The Aussie Pinball Arcade
Aussie Pinball Forums => Restorations => Topic started by: johnwartjr on October 25, 2009, 05:36:48 PM
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This week, I intend to start my Creature project.
I'll start with a little background info on the machine, and then hopefully will have some updates on an almost daily basis.
This particular machine is a Creature prototype. I know of 2 others in existence, not to say there are not more, but I know of 2 others.
I've always had a thing for the prototype machines. I've owned prototypes of a few, and early production samples of a few as well.
This particular machine has an interesting history. It started life out in Germany, then at some point made its way to Croatia. A friend in Germany who used to get me pins in Europe and ship them over told me (used to be cheaper than acquiring them stateside before the Euro took off!) once that the worn out games from other European countries get sent to Eastern Europe, and typically games from this area are pretty beat. He was right!
Some of this is speculation, as I bought it from a container load of a guy in Texas who imported games from Eastern Europe. I looked up some words on a label on the translite glass and assume it's Croatia, as a lot of the words typed into search engines bring me back to Croatia.
Anyways, the hard part of this game has already been done. I had the playfield professionally restored by Playfield Renovations, and I had the cabinet restored by a friend who is a pattern maker and is a wizard with wood. What's left is cleaning and reassembly.
Some general pics of what I started with:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/cftbl_47203
Playfield issues
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_pf_issues
Playfield after repaired
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_pf_after
Note: Playfield Renovations changed the copyright info on the prototype playfield. I'm not super happy about this, but as long as it took to get the playfield back, this is something I'm going to 'life with', because if I sent it back, it could be *years* before I get it back!
Cabinet during and after repair job
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_cab_after
Some pics comparing differences between prototype and production playfields
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/comparing_pf
Since I just finished a restoration, I had to repair a game for an operator and now that it's done, I'm going to dive into the Creature.
My first stages will be cleaning parts and wiring harnesses, as I am presently without my playfield rotisserie. I hope to load the tumblers tomorrow! Weather permitting, I'll also be cleaning wiring harnesses this week.
I must warn you, I work slow. I've got 2 small children (1 and 3) who are only going to grow up once, so I'll work on the pin as time permits. I can't wait until they are big enough to help me, though.
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Wow.
Playfield work is great. Clear looks amazing and I couldn't pick the touchups!.
What on earth happened the the hole for the flipper button on the cabinet? Great repair mind you.
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Somewhere along the line, someone installed an older Gottlieb or Bally flipper button with 'sleeve' - you can sort of see it here:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/cftbl_47203/DSCN4382.sized.jpg)
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That playfield looks awesome - "what touch ups" #@#
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Great job mate ^^^
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Wow that playfield is amazing, nice work john
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You are one brave man John *%*
Excellent work....excellent game ^^^
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excellent job - well done #*#. One of my favourite games.
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Got started yesterday.
This has to be one of the filthiest games I've ever worked on.
As a non-smoker, I must say that tar disgusts me, even more, after working on these games. The way it just gums things up, and is difficult to remove.
The first day of the restoration involved cleaning harnesses. And boy were they nasty!
Just look at this solenoid harness, after spraying it with degreaser.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1413.sized.jpg)
After all the cabinet and playfield harnesses were carefully cleaned, dried with compressed air, and hung to dry, I started to sort parts so I could begin the cleaning process on them
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1424.sized.jpg)
As I go, I chronicle each individual assembly, making notes of parts that need replacement so I can verify I have parts on-hand, or order parts if I don't.
Common assemblies, such as flippers, pop bumpers, slingshots etc are not concentrated on as seriously, as I've rebuilt lots of them, game-specific assemblies are well documented so I make sure they go back together correctly
Every assy is just filthy. A mixture of cigarette tar, solenoid dust, grease and oil that was inside every solenoid is all over everything, like these flipper base plates:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1429.sized.jpg)
It's a lot of work cleaning and rebuilding all these assemblies, but I enjoy every bit of it. If I get to the point where it feels like work, it is time to stop for the night and take a break, because that's when I cut corners and I don't do that.
Pile is a bit smaller, but it's deceiving as there is more to pile up :)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1447.sized.jpg)
Gallery link is here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/ (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/)
Day 2 is coming, will see what today brings
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(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1413.sized.jpg)
Your missus would have to be happy with that bath stain *)* <.> *)*
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Washed right off :) was just a trail of funk from the parts being cleaned.
She doesn't get too upset with me cleaning these parts - I clean them in our 'guest' bathroom, and when I'm done, I clean it up real well :) It's one of the few times when she doesn't get upset with me for not helping around the house as much as possible :)
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Day #2 involved cleaning a lot of parts, and experimenting with a few techniques. These parts were some of the nastiest parts I've had in a game. Well coated and caked in tar, grease, solenoid 'dust, etc.
For those following along from the beginning, the day began here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1448 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1448)
Bracketry cleaned up nicely with degreaser only.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1453.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1454.sized.jpg)
Played with the ultrasonic cleaner a bit, I think I'm in love!
Before putting a part in
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1458.sized.jpg)
After about 4 'loads' of parts
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1459.sized.jpg)
A workbench full of cleaned parts
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1460.sized.jpg)
I'm not convinced I am going to tumble any of this stuff - I don't know if I'll gain anything, and it'll take a lot of effort and supplies.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1461.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1462.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1463.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1464.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1465.sized.jpg)
Not sure yet what tomorrow will bring, maybe I'll build some assemblies. I'm working on the hopefully final parts list.
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Love your work John ! It great to see everything filthy and disgusting - you can see all the poor repairs done in the past. Then you clean everything and lay it out on the table like that - That is a huge amount of "fun"
I have to quote you ;
"It's a lot of work cleaning and rebuilding all these assemblies, but I enjoy every bit of it. If I get to the point where it feels like work, it is time to stop for the night and take a break, because that's when I cut corners and I don't do that."
EXACTLY the way I think !
Thanks for updating your work here, on the thread. Viewing the albums without the commentary is not as much fun ^^^
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Hi John,
I'm VERY impressed with the results with the ultrasonic cleaner - can you please tell us more about this
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I'm VERY impressed with the results with the ultrasonic cleaner - can you please tell us more about this
Ditto- what he said please - tell us more please ^^^
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I am far from an expert on the technology, but I will share some info.
The basic principles are documented on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning)
The way it was described to me is that ultrasonic cleaners use sound waves and are more efficient than many other cleaning methods.
I started off with a cheap ultrasonic cleaner off eBay and was somewhat disappointed with it. I now keep it under the sink in my master bathroom, and about once a month as I jump in the shower of a morning, I throw my glasses in it, filled with warm water and a single drop of antibacterial hand soap, and when I get done, after a warm water rinse, my glasses are refreshed, no more skin oils/grease/whatever gets in every little nook and cranny. Some jewelers use them. But, the $40 USD ultrasonic cleaner just didn't cut it for pin parts.
The ultrasonic I cleaned these parts with was around $250 USD, and honestly, until yesterday, I thought I may have wasted my money. A friend who is quite heavily involved with the technology suggested I was using the wrong cleaning solution - there are many out there, and depending on what you are cleaning, apparently you can adapt the cleaner you use. One challenge I have giving you an idea of what I use - what I used to clean these parts probably isn't available on your continent. However, I'm sure there's something close.
The cleaners come in all sizes too. Some engine re-builders have one with a tank large enough to stick an entire engine block in.
They make solutions for cleaning things in an ultrasonic cleaner, and they make different varieties depending on what sort of stuff you'll be cleaning. But, what I've done is just experimented with stuff around the house. Mainly cleaners that I've known to work when cleaning parts by hand - because I already had some of those to try.
The degreaser I use is heavy on alcohol - after cleaning parts for 2 days, my hands are very dry and chapped. I had to slather them down with lotion several times, and my hands just absorbed it like a sponge. Next time around, I may use some gloves. The degreaser I am using is citrus based, smells somewhat like oranges. Orange smelling citrus cleaners are pretty common over here. I'm using the degreaser undiluted - but am curious to try it diluted. A 64 oz bottle of this degreaser is $1-2 at a local dollar store, and after cleaning all the metal hardware, I've still got enough of it left to fill the ultrasonic tank once more.
I am also curious to see how windex would work, both straight and diluted. I've used 'mean green' in the ultrasonic, but diluted it pretty heavily as all I had left was a little left in the bottom of a bottle. I've also tried a few drops of dish washing detergent in a ultrasonic full of water. Really, it's a trial and error thing, find what you can get locally and test it out.
One thing that I wonder - is the 'green' movement popular in Australia as it is over in the US? Meaning, environmentally? One challenge I have had over here is that all the manufacturers of cleaning solutions and other things are going very environmentally friendly with their products and reformulating them. The manufacturers swear they work as well, but I'm not convinced yet.
When I bought a jug of windex the other day, it made comments about its green formulation, and it doesn't seem to smell the same and work the same. I cleaned a PF glass with it, and it cleaned the glass just fine, but the other non-intended cleaning purposes of the windex may have been changed. The flitz I use in my tumbler is now in a new 'green' formulation and I'm not convinced it's the same as the flitz I bought 5 years ago - it smells different and I don't know if it works as well when I go to my spares and look at brackets I tumbled years ago.
Some ultrasonic cleaners have a heater built in, so the solvent can be used at a warmer temperature. If run for about 5 minutes, this one gets the solution warm to the touch - and it seems to get warmer the dirtier the solution gets.
Some cleaners have seemingly nice parts baskets in them, like a deep fryer, so you can lift the parts in and out of them easily. The problem with the one I had with a basket is that the basket absorbed a lot of the waves and didn't clean so efficiently. I still use that one for my glasses, but I don't use the basket in it. With metal parts, you can use a big magnet to fish them out. I imagine to get a cleaner with a basket with tight enough mesh that the smaller parts didn't fall through into the tank, you'd probably lose the majority of the waves, and it'd be ineffective.
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Thanks for the info John, I've heard of these ultrasonic cleaners before and was vey impressed after having watched an "industrial sized" one in action in Jay Leno's garage over on popular mechanics:
Video of it in action halfway down the page -
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/jay_leno_garage/4212345.html
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Day 3 didn't seem to make a lot of progress, but in reality I think it did; I went ahead and started all the hardware tumbling as I just wasn't 100% happy with the finish from the tumbler.
Sorted out a lot of the parts for the reassembly. Hopefully, the parts all being nice and clean will help them tumble more quickly.
Plastic posts etc ready to reinstall
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1478.sized.jpg)
Parts to rebuild pop bumpers
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1481.sized.jpg)
Parts to rebuild flippers and shooter
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1482.sized.jpg)
Tomorrow, I hope to empty out the tumblers, sort parts and start reassemling assemblies. I am considering buying some new coils because a few of the originals didn't clean up to my satisfaction. I hate to just replace perfectly functional solenoids because the wrappers aren't gleaming, but again, I'd rather spend another $50 now than wish I had later and have to tear the game apart again.
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great resore thread #*#
with the new pop bumper assembly's there are you going to fit the GI in them or flasher's? just that im thinking off doing it to mine
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I'm undecided.
I don't want to hack the game up, and would prefer it look somewhat original, so probably just GI for now. Or, maybe I won't install anything in there. The flashing looks pretty cool, but I don't want to screw a bunch of resistors and parts to the bottom of the playfield to make flashers work. I also like the speaker panel LED mod, but find the wiring running all around to be a bit untidy; so I don't think I'm going to do that either.
On the other hand, I did pick up an extra set of Creature speaker grilles, so I could put a new panel in and be 100% reversible.
But, I can think about it a little as I work on the machine.
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Fantastic work John. I see no expense will be spared on this machine. Starting mine soon so I'm following with great interest.
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John,
I noticed in your playfield (after Restoration) photos that the holes for the flippers hadn't been changed back to original, did that cross your mind (repairing them) to keep it original? I think you mentioned somewhere that ops were told to drill them out to lower ball times. I also notice that you have amber bumper caps ready to install, was that the proto colour?
I have a soft spot for this machine so I am really enjoying your restoration.
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Good eye on the bumper caps :) Chalk that up to lack of sleep, now I need to go back to my parts bin, return the amber ones, and grab a red set :) Luckily, I'm stocked up on parts for 3 IJ restorations, so I'll just temporarily swipe a red set from one of them.
Interestingly, I've identified at least 2 different sets of proto ramps! I know of a HUO Proto Creature that was sold by TreasureCove here in Indiana around the same time mine surfaced. My ramps are completely different than the ones on the HUO proto game, which has holes cut on the swirl ramp and the little #86 bulbs poke through the top of the ramp. Much easier to change them in that one! My original proto ramps are pretty decent but not perfect. I have a NOS (not repro) ramp set here that is going on the proto game when I start reassembling the PF, and I'll keep the proto ramps, along with the original plastics and a few other original goodies I'm going to replace due to being worn out etc in storage so I have all the original parts. My ramps aren't much different than production, they lack locations for a couple of clear plastics that I'm assuming were done to eliminate ball traps, but are otherwise identical.
Regarding the flipper holes, I opted to leave them original just because I might want to try the flippers in both positions. You really can't see the holes that well once the flipper assemblies are installed, so it won't be too much of an eyesore.
The game will never really be 'original', in its original form this game was really too far gone to enjoy with all the cabinet damage. Pulling the shooter rod caused the front panel of the cab to pull away from the cab, and the damage also kept the playfield from sliding in and out of the cabinet. I restored a very rough cosmetically sample T2 that was very similar condition, but left the PF original and the cab art original, because there's no repro T2 cab art, and since the sample T2 didn't have diamondplate, it was not an obvious restoration candidate - and the T2 PF had some artwork differences, so grabbing a NOS T2 playfield wasn't an option for *me*. On this game, I decided to go another way, since it was so rough, the art was available, and I already had the PF back from restoration.
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Didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped today, but as I said earlier, I'm not on a set schedule or deadline. My 'best' full restoration to date took about 90 days. If I can stay motivated, and keep finding time, this one could probably give that a run for its money!
Today, I unloaded the tumblers and sorted hardware. I rebuilt 2 assemblies before packing it in for the night
Flippers
Before
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1428.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1429.sized.jpg)
After
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1490.sized.jpg)
Shooter
No before pics
After pic:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1492.sized.jpg)
Tomorrow, more assembly assembling :)
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Nice restore John ! ^^^
A few things i would like to ask...
Why is there 2 different flipper coils ? One is a 11629 and the other is 15411... !@#
Over the years in my search for a CFTBL i have noticed two major factors in an array of machines..
One being the front cab artwork.... I have seen 2 different types.... One type has a lot more purple on it...hot dog is purple, dice are purple, ice cream is a dull type purple and this can not be put down to a fade factor... Do they all fade they same ???? and the other style is more detailed with colour... Hot dog is a brown/orange colour, ice cream is a brighter purple colour and there is simply more detail in the artwork..
The other major factor i have noticed is the shooter lane/outer playfield rails....( the out most/outer edge playfield rails, on the edge of the playfield on both sides )
I have seen a majority with what we would consider to be standard timber painted or laminated rails and the other type are a metal grey/black colour rail..
Can anyone shed some light to these interesting finds ???
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The flipper coils are different values.. because that's the way the game was made. The 11629 is the next step 'stronger' than the 15411. I guess the right flipper needed to be a little hotter than the left one, for whatever reason. Maybe it needs more oomph to hit the shots?
WMS had more than one company screening cabinets for them. There's a good writeup here:
http://www.flippers.be/pinball_cabinets.html (http://www.flippers.be/pinball_cabinets.html)
I've had Creature and BSD both twice, one of each had playfields screened by Lenc Smith, and the other of each had playfields screened by Sun Process. WMS used both companies to screen playfields and cabinets, so perhaps each one used slightly different processes?
