Next in the DMD Restoration / Reconditioning Queue is a Stern Terminator 3. One of my favorite Sterns. It has been in my garage for quite some time, and I was playing it while doing other projects.
ObjectiveThe machine is already in excellent condition, and could pass as "shopped" for some sellers
. Not good enough for me, as I think this game has great lighting effects and will look great reconditioned.
ConditionPlayfield - 10/10 - Dirty. That's about it ! There's a lot of REDS in this game, and the playfield will look great with a high sheen.
Cabinet - 9/10 - Really nice. No major dints or scuff marks. Some wear around the flipper buttons. Translite is fine. Front door is straight and clean.
Electronics - 10/10 - Game is less than 10 years old and has no problems that I can see yet !
Let's Begin - The "Before" picturesTeardown begins
Looks like the female Terminator has a bit of a meltdown at some stage - this may indicate a board problem, so I'll be testing this before re assembly.
One of the most "asked" questions or comments I get is "how do you remember where things go ?" - Photos and notes ! Takes a few seconds to pull out the camera and take pictures. There are many posts on this game of different sizes.
Playfield is stripped. First pass of Nifti and a rag (my favorite), and then a quick clean with Novus 2. Very pleased with the playfield.
After the playfield cleaning, I use the Treasurecove kit to bring out the shine and natural REDS on this game. No longer dull, just a really nice polished playfield !
Under the playfieldJust because it is a newer title, I still rebuild every assembly and replace ALL Coil sleeves. I've NEVER worked on a machine and NOT found problems - either the pops have broken yolks (metal), work bakerlite yolks, coils have very worn sleeves causing the mechanisms to be sloppy and broken armatures or brackets. The wrong type of spring is my favorite, along with over lubricated and gummed up slingshots. Love these !
This is the section behind the back panel at the top of the playfield. No point in going to all the trouble of polishing the playfield if this section is not disassembled. The dirt in this area will simply be transferred from this area back on to the playfield.
Drop Target is an interesting design, and it is very robust. Filthy, with a bit of lubrication that has dripped down the plunger.
Rebuilt
Next update - Re assembly !
BTW - This game is just about the ONLY title that white rubbers won't look very good. There theme of the game is DARK, with REDS, chrome and black - so it will be the ONLY game you will ever see me install black rubbers.