bravebluerx:

Can someone talk more about the multiball crash mentioned in the v1.4 home rom Text file?
I was playing a 4 ball multiball the other day on my TOM v 1.4 Home rom machine and my whole Machine went dead Like the power got shut off and then rebooted Itself , wanted to know if this is what they are talking about as the crash in that text file or I had another issue, first time I ran into that, thanks!

Sounds like a 5v reset problem on the driver board.

Probably 5v section needs to be rebuilt.

#3130 3 years ago
Quoted from Andypc:

My Sound is cutting out again So this issue started while trying to solve another issue. I had scratchy sound that was eventually solved by removing caps C37 and C45 form the sound board.
Unfortunately I now have a new issue of the sound completely cutting out that I did not have before getting the sound board recapped? Caps C20 C21, C32, C41 C18, C19, C15 and C52 were all replaced. That didn't solve the scratchy sound, but introduced this new issue
The sound just cuts out completely after a few balls. This often happens when a ball launches into the shooter lane after losing a ball and the sound just goes completely silent. If I switch off and switch on again the sound will come back for a few balls and goes again?
I thought I had resolved this with the brand new ribbon cables, but apparently not. Any suggestions?

Pinsound with shaker.
Completely changes the game.

#3132 3 years ago
Quoted from Gohigh54:

I put a Pinsound in mine and it was a waste. Pinsound is great, but adds nothing to this game. There is not great music to really enhance. I did not use the shaker so can not comment on that.
I would go back and check all of the cap values and make sure all of the solider joints are good.

You are sadly missing out by not having the shaker.

Its amazing.

The audio will never blow you way as its just simple sounds for a pinball machine.

Too bad you didnt go all the way with it, you are almost there!

Enhanced audio is slightly better than the original, but the shaker is over the top.

#3134 3 years ago
Quoted from embryon:

Hiw do you install a shaker and does the original home rom utilize it?

The pinsound shaker or "motion control system" is supported by the pinsound board itself.

They do a great job of implementation on shakers.

Unlike other shaker concepts, you dont have to do anything.

No programming, no hooking to flashers or motors.

No hours of creating a theme.

They did it for you.

Its pretty easy and a "turn key" all in one solution.

I like flipper fidelity speakers for ease of installation and documentation.

Its not the cheapest, but i think its the best.

Plus i like that i can customize the sounds a bit, if i want to.

I especially like adding start up sounds to games that dont have any.

Pinsound and a supported shaker has made my theater, funhouse and doctor who competitively modern and tons more fun.

#3139 3 years ago
Quoted from etien:

Nice to know, but what surprise me is that they dont list the #TOM in their "Shaker packages already released" list. ( https://www.pinsound.org/motion-control/ )
Etienne

Under bally WPC DCS:

https://www.pinsound.org/motion-control/

#3140 3 years ago
Quoted from embryon:

Can you buy say Tom shaker and put it on a Tz and simply get the coding from them like you can do with colordmd

the shakers are encoded on the pinsound ROM.
So, you need the pinsound sound card

On the cheap side you would have to get a shaker system from maybe pinwoofer and program it yourself.

It takes many hours to get shakers just right, I have done it and took maybe 80-160 hours.

For that kind of time, I always get the pinsound now. They do as good a job as I could imagine.

#3142 3 years ago
Quoted from t_robertson:

Hi all, I’m new to fixing machines so go easy on me. I recently replaced the original eddy boards with auto eddy boards (trunk plus 2 out lane magna saves). Trunk works well but I’m getting errors on switches 42 & 43. Any advice?
[quoted image]

Loose or disconnected wire?
See if you can clear the error with a ball in switch test.

1 month later
#3167 3 years ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

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.

What about these?

ebay.com link: i

Or these:

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

2 weeks later
#3173 3 years ago
Quoted from Azmodeus:

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.

#3177 3 years ago
Quoted from Gohigh54:

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.

3 months later
#3219 3 years ago
Quoted from ramegoom:

Trouble in paradise.
Has anyone ever seen a random "Slam Tilt" during game play? I have all slam tilt switches disconnected, along with the tilt bob (I'm a persistent nudger) but for whatever reason, I am getting this reset - happened during an unusually good game, grrr...
Anyone see this? Could it be component related, maybe power supply related? No random game reset, only slam tilt.

The slam tilt is the coin door slam switch. Might be a short in the door cable or switch, or loose IDC wire in the coin interface board?

Check for a wire short in that column. The switch test might show a clue if there are switches closed that shouldnt be.

Re-seat the switch wires on the CPU board and check for loose wires in the IDC connectors.

#3225 3 years ago
Quoted from weaverj:

i think it would fly off the shelf at $6k, but i could be wrong.

I wouldnt sell my HUO with LEDS and color DMD, "as-is" for less than $7500.

3 weeks later
#3228 3 years ago
Quoted from dung:

Looking at a theater of magic from a friend. He got it around 4 years ago from a woman who stored it after it came off route. It has the spinning saw, but the saw is grey plastic. What is the story on the spinning blade? Did sample games get them?

Its a mod.

I think most games have them at this point.

Some are better than others...

Personally i like the plastic saw better.

You have to install the modded ROM to get it to work.

#3230 3 years ago
Quoted from dung:

Game was originally designed with the saw in mind. It got axed at some point due to the bean counters at williams which is why it is in the software so no, it is just *a mod*.
This machine has not been shopped since he bought it 4 years ago. I know, because I was supposed to buy it (long story). It came from a woman who was connected to a bar that closed down. It had been in storage with a fh for years after the bar closed down along with various other bar equipment.
So, the chances that the operator who was too cheap to replace the ramps (blown out) or fix the trunk (there is a taped on message) bought a mod, seem slim. Game is stock. No leds. Black Rubber. So again, the question is did sample games get the spinning saw from the factory like the sinking building on earthshaker, the moving dalek topper on dw, etc.

Does it have the pop-up center post/plastic disk between the flippers? Its controlled by the poof targets.

If so. I would buy it immefiately.

#3248 3 years ago
Quoted from zhu808:

This is a regular machine that's been modded.

I remember that mod from a few years ago. Its pretty cool!

I like the way the shoot again lamp was incorporated into the raising post.

But since after playing 1000's of games on it, I can get all 8 illusions on ball one, with a couple extra balls.

So, it doesnt need it.

#3255 3 years ago
Quoted from dung:

Looking for the soren patch or full rom for tom.

I suggest skipping led flashers. No one has figured out how to sell an led flasher that isn't obnoxious.

Im pretty happy with the 5 LED tower/flashers from Comet and the GI-OCD setup along with the LED-OCD.

You can also put white condoms on them to make them softer.

#3256 3 years ago
Quoted from Fastfred:

3. LED's? What company I should get LED's from and Flashers also?

I would start with all frosted 2smd sunlight LED's in both wedge and bayonet base from Comet.

https://www.cometpinball.com/

Get 100 of each in the bulk paks. and get 25 of the 5 LED tower flashers in the wedge base for the #906 bulbs.

You might want flex heads in single or dual for the big inserts.

Its a good place to start. Then add one or 2 color LED's for accent if you want. No more than that.

#3257 3 years ago
Quoted from Fastfred:

1. Want to change the Eddy boards and update the trunk error as well? What do you suggest to get?

Get the faster acting boards from the Australian company.

#3258 3 years ago
Quoted from Fastfred:

2. Should I update to this 1.3 Ram or is it 1.3X ram? In this machine I think its 2.1 if so Why update? Read something about it fixes the trunk error

Get the 1.4h ROM if you want to do the spinning saw blade mod, its fun.

3 weeks later
#3268 2 years ago

you are on the right track.

Replace the burnt connectors with trifurcon.

Completely rebuild the power system or send the boards to chris hibler.

