Top Score fixin'!

Fixed a few things:
Right slingshot wasn't sensitive enough so I adjusted the upper contact.  Found it was ever so slightly bent to the side one way, so I bent it back and cleaned it and now it's snappy as it should be.

Some of the bowling lanes lights weren't coming on, so I looked to the KS relay under the playfield.  This has a cycle of 10, and cycles through which of the 5 bowling lane lights are lit.

KS Unit.  Note the stepper unit on top of the switch banks, and the cables going to the plug

I had previously cleaned ol' KS back when it stopped advancing, cleaning the stepper plates and the stepper gears.  This time I cleaned the switch contacts, which I don't think did anything since I then touched the plug and was able to secure it in further.  The KS has a plug so it can be removed for easy maintenance, but that also means that the plug can come loose.
The vibration on the table seems to be moving it ever-so-slightly.  If this keeps up, eventually I will try and secure it further, either by bending the pins or using duct tape.

I cleaned the left flipper to help alleviate the occasional minor stickage, but whatever I did made things THAT MUCH MORE AWESOME, as the left flippper had a spurt of power and was playing better than ever.
I think I filed the stopping-bit at the end...



The last ball relay has not been coming on, and that's a BIG DEAL, since last ball means double bonus.  Also the left gate-opener lane is lit for bonus, but come on, DOUBLE BONUS TIME.  That's the key for rolling it past 100,00 (which I have done twice, thank you very much.)

DX (3rd ball), EX (4th), and FX (5th/final) are on the right

Schematics always seem intimidating when you are new to them, but take it one step at a time.  See that "Ball #5" light?  Is it on?  Yes?  OK good then you can ignore everything to the left of the junction point preceding it.  That Q relay, AX relay, P relay, all fine.  The FX is triggered in parallel with light #5.  And since light 5 is always on, we know that FX is not just triggered via a motor pulse or an event like that which is harder to diagnose.

up close and personal

 It's a bit blurry, but you can see the red + black wire coming in.  That goes to the upper-left switch (normally closed) and triggers the relay to latch.
A latch relay means there are 2 solenoids:  1 pulls and latches the plate on, the other pulls to unlatch it and open it.  (turning on opens that NC switch, since the power isn't needed any more.)  Doing it this way means a solenoid doesn't have to be constantly activated (remember that solenoid buzz continuously going when the gate is held open, or you hold the flipper up?) and saves on wear.

I cleaned and adjusted the NC switch the red+black wire is attached to, and that didn't really help things.  With the playfield up and me testing the bonus light seemed to come on when the game was advanced to ball 5, but back down in normal gameplay it didn't come on.
I went back in and actually tried to clean the tip of the solenoid that pulls the latch closed.  In play testing, it didn't come on right away but came on just after I plunged the ball.  So, some intermittency here.
I might have to pull this whole relay out and try to clean it, and/or change the solenoid.  More testing on this one later in the week.


A handful of the incandescent bulbs on Top Score were dim.  There was some noticeable corrosion on the bottom of some light sockets, leading me to believe there was corrosion on the inside as well.
The ones on the playfield were easy to clean:  take the plastics off, go in with a clothe and screwdriver.

The green/yellow colour on the sockets's... bum? Yeah that's not typical.

Under the playfield, I would bend back to the metal brace, take out the bulb, and clean using a clothe and my switch adjuster tool since it could get around the bend.

I will soon be getting a tool from a friend to help clean the inside of the sockets.  Until then, this makeshift solution will work.
I am also picking up some discarded playfields soon and so if any are persistently bad I will replace them with salvaged sockets.

I also have a stack of LEDs on order, and will be sure to address the few remaining lighting issues as I convert this machine totally to LED.
Heresy!  I know I know, but incandescent bulbs are 90% heat (yes, just 10% light) and I don't want to bake any of the vintage plastics on this any more than they have in their 40 year life.
That should be enough for anyone to switch.

I cannot recommend Comet Pinball enough for all of your LED needs.

And everyone should decorate their walls with discarded playfields.

Top Score: player 2 reset issue

A new problem creeped up on Top Score and it took me a little bit longer to fix than I would have liked.  Partially because of my big trade, partially because I've been busy, partially because all pinball time has been spent with Monopoly, and partially maybe kinda because of a stupid error in overlooking something basic on my part...

Here we have it:

Player 2 tens unit was not reseting.
This mean the circuit of zero-position reels never finishes closing, and so the motor is stuck in an endless loop.
KA-CHUNK-KA-CHUNK-KA-CHUNK.

