SF2: cleaning under the hood

I had wanted to get deep under SF2 for a while.  The car-crash playfield needed some work, and the subways under the playfield were black with filth.  They are supposed to be translucent.

right subway

left subway and car-crush playfield

First thing I did was the easiest:  completely remove the right subway and clean it, with excellent results:

The car-crush playfield has a few connectors that I labelled and disconnected, then 8 screws to remove it.  Well actually, just 4 screws.  Seems a prior owner had borrowed half the screws for other applications!  Thank goodness I had sought out backups of the exact type in weeks prior.

Here it is on my freezer workbench.

There should be a spring on either side, meaning the car crush was easier due to less resistance.

Both springs re-affixed, everything cleaned, and flipper rubber changed.  Time to re-attached the plastic ceiling plate.

I took the car off for later repairs.  I will see if I can render a new front bumper to it.  As you can see, the red remnants are snapped off and stuck at the front car-crash plate.


Now it was time for the difficult task:  cleaning that left subway!

getting closer...

Taking the car crush off was essential.  I then had to remove the left VUK to get at 3 fastening screws under there.

VUK removed.  Getting closer...

And then...  damn OK this ramp isn't coming off.  Look at the image of the whole under-side playfield.  The wiring harness has securely trapped the winding plastic and even after removing some lights and drop targets, could not find a reasonable way to get the plastic out without detaching the massive wiring harness.  #uggh.

So what to do then?  IMPROVISE!
No way I am letting that filthy ramp survive unattended.

a drain clog cleaner I picked up last week

I then folded paper towels around it, secured with a rubber band, covered in Windex, and then forced down the plastic at the VUK opening.  It would come back filthy each time.  PROGRESS!

It's not perfect, but it is MUCH BETTER.

So. Much. Better.

Right now my big problem with SF2 is getting in to the flippers.  Anyone have any advice for loosing those 2 bolts?  I tried with all of my strength but couldn't get them to budge.

My nemesis.  well, that and my allen key.  You are all my... nemesi?

I have the flipper rebuild kit, but that doesn't help if I can't get in to it!


STREET FIGHTER 2

TODO
install cliffy protectors
get non-ghosting LEDs (and replacing dead bulbs)
clean + adjust the flippers
adjust left extra ball center target
fix car + reattach
deep clean of playfield, removing all plastics + replace upper-playfield rubbers
replace playfield glass

DONE
clean car-crash mech and replace flipper rubber
cleaning the under-playfield troughs
got flipper replacement kit (holding on to it, will use it when needed)
got stargate ramp coils (but not reason to do it yet though)
fix 2 out lights in backbox
secure coin door
solder diode across the right slingshot coil.  Replace Q3 transistor on driver board.
left VUK: new spring, new plunger
get replacement fuses for under the PF
re-secured VUK mounts to provide extra-strong kicks + added extra screws
installed lower playfield rubbers
installed new power module
replaced Q3 transistor to solve right slingshot issue
reattached ground wires
replaced VUK solenoid to correct one
replaced fuse for stargate ramps
reattach tilt mechanism
bend left playfield bracket back in to proper place
new beer seal
Flipper rubber for Chun Li
Replaced flipper rubbers (except car crash flipper)
Cleaned backbox charring + replaced dead + charred lightbulbs
initial basic playfield cleaning 

playfields on the wall

Newly adorning the game room walls...

And, one more on the way!!!
I love the art specific to playfields.


I used these to secure them:

Heavier ones on the bottom, each is rated for 25 pounds.
Then a single smaller one to secure it at the top so it doesn't topple.

learning the ins and outs of LEDs

My order arrived, brimming with LEDs to experiment with!   Rocky & Bullwinkle has some dim lights near the back, so I definitely wanted to give them a POP.
SF2 is pretty bright as-is, but I was hoping to play around with it a bunch.

First issue:  The manual for R+B is a terrible representation of the actual lighting.  Light type are WRONG in a bunch of spots, and a few lights are omitted.
I ordered coloured LEDs for the B-O-M-B targets, according to the manual, but oh hey, they are ACTUALLY 44s, not 555s.  grrrrr

Here is the lighting under the 8 WABAC values.  we have 6 #555 bulbs on the board, with the last 2 as #44s.  The blue and yellow upright target lights are also #44s.   The manual?  Said they were all #555s...  *uggh*

2nd issue:  A while back I had noticed that the left "Aesop" scoop can also be used to light the WABAC value, just like the shot up the center, but alas the light was out!  Now with LEDs in hand I went in to fix it and....  ummm.  Wait.

It looks like an insert from a distance,but on closer examination, it isn't!  Did they forget to cut it out?

 So, not REALLY an issue, but certainly a curiousity.

Underneath, you can see there aren't even any markings for it, but certainly there would have been enough room had they wanted to.  So weird.

I popped LEDs in to the WABAC awards, the rollovers at the top, and a few of the upper flashers, and at least those look good.
One thing to note is that after inserting they aren't as stable it seems, and I had to go back in 2 or 3 times too wiggle the connection.  I wonder if there will be intermittentcy issues with them due to repeated openings of the playfield?

