Where were you guys a couple weeks ago 
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-and-amateur-radio
(Topic ID: 28788)
Sykesville, MD
Quoted from Kevlar51:Is this how baby diodes are made?
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When I see hacks like that, it makes me cringe. Not because it works or didn't, but because that kind of diode problem can be SO easily fixed with the right part and 5 minutes to do it right. Easy to access the soldering pads, simple old part removal and new part install. It could have been a nearly invisible repair. But, when all the repair guy had is a book of matches and a 'black thing with a silver bar on one side that looks kinda like that gizmo that blew up" rolling around his truck's ashtray for the past year, I guess that is what results...
Quoted from Markharris2000:When I see hacks like that, it makes me cringe. Not because it works or didn't, but because that kind of diode problem can be SO easily fixed with the right part and 5 minutes to do it right
Well there you said it - 'with the right part'
The route guy didn't always have the right part - but the game had to be made to work to earn.. or face someone screaming to get that broken thing out there.
Not sure why this is a recurring message that needs to be repeated... The #1 goal was get the game earning again - not beauty.
Quoted from flynnibus:Well there you said it - 'with the right part'
The route guy didn't always have the right part - but the game had to be made to work to earn.. or face someone screaming to get that broken thing out there.
Not sure why this is a recurring message that needs to be repeated... The #1 goal was get the game earning again - not beauty.
Point taken and good reminder. Route operators need to get it back into service as fast as possible. Enthusists have a different point of view as we see the secondary market. Us armchair quarterbacks see the fixes years after they were done, and try to imagine how WE would handle it, in a non-revenue situation.
So, what's the deal with that plaintiff's exhibit on Pengad legal label? I'd like to know the story behind that!
Quoted from Crash:So, what's the deal with that plaintiff's exhibit on Pengad legal label? I'd like to know the story behind that!
Oh, so would I. Nothing else on the machine indicates to why it was involved in some litigation.
Quoted from songofsixpence:Oh, so would I. Nothing else on the machine indicates to why it was involved in some litigation.
Damn. I was expecting something interesting here..
The bottom section of the board appears to have corrosion or some other defect. Perhaps the plaintiff was identifying a poor design and lack of ownership on outcomes? I don't think this is part of some sinister plot or other high crime situation. Just a guess...
Quoted from Crash:So, what's the deal with that plaintiff's exhibit on Pengad legal label? I'd like to know the story behind that!
I'm gonna guess someone just happened to score a bunch of labels they knew could uniquely identify parts of an assembly for warranty purposes, vs. spending money on custom labels. 
Penny saved is a penny earned or some nonsense like that..
Richard
Almere
Ottawa, ON
Quoted from melappels:I saw this for sale on a german forum.
Good hack if you had your hands amputaded.
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Wow, looks like that game was dropped down an elevator shaft lengthwise, and "almost" fit, shaving off the buttons (and scraping the blades). And no "Sacrifice" button anymore!
Quoted from melappels:I saw this for sale on a german forum.
Good hack if you had your hands amputaded.
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There is a pinsider in the USA with only one arm. He has some sort of contraption that operates both flippers with one hand.
Quoted from Markharris2000:The bottom section of the board appears to have corrosion or some other defect. Perhaps the plaintiff was identifying a poor design and lack of ownership on outcomes? I don't think this is part of some sinister plot or other high crime situation. Just a guess...
I would think someone may have gotten shocked when playing it which could be why the label is on a board. I've seen several cases of games not being properly grounded and slightly electrocuting me.
4 weeks later
Quoted from pinballplusMN:Additionally, why go through the trouble of replacing a partial 40 pin connector?
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To get it flipping again faster. Sometimes the extra 10-15 minutes replacing the rest of the connector makes the difference between the operator getting it back out onto the floor, or getting told another machine goes in there. It's always, "get it earning again, and FAST!"
Quoted from LynnInDenver:To get it flipping again faster. Sometimes the extra 10-15 minutes replacing the rest of the connector makes the difference between the operator getting it back out onto the floor, or getting told another machine goes in there. It's always, "get it earning again, and FAST!"
To us they are toys to be played with and shined and polished. To the operator that are tools to be used and cobbled together until every last drop of juice is squeezed out.
Quoted from Enaud:I picked up a Captain Fantastic today. If the rubber ring breaks, just replace it with a zip tie.[quoted image]
And I'm sure the seller listed it as mint condition!
Quoted from Skidave:And I'm sure the seller listed it as mint condition!
Or at the very least “all original”
Quoted from Tallon:Or at the very least “all original”
How do you know they didn’t originally use zip ties?
Quoted from pinballplusMN:Custom drop sling plastic for simpsons. Anyone know what game it from?
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Quoted from ButtonMash:anyone who has ever wrapped an exposed wire around a solder point instead of freakin soldering the thing...
Yuppers. Custom jumpers.
