(Topic ID: 28788)

Worst hack/repair you ever saw.

By mcclad

11 years ago


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    There are 4,671 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 94.
    #1 11 years ago

    Ok. My last post was a doozie so I am going to ask a nice and simple question that should not create much of a stir. What was the worst hack/repair that you saw? Or did?

    I saw a machine that the seller stated he painted the cabinet detail in with a 5 inch paintbrush. The kind that you would stain a deck with. And he did not use stencils. It looked like it was flipper painted by a walrus. Or by someone using an oversized deck brush.

    A flipper coil that had lost the end bracket and the owner tried to duct tape it in place under the PF. Same owner "touched up" some insert wear with nail polish. Might not have been so bad if he used the same color as the playfield area.

    Broken backglass that was replaced with plexi glass and it was screwed into the backbox with the translite duct taped to it. (only MacGYVER should be using duct tape to fix things.)

    A broken ramp flap so the ramp was drywall screwed to the playfied.

    And a missing coin door that was replaced with a piece of cardboard. And it was on a crude hinge system and had the door lock installed. Its a good thing that it was not on a route like that. I can't imagine it being to hard to break into. Just to name a few.

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    #2 11 years ago

    Hacked up Twilight Zone coin door from M&P Amusements.

    P1010001.JPGP1010001.JPG

    #3 11 years ago

    wow, custom coin door for a TZ. Love it!

    #4 11 years ago

    it would look good with a big spiral on it.

    #5 11 years ago

    Your post was funny. Nothing overly as impressive as yours but i had a coil on mine halfa$sed wrapped with electrial tape. Looks like they tried to wrap it when it was still mounted. A slice of paper and some elmers glue would have worked much better. I beleive you can even print out these coil wrappers somewhere.

    My buddy did show me a picture of a Black Hole that has tons of wires electrical taped. Like entire bundles. Apparrently a divorce gone sour and an angry wife went mad with a pair of sissors...the tape repair was a mess...

    #6 11 years ago

    anyone who has ever wrapped an exposed wire around a solder point instead of freakin soldering the thing...

    #7 11 years ago
    Quoted from pinballwiz:

    Hacked up Twilight Zone coin door from M&P Amusements.

    Saw a LW3 at an auction that had this too. Looks like ass!

    #8 11 years ago

    TZ Gumball Opto Harness cut out and replaced with this:

    DSC_0114_9_.JPGDSC_0114_9_.JPG

    #9 11 years ago

    Unfortunately the repairs that I saw were all true. Sometimes things are better left alone. Granted a pin looks better with a coin door attached, but not one that was made out of a box.

    Quoted from ButtonMash:

    anyone who has ever wrapped an exposed wire around a solder point instead of freakin soldering the thing...

    I had lost my soldering iron once so I heated up a nail with a blow torch to solder the wire onto the lead. Later I did a proper repair on it.

    #10 11 years ago

    How about clearcoating a playfield, but not under the apron, and then installing old rubber?

    #11 11 years ago

    On the flip side, I sold a Black Rose that had been in a fire to someone a while back. It was in several boxes. Just parts and a really bad cab. The only thing that was replaced were two circuit boards. I saw the game at his house and it looked amazing. Not collector quality, but you could not tell that it was as bad as it was. What an amazing restore that he did. I wish I could replace mine with his.

    #12 11 years ago
    Quoted from Deaconblooze:

    How about clearcoating a playfield, but not under the apron, and then installing old rubber?

    Speaking of old rubber, I have seen some rings on a playfield that had turned to chalk and the owner kept trying to wash them instead of just getting new ones.

    A friend of mine told me about a machine that he went to check out and the seller had tried to clean the rust off of a pinball with a palm sander.

    16
    #13 11 years ago

    Hacked up Twilight Zone coin door from M&P Amusements.

    You must be my lost twin....... my TAF had the exact same frigging door.

    vault_door.JPGvault_door.JPG IMG_0922.JPGIMG_0922.JPG

    #14 11 years ago

    Much better now though....