3 weeks later
#3292 2 years ago
Quoted from AAAV8R:

Well, here’s where I’m at so far…..
ALL fuses test OK.
Measuring .96v at TP1. LED 7 out. So yes, definitely a problem with unregulated 12v.
I unplugged J116, J117, and J118. LED7 glows dim, and TP1 only reads around 2v.
18v power is good, and 12v regulated also tests good.
So…………it looks like C30 or BR5 the likely suspects?
————————————————————
Related - what’s available out there for both replacement boards or board repair?
I’m going to take a stab at repairing this board, but if I can’t git r done I’m going to have to turn to professional help (which is pretty much anyone other than myself).

I would send them to Chris Hibler.

He does amazing work if you dont want to tackle it.

#3300 2 years ago
Quoted from KingMixer:

Thanks, you're right, I didn't know about the self adjusting boards. If they're that pricey, sounds like I'll wait until I need to replace the ones I've got.
But great info, thanks for replying.

https://www.tanglestech.com/TPP-1023

Roughly the same price as the pinbits ones, but actually in stock.

I dont know if they have the separate trunk ones or if these are for the outlanes, or just for all of them.

They look like a better product than the pinbits ones.

#3307 2 years ago
Quoted from Pesmerga:

that's not working.. there's no way to access to the lower part with a screwdriver without damaging the magnet plastic..I've already damaged it following this suggestion, if I continue like this, the magnet will be teared in 2 parts.. [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Heat gun on top, gentle prying helps.

#3318 2 years ago
Quoted from AAAV8R:

I am getting a “check switch 87” message. See pic below. You can see the white wire (at bottom of photo) is broken off from the pin on the left side of the switch.
Ok, no prob, an easy fix, right?
Well wait a minute…….it looks like someone has soldered what appears to be a diode between the two outer pins on the switch.
WHY??
Does this have anything to do with the white wire? Was the white wire intentionally disconnected?[quoted image][quoted image]

Diodes are standard on that era switches.

solder on the wire, you should be good to go.

1 week later
#3330 2 years ago
Quoted from Lhyrgoif:

Yesterday in the middle of a game a ball went down behind the trunk and into the ball-lock, then nothing happened. The coil for lifting the trap door fired a few times (no ball popped out) and then it soon went into ball search. Took off glass and removed the ball from the subway.
Put all balls into the trough, started a game and put the 1st ball from the shooter lane manually down below the trunk. Game apparently "locked" the ball successfully as it didn't come out from trapdoor and instead ejected ball 2 to the shooter lane. Took ball nr2 and also put it down below the trunk and this time nothing more happened. No 3rd ball ejected into shooter lane. I think game went into ball search after that, not entirely sure.
Opened coin door and tried to enter the service menu but no buttons seemed to work, at least no text changed on the DMD which I found weird.
Turned of game again and checked all fuses; found both F903 and F904 on the Fliptronic board were blown. The manual states F903 & F904 are for the lower right and lower left flippers but as far as I can remember both flippers was working when all this happened which is strange. According to the manual F901 and F902 are for upper right/left flippers (which this game obviously doesn't have as its a two flipper game). I think I've read somewhere that on games with only two flippers the fliptronic board controls other coils too (probably the physical ball lock coils on this game).
I've checked every coil connection in the game and all were soldered firm, no loose ends. I haven't done any maintenance on this game for at least a month so no recent tinkering with it that could be the cause. Also did an extra visual check around the physical ball lock regarding switches, loose stuff or anything touching metal parts and so on but nothing strange found.
I guess I could just turn it on and see what happens but as both fuses had blown pretty hard (black speck on the inside of fuse) I'm worried that replacing them and turning the game on would blow them again or even worse damage other components (if that haven't already happened).
If the blown fuses directly corresponded to the ball-lock coils I wouldn't hesitate as much but now I'm confused as F903/904 indicates problem with the flippers (according to the manual) but if I recall correctly they both worked before turning off the game and it seems the fault is at the ball lock where I don't see any problems at all.
Any advice on what to check or should I just bite the bullet and test turning it on and see what happens?
Thanks

Arent those fuses for the magnets?

Id turn it on and see what happens.

1 month later
#3356 2 years ago
Quoted from OreoFlapjacks:

Thanks so much for good advice! I've seen the ones with and without the OCD boards, and I'm ashamed to say... I didn't know what the difference was! I'll prob stick to the monochome DMD, as I think it adds to the authenticity of the period....
I have a "guy" who is the local expert tech, but I expect I'll do more and more of the work myself as I become familiar with it.
Glad to be here.

The colorDMD adds a lot to the game.

On this game get the LCD version.

Smooth font looks factory.

It makes the screen match the rest of the game.

#3359 2 years ago
Quoted from FlippyD:

The LED dots look exactly like what you would have expected a WPC machine with color to look like. The LCD color DMD's do not look factory, and look worse with the smoothing (in my opinion).
While a side-by-side would be nice to do, it's not needed. The LED dots are literally exactly what WPC machines would have looked like with color plasma screens, it's fantastic.

I have both versions in stock.

After testing all the fonts and features. I ended up with either the dots xl or the smooth on my game.

4 weeks later
3 weeks later
#3381 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

Oh and there is like Krylon fusion, colormaxx, etc, Is there a certain Krylon Black?

Kylon fusion or colormax satin black is a very close match.

2 weeks later
#3394 2 years ago

Im definitely in on the new ROM.

1 week later
#3396 2 years ago
Quoted from OreoFlapjacks:

Saw that Plus the HOCUS SAVER! Been wanting that! I guess the OG U22 works with this ROM? No problems going from 1995's 2.0A to the 'new' 2.0?

Im running 1.4h for my tiger saw.

This has been established to work, so im excited to try it.

2 weeks later
#3403 2 years ago
Quoted from soren:

Hi TOM people.
Sorry I forgot to announce the new release in here. I am extreamly pleased with this one. And I hope you will all consider installing it.
Someone was commenting on whether this is identical to the previous patch release. Well, there was a number of patches released back then. Four I think. Compared to the latest one, this official release fixes a bug where the captive ball would spot a rollover switch. And the presentation DMD screens are new.
People have been asking if stuff will work installing this and the Leon mod combined. Yes. But the Leon mod takes precedence on functionality.
Note that it requires v1.3 or earlier security chip. The agreement is that I keep security chip functionality in place. This is the deal. Sorry to those of you who have lost the original chip on v1.4 upgrades. Or bourgt an upgraded game w/o this being in the package.
Soren

Original security chips are available to purchase if needed.

2 weeks later
#3410 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

What do I do for outlane eddy? At least one appears to be bad. I only seem to be able to find the 1-2 part number which appears to be for the trunk and not the outlanes.
Thanks
Rob

Get all 3 replacments from the Australians, they are really the best:

https://www.tanglestech.com/TPP-1023

#3412 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

They out of stock.

Did you try the calibration?

You might have to rebuild the board while waiting for replacements, its not too bad.

Most of the time its just the Pot that goes bad. Fitting a new, better one is pretty easy.

There are some posts on this.

#3416 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

You mean adjusting the pot? I haven't yet, I have done it before. I'm getting some type of sensor error when I start the machine so I figured the board is probably done. Could you point me to the post on changing the pot? If its just the pot I could probably handle. I've been soldering for over 30 years, but little boards is not my expertise.

First do the calibration, it might be just fine.

Some good info on Pinside:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/eddy-board-adjustment

Changing out the pot is usually is all they need.

Also press in the wires of the ICD connector with a credit card edge.
They get loose and seem like the board has failed.

So in essence loose wires and calibration first before thinking about repair or replacements.

2 weeks later
#3421 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

After 10 years or so I'm finally ready to repair the top of this game. I have the color to use. Can I get some suggestions on what is the best way product to fill in the damage? I was originally thinking bondo, but that is a pain to sand etc, then I was thinking wood filler, but have no experience with what brand product might work best for this. Obvioiusly top isn't going to match well, mainly concerned with filling in the front top and painting the top left corner so that it looks normal from the front.[quoted image]

Bondo is the definitive filler to use.

