(Topic ID: 50801)
Linked Games
The Simpsons Pinball Party
Stern, 2003
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Grass Valley, CA
3 weeks later
I have a TSPP and the DMD blacks out every now and again and also shows incorrect literature. I pushed the connectors in and it seemed to help for awhile, but now it just happened again. I turn the machine off and on, then it goes away. I think if I clean up some of the connections it might eliminate the problem. Has anybody else had this problem? I'm thinking about using some contact cleaner, any suggestions on what kind I should use. Last I might replace the ribbon cables.
Quoted from sohchx:Just replace the cable. Cheap assurance
Thank you for the advise. I'll replace them. I wasn't sure if could be caused by something else. Hopefully it's an easy fix.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Mrawesome44:Does anyone have a guide to take apart the playfield? I have absolutely no idea what to do, what tools to use etc. Any piece of help would be appreciated
In short, unscrew the 3 top black buttons on upper playfield. Then disconnect the wiring under playfield and tv. Playfield should lift up
Found the DMD decals. Should have looked on the Pinside Market first.
I'm also powder coating in a couple weeks (donut pink). I don't have a price yet. I'm hoping to get everything done, but the coin door for under 400. I also want them to powder coat the screws and leg bolts purple. Hopefully that's not to hard.
2 weeks later
TSPP is a little dark in the middle of the playfield for me. I added some pink flipper trough lights and purple post lights (attached them to right bumper tower). I also moved the post light on the far right, by the right outlane and attached it to the right sling shot (aimed it to the middle of the playfield). I think it looks great. I'll post pics when I'm done. I have it all torn down and getting powder coated (Pink Pearl and the screws are Sky Blue).
Quoted from Rensh:I have nothing against Colordmd but it's usd 450 against like usd 210 over here ..... Have seen pin2dmd in action in other pins and saw the YouTube done on tspp so good enough for me. Once finished I will make a video of it.
The light purple DMD screen cover looks nice.
Quoted from Rensh:Than I also ordered the stronger coil with them for the garage as per stern service bulletin.
First try it fried the transistor. So double checked all wiring. Tried old coil first which worked fine. Again replacement coil, made sure the wiring was correct (in relation to diode) and again the transistor fried, it smoked even. Resistance appeared to be around 4-5 Ohm so nothing there. However, as my garage works 99% fine with the old coil and decided not to fry a third transistor. So old coil back, wiring same and works fine.
What can be wrong here?
I just replaced my garage coil with the stronger version and it works great. I forgot if I needed to add the diode or not. I'm not sure if it came with one, however the picture shows one. I bought this one from Pinballlife.com
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1993
Quoted from T-800:Is that powder coat or spray paint?
It's Powder Coat, it took about a week and a half. 225.00 + 25.00 to change color.
It's Pearl Pink and I think Sky Blue.
And the women love the pink!
I do get blinking horizontal lines in the DMD. Sometimes it blacks out for a second. I've replaced the ribbon cable and cleaned the male fittings. Before I start replacing the male fittings to the DMD, does anyone have any other suggestions.
Here you go. You can order them in whatever color you like. She's also makes tons of other cool stickers. Fast shipping too.
Look at this on eBay ebay.com link: itm
Quoted from PinballBJB:Yes - switch it out for a ColorDMD lcd unit.
(Sorry, couldn't resist. Maybe you prefer the original orange DMD look. Or maybe the ColorDMD isn't in the budget for you at the moment. I don't know how to troubleshoot your DMD beyond what you've done so far. I can though recommend the ColorDMD based on first-hand experience, if the cost of it isn't the issue.)</blockquoteI agree, color DMD. However I think what's causing my current dmd to blink and go blank is heat related. So I opted for a light purple plastic that goes over the screen.
Quoted from sed6:Perhaps reflow the solder joints on the male pins on both ends (dmd and the board). Still requires a soldering iron, but much easier than replacing pins.
Ok, I'll try that and I'm going to look at the power board. I was hoping for an easy fix.
