Williams / Bally ST TNG Restore # 2

[Strangeways]

Next in the DMD Restoration / Reconditioning Queue is a Bally / Williams "Star Trek - The New Enterprise" (ST TNG). This game is being restored for a member who liked the work I did on my previously documented ST TNG, which is here - http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=8724.0. This machine will be completed almost exactly the same except there a few mods and upgrades that will be added along the way ;

- Color DMD
- Upgraded PinballPro Subwoofer Kit
- Wireform LED strips

Objective

This will be very close to a "High End Restoration" without re decalling the Cabinet. I plan on full LEDS, new PinballInc Ramps (RTBB), new plastics set and anything else I can get my hands on to have a really nice game.

Condition

The game plays, but as per most ST TNGs, it has numerous switch / opto faults which make the game unplayable.

Playfield - 10/10 - Dirty. That's about it ! More fine dust than dirt. Some wear around the outhole which will be addressed.

Cabinet - 9/10 - Really nice. No major dints or scuff marks. Easily one of the best cabinets I've seen.

Electronics - 9/10 - J120 and J121 Burnt or wires directly soldered to the connector pins.

Let's Begin - The "Before" pictures





A really solid base for a restoration. The cabinet is structurally sound, and has not holes left by the security bar across the front door.





Lots of vivid colors in the artwork.





Playfield has been protected by a layer of dirt !





Here's a picture below of and aread I've cleaned with Nifti and then Novus. It came up really well !





Jumping ahead after a full playfield strip and we have a filthy playfield out of the machine and ready for polishing and waxing





In the picture below, I've used nifti to remove the surface dirt. It has removed a lot of dirt from the areas around the lower pop bumpers and the areas where there the metal posts have been removed. clearly, there's a lot of dirt accumulated under the pop bumper skirts. I've seen machines that have been "reconditioned" and the pop bumpers have not been removed to clean this filth. So what usually happens is the area around the pop bumpers are cleaned but the dirt under the pop bumper skirts will be transferred on to the cleaned playfield in time. Same deal as subways ramps.








Playfield is cleaned with Nifti and then Novus 2





Playfield polished and then waxed - huge difference !








The metal guides are all washed and regrained. All posts were washed and then left in the tumbler until they were completely polished. I then reassemble.





It is a lot of work, but the results will be VERY rewarding. I've ordered PinballInc Ramps from RTBB, and plenty of other new parts which are arriving one after the other - so the updates will be fast and furious !

[Strangeways]

Cabinet

Started off by taking photos and documenting the parts that need to be replaced. Everything will be stripped and the inside repainted. The playfield was already removed to paint the inside correctly.





I usually repaint the inside and the head section that the translite is mounted into.





All the bolts that are visible on the head and body are repainted and then cleared with a high gloss.





In the picture below, I've installed the repainted bolts in the cabinet and you can see what a huge difference it makes !





Lower cabinet is cleaned, repainted and ready for reassembly.





The trigger assembly is also repainted and cleared. The spring that is mounted inside the assembly is usually broken, or missing. so I replaced these. The metal trigger and shaft are cleaned and polished.





Assembly completed





Cabinet almost completed. Subwoofer was ordered at this time, so the factory speaker is still installed.





Front door repainted, bolts installed, trigger assembly installed.





The legs are temporarily installed - I'll be repainting these.

[pinball god]

Looking great so far, did you say the gun handles were painted and then cleared or did you re-chrome them? I have never seen chrome paint look like that, usually more a shiny silvery effect.

[pinnies4me]

Very nice mate, looking great!

[Pinfan]

Nice work Nino  ^^ Its looking mighty fine.

[Strangeways]

Looking great so far, did you say the gun handles were painted and then cleared or did you re-chrome them? I have never seen chrome paint look like that, usually more a shiny silvery effect.

The gun handles are repainted as original - Black. I then clearcoated it.

[Jimmie Dimmick]

wow looks good!