#3426 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

planning on using this amazon.com link »
Found on another thread on here that said use either this or Bondo and this looks like it will be a bit easier than bondo especially if I can get it relatively smooth in one shot.

That will work, but since its a corner it will crack off.

All of that loose wood will have to be scraped out.

Ideally if its a corner, I use kitty hair to reinforce the corner and use half-time to glaze over it before primer and paint.

Resin is the only way to fix a corner for good.

We have tried tons of methods and they all fail to be strong.

Tiger hair or Kitty hair to fix a corner then half-time, then primer, then paint.

Mask off the verticle edge, mask off 2" beyond the top edge for feathering. You should be OK.

Its about a 1 to 2 hour repair.

#3429 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

unfortunately, the halftime is 6 times the price of the jbweld wood filler alone.

Resin is the only sure way and any glazing compound will work.

I have tried the cheap red bondo glazing putty over the resin, it works ok if you let it dry overnight, but it doesnt dry hard like half-time. Its softer but easier to sand.

#3430 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

are you saying I have to prime before painting? I was just going to get some krylon fusion spray paint, spray it in a cup and use a little paint brush to touchup the top left corner that can be seen when you aren't on a ladder.

You should always primer to get the paint to adhere to epoxy or resin.

But as always, theres a right way to do it if you want to.

#3432 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

I'm a little confused by the terminology, is resin the bondo or is resin the kitty hair? And what is the glaze used for, halftime, red glaze or otherwise?

All of the fillers are a type of epoxy resin, including kitty hair (its a resin with fiberglass strands filler)

After using a filler its best to glaze over it to insure its "paint ready". Its a super thin coat and gets mostly sanded off.

Fillers usually have pinholes and defects in them. These happen as gasses leave the compounds while curing.

Glazing puttys fill these imperfections and dont out-gas.

then a primer is applied to get the paint to stick to the oily epoxy fillers.

Primer fills in imperfections in the glazing compound and is an adhesion promoter for the paint.

You have a substantial amount of ruined wood to remove before filling and painting.

Fortunately you can paint the whole top if needed and it will look perfect.

The ruined left side will be hardly noticable after repaired and painted.

I use half-time as a leveling compound as well as a glaze.

If I screw up the main filler by over sanding it or whatever, I can apply half-time to the area and fix it.

Half time is sandable in 15 mins and requires no glaze over it.

I also use half-time on bare wood for small imperfections or nicks, its primer ready after sanding.

Its very versatile stuff, I use it all the time.

1 month later
#3446 2 years ago
Quoted from Skatewake:

Does anyone have PinSound on their TOM?

Pinsound with the shaker is a hot setup.

1 week later
#3455 2 years ago
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:

I have the magic (pins)
Theatre arrived on Friday and then a trial by fire in a 20 player tournament the Saturday!
[quoted image]
Few queries, I've got a tiger saw mod to install. The rom with it says 1.4 , is this the same as 1.4h ?
Is there a list of changes?
Our Tom currently has 1.3.
Any fixes for the trunk going out of alignment?
Cheers all!

Use the ROM that came with the kit.

Check the opto interupter under the trunk/clean the optos. Most of us have put in the aluminum one for stability,

#3464 2 years ago
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:

I intend to use it just curious if there's a list of changes..
Also I believe I need a new u22 for this from? I get mixed results when I google this, some people say they needed one and others say it worked without having to change it.
At least it's in a socket!
[quoted image]
I'll take a look at the trunk but I thought i read this was a common issue and there was a mod that stopped the trunk moving when being hit so it doesn't go out of position?
Any advice? ,

The Leon trunk fix board is very good, however Soren has addressed trunk behavior in a new ROM over at Planetary Pinball.

Get a new security chip and the version 2.0 ROM here:

https://mattsbasementarcade.com/product/theatre-of-magic-pinball-cpu-rom-1-3-u6-bally-williams-eprom/

With version 2.0 you get tons of much needed updates and you may not need the trunk fix board.

#3473 2 years ago
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:

I have the tiger saw mod so require 1.4
Ordered a trunk fix board by Stumblor (which is based on the same design as Leons one)

Isn't that just a replacement for the old board? Does it change anything?
Black plastic disc?I still haven't explored under the pf yet but I'm preparing an order of bits (already need a new trunk) so I'll order this disk if I can find out what it is...

Version 2.0 ROM includes the tiger saw mod.

It also addresses the trunk issues.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-tom-software-20#post-6625394

However the trunk fix boards still work fine with 2.0 as well as colorDMD.

#3477 2 years ago
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:

Something I forget to mention...
A few times I've had the music stop playing then eventually come back when you start a different mode or ball.
Today it was during tiger saw or vanish multiball.
What would cause this? Anything to check or worry about?

I was running 1.3x, but put 1.4h in, which just worked, even though this forum said you need a different u22.
I suppose if that worked then 2.0 will?

2.0 is an official release sorta...

I purchased a new matching security chip when I bought the 2.0 ROM, it was recommended somewhere...

The outlane ball saver clinched it for me, as too many times the magnet didnt stop the ball.
Now if that happens you get a new ball in play via the shooter lane.

#3483 2 years ago
Quoted from RobbyIRL5:

Sounds like for 2.0, need the old security chip. 1.4 is the only version needing the new security chip. At least per Matt’s Arcade basement website.

Yes, the custom "patched" ROM needed a special security chip.

All official ROMs "should" just use the original security chip as a drop in replacement.

#3485 2 years ago
Quoted from Robl45:

So I need to swap the old security chip back then assuming I could find it or buy a new one?

I couldnt find my original, so I bought a new one.

#3487 2 years ago
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:

But this is my point, going by this apparently I needed a new security chip, yet I went from 1.3 to 1.4h without changing anything except the rom. Apparently that's not supposed to happen.
Or am I misunderstanding, mine was a whole new ROM and not my old one patched?

I think the 1.4h was the custom ROM. It was supposed to use the 1.4h security chip.

It was free play only, or a "home" ROM.

All other ROM revisions can use the original G10 ver 1.0 security chip from what I understand.

#3489 2 years ago
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:

Well I must be the exception as I switched between them without changing u22!
I do have a replacement CPU board that's not original Williams, I wonder if that makes any difference?
I'm just hoping this means I can get 2.0 and not have to track down an old u22 as I had 1.3 originally.

It will either work, or it wont I imagine.

I dont have an after market board, so I can only guess.

#3494 2 years ago
Quoted from GRB1959:

I don't know if you have seen this or not, but it may help you out. I have the Tom Callahan Tiger Saw mod installed on my TOM and also the new 2.0 ROM version upgraded by soren. The URL below contains my journey and how it all works including instructions for installing the Tiger Saw mod kit correctly.
Gord
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-williams-and-bally-software-upgrades?tq=&tu=grb1959

Thanks for the link! I bought the exact same mod for my game.
I may have the instructions, somewhere.....

I was thinking of rebuilding my mod kit !

#3509 2 years ago
Quoted from RobbyIRL5:

I used Ninja balls on CV, and they lasted about 3 games before they were getting stuck in the trough, subway, etc. I think TOM only has the magnets to save the outlanes, but I'd stick with carbon steel balls for this game.

Just use regular balls from marco...

they work great and are cheap enough to throw them out every 450 plays to keep your playfield from wearing out.

2 weeks later
#3542 2 years ago
Quoted from DumbAss:

A differing opinion to some of these statements.

