Twilight Zone
Bally, 1993Quoted from mbaumle:The third magnet also changed the way the balls are grabbed during “the spiral” mode as well:
A mod definitely worth doing if you’re ever in the position to do a playfield swap.
unfortunately (or fortunately), my playfield is in pretty good to great shape, so I don't see that happening anytime soon...
Does anyone offer the 3rd Magnet Kit anymore
I see Pinbits is sold out
Any links or leads would be cool
My field is brand new but my old TZ I did this for and was super impressed
I believe it fully worked after the powerball completed its cycle
Quoted from TheCnyPinGuy:Does anyone offer the 3rd Magnet Kit anymore
I see Pinbits is sold out
Any links or leads would be cool
My field is brand new but my old TZ I did this for and was super impressed
No more kits, but you don't need one. dmacy and myself installed a 3rd magnet/opto in my game during his swap just a month or so ago. If you're already familiar with the process having installed it on your previous game, the hardest part in the whole process is drilling into the stainless ball guides, and making sure the areas you've drilled into are perfectly lined up for the opto beam.
Some takeaways from my kit-less installation:
Optos must be "shimmed" up about 3mm from the playfield in order for the ball to break the opto beam at the ball's widest diameter, and to ensure proper timing of the magnet's ability to catch the ball. I found that a paint stirrer from the hardware store is about 3mm thick, but any material can be used. I used digital calipers to take all measurements before drilling the holes in the guides. No template or anything was required. "Measure twice, cut once." It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be damn close.
My process: With the guides installed, stick a ruler across the top directly over the center of the magnet core. Mark in sharpie along the top on each side. Then, with calipers, measure the distance from the base of the opto to the center of the beam PLUS the added 3mm of shim. Mark that on each side of the guide under each mark you made from the ruler. That got me perfectly centered and ready for the drill. There's a few guides that show the use of painters tape to help with alignment. I didn't think that was necessary, and didn't use it.
Regarding the drilling, a drill press is absolutely necessary, as are a ton of sharp bits, oil to cool the bits, and a LOT of patience. Go low and slow, and let the bit do all the work. Start with a small diameter drill bit, and work your way up to 17/64 size. This was by far the most time consuming portion of the installation.
Solder the wires onto the optos, and run them through the playfield, screw down the guides, then screw down the optos just behind the holes. Everything should line up.
I cheated with the wiring of the optos into the 10-opto board. Pinsider "Dumbass" has a "plug and play" board that installs over the connector. All you'd need to do is wire in a connector for the extra opto pair, and crimp in a connector. No hacking of the original board is required. The process is highlighted here:
Lastly, add the associated driver board hardware, install the magnet, and punch the wiring into the existing connector.
And that's really all there is to it. It's not a technically demanding job, but it's not at all easy. With Dumbass's board, all the challenge goes into measuring and drilling the rails for the optos.
Quoted from mbaumle:No more kits, but you don't need one. dmacy and myself installed a 3rd magnet/opto in my game during his swap just a month or so ago. If you're already familiar with the process having installed it on your previous game, the hardest part in the whole process is drilling into the stainless ball guides, and making sure the areas you've drilled into are perfectly lined up for the opto beam.
Some takeaways from my kit-less installation:
Optos must be "shimmed" up about 3mm from the playfield in order for the ball to break the opto beam at the ball's widest diameter, and to ensure proper timing of the magnet's ability to catch the ball. I found that a paint stirrer from the hardware store is about 3mm thick, but any material can be used. I used digital calipers to take all measurements before drilling the holes in the guides. No template or anything was required. "Measure twice, cut once." It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be damn close.
My process: With the guides installed, stick a ruler across the top directly over the center of the magnet core. Mark in sharpie along the top on each side. Then, with calipers, measure the distance from the base of the opto to the center of the beam PLUS the added 3mm of shim. Mark that on each side of the guide under each mark you made from the ruler. That got me perfectly centered and ready for the drill. There's a few guides that show the use of painters tape to help with alignment. I didn't think that was necessary, and didn't use it.
