My next "impossible mission" is a 1979 Gottlieb Buck Rogers in a pitiful state. The machine has been hacked all over the places (as you can see from the pictures) and is in a terrible state of despair. I am going to follow very carefully the System 1 Repair guide published by Clay and try to revive that sorry machine.
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The inside is frightening and it gets worse as you start digging through the wires:
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Talk about a spaghetti plate:
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Hacking at its best..... High quality craftsmanship.....
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Lots of beer flowed through that machine.....
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Contractor style extension cord..... solid and rugged stuff....
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Fortunately, the underside of the playfield is not too bad. It should be interesting.... I am not even expecting any of the Spider Chip to work on such machine. Most likely a Janin replacement board will find its way into it.
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Yves

I made some progress on the main power board, re-arranging this awful plate of spaghetti. It will still be messy but most palatable.

I have reworked most of the solders and undid the hacking on the switch matrix.
I have replaced the Power line filter and the rectifier bridges with new and more powerful components.
I added two fuses to protect the small transformer on the 14 VAC (12VDC) and 11.5VAC (5 VDC) circuits. These fuses are respectively 3/4 amp fast blowing and 2 amps slow-blowing as recommended by Clay.

I will be posting pictures when I am done reworking the connectors with the Molex parts, that I have on order with BigDaddy Enterprises.

Yves

These System1 Gottlieb pinballs have such bad rap, I am not going to do anything cosmetic to that machine until it boots and works.
No need to waste my time with cleaning up the cabinet and the playfield if the electronics never manage to run.

I have done the reverse with my EM Recel Lady Luck: cosmetically everything is perfect but it does not work. Arghhh....

So with this Buck Rogers, I will start by the electrical side of the machine and if it never works, the cabinet will end up being burnt in my fireplace. I will just keep the backglass which is acceptable.

Yves

Some progress on the main power supply board. The wood panel has been painted with a neutral gray color. All wires have been re-organized to the best of my ability and tested correctly. Fuses holders have been thoroughly cleaned and new fuses installed. The rectifier bridges are also new and stronger.
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Clock-wise, we have the knocker wires, main power switch, right flipper button, sound board connection, speaker wires, main connector to the coin door, switch matrix connector, lightbox connections, playfield connectors, main power supply feed, another lightbox connector and the unregulated power supply harness going to the Regulator board. The surroundings of the transformers remain a little messy as the wires were not exactly cut to the right length by Gottlieb.
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A new line filter has been installed with connectors for an easy change of the supply line, if I ever need to extend it more (currently 12 ft).
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Two new fuse holders have been inserted for the 5 Volts and -12 Volts, as recommended by Clay. The 5 VAC fuse is a 2 Amps slow-blow (left) and the -12 VAC is a 3/4 Amp fast blow (right). I need to design two labels for these.
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The butchered switch matrix has been rebuilt and verified.
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Finally, I verified and traced every single wire and connector. Every lug has been removed from its plastic holder, cleaned, reworked or replaced whenever necessary. Every wire has been probed and tested and all the voltages are within specs.

The next phase will be to connect the Rottendog regulator board that I purchased (I did not want to rework the original Gottlieb regulator board as it looks like a poor job and a recipe for long term disaster if you do not replace every single component).

Yves

Today, I installed the Rottendog power regulator.
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I modified the rottendog board and created two Ground connections between the top connector and the mounting pin and the bottom connector and another mounting pin. This way, the regulator has three ways to connect back to ground.

All voltages are fine: 5 VDC, -12 VDC, 60 VDC, 4 VDC and 8 VDC.

The next stage was to install the original CPU after adding the ground modification. The CPU card is connected and the voltages (5 VDC and -12 VDC) can be measured on the capacitors. However, when a display is connected to the CPU board it clearly shows the Slam mode (undulating zeroes) and "11 11" on the smaller credit display.

I performed the Slam bypass modification but that does not seem to help in any ways. The area around the connector J6 and J7 have suffered acid damage as usual, and numerous tracks are no longer showing signs of connectivity. I doubt it is worth spending more time on that board as I may later on discover other Spider chip issues, that I will not be able to resolve.