    IMG_0921.JPGIMG_0921.JPG IMG_0926.JPGIMG_0926.JPG IMG_0927.JPGIMG_0927.JPG

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    #15 11 years ago

    It was a cheap part to replace but the labor took a while......

    Someone should be beaten for cutting a cab for that monster door but now its fixed correctly.

    IMG_0997.JPGIMG_0997.JPG IMG_1004.JPGIMG_1004.JPG

    #16 11 years ago

    Connector missing, wires soldered directly to the connector pins on the board.

    #17 11 years ago

    Very impressive work on TAF cabinet front.

    #18 11 years ago

    Typical M&P.

    #19 11 years ago
    Quoted from mcclad:

    Very impressive work on TAF cabinet front.

    Thx, but it was not intentional. I actually HATE working with wood.

    A little detail.....I wanted a TAF and was looking locally with nothing in a realistic price range. The game pictured someone forwarded me the heads up from a seller in Pittsburgh, PA so I gave the guy a call. He described it and sent me a few bad cell phone pics of the game. It was a decent game but I did not have a picture of the coin door. I asked if it was original and he said it had a "different" door on the game. I thought no biggie and swapping out an import coin door is simple.

    I am near Cleveland so after the 2 hour drive to go get the game when I saw that huge coin door and that the cabinet was cut I wanted to puke or at the minimum hop in the car and leave. Once I got past the fugly door the rest of the game was actually really nice under a lot of dirt.

    I am a toolmaker my trade and happen to have a milling machine at home so making a replacement door panel was easy and the wood cost $8. It did however set back my shop out plans to a winter project and I ended up with a nice TAF that I un-molested.

    It was worth it in the end but I learned not to assume anything and if in question ask or have a good picture.

    #20 11 years ago

    Nice repair job.

    #21 11 years ago

    Worst pinball hack is anything M&P Amusement does

    10
    #22 11 years ago

    Here is a good one i just came across. Paint the legs with them still on the cabinet.

    http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/5792/dsc03143of.jpg DSC03143.JPGDSC03143.JPG

    10
    #23 11 years ago

    This MPU was just demolished by whoever tried to work on it. Some of the worst board hacking i have seen.

    DSC02908.JPGDSC02908.JPG DSC02909.JPGDSC02909.JPG DSC02910.JPGDSC02910.JPG

    #24 11 years ago

    Not sure what happened here. The connector was stretched as tight as it could be. Under the masking tape and electrical tape of course they used no solder connecting the wires.

    Speculate they where trying to lengthen the connector failing to realize they could just cut a few zip ties and reroute the wire run better.

    DSC01854.JPGDSC01854.JPG DSC01855.JPGDSC01855.JPG

    #25 11 years ago
    Quoted from RCA1:

    Connector missing, wires soldered directly to the connector pins on the board.

    That pretty much describes every System 11 I've ever bought. That GI interconnect board is a bitch.

    #26 11 years ago

    'Nuff said.

    d8b457d2a25d8d1d7f25250afa880b11.jpgd8b457d2a25d8d1d7f25250afa880b11.jpg

    #27 11 years ago

    this wasnt too bad... but annoying and typical use of automotive connectors

    IMG_5215.jpgIMG_5215.jpg

    #28 11 years ago

    These are my favorite threads along with old operator stories about kids trying to cheat the games (thanks LTG!).

    23
    #29 11 years ago

    Classic

    image.jpgimage.jpg

    #30 11 years ago

    My vote for worst hack ever is adding a center post between the flippers. I've see it done a couple times now. Makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

    #31 11 years ago

    Here is a good one i just came across. Paint the legs with them still on the cabinet.

    Same was done to my F-14.

