mjdoz

I'll stick my hand up as well. Wife wants to touch up the SI playfierld so she needs some pointers ;) Just for the record she at least can paint and has talent not like me I just have (had?) cash Paypal or direct debit? Michael

Have you found the on-line Pin Repair guides yet? If not go here http://marvin3m.com/fix.htm and read the info for your brand and type. You will need to scroll down the page to the repir index but is an excvellent resource - and it is free!!! Euprope is 240V and 50Hz so the power should be set correctly on the transformer but will still need to be checked before you power on. If it is like my Gottlieb machine thenm yesthe cord fits in the slot and the head then sits over the top but has a cut out so the cord is not squashed. Have fun Michael

Should not make any difference unless the issue was caused by you changing a setting in the system. However it is cheap, easy and will probably not have any down side so try. Michael

might be worth calling the local suppliers and having a chat as some stuff is not listed on their sites. Greg at RTBB seems to be able to source a lot of stuff on request and has assisted me in the past Wayne has a warehouse full of odd bits as does MarkC so they may have some lying around secondhand. Tony (Pinballshed Brisbane) also carries a lot of parts and is closer than the others All are worth a call - Contact info is in the Commercial section of AA Michael

Peter, First you need a multi meter or DMM (they are the same thing) if you don't already have one. This is device that reads voltage and other info. This will tell you what the voltage is and if it is correct or not You need to read this http://www.pinrepair.com/begin/index.htm and then look at the relevant repair guide for your machine if you have not done this type of work before. If you have them the schematics are very useful (circuit diagrams for the electronics) . Last resort call your local PIN repair person who I am sure can assist as can any local AA member if you have somebody handy who has done it all before. Just remember that the inside of your Pinball does have 240 V AC and other lethal voltages so make sure you take care whatever you do. Michael

Yep 10cents for one game or 20C for 3 and they were all 5 ball games. a $ lasted a long time in the Early 70's. Starting to sound like my grandfather or my dad .... Shoot me quick I am OLD Have 10 and 20 cent coin mechs for both my pinnies might install them and get the kid to pay for her pinball ............. Of course the minister for war would then find out and raid that change pot as well (just to give it back to the daughter so she can play pinball ....) Michael

I think most people buy their first pinny based on impulse and memory. The second maybe a different story. I suspect that many people are not really aware that you can buy them. If you are looking at a pinball purely as an investment then it would be a different story and you would be buying based on expected return not on what you like. I don't see anybody here who is an investor. Everybody will have a different reason and I doubt that the random mutterings on AA are likely to hold too great an influence. Whenever I see a thread "what should I buy" almost every reply is "what you want to play / makes you happy" Michael

EM Pre 1978 (some still being produced in 79 or later) SS 1978 onwards DMD sometime in the 90's Pinball 2000 - 1999 From this link http://www.chuku.com/club/pinball.ppt Tabletop games – 1931-1933 Electric pre-flipper games – 1933-1947 Flipper “woodrail” games – 1947-1960 Steel-rail “electromechanical” games – 1960-1979 Early electronic games – 1979-1991 Modern dot-matrix games – 1991-present

Discovered Pinball in the early / mid 70's (great alternative to high school) so my interest was started with the late 60's to mid 70's machines. My wife bought me a Bally Space Invaders (SS) in the mid 90's because she knew I liked pinball when I was growing up. It was well past the time I stopped playing but I enjoyed the repairs so developed an interest. Loved the back glass and the sound as well. Never really got into the 80's or 90's pins as too busy with family and work until I visited WOKA and then BURRA and now I like them too. First love will always be the old EM machines as I like the mechanical process. The added advantage is the ball never disappears from sight! and I only have to deal with one at a time ..... Michael

Yet I played the CV at WOKA's meet and the TOM next to it and found the TOM a much more enjoyable game. Not sure why as both are very bright and active themes but the TOM was just more fun. Then I liked all the games that were at WOKA's meet (TAF, Tommy, TOM, CV, STNG and GnR if I recall) as I had never played any before or really any machines since the late '70's. As a result TOM and Tommy got put on my "might buy if I find one cheap" list. Since then I have added IJ and TSPP to my buy list (Burra had a meet). The minister for war has put her hand up for TAF (cos it looks nice) and the 14 YO is after WCS'94 (cos it is soccer). The list I had before being corrupted by the local guy's was Drop a Card, Grand Slam ('72), anything Gottlieb from the late '60s to late 70's. Tony from Wollongong found me the Grand Slam and I am keeping an eye out for the others (but not paying $3K for the drop a card on e-Bay!) So a Drop a card for $3k is the worst but one for < 1K is great ;) As stated many time above it is all personnel as to what is worst or best. Michael

Of course there is. Once they have paid their money they need to keep the dream (Myth?) alive so they don't loose their investment. Most of us buy them because we like them and have fun tinkering. If we get bored or need the $'s we will sell. Some buy to make them better and sell them on. I doubt that they make anything like the cost in time back. When all said and done they are just big boy's toys and he who dies with the most toy's wins ........... But is still dead. Enjoy it while you can Michael