Quoted from Mrawesome44:I have a lcd color dmd in my Indy and its amazing. Just ordered one for my soon to be here Road show
Interesting, I thought they all generated a lot of heat. Where did you buy it from? Can I see a pic?
1 week later
3 months later
Quoted from Spelunk71:Hi all. I am a recent TSPP owner and can use some help. The “Y” switch by the VUK under the mini playfield was not registering consistently so I tried to solder on a new one along with a new diode. It worked fine for a few tries and then nothing. The VUK pushes the ball up after ball search, but the switch just stopped registering entirely. Because I am a soldering noob, I tried it a second time with a new switch and diode but same thing: works for a minute or two and then dies. Any idea what the problem may be? Thanks very much.
That happened to mine the first time I replaced the Y switch and found out I made a cold solder joint. It worked fine after reheating it and securing the connection.
Quoted from Spelunk71:Thanks for the tip (and to the others that chimed in). I’ll try it again. Maybe the third time will be the charm. Is there an easy way to check the wiring (with a multimeter?) if the new solder job still doesn’t work?
My soldering improved drastically after using flux. Just wipe the excess flux off when done and you only need a little bit. I'm still learning too.
2 weeks later
2 weeks later
Quoted from ASOA:Ok it's looks good but clean your house.
Hahahahaha! That was funny, but your right. That's what happens when you fix pinball machines in the living room. I get more time with my family that way. Also your TSPP is sweet! Thats a nice yellow.
1 week later
1 week later
I'd first check and make sure your upper playfield is on and seated correctly. If it's not, the upper playfield flipper bushing can become tight and make it hard for the flipper to move. Additionally, you could have a broken bushing or your ready for a flipper rebuild kit.
Quoted from RVApinballer:Definitely check those bushings. I had something similar where it seemed to flip just fine but the bushing was robbing all its power. Just loosened up the shaft a little under the playfield, made sure the bushing wasn't running, and it was back to normal.
Also, if I remember correctly, the back left bolt (the table is sitting on) had a washer. If your missing the washer the table won't sit correctly. Maybe all 3 bolts have washers. I'm not sure, but I had problems with the back left.
1 year later
I might be getting back in the club. I met a friend of a friend that has a TSPP sitting un-touched for years in his house. Its basically HUO. He tells me it works perfect and looks new. The guy doesn't know much about pinball, hopefully there is no battery corrosion. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm wondering what's a good price for a TSPP that has been sitting around for awhile with no mods or extras?
Well I'm supposed to meet the guy tomorrow and see if I can buy his TSPP. I'm curious, what does it take to install a color dmd? Are they plug and play, even with old ROM? Which one should I buy?
Thanks again for your input.
Well, I ended up doing only maintenance on his machine and didn't buy. Beautiful pin, was a little dirty and needed rubbers/lights/batteries. Other than that, everything looked and worked great. I'll keep in touch and maybe buy in the future. He's looking for a ST.
Quoted from Tyamry:Anyone know where I could get a doughnut shooter rod. TIA
3 weeks later
I've been working on a friends TSPP and his old DMD screen is scrambled on initial start up. It'll go to normal after turning the machine on and off a few times. I checked all the ribbon cables and power cables and they all seem tight. Any suggestions on how to fix, besides me buying a new DMD?
I've never updated the code on a TSPP before. Am I supposed to order the 5.0 ROM set, total of 5 chips? Then do the chips just unplug and plug the new ones in without soldering. Also is the nvram the same, just pull out the old and in with the new?
1 year later
Quoted from Mattyk:Did you try Cliffy’s site?
http://www.passionforpinball.com/TSPP.htm
I did but couldn’t figure out how to order. I guess I have to email him direct. I tried most of the distributors but they were out of business or didn’t have the ones I wanted.
1 week later
Quoted from gprotein:Anyone can chime in about the Treehouse mod if it blocks the view to the upper playfield?
Tree house mod is a win IMO.
