Check you have the correct part.

Another thing I learned yesterdat evening (or should've known as it isn't the first time something similar happens to me..)

Always check the replacement parts are absolutely correct before installing them.

I'm restoring a Bally Future Spa. This pinball machine has a row of 4 droptargets behind each other. The first one was broken. So yesterday evening I decided to replace it. Had a droptarget bank from a Stern machine that was parted out.. the parts seemed similar/identical enough. Paid a lot of attention to the bottom part of the droptarget, to make sure the shape where it mounts and where the screw goes through was correct.

Replacing droptarget isn't a task you do in a few minutes.. you have to disassemble half of the metal frame where they mount into. First removed a target to use as replacement part. Made sure I didn't lose the spring or C-clips involved.
Then I disassembled the droptarget bank on the Future Spa. Removed the broken part.
Put in the new part. The drop target was identical at the bottom, but the way the metal rod that holds it and pushes its up again is connected was different, as here the droptargets are behind eachother, and on the original part they were next to each other.

All goes well, about half an hour later I'm ready and want to screw it into the playfield again...
and then I notice it doesn't fit ?!
The new droptarget I used is a bit wider at the top and doesn't fit through the hole in the playfield ! :-(

So there's half an hour of my life wasted.. next task is to do it all over using a droptarget that is a bit smaller..

Grand Champion on Theatre of Magic

Visited someone yesterday evening to pick up some parts.. played a few games on his pinball machines, talked a bit, ..  I haven't played Theatre in a long time and I don't consider myself to be a very good player (just average), so I was amazed myself by how well I played.
I like Theatre of Magic a lot - I love all John Popaduik games. This machine was playing very well, you could loop the centre ramp over and over, the flow in this game was unbelieveable. And that's the type of game I like - no stress, no worrying about the rules and what shot to make next - just letting the pinball roll around the playfield over and over, letting the shots come naturally. In the end I noticed I got quite far, the clock was at 10.. so then I only started to concentrate on adding a few hours.

I think it was only the third time ever that I've reached the wizard mode on Theatre (Grand Finale), and even got it whilst Tiger Multiball was running (have no idea of the game was a bit confused because of this).
Anyway, final score on 5 balls (and got 2 extra which I lost very soon) was over 3.5 bill..

custom bingo machine

New article, at the rock around the jukebox show Henk de Jager presented his latest game, an electro-mechanical bingo machine !

AC/DC as the new Stern

Many rumors going around that AC/DC would be Sterns next title by Steve Ritchie ?
(after it was first rumored to be, then declined, ..)

In a new video from Stern about the making of transformers, Steve's pc screen is shown with a detailed autocad playfield drawing on it. A new layout, not of Transformers or any other released Stern pinball machine, so probably the next one he's working on..

On RGP and other forum people think the horns are about AC/DC.

Here's a screenshot , up to you to decide what theme it'll be..

Medieval Madness broken switch

Why do switches always break at the worst possible time ?
Was playing Medieval Madness yesterday, had a very good game, 4 blue lights were already on..
and then suddenly the microswitch inside the castle didn't register anymore :-(
The gate was open but a ball shot trough it didn't register anymore. It's the same switch that registers a pinball that's being locked, so I also couldn't start multiball anymore (and only needed 1 shot).
No use continuing my game as I couldn't get any big points anymore..

Turned the machine off, removed the glass, lifted the playfield.. one wire had broken off.
1 minute of work to solder it back was all it took to make this pinball machine play well again.