I did finally get an LED in to the Boris button / plunge button.   The issue before was that the domed LEDs I had were a TOUCH too long to fit in to the chassis.  I swapped out a low-clearance LED from the Flintstones (popped a domed LED in to there and you can't tell the difference,) put that one in to the lamp socket and...  gah I had broken a wire.  The hack-ful button strikes again!  I had figured the capacitor had branched of it, meeting with the wire at the cabinet as part of grounding.  My multimeter confirmed otherwise:  their junction point wasn't connected to ground, despite being super close.  So I ended up stripping the wire a bit and soldering it direct to the capacitor that branched off of the launch button.
In the end?  It was cleaner and more accessible than what was there before.
And the Boris target button?  GLOWS.  :)

it doesn't look like much, but the domed one on the left just didn't quite fit.

SF2 gave me a sad discovery, learning what "ghosting was.  I had always assumed ghosting was a property of the electrical system that the LED didn't turn off fast enough, thus leaving a ghost impression.  But I was wrong.
When the LEDs were off, they were still on.  Barely.  Gah, so annoying.  So I will have to make another order for SF2 for specific non-ghosting LEDs.
For most of the PF inserts, much of it is bright enough with incandescent, so I might leave much of it and just replace the green and purple lights with LEDs.
SF2 has the potential to be comically blinding with full LED treatments...


Also picked up this cute guy, to wrap around parts and get lighting in hard-to-see places while working...

On the to-do list front, I'm going to give up on the line item of "try and reduce speaker hum" because with the high voltages and the inability to industrial shield the audio circuits, it's really not worth the bother to investigate.


ROCKY & BULLWINKLE

STUFF TO DO
adjust flippers to the dots
replacing the SAVED decals.
find a replacement ramps / repair ramps
deep disassemble-everything clean (including under-playfield trough)
add more LEDs

DONE
clean flippers
get/install a Boris button
reconnect CN1 connector to increase reliability
install new levellers + casters, level the legs
wire Lion to 32 V instead of 50 V
replace the back box hat trick padding
Replace plastic Lion in hat trick
replace ball drain kicker
Update ROMs to 1.3
remove pop bumper screw.
repair first left orbit (hat trick) switch so that the diverter can work
CLEAN ALL THE THINGS.
replace beer seal


STREET FIGHTER 2

TODO
install cliffy protectors
get non-ghosting LEDs (and replacing dead bulbs)
clean + adjust the flippers
adjust left extra ball center target
deep clean of playfield, removing all plastics + replace upper-playfield rubbers
cleaning the under-playfield troughs
clean car-crash mech and re-affix car
replace playfield glass
Replace car crash flipper rubber + glue car to crash mechanism

DONE
got flipper replacement kit (holding on to it, will use it when needed)
got stargate ramp coils (but not reason to do it yet though)
fix 2 out lights in backbox
secure coin door
solder diode across the right slingshot coil.  Replace Q3 transistor on driver board.
left VUK: new spring, new plunger
get replacement fuses for under the PF
 re-secured VUK mounts to provide extra-strong kicks + added extra screws
installed lower playfield rubbers
installed new power module
replaced Q3 transistor to solve right slingshot issue
reattached ground wires
replaced VUK solenoid to correct one
replaced fuse for stargate ramps
reattach tilt mechanism
bend left playfield bracket back in to proper place
new beer seal
Flipper rubber for Chun Li
Replaced flipper rubbers (except car crash flipper)
Cleaned backbox charring + replaced dead + charred lightbulbs
initial basic playfield cleaning

my inexperience shows

It is important to remember that things I thought were a problem weren't actually that problem.

Spring for Break Shot not holding the up-post?  Actually a bent bar.
Slingshot misalignment for Break Shot?  Actually broken clip on the slingshot.
Cold soldering on R+B power board?  Actually just a single loose wire in a connector.
Dead switch on R+B?  Just a bad connector.
Dead switch on Break shot?  misaligned lane switch.
Dirty rails on the SF2 cab?  a huge issue was the bent metal at the back of the playfield!





My old Breakshot is now back how with its loving new/old owner, and he was kind enough to email me an update about it.  He filed the switch inside the cabinet and now the upper flipper plays brilliantly, able to return a Super Cue shot from the left back to the right!  It never did that for me, and I assumed dirty coil.  But nope, he fixed parts I hadn't considered, and it's better than ever now.

So to remember:  Stop and take a pause when I THINK I know what the issue is.  Or worse, consider an alternative if I think something is NOT an issue...

Kind of sad I got rid of Break Shot, but Flintstones is certainly worth it.  Mind you, the question is should I have gotten rid of Rocky + Bullwinkle instead?  But, the guy was lined up, ready to pick up, so it was certainly the most manageable thing to do, to sell Break Shot.

A quick digression, where I wanted to talk about how amazing the guy who bought my Break Shot is.
HE MADE A TRIPLE-HEADED PINBALL MACHINE!  Check game play here. 
And here is a vid on how it works:

(he also shows off his amazing Rat Race!)


