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Stern Magic - Revive it is


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  • 2 weeks later...

I got it mate - just actually have some work for the first time in months, of course once I tried to get back into things. Games room is almost "mine" and finished, and then this and the Indy are going to get some love.

 

As an update, I actually put the head back on which is nice as I never have had it on since getting it. I spent far too long looking for the 4th head bolt, only to find it only ever had 3 from the factory... 4 nuts in the body, but only 3 holes drilled in the head 😄

Jobs to do:

Finish cleaning the PF

Find out if I have a lockdown bar

Find out what PCBs I am missing. I know there is a driver pcb and sound board in there,,,

Test out the displays (I have a full set that came in it)

Replace the burnt knocker coil

That is just off the cuff for now. Nothing too dramatic at this stage!

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Check out my knockers:

So the knocker in the cab is burned. I also found a knocker that looks like it belongs in a head rattling about in the cabinet.

The one I know belongs:

423207771_2021-09-3016_23_52.thumb.jpg.ea9fbe5b9dd5061554c9667368c70b38.jpg

Here is the other knocker assembly I found:

1321474956_2021-09-3016_32_48.thumb.jpg.4bf9553c450063932d48954ed4d41e69.jpg

I was going to raid the head one for the coil - as they appear to be the same, (N-26 1200) however I am wondering where the "head style" one is from? I am pretty sure the Magic does not have 2 knockers in it... right?

 

 

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OK. So I have now discovered another damn enigma, I hope someone has a clue for me.

 

I rebuilt the knocker, went to install it, and the damn thing does not line up with the plate in the cab!?!?

 

I mean, I am not a perfectionist so being off a bit is fine, but the plunger tip hits the edge of the screw head and will probably get broken pretty quickly (and there is evidence that the knocker originally hit dead centre with the wear marks on it)

297811445_2021-10-0122_12_58.thumb.jpg.c7867b98c13369f1caec4f57943dcd64.jpg

 

So I thought perhaps the ply sub-board had been removed and put back in the wrong spot, but it doesn't look like it - the screws are in the centre of the reinforcing cab ribs - and they are so tight they are not coming undone easily at all...

 

201093401_2021-10-0122_13_08.thumb.jpg.98df770e430ce1562e958eb9cfbe6153.jpg

 

Any thoughts? Do I Just have another cider and forget it for now?

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Cleaning the metal guide "strips". The ones in this are a little worn, but the rust pitting is very visible.

 

I  had spent some time trying to tidy these up, and thought it would be worth putting my notes here.

1. I wiped them down with rust converter to arrest further rusting. NOTE: don't do this with zinc plated metal as it will attack the zinc plate

Note: this didn't remove any visible rust, or even really change it's appearance. I wasn't expect to make it go away at this point.

1843460556_2021-10-1215_10_09.thumb.jpg.d86f0d28ce491d0a930ed7c8b71bd45c.jpg

2. I tried giving them a thorough buff with autosol, brasso, and even using a felt wheel with them, and while polishing up the existing plating quite nicely, it didn't budge the rust pitting:

1362344120_2021-10-1215_10_14.thumb.jpg.3f525bef3e555b8146590a8f6f3f1b67.jpg

3. I finally tried out the old "chrome bumper" fix I'd always heard about - and scrubbed the guides with balled up aluminium foil. This actually worked! And as well as a faked before and after shot for some informercial product. Wow! A note of caution here though - you are forcing different metals together here, which if left along can cause even worse corrosion. Once the rust is gone, be sure to clean and fully polish the metal to prevent new corrosion from forming.

Below is the test end after a quick go at it: (the line in the centre looks very dark in this pic, but is much lighter in reality, and isn't full of pitted rust)

882939302_2021-10-1215_10_38.thumb.jpg.604143dc381947451c6f37ec86875d7e.jpg

 

Now to keep at it and finish these off...

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On 01/10/2021 at 10:23 PM, AskJacob said:

OK. So I have now discovered another damn enigma, I hope someone has a clue for me.

 

I rebuilt the knocker, went to install it, and the damn thing does not line up with the plate in the cab!?!?

 

I mean, I am not a perfectionist so being off a bit is fine, but the plunger tip hits the edge of the screw head and will probably get broken pretty quickly (and there is evidence that the knocker originally hit dead centre with the wear marks on it)

297811445_2021-10-0122_12_58.thumb.jpg.c7867b98c13369f1caec4f57943dcd64.jpg

 

So I thought perhaps the ply sub-board had been removed and put back in the wrong spot, but it doesn't look like it - the screws are in the centre of the reinforcing cab ribs - and they are so tight they are not coming undone easily at all...