You work on EMs, you know the KA-CHUNK-OF-DOOM.  OK OK, not really doom, it just means something isn't right, and now that I know what I know, it's not that hard to figure out.
Let's not forget, on my first machine ever this type of problem stumped  me for almost a month.

This is your motor:

 Pretty basic, lots of stuff that can close at various times and having it ka-chunk-a-chunk forward.


And here is the important part of the player unit:

Remember that the player unit (the big wheel in the head) controls which player + ball it is, and has a few steps for the reset cycles.  Playing each ball of each player, then reseting at each steps, completes the 360 degree revolution.
We've seen this before, the reels need to all be in their zero positions for the NC switches to allow a signal since when reseting player 1's score reel, P3E is open.  When it is time to clear player 2's reel, P4E is open, so the player unit won't go anywhere until they have all hit zero.

What's next?  Figure out what advances the 10's unit!

the N relay is "add 10 points" and M is "add 100 points", pretty basic, and we can see how it goes to either reel depending on which player switch is set.
But then we see the lines for the runout switches and P3A, P4A, P3B, etc switches.  These are parts of the reset circuit.  We can deduce that easily because it's the runout that is open at zero, and closed for 1-9 on the reel.



I started by examining the score reel in question, and cleaned the switches in it's back:

The switch stack on the back of each reel

I never knew this before, but these things have modularity in mind.  Bend back the plastic at the lower left and each unit slides right out!

After this I went on to the back of the player unit.  Which was a bit naive, sure, but it was dirty.  I followed Clay's guide and cleaned the rivets with alcohol, sanded with fine paper, and then applied some contact grease.

I did not disassemble it, just did half, stepped the unit forward manually, then did the other half.

I love this feature:  Takeout one screw and the whole player unit comes down over 90 degrees for maintenance.

So that didn't do it, and I kind of knew it wouldn't, based on the wire colours of the schematics, but I wanted to do it anyways.
I also made sure to tighten the switch stacks, closest to the contacts first, the the other screw second.


To get to the issue directly, I just checked the back page of the manual:

according to schematic, 2nd 10s unit is controlled by P4A on the reset cycle.  We can easily find the cam and switch that is.

The P4 switch stack is the one immediately below the small one.

So my dumb error in all of this?  When I originally cleaned this stack I just didn't really look hard enough and though I was cleaning P4A but actually cleaned P4B.  Ooops.
I got out my trusty contacts file (via Steve Young at Pinball Resource,) did a manouver where I threaded it through the upper stack gaps and got it in to the P4A contacts and rubbed.

Went back to the front of the machine, ran a test, and yup, perfect reset.
Problem solved.


Why does this happen?  Don't forget that this is a relatively significant amount of electricity jumping between these switches, and 40+ years of that leaves corrosion.   That's a big part of why shit on these machines just starts going a touch wonky, and will continue to do so.  But by logically tracing it back, you can always get it working again.
And if you ever want proof, just open the back box, turn off the lights in the room, and have a friend play pinball while you watch the sparks fly!

This most likely will be the last of my Top Score posts, as the owner will be selling it soon.
Oh, what to do with all this free space?  No worries, I have a summer project lined up.  :)

Top Score: SPECIAL

I have been investigating the SPECIAL awards in Top Score.  At first glance I was thinking (and hoping) that the Special award should also give 10,000 points.
Long story short:  It only gives a replay credit.
I would love to re-wire it to ALSO give 10,000 points as well since who needs a replay in the home environment?

Let's start with the G and F circuits:
F is 500 point relay, G is 500 points + bonus relay.  Zoom in on the schematics and you can see how the switches oscillate depending on which relays are triggered.  A is the alternating relay, so those are the switches that alternate between one or the other depending on the spin of the spinner.
DX, EX, and FX relays are for balls 3, 4, 5 (or 1, 2, 3 on a 3-ball game) and so add extra scoring options as the game progresses.

click all schematics to make them look less like illegible garbage

Check the schematics below with the ten thousands and thousands score units.
At first, I thought this was connected to the bonus circuit, but was quickly reminded that this was it's own separate circuit in parallel:  Notice the "Point Score Adj" bit in the center.  That relates to the pins in the backbox which can be adjusted to set the replay scores.  If the thousands and ten thousands line up for the replay switches, a credit is added and the knocker is activated (that is cut off down at the left)

no really, click to embiggen.

