In the Fall of 1995, as I ascended upon the campus of the University of Nebraska, I discovered a little arcade in the Student Union. Here I mastered the art of Tekken 2, Killer Instinct 2, Soul Blade, and many other fighting games... but it was also here where I finally found my love for pinball. There were three pinball machines, Who Dunnit, Attack from Mars, and (I THINK) a Demolition Man. When I wanted a break from the fighting games, I would play Who Dunnit and Attack from Mars constantly.

Fast forward 25 years, and I've just recently moved into my "forever home" with enough space to finally begin my collection.

Our first pin was a family focused pin, a Stern Munsters Premium B&W. Very happy with this one, because it made my wife fall in love with pinball (which is great because she has no idea that an Attack from Mars LE is coming for her birthday )

I was determined to find a good quality Who Dunnit just to feed my nostalgia and appreciation for where my love truly began. I have been keeping my eye out for several years, and have probably looked or played five different W?D hoping to find that one. Two weeks ago, while I was sick, I happened to find this "Great Quality, re-worked" W?D and thought I'd drive the 50mi to see if it would be worth it.

I was blown away at the quality of this machine. While the cabinet still needs a bit of work (one decal has some serious sun bleaching while the other side is near mint), the playfield and under the hood were in amazing shape. I bought it on the spot. This perfect find has a ton of work already done to it, but still has some areas I hope to improve (and learn from). I'm so excited that I now have a W?D that plays great, but also has some good potential to tinker.

I'm now happy to finally join the Who Dunnit club here on Pinside!

Nice story, thanks for sharing! It’s exciting when you have space in your home and a love for pinball! I finally hit capacity in my basement a couple months ago and have been selling a few titles to make room. One pin that isn’t leaving anytime soon is Who Dunnit. I found one for a very reasonable price last fall and for some reason it hadn’t sold. When I saw it I realized how little it needed. It had been in the same home for 15 years or more, and was very well cared for. Probably one of the best deals I’ve made yet.

Who Dunnit is a game with a lot of charm and is really fun to shoot. Especially for the price, which is still one of the better values. I should keep that under my hat!

Glad you and your wife are on the case.

So check this out fellow gumshoes...I really like the idea of using an MRS magnetic-activated switch in place of some physical micro switches with the metal arm. At times, my 3-way ramp switches would slow down the ball or even stop it and I would then adjust the switch. I had that issue on The Shadow and at the top of my GB ramp. So I saw a post by Pinsider “Sonic,” who is offering MRS switches for $30 each. I took a chance and ordered 3, cut my green and white wires on my 3 ramp switches and soldered the MRS switches on. Check it out below! They work great. They are highly sensitive and register hits every time a ball passes by. You can mount them under the ramps or on the sides. No more metal switches to activate or touch the ball. Better flow, and registering 100% so far.

It’s just marrying of the bare wires and soldering them together. Each MRS comes with several inches of wire, one green and one white. Easy to cut and match up greens and whites. I just exposed a half inch of wire on each and twisted them together, add a tiny bit of solder and covered with heat shrink or electrical tape. The MRS has adhesive tabs under them for sticking to the ramp.

Really happy with these magnetic switches and how they improve my pin. Some may prefer the metal switches, and I do as well in most locations. Here tho, they work great!

They use MRS switches on some other pins too. On Safe Cracker for the top A-B-C rollovers. I think TZ may have some.

Contact Matt, “Sonic” here on Pinside if you are interested. He will custom make them with the length of wire you need for your application.

Enjoy!
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Thanks for the write-up Mark! You've caught on to exactly what Dan & I are gunning for with MRS' and their application beyond what WMS originally used them for. As you noted, we make a replacement for the original MRS' as found in 7 WMS pins: SC, CV, NBAFB, NGG, RFM, SWE1 & CC, as well as the quasi-universal Ramp style you used in WD and several custom MRS' for the bowls in Diner, CFTBL, Transporter, CC & coming next week, Taxi.....

Matt & Dan - M&M Creations

Went to look for one last friday. I really wanted to become a member of this club.
The machine itself had playfield damage and missing decal inserts, backglass was scratched and of course the plastic ramps where cracked.

