Cleaning and updates

Have spent the past few days cleaning up the connection points between relays and removing a little more external rust.  Have found no more pressing issues with the machine so this little side project is pretty much done at this point.

~Jacob

Small Fixes

I made a few small fixes today and started cleaning the relays.  The new lock for the system came in so I installed that and replaced the game ball.  I still need to replace the power cord to a grounded plug.  I focused mainly on fixing the left flipper today and i found out that the spring on the actuator is going bad along with the fixture missing 2 screws and not being held in place completely.  I have done the hand calculations to find out what replacement spring i need and will pick up the new parts at my local hardware store tomorrow.

~Jacob

Lights are on and we can start playing!

A lot of work was done today.  After replacing the power supply and checking all the fuses and replacing any that were burnt out, i found a lot of areas in the electronics that the previous owner seem to try to fix and just made things worse.  I found wrong fuses inserted into the system, incorrect and unsafe wiring and multiple bad components as i worked my way through the system schematic.  after a  lot of soldering, rewiring and replacing components the system now turns on and is in a playable condition.  The system still seems to short out occasionally and there are some other improvements still to make.  I found out that the system is shorting out due to the pads on the relays not making a good connection.  I did not know much about relays so i spent a few hours understanding how they work and there function within the system.  after manually resetting the lock and credit relays i was able to get the game back in a working order.  I will need to clean up all these connection points (close to 200) to avoid any further issues.  As for future improvements, the left flipper is not working at 100%, there are still a few lights out that are not due to the bulb itself, and 2 player mode does not register.  It was a very productive day, i never would have guessed that in just 3 days of work i would already have a "working" system.

~Jacob

Plunger and Coin return working

After a lot of cleaning i was able to get all the mechanical parts working.  The buildup of rust causes a lot of components to stick.  I believe this is what causes one of the motors to burn out.  The motor has been replaced with a spare that i had picked up the other day and seems to be working fine.  The coin return button originally was not working as well due to rust buildup.  If you would press the button the shaft would get stuck.  This was filed down and polished as well as the internal coin sorting mechanism (would separate different coins/tokens via a counterweight) to get them in working order.  There were similar issues with the plunger.  The spring was corroded and the shaft was rusted and getting stuck.  While i fixed the shaft i had to order a new compression spring along with a new power source, extra balls and some relays to replace some that were burnt out.



EDIT: by the end of the night i was able to get some of system lights on, getting closer every day!


~Jacob

Fixed Coin Return

Fixed Plunger With Old Spring

System Lights

Pinball Machine is here

Picked up the pinball machine today.  The Thrift Store has no idea what is wrong with it and the system will not turn out.  I took a look inside and found that there are a lot of un-familiar, older parts that I am not sure about.  I am going to need to take some time to figure out what each component is and what its function is.  Luckily, i found the system schematics inside so I have something to go off of.  There is also a lot of rust and dirt buildup so that will probably affect to functionality of the system.  Will spend the day just cleaning up areas.

~Jacob

Front View

Top View of Playfield

New Side Project While We Wait.

I have decided to take up a little side project in my spare time while waiting to get back to working on R2D2.  I picked up a broken ElectroMechanical Pinball machine at a local thrift store and have decided to learn something new in the process.  The machine is a Bally Space Time 1972 ElectroMechanical pinball machine.  Will update here when i make any progress.

~Jacob

Project Put on Hold

R2D2 is currently being put on hold post graduation.  I am currently looking for an entry level position and R2 is being stored in a storage locker until I have a place to go.  While the project has taken a lot more time that i initially expected due to having to take so many breaks, I can not wait to for the chance to start working on my creation again!  Will update the blog again once this break is over.

~Jacob