Note the "C" solder points in the upper left.  Those are the wires in the schematic that just go straight in to the unit, that "common" point, and are used for the replay checking.

Here is the section that connects immediately below:  the upper left wire is the chain of signals that trigger the valid replay.
But in this one we see the circuitry around the "tens" position, which lines up with the FS relay, thus advancing it for each 10 points scored.  The FS relay is one of the mechanisms used to determine if the "special" lights are lit.  (if set to the "conservative" adjustment)

Now here is the big chunk where we look in the Special logic:

Any questions?  No really, I can answer them, if so.

At the very top we have the FS advance relay.  We can see it has a toggle with relay C, which is the "TARGET SPECIAL RELAY".  So normally the FS disc is advanced by 10 points being score, but when the special is lit, it is advanced by 100 points.  It is subtle rule variations like that which make Top Score extra endearing.  They really didn't need to add that subtle rule, but they did!

Next down we have the C relay, which has the somewhat odd inclusion of having 2 of the lights being described here.  All of the other lights are always in the upper-right section of the schematics for the Gottlieb ones I've seen, so this is a special case.
We can see the conservative-to-liberal adjustment on the right:
Either 1 in 4, as dictated by the FS relay (this is definitely the hardest since it's almost impossible to shoot the rollover on purpose during the game)
Middle is the A relay, which is the alternation of the spinner.  (the right bonus lanes also toggle with this one)
Or liberal:  always on.
When the criteria is met, the rollover light is on.   When the rollover button is depressed, the C relay activates and switches itself to stay activated.  When activated it also toggles the light from the rollover to the Special insert.

The line just below that sends the signal that a replay has been won, so upping the credits and hitting the knocker.  It requires C to be activated, but also F AND G to be set!

Yes, the "500 point relay" and the "500 and bonus relay" serve a special dual purpose.

you guys are awwwwwesome

If you look at the schematic at the top of this post, find "RIGHT TOP TARGET" at the bottom left, and notice the branch off of the switch, thus setting G and (if C is active) F at the same time.
The system uses this anomaly as the trigger for saying HEY, THE SPECIAL WAS HIT!  (in the final/4th schematic of this post)

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! 
The C relay is latched at the end by Motor 1C, which is a resting state.  That means if we do anything to move the motor, the C relay will unlatch and the special light will no longer be lit.  That means any 500 point hit, or an add bonus (which is technically 500 + add bonus,) or either of the holes.
That's extra difficult.  And that's why I also really want a 10k score awarded if you do it, since it's rad AND big challenge.

The 5 "advance" lights in the bowling lane are reset to the 5th position by the ball reset circuit.  This is cool for the player as it means one hit to the spinner and a bonus is awarded right away.
BUT, that also means if you hit the special rollover during your plunge (which would be 95% of the times you hit it,) a single hit to the spinner will also crank the motor awarding your bonus ball and turn off the special target light.

All in all, this game is filled with excellent examples of rules engineered to give it an extra depth you'd never expect in a 40 year old machine.


Oh but what does that mean for me?   Since the Special is awarding properly, that means THE GAME PLAYS PERFECTLY!  All rules are being applied.  Nothing is flaking out.  Woot.
The only other things I'd want to do to this game at this point is replace the corroded light sockets that give a dim glow, and look in to having the backglass restored.   Everything else seems to be humming along perfectly.


After this I should write up a detailed rules sheet for this game.




EDIT:
I wanted to add one note about the Special.  It can sometimes be gained via CHAOS.
If you send a strong ball up through the spinner and start racking up 500+bonus via there, hit the "light special" target, in the same small time frame hit a 500 point target, you will hear that KNOCK and get a replay.
So much has to be happening all at once that the timing of the gears fails just in this one specific way, allowing F and G to be on at the same moment, and that's the condition for the special!   It has happened to me twice so far I think.

Top Score progress!

Major progress today!

First up I readjusted the left outlane switch (again) and it seems to be fairly reliable now.
Yesterday's final-ball bonus switch adjustment seems to have stuck as well, so yay for that.

But today's big work was on the KS "advance unit" relay.  It is a small stepper unit packed tightly in to the under-playfield relay bank.

here it is removed from it's bracing.  You can see how it has wires leading to a playfield plug.  Those control the under-playfield lights.  This alternates the lights in the right bagatelle lane, as well the 5 "advance" lights beneath the spinner.

side shot.  There are 2 blag cogs, one that alternates on off (side lane lights that alternate) and one with 5 steps (awards bonus on the 5th)

This shot shows the white gear that marks each advancement, as well the 2 big switch stacks.