It wasn't too expensive so I started a game....This has to be the slowest pinball ever.
It starts with a stop, let's you shoot and stops again. Another shot and boom it stops again to show you stuff on the DMD.
While I was not making an effort it also threw in 2 extra balls. Slow, stopper, too easy and painfully boring
I really don't understand all the enthousiasm.

Sorry but I won't become a clubmember I guess.

This is not to game you are looking for.......

Thanks for letting us know.

I just dropped by to say that I think the thing you guys all like sucks. K bye.

Hi All- I guess I should join this club- Ive had a Who Dunnit since 2002, export version reimported from Germany, picked up on ebay. I just ran into a minor problem. I have a bad opto on one of the reels and no one seems to have these opto boards in stock. I was going to just solder in a new opto. Marco has what looks like the right item:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/5490-12451-00
But I was wondering if anyone out there knows if that is the correct component?
Alternately- any of you have a good opto board for sale?
Thanks!

BTW - I read all the comments on the game- Ive always enjoyed this one and thought it was underrated, best sound and music of any Pin ive had- love the theme. It is an easy machine for anyone so anytime I have people over it gets played the most. It is sitting right between Fish Tales and Creature so it certainly stands up to comparison in the peoples choice!

Funny; I have a W?D export, back to its homeland from Germany as well. Here's a snippet from the manual.

WhoDunnitReelOptoPCB (resized).jpg

Cool- thanks much!

Now where did I put that manual!

Anyone knows where this plastic is supposed to go? I got this with my slingshot protectors and even if I just completed my topside teardown I can't find this part.

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It goes behind the telephone. It's there to avoid the ball getting trapped

I'm looking but I can't figure out where it actually goes. Any picture would be nice.

Edit: I just found it. Ball can get trapped there??!

pasted_image (resized).png

Does anybody know where to get playfield insert stickers from??

My WD has had some play and some of the inserts stickers are peeling off

Any help is appreciated.

This would help me out as well.

Looking for replacement reels for this game. Is there anywhere to get these?

From the Planetary Pinball Supply website:

Slot Reel - Who Dunnit 03-9410
Code: PPS-03-9410
Price: was $24.95 - now $19.95
In Stock

Who Dunnit Slot Reel Decal Set (3) 31-2517-1A,2A,3A
Code: PPS-31-2517-SET
Price: $39.99
In Stock

Replacing them on one game would require three of the reels and one set of decals.

Hello guys I've joined the club! I just found and bought a Who Dunnit on eBay. It was sent by TNT express to London from Italy. It's my first ever pinball. I've wanted this table since playing it ~10 years ago in Stockholm and always thought I will buy it one day. Well the opportunity arose and I'm finally "on the case".

Now.. I'm very concerned about some playfield damage above the flippers and worried that it's getting worse.

Also bottom of light insets have playfield damage that seems to mean that they are not level which could be corrected with some heat (hairdryer) and force.

There's also some burn holes from the #906 flashers in the backbox translite. Will replace these flashers with LEDs to keep them cooler and prevent futher damage. Maybe even remove them for now..

And the usual reel problems. They're not terrible. Have filed down the drive rod to half-circle shape already which seems to have fixed the grip. Some of them are a bit wobbly and scrapes into the opto on each turn. and some spokes are cracked. Maybe 3d printed reel collars will help line this up and stop the wobbling?

Also something bad has happened with the main/left ramp... The U shaped metal bracket that stops/slows the ball coming out the ramp is missing and seems to have broken off some of the plastic at the end of the ramp. and they've fixed it with this metal monster. Not happy about it as the ball comes down very fast sometimes and doesn't always hit the sensor in the lane. I'm hoping I can restore it better somehow.... I could really use your help to tell if the plastic has been cut off on the left/main ramp or it's just the screw holes that are damaged? Could possibly put a layer of plastic under/over to reinforce it and get new screw holes and get rid of the metal monster they've put there. And restore the slingshot cover and the U shapes ball stopping metal bracket that should be at the end of the ramp.