Yves

Some more progress: I connected the J2 and J3 connectors to the CPU board and try to see what the display have to say:
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Not a lot of success. Even with J6 connected, the machine remains in SLAM mode and will not budge out of it. The corrosion around the J6 and J7 connectors is such that a lot of copper tracks are no longer working. I tried the anti-SLAM modification but it did not change anything on the displays.

I have ordered the PI-1 and the Sound board from Pascal Janin in France. Hopefully, these will bring back some breath of life in that machine. The original sound board is only producing a loud humming and this is not a good omen.

In the meantime, I have been working on verifying the wiring and continuity on the coin door and started looking at the back of the playfield. Here again, some fantastic hacking, all done by twisting the wires....not even soldering. I am amazed by how some people will attempt these kinds of modifications without understanding what they are doing. How can the switch matrix works, if you remove all diodes and connect all the wires together. Even a kid who has never taken any electrical classes would have done better.
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This is why I prefer so much to work on a machine which has been retired from the field, instead of a pinball which has been hacked by a beginner with no knowledge.

Fortunately, the rest of the playfield seems to be in good shape and I could not see any other places where the "Mad Hacker" spent time destroying the original Gottlieb design.

I cannot wait for the Janin board to arrive.

Yves

I spent a good part of the afternoon reworking that stupid hacking:
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It looks much better and I verified each connection and the diodes.
The J7 connector has been entirely re-wired and re-pinned. This connector is located directly under the acid fumes and spills of the battery located on the CPU board and all the pins were cracked, corroded or half-eaten by the acid. Again, continuity was verified for each pin thanks to the schematics.
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A labor of Love, for sure. Still not sure if that will serve anything...... We will see.

Yves

Today, I connected the playfield to the main power supply board:
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The playfield is in a pitiful condition and extremely dirty. I am not cleaning anything until the machine works electrically. If it does not work, this will be used for heating wood.
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I activated the TILT relay and the entire playfield becomes dark. That is working well.
Similarly, activating the Q relay allowed me to verify that the flippers, pop bumpers and the slingshot are working well.
Overall, it is a little bit of light shining far away from the end of the tunnel.

Yves

Thank you lb45. Did you use a Janin board? I see the light moving in attract mode.....on the playfield.
Also, you have some kind of lights animations in the top of the backglass. Is that standard? I did not see individual bulbs being driven on the backglass, besides the tilt, game over, match and higher score to date.

Yves

Tonight, I looked at the various lights on the playfield and checked that they all lit up. Connecting a ground wire to each pin allowed me to verify that each bulb is working as it is supposed to.

I then looked at the driver board and realized that it is not original. Buck Rogers is one of the last System 1 machine having been produced and as such, it should have the Driver Board with the diodes on it. Mine does not have them and is dated 05/78 indicating a very early System 1 board. Another result of the terrible hacking and poor repairs that were done on this machine. I will most likely buy a new Rottendog driver board or some other alternatives.

Yves

Yes, I am leaning in favor of the Ni-Wumpth as I already have the Rottendog Power supply and the Janin PI-1 on order. I also like the LED/visual indications of the Ni-Wumph driver board.

In these old machines, you end up replacing all the boards. Same stuff with Bally CPU, as their Solenoid boards are easier to fix. Those NI-Cad batteries have destroyed so many boards that it is not even funny, anymore.

Yves

Thank you for the feedbacks. I have the PI-1 from Janin, on order and a Ni-Wumpf Driver board on order from Pinball Resource.
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I decided for the Ni-Wumpf board because of the LED/visual indications available on that board. One thing I dislike about the System 1 original hardware is the complete absence of LED or visual indication that the boards are receiving their power supply. Rockwell/Gottlieb was really pinching every bit they could.....
I cannot wait to get the new boards and start injecting some life in this old machine.

Yves

I got it. These random animations are created by an array of #455 bulbs blinking at different paces. It is actually quite clever and a very inexpensive solution to bring some life to these otherwise still machines.

Yves

After a long wait for the Janin boards to arrive, I am pleased to announce that: IT IS ALIVE !!!!
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As the picture shows it, the pinball is in attract mode (a feature of the Janin Boards) and I was able to play a couple of games. All the switches are scoring with an exception of the Vari-Target which does not reset (transistor under the playfield most likely shot) and does not score any points. Two of the displays will also require attention.

But overall, it is comforting to see the machine plays, and the sound with the System1/System 80 Janin board is quite impressive and of excellent quality.