Regarding the drilling, a drill press is absolutely necessary, as are a ton of sharp bits, oil to cool the bits, and a LOT of patience. Go low and slow, and let the bit do all the work. Start with a small diameter drill bit, and work your way up to 17/64 size. This was by far the most time consuming portion of the installation.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/imagine-if-you-will-a-twilight-zone-playfield-swap/page/2#post-6717814
Solder the wires onto the optos, and run them through the playfield, screw down the guides, then screw down the optos just behind the holes. Everything should line up.
I cheated with the wiring of the optos into the 10-opto board. Pinsider "Dumbass" has a "plug and play" board that installs over the connector. All you'd need to do is wire in a connector for the extra opto pair, and crimp in a connector. No hacking of the original board is required. The process is highlighted here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/imagine-if-you-will-a-twilight-zone-playfield-swap/page/3#post-6743681
Lastly, add the associated driver board hardware, install the magnet, and punch the wiring into the existing connector.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/imagine-if-you-will-a-twilight-zone-playfield-swap/page/2#post-6734791
And that's really all there is to it. It's not a technically demanding job, but it's not at all easy. With Dumbass's board, all the challenge goes into measuring and drilling the rails for the optos.
Good to know all this...which ROM version is required to use the extra magnet? I'm using 9.4H
Quoted from monkfe:which ROM version is required to use the extra magnet? I'm using 9.4H
That is the correct ROM that'll utilize the magnet. The game's software automatically detects the presence of the extra magnet and opto, and will adjust the rules accordingly.
Quoted from mbaumle:No more kits, but you don't need one. dmacy and myself installed a 3rd magnet/opto in my game during his swap just a month or so ago. If you're already familiar with the process having installed it on your previous game, the hardest part in the whole process is drilling into the stainless ball guides, and making sure the areas you've drilled into are perfectly lined up for the opto beam.
Some takeaways from my kit-less installation:
Optos must be "shimmed" up about 3mm from the playfield in order for the ball to break the opto beam at the ball's widest diameter, and to ensure proper timing of the magnet's ability to catch the ball. I found that a paint stirrer from the hardware store is about 3mm thick, but any material can be used. I used digital calipers to take all measurements before drilling the holes in the guides. No template or anything was required. "Measure twice, cut once." It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be damn close.
Didn't shim the Optos myself and even set the one in the clock lane quite a bit back to clear the hole in the playfield. Works a treat. I measured the height of the cutout for the opto for the left magnet as one of them is installed with a little metal shim on the playfield. Punched the holes with a Roper Whitney punch, the small one can just do it. Much easier than drilling.
Quoted from mbaumle:No more kits, but you don't need one. dmacy and myself installed a 3rd magnet/opto in my game during his swap just a month or so ago. If you're already familiar with the process having installed it on your previous game, the hardest part in the whole process is drilling into the stainless ball guides, and making sure the areas you've drilled into are perfectly lined up for the opto beam.
Some takeaways from my kit-less installation:
Optos must be "shimmed" up about 3mm from the playfield in order for the ball to break the opto beam at the ball's widest diameter, and to ensure proper timing of the magnet's ability to catch the ball. I found that a paint stirrer from the hardware store is about 3mm thick, but any material can be used. I used digital calipers to take all measurements before drilling the holes in the guides. No template or anything was required. "Measure twice, cut once." It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be damn close.
My process: With the guides installed, stick a ruler across the top directly over the center of the magnet core. Mark in sharpie along the top on each side. Then, with calipers, measure the distance from the base of the opto to the center of the beam PLUS the added 3mm of shim. Mark that on each side of the guide under each mark you made from the ruler. That got me perfectly centered and ready for the drill. There's a few guides that show the use of painters tape to help with alignment. I didn't think that was necessary, and didn't use it.