    LegOverspray.jpgLegOverspray.jpg

    11
    #32 11 years ago

    Went to look at as FT was told on phone by buyer the PF was in mint condition. This is a picture of the actual machine when I got there.

    ft03.jpgft03.jpg

    #34 11 years ago

    How bout this for flippers apparently coil stops are not needed

    DSCF1038.JPGDSCF1038.JPG

    18
    #35 11 years ago

    How about this. Went to view a Williams High Speed...

    At least I'll get no problems driving it home lol

    driving.jpgdriving.jpg

    #36 11 years ago
    Quoted from alchy999:

    Went to look at as FT was told on phone by buyer the PF was in mint condition. This is a picture of the actual machine when I got there.

    If someone told me a pin I was going to see had a mint PF and I found that mess I would be angry. They would know I was angry, I would make it clear.

    #37 11 years ago

    Came across this yesterday. Rectifier board in a super sonic....

    IMG_0203.JPGIMG_0203.JPG

    15
    #38 11 years ago

    I'm guessing the same guy that fixed the spinout also did the flame polishing on the ramps.

    2012-02-26_13.26.27.jpg2012-02-26_13.26.27.jpg 2012-02-26_13.26.03.jpg2012-02-26_13.26.03.jpg

    #39 11 years ago

    Ohh my this is fantastic.--- What the hell were they using the key for in the picture?

    I love the fish tales--- the play sign should read .50 to play, $3 to wipe your dirty ass on the playfield. In their defense the dirty ass print is in mint condition when they bought it.

    And apparently the spinout had a shoot out and then threw alien blood on the ramps. LOL straights not an option on this----also story would begin...SEE what had happened was....

    #40 11 years ago
    Quoted from alchy999:

    Went to look at as FT was told on phone by buyer the PF was in mint condition. This is a picture of the actual machine when I got there.

    Might be mint under the dirt...

    #41 11 years ago

    Another one I went to see because it was very cheap. Owner told me on the phone it was a bit dusty but nothing to worry about! Actually this could be a genuine good buy after you get the hoover on it.

    williams-suspense-pinball-dusty.jpgwilliams-suspense-pinball-dusty.jpg

    Regards Dave

    #42 11 years ago
    Quoted from CoffinStuffer:

    Ohh my this is fantastic.--- What the hell were they using the key for in the picture?

    They used it as the drop target reset plate (the part that pushes the drop target back up). The original had snapped off. It actually worked pretty well.

    #43 11 years ago

    3" deck screw thru the PF to hold a broken piece of plastic on. The rest of the playfield was in excellent condition.

    #44 11 years ago

    The best hacks usually take longer to perform than fixing them the correct way, and many times, cost more than fixing them the correct way, too

    #45 11 years ago

    those coin doors looks aweful! this was my left flipper coil on my dh.

    1. nice hot glue gun job on the coil
    2. same color wires used for jumpers running to the coil leads

    #46 11 years ago

    Nice work, lol

    #47 11 years ago
    Quoted from cal50:

    I am a toolmaker my trade and happen to have a milling machine at home so making a replacement door panel was easy and the wood cost $8. It did however set back my shop out plans to a winter project and I ended up with a nice TAF that I un-molested.
    It was worth it in the end but I learned not to assume anything and if in question ask or have a good picture.

    I was once a toolmaker and I have a mill and lathe in my garage. They have helped me out in the pin hobby many times!

    21
    #48 11 years ago

    Anheuser Busch beer cap nut on flipper button with custom switch and wiring, just replaced this one tonight, perfect timing for this post. Funny thing is it worked just fine.
    Bob

    DSCN6786.JPGDSCN6786.JPG

    #49 11 years ago

    The funny part is I bet that beer cap was still a million times easier to get on and off than the pal nut usually there.

    #50 11 years ago
    Quoted from barakandl:

    This MPU was just demolished by whoever tried to work on it. Some of the worst board hacking i have seen.

    Barakandl - was that stern MPU the one you got from me? For the record I did not do any work on it!

    There are 4,671 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 94.

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