1 week later
3 weeks later
Quoted from insight75:Can someone explain to me what the EOS switch on the flipper does on these machines (and all Sterns)? I realize mine wasn't set correctly and opening and I don't see a difference in performance of the flipper.
I believe it switches it from high power to low power. You'll eventually burn up the coil and shrink the coil sleeve if you don't fix it.
I have a Homer head that will not come off. I’ve worked on a couple in the past. Take the rubber off and slide him up. I know his head sits in the lower bracket. Is there anything I’m missing? FYI, it’s never been removed before.
Quoted from fattmatt1972:Mine was super tight also.
I had to just muscle it off.
Matt.
I was pulling up on it and lightly tapping down with a hammer. Looks like the hole in the head is smaller than the stem. I had to stop trying
1 week later
Quoted from mbl1116:Next on my list is replacing the rubbers with Titans. I see a lot of user-generated kits on the website with different color combos, has anyone used any of them specifically?
The new Titan yellow looks sharp. I only bought a few for the slings, but I like the color. Yellow Super Bands for the posts look nice too. Also, light blue, clear and purple are ok.
1 week later
2 weeks later
Quoted from wolffcub:Got a question about the couch ball holding. I found the settings that hold or eject the balls between games but is there a way so I can stop from stealing the locks during a game with multiple players ?
Set couch multi balls to never, I believe
1 month later
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:yeah if you reverse your hands that is it. I actually got to this mode the first night I played the game and have not been able to get to it again, lol.
I made it once in the first ten games and then never again, hahah.
1 week later
Quoted from Johnbeatle:My garage door is occasionally not opening enough for the ball to get in. I'd say it happens about 25% - 35% of the time. Any tips on how to address this? Hasn't always been this way. Is the motor staying to go or is there a spring I should replace?
There is actually a fix for this. I believe i’t’s recommended to increase the coil size.
There’s a service bulletin to swap out the coil and replace it with 24-940. I believe this is on the older machines. You can read it here.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/a-little-help-heregarage-door-on-tspp-not-opening-fully
Quoted from Cathaldub:I’ve the opposite problem, the garage door is always open, en it shuts it springs back open like you’ve hit the switch, I’ve replaced the switch and still the same.
Transistor
1 month later
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:Color dmd has 2 versions. Led and Lcd. Most people buying color dmd buy lcd.
Colour DMD is more expensive.
Pin2dmd is open source.
Pin2dmd is just LED thet mimic the same dots on the plasma.
Colour dmd can be configured with dots too.
I prefer some games with lcd and some with led, for the most part, games 15+ old I just prefer with LED.
It is just personal taste?
Modern Sterns with animated LED starting, 2011 and forward are probably just better with color dmd lcd. For most other games i cluding most bally/williams, pin2dmd is great.
Not all games have been colorized for pin2dmd whereas colour dmd has probably the most games done.
Maybe I am missing some points, but thet covers some.
Thank you for the info. I like the dots on my POTC. I suppose Pin2dmd would have made a good choice for that and save some money.
1 week later
2 weeks later
Quoted from dos_reboot:Anyone change their garage door coil to a stronger one? What coil did you use?
Stern issued a service bulletin. Check their website.
4 months later
Quoted from allsportdvd:I took 100 photos during my tear down for my restoration but of course it’s never enough
I’m having trouble with what sits under the captive ball trail both top and under playfield plus my pop bumper seems like it needs something under the plastic as the led is too high
Any tear down photos would help
[quoted image][quoted image]
I probably have more of this doesn’t do it.
42C7DF32-A1D0-478C-B612-A1C68EE95D1E (resized).jpeg631352B5-3F4A-42EF-8EB0-439AE5DDDAF9 (resized).jpeg8B5C6EAA-A393-4FC8-B15C-5F24C4D8EED5 (resized).jpegD94CDDED-E007-4DDB-82A9-AD60C61CD9E6 (resized).jpeg 1 week later
Quoted from MaxIsDead:Yeah! It’s fun! And low risk, I can always put the original stuff back on it.
Awhile ago I tried the pink / blue combo and wasn’t disappointed.