Regarding the drilling, a drill press is absolutely necessary, as are a ton of sharp bits, oil to cool the bits, and a LOT of patience. Go low and slow, and let the bit do all the work. Start with a small diameter drill bit, and work your way up to 17/64 size. This was by far the most time consuming portion of the installation.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/imagine-if-you-will-a-twilight-zone-playfield-swap/page/2#post-6717814
Solder the wires onto the optos, and run them through the playfield, screw down the guides, then screw down the optos just behind the holes. Everything should line up.
I cheated with the wiring of the optos into the 10-opto board. Pinsider "Dumbass" has a "plug and play" board that installs over the connector. All you'd need to do is wire in a connector for the extra opto pair, and crimp in a connector. No hacking of the original board is required. The process is highlighted here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/imagine-if-you-will-a-twilight-zone-playfield-swap/page/3#post-6743681
Lastly, add the associated driver board hardware, install the magnet, and punch the wiring into the existing connector.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/imagine-if-you-will-a-twilight-zone-playfield-swap/page/2#post-6734791
And that's really all there is to it. It's not a technically demanding job, but it's not at all easy. With Dumbass's board, all the challenge goes into measuring and drilling the rails for the optos.
Thank you for this info
I’ll take a look and build a parts list
Did this to my previous TZ
Subwoofer added to TZ tonight. I hate to sound like my teenager but OMG! Completely changed the experience. The wife and I played for almost 3 hours straight. I can’t even remember what it was like w/o a sub. Highly recommended mod if you haven’t don’t it!
I put together a 3rd Magnet parts list for anyone who wants to attempt it:
Hardware for the magnet you'll need:
Williams/Bally Magnet Coil: 20-9247
3/4" Magnet Core Hex Nut
Magnet Core Plug: 02-4773
Bracket and Nut Assembly: A-16460
It's a good idea to add in a 2-position connector between the magnet and the connector to the high power driver board, but it's not necessary.
For the optos:
Williams/Bally Infared LED Opto Assembly - Receiver: A-16909
Williams/Bally Infared LED Opto Assembly - Transmitter: A-16908
For the high power driver board:
Heat sink TO-220
Diode - 400 Volts 1 Amp XO-254 (1N4004)
Resistor - 220 ohm 1/2 watt
TIP36C
Heat sink compound
**All the driver board components are soldered into the Q3, D3, and R3 positions.
**Wires for the magnet get punched into "+50v" and "SOL2" positions on the connector J4 of the high power driver board.
If using DumbAss's opto passthrough board:
- The transmitter board (green) has an infrared transmitter with leads labeled A and K. A=Anode. K=Cathode. A is a GRY-XXX wire. K is a BLK wire.
- The receiver board (blue) has a phototransistor with leads labeled C and E. C=Collector. E=Emitter. C is a GRY-YEL wire. E is an ORG-XXX wire.
The pass-through board has a 5-pin header. 4 pins for signals and 1 key pin. The pins are labeled.
- Pin #1 is A.
- Pin #2 is K.
- Pin #3 is <key>.
- Pin #4 is C.
- Pin #5 is E.
Just make sure the wire you solder to the transmitter/receiver boards terminates / connects to the correspondingly labeled pin of the header. You will need 0.156" pins and a 5 position 0.156" housing.
Refer to post #11803 for installation details.
Quoted from Juicerc51:Im looking for a clear blue clock housing if anyone happens to have one.
And if you have 2…. I’m looking for one also. But I get 2nd dibs!
Does anyone here know if there has been resampled Serling callouts for the Chris Ganner PinSound library set?
Quoted from Juicerc51:Im looking for a clear blue clock housing if anyone happens to have one.
I believe Planetary Pinball has them.
Quoted from Juicerc51:Im looking for a clear blue clock housing if anyone happens to have one.
Good choice
FB6C3103-F79A-4655-AB0D-01C5600C6606 (resized).jpegQuoted from arthurrag:Hi,
Does anyone know what type of paint to use to touch up the inside of the cabinet? The part that gets scratched from lifting and lowering the play field. Is it flat black or semigloss or something else?