 

201093401_2021-10-0122_13_08.thumb.jpg.98df770e430ce1562e958eb9cfbe6153.jpg

 

Any thoughts? Do I Just have another cider and forget it for now?

 

you could drill the lower panel mounting holes out and cover the larger holes with penny washers, but if you don't think that will give you enough play to pull the panel forwards you could put a longer strip to replace original strip that the plunger tip hits so it will then be hitting the middle?

18 hours ago, AskJacob said:

Cleaning the metal guide "strips". The ones in this are a little worn, but the rust pitting is very visible.

 

I  had spent some time trying to tidy these up, and thought it would be worth putting my notes here.

1. I wiped them down with rust converter to arrest further rusting. NOTE: don't do this with zinc plated metal as it will attack the zinc plate

Note: this didn't remove any visible rust, or even really change it's appearance. I wasn't expect to make it go away at this point.

1843460556_2021-10-1215_10_09.thumb.jpg.d86f0d28ce491d0a930ed7c8b71bd45c.jpg

2. I tried giving them a thorough buff with autosol, brasso, and even using a felt wheel with them, and while polishing up the existing plating quite nicely, it didn't budge the rust pitting:

1362344120_2021-10-1215_10_14.thumb.jpg.3f525bef3e555b8146590a8f6f3f1b67.jpg

3. I finally tried out the old "chrome bumper" fix I'd always heard about - and scrubbed the guides with balled up aluminium foil. This actually worked! And as well as a faked before and after shot for some informercial product. Wow! A note of caution here though - you are forcing different metals together here, which if left along can cause even worse corrosion. Once the rust is gone, be sure to clean and fully polish the metal to prevent new corrosion from forming.

Below is the test end after a quick go at it: (the line in the centre looks very dark in this pic, but is much lighter in reality, and isn't full of pitted rust)

882939302_2021-10-1215_10_38.thumb.jpg.604143dc381947451c6f37ec86875d7e.jpg

 

Now to keep at it and finish these off...

once tidied up you could cover the metal with a strip mylar or similar clear acrylic?

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5 minutes ago, Rich said:

you could drill the lower panel mounting holes out and cover the larger holes with penny washers, but if you don't think that will give you enough play to pull the panel forwards you could put a longer strip to replace original strip that the plunger tip hits so it will then be hitting the middle?

 

I think I will move the striker plate back a bit as that seems the lowest impact change... It is a mystery - the only thing I can think is the knocker assembly is not the original one, which considering the history of this machine, is pretty likely.

 

I am unsure about using a film over the guides, as the surface is not completely flat - wherever the wear is on the metal will show up as bubbling on the adhesive... but it is an interesting idea. I have cleaned up the 2 guides that were there, and they look much better. I have moved on to the apron trough which was zinc plated and almost white in colour from oxidation, and getting this back to a nice shine is proving tough. The zinc plating is soft and easy to put fine scratches in when removing the oxide, and then proves very hard to polish if you do that. Just need to work more by hand, and put away any power tools for this job I think...

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i believe you have the original knocker, just seems to be mounted further to the rear than these pics, or maybe not, as looking at the inside of the cabinet....it looks to have been repainted? has it? if so the striker plate may just have been put back in the wrong position?

 

843236786_Knocker(1).thumb.JPG.b6df1e53fb9ebed5f2fade949aae07d2.JPG

508683133_Knocker(2).thumb.JPG.c87d48fc21ee0c9752f175da41dfb46a.JPG

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44 minutes ago, Rich said:

i believe you have the original knocker, just seems to be mounted further to the rear than these pics, or maybe not, as looking at the inside of the cabinet....it looks to have been repainted? has it? if so the striker plate may just have been put back in the wrong position?

 

Haha, this keep annoying me so I FINALLY got to the bottom of it. Cab is original paint but I had another look...

 

NEVER assume something is as it is meant to be. I assumed the transformer "board" had never been moved. Why? Because the screws to remove it were extremely hard to undo, and they were centered on the cab spars so looked right.

I finally managed to get the screws out, and oh look, someone screwed it back in offset - and the same distance the knocker is off. Mystery solved.

Two sets of screw holes on the spar:

335174368_2021-10-1311_34_28.thumb.jpg.dfb6197af6adb526e43bda9fa955c37e.jpg

 

thanks for the input and getting me off my ass on this 😄

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I'd locate the knocker in the head. Couple of reasons.

Less wire and less connections.

No need for the spring or a plunger with the spring keeper. Any nylon tipped plunger will do and it all works on gravity. Basically, less to go wrong.

