Joined the Cirqus!

59329D05-B786-4A4A-97A7-EDD8F18359D7 (resized).jpeg

8800946A-81F3-4900-A98B-12602004A121 (resized).jpeg

Spent a couple days shopping her out, adding blue fire LEDs to flipper buttons to depict electricity, added star post LEDs, new rubber and lock nuts, and I have some more chrome pieces coming from Chris Royalty. I have Radcals coming from Mirco to finish the cabinet. Should be a really nice CV when I’m done.

2DFB3030-1F32-44CC-A384-A5562A61320B (resized).jpeg

AE7DAED4-31EE-4746-A92E-EE10AAFB1F53 (resized).jpeg

BD8CB2CD-3B39-4314-936E-D08C2E96C17E (resized).jpeg

132DF171-342F-43DB-8FF7-B3041A19FDFF (resized).jpeg

278A8E0A-3EAF-4E3E-B529-BE5954FCB4F1 (resized).jpeg

2426FD59-2237-48E2-AE52-60CC650E3488 (resized).jpeg

89C4FEE4-0362-4974-A1D8-C50FF8D013DF (resized).jpeg

70D476AF-1C42-4CF4-A22E-33A82B333012 (resized).jpeg

My CV makeover is nearly finished. Just added candy blue over chrome legs, chrome door, hinges, etc. New upper pf, DMD cover, green menagerie ball, lock bar receiver and pf hangers and more. Next is Voodoo glass and Radcals, then the scrolls go back up! I joined the Circus and reached the final multiball mode, which is awesome. This game has great rules and a really fun 4-stage wizard mode. This JPop pin is a keeper.

F66B037B-6288-4F37-982C-1F1684C6294E (resized).jpeg

11A84C8B-9121-4D09-8FC9-4C0F568E1648 (resized).jpeg

30287C26-6C4A-44D1-B5CB-AA16BE47369A (resized).jpeg

37EC125E-9D6F-49CB-AC7B-3C33DEDA4BBB (resized).jpeg

8DF320B6-AC25-4862-BAC6-9B1407B7731D (resized).jpeg

A58D31B9-6699-45E2-8452-CDD112076A81 (resized).jpeg

I’ll keep the scrolls original. Do people paint them? Here are a few more pics!

FCE09192-2BF2-4D00-968B-B55E7EA39A40 (resized).jpeg

DFBFB0F8-DA4D-4816-8BA0-816282C41A81 (resized).jpeg

493B1006-A42F-4705-807C-FF63C051C0B6 (resized).jpeg

E15F9799-8E6C-429A-9786-D82FA56B066A (resized).jpeg

69CE3BC0-3A74-438F-A743-B24658F08CCE (resized).jpeg

B99FA53A-A95B-44CC-9E2E-C40A11FBC555 (resized).jpeg

84A876F9-386E-46C3-9D62-717546BED251 (resized).jpeg

5DD58E50-D41A-4792-B8E7-16BE3F0DC635 (resized).jpeg

Has anyone disassembled and reassembled the ringmaster to replace the spring coil bracket? They are available again and I would like to replace mine. Just looking for any tips or pointers before I begin. I assume I need to work from the bottom of the assembly up?

FEA97C75-680E-4B13-A87F-E19F9ECD87E2 (resized).jpeg

Thanks, it does look fairly complicated in the owners manual to take apart. I wanted to replace the coil base under the ringmaster’s neck due to some corrosion and dents from years of play. I also have a chrome plated version of the metal “bowl” which catches the ball under the ringmaster to install.

Good idea. I’m hesitant to even undertake this project because I’ve been through these before, where you start removing a mech for a “simple” upgrade then 3 hours later find yourself surrounded by parts and scanning cell phone images to recall what goes where.

This one?

4A7A0193-D682-4E90-8817-6EC3F9A48162 (resized).jpeg

I had to ask because I’ve made that mistake before myself, and wasn’t sure if that was the CPU. I installed an NVRAM chip upside down in my LOTR a year or so ago. Turned it on and the game didn’t boot correctly, and then I smelled a burning, electrical smell. I flipped it off within 3-5 seconds and pulled the hot chip out. It cooled off and worked fine ever since once installed correctly. I was very lucky, but was really ticked at myself. Good luck with your project. I have been restoring and upgrading my CV for weeks now. I’m a huge CV and JPop fan.

I learned the hard way about this when I got my CV. I replaced the speaker with an upgrade that sat higher than the stock speaker. I attempted to lower the pf back down and it made contact with the speaker, scraping the top. I had to go back to the stock speaker for now. That ringmaster assembly housing is quite large.

