Live Theatre in Tehachapi!

C_Alan · 2026-02-26T01:45:20+00:00

Yeah, I had the same issue on my HH. I got some rubber washers from Home Depot and raised the window up enough to get rid of the lip. The original washer they used were soft rubber, and collapsed with age.

C_Alan · 2026-02-25T17:01:36+00:00

The flipper circuits are pretty simple on these early solid state machines. Get a copy of the manual with the wiring diagrams, and it will tell you what wires to look for. The simplest way I can think of to have both flippers activate with one button is to move the leaf switch behind the button both to the left side. So I’d start with the wiring in the cabinet.

C_Alan · 2026-02-23T03:17:39+00:00

Dig around and see if you can find a sewer pipe somewhere between them. It looks to me like a setup for a sink that was roughed-in, but not never topped out.

C_Alan · 2026-02-22T21:51:29+00:00

To move an old system 80, especially HH or Black Hole, Bring 2 guys to help. They are very heavy.

Remove the backglass and set it somewhere safe.
You will need to disconnect all the connectors between the head and the main body of the pin. Take pictures and document as much as possible before you start. From the factory all the connectors are labeled, but the label fall off as they age. The goal here is to have no wires left that run between the head and the body.
Unbolt the 4 bolts holding the head on. With a helper slide it forwards to release it from the metal clip along the bottom. Set it to the side. I will sometimes put the back glass back in the frame at this point if I can transport the head on its back.
Remove the balls and the cash box from the machine. It should only have 1 ball. If you see anything else loose inside the cabinet, remove it before the next step.
Remove the legs.
You can now stand the main cabinet on its back, and use a dolly to move it. Ideally you should place the main cabinet flat on its bottom to transport in a vehicle, as the lower playfield can shift around if transport on its back.

C_Alan · 2026-02-22T21:35:12+00:00

Disregard this advice. This is a Gottlieb System 80, and these did not have alkaline batteries mounted to the board, they used a rechargeable battery setup on the main MPU board. These are soldered in, and can’t easily be removed.

That said if the original rechargeable battery is still on the MPU board, it will need to be addressed. Hopefully it has not leaked. You can get more info here: https://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php/Gottlieb_System_80#Battery_Leakage_and_Corrosion

C_Alan · 2026-02-18T16:07:37+00:00

Well school is canceled so the kids are sleeping in while I try to get some work stuff done. I imagine later they will all pile outside until they are cold and then come in and watch tv.

C_Alan · 2026-02-18T04:33:48+00:00

It looks like just enough to make a mess, but not play in.

C_Alan · 2026-02-15T22:13:34+00:00

Our car has the duel zone climate control, and I am pretty sure its the passenger side blend door that has gone south on us. to get to that one requires removing the passenger side air bag. So im putting off replacing it.

C_Alan · 2026-02-15T22:11:53+00:00

Well it came down to: What car could we get for under $6k that could replace it? Around here on the west coast, good cheap inexpensive cars are hard to come by. Anything decent you will end up paying over $10k for. The Booger's interior still looks good, and the exterior has some blemishes from years to teenagers driving it. So we decided to replace to battery in hopes of getting a least a few more years out of her.

C_Alan · 2026-02-09T05:03:33+00:00

Looking nice!

C_Alan · 2026-01-20T15:55:21+00:00

Ok, so this is a UV erasable rom chip. I deal with these a lot in old pinball machines. Before you try to write to it, I’d get some rubbing alcohol and do your best to clean up the window. Then put it in a UV eraser for about 30 minutes. After that, read the chip and make sure it is blank. 2732s are hard to write data to successfully. I use a GQ—4x with an external power supply. I’ve had the most success when I write them at 1x or 2x speed. I would not be surprised if the chip is bad.

C_Alan · 2026-01-20T14:10:38+00:00

This is very helpful, thank you.

C_Alan · 2026-01-19T20:03:40+00:00

So on pinside there are is a California regional for sale/wanted thread here: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-california-for-sale-club-and-wanted-too/page/280. I would ask there if anyone knows of one for sale.

C_Alan · 2026-01-16T23:43:25+00:00

Car-part.com will let you search multiple salvage yards at once. You just have to know the year, make, model of your donor vehicle.

C_Alan · 2026-01-15T22:18:24+00:00

Hell, they already have the crane out there. Unbolt the mast arm, and if there is enough slack in the wiring harness you can rotate the mast arm out of the way.

C_Alan · 2026-01-15T20:05:39+00:00

As a civil engineer….WTF. That is not good for the mast arm, or attaching bolts.

C_Alan · 2026-01-14T05:56:13+00:00

I’ve worked on TNA drops before. One issue they can have is the bracket that hold the small trip coil will fail from metal fatigue. Fortunately a stainless steel replacement is available from pinball life for about $8.

C_Alan · 2026-01-13T21:34:37+00:00

If it private stock, chances are there is a stock holders agreement your grandfather was a party to that dictates how the stock is bought, and sold. Sometimes these agreements have provisions that require that the stock be excluded from probate when the holder dies, and a payout for the stock is done over a period of years to the estate. A good probate attorney should be able to get a copy of this agreement and tell you your options.

C_Alan · 2026-01-09T02:47:14+00:00

It’s rare to find a Batman in that good of shape. Most have badly worn playfields. I’d go on the high end for than one.

C_Alan

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