I've also seen both games with metal and wooden side rails. I's a lot more common to see the metal ones on BSD and the wooden ones on Creature, but both games were made with both styles. Personally, I prefer the wood. The problem with the metal is when the ball wears on it - how are you going to touch it up and get that pattern back? It took 3 sets of siderails from BSDs to get a pair that looked decent enough to put on my game. If the wooden ones need repainted, grab a spray can.
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I was just about to answer about the coils and you beat me to the post! I think because the right ramp feels close the left flipper needs the weaker coil, but the shot to get it up the left ramp (when the flap is down) to enter the whirlpool needed that extra grunt.
I have worked on 2 creatures and the first one had the metal rails and the one I have now has the wood, not sure why or how they decided etc.
I remember seeing the treasure cove proto with the 86 bulbs sticking out the top of the ramps, I had forgot about that until you mentioned it. Like you said John, it would have been far easier to change them!
Oh and I thought that the Amber caps may have been the proto colour, seems not!
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Wierd re the coils..... !@#
Anyway thanks for the quick response guys ^^^ !
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Another downside to the metal side rails - both BSD and Creature have the standoffs that attach to the siderails to attach ramps, etc to. The metal ones strip real easy. No possible way to stick a nut in there, and you can't really repair metal like that any way that I know. Wood, you have a plate with a threaded rod sticking up that you attach the standoff to, and it works a lot better.
I just packed it in for night #5, all assemblies have been cleaned, polished and rebuilt with new coil sleeves etc.
Start of today's photos in the album, if you care to look:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1497 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1497)
I started off rebuilding the pops
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1497.sized.jpg)
Then, the brackets for the slings and shooter lane feeder
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1498.sized.jpg)
Then, of course, everything gets bagged up so it stays nice and clean til I install it on the playfield
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1499.sized.jpg)
On to a mod all my games get..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1500.sized.jpg)
I remove the plunger from all slingshot links and similar linkages, and upgrade to a Stern part that is much thicker and takes more abuse. I've replaced a ton of the WMS part, and switched to the Stern part out of necessity - the WMS part became NLA.
So, I clamp the plunger to a 2x4 with a groove ground into it, then drive the roll pin out, replace the link, and reinstall the roll pin. The 2x4 with the groove has a hole cut in the groove so the roll pin can pass partially through. It's best to not drive the roll pin completely out, just far enough to fit the thicker link in.
Side by side comparison of the 2 links, grey is WMS, blue is Stern
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1501.sized.jpg)
Done!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1502.sized.jpg)
Linkages rebuilt, just before bagging them up:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1504.sized.jpg)
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You are FLYING through this machine John !
Great update ^^^
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Attention to detail is superb !
This will come up REAL nice ! *%*
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Since today was Halloween, I only got a little done.
I have found in the past that it's absolutely necessary that I make a little progress each day - even if I just go into the shop, put some tools away, clean up a little etc. If I spend a day away from the project, it becomes 2, then 3, suddenly weeks turn to months and my mind wanders. Today, I spent about an hour cleaning. I did some small PCBs and lamp boards.
A container of dirty boards, lamp, triac, chase lamp, etc (can't find the danged coin door interface board, have had it in my hands in the last 48 hours!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1512.sized.jpg)
The 'after' pics:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1513.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1514.sized.jpg)
The process for these is simple, although having had this discussion on another forum tells me my product of choice is not readily available in your country.
I place the boards in my kitchen sink or bathtub, then coat with Scrubbing Bubbles. Scrubbing Bubbles is a bathroom cleaning product that comes in a spray can and shoots soap on the item being cleaned - a shower, bathtub, sink, pinball part, etc and then the foaming soap 'expands' and as it runs off the board, you can see it taking a lot of the contaminants off the board.
I typically coat the board, let it soak for a moment, and then use a paintbrush to work into all the tight spots and make sure everything gets clean. Then, I give the board a hot water rinse, followed by 91% rubbing alcohol to displace any water left behind, then I dry the board with my air compressor and let it sit on a towel overnight. Then, I bag the boards til they are ready to be installed.
The little twist-in sockets get cleaned in the ultrasonic with 91% alcohol, and then are blown dry with the compressor.
The boards come out looking new.
Tomorrow, I'll get back to the grind. Haven't decided what to do yet, but definitely need to start cleaning cabinet hardware and parts. Also have a lot of stainless to clean and regrain.
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Day 7
Weekends are always incredibly busy times around my households. Seems I can't get as much accomplished over the weekend as I can on a weekday, as backwards as that sounds.
Tonight, I packed up a bunch of dirty parts to clean, mostly the stainless ball guides from the top of the PF, but also some cabinet hardware, the under playfield trough, and the window.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1515.sized.jpg)
I'm glad I never tried smoking..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1517.sized.jpg)
Need to regrain the ball guides and work on some trough parts with metal polish, a lot of the 'filth' apparently is ground in so well that regular cleaners won't touch it. But most parts look real nice
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1521.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1522.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1523.sized.jpg)
Keep in mind, not only does this level of detail make the pins look nice, they are also clean to work on in the future, and this is the ONLY way to get that nasty smell out of the European routed games that are heavily loaded with cigarette odors.
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November 12, 2009 - aka Day 8
Start of work
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1524 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1524)
Now that the parts are clean, I need to address the surface corrosion and contamination that the degreaser would not remove.
Some of these parts are typically pretty nasty. I think the worst ones are just zinc plated steel - and I've had NOS zinc steel brackets in controlled environments go to crap real quick.
Some of the parts are the ball guides, which get a line ground into them by the moving ball, metal on metal contact.
So, how do we clean them? I've used a few methods, some of which work better than others.
The ball guides can have the grooves buffed out of them with green scotch brite pads - which are readily available at the grocery here. I actually get huge ones at the warehouse club and cut them into smaller pieces. Then, I just need some sort of lubricant to 'wet sand' the ball guides. But, admittedly, the green scotch brite pad isn't necessarily coarse enough. I've used 120, followed by 220, then 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper in the past to wet sand them. Then, once they are done, I buff them up with a bit of mothers mag wheel polish.
A mild ball trail ground into this smallish ball guide... progressing from as found to ready to reinstlal.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1530.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1531.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1532.sized.jpg)
And some of the 'zinc'd steel' parts that aren't stainless and are a little harder to polish up:
Playfield standoffs are *clean*, just not everywhere yet. Progression..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1533.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1537.sized.jpg)
Nice, clean parts..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1539.sized.jpg)
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So all pictures above are the results of the wet/dry sandpaper method ?
Outstanding !
-
Well, I've got a bit of a process update that will answer your questions about the process.
The pics from last night are a mixture - some are 120 grit sandpaper, sanded wet, with windex, then once the heavy grooves or junk are off the material, then I used a green scotchbrite pad with windex to return the grain. The parts that weren't too heavily grained or contaminated just used the green scotch brite with windex. Then, I hand polished them up with a bit of Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish on a rag.
A friend suggested I try the red scotchbrite pads, I had difficulty finding them locally and was going to order a case off eBay (20 huge pads for roughly $20 USD shipped), but I decided that I would prefer to try before buying, if at all possible. I went to a local discount home improvement store to get a wooden plank for a project, and was walking around and stumbled on them there, 1 for $1.89. They had 2 of them, so I purchased both - and used almost all of 1 tonight on the Creature guides. Really, I think it would've gone faster if I had more of them. The people selling them claim that they can be rinsed and reused. I simply don't see how that's possible, they seem to wear out with use. But, I'll rinse them and let them dry in the sun tomorrow and see if maybe once the crap is flushed out of them, perhaps they are useful again.
The 3M part # for the case of 20 is 07447.
The red pads are abrasive enough that I just don't see a need for sandpaper anymore.
Tonight's pics start here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1540
Wetsanding with the red scotchbrite pad
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1540.sized.jpg)
Windex is starting to bubble up, the part is ready to be wiped off. Note the material past the bend, it's not yet sanded
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1541.sized.jpg)
Shiny!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1543.sized.jpg)
Both parts after buffing with mothers mag polish
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1547.sized.jpg)
All the polished parts, bagged up to wait on reinstallation
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1548.sized.jpg)
So, I'd say the red scotchbrite pads are a success!
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Nice work john, i'll have to keep an eye out for those pads to do the trim on mine.
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Day 10 was a full one!
As the parts list continues, I decided it was time to verify what parts I needed to build the cabinet. That meant going through the cabinet hardware and cleaning it. Since the cabinet was in such sad shape when the game arrived, it was clear that I would need some cabinet hardware. I have parted out numerous WPC games over the years and have a pretty substantial amount of extra hardware - however, the common stuff is always missing or damaged, so I had to determine if I truly had what I needed.
Photo album begins here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1551 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1551)
First matter of concern - Creature was the 6th game to have playfield slides - and the earliest games had a slide system that was slightly different than the later games. Instead of the nice, robust metal plate that goes underneath the pivot nuts, Creature has 4 washers. This doesn't allow the playfield to slide as easily as the metal plates, and allows for the cabinet braid to get torn up pretty easily. Also, the game had incorrect hardware on the pivot nuts, so I wasn't sure at the beginning if I had the right pivot nuts, or enough of them.
You can see in this photo
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/cftbl_47203/DSCN4416.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/cftbl_47203/DSCN4430.sized.jpg)
Someone has replaced the forward shooter size pivot nut carriage bolt with a leg bolt. That just won't work. The ground braid is also frayed or torn on both sides. It can't do its job.
This is the pivot hardware that came out of the game
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1552.sized.jpg)
So, I'm missing one carriage bolt.
I found some of the flat metal plates I mentioned in a parts box
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1553.sized.jpg)
Actually have 4, but only 2 are pictured. I've got numerous other games that require the same upgrade when they get restored, so I had better locate some more of these.
Some other hardware I need has been located too, along with spare pivot nuts.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1554.sized.jpg)
I cleaned them all, and stuck them all in the tumbler, as I am constantly finding games where the pivot nuts fell off, and it seems that they are the only games I get that the operators vacuum out - as the missing pivot nuts are always missing.
Not pictured is the remaining hardware for the head hinges - but I found enough parts to put the Creature back together.
As pictured, the head pivot hardware is incorrect.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/cftbl_47203/DSCN4427.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/cftbl_47203/DSCN4428.sized.jpg)
But, that is easily fixed.
I've also rounded up enough hardware to build up a set of the correct early fliptronics opto boards. I haven't found my stash of optos, but I intend to replace all 4 optos as they are often flaky or intermittent on games the age of this one. I want to be able to put the opto boards in, and have the game ready to play. Also, I don't have a lot of spares of this style opto board, so I need to get these right. I'm a stickler for original boards in my games, I have plenty of the newer style, or could upgrade to aftermarket boards, but I don't want to do this.
I'm going to need a new or good used cabinet speaker!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1556.sized.jpg)
The mirror has been broken. Luckily, I have a spare
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1558.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1559.sized.jpg)
Projector is filthy
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1560.sized.jpg)
Coin door looks like it has potential..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1561.sized.jpg)
In general, a lot of American collectors don't like to refurbish their original coin doors - many collectors consider container games to be of lesser value than domestic games that have never left the country. Strange as it sounds! I've always thought condition was king, and price was determined by condition - but that's a rant that I'll save everyone here. Granted, this game was quite rough to start with - but when you like prototype games, they don't just grow on trees. So, you take what you can get.
I put the original doors back on games when possible - assuming I can make them clean up reasonably. This game's door looked like it wouldn't be too bad, fill a couple holes in the front, a fresh coat of paint, and reinstall. However, initial appearances are decieving.
When I turned the door over, most of the back hardware was gone, and the harness was cut up and mostly missing!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1562.sized.jpg)
I spent 4 hours on the coin door alone - and combined parts from 4 coin doors to make this one nearly complete. But more on that later!
Here's something you just don't see very often - a WPC printer kit.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1571.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1572.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1573.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1574.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1575.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1576.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1577.sized.jpg)
These were a rare option installed in most prototype games when they left the factory. They were available for operators to purchase, but that didn't happen very often. Basically, it's an additional backbox board that installs either on top of the fliptronics board, or in the corner of the backbox where the fliptronics board would go if the game were so equipped, along with another board to be mounted in the lower cabinet. These allowed an operator to print a report - if you've played with a lot of WPC games, you have surely seen the option to print, and perhaps wondered how you'd hook the printer up. I've also been told in rare circumstances, taxing authorities may want printouts of game revenue. And, in a few cases, the printer ports were used to link games - you can link 2 NBA Fastbreaks, or 2 or more Hot Shot basketball (WPC redemption) games.
For those on the techie side, rarely were these used with actual printers. Typically, the game designers would go to wherever the game was on location for test, and hook up a laptop and establish a null modem session and dump the data to their laptop, then take it back to the office to review things to determine how many extra balls the game gave out, how long ball times were, etc, and changes were made. One interesting change made to Creature - the flippers were moved apart. I've been told by the game designer that the European operators determined that ball times were too long, so they spread the flippers a bit to make the game more difficult.
So, how do I know that my game should have one of these? 2 giveaways
1) The spacers that the board in the head mount to are still installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/253_G.sized.jpg)
And if you look real close under the shooter, you can see where the lower cabinet board was installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/279_G.sized.jpg)
What happened to the original kit? That, I don't know. Someone somewhere in its life removed it. Maybe they were troubleshooting something and decided it was not necessary, perhaps they stole it for another game, perhaps something broke. But, I wanted it back.
So, where does someone find such a kit? I searched for this for several years. I have a substantial network of resources from my years collecting. I have contacts at most of the former WMS distributors in the US that are still in business, and have been known to locate items that were just considered gone. Stuff like NOS wired playfields, plastics sets, game specific parts that are always broken yet never available, etc. That didn't pan out. I tried every pinball parts supplier I know - also didn't pan out. Various newsgroup and forum posts yielded nothing. Apparently, that showed my desperation, as one kit popped up on eBay from a seller in Denmark - for $500 USD. I wouldn't pay that. OK, I *would* have paid that when the game was done, but I would've moved on to another game before this one, as I don't have $500 in disposable hobby income right now. I bought my Indiana Jones and my Addams for less than $500 total! I even asked my friends at Illinois Pinball - and they could find nothing.
Then, something strange happened - for my birthday, my wife took me to the Illinois Pinball sale to do a little shopping. Admittedly, it was just a *little* shopping, as I'd been unemployed for some time - but she recognized that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that once the parts were all loaded up, the only chance I'd have to see them would be buying them once cataloged and placed online by PSP. So, we headed over for the afternoon, and I had a budget of $100 USD for anything I might buy. After a couple hours, no printer kits found - but I did get some goodies I wanted, and had a blast looking around and chatting with Aussie Tim and James from Pinball Inc. I mentioned to them that I was looking for a printer kit - and a friend had mentioned it to them earlier too. I got home, and later that night, I found a picture of a printer kit in my mailbox. Apparently, they found not 1, but 3 printer kits and spare parts, while going through parts.
Collectors in Australia will be very pleased once these parts get cataloged and online, I promise you that Americans did not find and purchase *all* the treasures. And I know that things were being unearthed daily - but anyways, I made another trip to Illinois and bought all the printer kit goodies that were turned up. I have a friend who needed a couple, and I got the spare parts with hopes that I can turn them into another complete printer kit if I can locate parts down the road. Protos are often missing these printer kits. They were not 'cheap', but definitely were 'reasonable'. And I'll always be grateful to Tim and James for turning them up!