The market determines the value and often the market is influenced by many things that have nothing to do with real value or functionality. Check e-bay and look at the different prices charged by the main guy's for the same machines. One is consistently 20 - 30% above the others yet still manages to sell them. Why? Reputation, location, marketing, promotion who knows but what ever it is it works. Over rated pinnies are those that you find to be of little personnel value to you. In my case I enjoy the 90's pins but doubt that I will purchase one as my favorites are the late EM and early SS machines. I like to see the ball the whole time and not wonder where the hell it is going to spring from this time! Bottom line I don't think any pin is overrated just not all are to my liking. Michael

I let my money do the talking. In Oz Both Wayne and Greg have received regular donations from me and I am sure will continue to do so. Nothing against Mark C and will happily send him some $'s once I find something Wayne or Greg cannot supply. ;) All three are willing to discuss any issues or needs on the phone or via e-mail and if possible provide a solution. Overseas Steve at PBR and Ed at Great Plains both receive regular installments from me as well. Marco is unlikely to due to their postage and handling charges and the cost of getting the items locally or from Steve is much less than the add on costs. Having said that Marco used to get 100% of my money when I was last fixing a machine up in the late 90's as even with a shocking exchange rate they were still cheaper than the Aussie people around then.

See my thread in the repair section. I have ordered an overlay for my Space Invaders but DarkSoul created his own (threads on here that detail). Now looking for a really trashed playfield so I can use it but not in any hurry Michael

Don't feel too bad. I rebuilt the flippers for the second time last weekend on my Space Invaders so I should have known how to do it. First flipper 2 hours, 2nd 1.5 hours and the remaining two only took 2 hours total - 5 and half hours start to finish using kits so I had everything I needed in a single packet. :unsure Hopfully in 10 years when I do it again I will be faster ..... Michael

My Bally SS and Gottlieb EM both use 1" From memory a 1 1/16 ball will not fit in the "U" tube (sorry it is more of a "C" tube) Michael

On my Space Invaders SS pin I drilled small hole in the inside of the coin return slot on one side and added a small momentary switch from Tricky Dicky wired in parallel with the coin switch. Cannot be seen from the outside and if it needs to be removed leaves no externally visible holes etc. Was easy as I did not have any spare switch blades around to add to the start button stack, and did not even think of that at the time. The switch leads were simply soldered to the lugs on the existing coin switch using hookup wire. Number of credits was set via the dip switches for that coin slot. Advantage is that you get the sound of adding a coin each time you press and have the option of adding as many credits as you wish. Down side is young children tend to press it 40 times ..... (not any more though .....) Michael

I am sure they have other ways of getting you in ......... Michael

Not only do you have the most outlets for pinball parts and options thay also have large numbers of machines and will bribe you with coffee to go and play them! Michael

IPDB states it has two flippers but they are not shown on any of the pictures on either IPDB or EBAY. The Buttons may control the kickers on the bottom left and right of the field. Machines from this time were played by nudging the machine to cause the ball to follow the path you wanted. Michael

I own a space invaders but am not looking to sell it. Mine was in pretty good condition when I got it 10+ years ago ($300) but has a lot of play field wear around the horse shoe and minor wear on most out lanes and roll overs. Most suffer from this and it will reduce the price depending on the amount and severity. US$ pricing seems to be around $800 on average but much lower based on condition. To date I have not been able to find genuine Bumper caps for the pop bumpers or plastics but have found the top dead bumper caps (and they look great) at PBR. Everything else is able to be sourced locally or via the US. If you find a unit that needs work then you can budget on the following based on what I have spent this year: MPU Board + Solenoid Board $400 Rectifier Board $75 #47 Bulbs (you need around 100 and about a third need you to pull the machine apart to replace) $20 - $100 depending on quality Ring Kit $15 (note most don't include flipper rubber for the top flippers + $2) Dead Bumpers (body + cap x 4 ) $40 Pop Bumpers (Body + blank Cap x 3) $30 Both the above will be yellowed and cracked from the heat of the lamps Flipper rebuild kits ( x 2 as there are 4 Flippers) $60 I have heard rumors of a play field overlay (Play field printed on Mylar so you can stick it over the worn field) but do not have $'s or availability As to AU$ value I would guess around $1.5K for an average unit in the wild but you will need to budget on some of the above and probably $2K+ from a dealer. Call MarkC or Wayne in Melbourne and if in Brisbane Tony (BoxerDogForever) - all are listed in the commercial forum. Michael

Completley off topic but the New York Underground uses DC instead of AC to power the trains. No idea why but suspect that if it had more losses than AC then they would have gone AC. Gotta stop whatching csi .........

So will the camera in your phone which may be easierpoke around in the inside of the Pinball. Use your TV remote to check first if you can see that then you will see the OPTO's Michael

What he said. In the older EM games (pre CPU) the whole shebang was run off AC as lights and relays all work on it and it was switched by relays. With the advent of SS games much of the fun stuff became computer controlled via Transistors which need DC to work as they are not able to use AC. The exception is the GI lights which are generally still AC and on the whole time. Not sure why you have two fuses under the playfield my Bally SS machine has a single fuse which is used to protect the solenoid driver transistors I think. What ever the reason it is there to protect something so make sure you replace any with the correct size (AMPS) if needed Michael

A little bit of light reading for you (pun intended) Choose the correct group (about 2 screens down) under the repair guides and look for the GI (General Illumination) section. Covers about every question I have ever had when fixing my pinballs. http://marvin3m.com/fix.htm Have fun. In my experience most issues with older globes can be fixed by soldering the outer holder to the mounting bracket as this is where mine have all failed. If the outer holder spins you will have issues. Michael