Those are the Tilt blades for CV, which are pretty common on this pin. I have a set on my CV. Tilt are my personal favorite art blades. They are extremely thick and durable, and adhere very well. Great quality!

My first experience with removing the Ringmaster mech to replace his coil/spring base. It takes a beating over the years and the new one looks nice. I also replaced the ball-catch basin underneath with a mirror-finish chrome plated one and new sticker. Looks awesome!

76503CA4-BDE8-4DC9-AA53-12FBE1F4969D (resized).jpeg

F68675B3-235B-49E9-AA91-07037E015203 (resized).jpeg

It actually is, but there are a couple other steps. First, you have to unscrew the subway ramp in the bottom right corner of the playfield (when looking at the underside of the PF with it raised) so that you can push the subway to the right to get to the 3 screws on the right side of the ringmaster mech. (See pic below). There are about 4 or 5 molex connectors to detach, just take a few pics. Otherwise, that’s about it. It was easier to remove and replace than I expected, but it’s surprisingly heavy. Luckily, 2 of the 6 screws have metal threaded holes in the playfield, not simply wood screws. I would be very worried about the wood holding that mech firmly after removing it a few times without those. After replacing my spring base, mine leans forward slightly too. I need to adjust it. It usually rests flat when the ringmaster goes down tho. Good luck!

B8BF6E36-53E7-487A-867E-60B912B1E841 (resized).jpeg

I was able to get the metal hole protector overseas from Pinball Center from a Canadian friend. I was disappointed in it. It didn’t fit well on my machine, it was much too tight and would not lay flat. When the Ringmaster went down, it created a lip which launched the ball over his head. I couldn’t get it to work, and it became misshapen in the process. I removed it and cut mylar to place around the edge of the hole. I tried the colored plastic ones too, where you replace the metal “hat” with a plastic one that drops down even with the protector, and I prefer the original metal version that lays flat over the edge of the hole. That was just my experience.

I have mild wear around the edge of the Ringmaster hole. I would say it’s pretty typical. Trying to apply the tight metal protector didn’t help, but didn’t hurt it much. Here is a pic of mine. I have a tiny spot directly behind the Ringmaster that was touched up before I owned it. I matched the paint better and it looks good.

DC640068-E46C-40CC-85EF-96A2A635FD59 (resized).jpeg

E634C4D4-FF1C-4CF7-87BC-A2B99EB55500 (resized).jpeg

I’ll give you the name of the one we used. It was super close, so we mixed in a few drops of white to lighten it. It dried close to perfect.

Here’s a pic with the new coil base and chrome tray underneath the ringmaster. It was some work to install, but turned out nice.

C68A818F-1FAE-41F3-B7FD-D7267C87E395 (resized).png

For those wanting to find the coin door decal, PinballDecals.com has these. They don’t have a picture of them, it simply says “custom coin door decal.” They are very nice. I ordered one and these both arrived.

2DA561A7-0121-44F8-AA36-989F59E69AA6 (resized).jpeg

Oh, he is gonna be piiiiiissssed by tomorrow.

Here is a pic of mine, if you need a better view I can take another pic. You might also wanna consider putting a 13v tower LED in the Ringmaster, inside his head.

8D2F3A8B-45AB-4974-B0DA-B9A8194D4B79 (resized).jpeg

Here is another view…sorry for all the pics, I couldn’t get the right angle. Hope this helps.
002314CF-E80A-4597-ADF5-E10D86D0196D (resized).jpeg913D8AF2-FD92-40E1-9026-B2E1A4C1E31E (resized).jpeg

DBAE2F19-93F3-40E8-A935-EF462DF7B8EE (resized).jpeg

9951390D-245E-4FC6-AC96-2571858FB180 (resized).jpeg

Beautiful playfield. Do you have the cabinet for it already? Is it original or will you do new decals or Radcals? I went with Radcals and they turned out great. Can’t wait to see yours finished!

28C6FBD2-D6C0-4A40-B19D-B7AA6A29EE4F (resized).jpegA0492E8B-06C1-449C-8C7C-AB1B8DCFEFCA (resized).jpeg

Very nice, I also put Radcals on my TOTAN and just placed my CV next to it. They do seem like “cousins” being jpops.

These days, it certainly should!

