AskJacob Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Finally got started doing _something_ with my new machine. Picked up a the Magic over a week ago, and haven't even really had a chance to even take picks till now. She's definately a project, but to stay positive, here are the GOOD things so far found: - The cab art is in really good condition - Every plastic is there, and no cracks or anything - All the mechanics seem to be there and in nice condition - The underside of the PF is the cleanest I have seen in ages - No sunken inserts - Very little PF wear (a little above the left flipper , and minor bits around some inserts) - No mylar! Well, apart from the little pop bumper rings, and they are intact and not trapped dirt under them Now for the "needs attention" side of the project: - No boards in the head at all - I have arranged for a PDB, and I have a dead MPU to work on. Just need to hunt down an SB-100 sound baord - Legs have no levellers on the front - Rectifier board is hacked and a resistor has a leg corroded off - PF needs a massive clean - dirt and ballswirl present - Beehive plunger assemble looks tatty - Backglass starting to flake - no PF glass - no lockdown bar - some missing rollover star inserts - more to come I'm sure :D I'm also confused about the lockdown assembly and bar. It has a lockdown assembly that looks like a bally one - e.g. it accepts the tabs on the lockdown bar, as opposed to the round headed bolts as on my other stern... Well, to pre-empt, here are some pics: The hacked bridge board: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC03665.jpg PF wear from flipper and the nackered flipper: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC03668.jpg Skull bumper caps (neat match with the dracula red skull caps): http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC03670.jpg No wear near the kickout hole: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC03672.jpg The only cab damage: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC03677.jpg Lockdown assembly and plunger: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC03680.jpg The usual hacked in credit button: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC03681.jpg So much to do, I'll keep you posted :D Cheers Jacob Just saw the copper wrapped around one of the fuses in that pic - don't panic guys. power isn't going near this for a while yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Tales Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 looks like magic eraser time! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 oh yes indeed. Bought some on Friday. Still haven't unwrapped them yet... Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Arcade King Posted December 21, 2008 Administrators Share Posted December 21, 2008 cant wait to see how it comes up mate :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKong Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Should be a winner. The dirtier the better, the instant satisfaction is awesome:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod71 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I can help with a lock down bar. However, it will need a little welding on each end. I will post a pic tomorrow :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Fairlane Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 sweet!!! keep those resto pics coming. ( i need all the help i can get) :evil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballywannabe Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 (edited) I'm also confused about the lockdown assembly and bar. It has a lockdown assembly that looks like a bally one - e.g. it accepts the tabs on the lockdown bar, as opposed to the round headed bolts as on my other stern... Lots of work there for you Jacob;) Stern changed to the 'tabbed' lockdown bar sometime in 1979, so any bar from a later Stern (except widebody) will do the job. Unfortunately a Bally bar won't fit. Good to see the usual hacks in the power supply:o cheers Ian Edited December 21, 2008 by Ballywannabe Added info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 Lots of work there for you Jacob;) Stern changed to the 'tabbed' lockdown bar sometime in 1979, so any bar from a later Stern (except widebody) will do the job. Unfortunately a Bally bar won't fit. Good to see the usual hacks in the power supply:o cheers Ian Ah thanks, still learning every day. So, a late 79+ Stern lockdown bar is what I need to chase down, thanks! Yeah, the soldered wires to the pins are "chaining down" the playfield so I can't walk off with it yet :D - my guess (by the burnt pin) is they have some GI wiring there in that connector. A big rebuild on the way for the bridge board - here's hoping there's no lifted tracks on the PCB... Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rod71 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I've got one that needs a little welding on each end. Buggered if i know how it happened. All i can think of is some newb couldn't figure out how to get the glass off, so started hacking into the lockdown bar?. Apparently a tig welder will do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 I've got one that needs a little welding on each end. Buggered if i know how it happened. All i can think of is some newb couldn't figure out how to get the glass off, so started hacking into the lockdown bar?. Apparently a tig welder will do the trick. Ooops I somehow missed your previous post :redface I should be able to get that welded - I'm keen on it, thanks! Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waylander Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Hey Jacob, thought this auction maybe of some use to your project? http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-BOARDS-for-Magic-Pinball-Machine_W0QQitemZ250358718029QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250358718029&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Artistic shots of a bad situation So, I have been slowly gathering some parts for this project over the past 6 months (already? bloody hell). Each time I get started, the MPU board keeps putting me off... I know I can always get another one, but I really do want to try and get this one going. Attached are some shots of what I have to work with here. Almost all the craptacular sockets have been removed, but other than that, no cleanup other than the vinegar rinse has been done. Its times like these I wish I had a bead-blasting rig, would make this job a lot easier. Oh well, hard yakka and a fibre glass pen instead... Here is some of the horror :) http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04519.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04520.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04521.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04522.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04523.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04524.jpg Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballywannabe Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Jacob - I would STRONGLY advise you to find another board. That one looks too far gone to be worth fixing, and there are plenty of boards on ebay that would be a much better proposition. Even if you get it going, unless you clear all the corrosion it is likely to be unreliable. If you keep at it I will be interested to see if you can get it going... cheers Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Jacob - I would STRONGLY advise you to find another board. That one looks too far gone to be worth fixing, and there are plenty of boards on ebay that would be a much better proposition. Even if you get it going, unless you clear all the corrosion it is likely to be unreliable. If you keep at it I will be interested to see if you can get it going... cheers Ian Thanks, I know, I know. I already chickened out on this board for my Drac, so what the hell. This way I know if it does not work I can frisbee it and not have it wasting storage space. Replacement boards are not too hard to come by, plus looking t the other stuff I need to do yet, the MPU is not urgent at this stage... Yes it is a disaster board, but hey, trying to get it running is better than what is on TV tonight :D Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybeaux Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Bit of a rough looking board there Jacob , but it's not beyond it. I've fixed a few like that before and i don't envy the job you've got ahead of you. Just take your time with it :) Let me know if you need any bits as i've got every single part that goes on those boards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Bit of a rough looking board there Jacob , but it's not beyond it. I've fixed a few like that before and i don't envy the job you've got ahead of you. Just take your time with it :) Let me know if you need any bits as i've got every single part that goes on those boards Thanks mate. Got any PCB pads?:lol Should be OK for parts at this stage. Mainly a lot of nice new machine sockets and new connector pins, the old ones look like twisted black arthritic fingers. I grabbed the corrosion kit from GPE a few years ago (and a bunch of replacement pins), it does not have all the parts I'm going to need but the rest I can scrounge up from my parts boxes- I hope :) After getting the last few sockets and all the pins out, it is not looking so bad now. Maybe 20 damaged tracks, Lots of damaged pads though. Many of the missing pads are "go no-wheres" on the back side of the PCB (the easiest for "hacks" to damage of course!) so should be possible to do. One thing I do notice, is that working on a corroded board like this is VERY hard on your solder tip. I have a new one I recently put in, I wish I left the old tip in for this job. I'll keep the thread updated as I progress... Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator stuba Posted July 29, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) geez. not many could get that going jacob but i'm betting thats why you're trying :) good luck. did you sort a lock down bar? I have one in xlnt condition that will do the job (its a spare) - only problem is that its black. it seems to have been professionally enamelled.. Edited July 29, 2009 by stuba typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 geez. not many could get that going jacob but i'm betting thats why you're trying :) good luck. did you sort a lock down bar? I have one in xlnt condition that will do the job (its a spare) - only problem is that its black. it seems to have been professionalyl enamelled.. Kind of, it is in Limbo at rollerball's place. Our paths have not crossed since, so the poor guy still has it in his garage. Black eh? that's a weird colour for that era! With the board... well I'm off to Altronics at lunch to grab a few bits - like new dip switches (I doubt these old ones are reliable anymore). Finally moving from "strip" phase to clean, repair and populate... Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 OK a little update, with a "How I do it" - not necessarily the best way, but it works for me and my current tools. Now, to remove the molex pins, remember the #1 priority is the board and the tracks, so you need to minimise the stress on the pcb. Without fancy desoldering gear, this is what I do... With (not your best pair, this is hard on them) side cutters, cut the plastic strip base into small pieces, while they are still on the PCB. The you can easily slide the pieces up off the pins: (pic shows me 1/2 way through one). For IC sockets, you need to figure out how to remove the plastic frame and leave the pins behind. This board had 4 different types of sockets, and each one needed a different way to fiddle about to pop it off. For ICs on the PCB, just cut the legs off the body then desolder. Much easier as well as less stressful on the PCB. http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04525.jpg Then you can use tweezers (pliers are ok but suck the heat away from the iron) grab each pin and heat the joint from the top side and slide them out, one at a time. To make this much easier, I use a paste flux I bought a small tub of from deal extreme. less than $5 and will last for years. Once you have all the pins out, it may look like this: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04526.jpg The next step is to clean the pads. If they are bare copper that is tarnished like these, a fine grit sandpaper, or extremely careful scaping with a hobby blade back to shiny copper is needed. Next is to tin and flood the pads with fresh new solder: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04527.jpg Be quick and gentle with the heat. If the solder won't flow, then stop and re-clean the pads. More heat will not fix it, it will peel up the tracks. Finally, you remove the excess solder with a sucker-pen. I prefer the pen over braid as you need a lot of heat to use braid. Check the back side and repeat... http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04528.jpg In that picture you can see the left over flux on the PCB. That's ok, once we have removed all the crappy sockets, pins and components a good scrub with isopropyl and a nylon brush will have it clean and ready to re-populate. Here are some areas that cleaned up well: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04530.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04533.jpg Here are some that are going to need work before components go back: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04531.jpg http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04532.jpg Those bad areas are in the main corrosion zone, and have had previous heavy handed work done on them... Coming up next: Cleaning the PCB, and starting track repairs. Oh, and find out why I had to buy nail polish :D Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator stuba Posted July 30, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted July 30, 2009 nice work and good tips :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybeaux Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Looking good Jacob :023: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 A breif detour... Lets take a small tour of the playfield. So far untouched other than removing the plastics. Found that the right sling had been cracked, and repaired with a chunk of grey aussiduct and epoxy :realmad: All these pics were taken in patented "swirl-O-cam" - a special process that makes the playfield look 10 times worse than the naked eye (low light and a 6 second exposure!) - and a huge depth of field to get those "coffee table book" pictures... Shoot again - centre above the flippers http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04539.jpg Pop Bumpers - oh, and do I spy a piece of a cable tie? http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04541.jpg Left targets and Spinner: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04542.jpg MAG inserts above the rollover lanes: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04544.jpg Damn snakes... http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04546.jpg Nudie butterfly girl: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04547.jpg Angry Serpent http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04549.jpg Skull = death at the right outlane: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04550.jpg Overall View of the centre of the playfield: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04551.jpg And here is the worst the playfield has - some minor planking: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04548.jpg I had the camera out to document the post layout prior to stripping, and though I'd have some fun! Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AskJacob Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 Before and after: While not fooling anyone that this is an "as new" pcb now, it should be ready to go a few more years now. Just need to pop in the ICs and start testing. And probably need to get an IC or two from Ken too :) Before: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04519.jpg After: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04564.jpg Before: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04521.jpg After: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04565.jpg Before: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04522.jpg After: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04566.jpg Before: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04523.jpg After: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04567.jpg Before: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04524.jpg After: http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc5/askjacob/Stern%20Magic/DSC04569.jpg Cheers Jacob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_AVD Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 You certainly do have patience Jacob! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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