Quoted from MrBally:As stated earlier, from a Bally service bulletin.....
You should know that if it does not look factory people will assume it a hack. No one looks to find out if things were actually done for a reason, like a service bulletin.
Quoted from MrBally:As stated earlier, from a Bally service bulletin.....
You should know that if it does not look factory people will assume it a hack. No one looks to find out if things were actually done for a reason, like a service bulletin.
Quoted from Marvin:No one looks to find out if things were actually done for a reason, like a service bulletin.
Uh, I do. I read every service bulletin I can get my hands on. Sometimes they are very useful.
Quoted from Mageek:Thing kickout MOD
[quoted image]
I think Barbed Wire or bailing wire would have been a better more fun choice.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I think Barbed Wire or bailing wire would have been a better more fun choice.
Number 8 Wire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_8_wire
Quoted from pinballinreno:I think Barbed Wire or bailing wire would have been a better more fun choice.
give points for use of materials on hand ... those old slingshot rubbers served another purpose after their prescribed life had expired
Quoted from TecumsehPlissken:give points for use of materials on hand ... those old slingshot rubbers served another purpose after their prescribed life had expired
Slingshot rubbers aren't hollow are they? That looks like wire with insulation or just the insulation.
Quoted from ajfclark:Slingshot rubbers aren't hollow are they? That looks like wire with insulation or just the insulation.
I stand corrected... just now zoomed in on the photo you are correct that some kind of wire .... bad assumption on my part
I have seen sling shot rubbers tied together like that before is why I guess it looked like that to me
Quoted from ForceFlow:Uh, I do. I read every service bulletin I can get my hands on. Sometimes they are very useful.
you're in the very small minority. There's tons of people complaining about hacks on this site alone where its stuff that was factory authorized repairs because it "does not look right" to them.
Bad connection at the connector? Just piggyback a pin to the board. (Pins 10 & 12 in pic, kind of hard to see.)
Ah, screw it. Just solder a wire to the back and wire nut them together.
Pics out of order, but you get the idea.
Oh yeah, power supply connectors had the typical hacks.
IMG_3974[1] (resized).JPGIMG_3983[1] (resized).JPGQuoted from Billc479:Bad connection at the connector? Just piggyback a pin to the board. (Pins 10 & 12 in pic, kind of hard to see.)
Ah, screw it. Just solder a wire to the back and wire nut them together.
Pics out of order, but you get the idea.
Oh yeah, power supply connectors had the typical hacks.
[quoted image][quoted image]
That's why I keep a stack of new headers on hand and end up replacing them most of the time. Had a similar wiring hack on an Elektra. They just soldered a couple really long wires to the back of the board instead of the wire nuts.
That gets posted here from time to time. It's actually a great hack since it allows disabled children to play pinball.
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:That gets posted here from time to time. It's actually a great hack since it allows disabled children to play pinball.
I offered to buy it from him for a reasonable price to put it in a nearby hospital for children, and he sent me nasty messages in response. I posted them in some thread on here a long time ago.
Quoted from arcademojo:My Space Shuttle I just started working on. The transistor works too.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Nothing wrong with that as that's about all one can do to save the board with a new transistor. The lesson here is don't overfuse a pin.
Quoted from MrBally:Nothing wrong with that as that's about all one can do to save the board with a new transistor. The lesson here is don't overfuse a pin.
Isn't Q81 one of the special solenoid and if the activation switch gets stuck they'll burn as they fuses to allow multiple to activate at the same time? I thought that was why this was created, given individual fusing: https://nvram.weebly.com/repair--conversion-kits.html
Quoted from ajfclark:Isn't Q81 one of the special solenoid and if the activation switch gets stuck they'll burn as they fuses to allow multiple to activate at the same time? I thought that was why this was created, given individual fusing: https://nvram.weebly.com/repair--conversion-kits.html
You are correct. They are special solenoids. Not fused. I have the Weebly williams fuse kit on my other older Williams game and plan to install one on this. Great product.
Quoted from chad:Not a horrible hack, but one indeed.
[quoted image][quoted image]
I think it is damn creative. A bracket breaks. You are either out in the middle of bumfuck Egypt or you have no money. And yours is the last part on earth. What do you do? Start jury rigging.
Some of the hacks are pretty creative but I sure hope I never see those people working on civil engineering projects.....
Quoted from Robotworkshop:Some of the hacks are pretty creative but I sure hope I never see those people working on civil engineering projects.....
As a Rockwell International chief engineer told me when I quit the route technician and board repair job I had, joined Rockwell and completed my degree; Pinball Machine repair isn't rocket science.
Quoted from MrBally:Nothing wrong with that as that's about all one can do to save the board with a new transistor. The lesson here is don't overfuse a pin.
Exactly - I found this board in a game I was recently working through... verified the traces and cautiously plugged it in. (there's a hole straight through it - looks much worse from the backside) I was more than happy with this hack/repair - beats buying a new SDB! It might not hurt to at least clean the smoke off the board after fixing, but for an old operator machine that was abandoned in some guy's garage for years, I'm tickled.