So, anyways, back to the coin door. I sent a good friend who has a fair amount of parts an instant message and discussed what coin doors he might have around. He thought he might have something, but I decided to see what I could do first. So, I gathered up all my 'parts' coin doors of this style, and even a couple that might be salvageable. I had already torn the door down to figure out exactly what I needed - an error that ended up costing me some time. I finally found a pretty nice 2 slot US door of the same style with a mostly intact harness. I got the door off my other CFTBL, which is also a 3 slot export door from Germany, to make my own wiring schematic, as the ones in the manual are for domestic games, and that doesn't have everything I need. The domestic doors are missing the wiring for the 3rd coin slot - specifically an orange wire with a red trace. I removed the tubing covering the wire harness to expose the harness and determine what I needed to fix or replace.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1580.sized.jpg)
So, after looking around, I decided that it should be pretty easy to add the missing lamp in, and replace the missing wire for the 3rd coin slot. But, I am a stickler for details - couldn't be just any 3rd wire or extra lamp, the parts had to be original, and the wire colors had to match.
I removed a lamp socket from a parts door
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1581?full=1)
Along with the purple and white with purple trace wire from the original game harness
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1582.sized.jpg)
Though you may not be able to tell from the photo, I pulled the wrong wire - I pulled the orange with brown trace wire instead of the orange with red trace wire. I pulled the right wire after the picture was taken, then had to grab more orange with red trace wire from yet another coin door to make a splice, because the wire wasn't long enough.
Then, I had to rebuild the coin door, because I couldn't figure out how long to make the wires without the parts attached to the door. Here's a photo of my working the harnesses together into 1 harness that looks original and is complete:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1586.sized.jpg)
I carefully spliced the orange with red tracer wire in 2 spots, both of which could be easily hidden - because I didn't want the splice to be obvious, and the wires had to be the correct color. Once the harness was completed, I realized I had a slight problem - while the harness came out of the black plastic tubing that protected the wiring, it didn't want to go back in. My solution was hardly elegant, but was functional. I found a piece of music wire - one that I use to make new linkages for the eyes in Funhouse and Roadshow - and passed it through the tubing, as it is solid, and then taped each wire to the music wire, and pulled them through 1 at a time.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1587.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1589.sized.jpg)
The door is nearly complete. Once it's complete, I will tear it down again, tumble and polish the hardware, give it a fresh coat of paint, install new coin chutes and reject buttons, then reassemble. I'll find some way to fill the holes in the coin entrance, too.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1592.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1593.sized.jpg)
As you can tell from the photo of the front of the coin door, the finish is somewhat worn, and the holes are pretty obvious.
There's another small hole at the lower right corner of the coin entrance bezel - above the lock and slightly to the left - but it's barely noticeable and I didn't even see it til the door was torn apart - so it won't get filled. The door is too thin in that area to make a good looking repair. And, I bet 9 out of 10 people wouldn't even notice it.
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John, the level of effort you go to is amazing.
What I cant work out, is how you remember where every nut and bolt goes.
How long have you been refurbishing machines for ? you make it look easy.Again, like Nino in Australia with his work, very talented. *%*
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Great story about the printer kit!
Did any come to Australia??
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John, the level of effort you go to is amazing.
What I cant work out, is how you remember where every nut and bolt goes.
How long have you been refurbishing machines for ? you make it look easy.Again, like Nino in Australia with his work, very talented. *%*
Thanks!
I think it goes back to the way I was raised. My father takes longer to do most jobs than anyone else I know. But, if he did the work, you know it's solid and even if it looks the same as a job that took 1/4 the time today, it will hold up. It was hard to understand that growing up (and it still baffles my wife sometimes), but now I take a lot of pride in it.
He and I raced radio control cars, both 1/10th scale electric on carpet, asphalt and dirt, and 1/4 scale on asphalt, for years. The process of building the car from the ground up, maintaining it, improving it etc was a great way to learn mechanics. When we stopped, mainly due to lack of a place to race them locally, I wanted another project. I bought a project car, but Dad and I never found time to work on it enough to keep it moving and keep it interesting. Around that time, I was dating the woman who is now my wife, and we'd visit a local pizza parlor that had a Rollergames. I loved the game, got hooked at first because I watched the show on television growing up, and had to have my own pinball.
I bought my first game, a Rollergames, back in 2001, and it was incredibly rough. And I continued to buy games from the same seller, until he stopped selling games. I learned a lot that way.
Regarding what goes where, I take a lot of pictures, and also, a lot of stuff is not game specific - while this game has a pile of assemblies, a number of them are 'common' from game to game - so a flipper assy is a flipper assy whether it's for a TZ, Addams, Creature etc. The coil value may differ, the plunger/link/return spring and coil stop may vary, but they go in the same places etc. With my first pin, I was afraid to take both flippers apart at the same time, so I did one flipper, and once I was sure it worked, I moved to the next. When I rerubbered it, I took one slingshot plastic off, loosened a wireform, replaced that ring, reassembled, moved to the next one etc.
Now, I do everything but playfield touchup work, as that's out of my league. At least it is today. I do all my own PCB repair too. I was dangerous with a soldering iron when I started :)
My wife's not so hot on the pins anymore, I think I kinda burned her out. But, every now and then, I can talk her into playing them.
Once the kids (1 and 3) get hooked, I'll have a better chance at getting her hooked again, too.
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Great story about the printer kit!
Did any come to Australia??
I wouldn't be surprised if some turn up. Gene Cunningham didn't really know what he had, so stuff that was thought to be non-existant turned up seemingly around every corner. I was told there were none, and after I left, the right box was found.
I bought all that were found and offered to me, though, 1 for me, 2 for a good friend, and the remaining leftover parts. Tough kit to find...
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Great story about the printer kit!
Did any come to Australia??
VERY informative read about the printer kit and your quest to locate one. funny how the harder it get to locate a part, the more you HAVE to have it !
This is going to be one sweet machine when done.
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This is going to be one sweet machine when done.
Agreed...
Valuable information is given as well as a resto thread..
Keeping my eyes peeled for the on going updates ! ^^^
Great work John....
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Interesting read on the printer John, as stated by the other guys, the level of detail is outstanding, keep up the fantastic work mate *%*
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Lather / Rinse / Repeat, meaning for the most part, more of same.
Days work started here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1594 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1594)
Cleaned some remaining hardware.
Definately need to scuff and repaint all coin door metal as well as the backbox hinges.
Hand polished and rebuilt the flipper opto board assys
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1597.sized.jpg)
The reflection is awful, the blades and springs are shiny and the correct colors.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1594.sized.jpg)
Hardware sorted, the tilt looks fabulous
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1603.sized.jpg)
Slam tilt switch
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1605.sized.jpg)
Slam tilt switch disassembled for blade polishing, harness and plug cleaning etc
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1606.sized.jpg)
1 blade cleaned up..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1607.sized.jpg)
Slam tilt switch cleaned and rebuilt
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1608.sized.jpg)
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Today's update
Worked for a couple hours, polishing more hardware. Getting closer to starting to assemble the cabinet.
Repaired the resting brackets - these were bent pretty heavily, surely related to the poor condition of the cabinet, which was not square. Now it is square, so these will have to line up.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1609.sized.jpg)
Lower bracket has a bit of a rough spot that will cut into the playfield if not addressed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1610.sized.jpg)
Knocked the high spots down with 120 grit, before cleaning the bracket up. Left 2 small pits, but the bracket will clean up fine, and you'll never see the pits, because they are hidden.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1613.sized.jpg)
Top bracket cleaned but not yet polished
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1614.sized.jpg)
Brackets to update the playfield slides cleaned before polishing
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1616.sized.jpg)
Ready to install
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1618.sized.jpg)
Playfield slides are next. There's definately something wrong with the lower!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1619.sized.jpg)
Did I mention someone beat the crap out of this game?
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1620.sized.jpg)
Working at night has its drawbacks. At 1:30 AM, I can't just drop everything and go to my storage to dig through parts. So, the only spare rail I have in the shop is kinda ugly. But, since I need it to proceed, I'll try to clean it up.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1621.sized.jpg)
Spring is mangled, but I have a spare
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1622.sized.jpg)
After 10 minutes of working on the slide, using scotch-brite, sandpaper, polish and finally a fiberglass sanding pin, the picture would appear to have positive results.
I'm not sure I'm totally happy yet, and can't sandblast it this time of night due to the noise, so I'm gonna call it a night here, if you ever feel like you are cutting corners on a restoration, it's best to stop and come back when you're ready. I need to sleep on this, try to decide if there's a better way to remove the surface rust, and consider if I should just grab another slide from storage - this part would be fine in most games just cleaned up, but I'm picky for my restorations!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1623.sized.jpg)
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Got the slide pretty clean tonight and it polished up nicely. But, the more I look at it, it's the wrong style slide. I need to either find another of the 'new' style slide, or another of the old style ones - I want a matching pair :)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1625.sized.jpg)
I used a brass bristled brush in my drill press, and it got into the deep nooks and crannies and cleaned it up. I always use heavy leather gloves and eye protection when I use the wire wheel.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1626.sized.jpg)
Decided while I had the drill press out, I should go ahead and tidy up the lockdown bar and receiver.
Receiver before:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1627.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1628.sized.jpg)
Lockdown before
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1630.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1631.sized.jpg)
A bath in degreaser
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1633.sized.jpg)
The glue on the lockbar wiped off after soaking in the degreaser, and the beer seal peeled off in 3 big pieces. Then, the glue brushed right off!
Lockdown receiver after:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1636.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1642.sized.jpg)
Isn't perfect, but a massive improvement! Have a couple hours in that piece alone.
Screws for the lockdown receiver polished up nice, but need to be tumbled. The plastic cover for the lever needs to be replaced.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1644.sized.jpg)
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Awesome work John. Simply stunning.
Generally for show screws / bolts after tumbling I put them into my cordess drill (ie thread side into chuck) - and run it full speed into a red scotch pad with iso-alcohol on the pad. They come up a treat!
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Thanks for the tip, I'll have to give that a try!
Those red scotchbrite pads are challenging my patience!
I got the last 2 of them from a home improvement store earlier this week, they told me they would be restocked by the weekend. Went in today, they were not restocked. Visited 2 other home improvement or hardware stores, no such luck
Time to order a box of them off eBay I guess. The heads polished up real nice by just taking a cloth towel, dipping the head in metal polish, and driving the head of the screw into the towel. Shine like mirrors actually. But, it didn't work so well on the threads.
Trying to get my list of parts together. Looking like I'll have to place 3 separate orders, because I can't get everything at one place. Not that I mind that, but I know I'll forget at least 1 item per order, and then I'll have to place 3 more - so I am trying to make sure my lists are complete :) I also finished up the Firepower II in my repair bay, and tested it on and off over a week, so I'm ready to fold it up, get it out, and start setting up the Creature cab. It needs re-braided and new leg plates installed. Also waiting on a part from the guy who built my rotisserie so I can stick the playfield in it - so I've been doing a few bits out of order. If I don't order parts soon, or get rotisserie parts soon, I won't be able to proceed...
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Thanks for the tip, I'll have to give that a try!
Those red scotchbrite pads are challenging my patience!
I got the last 2 of them from a home improvement store earlier this week, they told me they would be restocked by the weekend. Went in today, they were not restocked. Visited 2 other home improvement or hardware stores, no such luck
Time to order a box of them off eBay I guess. The heads polished up real nice by just taking a cloth towel, dipping the head in metal polish, and driving the head of the screw into the towel. Shine like mirrors actually. But, it didn't work so well on the threads.
Trying to get my list of parts together. Looking like I'll have to place 3 separate orders, because I can't get everything at one place. Not that I mind that, but I know I'll forget at least 1 item per order, and then I'll have to place 3 more - so I am trying to make sure my lists are complete :) I also finished up the Firepower II in my repair bay, and tested it on and off over a week, so I'm ready to fold it up, get it out, and start setting up the Creature cab. It needs re-braided and new leg plates installed. Also waiting on a part from the guy who built my rotisserie so I can stick the playfield in it - so I've been doing a few bits out of order. If I don't order parts soon, or get rotisserie parts soon, I won't be able to proceed...
It works very well! I just cleaned up two shooter rods that were rusty (too big for tumbler)...Soaked in degreaser, washed, dried. End into the drill (just fit!) and same with iso-alcohol and red pad.
I've found that auto-body paint supply shops sell the pads at the cheapest price and in bulk down here. If I bought them from Autobarn (which sells car stuff - big chain) I'll pay about $3.00 per pad. At the auto-body paint shops you'll get them heaps heaps cheaper.
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Day 14 involved my tackling the coin door and determining if I could fill the holes in the coin bezel. After asking on RGP and talking to a couple people I know, it became obvious that JB Weld was a suitable product to try and fill the holes in the coin bezel.
In order to make sure I hadn't missed any hardware, I reinstalled the coin door frame and a few other small bits, and looked at the entire door. Next, I disassembled the door, and separated the parts out as the harness needs cleaned, and all metal parts need repainted.
Entire door pic:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1645.sized.jpg)
Backside pic:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1646.sized.jpg)
Bezel pic:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1647.sized.jpg)
Bezel sanded and cleaned up prior to JB weld application. The tops of the holes were not smooth, and the instructions said to remove paint.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1649.sized.jpg)
Equal parts of JB Weld squeezed out
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1650.sized.jpg)
JB Weld parts mixed with a bamboo skewer
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1651.sized.jpg)
JB Weld applied to the bezel
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1652.sized.jpg)
Hopefully, there won't be too much shrinkage and I can sand this down and do maybe 1 more application if there are low spots, then eventually sand and paint.
Do I tackle the 4 small holes in the door skin, or just let them be, remembering that the enemy of 'good' is 'better'...
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1655.sized.jpg)
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I really like JB weld!
The bezel took 2 applications to really get where I wanted it.
First application ended up like this:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1657.sized.jpg)
Pretty good, but a little shrinkage. To be expected, really, as I applied it and then raked over it with a putty knife to make sure it was pushed down in the holes well - it was pretty thick, not loose - so it wouldn't 'flow' into the holes without a little encouragement.
This stuff dries STRONG. I poked at it with a bamboo skewer to make sure it was dry, and the skewer bent!
So, I mixed up a 2nd batch of JB Weld, and globbed it on top of the first (dried) batch.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1660.sized.jpg)
Sanding the 2nd application yielded nice results. It is smooth and level; the bezel itself is not perfectly flat, so some JB weld filled some low spots. I think once I prime and paint, it'll look new.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1666.sized.jpg)
And a bunch of JB weld sanding dust :)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1665.sized.jpg)
Cleaned up the shop a bit tonight, folded up the last customers game as it's ready to rock and I need the bay to build out the cabinet. Found some other bits I've lined up for the project
Reproduction CFTBL legs
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1661.sized.jpg)
Extruded plastic bits - rear PF glass channel, H channel that goes atop the speaker panel, backglass lift and side trim etc
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1662.sized.jpg)
Enhanced leg bolt plates
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1663.sized.jpg)
Restored creature cabinet, ready to unwrap, rebraid and build out:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1664.sized.jpg)
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Loving your work John. I guess we're a bit lucky now with a mountain of new doors at Marks - but its cheating by just whacking a new door on rather than restoring the original like you're doing - plus I understand the US guys wanting to keep the original doors...All mine have export parts and that's what I'm use too!.
I'm very interested to see how you paint it to get the original WMS paint effects. I've seen the HEP jobs and they come out amazing - you could never pick it.
I also like your shed! Looks like its 100% purpose built for restoring pins!
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Part of my going with the original doors is just me trying to be a little cheap.
I've been out of work for over 4 months now, and I try to spread money as thin as I can right now. I go back next Monday and finally will get paid again November 30th!