Very happy with my purchase. Quite an adventure this machine. Both maintaining it and playing it There was a play test video included..

and and artwork damage above flippers has def worsened.

IMG_20200719_080505 (resized).jpg

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Bump for my W?D slot glass.
Makes a Great Topper!
I also have new code Game Rom. Never used or open. Latest revision. $15
Lastly- I have a NOS roulette wheel plastic for game in upper right corner. $15

Rom is Sold.

Get some mylar or some cling vinyl on those spots ASAP to prevent it from getting any worse until you come up with a more permanent fix. They will get worse if you keep playing.

As for the ramp question, my game is broken down right now but when I get it setup I can take some photos for you to help show you the parts and how they differ. I'm hoping to set it back up in 2-3 weeks. Others on this thread could likely get you photos sooner. I will check if I have a manual for this game which may assist you with parts numbers as well.

Has anyone done different colored rubbers? Thinking about doing pink, red or maybe purple.

I haven't, but my OG bands are about due for an update. Not sure pink would be a good fit, but definitely red and maybe blue.

Or just get all three colors and mix & match until you're happy with the look!

How rare is this game these days? I regret passing one up a while ago.

It's not very common. Seems like everytime I see one for sale it doesn't last very long. It's not the most in depth game at all, but we still love ours and I don't see it going anywhere.

I went and looked at mine today and can't decide on color choice. I need to order titans for my gnr and wanted to order for both at the same time to save shipping.

About to join the club.
Picking up tomorrow morning.
Have wanted this game for over 10 years. Not easy to come by!

From the pics the seller shared of the game it looks to be in great condition. Mentioned that the right slot spins slower than the others. I believe Planetary has new wheels/motors for this.

Anything in particular to look for in person (aside from accessive elevator ramp fractures an whatnot)?

Mainly checking inserts, the lift (up, down) clue and TAXI ones usually suffer. The sewer weldment is usualy broken as well!

Thanks for the tips! I’ll look at all these sections when I pick it up in 2 hours!

Any interest in a Who Dunnit Topper?
Very Nice Slot Belly Glass looking to move.
Would look great in top of game lite up.
$45 shipped!
PM me.
Thanks

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Hi guys I’m considering buying a real nice looking who dunnit, the pin only got one issue.. only 1 slot reep is working. Is this fixable? And what are things I should look to when buying the pin?
Regards,
Dwight

Everything is fixable, it depends on what’s causing it to not work as to how much it will cost to fix it.

Anyone hearing about new ramps being made for Whodunnit? My center 3 are not as clear as I would like. Would love to replace it.

FWIW last time I checked, the motors were available if they need to be replaced. More than likely they are jammed up with metal filings and need a good cleaning, I know I had to do that with mine.

Okay thanks for the help guys!

I just finished my top side tear down. Really happy with the results (will post pictures later).

But now, I noticed that I got some air balls when the ball is entering the Lift Ramp. I checked and noticed the flap was not touching the PF. After adjusting it, it now touch the PF but I still sometimes get some air balls when it's coming from some angle or at high speed.

Anyone got an Idea? I checked if the slot window was offset but it seems really flush. I noticed is that the flippers coils were not the right colors (blue). Could it be that? Too much power?

EDIT: After reading page 3, I might have to take a look at the linkage for the lift ramp airballs. My ramp seems to move a lot.

Some pictures of my top side cleaning/shop job.

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Looks nice, but I'D do significantly less blue/purple - it doesn't match the atmosphere of the pin very well. I understand this is all hapening around a city in the 1920s with warm lighting in art deco highrises. But maybe I'm wrong.

I really like it. Love the colors, make this game pop. Best Who Dunnit i have seen se far. Most are really dark.

It's all a matter of taste I guess. I really dig it like this. And, it look much better in person. Somehow the colors seems a bit more blue-ish on the pictures.

Thanks! I really like the colors too. The game just Glow!

I agree. The contrast between the cold, seedy parts of the city underneath the train tracks and in the alleys in the back and the warm and bright lights of the casino up front really comes through.

Good job!

Price Drop, $15 Shipped!

SOLD!