WPC resets are common and well known.
In my experience the most common cause is the header and connector. Re-seat the connector to see if that changes the situation. If the problem goes away (potentially for a while before coming back) then you have header and connector problem. You may still have an electrical problem on your power board but until you replace the header and connector that conclusion is not definitive. The one way to make a definitive conclusion is to measure the DC voltage and AC ripple. Ideally under load. If you don't measure then you don't know.
The daughter board will NOT fix the condition. It will simply shift your power draw to a different location. Eventually that location may fail and now you will have two failure points. This board masks the problem. It does not fix it.

Anyone is welcome to disagree with the above opinions (especially coming from a "DumbAss").

I wholeheartedly agree.

Its a $10k game at this pont.

Either fix it right or send it to Chris Hibler, or one of the other repair places.

Have all the boards bullet proofed.

After doing this, all problems vanish for the most part.

1 month later
#3561 2 years ago
Quoted from Jkush18:

I’d really appreciate it if someone could share a pic of this area on TOM. My top rollover lanes light up together only. In test the left lights both and the right doesn’t lite at all. I think it has to do with this lose wire with similar colors being real close.
[quoted image]

that loose wire goes the the lamp that its near in the picture.

its supposed to be soldered to the lug that has the same color wire on it.

in the end you will have 2 wires of the same color on that lug of the lamp, just like the lamp next to it.

its daisy chained. One wire goes in electrically, and the other wire goes out electrically, and continues the circuit.

#3563 2 years ago
Quoted from Jkush18:

Thanks for the help there. I was stumped because the previous owner wired them together. Once I cut that connection and ran the lose wire to the right light it all works great now. Thanks for the advise.

You're welcome!

3 weeks later
#3583 1 year ago

The little mini-post thru the t-nut is to keep balls from jamming on the right of the trunk when it turns.

Some have a rubber, some dont.

Either way it seems to work well enough.

#3586 1 year ago
Quoted from Frogroar:

Last week I noticed my ToM had 3 nonfunctioning flashers in the back board (behind the curtains: 2 on the left, 1 on the right). The pinball repair guy changed the bulbs and noticed the plug wasn't plugged in. So that did it, everything seemed to work until I noticed that GI string 5 was off. I tried switching fuses F106 (GI string 5) and F107 (GI string 4), which resulted in the two strings being off... I have new fuses coming in next week, but I don't think that's the problem now.
I took a look at connectors J120 and J121 on the power board. I have the impression that doesn't look right, but that's pretty much how far my technical experience with pinball machines goes. Anybody noticing anything odd?
Thanks! [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

A trifurcon has been correctly installed for the backbox lights. Always the original connector gets burned black.

Still, you can have a bad crimp on a connection sometimes.

Those trifurcon connectors on j120 look badly crimped, but perhaps they were soldered also?

They are easy to remove and inspect.

I dont think that j120 is the problem though.

1 month later
#3656 1 year ago
Quoted from altan:

I'm not following you here. Are you referring to when the power is off?
There's clearly a lot of personal preference here. I've decided I like the ColorDMD LCD version running Dots XL more than the LED version. I find the LED to be too harsh. Just IMHO.
I think ColorDMD on Theatre of Magic is amazing. I haven't experienced Pin2DMD so I'm not saying anything negative about it.

I have both LCD and LED versions of the colorDMD on hand.

I chose the LCD for my ToM.

LED for DW, TAF, etc...

#3658 1 year ago
Quoted from dq13:

Another vote for the ColorDMD LCD in ToM. I love mine and how versatile the modes are. The kids prefer the HIRES animation, but the Dots looks classic

I have mine on HIRES, it seems suitable,

3 weeks later
#3672 1 year ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

I've owned my TOM since 1997 (second owner) and it has all red star posts, which I have no reason to think that they weren't original from the factory. I can't imagine using the orange-ish amber on something with such a red-based playfield. I'm sure someone who is some sort of TOM "curator" will verify, but I wanted to share what I've had in mine at least from it's 2nd/3rd (depending on how you count it) year of existence.

There are actually a couple choices on the star post colors.

The purply red vs the red-red.

They used to be listed as the correct ones for ToM.

Both look great, I bought a bunch of the original color ones and I dont remember who had them.

I think the manual lists them as amber or some kind of nonsense.

Look for the part number in the manual.

#3678 1 year ago
Quoted from Lhyrgoif:

Replacing batteries with nvram is a good advice but beware that the soldering required is tricky and you risk ruining the cpu board if not really careful. As a person seemingly new to pins I suggest you let a professional do the RAM to NVRAM replacement for you.

The "Franks" coin battery mod works pretty good and doesnt require delicate skils to install.

The coin battery rarely leaks and is above the board just in case.

Works pretty good and the clock doesnt reset every time you get a power failure.

Not that the clock keeps time at all, its roughly called a clock that looses or gain time of its own accord.

Its a cool feature to see midnight madness when the clock goes to midnight on some games like ToM.

https://www.tntamusementsstore.com/wptnt/product/franks-famous-battery-board/

#3680 1 year ago
Quoted from altan:

I'm in the minority here (or the silent majority, who knows)... IMHO most people, generally, should stay away installing NVRAM. Get Energizer Lithium batteries and you are good to go.
I don't have a problem with NVRAM, but I know people skilled with soldering that messed up their boards by breaking traces during the install.
NVRAM is great if you are very good at desoldering/soldering and will not miss the (infrequent) side effects such as no accurate time on TZ or no real midnight madness on those games.

I put more coin battery mods in than NVRAM.

The coin battery is quick and easy and sorta keeps time.

#3692 1 year ago
Quoted from dq13:

Just confirming, what is needed to upgrade to 2.0? Can I just install and be done with it, or are other board mods needed?

If unsure, order the matching security chip at the same time.

Tell Dave what you need he will take care of you:

https://www.pinballrom.com/

1 month later
#3727 1 year ago
Quoted from dgAmpGuy:

Does anyone know the part number and how unobtainable this is? It’s missing on our game.
Thanks,
Dave

Im not altogether sure its needed.

Its a clip to keep the clear plastic from bending up or breaking from ball hits.

The clip hasnt actually stopped the plastic from breaking on many games.

I imagine that you can just fabricate a little bracket out of a piece of old siderail or scrap stainless.

Maybe put a small clear washer or clear fender washer under the screw and over the lip of the plastic to catch the edge.

It would do the same thing and be much simpler.

On most games that have cliffy's installed its not even installed right:
TOM_Right_Installed_1 (resized).jpgTOM_Right_Installed_1 (resized).jpg

1 week later
#3741 1 year ago
Quoted from rnult13:

Another question, where is a good place to purchase a Spade Screw with a shoulder?
My TOM machine only has one holding the backbox up

Are you talking about the pivot bushing in the side of the cabinet that holds the hinge bracket?

Pivot bushing and bolt here:

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/02-4352

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/4322-01139-12B

#3743 1 year ago
Quoted from AlexRogan84:

I think they are asking about wing bolts.

oh, ok.

1 week later
#3764 1 year ago
Quoted from Goalie:

Yeah all the switches register. The balls get physically stuck. I’m guessing the first ball feeds fine because it has momentum. Once all three stack up, the 3rd ball gets stuck on switch 3 because it’s trying to move from a stop or slow speed. Which is why I’m wondering if the balls being magnetized is making them stick together or to the switch or something else.

Pull it all apart, you will see where its hanging up.

Its obviously a mechanical issue.

Might need a new end on the popper or it needs adjustment, or its assembled wrong?

Needs more playfield pitch?

2 weeks later
#3797 1 year ago
Quoted from DumbAss:

Could it be a "coin reject" spring? They are short, conical springs.

Yep, looks like a coin rejector spring.

Cabinet button springs are way different.

Conical return springs are longer.

#3803 1 year ago
Quoted from tdiddy:

In the club with a game that was in someone's basement for 22 years! Need leds and a good shop but it's really nice.
For the leds I'm going to go with color match inserts....what's everyone's opinion on g.i. and if you wouldn't mind posting some of your pictures that would be great. I feel like the comet sunlight will work well[quoted image][quoted image]

No one color matches inserts any more.