Apart from these reasons, I do love a loud knocker and the backglass does nothing to quiten them unlike in the cabinet.

Pretty sure earlier Sterns did have it mounted here but if not have a look where the knocker is mounted on Ballys like Mata Hari.

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  • 2 months later...

Not dead, just knocked about a bit. Had a surgery that took more recovery than expected, a death in family ... you know - stuff.

Anyway, sweating it out in the games room, and trying to un-jigsaw this puzzle.

Gave the playfield a thorough clean with a little magic eraser, then novus 2, then wax. Not perfect, but cleaner and ready to roll on.

While cleaning I thought the rollovers looked pretty gross, so off to the kids craft pile to grab a few pipe cleaners.

 

1419953634_2022-01-0417_45_35.thumb.jpg.7be97ff635f0a431ea81fb48b3b6da6c.jpg

 

glad I did, as it got filthy quickly

 

2021943119_2022-01-0417_45_42.thumb.jpg.211c786f0248c84ed471e7af4d03de85.jpg

 

 

lots more metal polishing and cleaning, and finding parts that have ended up all over the place, Tonight i am going to start putting what I can on the playfield, although without a rubber kit I will be a little limited...

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damn, i need to go back in time and high five myself. One smart thing I apparently did when stripping this down, was put all the threaded bits in a storage box with a note on paper in  each section describing where they went.

 

I say apparently as I sure don't recall, and it is not like me to not just blunder in without thinking ahead - this is something I need to remember to do for my future self some other time too!

 

1654367354_2022-01-0420_18_42.thumb.jpg.e483b5b69ce77865b3afa654b188a69a.jpg

Edited by AskJacob
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21 hours ago, furballx said:

Hey mate, do you have a tumbler to polish that stuff up?  

A smart fella would ask to borrow one for a few weeks if he did not have his own....just sayin' .....

@furballx Thanks for the hint 😄

I have an actual tumbler (not vibrator) and did use it on the screws etc - but in the end still needed some brasso for the "finishing bling". I also had spare new screws for a lot of the ones that are out in the open so that was handy.

 

 

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So another few days, and some progress.

A few rubbers ordered as well as flipper bats and new buttons - one bat was smashed, and the buttons had been attacked with a ciggie lighter at some point.

 

The playfield went back together well, I am glad that I could find some reference pics on the net to help out. The only item missing was a wire form from the return gate, so off to the shed to bend one up from some piano wire I happened to have. If you ever need to do this, be sure to add the extra bend underneath to prevent he gate from flipping "over" and getting stuck in the open position. You can juuust see it peeking out on the left side in the pic...

 

1843588288_2022-01-0813_37_43.thumb.jpg.77027e301ec0a553fabc37f3da2171c6.jpg

 

 

I had a scare with the spinners. The painted on graphics are extremely delicate. I went to use a gentle bit of novus 2, but the paint instantly softened. Tried windex, same thing. Just used a cotton swab and leaned the white sections only. Luckily I didn't mess them up, but it was very close.

 

With a few small items ordered, the PF is now pretty complete. All new 44 bulbs also installed, and sockets cleaned - although the under pf ones were still shiny. Really only the back box ones look crusty...

Getting there:

1657433464_2022-01-0813_37_26.thumb.jpg.dc6d42e623107d2dc14bd0fa277fd149.jpg

 

447661273_2022-01-0813_37_36.thumb.jpg.2e924811bb824903edc5502ec325e5ca.jpg

 

 

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So lets step away from the mechanicals and get to the electronicals:

 

Nice find in the head box... the black death has visited the LDA100 lamp driver board. A previous repair of a burnt scr has been done competently which is nice.

 

The worst section:

203468233_2022-01-1518_34_54.thumb.jpg.f78126f3b018b3284850a80b5d852523.jpg

 

So now to use the air-eraser-blaster to get a look under the green screen to assess the real damage:

 

798012086_2022-01-1521_21_12.thumb.jpg.08f4060ca5fc5d5a92c075ed810b3470.jpg

 

you can see some traces are completely broken. I will re-work those. Others that are still intact will be cleaned then overcoated with some UV curing pcb ink. The colour isn't a great match, but it will seal the traces, and looks (to me) a lot better than solder smeared all over the tracks. This photo looks a lot worse than it is in person. I think the uv coat is better at encapsulating the tracks, and looks a lot better than the old nail polish trick...

 

395592737_2022-01-1521_42_20.thumb.jpg.edce8292ac43e5610f86290e913ec7ab.jpg

 

Let's just call this a training exercise for the MPU board. I have 2 but both have ancient battery damage 🙄

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