In advancing the relay manually I noticed that in some places there was a bit of friction between the cog and the white plastic tooth (on the left) that gets pulled down by the relay mechanism.  This would pull the cog forward a bit as the relay depressed, meaning the white tooth wouldn't clear the next spot on the cog, meaning the unit wouldn't step.
I wasn't sure how to tighten things in there to prevent the cog from getting pulled down a bit, so instead resolved to clean the black gunk from between the gears.  I used a q-tip and rubbing alcohol, but that was too blunt for this tiny thing, and ended up using a dental pick to scrape what I could out of there.

I powered it back on and this seems to have done the trick!  Right lane lights were alternating, bonus were scoring on the 5th spin!  Success!

Oh... wait.  The advance lights are all off.  OK, that's a problem.
In the top pic you can see the stepper plate, which alternates around making contact with the heads.  With my chopstick and pressing down on the center metal, the lights would come on, meaning the heads were not making good contact.
I followed the great guide to cleaning stepper units on pinrepair:  cleaned with rubbing alcohol, sanded the contacts with 400-grit sandpaper, then used contact grease.  The only thing I didn't do was disassemble the mechanism first, because it's oh so tiny and delicate.  But in one position I could easily to 70% of it, then step the unit, do the remaining 30.

With that cleaned, it was making contact fine again!

Top Score continued

Back at Top Score tonight since a number of new and old issues have arisen.  I think that a number of them will require a bit more of a deep adjustment than I had given before.

For example, the left outlane bonus switch has been really intermittent, and after fixing it tonight it worked for a bit, then stopped again.  I need it 100%!  The agony of the outlane should at least reward a bonus consistently, no?

The 5th-ball was not scoring my double bonus, but that was an easy one:  The 5th ball relay needed some adjustment.  I cleaned the contacts and adjusted the switches and I think that one should be good to go for a while now.
On ball 5 the bonus light comes on at the left rollover, double bonus light at the bottom, and each bonus is counted as 2000 points.  Aces.

A big new problem is that the spinner is getting stuck at a light.  Usually the middle (of 5).
The spins are awarding 10 points and chiming, but the lights aren't advancing, so at least that narrows down what could be going on.
The spin target triggers the J relay.  J triggers the N relay (10 points), which works fine.  (point of note:  on a 3 ball game, it triggers the M relay for 100 points instead.)
Looking to the 5 "advance" lights in the schematic, they are controlled by the KS relay disc.
Skimming down in the schematics, KS is advanced via Motor 1C+2B and J.  Motor 1C is used in many places, so most likely that is OK.  Tomorrow I should check the J relay contacts because that's most likely what is causing the hangup.  there is some other potential interaction via the I relay and a complex array of other items, so the issue might be deeper.  It should be noticed that after hitting some bonus targets, the spinning would begin advancing the dots again.  A CLUE.
I might have to debug it with the glass off and see if I can recreate specific scenarios.

The KS unit seems like it is supposed to reset the "advance" lights to the 5th position in between each player.  I will have to verify that behaviour is consistent.



I also checked the schematics and realized that the "Special When Lit" should ALSO be awarding 10,000 which would make it super cool, since winning a credit on a home game is pretty ho-hum.  That award is not appearing, so I will have to dive in to that eventually.

Later on I want to talk about the fascinating bonus and FS circuits, and in doing so might also help trace the problem of awarding the 10k special.

scans of the Gottlieb Top Score manual + schematics

I have scanned in the schematics for Top Score, as well the manual, additional coin mech schematics, and all of the paper ephemera that was included in the envelope.  Including the tattered envelope itself.

The quality of the schematics is OK, just a few blurry parts caused by the yellowing and wavering paper, but it came out pretty well, and all of the other documents are great.

PDF Contents include:
Top Score coin chute circuits
Top Score manual
Top Score operator note
Top Score schematic
misc - caution A-5988
misc - envelope A-14390
misc - important notice B-7921-1
misc - parts catalogue order form B-8371-5
misc - replays 1 A-16141
misc - replays 2 A-14818
misc - replays 3 A-14306
misc - replays 4 A-14820
misc - replays 5 A-14819
misc - replays 6 A-14710
misc - score cards A-16282-2
misc - tilt settings A-9099-1

Download: http://thetastates.com/pinball/TopScore-schematics+more.zip

Top Score: more bonuses! more power! more fun!

