A lot has happened since my last post. I’ll break it down by category.
Backbox
I finished my last coat of semi-gloss and completely repopulated the backbox. Reinstalled the boards and connectors, the speakers, trims, and translite. This thing is enormous and heavy, but i managed to get it installed on top of the cabinet by myself. Got all of the playfield wire harnesses connected to the playfield on the rotisserie next to the cabinet. Plugged the thing in and nothing blew up! Unfortunately there is a portion of the backbox GI that isn’t working, and the top two displays are screwed up. I’ll need to figure out what’s going on with the displays sooner rather than later so i can read the test menus. Still, i’m pretty excited that it works after taking EVERYTHING apart and putting it back together. It was fun to start a game and see that my flippers were flipping with the new cabinet switches and all the work i did in there.
Playfield
I did so much work that didn’t get photographed because my phone bricked on Saturday. Rather than explain everything, i thought i’d just write a list:
- Thoroughly cleaned stand up targets (13)
- Cleaned the underside of every insert
- Removed homemade hack job eject hole plastics, replaced with the proper parts (2)
- Removed all flipper mechs (4), documented and labeled wiring – I have decided that line illustrations are better for clarity than photographs because there is are so many wires everywhere.
- Removed all slingshot mechs (2) and switches (4), documented and labeled wires.
- Cleaned underside of playfield
- went through every mechanism and light socket to mark broken wires and loose solders (there were LOTS of these).
- Cleaned, rebuilt, and reinstalled both slingshots with completely new switches for both sides.
- Removed and replaced 3 stand up targets that were broken beyond hope (1 red, 2 yellow)
- Rewired and reinstalled all stand up targets (13)
- Soldered wires to coil on ball save mechansim (rebuilt this mech ages ago)
- Fixed all known broken wires and loose solders (15+)
- Installed color-matched LEDs for all inserts, replaced old flasher bulbs with new ones (still incandescent)
General
Also rearranged the garage again so i could get the BG cabinet next to the rotisserie. Moved the stereo to the main shelf behind my workstation and re-wired all of the speakers and got them up off the floor, and put in a power strip at the workstation. Built and installed a shelf for one corner of the garage – really cleans up the space and sounds great.
What’s Next?
I’m excited because the list of things to do keeps getting smaller! Here is a list that i’m surely generalizing, but it’s probably pretty close:
- Clean/rebuilt/rewire/reinstall all flipper mechs (4)
- Clean catapult mechs (2)
- re-solder top-side mechs (2, previously rebuilt)
- Fix backbox GI
- Fix displays
- Perform all bulb, sound, and switch tests (then make new repair list)
- Mylar main playfield over wax (need a hand with this)
- Mylar high-wear areas (3)
- Clean and touch-up apron
- Print new score/rule cards
- repair peeling art on plastics (ramps, top side)
- reinstall playfield GI, LEDs for everything but flashers
- Repopulate ramps, plastics, etc
- REJOICE!
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