Some advice needed....

[County1883]

Ok guys

I have been restoring/shopping a Bally Speak Easy and its coming along swimmingly. However, i do seem to be forever ordering parts the further deep i dive!

- Flippers Rebuild (absolute knackered)
- Rubbers (shot)
- Bulbs (all silvered and mostly gone)
- Switches (snapped, rusted, pitted)
- Coils (some stuck completely or partly)
- Slingshot arms (blackened beyond clean up)
- Blue posts (rubber had stuck to them all)
- Plastics/Pop Bumper Caps (missing, so only available overseas!)

Etc. Etc. You get the point.

Is there any steps you could point too for completing something like this so i dont get stung for postage everytime?

Thanks in advance

PS - Loving this and cant wait to play it and flip it round for the next one

 

[ronsplooter]

Is there any steps you could point too for completing something like this so i dont get stung for postage everytime?

Make a list as you take the game apart and then order everything at the end once you know what you need.

 

[stoptap]

When you buy bulbs, don't get 10 here and there. If it is 555s or #47s get 100. You will always need them.

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

When you buy bulbs, don't get 10 here and there. If it is 555s or #47s get 100. You will always need them.

Yep ...if they are generic penny parts, don't muck about buying 1 or 2 . Goes for rubbers, small hardware etc

 

[kevlar]

Don't buy 555's and 44's, pm me your address and I'll send you a **** ton gratis. Don't know why I keep them but every time I LED a machine my collection grows.

 

[Moonraker]

Don't buy 555's and 44's, pm me your address and I'll send you a **** ton gratis. Don't know why I keep them but every time I LED a machine my collection grows.

Kev, do bring them with you if you're coming to SWL this Saturday...

 

[kevlar]

Working sorry Pete. I may as well give up comps altogether I miss that many due to shift work.

 

[cooldan]

Don't buy 555's and 44's, pm me your address and I'll send you a **** ton gratis. Don't know why I keep them but every time I LED a machine my collection grows.

Whereas every time I buy a machine, I add to the pile of LEDs as I replace them with 555s and 47s (47 replaces 44 as less power for more or less same output iirc)

 

[kevlar]

We should talk @cooldan

 

[Sgt GrizZ]

Whereas every time I buy a machine, I add to the pile of LEDs as I replace them with 555s and 47s (47 replaces 44 as less power for more or less same output iirc)

I think you can notice difference with 47s..... dimmer. I would only use them behind delicate backglasses. In home use the power issue is not worth worrying about.

 

[PBrookfield]

I'm doing this sort of renovation right now.
My advice is the same - it's very tedious but you really must go through the machine, identify, count and plan to replace everything you will touch (or want to touch) - do not be tempted to just replace as you find faults - I promise you will not get lucky enough to make the savings worth making your project harder by making dozens of orders and losing money on postage instead.

I limited purchases to 3 orders (for now.)

1. Pinball Mania Parts - for rubbers, posts, specific 'pinball' bits
2. Farnell electronics - transistors, EPROMS, capacitors etc
3. AccuGroup - for ordering boxes of imperial-sized bolts to replace all of the stripped, rusted and blown out pieces

You should be okay with just 2 - the third order is just because I am neurotic about fasteners after being abused by a car restoration job that took 4x as long because every fastener was rusted in place or ready to strip if you farted in its direction.