But, truth be told, I've got 2 brand new US 2 slot doors sitting in a box in the basement, so I guess I can't blame being cheap on this one :) However, I *did* locate a NOS door skin and coin entrance for the door I'm working on; downside is, it would cost more than a whole new door with shipping etc.
Another part of it is wanting the original door that was on the game to stay with it. Of course, you throw originality out the window when you use cabinet decals, clearcoat, etc.
Another aspect of it is the large contingent of people here in the US that claim a container game is not as good as a game that has never left the country. I've owned crap games that never left the state, let alone the country, and some of my nicest games came out of containers. Plenty of collectors over here throw a new 2 slot door on all their export games to try and hide the fact that it is not a domestic game. Some of them even scan the serial number stickers and print off new ones and change the part where it says 240v to 120v etc. Not me! Any time I've had new serial number labels printed up, I've left them 100% original.
Some people think a restoration is about buying up every NOS part for the game that they can find, and bolting them onto a NOS or new playfield etc. That's not restoring anything, that's just switching out parts.
So, I will stick the original 3 slot door back on the games many times, if it will clean up reasonably nice. Perfect isn't a requirement.
Sometimes, I do use new doors - my Safecracker had a single slot coin door with a comparator on it. I put a 2 slot door on it, so I can use my tokens and quarters. I don't really like most single slot doors. 2 and 3 slots don't bother me.
Regarding the restoration of the door, I hope I can make it look original. I've read a few articles and newsgroup posts on the procedure.
One from TreasureCove:
http://www.treasure-cove.net/coindoor.htm (http://www.treasure-cove.net/coindoor.htm)
One from Bryan Kelly
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.pinball/msg/3d9edb186b98d8c7 (http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.pinball/msg/3d9edb186b98d8c7)
And the pics for Bryan's description
http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/Coin-door-restoration (http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/Coin-door-restoration)
In the past, I've had decent luck just cleaning the door and spraying over top of the old paint - seems to let the original speckled finish show through. The coin bezel I did all the sanding on wasn't speckled, so repainting it won't require the speckles.
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Painting went OK today for the most parts. With the exception of the right backbox hinge, the parts painted turned out phenomenal. The right backbox hinge had some sort of a weird finish. I ended up sanding it down to bare metal and decided to respray it and see where it ends up.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1668.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1669.sized.jpg)
Debating over giving it a clear lacquer finish or not.
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Top shelf John - nice work!
I get the scotch pads at work (Clean injection molds with 'em) - they also come in a brown color which is strong enough to strip surface rust, whereas I find the red ones fall to bits...
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Looking good John !
I'm about to repaint the door on the Pinbot, so I'm keen on seeing your results ^^^
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I like the texture I got, but I wouldn't call it 100% identical to original. I have a NOS 2 slot door skin I picked up years ago, will take some side by side pics with my *good* camera. I typically don't get it out in the shop due to all the dust/dirt/crap flying around, but I can be careful with it and get a few pictures.
All the parts got a coat of clear lacquer as a clearcoat on top of the repaint. Not 100% sure if the lacquer is necessary or even good - but unless something glaring pops up, I'm going to reassemble the door the way it looks now. As I learned early on with this hobby, the enemy of good can be better; I may make what I have worse by continuing to mess with it. It looks good, and short of new parts, I'm not sure it can get better.
I think I mentioned before, I found a NOS coin door skin (just the metal part the coin parts bolt to) and a NOS coin entrance piece, but for $100, I'm going to live with what I have and have $100 to put into the project elsewhere. It's an easy swap out, should I regret not getting it later, and for $100, I don't think it's going to sell very quickly. Especially if I don't devulge where it is :)
Picture of the clearcoated parts:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1672.sized.jpg)
This picture shows the bezel, along with the texture. Note that you *can* see the spot where the JB weld was applied. It's perfectly smooth, and under normal light as well as viewing at the angle it will be installed, you cannot tell. I don't know if maybe this is a result of not priming it before painting or what, next one I repair will be primed to see if it makes a difference.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1673.sized.jpg)
Found a couple coin switch covers on another junk coin door, so now this one will have all 3..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1674.sized.jpg)
While we are looking at stuff the majority will think are totally unnecessary and a frivolous waste of time, I have a NOS cash box, NOS cash box bracket and NOS bracket lock bar from the IPB sale, that will round out the cabinet nicely once installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1675.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1676.sized.jpg)
The only bummer is, the 3 slot cashboxes of this style don't have the neat WMS W logo on them (aka the 'upside down Motorola logo)
3 new coin entrances, 3 new coin reject button assemblies including 'QUARTERS' insert, and a new decal to go on the service buttons on the coin door
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1680.sized.jpg)
Getting some more parts together, I have a convenience outlet, new varistor and thermistor. They will help me 'upgrade' the power system to the correct domestic US parts, for authenticity *and* protection to the game
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1678.sized.jpg)
And a picture inside the power box, pre conversion
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1681.sized.jpg)
And of course, I use keyed alike locks, as original, standard on all my machines. The backboxes of all my games get one of these locks, anodized black like original, with the same key number across games. The coin doors get the original style double bitted locks, also keyed to the same key number across games. So far, I've had this set of locks for going on 2 years and have only sold 1 game and forgot to remove them, and the game I sold with locks, the new owner was a friend and he willingly returned them :)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1679.sized.jpg)
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Today shall not count in my 'days' scheme, as when I wandered into the workshop to reassemble the coin door, I realized I had a major brain fart, and did not tumble the coin door hardware. Since some of it was a bit ugly, I threw it into the tumbler and will check on it sometime tomorrow.
Today was a exhausting day in other ways, so the Creature kinda got neglected. Sorry Creech!
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So, I got back to Mr. Creature tonight.
#*#
Made some decent progress tonight. Wife went to see a long movie, and the kids were asleep, so I had nothing else to do. Turned on the workshop TV, watched some Monk, and worked.
Coin door is finished
Front before
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1561.sized.jpg)
Front after
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1682.sized.jpg)
Back before
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1562.sized.jpg)
Back after:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1684.sized.jpg)
Next, I moved onto the power box. It had many issues that needed corrected
Before pics:
Export power box, no convenience outlet, dirty
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1686.sized.jpg)
Back side. Note rust in the box where the power cord plugs in
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1687.sized.jpg)
Top white wire is in the wrong spot, too. Need to move it one slot to the left to wire it properly for US operation
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1690.sized.jpg)
Stripped box shell
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1696.sized.jpg)
After a thorough cleaning, I decided to polish the box a bit
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1705.sized.jpg)
Fast forward to the finished product
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1706.sized.jpg)
I'll make up some repro decals with serial numbers, labels, etc to dress the box up a bit.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1707.sized.jpg)
And the jumpering plug is fixed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1708.sized.jpg)
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Dug into the last part of the power delivery system tonight - the box that mounts at the rear of the cab that the power cord plugs into, and then the 3 wires run from this box to the main power box.
It's an interesting challenge. First off, it's rusty in some hard to reach places. Specifically, the innermost bends of the box. I've done some paint removal on the outside, and even the easily accessed parts on the inside with scotch brite - but the rust is in places that are very difficult to reach with the pad. Hard to bend the material to contact all surfaces, and even if you can make it contact all surfaces, it's difficult to apply pressure.
If I had a media blasting rig, it would surely be easier.
My choices right now are pretty straightfoward, either I find a way to clean this guy up, then repaint him, or I put a nice used one from my parts supply in. I've got a nice used one sitting on the bench, could be clean and good as new in a matter of 15 minutes. However, it's the same steel as the power box, not painted black. I'm not sure how a guy could paint the box black and have it look decent, at least on the inside, as it's not flat. It would be like painting the inside of a box, and trying to get a nice even finish with no globbing up etc.
So, I am going to sleep on it. No pics tonight. I start my job tomorrow, having been let go 17 weeks ago. Time to go to bed at a decent hour, for once.
It's been hard to find a job!
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Best of luck with your new job!
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Best of luck with your new job!
Ditto !
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Good luck with the new job its a shame you cant show prospective employers your pinball restore they would hire you for sure i know i would ^^^
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Had a little time today, so decided to find something I could dig into
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1710.sized.jpg)
Decided to replace the old, nasty, tattered ground braid
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1712.sized.jpg)
Braided the cabinet out. Took about an hour to rip the old braid out, set the regulator on the compressor, and re-braid. I learned a few things (first braid job) and have some ideas to improve the process next time!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1713.sized.jpg)
Also installed the power box, the cab vents, an upgraded set of leg bolt plates, etc.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSCN1715.sized.jpg)
More to come later. Need to repaint the carriage bolts so I can finish installing cabinet hardware!
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I populated the cabinet some more, and even broke out the 'good' camera!
If you want a chance to see big pics, start here
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2313 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2313)
Gorgeous cab
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2314.sized.jpg)
Mocked up with coin door
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2318.sized.jpg)
Bottom T-Nutted
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2319.sized.jpg)
Some parts mounted up, nice shot of the new braid
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2323.sized.jpg)
If you looked at the last post, I rerouted a bit of the braid back to the original locations so I don't have to repaint part of the inside again :) It is now taking the original path
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2325.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2326.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2327.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2329.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2330.sized.jpg)
And, the carriage bolts get a first coat of paint. 2nd in the AM, then I'll start to reassemble the cabinet sometime tomorrow.
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Looking sweeeet *%*
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mmmmm purdy
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Very nice John. Any tips for seaming the decal edges?! This seems to be a bit of a mystery.
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Very nice, John ^^^
How was your first day at work ?
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First day of work, along with 2nd day were interesting. I've not had any work to do yet due to paperwork and other problems. I'm earning a paycheck, which is the important thing to me. Once I actually *get* working, they will work me 6 and 7 day weeks, so I'm not worried about them getting their value out of me.
I went back to work with an old employer that was bought by another company. They just finished integrating their human resources systems together, so I am the first hire under the 'new' system, which has had a few growing pains apparently.
The job has pros and cons, like any job. The biggest pro is the fact that I work from home. The biggest con is seemingly endless paperwork and red tape sometimes.
I work in IT, and basically, company policy dictates they can't create my network account until I have an employee #. They had to re-write my welcome letter, and it wasn't done til 30 minutes after close of business Monday. So, at that point, they requested my network account.
The guy who 'builds' my laptop can't finish it til he has my credentials, because all the software for the VPN has to be installed and customized, along with my e-mail, etc. Then, they have to ship the whole works to me.
Yesterday afternoon, the laptop arrived in Michigan, and the guy could configure it, *if* he had my network logon information, which isn't available yet. It's expected today. Once he's done, they will ship it to me and it takes a couple days to arrive. So, if it gets done today, I should have it on Friday. If there's a delay, it'd be Monday at the earliest - and next Thursday is Thanksgiving and next Friday is a paid holiday - so I imagine it'll really be more than another week til I'm fully in the swing of things.
So, I've mentioned cons, but the pro for me has to be that I can spend my lunch hour everyday working on whatever project I'm working on. When I worked in an office, if I'd drive home for work, I'd spend 15-20 minutes driving home, eat, then have to turn around and go back to work.
I did go for a drive for work yesterday, though. I had to drive to Indianapolis (about an hour on the road each way) so someone who worked in a company office could verify the sources for my I-9 form - the one that says I'm allowed to work in the US. They had to actually see my drivers license and birth certificate in person. But, since I had nothing else to do, not a big deal.
Regarding the seaming of decals - I've yet to do my first decal job! I hired out both my Creatures. And frankly, while the guys who did them both did good jobs, I found a few things where I told myself that I would like to do them differently - so I don't think I'm going to hire anymore out. I'll have some work to do to this one, there are some spots that need attention. One is a scuff on the decal by the left front leg. Luckily, it's all in the black. That shouldn't be too bad to touch up. Another area is also all black and will be hidden by the backbox hinges when the backbox is folded up (in playing position), so the only time you'd have a chance to see it is in transport or storage.
I've done a ton of research in cabinet restoration, and the thing that seems to prove true regardless of who you ask - the prep work is the most important. Doesn't matter if you use the wet method or the dry method, the prep work is still most important. Fixing all the nicks, filling dings, scratches, divots etc. Making that nice smooth surface so imperfections don't show through the decal.
I'm worried about potentially damaging a $200-300 set of stickers, but I have to remember that I'm paying more for the labor than the stickers. If I were to unfortunately damage one side of the game, I could buy another set and still be money ahead versus hiring someone. I was terrified to do my own board work for awhile, and now do it - and I had to learn that and mess up a few boards in the process.
You do, after all, have to break a few eggs to make a cake.
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So, a little more progress was made on Day #20
Link to big pics, if you are so inclined.. album now has 323 pics...
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2332 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2332)
Sent a reproduction of the cabinet info sheet with lamp and switch matrix over to the local print shop and had them run me off a couple on legal sized paper with lamination. This is always a nice touch - more for looks than anything, as once installed, it's not very useful :)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2339.sized.jpg)
Installed the chart
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2334.sized.jpg)
Upgraded the slide hardware to the 'later' style, which works a lot better
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2335.sized.jpg)
Installed the coin door and lockdown receiver
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2333.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2338.sized.jpg)
Next steps are to rebuild the projector and install it, find a replacement cabinet speaker (got to check the parts bin... or upgrade) and rebuild and install the mirror assy. Also need to finish up the refurb of the transformer, which is going to be time-consuming.
Once that is done, I'll start on the head.
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John, regarding the playfield slides you don't happen to know what the part no for the spring is by chance do you ?
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10-439 is the part number
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thanks john
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Day #21
Big Photos start here, 26 new pics added today
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2340 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2340)
Started working on the backbox. Removed the painted corner braces and stripped the paint from them, and polished the metal. Reassembled backbox with freshly repainted carriage bolts and new ground braid.
Polished the grounding board for the PCBs in the backbox, installed it along with all the wire routing clips
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2360.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2362.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2365.sized.jpg)
Will focus on transformer, mirror and projector assy. Once those are done, the PF glass goes on, and I move on to PCBs and eventually the playfield.
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Very very nice john, same thing i did today lol
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Not a whole lot done tonight, but a good 90 minutes spent on the game...
Projector buried in 17 years of dust
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2369.sized.jpg)
Cleaned up
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2371.sized.jpg)
Reinstalled
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2376.sized.jpg)
Old beat up mirror assy
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2372.sized.jpg)
Parts cleaned with new mirror
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2373.sized.jpg)
Reinstalled
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2377.sized.jpg)
Transformer top cleaned, scraped, masked
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2374.sized.jpg)
Repainted
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2375.sized.jpg)
Need to wait on the paint to dry. Once the paint has dried, the transformer brackets go back on, and the transformer gets reinstalled.
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Today's pics start here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2399 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2399)
Continuing with the cab buildup..
Transformer installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2399.sized.jpg)
Boards laid out, getting ready to strip all parts to be replaced as the boards are refurbished. Makes it much easier to clean the boards! All fuses come out, all socketed chips, caps on the sound board, caps on the driver board, language jumpers on the CPU board, what's left of the battery holder on the CPU board, bridges and caps on the driver board etc. The DMD board gets a HV section rebuild to go with the new DMD, as well as caps replaced.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2400.sized.jpg)
Dot Matrix board stripped
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2412.sized.jpg)
CPU board stripped
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2415.sized.jpg)
Sound board stripped
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2418.sized.jpg)
Power Driver stripped
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2422.sized.jpg)
Some hidden corrosion on the power driver - I don't like this!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2423.sized.jpg)
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After thinking about it a bit, there's no way I can use this driver board. For any game. Period. It gets replaced. I'm not gonna stick $25 in parts into it to find out it's a paper weight.