Parts - For Sale

Who Dunnit (W?D) Roulette Wheel Playfield Plastic~NOS Archived

New (selling multiple, business) - “Who Dunnit (W?D) Roulette Wheel Playfield Plastic. Brand New, Never Installed ~ NOS. Pm me for payment details. Paypal purchase only. Free Shipping.”

2020-11-01

Anaheim, CA

Ericpinballfan

10

Archived after: 21 days

Viewed: 268 times

Status: Sold (amount undisclosed)

Hi everyone

Just finished shopping a Who Dunnit i recently picked up and while I've diagnosed and fixed a ton of issues I am still having a problem with the left slot motor.

Long story short, I purchased a new motor from Marco and can't get the thing to work! All the PCB boards work correctly (tested each with the other two reel motors and the baords are all fine).
Starting to think the "plug and play" motor from Marco may be misswired for the PCB connections.

Has anyone else purchased one of these marco motors and if yours works can you look at the wiring to see if it's the same as mine in the pics below?
Mine is wired top to bottom: Red/Green/Yellow/Blue.
The other two motors (originals i believe) in my game are wired: Red/Yellow/Brown/Orange

Thanks fellow WD detectives!
-Ran

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The wire colour won't matter that much, the wires are going to the same pins as the originals BUT depends on where they go after that, and if they go to the correct pins/locations on the other side. I don't have this machine any more so i can't check for you sorry and i can't recall if those wires go direct to the stepper motor or are routed through another connector first. I would cross match the wiring from the originals to the connector/motor and compare with the new one.

I compared the best I could and the wiring seems correct. These wires go directly from the stepper to the PCB board. I actually took apart the old stepper motor and tried cleaning it up. It manually functions a bit better now. May try putting the old motor in again and testing it to see what happens. Won’t take the whole reel assembly apart... will just plug the old stepper into the PCB and cross my fingers.

You wouldn't think that a new part from Marco's would be wired incorrectly but anything is possible i guess. The other thing i was thinking is that maybe there's something gone on the stepper board itself (maybe one of the transistors) I'm pretty sure all 3 are the same board so you could swap one of the known working boards with the one you are having issues with the new motor (might even be enough cabling that you can just swap connectors) and see if the motor issue goes with it?? Could cross check the other way too by attaching the new motor to one of the other stepper boards.

Apologies.
I should have mentioned that I tried swapping the new stepper motor with one of the other PCB boards that is currently running a working slot reel.
The new motor still didn't spin which is what lead me to think it is the new stepper motor wiring.
I actually bought 2 new motors to have a backup.
Will try both of them as well as the old motor again on one of the working boards.

I'll also test the transistors in the non-working stepper motor PCB board just in case.
Such a crazy mech that shouldn't be this complicated. Hahaha.
Thanks again for your thoughts/feedback, Mancave!
Fingers crossed.

Tested everything again.
I think I figured it out.
It's TOTALLY the new motors from Marco.
I tried the new motors (both of them this time) in all the functioning PCB boards. Nothing.
Then I cleaned out the old motor a bit so the gears were less jammed and tried it in all the PCB boards. It worked in each of them.
So it has to be the wiring in the new motors from Marco.
Gonna email them for their thoughts since their site said it was "plug and play" for Who Dunnit.

In the meantime, if there are any Who Dunnit owners with new Marco Stepper motors in their games can you please let me know the order in which your wires are inserted into the molex.
Thanks everyone!

UPDATE

Fixed the motor issue!
Ryan over at Marco's customer service figured it out!
Long story short, the insertion crimp the motors came with wasn't making a firm connection/bite with the IDC connector.
So I crimped new contacts to the wires and used a molex connector.
The reels are spinning perfectly now.

I know this may have been covered previously but thought I would post something as I could not find anything that was the same as this issue. I recently purchased a Who Dunnit and the centre reel was not working. I replaced the LM339 and reflowed the solder on the other components and then found that the reel started to work. Since then I have found during game play that on occasion the middle reel does not always work and even on other occasions the right hand reel does not spin.

This is issue is intermittent and I am not sure where to start with trouble shooting on this one. Has anyone had a similar issue and if so what was the cause.