MSGR_PHOTO_FOR_UPLOAD_1536024951758.jpg_1536024955163 (resized).jpeg
Quoted from arcademojo:My Space Shuttle I just started working on. The transistor works too.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Good thing the “warranty void if removed “ label is in place !!!
Quoted from arcademojo:My Space Shuttle I just started working on. The transistor works too.
[quoted image][quoted image]
"If it aint fixed, don't broke it".
Quoted from Cheddar:At least 3 of these on a skateball I'm swapping[quoted image]
If that works, it is awesome.
Quoted from MrBally:If that works, it is awesome.
I had a future spa where every single drop had q-tips hot glued to it to hold them together. Played fine
Quoted from MrBally:If that works, it is awesome.
Yup. If it's stupid but it works, is it really that stupid?
My Paragon had one with three old switch blades (one on the front, two on the back) set in and taped up. I didn't realize it till they finally gave way. That was many hundreds of plays since I owned it - no idea how long it had lasted before me to boot.
Quoted from Grandnational007:Damn! I'm actually kind of impressed!
To say the least yes! Someone took some time to do this "work", lol! I generally don't walk away from hacked boards without at least trying to fix it, but I think this may be a candidate for a new/better condition board.
Every once in a while I stumble upon creative fixes in the course of resurrecting a machine. Here's a few to sort out on a Seawitch I'm working on at the moment.....she has a couple of personality disorders to overcome.
Any old connector will do in a pinch
20181023_115309 (resized).jpg
So far, so good
Lightboard equals Seawitch (resized).jpg
Ummm, maybe not
Cabinet equals Big Game (resized).jpg
Mystery bundle #1
Mystery Bundle 1 (resized).jpg
Mystery bundle #2
20181023_115730 (resized).jpg
Fun and games on the rectifier board
20181023_115221 (resized).jpg
20181023_115241 (resized).jpg
I love this stuff because if it wasn't for this hobby, I'm sure my brain would have atrophied by now.
Just can't say no to this lady though! She's a keeper.
By the way, can anyone vouch for the accuracy of the 'Witch schematics on IPDB?
Quoted from sofaspud:By the way, can anyone vouch for the accuracy of the 'Witch schematics on IPDB?
They look good to me. Just like my original.
Most of the Sterns of this era all have the same cabinet wiring. The Big Game harness you are looking at will be OK.
Someone did not know how to remove the wiring to remove the back box so they cut the harness. If you don't want to mess with splicing all of that, Third Coast Pinball can make you a new harness.
Hey cottonm4, thanks for the schematics confirmation - I figured IPDB was good to go. And not worried about the harness or the splicing...just takes a bit of time to put back to rights is all. What I thought was funny was all the effort required for the hacks in the first place. Never know what you'll find when you look under the hood hey?
Cheers
Quoted from dasvis:My Seawitch has a big game tagged harness. Came that way I am sure.
as a bonus that harness might work in the new beatles game too since its a seawitch.
I work in telecommunications, I could make up some damn fine connectorized wire runs for things for sure. And it would actually be done quite nice! lol
Quoted from dasvis:My Seawitch has a big game tagged harness. Came that way I am sure.
My Big Game has a Quicksilver cabinet harness. I pulled the tag and gave it to a guy who had a Quicksilver.
Quoted from sofaspud:Ummm, maybe not
Seems like Stern was just throwing whatever in whatever toward the end of the company. I have a Big Game with a Seawitch Cabinet Harness. I left the tag on cause it makes me laugh
Quoted from statictrance:Seems like Stern was just throwing whatever in whatever toward the end of the company. I have a Big Game with a Seawitch Cabinet Harness. I left the tag on cause it makes me laugh
Big Game was the first Stern/pin with 7 digit displays.
BG was produced March 1980
Seawitch produced May 1980
Cheetah produced June 1980
Quicksilver produced June 1980.
Star Gazer ...........August 1980
F2K....................October 1980
Nine Ball............December 1980
I imagine every line worker knew these harnesses were all the same. Only the tags were different. So if the tag maker was slacking on the job the line worker said "screw it" and grabbed what was a available.
I have 3 wires on the play field harness of my Big Game that do not match the blueprint call out. Instead of a gray/black wire I have a purple/white wire, for example. I figure supply management did not order enough gray/black wire leaving the production line short of inventory. And instead of shutting production down and sending everybody home early, the production boss probably said "go grab a different color. I'm not shutting down the line for lack of some correctly colored wire."
For Bingo Card X-2 wire, LDA connector J1-pin 17 blue print calls for a purple wire. Mine is orange/green.
For Bingo Card Z-2 wire LDA J2-8, blue print calls out for purple/blue. Mine is purple/white.
For bingo Card Z-7 wire LDA J2-21, blue print calls out for grey/red. Mine is tan/orange.
I guess we call it "Hacks from the factory".
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