I wouldn't worry about your botched switch. It is almost certainly not going to be a problem in getting the game running. Once you have the game working and you are making design choices on the retheme that is when you want to decide if you are going to use the same square yellow targets or something different.

If you do decide to use those yellow ones i have a bunch of old switch stacks you can have. I can bring them to the cleveland pinball show if you happen to be going to that.

Also good to mention it is easiest to get those switches clean and straight when they are "dangly". I always burnish the contacts and flatten the switch leaves out before mounting them back on the playfield. If you make the switch look as close to straight and flat as possible it will probably be gapped correctly once new rubbers are installed.

You can see what they look like new here.
http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-4834-H

When they are really bad I replace them with new blades. The contacts have a nub on the backside that you flatten down gently with a hammer. It isn't tough.

Gold plated ones are for playfield switches. The high current would go on flipper EOS switches or flipper button switches.

Undo?

You're killing me. It is good craftsmanship but also counterproductive if you plan on painting or sanding that playfield. I have a feeling it is going to be tough to make the hard choice to remove the original art when you've spent so much effort making it better.

Maybe it's a bit selfish but I'm really chomping at the bit to see what you are going to do creatively and all this meticulous restoration is getting in the way.

The center post will snap right off sometimes. I had that happen and it got lodged in the outhole. The mechanism to raise and release the center post works a lot like a drop target and it often needs cleaned and new sleeves installed like any other solenoid.

The first or last rubber configurations look like the best options to me because of the switch issue. The drawing looks like it is suggesting the second configuration.

I would go with how you have it as long as the rubber doesn't have too much play in it making it possible for the ball to get stuck behind the rubber. Seems like you'll need to get a couple more post rubbers to make it work.

Did the people that provided the rubber kit supply the drawing? Maybe you can complain that it is wrong and have them send you a couple post rubbers.

The sockets are fine and they are controlled by the game so they won't come on with the rest of the GI. Once you have the game starting up you can hit the "On Bumpers" switches at the top to double check that the lights in the bumpers are all good.

I like to put the plunger rod in a drill and sand then polish the aluminum nob. It is super quick and really makes it look great. You could probably do it to other pieces like that sprocket if it will fit in the drill's chuck. It is probably a good idea to start with a 500+ grit sand paper unless you want it to have a brushed finish. This little makeshift lathe trick will make you want to get a real lathe though.

This video captures the joy of making things shiny.

As if there's any other way!

I hope you are soldering the lead with the rest of the pop bumper mech off at least.

Another thing you can try in addition to not soldering upside down with the mech on is to tin the leads before you put the pop bumper base back on the playfield. That way you can just hit them with some paste and use your free hand to coax the wire into place while you heat up the tinned lead.

Notes on making pop bumpers POP!

Obviously the mechanism should be clean with at least a new sleeve if not a new coil. The spoon switch leaf has a way of collecting a lot of dirt so make sure those are nice and clean. The plastic point of the pop bumper skirt should be lined up with the middle of the spoon so it makes quick contact from every angle. And the pop bumper relays should be cleaned very thoroughly because they are a key component in these EMs.

With EMs you have to have your pops dialed in like you would with your flippers because so much of the action and fun of the game is dependent on the pop bumpers.

Yeah. Don't bend that switch just yet. Check the coil stops and make sure the new one is the same size as the old one. If the new one inserts deeper into the coil sleeve it will limit the amount of travel of the flipper and stop short of the EOS switch.

I think the part of the flipper link that opens the EOS switch might have a rubber bushing around it normally which would close the gap some too.

Also you can try loosening the screws that hold the EOS switch to the playfield and see if you can twist the switch closer to the rest of the flipper mechanism.

Scarry stuff. I'm really glad you are doing better and hope that the docs come to the conclusion that it was just a fluke or that the best treatment is pinball.

^

Did that podcast reveal happen yet?

Where's the art? Where's the code?

I want my deposit back! This a reverse jpop. Working game but no art.