If you want a fresh new ramp as well contact freeplay40 on here. It comes with the tin riveted on. I just used Allen bolts to hold the lift assembly on, doesn’t even come close to the ball.

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I’m a screw up, delete post please

So I was able to do this tonight and in the first game after I locked a ball it kicked it out. Taking any other suggestions as this is a great game that folks love to play, but not having it in tournaments is quite a bummer.

Do a switch test with the balls in the same positions, look for a incorrect switch to show up that shouldn't be there.

i have 2 extra groups of used whirlwind plastics to part with.......group 1 $17.00 + shipping.......group 2 $25.00 plus shipping

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Hi guys, 1st post here, im currently restoring my 2nd WW, PR playfeild, new plastics, posts, Ramps, ect, has anyone reproduced the wire ramp? mine is kinda rusty at the top. If not, any tips to make it shiney like new?

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Extra fine steel wool or SOS pads( for pots and pans). That is the best you’ll be able to do without sending it out to a pro to be redone

By redone, do you mean blasted and replated? If so, Who Does that? Ive been out of the pinball loop for a few years....

Google search for Plating company near you and have them replate it for you.

Just did this tonight and no dice. I did it with 2 and 3 balls in the lock area, in both switch test and edge mode. I was popping the playfield all over the place to try to force the presumably problem switch into clicking. I don't expect the banging around to activate a switch when they are most/all microswitches, but you never know.

This sounds to me like you need to have a ball in the trough, a ball in a certain lock and a ball in the shooter lane. In switch test all you should see is the 3 switches that are closed by the three balls. If more then 3 switches show up or an incorrect switch shows up then you have a problem. You need the let the test go thru 2 to 3 cycles to make sure the problem doesn't show up. Also is there a ramp that can be in a certain position that causes this problem.

So anyone have any clues as to where these plastics go?
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Should have this ready for the expo in Nashville.
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What I see as a tricky aspect is this has happened with both one and two balls in the lock. I don't know that any of the players have had it happen with one/two balls locked and the ball in the shooter lane. Not saying it's never happened, just not a pattern we've seen. I'm also not sure the trough is a factor either, only because it has happened with 2 balls in the lock and the third ball in play. IIRC, there are 3 balls in the game, so with 2 locked there would be nothing in the trough.

This reminds me of an issue my friend had on his Baywatch. If you hit the left flipper with a ball in the shooter lane it would plunge and fail the skill shot, instead of letting you change the skill shot selection (there are 3 options). In the switch test mode if you had a ball in the shooter lane and hit the left flipper, two other switches would register (right sling and right inlane or outlane, can't remember) and those formed 4 points of a square on the DMD. It took me hours, but I eventually found that the wires were done wrong on the shooter lane switch at one point in time. The wrong legs/diode orientation were the cause and once I fixed that everything worked great.

The difference here is that I can't seem to duplicate the issue on WW, and none of my top players have noticed a pattern to give some clues. Glass off doing all sorts of combinations of switch hits won't kickout the locks. Put the glass back on, play a handful of games, and at least once the locks will kickout with no audio or display indicator of what the game thinks is happening. The most gremliniest gremlin I've run into yet while working on pins.

You never were specific that the third ball was in play so I just assumed that you had just locked a ball and a ball was put in the shooter lane. Sorry I assumed. Well then will you will need to lock the balls and remove the third ball and try different playfield switches until you find the issue.

Sorry about that. One test I did recently was to put one and two balls in the lock and manually put the third ball into the scoops and over every switch the game has multiple times. There were probably more switch hits per minute on that game than any typical game that has been played since the issue started. The balls were kicked out once, but when I reset the locks and focused on the switches in the area for quite a while it never kicked them out again.

What are the odds it's a connector issue on the matrix? With classic Bally games, repining connectors and replacing headers is rule number 2 behind getting rid of the battery. I have several System 11's, and I never have connector issues outside of burnt GI connectors. I'm not horribly opposed to repining the connectors with crimp and stuff in case one of the IDC crimps is flaky enough to pop up every 10-15 games (at best). I just don't like doing work that likely will cause more issues before fixing things.

Your correct in saying that Ballys need to be repined and Williams GI is over taxed but I not inclined to replace the switch matix connectors unless there has been some corrosion on the board. I still think you have a switch wiring or bad diode problem. But you need to find the correct combination of closed switches that causes your problem.

Bump still stuck on this issue..

Displays out? does the game power up and play, just no displays? thats fuse is part of the HV circuit for displays, if you are talking about the P-supply board.
Edit* just saw your original post, you more that likely have a bad component on the power supply, in the HV section. dont overfuse it, you will make it worse. you either need to rebuild( or have rebuilt) the HV section, or install Aftermarket P-supply, or Aftermarket displays.

Thanks yeah, I’ll do some research on how to rebuild it.

