Theatre of Magic
Bally, 1995Quoted from cosmokramer:Is this screw factory?[quoted image][quoted image]
If what I am seeing is correct then no, I do not have that screw or nut on that piece. Hard to see in the pic, but I think it is just near the spring on the green and white wires near the bottom of the pic. I think it is to the left of that screw above the spring and I believe there is nothing there.
0604191647a (resized).jpgQuoted from harryhoudini:If what I am seeing is correct then no, I do not have that screw or nut on that piece. Hard to see in the pic, but I think it is just near the spring on the green and white wires near the bottom of the pic. I think it is to the left of that screw above the spring and I believe there is nothing there.[quoted image]
Looks like you have a little post there...
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20190604_173149 (resized).jpgAH, I was looking at the other end (in the trough). Interesting... wonder if it was just a production line change? Seems like a lot of work to add it later from some owner.
Quoted from harryhoudini:AH, I was looking at the other end (in the trough). Interesting... wonder if it was just a production line change? Seems like a lot of work to add it later from some owner.
Actually looks like some type of field repair, but it works perfect... probably broke off when it was routed.
Thanks for the image
Mech has been cleaned, waxed and reassembled with new coil sleeves and spring...
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Harness has been cleaned...
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4 switches in this mech to replace, I bought a bag of them from Mr Bryan Kelly and will replace all switches in this game...
15596999569995085995739211506628 (resized).jpgBasic stuff here...
Orient the switches, note wire locations...
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Remove actuator...
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Transfer...
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Note that there are 2 different sets of studs for the actuators, different style actuators use different studs...
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Finally, solder in new switches...
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Re assembly is done, switches are tested with a pinball....cant guarantee they work at this point but I can at least listen for the "click"...
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And installed onto playfield...
Im not going to document it to prevent boredom but the ball trough and trunk mech will go through the same process...
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Quoted from Skarv:And two, polish the inside of the trunk mechanism. You see the column when you are shooting the trunk shot, and it really ups the game when you see shininess inside the trunk. Factory has just dull metal, but shiny makes it almost look like a sword or some 'magic' object inside.
Thanks!
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20190605_084620 (resized).jpgQuoted from cosmokramer:Before I add mylar, anybody have thoughts on the cliffy available for the trap door and trunk?
I am putting them on mine, inconspicuous and some more protection. My trap door got pretty beat.
Also, I am putting a thin piece of wide foam insulation in the trunk to prevent popouts. I can post a pic of the material (heck I can send you some if you want, it's a HUGE roll) if you are interested. My wife gets hella pissed when the ball pops out on a good shot.
Quoted from 3pinballs:Wow, wish I was that talented as you.....awesome!
Thank you.
Quoted from Mank:When you put the trunk gearbox back together, make sure the roll pin on the shaft is oriented correctly or else you will have to take everything back apart because the trunk won't be able to spin correctly.
I almost F-ed this part up, but got it right .
Quoted from Atari_Daze:Scott,
Are you going to detail that top mounted T nut like "the other guy" did?
Heh, I was playing the TOM at the Museum of Pinball last Saturday night and I noticed that you cant even really see the T-nut because its covered by a ramp...so, no.
Quoted from yaksplat:Wow. A gearbox full of metal gears. That's great. I hate opening a gearbox and seeing a pile of plastic.
Ah, the good 'ol days, when gears were forged from U.S. steel...
Quoted from KornFreak28:Looking good! Can you document/explain how you go about putting the playfield back in the cabinet without scratching the side walls? I know it sounds pretty straightforward but I found it to be the hardest part of the whole restoration when I restored my IJ.
I used to use very thin cardboard hung over the insides, taped to the siderails, but because I do a lot of them I got fancy and decided to buy these, they worked out really well.
https://www.pinballlife.com/interior-cabinet-protector-blade-set.html
Quoted from KornFreak28:Looking good! Can you document/explain how you go about putting the playfield back in the cabinet without scratching the side walls? I know it sounds pretty straightforward but I found it to be the hardest part of the whole restoration when I restored my IJ.
I just line both sides of the cabinet with construction paper, then ask my son to help me drop it in...
Pretty uneventful repopulation of the underside, the only issues I am having is the dimples being off. I put the sling where it was dimped and tested it and sure enough the hammer was going to strike the edge of the playfield and most certainly chip the clear in a very noticable location. But I am moving through it. Had a plunger for one of the up-posts that was jamming after I put in a new sleeve. Found a roll pin that had backed out enough to cause it to hang up....
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Just about finished with the underside, only a few targets and switches left to swap and install the second sling mech. Then I will turn my attention to the top of the playfield. I wanted to finish the playfield tomorrow but I have a fairly large birthday present for my wife that I am constructing that I need to spend some time on or it wont be done in time, and I need to put together a cabinet for a local pinsiders homebrew game so I probably wont get back to this for a day or two but here is where I sit now...
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And I found out that using the miter saw base for the rotisserie comes with a great place to keep my soldering iron when in use, as long as I remember to move it before spinning the playfield...
20190608_213336 (resized).jpgTime for regraining ball guides. I use a 3m unit in the fine grit to get this done...
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I chuck it in my drill press and position the base just a hair below the abrasive....
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This allows me to get the new grain straight...
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20190620_115746 (resized).jpgQuoted from cosmokramer:Time for regraining ball guides. I use a 3m unit in the fine grit to get this done...
[quoted image]
I chuck it in my drill press and position the base just a hair below the abrasive....