Yves

I am going to focus on the faulty displays and the Vari target before starting any cosmetic restoration.

Yves

That is very good information. How about the Lights located in front of the Vari Target (BASE.1 2 3 4 5 .....RETURN)? Aren't they supposed to light as you push the target to the upper position? Or should they stay dark until you get it all the way up?

Thanks.
Yves

Perfect video and explanations Max. Thank you so much.

Yves

Yes, I was kidding.

Now that the machine is almost working (One display to fix and the vari Target to clean, adjust and TIP-115 to replace) I feel better about tackling the cosmetic section of the restoration. I have ordered all the parts I need from The Pinball Resource and will update this thread with Before versus After pictures. The goal will be to keep it as close as possible to the original pinball. I owe it to do at least that, since all the electronics have been replaced.

I am planning to do only a slight modification to the playfield: the addition of three additional GI lights, at the top, right side and under the two targets island. These three areas are really "dark" and deserve some "enlightenment".

On the cabinet, I am simply planning to add two lights behind the flipper buttons (again GI circuit).

Everything else will be as close to the original machine as possible.

Yves

Yes, it is a good idea in general to repin all the System 1 connectors. However in my case, the issue moves with the display when I install it into a different position. The other three displays are working fine. The last display is also displaying correctly but all the segments for "1" are always on. I tried the recommended UDN 6118 testing approach, and both chips passed the tests. I will try to post a picture to show in details what the display does:
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Thank you for your recommendations and suggestions.
Yves

Yes, the switch matrix was completely destroyed. I do not know what these people were thinking when they did that. There is no way the system could work logically without the diodes.

The new MPU, new Power Supply, new Driver Board and new Sound board were hefty in price: $85 for the Rottendog PS, Driver board was another $80 and the CPU and sound board were sourced directly from Janin in France for about $320 including shipping. The sound board itself is close to $90 as it supports System 1 and System 80. The pure System 1 2nd generation board was not available. I did not want to go with the all-in-1 board as it is more expensive and you still need to purchase an additional sound board. Besides, I like to have multiple boards in the backbox as it looks more genuine this way.

Yes, overall, it is a hefty investment for a System 1 pinball machine. On the other hand, the Janin PI-1 offers Attract mode (lights and sound) which I like very much and allows for a lot of customization and testing of the system. At this level, the Janin is comparable or even better than the Bally systems of the same era. The electronics is a lot more value than the pinball itself (I got this one for very little as it was so butchered....) but hopefully, these new boards will last a long time and keep the machine running well and interesting.

ForceFlow, thank you. Yes, I saw your recommendations and one of them allowed me to fix the 3rd display. I have not gotten the time to replace caps and resistors yet on the fourth display. Thank you for leading and helping me revive this old System 1 machine. I know you are an expert and I rely a lot on your knowledge.

Yves

I have started the restoration of the playfield. It is by far the most complicated as everybody knows.

My first task was to remove all the mechanics from the rear side of the playfield, as I want to take apart the target mechanisms, clean the parts and replace the targets. Also, it is easier to work in the top side, if nothing gets in the way on the back.
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I am just keeping the pop-bumpers armatures to use as a stand, as I do not own a rotisserie. It would be very useful at this time.
The flipper mechanisms will be rebuilt in time, as I got a kit from The Pinball Resource.
After a lot of work the playfield is empty and slick with the exception of that massive rail that I cannot remove. It will stay in place and be used to protect the surface of the playfield, when upside down.
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As you can see, there is a ton of dirt and it is going to be a relief to remove all that crass and dust.
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At this stage, the basement is now filled with the noise of the rock tumbler, polishing and cleaning all the parts removed from the playfield.
I suppose, I will live with that noise for a few days......

Yves

I have started the cleaning of the playfield: Magic Eraser and 70% alcohol.
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The amount of crud and dirt is just amazing. Also, you can tell that this machine was using a rusty ball when looking at the depth of the gouges in some areas of the playfield.

I am painstakingly drawing with archival ink markers and my Soft Body Liquited acrylic paints all the damages on the playfield. Starting from the top:
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With a little luck, the orange matches perfectly the Liquitex Cadmium Red Light. The Yellow is a very close Cadmium Yellow Medium Hue/Brillant Yellow and the red is the Naphtol Crimson. The Blue has to be mixed as well as the grayish/greenish color of the spacecrafts.