It looks trashy.

But its your game, do as you please!

#3807 1 year ago
Quoted from Goalie:

Speaking of LEDs I have three insert lights (shoot again, hat magic, and the second T in theatre) that don’t turn off all the way, they dim a little but won’t turn off. I tried new bulbs but I get the same result. Anyone know what might be the problem?

Ghosting?

Try installing the LEDOCD board.

#3813 1 year ago
Quoted from Goalie:

Speaking of LEDs I have three insert lights (shoot again, hat magic, and the second T in theatre) that don’t turn off all the way, they dim a little but won’t turn off. I tried new bulbs but I get the same result. Anyone know what might be the problem?

Bad or leaking diode somewhere in the matrix?

#3815 1 year ago
Quoted from Goalie:

I hope that’s not it, my skill set is not good at that level of figuring out issues. All three lights are on different rows/columns on the matrix. Would that rule the diode theory out, or make it more likely?

How to the problem lamps look in all lamp test?

How do they look in single lamp test?

Maybe a clue there?

#3817 1 year ago
Quoted from Goalie:

In single lamp, when I test one lamp, one or two others will light up as well but a bit dimmer. So if I test the first “T” both of the “Special” lights will light up. If I light the middle trunk hit bulb, the Hat Magic will also turn on. It happens with quite a few lights.

Single lamp test should only light up one lamp.

If other lamps are lighting, the problem has to be that a wire is broken off or shorting, or a diode has fallen off or failed.

Diode failures are not common, but broken off or broken leads are pretty common.

In the matrix the diodes block the other lamps from lighting in the single lamp test.

Being systematic is way more productive than trying to see everything at once. It can be maddening.
Although a quick run thru of the lamps sometimes finds a broken diode that partially fell off, or a broken wire.

The matrix chart shows the wire colors and row and column locations.

Some good info here:

https://homepinballrepair.com/pinball-lamp-matrix-theory-and-troubleshooting/

Its also a good idea to check the connectors in the backbox to make sure they are good and solid and the wires are not loose in the IDC connections or loose broken pins on the circuit board.

#3824 1 year ago
Quoted from sevenrites:

I have full LED in my TOM and have no ghosting, with no LEDOCD board installed.

For me, its not too much about ghosting.

Its about the rapid flashing of the LEDs compared to the incadescents, I find it distracting and annoying.

I like the more controlled ramping up and down that the LEDOCD accomplishes.

I also like 100% LED's in my games, so a GIOCD is required on games that utilize dimming effects.

#3827 1 year ago
Quoted from AlexRogan84:

So, just for clarity, which board or boards do you need on a ToM? I was looking at these boards for sale and got a little confused on how many are needed and which one exactly. GI only for ToM or do you need an additional OCD board for the inserts?
I turned off the dimming on my game and I do miss that whole effect.

You need both the LEDOCD and GIOCD.

2 weeks later
#3847 1 year ago
Quoted from radix:

Hello, I cant seem to find a 01-13892.1 Ramp Guard. My guard was missing from the machine when I got it. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I might find one?
[quoted image][quoted image]

Tough to find.

1 week later
#3859 1 year ago
Quoted from AAAV8R:

On the subject of the eddy boards and trim pots……
I ordered two smart eddy boards from Tangles. They work great! Price all in for the boards and shipping brought each board to around $63. Not bad, considering if you can even find the old style boards around they are close to that price. Plus after adding shipping and tax it will probably exceed that cost. From ordering to my mailbox was two weeks almost to the day. I thought that was pretty good for Australia to suburban Minneapolis.

With Pin-Bits off the market, the tangles boards are what you want.

They work perfectly and are a fair price for what they are.

1 week later
#3868 1 year ago
Quoted from PinballGalore:

looking for a used one in good condition. If anyone has a spare please pm.
[quoted image]

Just get a new "better" one:

https://mantispinball.com/product-category/theatre-of-magic/

1 week later
#3882 1 year ago
Quoted from polishedball:

What is the best way to polish the gold metal wire ramps? I usually do wire forms and ramps on wheels with ZAM but not sure what it would do to these.

Nev-R-Dull

http://www.nevrdull.com/

Walmart sells it

The gold plating is so thin though, it will not be renewed thru polishing. But it will look better.

#3893 1 year ago
Quoted from radix:

Need help solenoids 1-8 are not working. After 6 months of refurbishing work, I got my TOM in great shape. Played a dozen great games and then solenoids 1-8 all stopped working right after a ball drain. I checked all the fuses including F105, I even replaced F105 just to be sure. J107 seems to be ok putting out readings of pin 1: 72.8v, pin 2: 53.6v, pin 3: 72.9v, pin 6 21.6v. I checked the lugs of all the coils and they are all reading 53v. The test points seem ok with TP1 14.3v, TP2 4.9v, TP3 12.1v, TP4 .3v, TP6 72.9v, TP7 21.6v and TP8 16.8v. I did replace the trap door coil A-20099 with an FL-11630 like many people did after installing a Mantis trap door weldment as A-20099 would no longer hold the door up. I did not remove the diode from the FL-11630 as I read it was not to pull them despite the A-20099 not having them. Any ideas? Is the J107 pin 2 at 53v too low? Maybe a bad bridge rectifier if so?

F 105 is blown or an associated wire or part is broken specific to that circuit only. Check and reflow the fuse holder.

You can see the circuit on the schematic.

Do you have power at the fuse itself?

If so continue downstream to the playfield etc.

If not the check upstream to where the power stops.

2 weeks later
#3903 1 year ago
Quoted from tlon:

Hi - having an issue where the game is not saving high scores… batteries are brand new; other settings seem to be working. I’m running the 2.0 Roms. I hit a personal best 1.8 billion last night, entered my initials, power cycled and it was back to defaults. Suggestions how to troubleshoot/fix? Could it be a failed cmos?
[quoted image]

Check for battery corrosion on the CPU board and battery holder contacts..

Sounds like the battery connection is corroded and power is not getting to the circuit to save settings.

3 weeks later
#3925 1 year ago
Quoted from rmf-pinball:

Favor: My TOM spinner is not working. Fails in switch edge test as well. But... I SWEAR I replaced the whole switch mechanism just a few months ago!!
Can someone take a quick picture of their spinner switch wiring? Maybe I screwed up the wiring or diode location/orientation.
I can't find details on orientation in the manual. A closeup picture would be really helpful!
-Rob

Where is it located on the switch matrix chart?

Row?
Column?

Are other switches out?

If you jumper the switch wires/terminals across (with a diode) does it operate in test?

#3930 1 year ago
Quoted from polishedball:

Love the new BG
[quoted image]

Its really nice, but sadly "Not for Me"....

#3938 1 year ago
Quoted from rmf-pinball:

Thanks a bunch. SADLY... I think my switch is wired exactly the same. Later this week, do some jumpering and/or remove it to do testing.
Perhaps a bad diode? Broken wires or might just need to replace AGAIN.
-Rob

If you briefly jumper it in test, it should show up (maybe with other switches if you dont use a diode). Same as touching the wires together.

Also the switch should have power to it. If not maybe a bad wire?

Does the switch work when tested with a meter?

Maybe a bad or backwards diode?

#3944 1 year ago
Quoted from STVPIN:

Fkn w00t!
The funny story is about how I saw Flyland release the new art, and I bought the acrylic straightaway, intending to lightbox it and hang it on the wall.
Fast forward a week, and thinking really hard about which "one" pin to add to the collection. And this TOM shows up on the craigslist, in a dudes basement like three miles away. Easy home use for the past 15 years. Routed before that, (and it shows in the playfield wear) but it's not too bad.
BAM! Here it is in the basement. I'm calling it a lucky find. He just had somebody come over and check it out and put in an LED kit in prep for sale. Everything works, outside of a couple lamp problems so far already fixed and squeaky mechs and dirty but - what a find!
Looking forward to the (somewhat unplanned but welcomed) journey. Cheers![quoted image]

Its an amazing game, congrats!