[quoted image]
This allows me to get the new grain straight...
[quoted image][quoted image]
DUDE! awesome.
Inspiring thread.
Do your new repro playfield have two pre-drilled holes for the additional wire guide that should be mounted beneath the right ramp (directly to the right of the trunk)? The guide was added in a service bulletin to prevent balls getting stuck below the ramp. I suggest you add it before populating anything else on the upper playfield.
Quoted from Lhyrgoif:Do your new repro playfield have two pre-drilled holes for the additional wire guide that should be mounted beneath the right ramp (directly to the right of the trunk)
No, it is not drilled for that wire...for reference here is the location in the old playfield...
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The Mirco field has no holes for this wire...
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Hole location is marked and clear drilled through....
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Holes are then completed and sealed...
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And finally, installed...
20190704_173840 (resized).jpgMoving along..... I stepped away from this project for about 2 weeks only because I was not looking forward to removing all the clear from all the holes. It is a daunting task but there is a learning curve. Now that its done the rest should go quickly.
I have placed all the ball guides and pops...I found another hole that was missing for the ball guide near the trunk...
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20190704_192101 (resized).jpgQuoted from cosmokramer:Moving along..... I stepped away from this project for about 2 weeks only because I was not looking forward to removing all the clear from all the holes. It is a daunting task but there is a learning curve. Now that its done the rest should go quickly.
I have placed all the ball guides and pops...I found another hole that was missing for the ball guide near the trunk...
[quoted image][quoted image]
You should bring this to Mirco's attention. Totally unacceptable 
Love this thread. My ToM is sitting there half torn down waiting to get just a bit of this treatment.
So there has been a lot of discussion about the quality of the clearcoat on Mircos playfields. I read about others having issues with the clear being too soft. I got concerned about the possibility of the dreaded "donuts" formed at the base of the starposts, and also some examples of the clear chipping at various locations. 4 Days ago I put a starpost on in a location not easily seen to see how my clear holds up. I torqued it down at what I thought was plenty tight enough, but could not be accused of over doing it.
Here is a pic of the starpost installed...
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No notable rings or displacement.
Now with the post removed...
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So, there is a visable ring left in the clear from the base of the star post. However, it still feels super smooth when I pull my finger across...no noticable depression or ridge.
This post was on for 4 days...we will see if it gets worse over time, or if it holds up...I will cover the areas prone to clear chipping with some mylar
Quoted from cosmokramer:starpost installed
I'm watching it too... yep not seeing a bubble just yet. Maybe you got one from a good batch.
-mof
Quoted from mof:I'm watching it too... yep not seeing a bubble just yet. Maybe you got one from a good batch.
-mof
Fingers crossed...As I mentioned before, I have had this playfield for over a year so cure time is not in question in this scenario...
Cleaning the boards so they have some time to dry, I want to boot the game and test my switches and lamps with the playfield on the rotisserie...
Socketed chips and fuses are removed...
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Light spray with dilluted simple green...
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Then lightly brushed with a clean paint brush, rinsed in warn water, rinsed in alcohol, then hit with some compressed air and left out in the sun to dry...
20190721_112500 (resized).jpgBefore I mount the boards I want to install the metal corner brackets in the head.
I need to paint the brackets, and several different bolts. Each bolt is chucked into a drill...
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Then spun on some wet sandpaper until clean...
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Now I just need to do the rest...
20190722_191459 (resized).jpgThe 1/4 20 bolts for the corner braces (and coin door, receiver bolts etc) have a square "shoulder" that helps lock them in place...
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Since this is a brand new cab, the bolt holes will not have the indented square and the bolt will tend to twist as it is snugged into place...this will cause the decals to distort and bubble up near the bolt head...to minimize this I like to use a similar bolt and drive it into the hole with a rubber mallet...
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Then when I remove it there is a square recession for the bolt to settle into...
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Now I can put in the painted carraige bolts and torque them in place without any irritation to the decals...
20190723_182501 (resized).jpgBase components are installed...
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Then boards are placed....with the exception of the MPU...
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During the cleaning/inspecting process I found a suspect solder at one of the ASIC chip legs on the MPU...
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So a quick repair is in order before it can be placed...
MPU was soldered and installed. I think Im going to replace the red coin chute and coin eject buttons with some clear ones and light them with purple LEDs.
The cabinet is getting close to being done I am going to try to boot it tonight so I can start checking switches and bulbs...
20190724_112819 (resized).jpgQuoted from dudah:Looking good!
The capacitors on the DMD board appear to be original and should be replaced.
I also replace the smaller capacitors on the driver board as they're usually leaking at this point.
Good eye, one of them is actually bulging a bit at the top...I am going to service the boards, but I wanted to boot it first. The reasoning is that if I cant get it to boot, at least I know its not something that I did while servicing.
The swollen cap may explain why I found the "daughter board" during breakdown that I learned was used to control resets due to 5v drop
Quoted from yaksplat:From the factory with solder missed on a pin? I'm surprised it made it through QA like that.
It worked like that for years, there may have been a little bit of solder down low that cant be seen, Im not sure.
Quoted from cosmokramer:The reasoning is that if I cant get it to boot
Well, that didnt happen
...after installing all new fuses, pluging in the old DMD and speaker panel, and putting in the ribbon cables...I flipped the switch with fingers crossed
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Hahaha...what a dumbass!
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Something didnt "seem right" when plugging in the DMD, but I just couldnt put my finger on it at the time...
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Bloomfield Hills, MI
Randers