CCFEEFB0-5A29-4E58-B69E-599235DD092A (resized).jpeg 2 weeks later
Quoted from Johnbeatle:When I hit the ball into the garage, it doesn't detect the ball anymore. After a 10 seconds the find ball is triggered and it launches to upper play field. Any ideas on how to fix it?
You need to check your wiring or replace the Y-switch under the play field. It’s in the far left corner.
Quoted from allsportdvd:Awesome thanks! Having trouble finding #4 buttonhead rivet, why are they needed?
I believe the button rivet acts as a stop, so the skateboard doesn’t go to far back. If I remember correctly, it bumps into a V plastic on the play field.
Quoted from Johnbeatle:Ok not sure what I'm looking at. I've done some simple modding and led swapping but not much work with wiring. I looked up y switch for simpsons on Marco and I'm not seeing what I expected. I see this little guy next to the eject assembly. Is that what you're talking about?[quoted image]
If the wiring looks firmly soldered, then you’ll have to remove the coil assembly to get to the switch. Once the switch is out, you can put the game in switch test mode and see if it’s working. Sometimes the Y part of the switch just needs to be bent up. I’d recommend just buying a new one while your in there. That switch commonly goes bad. If you buy a new switch, make sure you replace the diode too (IN4004). It looks like Pinball Life has them in stock.
https://www.pinballlife.com/sternsegadata-east-vuk-vertical-up-kicker-fork-switch.html
Quoted from drummermike:Glass is expensive but is worth it. I have Voodoo, Invisiglass or Magic Glass in all but one of my pins. Eventually will get one more Voodoo for that one.
Pinstadiums look beautiful on TSPP. Once Pinstadiums are installed there’s no need for Voodoo glass. The back box lights will disappear.
Quoted from Johnbeatle:Ok not sure what I'm looking at. I've done some simple modding and led swapping but not much work with wiring. I looked up y switch for simpsons on Marco and I'm not seeing what I expected. I see this little guy next to the eject assembly. Is that what you're talking about?[quoted image]
One other thing I’ve seen happen, is a small piece of the garage ramp breaks and gets jammed in that switch hole. This would prevent the switch from going down far enough to activate.
4 weeks later
Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:The spacer is 1 7/8" tall.
[quoted image]
Looks right. It just needs to be straightened out. There is another post that goes under Bart, not sure if it’s longer.
8B01D08A-1AFD-4FBA-B74F-BCF777817D17 (resized).jpegimage (resized).jpgimage (resized).jpgQuoted from beltking:Before and after a lot of work and MI pinball refinery powered everything yellow including apron and trails plus Bart base.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Super nice! Where do you get that topper?
1 week later
4 months later
Quoted from Stebel:Is there a consensus on the best set of art blades for TSPP. Most I have seen are pretty underwhelming and just a mash of characters.
Thinking art blades would suit it better than mirrors.
I like these
simpsonscityblades (resized).jpg 2 weeks later
Quoted from briyau15:Thanks. So it would appear the fluorescent tube not coming on may be a separate issue?
Probably the F2 starter. Cost is about 2 dollars.
Quoted from WolfManCat:Need help.
I was being dumb and while adjusting my slings leaf switches I managed to short something out.
Now the left sling activates the left pop bumper and the right sling adds credits to the machine.
Cant see any blown fuses. Im guessing I may have blown something on the board. Just not sure where to start.
Any help would be appreciated.
I’d start looking at your switch matrix. Also, check and see if you have diodes on your switches.
1 month later
Quoted from A330FOATL:I found a post that talked about replacing the coil, I guess I'll try that first.
Usually the problem is the garage door won’t go up high enough. I’d start by making sure your upper playfield is seated correctly and replace the coil sleeve on the garage coil.
3 months later
4 months later
Quoted from Indypin:I have to check with my mom to see if she had triplets because you like to mod your pins like me and my twin brother do. Great work. Always did love that Sparky monorail mod. My brother has the same mod in his TSPP pin.
Where’s the pics?
1 week later
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