Yves

Playfield touch-up is finished. I spent the entire day touching up and fixing hundreds of small spots and bigger ones.
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It is not perfect, but a lot better than what it used to be.
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I am not spending the money (and time) to clear coat that playfield. It is not in good enough shape to justify such treatment. Instead I am coating the playfield with two to three coats of Wax/Sealer for cars: Collinite 745. That chemical is very slick and protects the paint of you car for about six months, in all kind of weather. I figure that for a home utilization, that will be perfect for a long time. After all, I have a Medusa (non clear coated) which I have been using for 10 years and the playfield is still impeccable. The trick is to change balls on a regular basis, clean and wax the field.
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Overall, I am quite happy with the results and it is a drastic departure from what it used to be.

Yves

Collinite 745 is a semi-durable wax/sealer product for cars, boats and other industrial equipment. It can be removed with dish detergent and warm water. I use it on my cars and they shine and stands-out from the rest of the cars.

Yves

I started re-assembling the playfield. It is one of my favorite phases during the restoration process. Installing new and clean parts on a waxed playfield, is almost a sensual experience. Pictures will be coming later.

Yves

Working on the back of the playfield. Two holes have been added for extra light on the central island and on the right top side of the playfield, which is usually very dark:
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The new socket is connected to the GI circuit.
For the island, in the middle of the playfield:
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and on the other side:
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I also replaced the outhole kicker coil. You will agree with me that it was overdue:
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Yves

Still working on the back of the playfield. Complete disassembly of the targets mechanism and replacement of the targets with new ones from Pinball Resource:
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The other Targets unit is being cleaned in the tumbler and will also benefit from new fresh 500 targets. When taking the mechanism apart, make sure you do not mix the springs: there are two types of spring, although they look alike from the outside.

Yves

More progress on the back of the playfield, this week. The second target mechanism has been rebuilt with new "500" targets from The Pinball Resource:
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All the parts have been tumbled and cleaned at much as possible. No expensive plating here, just regular clean Gottlieb parts.

I am also working on the lightbox/backbox and started touching up the artwork, whenever necessary. Again, Liquitex colors are perfect match for the yellow and orange which is always a nice relief.

The light board has been damaged due to water dripping. I suspect the machine stayed outside, as I found leaves and seeds in the top of the lightbox. I have sanded that board as much as possible but let's face it, it will never be perfectly flat and smooth again:
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I am waiting for a warm day/evening to prime the board and paint it with a flat white.
In the meantime, I have started the resurrection of the flipper mechanisms:
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Everything will be replaced with the Steve Young repair kit and new coils. Wiring is being changed with fresh and bigger wires and I am installing connectors between the flipper mechanisms and the main harness. This will facilitate future maintenance.

When the flipper are re-installed, the only thing missing on the back of the playfield, will be the installation of the pop bumpers. All contacts have been cleaned, all inserts wiped with alcohol, dried and equipped with new and fresh #44 bulbs. I still have to replace the TIP115 to reset the vari-target, for peace of mind.

After that, we flip the playfield and start rebuilding the top: my favorite part.

Yves

I have rebuilt one flipper mechanism and installed a connector to the main wires harness:
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All the new parts are from the rebuilt kit from the Pinball Resource.

Yves

Some progress updates:

1) Working on the lightbox: the artwork has been re-touched, space black added where it was missing and the white spots recreated with a tiny brush to mimic the splattering done originally. The inside has been painted black to match the outside and the rusty corners have been sanded and painted a nice glossy grey. I only kept the original wood on the inner sides of the lightbox.
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It is now a lot cleaner overall, although I am still using the old and crummy hardware installed by Gottlieb. Hey, you have a to keep as many things in their genuine condition as possible.
The sides of the lightbox are being clear-coated to protect the artwork and give to that machine the glitter and shine it had some 40 years ago:
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The playfield is still gathering a lot of attention: both flippers have been rebuilt and have been installed. Everything is new on that side and it shows.
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And then there was light .... Notice the central island with its new bulb as well as the additional bulb near the shooter lane exit. These two additional lights will make the playfield more inviting and pleasant hopefully.
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See you soon.
Yves