Well, I replaced the target with a new one that TheNoTrashCougar recommended from PinballLife. I now have perfect stationery targets . I am also fairly prod of myself for not f’ing it up.

SpookyCharlie I did have a question about how you manufacture these…I noticed that the wires soldered to the target are continuous. There is no cut in the wire where it solders onto the target. Instead the shielding is perfectly cut off the wire, then the wire is folded over the target and neatly soldered to the pole. How do you do that?

117E028F-4E76-4822-B0AC-80C6AC617487 (resized).jpeg

Check out this topper that goes over the topper we made at Pinball Life! Respectful nod to High Speed definitely intended.

HOT ACTION PINBALL!!!

https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=5389

pbl-100-0066-00 (resized).jpg

Wow how can you top that.

I think someone owes Brian Millard a $5 royalty on each one sold...seeing as it was his idea.

Heh... I have put TNA on location here, and the most reactors anyone has destroyed so far is five. So, just for fun I announced a small prize to the first person to destroy reactor 6. Nobody has managed to do it yet, but a thought hit me yesterday: It's possible to cheat a bit, in a slightly "pay-to-win" fashion:

1) Start a multiplayer game
2) Play one player focused on destroying reactors
3) Use the other player(s) only to load up locks for the main player
4) Profit!

Maybe a little, but if the only thing holding someone back is not having two balls pre-loaded in the locks, they're probably not good enough to make it through reactor 6 anyway.

what is the prize? I have thought about doing something similar.

A pair of these:

https://johnscrazysocks.com/products/pinball-machine-socks-crew-socks-for-men

So, yeah, that "profit" part is not really much of a profit

I would hope that people don't really care that much to cheat...I mean what is the fun in pinball if you're just cheating for a pair of socks?

Oh, there is plenty honor in winning those socks! But no, I don't expect cheating from our players, not that the "cheat" gives that significant an advantage anyway.

Would it be sacrilege to swap out the flipper buttons for ones off an early solid state Bally?

A while ago someone asked about adjusting the slingshot switches. I said I would make a video... well I finally got it done.
Enjoy

Anybody done lit flipper buttons for TNA?

Yep

20180818_104810 (resized).jpg

What haven't you lit on the game? Oh wait...

Maybe I'm crazy, but I typically just unscrew all of these switches and targets, pull them off the playfield and adjust them, then put them back in for testing. I'm absolutely no expert here, but I find the angles and space for adjustment damn near impossible with everything left in tact.

That is a tad crazy.

https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1518

--Scott

Lol

No dude, the prototype had them from what I remember, but it was missing the backing stop plate, so the buttons would push all the way in, instead of stopping just after pushing in on the leaf switch

Reason I asked is the buttons aren't the smoothest action, which can happen with a lot of the replacement buttons today. I've got an extra set of vintage Bally buttons, so I was thinking about changing them out. If that won't work, I may just replace the buttons and see what happens.

I could be wrong but I think the holes in the cabinets are different so the Bally style buttons may not fit in TNA

Still waiting for some smart cookie to make some lit drop targets like the one you can get for WOZ.

Not sure what you are referring to. I have the switch plates on the Whitewood machine and they have always been there. Unless I am not understanding what you are talking about.

20180831_172855 (resized).jpg

We'll, there's one way to find out. I've already had them off once when I installed the lights for the side rails, so no more glue to mess with. I probably have an extra set of the newer style too. I'm feeling a little lazy to do it now though and a sticky upper flipper on Skateball is more a priority.

I've been really happy with the overall quality of TNA and besides a few switch adjustments, it has been rock solid.

One thing I haven't mentioned is after I first set it up, the center grid lights had a couple that were a little wonky and were lighting the wrong color. It took a little doing to figure it out, but my shaker and knocker weren't working either. So when I looked into that I found the little shaker and knocker board was wired backwards. So I just flipped the connector over and it fixed all the problems including the lights at once. And there have been no more problems ever since.

I don't need no schematics or special tools to fix these fancy newfangled games.

Get out the drill!!

I was going to look into this when I got home but I did some work here ,had a few beers and I am not going to get around to this . Let us know how it goes for you
Cheers

I just got back from celebrating my mom's 96th birthday at a restaurant called the Summit House and have a belly full of prime rib, so this may have to wait.

I think I'll be playing it instead of working on it.

I have one of those…I just find it funky to adjust the switches around all of the stuff on the playfield. Maybe I am just doing it wrong.