Nice CV! These are getting harder to find in excellent condition. Expensive too. I redid mine last year with Radcals and chrome. She’s a beauty, right next to TOTAN. I love the feel of Jpop games. TOM is a masterpiece too. Just a fun, accessible pin to walk up to and play. Did you join the circus yet on CV?

Right, the switch awards 250k points I believe. And it’s also theatrical and interactive because it makes a loud bell ringing sound during a couple modes and when the boom balloon is triggered. Part of the showmanship circus theme I suppose. Mine has the metal bell installed, which is cool.

I know a company called Tangles made a smart Eddy board that was self-correcting, and could be used on Scared Stiff and other pins, but I’m not sure about CV. Many boards are simply very hard to find right now with limited supplies. Does anyone know if the smart Eddy board will work in CV? I have one in my SS, I could try it in my CV and find out.

F75F37D2-31D9-48F8-B31A-856EE108A7BD (resized).png

I’m happy to try the smart Eddy board in my CV. I’ll have time in the next couple days.

So I installed a smart Eddy board made by Tangles in my CV and it does work 100%. I played 2 games and even joined the Circus on my 2nd game, and noticed no difference. The Tangles board itself is slightly smaller, so you have to create one or two new screw holes on the underside of the pf to mount it. The screws don’t match up with the holes for the original board. Here is a pic showing my original board on top and the Tangles board I just installed on the bottom. My original board appears to be self-adjusting too. It’s not like the one on my Scared Stiff that has a tiny screw to turn to adjust the sensitivity. Maybe you can find one of these Tangles smart Eddy boards out there. A couple distros have them on their websites. Hope this helps!

0073D6D0-A392-49B2-B826-1EA5A905035D (resized).jpeg

Another smart Eddy board option…

8B5CF9CF-EE07-4996-8BE4-B772110289AB (resized).png

Cozy cozy! He needs some bubbles.

Congrats! CV is a fun Jpop game. I restored mine and had a blast doing it. What’s the Jpop shooter look like? I have a chrome ball shooter on mine and it’s pretty nice! There are sparkly purple or rainbow colored shooters that would look great too.

5D7C55C8-E277-44E4-B5B1-6773995D23A7 (resized).png

604BBC69-5775-40D3-816C-6BE6618BFC24 (resized).jpeg

Both Pinball Plating (Chris Royalty) and Pinball Decals.com offer chrome ball shooters. I don’t know how they compare, but Chris does really nice work and his chrome is beautiful.

0D3D2D96-7865-4362-BE32-CC882D04B9E6 (resized).png

C8951E07-16BD-4C1C-BF91-6263B480A2F8 (resized).png

Awesome looking CV you have too! Looks like the chrome shooter from Pinball Decals is high quality. The green one above from Chris Royalty is great too. Several colors would prob work.

Pinball Shark has this purple sparkle ball shooter also, for $45 plus $10 shipping. They offered the rainbow sparkle gray shooter I have on my White Water above. Both are great shooters options.

3eaf06851dffd0bdf5aa5762a253efafffaf1352 (resized).jpg

Nice work. That mech is no laughing matter to work on, despite his mocking disposition. I took mine apart a year ago to replace the round metal base under him, as well as the ball basin with a mirrored chrome one. He cleaned up well!

048E5B02-37F0-46BF-97B8-51B635FE87EF (resized).jpeg

A477EF3E-63DA-4369-8B63-EE8981AAB151 (resized).png

You could check with Chris at Pinball Plating. He may have metal ones, chrome, etc.

E07B095D-3D5B-4820-AEBD-2F44FF7F6700 (resized).png

Hi CV people. Does anyone know which fuse is assigned to the neon transformer? My bulb went out, and I tried a backup with no luck. Before I try my new transformer, I want to check for a simple blown fuse.

Thanks!

And now it’s working. So who knows. A loose connection maybe? I did swap the bulbs. But the new one didn’t come on right away. Time will tell.

IMG_2403 (resized).jpeg

This game has the strangest inlanes and outlanes and a plastic ball that alters the ball’s path, but I never feel like the game is a drain monster or has hungry outlanes. I wonder if others feel differently. Mine is set up pretty easy.

Leaving the club after 2 years, and I’m really gonna miss this one. No other pin out there gets confused for CV, especially with those scrolls and that green and purple cabinet. I’m a Jpop fan, and I have always felt CV was so underrated. It’s not the most difficult pin, but they don’t all have to be hard. I enjoyed being able to join the circus every few games, and that 4-stage wizard mode is one of the best, imho. Quirky, imaginative and original. Very happy to have owned a ringmaster for awhile!