colordmd.com should have a list of places to buy them.

LTG : )

Thank you LTG.
I read it and it says I have to download firmware for it to work. Does it effect the game at all?

No. The firmware goes into the color DMD, not into the game.

LTG : )

It makes the color DMD do White Water stuff. Not some other games junk.

LTG : )

It’s $450 CAD! I have to decide if it’s worth it.

Search Youtube for videos of it. Some games with color DMDs are quite amazing.

LTG : )

I will tomorrow after work. Thank you!

Zartan i have a color dmd (lcd) it’s a must in whitewater some great animations!

Zartan color dmd is worth it for WH20.

Yes, it's expensive, but in my view it has been worth it.

I think it really depends on whether you plan to keep the machine long term. If your plan is to sell it off in a year or two, then it might not be worth it.

I've owned my machine for 25 years and don't plan to ever let it go.

Did anyone ever try to put new cabinet decals over existing ones (smoothing down edges, removing deep scratches and feet issues first) without having put back the cabinet in all wood condition first ?

Just wondering if it's doable and long term ok.

If you order colordmd for WH20, it should already come loaded with correct software. If not, it is very easy to load with the right software. You don't have to make any changes to the game itself. Everything is plug and play. Save your dmd so you can switch it back in the future if you choose to move the dmd to a different game.

I agree that ColorDMD is really nifty and pretty and all... There's just one thing I cant get past when I think about this very expensive upgrade...
When you guys play pinball... Do you watch the DMD, or the silver ball(s)??

But on the other hand the colordmd is one of the only mods that holds value. Very easy to get most of your money back.

Good question. My thoughts are:

1. For WH20, I do look at the DMD a little bit more than perhaps my other games as the game can be a little stop and go. Also the awesome ramps and whirlpool give me a little more time to look up and enjoy the animations without worrying about the ball draining.

2. CDMD brings a more modern look. However I understand some people like to keep everything original looking. Nothing wrong with that. Just a personal preference.

3.As mentioned already, you can always move it to another machine if you sell WH20 and the buyer doesn't want it, but I think it does hold it's value pretty well.

I personally can't justify the price. I'm ok with buying a monochrome LED display, as amber is what I grew up with and I spend 90% of the time watching the ball. Or I could get white with colored gel filters. Either way LED is miles ahead of the old problematic plasma systems.

I can't really justify it for most older games where animations are fairly basic. Newer dmd Stern games make much more difference. True, you don't watch the display much while playing but you still look up at times for info. You still see the display a lot in attract modes and while others are playing.

One advantage of going colordmd on older games is you no longer need the high voltage circuits which can be problematic. It's also nice to eliminate the loud hum/buzz some dmd's make.

I am very pro-LED display upgrades, they offer reliability and are certainly more energy efficient and less intensive on PS heat and 25+ year-old electronics, and also not far off in price from a replacement plasma. I have blue LED displays in my WW & ES, orange ones in my BK2K & Cyclone, and a red one in my Getaway. Color-matching of the LED display to the color-scheme of the game is all the "fancy" I need!
I'm not a very good player, so my eyes are always on the ball!

Never done it that way and I really don't want to try it.
Even with sanding down and repainting it's sometimes difficult to get everything really smooth and perfect.

If you want to redecal a game, do it the correct way.
Else it's a waste of your time and money.

Ok, Thx

An option is pin2dmd. 50% cheaper than ColorDMD. Colorization is available for White Water. It's 99% done, but I don't really care the remaining 1%.

agree

I went down the PIN2DMD route. I encountered multiple design and QA issues (as did others) and it doesn't meet my location reliability needs.

My bad. Checked the colordmd website and you are right. It clearly says you have to load software. I could of sworn they come preloaded at one time.

You may be thinking of the DMDMK66 solution from PinballSP. It's a fantastic plug and play product, very reliable on location. The problem is no color support. But there is software to create the color data. This was promised a few years ago.

I received a display from Canada, and this was a pure plug&play experience. No issue at all.
QA issue is most probably related to multiple manufacturing source (open source project).

If anyone is interested I have a LED color DMD that I’m looking to trade (plus cash) for a LCD. I like the LCD look better than the dots. PM if interested.

I Just ordered the latest must have for WH20. I'm not sold on the Translite. I think it's a bit overdone.
The Side Art Blades are just perfect IMO.

WH20 (resized).jpg

When you fit the front Cab Decal. Do it wet otherwise you will find it very hard to line up the Start Button.
This is what I typically see

Cabinret Front (resized).jpg

I think it’s a better color job than the colordmd, I swapped my colordmd to a different game.

Spent a few hours disassembling the upper playfield area where the ball infamously gets stuck. I filled the lower ball guide hole with epoxy filler and re-drilled a new hole, so now the ball guide and ramp line up. My ramp and cliffy line up so there is no gap between them on the bottom. Still, I had the ball get stuck!

For me, it just sits near the end of the plastic ramp. Not on the gap. That spot is pretty much flat left-to-right so it just seems to hang up there if it loses momentum.

I'm going to add another little rubber to the VUK to see if that reduces the number of slow balls that get hung up. I've got a rubber on the left side now.

Any other ideas? Almost like I need to make a little bump-out in that area so it'll roll either left or right rather than just park there.