Thanks
Semi gloss or satin will work if using rattle cans. To be honest black shoe polish works great for fixing scratches and blends easily. Just put in on a rag and rub it on the problem area.
Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:Semi gloss or satin will work if using rattle cans. To be honest black shoe polish works great for fixing scratches and blends easily. Just put in on a rag and rub it on the problem area.
Wow, thats a good idea. I tried it and it worked great. Thanks
Quoted from EEE:Does anyone here have a spare ceramic powerball?
yes but it has a bunch of black spots on it from wear.
Quoted from Mad_Dog_Coin_Op:Semi gloss or satin will work if using rattle cans. To be honest black shoe polish works great for fixing scratches and blends easily. Just put in on a rag and rub it on the problem area.
That's a really bad idea if you ever plan on painting that again. The shoe polish is going to soak into the grain and make a paint prep mess.
Can anyone confirm how the mirrored backglass is for TZ? I have read some great stuff but also mixed stuff (mostly on other games).
I’m through the 1st 100 pages of this forums/thread so hopefully I’ll be caught up in a few more weeks. Yes, every single thread.
Is there a prize for getting to the end?
Mirrored backglass: worth the 300 shipped? My translite is fine. But I like to improve on things when I can.
Quoted from bakerhillpins:That's a really bad idea if you ever plan on painting that again. The shoe polish is going to soak into the grain and make a paint prep mess.
No issues at all. It does need to be cleaned before painting over but what doesn't. It is used in several industries as a touch up tool. I learned the trick from a furniture guy. It is basically wax, pigment and naphtha. Heck, most of use naphtha to clean playfields already.
Quoted from jid:Mirrored backglass: worth the 300 shipped?
I think so, but my original translite was trash, so it was an easy decision to replace mine.
I really like the mirrored bits. So far I’ve been happy with all of CPR backglasses.
Quoted from mbaumle:I think so, but my original translite was trash, so it was an easy decision to replace mine.
I really like the mirrored bits. So far I’ve been happy with all of CPR backglasses.
I’ve been wondering about this as well. Think we can persuade you to post a vid of your translight? I’d be curious to see how it looks with the lighting behind it.
Well The TZ is almost done. All I have to do is replace the kick back leaf switches. I replaced all the coils and springs, lamps to LED, added gumballs. Replaced all targets,a leg back plate, bumper switches, assorted broken parts. Put all the metal parts through the tumbler (the ones that would fit), rubbers, entire shooter assy, start switch assy. Rebuilt all flippers, bushings and bumper pads. Remote battery pack, update rom, cliffy's and lane guides. Waxed and polished. The amazing part is when I finally powered it on I had only one LED which I had to adjust and 4 plugs in the left rear I had forgotten. Everything else worked. Soon, I'll be playing. 
Quoted from arthurrag:Well The TZ is almost done. All I have to do is replace the kick back leaf switches. I replaced all the coils and springs, lamps to LED, added gumballs. Replaced all targets,a leg back plate, bumper switches, assorted broken parts. Put all the metal parts through the tumbler (the ones that would fit), rubbers, entire shooter assy, start switch assy. Rebuilt all flippers, bushings and bumper pads. Remote battery pack, update rom, cliffy's and lane guides. Waxed and polished. The amazing part is when I finally powered it on I had only one LED which I had to adjust and 4 plugs in the left rear I had forgotten. Everything else worked. Soon, I'll be playing.
It’s always great to get it all back together with little to no issues. Post some pics.
Kick back leaf switches?? I assume you are referring to the slingshot switches, as TZ doesn’t have a kickback
Quoted from mbaumle:Hope these help!
Video:
Backlit:
[quoted image]
Backlit:
[quoted image]
Game off:
[quoted image]
Quoted from mbaumle:Hope these help!
Video:
Backlit:
[quoted image]
Backlit:
[quoted image]
Game off:
[quoted image]
That helps a ton! If someone can teach me how to do thumbs up I’d be much appreciative. Great photos and video! Thank you!!!