Remove 3J2 from the power supply. Replace the 3/8 amp fuse. Turn on the power and watch the fuse, did it blow now? Yes= power supply problem, No= display board problem.

*Most* of the time, if there is a short on the display board, it will pop F2 (+100V) or F3(-100V) the 1/8 amp fuses on the load side of the HV circuit.

Double post

The lock switches are on the same column, and there isn't much else on the column. I'll replace diodes on whatever else is there. I'll start doing the switches on the row of lock 1 as well, and maybe lock 2.

Wife got me a gift to finish off the ground up restore of my pin:

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Very cool, like to have one of those myself!

When some one tells you a pin was "fully restored", this is what it should mean:
http://4130-products.com/pinball/index.php/whirlwind-restore/

Massive photo dump:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Tar7MyWSHoPXIImR2

I just finished up on this pin and will have it at the Nashville expo this weekend.

Awesome! Brings back memories from years ago when I did mine.

I have a ball hop to the flipper on the left return lane also, soooo annoying. I have adjusted a bit but Need to do a bit more here.

Joined the club with a clean and beautiful example.

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Beauty!!

One of my spinning disk pads is coming loose at the edge. Best way to tack this back down (and still be able to remove it without too much effort when it wears out)?

Sooooo, OMG I just made my own ramp flap from scratch!! Pretty excited. After not being able to find/source the correct flap, there is shitloads on Marco, but you’d never know the distance between holes and etc. So I bought two sheets of ramp flap steel. The tough part was I checked and the thinner steel it said was for late 70’s/80’s stern etc. And the thicker for newer, so I bought the thicker and it was thicker than he original on the flap, so we’ll see how that goes. It was a little scary as you can see the original hole on the right side of the lexan piece is very close to the edge, wiuld have been nice if 1/8 closer to middle

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Great work! I love to see guys doing things the right way... Now we just need to get you the proper rivets and press!

just take it to your local powdercoater and have it powdercoated. prob won't cost $25 to $40

please tell us

Any leads on a Whirlwind cloud Topper? If to PM me.

where you get this material? and how it calls on english?

I’ve seen it called spring steel normally.

I use quite a bit of this stuff for ramp flaps...Blue Tempered Shim Stock. I buy it in 100' rolls 1.5" wide and 2.0" wide.

It comes in many different thicknesses. It's general use is to fill small gaps between two objects like where a machine bolts together.

For Pinball, ramp flap thickness is in the neighbor hood of .007" - .008"
For lift ramps the thickness is .005" Has to be thinner to allow the ramp to move down on its own weight.

Have a technical question: Every once in a while the ball drains and the game does not recognize it. However, the music cuts out as if it is going to prepare for the next ball but it just stays in the through without ejecting the next ball. Switches appear to be fine, no errors on start up. Also, sometimes the game says its missing a ball and after I hit the start a few times, the game starts. I think its the board, any thoughts?

DUDE, was just gonna post, I have the same problem. Sometimes on start up says missing ball. Game works near perfect but when a ball drains it doesn't recognize. I have to hit a flipper button o once or twice and it finished the ball bonuses and etc.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/66-FSS006

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/66-FSS01

I had the same exact issue a few months ago on my Earthshaker. Trough switches tested fine, so I ruled them out initially.

However, it turned out to be a flaky trough switch anyway. I honestly just replaced all of them, even though it was #3 that was bad. Fixed the problem right up and the game has been perfect since. The switches are cheap enough. Just replace them all, and it should resolve the issue.

The reason the game sounds like it ends the ball, but doesn't, is because the outhole switch isn't what tells the game's software the ball has actually ended. It's the trough switch that does that.

Thx, I'll check the switch and diode. I might have a spare or two that have been scrounged from another pin.

What finally sealed the deal for me was being able to catch the flaky switch in the act. The second it acts up, gently, but quickly throw the game into a switch test (the one that rotates through all the closed switches, not the one that just checks the last closed switch), and I guarantee that you'll find a trough switch on the fritz.

Most of the time its the pink quick disconnect that is bad. Cut it off and solder it directly to the switch, no more problems.

Thanks guys, I am going to replace all the switches and go from there.

how do you replace rivets? what kind of press?

I was able to use a regular rivet gun with steel rivets, 1/8" wide BUT they were the kind of rivet that the back "ball" that pulls in pops right off. It left a flush on both sides rivet that looks very professional, other than the holes in the rivet, you would never know they are different.

I just used the same style rivet with a longer to attach the switches to the "L" bracket for my Fish Tales slingshot switches. Worked like a charm also

I think the proper way to rivet things in pinball is to use an arbor press with the proper dies for the roll style rivets. Harbor freight sells most of what you'd need, I believe, but the cost of the press, and it's size are hard to justify for people who may only need to use it once or twice.