1 week later
#3960 1 year ago
Quoted from STVPIN:

Just shopping the best i can. This is the first machine of this era I've owned so the cleanup/refresh is a bit overwhelming but I'm pressing on.
Noodling about how best to solve this type of scoop damage. Some wood putty of some sort I suppose. [quoted image]

Sand it a little and rub some clear epoxy into the bare wood.

This works well enough, just keep the epoxy thin.

1 week later
#3984 1 year ago
Quoted from mmr61184:

Big fan of whirlwind

Big fan "on" whirlwind !

#3992 1 year ago
Quoted from polishedball:

I don’t see myself listing mine coming up kn a year in April. But I concur with your thoughts on ToM. If anything ToM is to easy (make it to wizard more kn it that CCr) but my lineup is mostly a easy shooter lineup to hook new people on pinball. I play all the new stuff on location twice weekly.[quoted image]

I think that in a small collection like mine, ToM gets a lot of play and you just get too good at it.

I put my game in storage when the last game I played, I got to the wizard mode and 4 billion points on ball 1.

I have put thousands of games on it!

There comes a time when you want to move on.

Still however Its not for sale yet.

Its in my restore que. I have one of the last NOS playfelds for it, and hope to do it justice for all the joy it has brought me.

I had Ron Kruzman touch up the insert keylines and do a heavy clear coat. Factory playfields back in the day were not as nice as todays offerings.

When done it should be an outstanding example of this game.

#3995 1 year ago
Quoted from Gillen:

4 billion on ball 1, great work, I have a long way to go. I almost reached Wizard mode a few times but the straight the middle drains from hitting the trunk is killing me, tried both hitting only from left or right flipper, doevement hit on the trunk but still it sometimes go straight down, the trunk also isn't in the exakt same position so it's hard to shoot the same spot every time and count on the same outcome.
My ToM also creates a spin on the ball like no other game, it makes the outlanes deadly.
Guess I have to loosen my tilt and close the outlanes a bit. Running 2.0 firmware and I think I have 1.8 billion as highest score, that's without wizard mode. Play this every single day and I'm no pinball Wizard but decent enough I believe.
Any tips to give?

For awhile ToM was the only game in my collection that was fully working after a 75% restoration.

I have put literally thousands of plays on it.

Once in the "zone", ball times can be somewhat long, and chaining ramps and loops is super fun.

Once in awhile you just get an "endless" game.

Like I said, I havent sold it yet. Its really too much fun!

1 week later
#4005 1 year ago
Quoted from bwolfrom:

New club member here -- I just doubled the size of my pin collection! Two questions for my fellow magicians:
1. Is anyone still selling motorized saw mods? Pinball Decals has one listed on their site, but it's pricey and includes a lighted mirror that I could do without.
2. Has anyone solved the common issue where the left inlane magnet is not as strong as the right one, and releases the ball while it's still wiggling around? My magnet sometimes tosses the ball back into the outlane. Luckily ROM 2.0 awards an extra ball when that happens!
[quoted image]

The magnet needs to be FIRMLY against the wood of the playfield.

It shoudnt be loose or turn easily.

Often the bent washer that keeps the pressure on the magnet is missing or has lost its tension.

I put 2 of the bent washers on each of my magnets to get them tight enough.

Bend the "bent washer" a bit to get more pressure on it.

If you are missing the bent washers, marco has them.

#4008 1 year ago
Quoted from AlexRogan84:

Do you have a part number for these bent washers and a photo to show how they go in? I'd like to make sure my own magnets have these as my left magnet does this wobbling too.

Its missing the bent washer.

They are always missing because they lose tension and nobody knows what they are called, or they just get lost?

It just goes under the bracket and pole (on top of the magnet spool) to add pressure to the magnet so its tight against the wood.

Its a special "double saddle" washer with a 3/4" inner diameter and a 1" outer diameter.

Or 19.5mm ID x 25mm OD

Its called a "wave" washer. Its not mysterious, you can get them all over the place.

Bicycles us a lot of them.

Also called "crinkle washers".

You local hardware store might have them if you dont want to pay $12 shipping.

Some games like TAF have 2 washers on the cores to add additional pressure:

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/20-9612

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-19-5mm-Stainless-Spring-Washer/dp/B07LB1NJYT/ref=sr_1_3

I put 2 on each of my magnets.

You can bend then further if needed to get them tighter (especially if you only have one washer).

The part number (20-9612) is either in the ToM manual or the TAF manual, both games use them.

1 month later
#4026 1 year ago
Quoted from AlexRogan84:

Got a U6 CHECKSUM error yesterday on my ToM. Intermittent though as it came on when I powered up my games, stayed there as a credit dot while I played one full game and then was gone after I shut the machine down and turned it back on a few minutes later. Only thing odd noticed during gameplay with the error active was that a couple of the colorizations on my PIN2DMD were off slightly. After that everything was back to normal.
Manual says to replace the CPU ROM if you get this error. Is it on its way out or is there something else I should be checking?
I replaced all my ROMs (CPU and all the sound ones) in November last year. CPU ROM is version 1.3X.

Try pressing down the ROM to set it in better,

Also press the ASIC (a little) while you are there.

#4030 1 year ago
Quoted from tlon:

Previous owner did something strange to the 9-pin molex coming from the power supply. Wire to bottom right pin is cut, the one that goes from 1 yellow (to the power supply) and 2 orange (on the other side). This is described as the GI power input… (at least, that is what the GIocd install document calls it)
Owner bypassed this pin and wired direct to both orange wires…. Is this just to fix a burned connector? If I want to restore it, just pull all the pins and insert in a new connector? Replace the pin and receiver on the burned one? Are all the yellow wires from the power supply the same?
Appreciate any insights or tips.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Restore it to the factory wiring, remove and additional bypass or "patched in" wires or any additional wires.

Replace the burned connectors and pins.

Check the backbox GI connector and do the same or install trifucon if it hasnt been done already.

Since you put in LEDs the current draw is much lower and the connector wont burn again.

#4032 1 year ago
Quoted from oradke:

Sorry for being a smartass - but voltage should be the same, though the *current* is much lower with LEDs. Or am I mistaken?

You are correct !

Much lower current draw so much lower temperatures.

#4035 12 months ago
Quoted from foozle:

I've heard that installing NVram might mess up Midnight Madness on TOM. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Interestingly, I asked ChapGPT and it said that "some users have reported issues, while others haven't." Was hoping to get a more definitive answer before I decide whether to install the NVram.
Thanks

Use the Franks coin battery board instead of the NVRAM and the clock is intact:

https://www.tntamusementsstore.com/wptnt/product/franks-famous-battery-board/

Install a Pinsound Rocket CPU board and the clock will actually keep time correctly, unlike the Williams one.

https://www.pinsound.org/products/rocket-cpu-wpc/

I think that this solves it.

#4039 12 months ago
Quoted from Tjohejsan:

Hello! Trunk issue here!
I guess this not the first post about trunk issue.
But i cannot find the problem i have.
My issue is that the motor dont stop in line with the optos on the optos board. Most times it stops just right after.
I have new :
Motor and gearbox
Tried:
2 different opto boards (original, pindora box)
Tried a working:
Motor controller board
2 different opto interrupter
: Rev 1.3x installed
[quoted image][quoted image]
[quoted image]

Maybe upgrade the ROM ro the new 2.0?