I took some time tonight to take out the coils for R+B and give it all a good cleaning.  Put it back and WOW, yep, a noticeable difference.  I was thinking I had the slope too high on the game, but now that the flippers were cleaned and filed, the game plays that much better and that right ramp isn't prohibitive.  I did file the metal rods in the flipper coil a touch.  They weren't super mushroomed or anything at the end, but every little bit helps I imagine.

I think my goal for the time being will try and "dial in" Rocky + Bullwinkle as much as possible to see if I can get it notched above Street Fighter 2 in my fave column.
Heck, Rocky + Bullwinkle would be better than SF2 if I could run a trace on the ROM and find the variable countdown timer for ball-save and put it to something sane like every other game.


I would like to end by pointing out the fabulous progress on the Skit-B Pinball Predator game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-Pop41otk
So excited for all of those of you that are getting one!

Rocky & Bullwinkle: adding a Boris button!

My R&B had been routed and had a few non-original parts installed as fixes, and I've done a pretty good job of getting it closer to it's original state.
I will never bother hunting for a Nell mechanism, but that is a pretty useless toy as far as I'm concerned.  But from a presentation standpoint, I had always wanted to get the original Boris target button on the start button.

the old green button with the NOS Boris button that just arrived!

The old switch had been hacked in to place.  The backs of these normally have 5 plugs, but mine only had 2, and then 3 wires soldered.
Well OK one was a wire that had a diode that attached at the left, the other had a wire that went to one plug, and then had a diode running to another plug.  Then 2 normal plugs.

I didn't have any plugs or anything, and so I too would have to hack along if I wanted to get this installed!
 First up was getting the white bit away from the black bit.  On the NOS button, it was an effortless click.  On this old one is was a battle of will and strength I had to walk away from twice until I could finally dislodge it.
The white piece slides out with a bulb on the end for easy replacement.

I noted the wires + connector locations, desoldered the wires from the connectors, and prepped to get my new switch wired up.  I would have loved to just use this old switch, but it just didn't quite fit in to the new button chasis correctly.

Soldering is hard enough, but bending over in to the machine to do it certainly doesn't help!
I attached this clip to give added weight to the dangling mechanism while I worked on it.

rawwrrr, stay put!

And shockingly, I managed to reconnect it faster than taking it apart!

sure it's a hack, but it's MY hack.

They totally ripped that off of Public Enemy.

In the end the light isn't that bright, but when my LEDs come I will try putting an LED 555 in there.
It might have something to do with the hackzilla of wires in there?  But ahh well, it's working fine at least.


Oh what's that?  LEDs?  Yes, I placed an order for some treats!
I am going to put LEDs at strategic places in SF2 and R+B.  I also ordered Cliffy Protectors for SF2, as well a Gottlieb flipper rebuild kit.  I maybe should have looked in to one that included the upper flipper as well, but at least having the bottom flippers rebuilt will be nice.  Maybe with the know-how acquired form that endeavor I will be able to clean + tweak that upper SF2 slipper.
OK, I should stop talking about SF2, this is R+B's time to shine!  Oh right, I also ordered the SAVED decals for R+B since one is missing on mine.

I am not sure if I will ever bother replacing the cracks in the R+B ramps since replacing them is costly and they don't damper game play.  I might look in to restoring them, though.

Flintstones quick update

I popped open the playfield today to look at the drop targets and it was an easy fix.  The plastic bottom of the 'K' drop had slipped below the bar, thus never letting it get back to reset position.
The plastic is a bit malleable, so I was able to flex it a bit and get the bar back under it.


Then there is the mystery 800,000 points scored every time I was hitting a flipper.
Mind you, not EVERY time.  Some times it didn't award it, so a mystery was afoot!

Googling for Flintstones and 800,00 I found this post about a Flintstones repair and they had something similar occur.


 From their repair notes:

10/21/2012 15:38:06  All 3 flippers rebuilt, repaired fliptronic board - replaced 2x TIP36C transistors, repaired left 3 bank target pcb - bottom target opto was scoring on any drop in voltage due to coils firing or other loads on the 110v ac line. My heat gun made it score 800,000 points when turned on! This was interesting, never seen that before. Replaced swelled upper right flipper coil - swelled up - over heated. Broken micro-switch on the "Machine" toy. Repaired play-field slide mechanism - missing collar nut made whole play-field tilted to the left and darn hard to pull out for service. Painted inside left cabinet wall - where the play-field was digging in during lift. Fixed a lot of light sockets, bad solder and many minor issues under the play-field. Fixed the trans-light bubble on back-glass. New inst cards. Almost done.... the gold legs are ugly, oh joy, we get to clean the legs.

for me, it was the middle target, the 'E' drop.  When it was down it can't score any more, and so the coils firing weren't scoring the extra 800,000 points.
The shooter coil and flippers were causing this voltage drop, but the pops weren't.

So I can take a look at the PCB, or worst case scenario, you can get new ones for $33.

DONE
fix always-down 'K' drop target
TODO
Get metal plate for underneath pop bumper bakelight
File down mushrooming on upper flipper (bottom two were done)
extra GI mods:  lights in the city plastics, dinosaur plastic
Fix broken 3-bank drop target PCB, scores 800,000 points when flipper/shooter solenoids drop the voltage.