Mine gets stuck on the left side, back corner quite a bit. There is a switch that holds the ball in place before it drops down. It doesn’t move until I tilt the game. I have bent the switch but I’m scared to bend it further.
DC69CA89-23FB-4751-83A7-FDB1217E3D27 (resized).jpeg

That was happening on mine when I first got it. I just continued adjusting until I hit the sweet spot where a slow ball couldn't get stuck, but would also trigger the switch. It looks like you probably don't need to bend yours much more to get it right.

Thank you! I have bent it so much up to now and the metal is thin. So it scares me to go much further.

Switches require different force depending on the model of switch. Wonder if it was replaced with a higher force one.

Long thread about different switch options here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cherry-microswitches-in-wms-games

Pinball Life even has some original Cherry switches: https://www.pinballlife.com/da3-switch-body.html

I know your pain, I had to replace this switch during my recent restore and had the exact aggravating problem. I was bending it over and over trying to find that sweet spot, which aint easy because its almost impossible to reach with your hands. Ultimately, I pulled the falls ramp out, removed the switch and got the actuator back to its original shape, then added 3/8" spacers between the bracket and ramp, and boom. I ran the ball manually back and forth a few hundred times in switch test mode, and with the pf in its normal position and trying to lodge the ball manually, no could do. It aint right, but it works perfectly now.

Switch original to the game ? If so good.

Any adjustments you make, make them past the body of the switch, so you don't effect the flat part of the arm pushing the tiny knob into the switch body.

It may take a few tweaks to get it right. Tests - Switch Edge - to check that the ball triggers it yet doesn't trap the ball.

LTG : )

I had the same problem on mine recently, except that switch wasn’t registering when the ball passed under it. Not enough contact. So I bent the arm slightly down and it did the trick. After 3-4 weeks it hasn’t trapped any balls.

I'm back! Sold my WH20 a couple years ago and missed it. Picked up this light project today.... For some reason someone put a star trek speaker panel in. I have the correct one enroute. They also removed three entire switches and their brackets and I'm not sure I will find them. Anyone know where I might get these switch assemblies, or the brackets?I need the one from the spine chiller ramp entrance, and the bracket and two switches on the upper playfield leading to the "when flashing" ramps. I can't figure out why someone would remove these, but I guess if I can't find them I will have to rig something up the best I can and try to trace the wires. Good to be almost back in business. The playfield is really nice!

IMG_20210508_171744212 (resized).jpgIMG_20210508_171752194 (resized).jpgIMG_20210508_171802128 (resized).jpg

Looks like a VERY light project to me! Looks pretty clean for a re-import! I was trying to source those brackets about 2 months ago, nobody had them...
You'll need the pigtails also, Marco is out of those too. The switches, screws, nuts, & fishpapers are readily available everywhere.
You have your work cut out on that detail. I did snag one bracket that Marco has, it looks like the right one in the pic, but its not, so dont buy em. You're welcome!

Thanks. Were yours missing too? I cant for the life of me figure out why they were removed. The Ramos are original, so it's not like they were lost during a swap, and I don't see some of the wiring or connectors under the playfield, so I will have to run wires from the connectors on the boards I guess. Weird. I may have to try to make these brackets out of sheet metal or something.... Yuk!

No, mine were there, but I did a full top-side restore, so I wanted shiny now ones, didn't happen. The old ones cleaned up pretty enough though.
You may want to research an alternative, like MRS switches. Usually they have the same green/white 2-pin pigtails integrated as well.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/20-10293 Marco doesnt have them in stock, but theres a guy here on pinside who makes them, a simple forum search should help you find him quickly.
I have noticed over the years that Germans do a lot of weird and stupid shit to their pins, you'll never know the reason those switches were pulled and then apparently moronically discarded.

Did someone say MRS'?!?!? : )

Well, I ordered three of these. They are Williams and while they don't list the exact dimensions, they look like they might do the trick. I hope so at 40 bucks each. I searched everywhere last night and can't find the exact assembly. Kinda sucks, and I'm thinking it's not too often someone parts out a wh20. I'm just going to have to figure out how to attach two behind the upper playfield sign where the double bracket is supposed to be. The good thing is, they are behind that sign, so as long as they work, they don't have to look perfect. Now I'm excited and just have to try to find this wiring under the playfield. I only see one little harness down there, so I'll have to wait til my manual gets here to check the connections at the boards and try to follow them down.

Screenshot_20210509-101640 (resized).png

Unfortunately you will likely discover that those are not wide enough to span the ramp entrances... But my fingers are crossed for ya!
But now you know who to talk to for MRS's!!

Where did you order the correct speaker panel from?

Heck our MRS' are cheaper than $40 pop, contactless and largely invisible.....

Sonic, Do you have a website? All I see when I click on your business name is contact info.
I guess I'd mount that under the ramp entrance instead of the switch being over the ramp? I'm not opposed to the idea, and I guess the top two could be suspended over the ramps since you can't see them anyway. I'd be interested in three of them.

I got lucky and had the city panel from my fishtales that I upgraded to the lighted speaker panel, and I found the plastic speaker panel cover on eBay from classic arcades- the only option I think is out there.

@theonlyest- thanks for the heads up. I wrote attempting to cancel the gate order from Marco. That would suck to get them and find they are too narrow.

They are tiny, you can put them on the bottom or the side with super thin 2-sided tape. They are magnetic so the ball just needs to pass by it. They dont have to be mounted in the same spot as the gate, just close where there's room to attach it. If you attach them to the side, just dont put them where a metal ramp guard is in front of it. If I was in your situation, this is the only remedy I would be looking at... But i'd wanna know about the activation range of the MRS, because the ramp openings are pretty wide.