2 weeks later
#4050 11 months ago
Quoted from AlexRogan84:

Got my Brian Allen art blades installed and I think I'm done tricking out my game (pretty punny, lol).
Since I've had the game (less than a year)...
Got the alternate translite and art blades from Brian Allen.
Titan rubber rings, post sleeves and flipper rubbers.
New white, Williams logo flipper bats.
Flipper rebuilds done on both sides (coil stop, coil sleeve, plunger, spring, screws)
New flipper buttons as well as the spring plates on the inside for the optos as they were missing.
New LED bulbs in backbox, GI and playfield inserts.
New balls x5
New amber star posts, although a few still to be done as I didn't have enough on hand when I had it apart last time.
New transparent orange coin chute plastics as the originals were chipped and murky.
Coin mechanisms replaced with working units (Canadian coins).
New trap door metal flap, decal and fasteners.
New slinghsot plastics.
PIN2DMD colour display with colorization from Martin in Germany.
New leg levellers, leg bolts and leg protectors.
New backbox wingbolts.
New Lithium batteries (original boards, not yet NVRAM)
New ROMs for game and sound.
New playfield glass.
New lockdown bar with new beer seal and new lockdown bar receiver assembly along with replacement warning stickers.
Game already had upgraded, auto-calibrating Eddy sensor boards for both Hocus Pocus saves and the trunk hit.
I think that's it! I may still look at getting one of the toy mods to sit in the back right corner, like the lit up lady magician. Otherwise it's just a joy to play as is!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

I like the side blades, but not sold yet on the translite.

2 weeks later
#4073 10 months ago
Quoted from tlon:

Hey just a quick FYI there is a new source of Silicone replacement trunks out of Italy. I connected with an individual that has crafted a legit replica from an indestructible silicone (he demonstrates “sending” the box with a 3 wood driver no harm to the box. He is really novice at international shipping; I used a local friend to forward the package from Italy to the USA… but the workmanship is great and it is indestructible!
[quoted image]

Get me one!

1 week later
#4095 10 months ago
Quoted from EZ-Rhino:

I don't do Facebook but am interested in one as well. If you find out ordering information can you pass that along?

He wants $240 for the rubber trunk.

Its a bit high for what it is IMHO.

#4097 10 months ago
Quoted from nickbuol:

I was quoted 240 Euro for one shipped to Florida, so almost $260 USD. I agree it is a bit steep, for me anyway.

Yeah, I have 4 originals that will last me a few years.

$260 for a rubber box is true gouging.

Im not paying it.

1 week later
#4107 10 months ago
Quoted from Gillen:

Got a package from Italy today, took little over a week to get. Guess I should do a little mini review.
Packaging and shipping: 221€ with shipping to Sweden. With Swedens currency being all high time low it really hurt the wallet.
Feels like I got ripped off on the shipping fee, comparing the shipping address on the site he ordered the shipping from it seems I'm right but I could be wrong. It says 22€ for shipping when I use his from address and my shipping address. Even the most expensive shipping choice were less than I were charged. I'm okay with that anyway, I paid after all. It came shipped in a soft package that opened really easy, would helped with some tape to seal it better. Payment were done through PayPal friends and family, PayPals currency exchange were terrible but not sellers fault.
Packaging and shipping: 2 stars out of 5.
Quality: I have never seen the "other" indestructible trunk so I can only compare it to my regular broken trunk.
It looks 3D printed with layers (lines) and everything but I believe that is from his mold, not sure. Outside looks great when playing, not as much when hold. I actually believe my regular trunk were looking better when it were new, now it isn't so this isn't very important.
Quality: 3.5 stars out of 5.
Fit: It fits well, drop in replacement for the old trunk. Not sure what up with the screws and stuff on inside but I guess it's needed because of the softer material.
Fit: 5 stars out of 5.
Paint job: It looks great, better blacks and gold than the regular trunk. Will see later if paint scratch off or stay where it should. I definitely think the paint job could be better applied, feels a bit sloppy for the price I paid. It isn't really shown when playing but still.
Paint job: 3 stars out of 5.
It's it indestructible? I believe it should be, it's kinda soft and feels strong. Will definitely hold better than the regular ones.
Summary: It's way to expensive for what it's, BUT looking at prices on everything else pinball I still think it could be worse. I at least now have a trunk. It looks good inside the machine, it fits great and it will probably not need replacement in many many years.
My final score is 4 stars out of 5.
Note... I were not sponsored for this review, I paid in full myself.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Great write-up!

I think the mold was 3D printed and the material picked up the surface texture on the inside.

It looks pretty good however.

$260 to the USA, I agree its overpriced...(by double...)

1 week later
#4123 9 months ago
Quoted from paynemic:

Just joined the club. Loving this game. Balls getting stuck between the chest and the post on the right, but I’ll do some searching in this thread. Happy to be here!

I added the post under the ramp through the T-nut.

See my post about it, I got boo'd for it but it works extremely well. Its an "old school" fix that works!

I havent had a problem since. 15 years going strong.

4 weeks later
#4142 8 months ago
Quoted from foozle:

I recently got a TOM and the trap door opens and closes about 5 times when I first turn the power on. It stops when the DMD says "push start button." Is this normal?
Thanks

No

#4145 8 months ago
Quoted from foozle:

It didn't happen during gameplay, just during the boot up time. Probably opens and closes 4 to 6 times, then settles.

Sounds like a flakey switch, loose wire, or loose connector.

#4148 8 months ago
Quoted from foozle:

I know this has been asked before, but just wondering what the current thinking was on Color LED versus LCD for Theatre of Magic? Getting ready to order, so was curious what others thought. Thanks!

LCD on this title.

1 week later
#4156 8 months ago
Quoted from JOESCHALL:

Having a problem getting my left outlane "Hocus Pocus" to grab the ball at all after the Hocus Pocus targets have been hit. I know about calibrating the eddy sensor boards to just where the LED goes out. I have done that, but the left magnet still won't catch. I also replaced the left magnet with a new one with no change, then I swapped the left and right eddy sensor boards to see what would happen. Still, the left magnet won't catch but the right magnet will in all of these scenarios; meanwhile the audio sond associated with the ball catch does activate for the left magnet. This testing suggests to me that it is not the eddy sensor boards, else it seems the problem would have transferred, and that it is not the left magnet, which is new.
Stumped. Any ideas on what's next?

Bend the wavy washer so that it pushes the magnet FIRMLY against the wood.

The magnet should not rotate easily when its fully bolted down.

Marco has replacement wavy washers if yours is worn out.

#4158 8 months ago
Quoted from JOESCHALL:

Thanks, Mank, and pinballinreno. Indeed, the fuse was blown. I replaced it and bent the washer as advised, and the magnet is now grabbing nicely. Bravo!

Yep, a lot of people complain that the left magnet is weak.

Its mostly just been loose and not firmly against the wood.

Same problem on TAF, wavy washers missing, loose magnets etc.

2 weeks later
#4166 7 months ago
Quoted from paynemic:

Hey all, new member of the club here. My game won’t stop blowing fuse 104. It’s usually less than a minute into the game. I’m not 100% certain but it seems to blow when or after the left magnet save fires (it’s also really loud, is that normal? Also, the right one almost never fires or sometimes seems to go off when the ball is completely in a different place). I’ve gone through a lot of fuses. I have a little 3A circuit breaker I can put in there but it almost never blows! Not sure what to make of that. I think it’s only popped once. So I get tricked into thinking I’ve fixed the problem but when I put a fuse back in, it blows again!
Any advice would be super helpful

Added yesterday: I got the right magnet firing by doing the usual adjustment of the Eddy switch. I’ll need to test more to see what’s blowing the fuse.

Added yesterday: Whoa. Didn’t mean to strike out the whole thing…
Hey all, new member of the club here. My game won’t stop blowing fuse 104. It’s usually less than a minute into the game. I’m not 100% certain but it seems to blow when or after the left magnet save fires (it’s also really loud, is that normal? Also, the right one almost never fires or sometimes seems to go off when the ball is completely in a different place). I’ve gone through a lot of fuses. I have a little 3A circuit breaker I can put in there but it almost never blows! Not sure what to make of that. I think it’s only popped once. So I get tricked into thinking I’ve fixed the problem but when I put a fuse back in, it blows again!

