They Put Foil On The Fuses! - Bubba Shot The Pinball #3 - Bally 1979 Star Trek Machine Repair 

I think Ron should use his bore brush to clean out that bullet hole. It would really increase the…caliber of this repair.

"It's metal people!" For some reason tickled the shit out of me. I'll be snickering about that all day. Great job!!!

Wow the machine is so original that the fuse is still in the original wrapper. What a rare finding.

"If the games unplugged you will get no voltage"...LOL!!! Well there's your problem Ron!

Great work as always - closeups blurry now and then - it's tricky to get autofocus cameras to do closeups. Amazing detail in the board fixes, I love when you crack out the circuit diagrams and trace the logic. VERY few people can still do that for these machines. Thanks for archiving that!!! Thanks for letting us get in the way!

Cool video, great explanation of a linear power supply

You need a T shirt with the slogon, C'mon people, i'd buy one! Brillaint video as always Ron.

"That's called Instant Karma" - proceeds to channel his inner John Lennon....Love it!!

You guys work hard to get the machines up and running

I have a Supersonic Bally from 1979 and I can confirm that Electronic is exactly the same. Only playfield can be equipped differently. I have changed my power board because the regulators were in shortcut but the board was too much damaged to be re-used (it was repaired already many times). This generation of machines is easy to repair and mine works like a charm!

“Come on, you’ve got to plug the game in people!” Another great video. Just shows, you’ve got to get the basics right first.

I think I passed out a about 6:50 in. The "people" drinking game beat me up pretty good this time. Thanks Ron!

I had a friend who often talked about how is parents owned a Pinball machine. Also time I was like yeah sure they do. Once we start hanging out together more and I went over to his parents place. Low and behold they did own a Pinball machine. And it was a 79 star trek just like this one. Never gotten the chance to play it. But yeah I was a bit jealous. And so wanted to buy it off them.

"Matt, you missed a light bulb" HA! "If you are unplugged, you will not have power". Nice work. "C'mon people....people...you can't..." Thanks for the video.

Ron, great series, you're really giving this machine a 2nd chance at life! The cosmetics look great. You make a great point about the transformers likely being wired for 115VAC back in the day. The giant rectifier is awesome, 4x safety factor!

Keep on making a good videos and I like your explanation behind the power board

One thing that could have been replaced on the board is the varistor. The thing is, it is a safety device, and they silently fail as you have no way of knowing when they are used/needed. (Much like the "hand of God" in that you don't know what trouble you've been saved from, but you'd know if you had no protection.) This reminds me of an old airline ad. It was along the line of, "You might not even notice our good service and customer care, but you'd notice if we weren't there." So there is no way of knowing how often a varistor/MOV has saved your "behind" or if it is compromised. It is like encountering a dim LED. Sure, the LED still works, but not optimally since some of the junctions have eroded from use. Some power strips have a light to tell you if the varistors/MOVs are failing. But those lights do no such thing. They work more like a "canary in a coal mine." They don't connect or measure through MOVs since MOVs are not used when all is well. So if the LED prematurely fails from overvoltage, the MOV "may" have been damaged. Both are semiconductors. The resistor on the LED adjusts the operating voltage to within the normal range. I just had an interesting thought. An engineer could design a board with 2 MOVs. Put both past the fuse and in parallel with the rest of the device, but put a small fuse in series with one. So one MOV would act as the protection, and the other in conjunction with the small fuse is the "canary in a coal mine." The proposed tiny fuse and extra MOV together offer no protection to the device, but it would give techs an idea if the other MOV could use changing. That could be slightly more accurate than a dimming LED in parallel as used on power strips. Power strips will work without a pilot light. The indicator is both a convenience ("Yeah, it's on") and a crude litmus test for the MOV ("strong enough to blow or weaken the LED is strong enough to damage the MOV"). As for what a varistor is, that is essentially just 2 Zener diodes wired parallel in opposite directions. So if the voltage gets too high, they conduct. They are for things like short spikes that a fuse might not catch and can buy you time as it helps blow the fuse. They can, in theory, fail in only one direction (like a single diode can blow inside a bridge rectifier). They may reduce clamping ability with use over time, etc., and it is really hard to know their health. So if a machine is 40 years old, there are chances the varistor is compromised. Unlike a lot of the other semiconductors, you almost need to shoot for perfection here, IMHO. It's like anti-ballistic armor. Once you've been saved from projectiles, you really want to replace the armor, particularly if the compromised part is around vital organs or is a common location for projectiles to go.

Read it in a funny voice? I think you mean "read it in a funnier voice" [Southern Accent Slam!] Great video as usual Ron, even with the funny voice. :-)

those screw type fuses are called Edison fuses, they use the same screw fitting as light bulb.

Love your line joe come on people's 😂😂😂😂

At least they didn't put the wrong sized fuse in :P So many people just don't realise that a fuse is there to protect other things, not itself! In a car or house, a fuse is there to protect the wiring, in electronics, it is there to protect stuff beyond it! Even worse, if a fuse keeps blowing, instead of working out why, a lot of people just shove a higher rated fuse in there, if it still blows, keep going up in the amps till the fuse stops blowing :(

Reggie Dunlop: What are you guys doing? Steve Hanson: Puttin' on the foil! Jeff Hanson: Every game! Jack Hanson: Yeah, you want some?