Quoted from Manny65:It’s always great to get it all back together with little to no issues. Post some pics.
Kick back leaf switches?? I assume you are referring to the slingshot switches, as TZ doesn’t have a kickback
Yes, Sling shot switches. I knew I had the incorrect name but couldn't remember which was correct. Thanks. I'll post a picture when its done. Probably Saturday.
Hello everyone. This is my first post on pinside.
I am "new" in pinball world, I live in France and spent the last year to fully rebuild my very first pinball....a TZ of course.
That truely was a great experience. Everything is working fine now (allmost... it just need some adjusments). It's simply great to be able to play it after such a long time of work and pinball studies.
Now I am starting to think about my own enhancements concerning the clock. Does anyone here has a full size scan of the two clock pcb (A-16220 & A-16119). I mean a scan of naked pcb without any components . that could really help me to redraw it on pcb design software without having to scratch mine.
Thank you everyone.
Chudaboy in France
Quoted from jid:Can anyone confirm how the mirrored backglass is for TZ? I have read some great stuff but also mixed stuff (mostly on other games).
I’m through the 1st 100 pages of this forums/thread so hopefully I’ll be caught up in a few more weeks. Yes, every single thread.
Is there a prize for getting to the end?
Mirrored backglass: worth the 300 shipped? My translite is fine. But I like to improve on things when I can.
I picked up the mirrored backglass for TZ after reading all the rave reviews for the TAF bg. Honestly, if I had seen the end result prior to purchasing, I would not have paid that much for it. My translite is in great shape, and I think the backglass loses a bit of detail in the darkest areas.
Having said that, I decided to keep it because I don't want to have to take it back out, and I can keep my original translite stashed away as a backup.
Quoted from kevinleedrum:I picked up the mirrored backglass for TZ after reading all the rave reviews for the TAF bg. Honestly, if I had seen the end result prior to purchasing, I would not have paid that much for it. My translite is in great shape, and I think the backglass loses a bit of detail in the darkest areas.
Having said that, I decided to keep it because I don't want to have to take it back out, and I can keep my original translite stashed away as a backup.
Thanks for sharing, I’m Not sold by the video and still have a hard time justifying the expense based on what I’ve seen, so I appreciate the honesty! I’m going to hope I can see one in-person before I make my final call.
Quoted from atg1469:Thanks for sharing, I’m Not sold by the video and still have a hard time justifying the expense based on what I’ve seen, so I appreciate the honesty! I’m going to hope I can see one in-person before I make my final call.
I’m in the same boat. What I really need is a new clock housing… preferably in color. But they are hard to come by these days (and the one on eBay is yuck!).
Quoted from ray-dude:After almost 20 years in storage, unpacked my TZ today! Now time to swap out lamps for LEDs, install Cliffys and some mods, big cleaning, and slowly bring it back up to fighting shape![quoted image]
Looks really nice! Hopefully the batteries were taken out
Quoted from Green-Machine:Looks really nice! Hopefully the batteries were taken out
I'm 98% sure I did...I'll know for sure when I find the keys to get into the bad boy 
This was in our local Aladdin's Castle back in the day. They NEVER did any maintenance on it. For years I would drop a quarter in every couple months to see if they fixed, and 2 of the 4 flippers would still be busted. Ended up picking it up when Aladdin's Castle sold all their pins, stripped it completely down and rebuilt it. Came out looking NIB (only a couple hundred plays on the beast)
Loved the game, but for a couple decades, just didn't have the room for it. Can't wait to play it again!
Quoted from ray-dude:I'm 98% sure I did...I'll know for sure when I find the keys to get into the bad boy
Whew!
IMG_7036 (resized).jpgQuoted from ray-dude:Whew!