Luckily, I have spares.
-
what do you think caused the corrosion John?
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Wish I knew. Seems unlikely that it would be damage from battery corrosion, since the battery is so far away from the board, and the part of the board that would be near the CPU is the opposite of where the corrosion is.
I guess it's possible that a battery could have exploded on it? Or that it got wet, or was in high humidity?
I picked out another driver today.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2424.sized.jpg)
Stripped the caps, bridges, a couple burnt connectors and a bad fuse holder off the board
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2427.sized.jpg)
Cleaned all the boards, then rinsed in alcohol, dried with the air compressor, and will let them hang for a few days in case there's any residual alcohol in there that I missed.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2430.sized.jpg)
Cleaned the rest of the boards, and they are hanging and drying, too. I usually lay them in the hot sun for an afternoon as part of this process, but the weather here in November isn't good enough to do that - so I'll do what I can.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2444.sized.jpg)
Really would like to start rebuilding the boards tonight, but I think they need to dry a bit longer, so maybe I'll just clean up the shop tonight. Or maybe my BAA and Pinball Life orders will roll in today, and I'll have some parts to work with!
-
BTW, these pics are ones that detail will help on, full size copies are available here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2424 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2424)
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I'm thinking that the corroded driver board might have been swapped out during it's route years ?
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I don't have a lot of trust for the guy who sold me the game. I have found several examples of where I was lied to. I'm certain he could've thrown a junk board in the game when he sold it to me.
-
i love following your restores John.
I only wish I could do them to this degree
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bwodie, I'm confident you could do it if you set your mind to it :) Each one turns out a little better than the previous one!
I just wish I could crank them out a little faster so I could get caught up!
I went ahead and did a little more work tonight. I had some time, so I took advantage of it!
Image gallery starts here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2446 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2446)
A few more parts roll in
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2446.sized.jpg)
DMD board
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2450.sized.jpg)
DMD board populated
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2460.sized.jpg)
Sound board
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2461.sized.jpg)
Recapped
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2463.sized.jpg)
Parts are laid out for the power driver board, may dig into it tomorrow, depending on time constraints.
-
Driver board is ready to test.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2465.sized.jpg)
Can't get the back to look as perfect as I like, but 15+ years of flux removal has taken place :)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2469.sized.jpg)
Ran all the recommended WPC jumpers, and added a couple for other problem areas that I repaired. Some day, I'd like a trace repair kit, but for now, clean jumpers will have to do
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2470.sized.jpg)
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Boards are back in the machine!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2474.sized.jpg)
Starting to re-run harnesses. Goal is to be able to power it up and at least verify PCB operation this week.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2475.sized.jpg)
Cab switch harness needs some repair to the portion that contains the speaker harness. Someone hacked the speaker harnesses up in this game pretty bad.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2478.sized.jpg)
Need some connectors etc, so I went to the harness pile, from parted out games, and acquired some parts.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2479.sized.jpg)
Also placed a GPE order, as I realized I need ribbon cables!
Going to source some fresh clear tubing that the ground braid that connects the cab to the backbox runs through tomorrow.
-
Nice, ugly tar stained formerly clear tubing
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2481.sized.jpg)
I've been told that smoking is a family value in Europe, I truly believe it after working on some of these pins. Reminds me of my earlier days as a computer repairman, and working on some computers that were in closed up offices that allowed smoking, when you could get sick off the contact from the tar all over the inside of the computer!
A stop at a local farm and fleet store turned up some nice new tubing. I got 3 sizes. Will go back for the 4th later, only need 2 sizes for this restoration and have them. The 4th size is the size used in the later WPC games that the power harness from the transformer to the power box runs through.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2482.sized.jpg)
New ground braid needs one of these ends so it can attach to the ground stud in the backbox
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2483.sized.jpg)
After searching around online and getting ready to place a $2 pinrestore.com order, I realized I'd ordered a bunch with a previous order
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2484.sized.jpg)
Time to carefully run the new ground braid alongside the old in the harness
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2485.sized.jpg)
Braid run through the nice new clear insulation
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2487.sized.jpg)
Now, something that previously would've stuck out will blend in nicely.
Hacked up speaker wiring spliced in with color correct replacements. Will terminate once the harness is installed properly, so it isn't too short or too long
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2488.sized.jpg)
Time for the next problem, one I've been pondering for a couple weeks now...
When I installed the new enhanced leg bolt plates, the power box has to be shifted back ever so slightly. In the past, I've done this several times, and never had the problem I'm currently facing. The power switch can't be flipped, due to interference from the cutout that is routed into the cab
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2489.sized.jpg)
So, I debated my choices.
My first choice was to pull the power box, and move the hole the switch goes through, so it's back centered in the original hole.
After pulling it, and taking some measurements, I realized it wasn't super likely to work. I don't have a bit large enough to drill the hole. That's not a big deal, I could buy a bit, and then find someone with a drill press that fits a 1/2 inch bit, or borrow a hand drill with a 1/2 inch chuck, but the two holes would be really, really close - if they don't run together and turn into a slot.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2491.sized.jpg)
I debated having someone trim the leg bolt plates up for me, or trim part of the flange off the power box. I decided that didn't work well for me, either, as once again, I'd have to depend on someone else, and it wouldn't look 'right'.
So, I did what I'd been pondering for awhile, and decided to massage the hole slightly. It wouldn't be noticeable from the top, and it wouldn't be common to be seen from the bottom, either. The guy who restored the cabinet for me could also cut me a new switch plate if necessary, and a little wood glue and a couple brads or staples, it would be back to original too.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2493.sized.jpg)
After a bit of massaging, it worked! And it looks 'right', and the hole doesn't look horrid from below, either.
Before I hit it a bit with a sanding drum, I snapped a picture.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2494.sized.jpg)
From below
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2497.sized.jpg)
Harness for cabinet switches is run, too.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2500.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2501.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2502.sized.jpg)
Now, I need to clean some corrugated tubing for the harnesses from a junk game - the originals from this game were the same color (black) instead of one black, one grey, and were hand cut and are kind of ugly. I cleaned them up, but I want some nice clean looking ones. Any of the parts I've replaced on this game are going into a storage bin, and should I ever have the desire to go back to 'original' on something, it won't be impossible.
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34 new pics uploaded tonight
They start here:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2504 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2504)
Filthy backbox insert needs cleaned up
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2510.sized.jpg)
Panel is clean, but baffle on the upper lamps is only partially cleaned
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2514.sized.jpg)
Backside is clean, too
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2515.sized.jpg)
Speaker panel is disassembled, plastic gets a novus buff
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2534.sized.jpg)
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Masked off the baffle to respray it
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2543.sized.jpg)
Got some special paint for the plastic baffle
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2549.sized.jpg)
First coat laid down
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2544.sized.jpg)
A few hours later, another coat
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2547.sized.jpg)
Will 2 coats be enough? Tomorrow will tell!
Before:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2514.sized.jpg)
After 2 coats:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2548.sized.jpg)
Hardware out of the tumbler
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2545.sized.jpg)
Display panel gets a fresh coat of paint
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2546.sized.jpg)
Got some fresh weatherstripping to go on the DMD panel, but it's too thick. Back to the store!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2550.sized.jpg)
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Paint turned out real decent
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2552.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2554.sized.jpg)
Completely populated with a new display
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2561.sized.jpg)
Test fit
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2562.sized.jpg)
Now to figure out how to tidy up the wiring for the printer kit!
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Your work is outstanding John. I certainly hope you've got some more pins in the que to resto and share with us!
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Thanks! I really enjoy working on the games. Playing is OK, too, but I just really prefer to wrench on them over play them.
Rest assured, I have plenty of games to restore!
Next in line is a Scared Stiff. I have a LOT of games in line already, have lists of what I need for each, and when one gets done, I figure out what I have most of the stuff to restore waiting for. Then, I can buy my parts when I get good deals etc.
I have a bunch of different WPCs to do, and even a couple Sys11s. Someday, I'll broaden my horizons and go a bit more classic.
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This
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2568.sized.jpg)
Is better than this, right?
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2510.sized.jpg)
I'm still not happy with it.
So, I masked it
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2569.sized.jpg)
First coat laid down
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2570.sized.jpg)
Another in the morning!
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Well, the first coat went pretty well, but I had somewhat disastrous results after the 2nd coat.
I had to pretty much sand all the new paint off, and even some of the original finish down to bare wood, and now I need to start over.
You need to look at the big pics to understand what it looks like, here's a link to one:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2576?full=1 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2576?full=1)
And the other
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2577?full=1 (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2577?full=1)
Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong here?
I cleaned the board off before spraying the first coat, and the first coat looked fine. It had a couple spots that were a bit thin, but it was a nice smooth looking and feeling finish. I laid a 2nd coat down, thinking it would thicken up in the areas where the first coat was light.
Did I lay down too thick a coat? Did I need to clean or sand between coats? Too cold? The shop was the temp recommended on the can, although it was towards the cold end. I allowed extra dry time because of this.
I also used good quality 'rust oleum' satin white paint, not the cheap stuff.
I need to do a bit more sanding before I try again, need to restock paper before I sand again.
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I've had paint flare up like this John...Always the stuff in a can which is one reason why I don't use it any more.
The stuff I was using - recommended one coat (and touchups within 3 hrs) or 36 hours later. I still don't know why it flared....Same brand but different can (in my case)....
I was under the impression it was due to contaminants but your shop looks exceptionally clean.
Did you sand, prepsol, wipe in between coats?
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My shop is clean, however I did not sand or wipe down between coats. Perhaps that is the problem.
I am going to wood putty the staple holes before I paint it again, since I have to sand it anyways :)
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No pics due to the large amount of dust stirred up, as well as lack of progress the last few days.
It's cold here. Real cold. Too cold to paint, too cold to use the filler I need to fill some holes on the backboard, etc.
I am probably going to bring the backbox insert and the filler inside tomorrow and let them warm up and then apply the wood filler once they are all warmed up. The initial sanding is done, the backboard has been vacuumed and tack ragged etc.
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Loving this Thread John with my new creature waiting on some work love the updates. Sadly i wont be able to do as good a job as your doing unless my son goes into a Coma for six month but i definately have something to aim for. Restoring while keeping them playable is so hard....
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It's been too danged cold here to make much progress unfortunately. I had hoped to work on Monday evening, as we had 50+ degree temperatures, but the 'real job' prohibited it from happening. I worked til 3 AM Monday evening/Tuesday morning.
However, work has a holiday shutdown of 2 weeks, so I hope to be able to dive right into it the next 2 weeks - at least, in the evenings.
Just need to find a way to make spray painting work in colder temperatures I guess. The can says it has to be above 50. I don't know if that means I can bring the can indoors and let it get room temperature and take it outside when I'm painting, or what.
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So, I got back to the project a bit this afternoon.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2578.sized.jpg)
I ordered some 'plasti-dip' to recoat the handle on the lockdown bar reciever. The old cover was kinda cut up, and dirty. I had to mail order the plasti-dip, as it comes in multiple colors, but none of the stores around me carried yellow. I could've had red, blue or black, but for some reason, I had to order yellow.
I decided to repaint the insert again, after using some wood filler in some staple holes etc
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2579.sized.jpg)
I found a place on eBay selling cases of 20 sanding pads in red and grey grit, so I bought one of each. Cost is about $1 USD each, and they are larger than the ones I pay $2.25 each for in the hardware store!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2580.sized.jpg)
And the correct weatherstripping for the speaker panel - the last roll was the right width, but too tall.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2581.sized.jpg)
I have a speaker panel project in the works, hope to post some pics in the next week or so. No, it's not LEDs.
Paint sprayed, hope it dries OK without crazed areas like last time
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2582.sized.jpg)
Hope to work some more tonight, had enough time at lunch today to get this done and posted in hope that it motivates me!
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Hmm, very interested with the plasti dip....How does it work to apply?
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From watching the news of late - it look COLD over there in the USA. More Snow than I've ever seen. Yesterday, it was 39 Degrees Celsius in my garage - Too hot to do anything but drink Beer !
I'm off to buy boxes of the 3M Scotchbrite. The results are stunning.
Can't wait to see your playfield !
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From watching the news of late - it look COLD over there in the USA. More Snow than I've ever seen. Yesterday, it was 39 Degrees Celsius in my garage - Too hot to do anything but drink Beer !
I'm off to buy boxes of the 3M Scotchbrite. The results are stunning.
Can't wait to see your playfield !
The cheapest I found was that place in Thomastown....
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The instructions for the plastidip are pretty straight forward.
Mix the contents of the can
Make sure the parts are clean of grease and other contaminants
Slowly lower the part to be coated into the can at a speed of approx 1 inch every 5 seconds
Remove the part at about the same speed
Wait 30 minutes between coats
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So, let's add some photos to the plasti-dip discussion..
Lock lever removed from game, note the lack of the yellow insulating sleeve. In earlier WPC games, the sleeve did not exist, and there were issues. Funhouse had an issue where the coin door GI shorted against the bracket, and ate fuses.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2585.sized.jpg)
Measuring up the original damaged cover
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2586.sized.jpg)
Once the part is dipped, it has to hang to dry. You need to wait 30 minutes between coats, and 4 hours to dry before touching.
So, I took a couple drywall screws, and ran them into my workbench to hold the part directly above the concrete floor - should the plasti-dip drip, it will be easy to clean up on concrete.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2587.sized.jpg)
Then, I test fit the part, to make sure my hanging arrangement would work
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2588.sized.jpg)
First coat applied
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2589.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2590.sized.jpg)
First coat after 30 minutes
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2594.sized.jpg)
2nd coat applied
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2596.sized.jpg)
Finished product, after waiting 4 hours from 2nd coat:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2599.sized.jpg)
A 3rd coat might have been nice, 2 was pretty dang close on thickness and had adequate coverage. I decided that I'd stick with 2, would hate to do a 3rd and have something go wrong. Color is pretty close, too.
Close up
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2600.sized.jpg)
Reinstalled
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2602.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2603.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2604.sized.jpg)
Note: I removed the screws from the front of the workbench when I was finished - they would do a pretty ugly number on my shins if I walked into them - and with my luck, I *would*!
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Even has the authentic "drip" at the bottom of the handle - Great Job @@*
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Very impressed with that John. I don't think that product is available down here but it certainly looks 100% authentic.
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That looks Great John. I can think of another use for that but i wouldnt keep it hard long enough for it to dry @.@ As it would need to be one dirty woman for me to want to go to that extreme. Sorry might be the JW talking *)*
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After dealing with some really, really cold weather, and fixing up a MB, I'm back to the CFTBL project.
Since I am still waiting on a couple parts for my new rotisserie, I decided to go ahead and tackle the sound system.
The original speakers all had some damage. After digging through parts bins, it became obvious that I was out of 'good used' speakers, and doing some searching, new speakers were available for the most part, and for 30-35 USD, I should be able to source a NOS set of speakers.
I've always been intrigued by the 'Pinball Pro' speakers, but being a cheap arse, I decided that I would try to roll my own solution.
I've read Tony Dziedzic's speaker replacement guide more than once. It has lots of good info. After reading through it several times, I decided on the scope of my project.
Anything I do to the machine must be 100% reversible, since it's a rare game. While some of the ultra cool speaker setups involve using car audio amplifiers, huge subwoofers etc, that's not what I'm looking for in this machine. Other machines in my restoration queue may get that treatment, though. I would like to get slightly better sound. I would like to keep the price lower than pinball pro speakers, but realize that it may take a few games to get the average down - meaning specialized tools may be required that would make the first game, or first couple games, on average cost more than a pinball pro setup. Of course, the project must be *fun*, otherwise, it's not worth doing.