[Strangeways]

ST TNG is a demanding game to have working 100%. I think Bally / William's Engineering dept really earned their pay on this title. Even as a widebody, there is a lot going on in this game, and if it is not working 100%, the game simply does not play right. MANY games I've looked at that are "shopped out" are not working because of the plethora of side cuts that can be taken in this game !

The Subway Ramp - If this is not done properly, the game will get VERY confused and launch balls at random and provide endless hours of entertainment as the game basically "plays with itself"..





As I start dismantling, I see the same problems - The ramps are broken at the ends. This is because the operator / technicians didn't use the "empty all balls" funstion in the setup menu ! The balls in the ramp smash down to the bottom of the ramp.





So I order a PinballInc Ramp from RTBB ;





.. and now it has a new subway ramp fitted. This is a CRITICAL part of the game.








Hows this for inventive running repairs ?





The trough opto boards were replaced with Mike's boards from HOMEPIN. Not worth the risk using older boards. Fix the subway ramp, the trough optos and the cannon wiring loom and you have 99% of the problems solved on this title.








.. and a cliffy protector for the ball launch / catapult.





Here's where all the hard work starts to pay off. Playfield is buffed and waxed after a full strip and clean. Metal parts are tumbled, hand polished or regrained. Pop Bumper parts are REPLACED. Really looks good..








New plastics, plastic protectors and ramps are next !

[Crashramp]

Looking great, it looks like a huge amount of work has gone into this so far.

[Strangeways]

Looking great, it looks like a huge amount of work has gone into this so far.

and a great deal of enjoyment.

The Pinball Pro Subwoofer and Color DMD have arrived and will be part of the the next couple updates !

[Strangeways]

The NEW RTBB / PinballInc ramps have arrived. I move all the old hardware across from the old ramps - switches, gates etc. I'm also installing a new plastics set, posts and cannon plastics. The new wire loom for the cannons will also be installed. There was a lot of wire "hacks" to the upkicker assemblies, and I've installed new connectors etc to make them original and removable again. I've also installed LEDs and I test them before installing the subway ramp.

New cliffy protector and cliffy posts are installed. Purple looks really good in areas. I've also installed a plastics protector set. Here's some pictures ;





Here's the EL wire mod. It is a bit fiddly, and it needs to be installed on the sides of the wire ramps, which does not always look good.





Testing the positioning and colors of the LEDs.








COLOR DMD and Sub Woofer - These were extras requested by the customer. The Sub Woofer is a 5 minute install, and the speaker panel speakers take a bit longer. The ColorDMD takes around 20 minutes. Here's the kit as it was unpacked and installed.








LEDs and ColorDMD really look good on this game. I'll try to take some better shots of the DMD animations in color. It is a HUGE difference.








At the moment, I'm testing the game to iron out any issues. Given it is a complicated machine, everything has to work 100% to appreciate the playing experience.

I had to demagnetize the cannon assemblies as the plunger was firing and holding on bootup. It is "normal" for the game to develop this issue over time, but I find it annoying. I have requested the resident ST TNG GURU to play test the game and have his tick of approval before it goes to its new home. The last step is to paint and install the BLACK factory legs.

 

[Crashramp]

It looks awesome! I'm sure the owner will be very pleased.

[Thasaman]

And I will be the owner and I AM OVER THE MOON!!

Nino has done a fantastic job and kept me in the loop all the way through. Can't wait to get this delivered.

Thanks again Nino, you are a true professional!


Ta
Thasaman

[Slash]

That looks awesome, the playfield really did look in great condition too.

How do you get the EL wire to stay on those wireforms?

[Strangeways]

That looks awesome, the playfield really did look in great condition too.

How do you get the EL wire to stay on those wireforms?

I "hand pick" my imports, and I always make sure my games have EXCELLENT playfields. The end result is better for me and the new owner 

EL wire is held in position by strategically placing sticky tape over the wireform and EL wire. It is almost invisible. Trial and error results in the EL wire not interfering with the ball travel !