I wouldn’t say wrong. And as long as you are back threading your screws you reduce the risk of wearing out he hole I. The wood.
That’s my main concern with your method. It also would be difficult to adjust the blades for the rubber contact portion. Since I like my blades slightly pressing on the rubber. For me it would be impossible to adjust with the switch out.
My two cents. If your method works just be careful about the wood.

How are people getting the wire for the side rail lights into the cabinet?

Back corner where the glass channel ends.

ah ha, got it. I need to slide my back channel to the left a bit. Has a nice big gap between it and the cabinet on the left but tight against the right.

Moved it and now there is room for the wire on both sides

I would like to replace the LCD screen with one that has a better viewing angle since it always looks washed out. I saw the one linked in the key posts, but with so many to pick from can someone break down which numbers/specs count for trying to find a replacement? Is Lp156wf1 full-hd key? Does the brand matter or are they basically the same with the same number (Philips, lenovo, Dell, etc.)? What do the (TL) (C1) or (TP) (B1) designators after the model indicate...like if they would fit the mount? Is a B156hw01 LCD equivalent to a Lp156wf1 since the controller board linked lists both? And did you choose glossy or matte?

Thanks as all that means nothing to me and I read some people noticed a big difference where others didn't.

Just got my target decals from flashinstinct installed. Well done sir! The really blend into the game like they were meant to be there.

I installed a LP156WF1-TLB2 in mine, and to be honest, I'm underwhelmed. If I had it to do again, I'd probably skip it. You're welcome to come by sometime to see it in person.

No, that’s what I meant, weird. I forgot to install them in a game once and you could tell the button was pushing all the way past the plate, same way it felt on the white wood. Guess I felt something I didn’t understand

I have to agree…I never care for decals, but these ones are an excellent fit.

It's funny how people's perception can be so different. I've had people come to my place and tell me that they see no difference between regular pinball glass and my PDI glass. To me it's night and day difference.

Agree, but Herg created the LED OCD, so I know he’s got an eye for detail!

With the LCD, it's not that I couldn't see any improvement. It's just that I would have liked to have seen more improvement. I'd rate the original display a 6/10 and the replacement at a 7/10. Even with the new display, dropping my eyes about a foot gives more improvement than the display change did. I'd like to see dark blacks and crisp colors all of the time, but it's really not that big of a deal.

I would play with the display settings first before changing the screen. I think it looks fine and doesn't warrant the extra $100 plus time to swap it out.

I find that any benefit I can get with the settings comes at the expense of contrast. Especially on the screen with the cassette tape, if I change the settings for better blacks, the cassette loses all definition. I'm not really happy with it no matter what I do. In the end, even though my reasoning may be different, I agree; I don't find it worth the money and time to swap.

I would agree with this. I swapped mine out as well. I think your rating of a 6 going to a 7 is dead on. An improvement, but not a wow improvement.

herg and Goonie Thanks for the candid feedback!

You don’t need a replacement screen to make your stock TNA display look better.
Just use four plastic black screw spacers+longer screws (two semi-thin on bottom and two taller ones on top) with one end of each spacer chopped/ground down to MATCH the new viewing angle that YOU think looks best.
8595E987-77DA-4B14-BBAF-D8B9701FE048 (resized).jpeg

Once the new angle is chosen, make a new completely black baffle to isolate the BB light (I used overlapping black gorilla tape) trimmed to match the new angle both inside and out to give a clean finished look.

The new angle doesn’t need to be too crazy either; just a few degrees can make a world of difference.

NimblePin Brilliant! Mine is scheduled to land tomorrow and this (replacing the screen) was the only mod/upgrade that had me still "on the fence". I'll be doing this!

This is the same fix I was thinking of when I first got my game. Can you post pics of your game with this mod?

How did you avoid the top of the LCD cutout on the speaker panel from blocking the top of the LCD? That's the main problem I ran into when I tried this.

Wanted to send a thank you to HookedonPinonics for letting me stop by and play the TNA he just had delivered last week from Spooky central....was able to destroy 4 reactors and join the 2 million club. The game is so badass....music was up and shaker motor was rockin'.....Super spinner is so awesome.
IMG_3800 (resized).JPG

Played TNA last night on location in Birmingham UK. A light board was locked to red and the bottom right GI/insert cluster was out on our first games, but that got fixed a short time later and we got some freebie credits as compensation

Loved the fast and simple style of it! I can see how this one might work really well in a 5-10 game collection. Cannot justify the UK price of just under £7000 / $9000 though, which is a real shame.