So, I decided to go the route of replacing the original cabinet speaker with another 6.5 inch woofer, but of better quality. One challenge with CFTBL is the cabinet projector assy. While there are many good 8 inch woofers on the market, I don't want to permanently modify the cabinet - and even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I could make it clear the projector beam. I settled on a 6.5 inch pioneer speaker.
So, I unbolted the original speaker, and installed the new one
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3046.sized.jpg)
Some folks re-wire, add mixers, etc so they can balance the sound as they like. Maybe on my next project!
The speaker panel was the major level of contention. I went to the parts pile, and grabbed a speaker panel from a game I've parted out in the past. I don't recall exactly which game, that's not important. For the most part, the games are the same - unless there's a lamp board below the DMD. Since CFTBL didn't have one, that made it a lot easier, I can leave the 'original' board 'original'. The original design had a 3 inch tweeter on one side, and a 5-1/4 midrange on the other. The sound isn't balanced, as the speakers on each side aren't equivalent. A good solution is to put a 5-1/4 '2 way' speaker (meaning it is a 2-piece speaker with a midrange and a tweeter in one package, plus internal circuitry to send the right sound frequencies to each of the speakers). However, they won't bolt right up to the original panel. So, that's why I'm modifying an extra panel.
Employing the help of my father, I set out to make an alignment jig, to hopefully speed this process up in the future - if you remember, the design was to be able to repeat this job on other games. The jig took the longest - Dad is a perfectionist. We ended up with this after some hours. It has stops to align the speaker panel correctly, a pilot hole to center the circle cutter in the speaker panel, and a hole to hang it on the wall. The materials are really much nicer material than necessary, the nice thing of working with my Father is that he has scrap piles of stuff, so I often get better quality parts than I would if I were just buying stuff off shelf at a hardware store.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3038.sized.jpg)
Once bolting the speaker panel to the jig, I cut the hole for the 5-1/4 speaker, so both sides match. The circle cutter used takes a good 10 minutes to slowly make the cut. It also might be my underpowered hobbyist drill press, which was a 'hand me down' from Dad's wood shop years ago when he upgraded. It still suits my needs, so I'll use it til it dies. By then, Dad may be ready for another upgrade :) If not, I'll venture out and replace it.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3034.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3035.sized.jpg)
I pressed 4 new tee nuts into the panel to receive the new speaker. Sorry, I neglected to take a picture of drilling the holes, or the recesses for the tee nuts, but Tony's webpage explains it, really not hard. He makes a nice template to tape on the panel to indicate where to drill, and tells you what types of bits to use. Then, instead of hammering a tee nut in, I use a screw with a large washer to pull the new tee nuts in. I have better luck this way.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3039.sized.jpg)
I picked up a set of 5-1/4 car speakers made by pyle. Back in my young, rude days when I had one of those cars with 2000 watts of power, thousands of dollars of subwoofers and rims etc, I would've turned my nose up at pyle. However, I'm not looking for high performance, I'm looking for a reasonable price that will sound OK on the 25 watt amp on the sound board that is shared with the sub. One challenge with car audio speakers like these is that they have the dome tweeter, which projects in front of the speaker. This presents a problem due to depth, as if the tweeter touches the speaker grill, you have to make spacers. I cheated a little here, talked with a buddy who had recently done this job. He used this brand and model of speakers, so I just ordered the same ones. Here they are, mounted
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3040.sized.jpg)
And another pic, with some plain speaker grilles (I'll put the Creature ones on later)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3041.sized.jpg)
And a rear pic, before cleaning up the panel:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3042.sized.jpg)
Sanded (slightly stained under the weatherstripping that seals stray light from sneaking in around the DMD, which will get covered again, so no issue). Front gets roughed up too so paint will stick.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3043.sized.jpg)
Masked (so paint won't run behind the panel and ruin my work sanding it out), vacuumed off, tac ragged, etc. Ready for paint!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3044.sized.jpg)
Paint sprayed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3045.sized.jpg)
I don't have to be as careful painting this piece, as the final product will be covered up. Just need to make sure everything is painted. So, I laid on a slightly thick coat, and didn't worry if it had slight runs, or took longer to dry.
I'll adapt a harness from a junk game so I can keep the original panel plug and play.
So, let's look at costs
Cab speaker - $25
Panel speakers - $25
Subtotal 50 USD
Specialized tools for the project
Circle Cutter - $20
Specialized drill bits for drilling panel and making tee nut recesses - $20
Subtotal $40 USD
Not bad. Cheaper than a set of pinball pros. Of course, the jig took time to make, and I already had the drill press.
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Is this thread a sticky yet?
Title could be: "How to do it properly..."
Top shelf John! ^^^
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Great work john, any chance of when this panel is completed you could video the finished panel so we can here how good the sound quality is now with the car audio speakers $&&
Cheers
v8racefan
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Is this thread a sticky yet?
Title could be: "How to do it properly..."
Top shelf John! ^^^
Thanks for the kind words. There's a great community of restorers on this site as well as the RGP newsgroup and it's nice when we can share information. I've had lots of great help on this stuff in the past, and try to share to return the favor!
Great work john, any chance of when this panel is completed you could video the finished panel so we can here how good the sound quality is now with the car audio speakers $&&
Cheers
v8racefan
I don't own a true video camera, but have a DSLR and a cell phone that can shoot video. I'll see what I can do when I get to that point.
I'm still trying to figure out a way to work some sort of a crossover into the subwoofer circuit to block the correct frequencies, but am not super keen about drilling extra holes or modifying wiring. I have some ideas, though!
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Great work John ^^^
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Creature lives!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3047.sized.jpg)
I fired it up for the first time ever - and it worked! This to me is a victory - I've rebuilt lots and lots of boards, and restored my fair share of games, but this is the first time I've ever plunked a board set in a game and had it work 100% right off the bat. Usually, I find that I damaged a trace and didn't repair it, or didn't replace some part that was bad, etc. This time, it just worked.
Hopefully, that's a good sign going forward :) The DMD is brand new but looks dim due to the flash.
The game came to me in parts. This is the most dangerous type of project IMO because you never know what is good and what is bad when you put it back together, and you don't know whether something was always bad, or whether you caused the problem with something you did.
I did learn an important thing, should you ever restore a CFTBL - if the flipper opto boards are not plugged in, the projector will NOT work. The way the 12 volts is fed to the projector does some daisy chaining, and without the opto boards, the voltage won't make it. And you'll spend the day tracing the wires trying to figure out why it isn't working :) Don't ask me how I know this!
The car speakers sound GOOD. You can see the tweeters through the speaker grilles, since they are blue, and the speaker cones are grey, so they are kinda visible, too, but they sound good.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3048.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3050.sized.jpg)
A good quality 6.5 inch sub rumbles the cab with the volume turned all the way up.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3051.sized.jpg)
The original speaker panel waits, should I desire to return to original.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3054.sized.jpg)
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This is a great project!
Keep up the top shelf work John!!
el_timbo
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What an amazing retoration! Great work
Gordo
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On to the playfield!
Out comes a freshly restored PF.. but there's some work left to do..
The back still has lots of grungy crap from fingerprints, solenoid dust, etc - and some scorch marks here and there.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3107.sized.jpg)
Close up
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3108.sized.jpg)
Tee nuts need to be removed. I'm going to replace them as they are about 7 cents apiece, and I want to move forward with the project tonight. I'll clean them and replenish my supply with them.
Another example of stacked S/N decals
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3110.sized.jpg)
These were hand cut - I decided to just leave them as-is. Removing material could impact the structural integrity of the playfield.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3113.sized.jpg)
After an initial sanding with 120 grit
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3115.sized.jpg)
Inserts are still filthy, and there's some glue residue left from the inserts being glued.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3116.sized.jpg)
Glue
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3117.sized.jpg)
Insert is dirty
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3120.sized.jpg)
A bit of a cleanup with ole Nino's favorite elixir, windex, on a terry towel
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3121.sized.jpg)
Clean those inserts on games when you shop them, it makes a HUGE difference!
A couple great cleaning tools for getting into inserts - the large swab is reuseable. Rinse it out and let it dry. The 2nd one is white cotton, much smaller, and lets you get into the tightest cracks. Some of the inserts are too small to clean with the big swab. $3 for 50 of them at a local electronics store. They don't fall apart like cheap 'q-tip' brand swabs.
After cleaning just a few inserts...
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3123.sized.jpg)
Inserts cleaned, look very nice. Mantis protectors test-fit
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3124.sized.jpg)
I like Cliffys, but on a playfield with no wear, these are a better choice.
These brushes from pinrestore.com are great for cleaning the holes in a playfield after it's been buffed out - because the compound gets *everywhere*.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3132.sized.jpg)
You really need all 3 sizes.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3133.sized.jpg)
One interesting thing about the protos - the 'alternate' flipper locations
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3135.sized.jpg)
European distributors decided ball times were too long. So, a template was sent out to move the flippers apart a bit. I think I'm going to use the 'original' flipper location so the proto will play like a proto.
T-nutted
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3137.sized.jpg)
Installing posts, etc, using the original plastics to make sure things are in the right places.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3138.sized.jpg)
Through parts are starting to be installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3139.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3140.sized.jpg)
Unfortunately, I forgot to pull the 4 top-side t-nuts out before having the playfield cleared.. they don't look as nice as tumbled or new t-nuts, but the risk of removing them is not one I want to take - only 2 are visible once the PF is assembled, and they aren't very visible at all.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3143.sized.jpg)
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I am absolutely amazed at the amount of work you go to. Again i say, very very talented.
I wish you lived just down the road from me cause I would keep giving you machines and i would book you up for a few years and would be happy to pay you whatever you wanted cause your level of professionalism is just the best.
Now, when are u moving down the road so we can utilize your talents. lol
love ya work, love ya work. ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^
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John, a question. !@#
What do u do with the inside of the pinball cabinet. As i like to call it "under the hood".
Alot of people do not bother under here except a wipe out. Personally, i like to see the wood brought back to new with a sand then clear applied over the top making the inside have that fresh vanilla pine wood look, with only the top part sprayed factory black. Obviously, all metal parts brought up to look like new or at least cleaned up.
I think there is nothing better than when you lift a playfield and look into a cabinet that looks very very fresh. What do you do, and do u have any before and after pictures inside a cabinet. !@#
kind regards, Brett
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Sensational work, John and I see you have used Wndex on an area I have never tried it on - under the playfield !
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John yo amaze me with your detail. Even under the playfield WOW...
Cavey check out about page 5 there are a few photos of inside the cabinet ^^^
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Hey John,
I noticed on the left inside return lane, playfield artwork facing up, the 10 and 20 million artwork is missing the word ' million ' in the little yellow box under the 10 and 20, it shows it on the 30 million artwork....
Is this because its a proto ?? !@# !@#
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John yo amaze me with your detail. Even under the playfield WOW...
Cavey check out about page 5 there are a few photos of inside the cabinet ^^^
thanks buddy, i see it now. yeh, not bad. thanks for that. ^^^
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John, a question. !@#
What do u do with the inside of the pinball cabinet. As i like to call it "under the hood".
Alot of people do not bother under here except a wipe out. Personally, i like to see the wood brought back to new with a sand then clear applied over the top making the inside have that fresh vanilla pine wood look, with only the top part sprayed factory black. Obviously, all metal parts brought up to look like new or at least cleaned up.
I think there is nothing better than when you lift a playfield and look into a cabinet that looks very very fresh. What do you do, and do u have any before and after pictures inside a cabinet. !@#
kind regards, Brett
There seem to be at least 2 schools of thought on cabinet insides - either try to get the floor and sides clean as a whistle and repaint the inside and try to get the overspray perfect as original etc, or paint the whole works and forget about overspray.
I don't care for the 'paint the entire inside black' method, but I can see why some folks go that route. I like the floor to have the original wood look, nice and clean etc. One challenge on CFTBL is how much of the inside is painted black from the factory - I am pretty sure that has to do with the projector for the hologram.
This game had the cabinet farmed out to a good friend who is a master of all things wood. The game led a VERY rough life - basically was worn out in Germany, and then was sent to Croatia where it was abused further. The game was dropped, drilled, banged up, etc so many different ways. And equally amazing is how well the cabinet was restored, with I'd guess 97 to 98% original wood!
This was important to me, as the prototype game had some neat details - like having the transformer moved early on, because the transformer got in the way of the projector beam. Yeah, I could've put a new floor in and drilled 2 sets of transformer holes etc, but I'd know it wasn't original.
I'll make a post outlining the cabinet repairs shortly :)
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One of the original problems with this machine was the massive cabinet damage. Many people would've parted the game out for that purpose. The floor of the cabinet was held in by drywall screws. The front corner of the cab was split open by the shooter. Some nitwit replaced one flipper button with an older Bally or Gottlieb unit, and enlarged the hole and removed the flange the flipper button's PAL nut screwed up against. The cabinet was very rough.
To many prototype collectors, original = value. I could stick it in another cabinet, like my friend Ben did with his Creature - he took a BSD cab and used it to replace his CFTBL cab eith no floor - but this wasn't as smooth a transition as hoped. I could've also bought a new cabinet, but that's a lot of $$. Plus, it wouldn't be 'original'. I don't want to do anything that is a permanent mod that will be non-reversible. This won't be mine forever, and somebody, someday, may want as original a game as possible.
You can somewhat see drywall screws holding the floor in the cabinet here:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/269_G.sized.jpg)
Closeup:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/270_G.sized.jpg)
Shot of the split corner:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/272_G.sized.jpg)
And the enlarged flipper hole:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/290_G.sized.jpg)
From the other side
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/291_G.sized.jpg)
And a good idea of the damage to the bottom:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/296_G.sized.jpg)
The bottom panel of the cabinet fits into a routed channel in the 4 sides of the cabinet. When the bottom gets knocked out, it is often due to the channel the bottom slides into being broken. You can see where pieces are missing in the above photo.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/297_G.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/298_G.sized.jpg)
And a picture, showing where the transformer was moved to:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/301_G.sized.jpg)
So, I sent the CFTBL cab to my friend Mac in Ohio. Mac is a master woodworker. Mac began the repairs removing the floor.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/Saving_Creature_004.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/Saving_Creature_005.sized.jpg)
How to tackle the cut out flipper button?
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/Saving_Creature_009.sized.jpg)
The identical sized area is routered out around the cut out flipper button.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/Saving_Creature_012.sized.jpg)
Cab is roughed back together
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/Saving_Creature_014.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/Saving_Creature_015.sized.jpg)
Lower repainted and decaled
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/cftbldecal_001.sized.jpg)
Only real flaw is a misalignment of the front decal, start button should be centered in the speaker on the front decal.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/cftbldecal_002.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/cftbldecal_005.sized.jpg)
Mac did an awesome job and I don't know if I could've repaired this cabinet myself.
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Hey John,
I noticed on the left inside return lane, playfield artwork facing up, the 10 and 20 million artwork is missing the word ' million ' in the little yellow box under the 10 and 20, it shows it on the 30 million artwork....
Is this because its a proto ?? !@# !@#
Correct. I asked PFR to repair it to 'original' condition, they didn't completely follow my wishes but they did a nice job in making something presentable out of nothing. I didn't want to risk shipping it again and let them have it for who knows how long to give them another shot to get it 100% original. Well, it'll never be 100% original again :)
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John, been following this thread mate, just love this game. My favourite "I don't have it" game - when a nice one with a green holo turns up, I will need to pull the trigger!