More work done on Top Score!

I almost have all of the "add bonus" lights working.
I discovered there are 3 relays beneath the playfield, and on balls 3, 4 and 5 (or 1, 2 and 3 if set to 3 balls only) they activate, making more targets award a bonus ball.  A very cool progressive feature.
They are persistent, so the relay activated in ball 3 stays on for 4 and 5, and the one on for 4 stays on for ball 5 as well.

The three bonus switches, for balls 3-5, or 1-3 in a 3 ball game.

on ball 5 this lights for extra bonus!

Ball 5's relay wasn't responding but I seemed to have gotten it working with some minor adjustment.  The light for it still doesn't work (I think the socket is just too corroded, as I replaced the bulb,) but now it does add the bonus ball when it is supposed to.
I adjusted the screws in all of those switch-stacks and they seemed to have taken kindly to that extra care.

It is especially nice to have the inlane and bottom and mid-right standups all lighting properly, advertising their juicy bonuses.







I had ALMOST rolled the score over!  and it would have happened, too, if the bonus mechanism hadn't stopped working.  Devastating, I know, but I will fix it and earn my 100,000 point rollover fair and  square.  Things getting gummed are the way of life for EMs.
In a whiff of good design, the switch in the bonus section is easily accessible from behind.

peek-a-boo, I see you, bonus switch!

That switch let's the machine know bonus balls are loaded to be counted.  That solenoid is the one that smacks each down during the bonus count-up.


The left outlane switch was also being flaky again, so I will have to readjust that one.   A bit more severely this time.

The next part to dive in to will be the quirky "light special" rollover  star target at the top, which lights the "special" on the upper right standup.  I was thinking it might be good to modify this somehow, since how is a "special" interesting when the game is on free-play?
But I didn't notice something before:  I think hitting special also lights the "double bonus value" light down by the flippers.  That is exciting!

Some time next week I am going to start scanning in the Top Score schematics and manual.  I want to give it a proper treatment, like I did for Royal Flush.
I cannot wait to start showing off some of the neat schematic features this game has going on!
The FS relay is utilized in the special lighting, which is also an adjustable feature that allows for somewhat random-or-not ability in lighting it.  It's a pretty darn cool feature from a technical standpoint, and from an operator standpoint.

Right now the lights surrounding this Special business are a bit flaky, sometimes fading in and out, and all of this points to an FS relay that will need to be disassembled and cleaned.  This is a busy week, so I will most likely not tackle that until I get the scanner and get that task done.

This game is pulling together quite nicely!  I want to have it playing 100% by the time it leaves my basement.

Introducing... Top Score!

There is much to be said about how amazing the local pinball community is.   There is so much positivity amongst a disparate group of people who really just want to share their joy of pinball with others whom reciprocate it in the same way.
I have had people bend over backwards to help me get to where I am in this past year.  Oh wait, has it been just a year?  YES.
It has been about a year since I have owned a pinball machine, and I've been through MANY!   Royal Flush, Break Shot, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Street Fighter 2, The Flintstones, and now... Top Score!

Back to the benevolence:  A somewhat-local guy I had been talking to had decided to sell his Top Score, and before he posted it offered me toborrow it for a month or two!   I jumped at the opportunity.  And while there were some major logistical details via him being an hour away and my schedule with a toddler being tight, we finally made it happen and Top Score is here.  So let's get in to it!

First, let me reiterate my love for 1970s Gottlieb EMs.  Are all EMs this easy to move in to my place?
A few quick cables pop off and the head comes off.
Take the lockdown bar and glass off.
A few more cables and the playfield slides out easy peasy.
All separated, it was a cinch to get down my stairs.  Normally, with the glass on and playfield still in there, I am of no use in the task of getting a machine downstairs.  Yes, that is even with the head off.  I need outside help.  But with the Gottliebs and their playfields out, I can assist!  It is oh so much easier than EVERYTHING ELSE.

Pretty!

So let's take a look at the rules of Top Score.  First thing to say is it has a LOT going on and that is something I am really searching for in EMs.  I have a dream of always having an EM in the lineup, and want to find the most satisfying of them.