IMG_20201003_232650216 (resized).jpgQuoted from Skidave:And I'm sure the seller listed it as mint condition!
That is clearly a game in imamaculate condition.
In my HS I just picked up a few months ago the lower pop bumper apparently stopped working... solution by some jackass? Well simply drill 5 wood screws around the bumper so the ball doesn't get lodged in the nook there.
Genius.
20200318_152229 (resized).jpgQuoted from Canuck_pinhead:drill 5 wood screws around the bumper so the ball doesn't get lodged in the nook there.
Or perhaps remove the bumper completely and turn the resulting hole into a gobble hole?
Quoted from PghPinballRescue:Looks like a hardtop is in your future!
Ya... thinking so... or I'll play the hell out of it and sell it on. Depends how much I love it.
Just missed out on a CPR PF... though the cost is more than a hardtop... the work is a bit less I think.
Quoted from Canuck_pinhead:the work is a bit less I think
It's not. With a hardtop you just strip the top. On a full swap you strip the top and bottom.
Quoted from yaksplat:It's not. With a hardtop you just strip the top. On a full swap you strip the top and bottom.
Don't most people doing the hardtop do a lot of insert work and clearcoat it before sticking it down though for best results? That's more work to me.
I remove all inserts and replace with all clear. That way I can use LEDs to make them whatever color the client wants.
Quoted from slochar:Don't most people doing the hardtop do a lot of insert work and clearcoat it before sticking it down though for best results? That's more work to me.
Is 30 minutes really that much more work? That's how long I spent sanding my inserts to 3000 grit and then a quick coat of rattle can clear.
Seems to me an easy hour or less if the top of the playfield has been stripped. I've never had to do this, but it just makes sense. Once the top is disassembled, everything can be repaired and then smoothed perfectly, damaged or faded inserts can be replaced or repaired if needed, and then a simply clear across the whole thing just seems 'right' if you are paying $350 for a hardtop in the first place. Like anything, the best result is in the preparation itself.
Quoted from yaksplat:Is 30 minutes really that much more work? That's how long I spent sanding my inserts to 3000 grit and then a quick coat of rattle can clear.
Not from the threads I was reading people were going way more over the top with it, sanding it and multiple coats.
Quoted from slochar:Not from the threads I was reading people were going way more over the top with it, sanding it and multiple coats.
Some people will take anything to the extreme. Multiple coats of clear aren't necessary. The whole point is to remove flaws and then making the inserts clear again.
End of the day... I may do either (CPR Playfield swap or a Hardtop) or if I get bored of the machine I may sell it/trade it. I will get the Popbumper working prior though!!
If a CPR is available I would always lean towards this option. The main reason is it is the closest to OEM look and feel. Installing a hardtop is like a bandaid to me.
Many times a pin needs new standup targets, switches, etc anyway so why not do it with a complete new playfield if it is available. The extra work needed is worth it.
Don't think I have ever seen High_End_Pins install a Hardtop.
Quoted from Pin-Pilot:Don't think I have ever seen high_end_pins install a Hardtop.
Unfortunately, I think most have High End Pins taste but are on a Hardtops budget.
Personally, I would never do a Hardtop, but that doesn't mean they aren't a good option for some. Just reminds me too much of the clear plastic on my grandparents' sofa for as long as they were alive. I hated sitting on that thing as the feel just wasn't what it should be. When in comes to my pins, I've made playfield repairs with paint, decals, Mylar, etc. as I prefer to keep the original feel of the game as designed. Keep it clean, keep it waxed, and enjoy it for what it is.
Quoted from MrBally:I disagree with your statement;
I worked for a route op from August '79 to June '85. Pinball was big for a good portion of that time. When a service tech had a call, the rule was to get the game up and running bringing in quartrrs. We all carried drywall screws, nuts & bolts, drills and taps etc. We would bypass burnt connectors soldering jumpers to the rectifier board test points splicing into the wiring near the burnt connectors. Heck, Bernie Powers of Bally Field Service mentioned how a jumper to a test point or ground will keep a game earning if you did not have connectors and terminal pins. with you.
Remember, these machines were designed and developed to make money for operators. Tournament play, home collectors and long term durability for a home collector were not high on the priority list.
Well said my man.
So, not the worst Ive seen... the whole harness was a disaster, but i can't figure for the life of me why they would take a wire, solder it to 2 smaller wires, then try to fit both in a .100 pin? They did it on multiple wires, so it wasn't just a one off.
I'm thinking they may have been able to solder, but not do connectors, and spliced a totally different one in?
20200929_213728 (resized).jpg20200929_221956 (resized).jpgQuoted from statictrance:I'm thinking they may have been able to solder, but not do connectors, and spliced a totally different one in?
Sounds reasonable. Perhaps no knowledge or access to the proper crimp tool.
Quoted from RobDutch:Not the worst I have seen, but still not very pretty
I like the zip tie for good measure. 
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