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NOS Plastic set ready to install
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3147.sized.jpg)
Note on the package indicating the set is as 'complete as they come' - I bought this before repros hit the market.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3148.sized.jpg)
The 3 missing plastics are 1 of the playfield signs, the left slingshot plastic, and 1 ramp cover. My true NOS ramps happen to have the covers attached, so I need 1 playfield sign and the left sing. I will see how the originals will clean up. The sling won't be a problem as a repro if needed, but I'd rather clean up the original if it's in reasonable shape.
The repro sets also weren't truly complete - they don't contain the keychain plastic, the plastic that goes on the backboard, etc. At least that's my understanding of what's in the repro sets.
Plastics are test fit. This is a good test, since sometimes the proto games have posts slightly different etc. They all fit, which is a good sign.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3152.sized.jpg)
And now, they come off, as I need a plastic protector set from pinbits before I can really install them.
All new pop bumper parts. The originals were in poor condition.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3153.sized.jpg)
Lamp sockets installed. Will be tied to GI
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3154.sized.jpg)
I need to figure out how to route these leads and staple them down. Since the game didn't have the pops illuminated, I have to make them nice and neat myself, and figure out which GI string to attach them to. I'm not terribly worried about load - I'm going to install LEDs in these since they would be such a pain to change out. So, I'm more interested in convenience. I have some ideas, but can't run the air stapler this late at night - the compressor would wake up the kids and I'd have hell to pay.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3158.sized.jpg)
The little washers that go under the lane divider small screws are a bugger to find! Glad I still had both the originals!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3159.sized.jpg)
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Your Cabinet dude is one hell of a professional - Great Job !
The front Decal looks like it is aligned correctly as the "3D" and the lines meet correctly centered at the bottom lip on the coin door cutting. But the speaker is not aligned with the start button as you have suggested !@#
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yeah, it's definately confusing. I have a 'regular' cftbl that is decaled, and its front decal is aligned on all locations
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/cftbl_restored_cab/DSCN8192.sized.jpg)
And then the proto
Proto before:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_before/269_G.sized.jpg)
Proto after:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_cab_after/cftbldecal_002.sized.jpg)
Mac's a great guy on many fronts - always helpful and has some great restoration techniques. Always nice to bounce ideas off him too.
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Another angle
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/cftbl_47203/dscn4378.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_2499.sized.jpg)
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hey john, where do u live in the states ? !@#
One day, when a few of us come over to the USA on business, would u mind a few Aussies coming past and saying hello and meeting you.
I would probably have to buy a machine whilst over there just so i could have one in my collection that i could say is a JW JNR special !
Any collector would be happy to show off one of your machines, thats for sure ! ^^^
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I'm in Indiana, roughly 4.5 hours from Chicago. I'm nearly dead center between Louisville, KY and Indianapolis, IN.
I've met Tim aka Duckman at Illinois Pinball. I'd recommend coming over for Pinball Expo at some point if you can. I only made the show for an hour last year to deliver some games I sold, and this year, I'm in a friends wedding, so I'll only make 1 day of the show. Real bummer that the schedule worked out that way this year.
Thanks for the kind words, if it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it!
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Since my lovely wife informed me last night that I was making too much noise while the kids were sleeping, I had to get some stuff done on my lunch break today, as I rarely find time when the kids aren't sleeping to work on my projects - my windows of time are usually naptime on the weekend, or after the kids go to bed.
So, I decided to dedicate most of my lunch break today getting the pop bumper lamps setup.
On most games I work on, I just take a picture of the original routing diagram for the pop sockets with my digital camera, and use that to route the leads and then use the picture to staple the leads back in place.
In the case of CFTBL, the sockets just weren't there - not even in the protos! Some games, like Hurricane, had the pops illuminated in protos, but not on production games. Hurricane has the lamps on the lamp matrix, so that is a little more complicated to wire up than this.
After thinking a bit about the various options for illuminating pops on CFTBL, I decided to just make these GI. There are a few popular methods that make them flash, etc, but they require a lot of wiring etc that would be difficult to keep neat and tidy, along with adding in some resistors etc.
So, I have to pick a GI string. Sometimes, these are pretty heavily taxed in games, so you have to give it a bit of thought. I believe my WPC Theory of Operations manual from WMS says the theoretic maximum is 18 lamps per string. That is calculated using #44 bulbs. Some folks like to put 47s in their games, but not me! If I were operating them, perhaps, but for my collection use, I like to be able to *see* things. So, the load needs to be minimal, too.
Another issue with CFTBL - changing the lamps in the pops is a PITA with the ramps above head. So, I decided LEDs are a good option here. I am not yet sold on LEDs across the board - but in an area that is prone to high vibration, and is difficult to get to, it makes sense to put in LEDs. Plus, they will minimize the load on the GI circuits. Adding 3 LEDs should be negligible.
Here's how I ended up routing the leads of the pop bumper lamps, should anyone feel like adding them later
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3160.sized.jpg)
One thing that's super, super important - you have to insulate the leads where they might come in contact with the bracket for the pop bumper. I put red boxes around the insulation - this is new, so it's not super easy to see. The original stuff is always yellowed. I get this from pinrestore.com, or a local hardware store sometimes has it.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3161_edit.sized.jpg)
A link to a super high res version you can see it better in:
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3161_edit.jpg (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3161_edit.jpg)
You will need to route the leads, then slide the bumper bracket over the studs to verify that the insulation is in the right place. Not difficult, but important and worth mentioning.
I've identified a lamp socket that is nearby on GI string #2, which is the white/orange and orange string. So, I found a junk playfield harness, and harvested some appropriate colored wiring, and cleaned it up.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3162.sized.jpg)
And now, the super neato trick of the day for fellow restorers. A VERY expensive restoration tool that you didn't even know you had
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3163.sized.jpg)
You can use a business card, scrap of cardboard, whatever you have for this step. But, I used a box some lamps came in
Cut the box into strips, and slide them in wherever you'll be soldering
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3164.sized.jpg)
Why? Because getting flux on your playfield is kinda dirty.
Everything is soldered in place now
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3165.sized.jpg)
And the wires routed through the hole that the GI socket I'm going to attach them to comes from.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3166.sized.jpg)
Once the lamp harness is strung, I'll come back and neaten this up a bit. A few wire ties will do wonders for making it look a lot neater.
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So, a little more progress has been made. Had some life things pop up that slowed me down a little - but I've been sneaking out to the workshop, even if I have to steal 10 minutes of sleep a day - to keep moving :)
Flippers installed, switch harness starting to be strung
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3167.sized.jpg)
Trough wired up, diode lugs and tubing replaced - if you look closely, you can see the old yellowed ones laying next to the new clear ones.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3168.sized.jpg)
Little stuff, like replacing these, costs next to nothing - but can make a humongous difference in appearance.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3169.sized.jpg)
These leaf switches can be tidied up and made look much nicer relatively inexpensively. You'll need a rivet press, though, which isn't cheap. So, for the guy who might restore 2-3 pins ever, it makes no sense to tidy these up, just buy new!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3171.sized.jpg)
Starting the cleanup
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3172.sized.jpg)
Switch stack starting disassembly
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3173.sized.jpg)
More to come, hopefully tomorrow :) Sorry to leave everyone hanging.
I *did* get the new LEDs for the pop bumpers and like the choice I ended up with. I tested them in my T2, because it had easily accessed pop bumper lamps and red caps - the same color as the CFTBL will have. The T2 has had Ablaze 3 LED #555s in there, white in color, since I restored it ~2 years ago. My previous T2 restoration would burn bulbs out in about 10-20 games, and seemed to constantly be melting caps. So, I bought LEDs for it.
Lotsa pics here
http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/t2_leds (http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/t2_leds)
Left pop has an Ablaze 3 LED #555 LED in white
Center pop has a Cointaker 4+1 #555 LED in red
Right pop has an original incandescent bulb in it
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/t2_leds/DSC_3183.sized.jpg)
And now, with caps installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/t2_leds/DSC_3185.sized.jpg)
I left the cointakers in. Nice lamps. The Ablaze 3 LED red bulbs are about 40% of the cost of the cointakers, though, so I may order some red ablaze ones to try.
The final picture, with Cointaker LEDs gives a warmer glow, looks very close to original. Close enough that I can live with it. The only 2 things I don't like:
1) Had to screw with the LEDs, getting them turned the right way, bending the contacts out, etc to get a good fit
2) Like all LEDs, in the GI dimming test, they flicker at low numbers, and don't change brightness at the high numbers.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/t2_leds/DSC_3182.sized.jpg)
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The switch harness is run.
Turned the resting brackets around properly. Don't know why, but I always seem to install these backwards the first time.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3188.sized.jpg)
Clear tubing replaced on shooter lane switch
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3189.sized.jpg)
New clear tubing on the trough switches
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3190.sized.jpg)
The EOS switches are new.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3191.sized.jpg)
All the other leaf switches in the game (4 sling switches, 3 pop bumper switches) are disassembled, polished, straightened and rebuilt
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3192.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3193.sized.jpg)
New sling and pop switches would cost about 40 bucks. Rebuilding them always makes them nice, and the only cost is 8 new rivets for the sling switches, and a few hours time. I go through a fair number of titanium coated 1/8 inch drill bits to drill out the rivets, but they are about a buck apiece. Maybe someday, I'll invest in something to resharpen bits.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3194.sized.jpg)
A 2nd copy of the switch and lamp matrix diagram comes in handy here, in case you are not certain where a switch goes. The harnesses have memory, but a nice map helps.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3195.sized.jpg)
One thing that is a bit of a pain - the prototype Creature's opto harness is built into the switch harness, since there are only the 2 pairs of optos in the 2 right hand poppers. In a production game, this harness has a nice connector, and you just plug/unplug to remove the assy. I may add connectors, have not decided yet. I have the connectors on hand if I decide to go that way.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3196.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3197.sized.jpg)
The 4 standups are new. These targets are hard to find. Very hard to find. Matter of fact, I only have 3 out of 4 new targets for my regular creature restoration. the targets just don't show up anymore.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3198.sized.jpg)
Flipped over
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3199.sized.jpg)
Nice clean switches
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3200.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3201.sized.jpg)
Done for the night!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3202.sized.jpg)
Tomorrow, I shall move forward with the lamp harness. Feels great to make progress!
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I love the reflection of the weed (from the playfield) on the leaf switch. This is the "attention to detail" that I just love. This will be the level I will be hoping to achieve with my Circus Voltaire.
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John you stun me with your detail. Rebuilding switch stacks thats to me seemed crazy till i seen the results they look better than new ones ^^^
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Outstanding work John.
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if u sold machines John , i know of alot of Aussies who would all line up to be a customer.
Again, very talented. ^^^
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I think you missed a spot #@# :lol
VERY detailed work - thanks for sharing this info - it gives us all new idea's and shows we can ALL continue to learn from each other.
Very much appreciate the time you have taken to put this thread at AP in such detail
Wotto
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I'm also cheap - I saved nearly $40 USD over buying new. If they are worn out, or contacts are falling off, I can see replacing - especially at this point, as my pile of junk harnesses is running out of switches to refurbish :)
CV has that weird sling setup with the funky brackets and switches. I've seen some that had micros instead of leaf switches, too. I always look forward to your restoration info and photos, but am really looking forward to seeing the CV. I have one and have sort of a love / hate relationship with it.
I hope IPB makes the playfield this year, though, as it's a beautiful game.
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Amazing work #@#
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I'm also cheap - I saved nearly $40 USD over buying new. If they are worn out, or contacts are falling off, I can see replacing - especially at this point, as my pile of junk harnesses is running out of switches to refurbish :)
CV has that weird sling setup with the funky brackets and switches. I've seen some that had micros instead of leaf switches, too. I always look forward to your restoration info and photos, but am really looking forward to seeing the CV. I have one and have sort of a love / hate relationship with it.
I hope IPB makes the playfield this year, though, as it's a beautiful game.
CV playfield was "supposed" to be remade here in Australia 4 years ago - I'll be the first to buy a repro playfield if IPB or CPR make them ! Great News.
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CV playfield was "supposed" to be remade here in Australia 4 years ago - I'll be the first to buy a repro playfield if IPB or CPR make them ! Great News.
And I would love to have a Voltaire sitting around waiting for me to "get around to it"... #@#
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Don't put any new switches in it John, they will look crap next to the rebuilt ones! :lol
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I'm *playing* the CV regularly, it just hasn't been *restored* yet :) It plays OK, but a pin that has been completely rebuilt from top to bottom plays better.
My track record for restorations isn't stellar - I work at my own pace. I can typically work on pins for a couple hours at a time due to family/work/business constraints etc, and it's a rarity that I can work 7 days a week. I've got a 2 year old and a 3 year old, and as I learned when I had a 1 year old and a 2 year old, they don't stay that age forever :) Also, I built most of my collection before having the kids and while getting paid a whole lot better salary due to the US economy - so I have the challenge of funding the restorations. Even if I had more time, I probably wouldn't have the resources to go all out on more than a couple games in the collection a year.
Further challenging my time issue is the fact that I've been selling the collection of my best friend, who passed away unexpectedly in January of 2009. He had about 30 pins, and he lived in a neighboring state, nearly 3 hours from my home. Nearly every pin has required some work - some a little, some a lot. I've been trying to get his wife and daughter top dollar for everything, as they've lost his income, even though he had some insurance etc. So, when it comes time to sell one of his games, I get to stop what I'm doing and put about 1-2 weeks of my time into one of his games.
So, have no fear, most of my collection is set up and gets enjoyed regularly. Just most of them don't have polished leaf switches yet :) But, that's OK, I never said I needed a schedule!
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That is a very honorable thing you are doing for you friend's Widow and daughter. I'm sure your friend would be pleased that you are helping him, ever after he has passed - and he would also be pleased that someone like yourself is working on his games.
I work at my own pace as well - I maintain the "fun factor". If it becomes stressful or laborious, I find something else to do. Sometimes I work all day and then only an hour the next. It is all about finding the time and looking after the more important things in life.
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Underside is almost done!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3203.sized.jpg)
Worked on it quite a bit tonight. Finally came inside around 1:30 AM after realizing I do need some sleep before getting up for work @ 6 AMish. Yeah, it's almost 2:30 now, so I better make it short and sweet!
All wires routed as neatly as possible, but solenoids are still unsoldered. Everything is lining up where it belongs, though!
The wiring harnesses have 'memory' after being run for years and years, even after being unsoldered for a few years, the wires lay pretty close!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3204.sized.jpg)
Still need to decide how to tackle the opto harness.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3205.sized.jpg)
What a mess.. but it will tidy up nicely!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3206.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3207.sized.jpg)
Spent 10 minutes trying to figure out where this lamp socket went... then remembered the backboard :)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3210.sized.jpg)
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After a bit of debate, I added some connectors to 3 assemblies that were added to production games, mainly because fixing anything wrong with these assys ever would be a royal pain of desoldering in tight spaces.
First, I robbed the opto harnesses off the 2 right hand side VUKs to copy them. I harvested the correct color wire from a junk harness, cleaned it, and built new harnesses with identical connectors and routed the wires to the same pinouts.
Harnesses from regular Creature:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3220.sized.jpg)
First harness, installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3214.sized.jpg)
And the second..
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3215.sized.jpg)
And finally, the 3rd assy with a switch that was not on a connector, the up/down assy:
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3216.sized.jpg)
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The playfield is in the cabinet!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3221.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3222.sized.jpg)
The underside
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3223.sized.jpg)
And a junk playfield glass is slid in place and secured. Gotta have a way to keep things clean!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3224.sized.jpg)
Looks like I have a few issues to work through - not unexpected with a game that was bought as a project and in parts. Had 1 bulb in the lamp matrix stuck on - guessing a diode since it's just 1 lamp and not a whole row/column, and all the flashers in the game lock on unless I remove a certain connector. While I was troubleshooting that, I got the always unpleasant burning electronics smell, and when I rebooted the game, it said CHECK F114 / F115 and of course the switch matrix was then dead. No burnt coils, most logical thought is the lamp socket that is stuck on may have been shorted and that took out BR1.