[quoted image]
Wow! Things look great in there! Time warp
Quoted from ray-dude:I'm 98% sure I did...I'll know for sure when I find the keys to get into the bad boy
This was in our local Aladdin's Castle back in the day. They NEVER did any maintenance on it. For years I would drop a quarter in every couple months to see if they fixed, and 2 of the 4 flippers would still be busted. Ended up picking it up when Aladdin's Castle sold all their pins, stripped it completely down and rebuilt it. Came out looking NIB (only a couple hundred plays on the beast)
Loved the game, but for a couple decades, just didn't have the room for it. Can't wait to play it again!
Send unlikely to have a few hundred plays with the issues it had. That did not generally happen that soon.
Quoted from pinballizfun:Send unlikely to have a few hundred plays with the issues it had. That did not generally happen that soon.
I agree 100% (my apologies, did not mean that literally, just to say very low play for a commercial location) Once I find the cabinet key (or my cobalt bit set), I'll have a real number
Quoted from ray-dude:I agree 100% (my apologies, did not mean that literally, just to say very low play for a commercial location) Once I find the cabinet key (or my cobalt bit set), I'll have a real number
That's cool, lots of people actually believe tings like "it only had a few hundred plays". How will the keys get you a real count? Batteries are out so the audits won't be present. which would only show the totals since the last reset. Unless they installed a physical counter that was at 0 at install and never reset.
Quoted from ray-dude:I agree 100% (my apologies, did not mean that literally, just to say very low play for a commercial location) Once I find the cabinet key (or my cobalt bit set), I'll have a real number
Those locks are quite easy to pick; no need to ruin them with a drill.
Quoted from pinballizfun:That's cool, lots of people actually believe tings like "it only had a few hundred plays". How will the keys get you a real count? Batteries are out so the audits won't be present. which would only show the totals since the last reset. Unless they installed a physical counter that was at 0 at install and never reset.
We had over 200 plays the first week we owned TZ. Still playing almost daily. How anyone can say a game only has 100 plays on it baffles me. I looked at one that supposedly had 530 lifetime plays…. The playfield agreed but it had never been cleaned or anything else. Original owner. I prefer one that is well cared for.
And for anyone that doesn’t know, a ‘new’ car sitting for 20 years needs a lot of maintenance to get it running. Even though it has very few miles!
Quoted from Green-Machine:Wow you guys are tough on the poor guy!
Not tough at all, all fair play! Bad wording on my part ("...the condition after clean up was as if it had a couple hundred games" would have been more appropriate). I appreciate the sensitivity to how condition of games are presented.
Honestly, it's been 20 years, and I'm apparently misremembering TZ having an internal mechanical coin counter (I was mainly an video game collector at the time, and all those had the mechanical coin counters). Alas, no luck remembering where I put the keys 20 years ago either, but I did find my inventory of spare NOS plastics/coils/powerball/etc
Damn exciting to have my favorite game finally out of storage though. Looking forward to catching up on this thread and this pin and getting it up and going again!
Hey gang, I have a right lower flipper coil that needs replacement. Seems to be expanded in the sleeve and constricting the motion. Replacing sleeve was a chore (very tight) and did not solve the problem. Here’s what I see current wiring…….which doesn’t seem to match the manual? Thoughts on this? Just match what was there is my instinct, but I don’t want to just ruin another coil with somebody else’s bad wiring. Will also note that my left lower coil is a stronger than recommended one, so not super sure what all is going on here. Thanks in advance-
BCC30825-A348-4F11-8A62-C0AA7F4790D9 (resized).jpegQuoted from PinballHaven:Hey gang, I have a right lower flipper coil that needs replacement. Seems to be expanded in the sleeve and constricting the motion. Replacing sleeve was a chore (very tight) and did not solve the problem. Here’s what I see current wiring…….which doesn’t seem to match the manual? Thoughts on this? Just match what was there is my instinct, but I don’t want to just ruin another coil with somebody else’s bad wiring. Will also note that my left lower coil is a stronger than recommended one, so not super sure what all is going on here. Thanks in advance-
[quoted image]
I wound just match what you have. If it worked before you are probably fine. If it never worked, I’d double-check the manual anyway (even though it isn’t always correct).
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