I haven’t posted a repair in a while, I just haven’t had the time to document and write up what I’ve been doing. This one was quick and easy so I figured I’d post it. My Star Wars in Pizza West seemed to be randomly closing switches, one of which was the slam tilt. When that happens, it is game over and the machine reboots. Obviously it wasn’t playable.
Wizard of Oz – Behind the Curtain Part 1
There has been quite a bit of information released about The Wizard of Oz regarding its overall design, fit and finish, gameplay (yes, there are videos out there), and rules. I figured I would delve inside the machine and look at some of the engineering and parts used.
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Wizard of Oz – Behind the Curtain Part 2
Part 1 of my write up got you inside the game and around the inside of the cabinet. We’ll now look under the playfield, inside the backbox, and at some of the assemblies.
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Wizard of Oz – Behind the Curtain Part 3
Data East Star Wars
Finally, the search is over.
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Don’t Overfuse Your Game
Here’s a good example of two things, don’t overfuse your game and change your batteries. In the photo below, a red X designates a component most likely destroyed due to overfusing. A white X designates a component destroyed by battery corrosion.
WPC-95 Battery Corrosion
I figured I’d post about what happens when you half-ass a job. A customer was having problems with their Tales of the Arabian Nights. The game wouldn’t kick the ball into the shooter lane. I had completed another repair, had some extra time and was close by, so I called and stopped in for a quick look. Here’s the CPU board that was in the game:
Pinball Article in Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star had a lengthy article on pinball featuring you know who. It was published in the Sunday Star Magazine insert of the September 9th edition of the Kansas City Star. The online version of the article has now been archived and can only be viewed if you are a subscriber or have an archive account with the KC Star.
The reporter, Ed Eveld, and photographer, Rich Sugg, did a great job. Many thanks to them.
Photo by Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star.
Twilight Zone Restoration
I purchased a Twilight Zone back in February that was in fairly nice shape. It was dirty, had a broken clock as is usual, and a weak dot matrix display. Everything else was pretty decent except for one thing:
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