I'll get back to it, but I'm done for the evening. Got plenty of fun to look forward to tomorrow.
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It's alive!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3227.sized.jpg)
All solenoids, lamps and switches working. Was quite the day of troubleshooting. I lucked out and found someone on IRC who was VERY knowledgable with the heart of a teacher and got walked through troubleshooting the WPC driver board. Learned bunches.
Upon further diagnosis, I found out the entire Row 1 of the lamp matrix was stuck on - but the transistor was fine! The lamp matrix is 12 volts, but it 'strobes' 18 volts to produce 12. When the column or row locks on, it eventually draws enough to blow the fuse. So, the stuck row caused the fuse to blow. Pulled the lamps in that column, replaced the fuse, and the game was fine again.
Apparently, this board got nailed REALLY hard by something before it came to me. I had a problem with 3 flashers and 1 coil locking on as well, and after looking at the schematic, I found that the lamp row, 3 flashers and coil all connected to D0 on the driver board. After hooking up the logic probe, it was obvious that something was pulling D0 low when it should be pulsing.
I ended up replacing U1, U2, U3, U4 and U5 because pin 2 on all these chips was shorted. Logic probe kept finding a bad chip and D0 was pulled low instead of pulsing, I'd remove the chip and retest, and it'd still be pulled low! Long story and I'm not gonna go into it, but the driver board took 3-4 hours to straighten out.
Adjusted 3 switches, replaced a bulb that was burnt out, reflowed the solder on the DMD driver board (had an intermittent problem with the DMD driver garbling images/text and failing the RAM test until it'd been on for 10-15 minutes, as expected, there was a cold solder joint) and now, it is 100%.
Time to return to assembly :)
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That is a very honorable thing you are doing for you friend's Widow and daughter. I'm sure your friend would be pleased that you are helping him, ever after he has passed - and he would also be pleased that someone like yourself is working on his games.
+1 - A true gentleman! #*#
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So, the Creature is ringed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3339.sized.jpg)
A few posts got moved around a little as I realized I had them in the wrong places when the rubber didn't fit just right. And I had an interesting issue pop up. There's a post next to the snack bar scoop that has a bell shaped rubber on it. On the proto game, the stainless ball guide behind the post appears to be a little longer - so the bell shaped rubber won't clear it.
My teardown pics show the issue, and the rubber on the game before was notched, so I notched the bell shaped sleeve and installed it. In home use, I think it'll survive just fine.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3348.sized.jpg)
One of the protos I am aware of shipped from the factory with black bats. I figured I'd do black bats with white rings. Every rubber part in the machine is white now!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3349.sized.jpg)
You can also notice in the last picture that with the bats installed, the enlarged flipper holes don't prove to be troublesome.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3350.sized.jpg)
Another fun proto issue - some tweaked mounting hardware for the bowl ramp. I can probably get it close (I've looked for a replacement!), but will the bowl fit right?
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3353.sized.jpg)
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That bracket in the last picture looks like it was involved in a car accident !
Looking good, John, and the white rubbers look awesome. Although Black suits this game, white "freshens" up the playfield. The black bats with white rubbers really look strange, but I'm sure it will "fit in" as the playfield takes shape. Great job on the electronics - that would have stumped me for a few hours !
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I have one more place to check for a new one. Doesn't seem like it'd be a bracket that is often damaged etc, so maybe I'll have some luck. I'd rather get a new one than straighten this one, I'm worried that I'd straighten it and the bowl would sit wrong, so I'd rather find a new or used one that is straight and use it and have the original bent beat up one to fall back on.
I am not a fan of black rubber on anything. I don't like the bounce of it, I don't like the dust it drops everywhere, and I like how white brightens up a game. Out of all the games I've ever worked on, I put black on one because that's the kit that I recieved in the mail for it (didn't think to ask for white) and I was in a hurry to reassemble the machine. I've been buying bulk rings for years now, and I don't even get black.
I guess it's a matter of preference.
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Looking fantastic John, Interesting you are using white flipper rubbers, have never seen anyone use them on newer games
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Some more pictures, with the plastics starting to be installed. The final parts orders should arrive in the next 2-3 days.
I bent my first wire gate today. It was easier than I thought it'd be, but wasn't simple by any means!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3356.sized.jpg)
I may attempt this gate again tomorrow night. This one is functional, but isn't as pretty as an original. The paperclip that was somewhat misformed in this bracket just wouldn't cut it.
Plastics being test fit, protectors should be here in about 2 days
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3357.sized.jpg)
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So, I got 2 of the final 3 parts orders in today. And I placed another order, so really there are 4 final parts orders. Someday, I'll be good enough to have all the parts in house before I start. Or, is that 'wealthy' enough to have them in house?
The parts that arrived were the cointaker LEDs for the pop bumpers (the test subjects ended up being left in the 'test' game, I liked them so much!), and the Pinbits plastic protector set.
The plastic protectors look like they will be very effective. Basically, Pinbits has made a clear version of the plastics that commonly break, extended the plastic ever so slightly where the ball impacts the plastic, and made them from plastic that is not likely to shatter. It is installed under the plastic, and should save the plastic from being cracked or broken.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3391.sized.jpg)
The 4th order I placed today was for some 'jam' nuts, a thinner version of a locknut. Once you add the extra thickness, it reduces the amount of threads that can be engaged on the nut holding the plastic down - meaning the threads may not get to the nylon locking portion. So, I ordered some of the thinner locknuts, and some small washers as well to go under the nuts. The washers will keep the nuts from cutting into the plastics.
It's looking really good!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3407.sized.jpg)
The 3rd package, containing the sling plastics, new bowl ramp, and new PF window arrives tomorrow, unless USPS messes up!
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Looking great John. I bet you're hanging to play it finally!
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+1 with Marty,
You must be HANGING to press that start button on the first game...
Looking great, very very informative thread for guys like me just getting into the hobby.
Thanks very much.
el_timbo
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John, since you are nearly finished with the Creature resto, what machine are you doing next ? and why/what made you pick the next in line ?
I note, that you have all of us watching every part of every restore over here and we are all enjoying your great work. Your resto threads are helping alot of guys, espescially with confidence to have a go.
That Creature, will probably end up being one of the best examples in the world when done.
I dont think Treasure Cove even does as much as you do.
Nice work mate ! ^^^
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I think my next project is going to be Scared Stiff. I'm 90+% sure that's gonna be the one. The only other 'real' candidate is another Creature I have, and doing the same game twice in a row doesn't sound like much fun.
I've got several years of projects lined up. Some in varying states of readiness. Some that are playable and will just have to wait til I get to them. Some that are torn apart. Basically, I keep a running list of parts I need for my restorations, and when I finish one, I choose the next one based on which one I'm closest to ready to restore. Game 1 needs $500 in parts to restore, game 2 needs $1000 in parts to restore etc, game 1 gets restored next :)
Due to salary cuts at my day job (3 last year combined with being out of work for 4 months) as well as my business slowing down due to the economy, I don't have as much money to work with, so I have to choose from the games I have parts on hand for, or close to enough parts on hand. I sold 20% of my collection last year to keep afloat. I consider myself lucky, though, as there is a huge crisis here in the states and just having a job, let alone a decent one, means a lot to me. The fact that I still have 20+ pins means it isn't so bad!
My wife worked for a bank which failed as a result of some poor business decisions. The bank was taken over by a larger bank after the US Government stepped in, and the larger bank has a department that does what she does - so her job was converted to 'temporary' status. Her job was slated to go away at the end of next month, but the new owners have realized they are not ready yet and they extended her job another 6 months. She did, however, get cut back to 3 days a week, when she was working 4 before. That's going to hurt a bit.
I have most of the parts for the 2nd creature and the scared stiff. Doing some math, either game is gonna need 300-500 worth of goodies to finish them up. But, since I'll be doing the restos over several months, it's not as big a hit as it sounds.
I also have a Flintstones that is 50% torn apart. Bought it that way rather inexpensively. I'm actually really jonesing to work on it. I have a Twilight Zone that was in a flood that I need to send the playfield off to have touched up and cleared - but the investment involved in doing that is rather high for my tastes presently. I have an Indiana Jones and a Diamondplated Whirlwind at Playfield Renovations. I'm grateful that they are taking their time as either of those is going to be $600-800 in touchup and clear work.
Then, I've got new playfields on hand for my Medieval, AFM and MB. Of the 3, I think I like MB the most. All 3 of those need a number of parts to get started.
Once the 2nd Creature is done, I have a couple IJs to do for a friend that were worked into a pin deal. I could really use the space, so I'd like to get those knocked out. Realistically, I'll get the SS and 2nd CFTBL knocked out this year and maybe start on the IJs.
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Here's one of the typical issues you run into with prototype machines!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3409.sized.jpg)
I installed NOS wired ramps, and guess what? WMS used 1 large 12 pin connector on the proto, and 2 6 pin connectors on the production game - so the ramps wouldn't just 'plug in'.
I was going to convert the game harness to 6 pin connectors, but I'll be damned if I couldn't get the pins out of the connector in the game harness. So, I repinned the 2 seperate 6 pin connectors into a single new 12 pin connector.
Ramps are installed
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3412.sized.jpg)
I spent most of my evening on the ramps tonight. Found several things that were just pains in my side. When I looked close at all the 'NOS' ramps, I found that they had not been stored properly, and both flaps were rusty. So, I made 2 new flaps and riveted them on. Then, they had masking tape on them from whenever they were packaged up, and it had turned to complete crap and I had to work to get all of that off.
Green lamps in the swamp
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3416.sized.jpg)
Clear lamps in the filmstrip
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3417.sized.jpg)
New window installed (need to clean the lint off)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3418.sized.jpg)
New bowl ramp
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3420.sized.jpg)
Still need to mount the reed switch, and clean up the wiring going to the bowl. I need to clean several of the small harnesses tomorrow, such as the ones going to the ramp entrance signs, to the bowl, etc.
I also need a warm enough day to spray some paint - the backbox insert needs at m1 additional coat, and likely 2 additioanal coats of paint. It has to be at least 50 degrees to spray paint, and our lows tonight were below freezing.
Then, I have to mount the shooter and the flipper opto boards, tidy up a bunch of wiring, give the game a good vacuum job, put the new PF and translite glass in, etc.
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An excellent read John.
I am glad i asked what was next. The Scard Stiff sounds great. Should be a beauty to watch that restore. ^^^
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An excellent read John.
I am glad i asked what was next. The Scard Stiff sounds great. Should be a beauty to watch that restore. ^^^
+1 ^^^
My dream machine - if I can ever find a decent cheap one... !!!
BTW John, it was too hot here to do any work yesterday! <.>
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So, the first bummer of the project...
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3458?full=1)
He's blue, not green :( - big bucks for a replacement that is green is not in the budget of the project at this time - so I'll have to enjoy it, blue or green. At least it's sharp!
Had to clean up the apron, as the dang thing was filthy. Amazing how dirty parts of this game were! I was able to take Novus #2 and get most of it off - Novus #1 wouldn't touch it. The center artwork is just a crappy sticker on the proto game (seem to recall my 'production' game is screened, but can't be 100% sure til I unpack it.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3430.sized.jpg)
The Novus #2 was showing black paint on the rag - so I had to be very careful. I may wax the apron and see if it helps cover some of the imperfections. I will also see if I can find any apron decals, and perhaps a compatible apron to repaint and sticker.
It's tough to see in the pictures, but the original shooter gauge is absolutely stuffed. It took me 2 years to find an original replacement!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3433.sized.jpg)
And the MRS mod: (magnetic reed switch)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3466.sized.jpg)
Need to get some double faced tape to stick it to the bowl.
I hope to play a game tonight, after a bit more work. But, if it takes another day or so, I won't rush it :)
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Your Holo isn't showing up John, mines blue too! He's green when you look at him without the lamp on but in the game he's blue (depends on the angle you look at it too)
I think the center of the apron is just a sticker, I don't believe that mine is screened.
The magnetic reed switch is interesting, I had read about it in the past but never seen one, how does it go when the ball falls away from the edge of the bowl? i.e does it still count the revolutions or is it only within a certain distance (do you get more letters lit than a standard switch?) Is the sensitivity adjustable?
Nice work on the switches too, I wish I had a rivet press, I usually end up using a bolt and nut because I can't get a rivet back in.
I'm glad you decided on a new playfield window too, the old ones just don't come up as nice as a brand new one.
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Apron came up a lot nicer after I waxed it!
The reed switch only registers the balls that get close enough to trigger the original switch. Maybe even requires them to be a little closer to the outside of the bowl. But, since the ball doesn't hit the switch, it doesn't come off the outside as easily.
I've been playing the game today. Need to tweak a few switches, put some beer seal on the lockdown bar, and tidy up the wiring a bit. Getting closer!
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So, we are in the home stretch.
Got a few days of nice weather here and I was able to paint the backbox insert on Friday. It's not perfect, but you'd not know unless your nose is up against it.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3474.sized.jpg)
Unfortunately, the sockets are slightly heat damaged. I'm seeing more and more of this on games of this era, especially the blown out examples I start with - but, the original sockets are not readily available, and I've had some so yellowed they practically turn to dust - so this one isn't too bad!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3511.sized.jpg)
Translite is dirty as always. Amazing how a few years of being smoked around can make anything look like complete trash! Lift bar is broken, and one side trim is cracked and not holding anything, so I'll replace all 4 pieces.
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3473.sized.jpg)
Nicotine stains coming off. Isn't bright white like a NOS one would be, but it's uniform and lets lots more light through
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3478.sized.jpg)
So this is what a smoker's lungs look like
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3479.sized.jpg)
The glass cleaned up nicely, so I reused the original glass. I had some new translite glass sheets made up a couple years back, and they somehow all got scratched. Got them in trade for some pin work for someone whose wife worked at a glass shop. So, it wasn't a deal I could go complain about.
Front
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3480.sized.jpg)
Back
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3482.sized.jpg)
There are a few scratches through the white layer of the translite, and even a couple spots that are completely clear, but I'd just make them look worse trying to 'fix' them.
Test playing broke a plunger, unfortunately. Luckily, I had a nice used spare
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3486.sized.jpg)
Check out the translite reflection in the PF window!
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3488.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3500.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3502.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3503.sized.jpg)
With the lights turned back on
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3504.sized.jpg)
(http://gallery.myhomegameroom.com/albums/proto_cftbl_progress/DSC_3512.sized.jpg)
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Damn man,
That is looking SWEET! I had already noticed the reflection of the translite before i read the comment below the picture.
Looking great John.
Tim
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So, the Creature is done.
It sits in staging, waiting on my assistance to move it into the gameroom, which involves a trip down a flight of stairs.
The weather is finally quite nice here. 68 degrees today. Wish it stayed at this temperature 12 months of the year!
Final photos coming in a few days. Need some help to get the game outside and snap some pics.
Started on the Scared Stiff tonight. A new thread will be starting in an hour or so. Lots of pictures uploading!
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Awesome work John. Certainly looking forward to seeing for the SS restoration.
@@*
10/10
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And it's done!
Pics here:
http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=4151.0
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John, thanks so much for sharing this restoration with us, it is a privilege to see such fine work and to have it documented here.
Looking forward to Scared Stiff!!
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Super job #*# @@* ^^^