The left magnet has been a fuse blower on many games.

Usually it blows if you test it a few times in a row.

There is an adjustment in the menu to lower the time that its active.

Make sure that the magnet is FIRMLY pressed against the playfield via the wavy washer, bend it more to get it tighter to the playfield. The magnet should NOT be easy to rotate when bolted down.

Refreshing or replacing all of the connectors that involve the magnets really helps.

Using slo-blo ceramic appliance fuses really helps.

1 month later
#4189 5 months ago
Quoted from DumbAss:

The posts above are a DIY solution. There are other DIY solutions posted on this forum. Search and you should be able to find them. Some of them are constructed using relay boards that can be obtained from small merchants (such as eBay or Amazon).
You have (at least) three choices. All of them are based on the same principle of the RC circuit.

The above DIY solutions
A ready-made solution from PMC (https://pinballmods.co/pop-eliminator-v2 or https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1202-pinball-mod-co/08263-the-pop-eliminator-v2-bally-williams - same products)
I also have a solution available. Message if interested

There may be other solutions that you can find that will probably fall into the DIY category.

$95 seems a lot for such a simple circuit from pinball mods.

I would just get it from DumbAss .

2 weeks later
#4194 5 months ago
Quoted from PolePosition:

Hello TOM owners,
This game has long been on my wish list, and I'm excited to finally be in a position to start looking for one. Besides the usual stuff, is there anything game specific that I should be looking out for in terms of wear/damage or hard to find parts if something is missing/broken?
Thanks!

I have one coming up.

#4196 5 months ago
Quoted from mmr61184:

Has anybody successfully had a TOM playfield restored. I don’t mean blown out but needs a few small touch ups. From what I have been told
It’s really tough because the inserts in the middle don’t have black lines and that is from both Ron Kruzman and HEP

The problem with these is the cracking around the magic trick inserts.

It just cant be fixed without seeing the touch-up repair.

Ron will warn you about this before you send it to him.

I bought the LAST NOS playfield on earth from Rick at PPS and had Ron touch it up and clear it.

Its a thing of amazing beauty! (let me know if you want to buy it, (not cheap))

Other than that you can get a new Mirco one with slightly different colors and an odd Moire pattern in it.

They look really nice but still will need touch ups and clearing.

1 week later
#4204 5 months ago
Quoted from gizmo33:

Hi, have a problem, when i plug the trunk light, other light lights up ! Any idear ?
Thanks
Ps:
This is, what i just found ! Diode seem be an 1N4004. Dont know if it's the good one ??
[quoted image]

Thats not a factory setup.

Test the diode with a meter. IN4004 is a standard diode and is perfect for all of them in a pinball game. There are a lot of them.

I buy them 100 at a time, very inexpensive.

#4206 5 months ago
Quoted from gizmo33:

Ok thanks for the answer. I want to change for the factory setup, do you know the good setup ?

It sounds like the diode is bad if multiple lamps light up, or its backwards.

Its missing the heat shrink on both leads.

here is a reference picture:

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-20029

Your diode is on the opposite leg from the picture and is likely backwards.

#4209 5 months ago
Quoted from gizmo33:

Ok thank for the help !
I'll take a closer look! However, if the diode is upside down, I think the LED would not light up.

This may be true, however if its shorted or on the wrong leg, other lamps will ight up along with it.

#4211 5 months ago
Quoted from DumbAss:

A socket is NOT polarized. There is no such thing as a "right" or "wrong" leg. One tab of the socket connects to the bulb. The other tab connects to the bulb. If the bulb is incandescent then there is a filament of wire that glows when current flows through it. If the bulb is LED and it's a bulb made for a pinball machine then it won't care which direction the current is flowing.

Make sure the wiring follows the wiring diagram (which is the same for all lamps in the lamp matrix). You are correct that if the diode is functioning correctly but installed "upside down" or "backwards" the lamp will not illuminate.
[quoted image]

Thanks Victor!

Your help is always appreciated!

2 months later
#4242 84 days ago
Quoted from Zitt:

Is there any interest in a TOM trunk repo?
My vendor has reached out to me and asked if I had any interest.
I don't own the game; so, have no experience on the availability of this part.[quoted image]

there is a HUGE interest in repro using high impact rubber materials!

the originals broke after 1 ball strike.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/unbreakable-trunk-for-the-theatre-of-magic

Georgio made some up with Ricks blessing, but quit after he got a job at Neflix doing movie props.

#4246 83 days ago
Quoted from Zitt:

The picture looks like it's of a material like silicon; but not 100% sure.
That said; I'm sure these aren't going to made by "Georgio" and doubt there is that much work as he pictured.
So probably a higher volume process.
I got word that they are flexible material that isn't Silicon. This is the video I got:
I need to make a decision on these trunks for me next order ... probably this weekend.

I will get one if you buy them.

#4260 81 days ago
Quoted from Zitt:

I won't have pricing until I order and receive them from the vendor.
My first gut response: Expect them to be Price adjusted from the 130euros to usd based upon exchange rate.
If that still interests you; please reach out to me via PM so I have a list to invoice - unless you'd rather wait for the flood gates to open for general availability (fcfs).

Hitting the $99 sweet spot in pricing was the only issue with this new trunk.

#4262 81 days ago
Quoted from Zitt:

Why is 99usd a sweet spot? Are other "unbreakable" trunks selling for that price?
Just trying to figure out why someone thinks 99usd desired.

It was what Georgio was selling them for plus shipping, but that was a couple years ago, and he was making them by hand in little molds.

So I think your estimate of $130 is close to that.

The guy in Italy selling them for $245+shipping was an outrageous price.

I dont think many people bought them.

Personally, Im all in at $130.

#4267 80 days ago
Quoted from georgio:

Yes, Wednesday

For 130$ without shipping I might consider to make a new batch. Stay tuned!
So bad that rubber compounds cannot be molded, injection molding rubber compounds would have made a cheaper option. Only Polymer plastics are useable for injection in a faster proces, but these Trunks will break soon and we are back to the original problem.
So still the best option is handmade with our special developed painting method. Paint on rubber which can last high impact is another special progress. We asked big paint factories for a solution on our Trunk, but it was not possible
So nice to hear that our painting process worked! That was our biggest concern.

If you hit the $99 price point again, you will own the market if you can produce them in bulk.

Otherwise, $130 readily available holds my interest.

Either way, Ill buy the first one that shows up.

Can these be made with that Flex Seal urethane stuff? Its incredibly durable.

1 month later
#4292 45 days ago
Quoted from MeJeremy:

Anyone have a successful fix for the ball getting stuck in the top right near the gate? Mine is getting stuck when the ball goes through but not fast enough to make the loop so it falls back and gets stuck.

If the ball is resting at the end of the wireform, loosen the nuts (under the playfield) that hold the end of the wireform in place, and push it up about 1/16" or less. It doesnt have to be "cranked" down.

Overtightening those nuts causes a ball hang there.

I put small washers to keep the wireform from sinking in too far.

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Eproms
Pinballrom
 
$ 69.99
Playfield - Toys/Add-ons
Lighted Pinball Mods
 
$ 329.99
Lighting - Other
Lighted Pinball Mods
 
$ 35.00
Cabinet - Other
Rocket City Pinball
 
$ 11.95
Playfield - Toys/Add-ons
ULEKstore
 
$ 69.99
Playfield - Toys/Add-ons
Lighted Pinball Mods
 
€ 150.00
Playfield - Toys/Add-ons
TheDudeMods
 
$ 84.99
Playfield - Decals
FlyLand Designs
 
Hey modders!
Your shop name here

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