Top Score has a "backbox animation" where balls are kicked up.  These are your bonus, each one is worth 1000.  Drain, and they are counted down by a kicker, 1000 points each.  Tilt, you lose that bonus.
But fill it with all 10 balls?  You can't build a higher bonus.  There is a saucer on the playfield to hit that counts them out mid-ball, so if you want to roll the score on this machine, you will need to use that shot strategically.

 the bottom left is the bonus count animation

So here is the playfield:

Main shot is the oh-so satisfying spinner:  10 points/spin, 5 awards 500 points + a bonus.
2nd coolest feature is the upper left mystery hole, awarding 1-3 bonuses.  Random awards are pretty rare on EMs, it seems.
Right bagatelle-inspired lanes always have the opposite lights lit, and are toggled via each spinner spin.
Rollover on the left opens the bottom right gate.
Bottom left stand-up is always lit for a bonus, as is upper right stand-up, and 2 top-lane rollovers.
Then there are features which activate starting on certain balls.
Ball 3, 4, 5:  right bottom and right middle standups award a bonus
Ball 4+5:  inlanes score a bonus
Ball 5:  left rollover scores a bonuns.
the bottom right outlane is bumpered, which makes it a very tactile game.  I very much like that inclusion.



Despite it being a loaner, I just couldn't resist the urge to work on it!  I love the process of methodically sorting out the issues and seeing if I can help them.



First up, a quick cleaning with a magic eraser, 99% alcohol, novus 2, and novus 1.

Then the big issue was that the left flipper would stay up after some shots.

Took the flipper apart, filed down the mushrooming on the rod and the coil stop, as well cleaned the sleeves.

 Problem solved!

Left outlane was only intermittently awarding bonus.  I took a look at the switch and found gunk on the contacts.  I filed them down and regapped the switch and now it rewards reliably.

Many of the light sockets are a touch loose and have oxidization/corrosion on the bottom.  I might need to replace a few.  I replaced a number of bulbs, but many are just dim and only get bright when in a perfect position.

Other things:
Like most EMs, speed is a factor.  I jacked up the risers to the highest angle I could.  And 3 coats of wax sure helped!
There was a railing depressed on the left outlane.  I pulled it up with needle nosed pliers, but with enough hits it will most likely recede again.  I should fill it in at some point to secure it in place.
On ball 5 the left rollover should light for a bonus.  It is not lit nor awarding bonus, making me question if that relay needs adjustment.  I will look at that another time.


So I think that is all there is to do with the machine.  It plays super well  now.

Let's take some time to check  this amazing rebuild and repainted cabinet:

the only real issue with this game is how pooched the backglass is.
the back folds out in a very cool manner, but it also exposes the state of the back artwork:

Oh and here is a quick look inside the cabinet.  Everything was in order there, except for a quick removal of duct tape from the tilt bob.  ;)

yes yes yes, I took it out.  I adjusted it to be less sensitive, but did verified the tilt worked and didn't fry the game or anything quirky like that.

projects!

Lots of stuff going on!

I picked up a Dolly Parton backglass from a great in Montreal for a good price.  It had some paint flaking, so I set out to learn how to repair and protect it!

I went straight to Clay's amazing guide and it was full of all the info I needed.

After an initial coat of Triple Thick, I had to deal with the paint that was already delaminating, as well re-attach small pieces that had fallen off in transit.

The cling wrap method is used to help seal in the loose bits.  Lay on the triple thick, cover in cling wrap, let dry for a long time.  When successful, the plastic wrap should peel off easily.

Most if it did for me, but I had trouble spots, and some spots seem to have been made worse.

So here is attempt #2, wherein I added books to press down on the loose areas.

In the end most of it came off OK, and the parts that didn't I just trimmed with scissors.  It doesn't really matter if the back has a bit of old plastic wrap on it, all that matters  is that the paint won't delaminate further.

This is heading to a friend's house.  We will be acquiring an even better condition one for ourselves soon.

The one on the right was very useful for extra attention to the problem areas.  It required an acrylic brush for application

So yeah, Dolly backglass on the way!  That's all part of a trade.  Sad to say, my Xenon playfield is GONE!  Off to live again in a Xenon machine, replacing a horribly beaten playfield.  I coveted it greatly for my wall, but there is no better place for a playfield than in bringing a machine back to life.

Oh Xenon playfield, you will be missed.  Your empty space on the wall is...  OH WAIT, WHAT IS THAT?

What IS THAT in front of where the Xenon playfield was?  Why it looks like a TOP SCORE!
Yes, that is right, an EM has returned to the back room!  
This is just a loan from a friend, but oh is it super fun.  Expect to hear much about it soon.