Cool video Ron!. Oh no!, the improperly calibrated aluminium foil fuse strikes again... I'm sure the circuit board & machine will resurrect under your care

This machine is on the march. … it’s coming back. You might have started with a 2 but it will be a 9.5 by the time you’re done. … and that’s as good as any machine needs to be. Outstanding, as usual.

Years ago at Greater Southern, I got a WMS pin in with an actual 1/4" nail in the fuse holder. And a quarter sized burned hole in the middle of the power driver PCB. Customer bought a new board ... $365 + diagnostic fee. I did later manage to breadboard the burned one back into life as a test bench board.

I did the foil on a fuse once back in the 80's. I learned it from watching MacGyver. He asked someone for some gum and he took the foil lined wrapper off the gum and wrapped it around a fuse. I'm pretty sure we have 120v here in Fort Worth, so I'm confident that that game will not only look nice but work well in my living room.. "wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more"😉

That ain’t just aluminum foil. That’s a wrapper from someone’s package of darts. Classic move from the 70’s and 80’s. Stupid. But a classic move! Lol

Can't wait to see how this one turns out

"Everything is nice and shiny..!" THAT'S how it HAS to be! 😜😉👍👍👍👍

"Well, there's that one guy", hahaha

I’ll tell you something funny: Pin Ball machines are actually philosophical arguments. On one machine there might be a bunch of points to score near the flippers, but on another machine those points might be far away. Then there’s the sub-games. So in theory, you could make a five minute video of each pinball machine being played, and then have a philosophy student work with a sports coach and a psychiatrist to create a scrolling article about that particular game. The text would scroll at the bottom of the screen. People would probably enjoy comparing the philosophies of all the different pinball machines. 30 different narrated pinball videos, ranging from Buddha to Wagner.

Wall voltage: I'm in South Charlotte with Duke Power and the UPS goes on battery a couple of times a month. The wall voltage is currently sitting at 123.8v, and the UPS triggers at 127v. I sent the logs to Duke to see if they can adjust the tap on the neighborhood transformer - no answer. I probably ended up on their "crank customer" list.

Unfortunately a .22LR (*see note) works as a replacement for an AGC fuse. It usually takes about 35 amps to ignite the powder , causing two audible alarms. The first alarm is a loud "bang" The second alarm is someone screaming in pain or terror. There has also been at least one verified report of a truck driver shooting himself in the groin as a result of an "emergency roadside repair". *It's a bullet.

I thought you weren’t going to read that letter in a funny voice and then you go and use your funny voice.

That has to be the best one ive seen. Haha. Yeah if its unplugged ya get 0. You ate too funny.

Lincoln head fuses, i remember those

If you're really worried about the voltage going into your machines, you can get these Japanese line voltage regulators that will regulate your voltage to a constant value. They are meant for medical equipment. Lots of professional guitarists in bands use them because , as you might know, tube amps dont sound as good if they're not fed a specific voltage.

Just strip a coper wire, take a similar fine thread with the same thickness and just put it in the fuse. The best and safest way to get it working again.

I have never seen a fuse with that Zig Zag wire inside. I assume it must be some type of time delay slow blow. I restored a vintage radio where someone had used a lathe tool as a fuse. If I can find the link I will post it later. I like watching you repair these amazing work I think. You always are ready with a laugh and a smile that’s no easy skill.

Everybody knows you don't use tin foil to replace a fuse, use a .22 shell. That way you have an audible trip alert.

Don't use foil on fuses people come on now..they're to be folded into hats and worn on the head🧙‍♂️

Really enjoying this series!

Nice job fixing this thing up; can't wait for the next video!

Man that cabinet turned out great!

We, the people, knew that one of the bridge rectifiers was going to be broke. But we're so patient with you.... we of course... wouldn't have done it like that. PS Tin foil is for high amperage fusing.

I remember back in the day PPL would put a penny in the fuse socket of their circuit panel. You got that looking sweet Ron!

I cannot stop laughing every time you mention that bullet hole in the poor pinball cabinet. It reminds me of the time my dad emptied a magazine in our poor lawn tractor after working on it all day and having it break again. I'll tell you though - after that, it never gave him trouble for the next 10 years we had it.

Tin foil fuses? Some of your American brethren have discovered 0.22 LR rounds fit. Bonus high rupture current. And audio fault indication

Again THANKS Ron for making these and for your charming persona which makes them so enjoyable to watch :D. Continually sounds like your saying "Sod-her" though. Mind, I guess that's what happens when an entire region decides it doesn't need to pronounce all the letters in words ;) [yeah, hypocritical for someone who types Colour as correct, just funning with ya]. Though definitely respect to you, you-do-you, I'm just a bit of a stickler myself and just had to point that out or feel unclean all day xD. I mean "Sod her"!

Sooo awesome!! 😊

Hey Ron, when working on these power supplies, do you ever check the transformer wiring to see if they are using the 120V taps versus the 115V taps? In other videos (and possibly later on in this one), I've noted that you find that the DC voltages come in high. If the input windings are tapped for 115VAC, that may be causing the issue. Wow...I'm watching 2 months late and you just answered my question at about 25 minutes in. You're good! I'd recommend retapping for 120V. That is going to lower the voltage and heat across the board.

Nice looking machine Ron. Also thanks for the tip about the gameboy player memory card hack for gamecube i bought from u guys works great

Looking forward to the end result. Jimbo-Billy-Bob's-Bullet-Hole should be highlighted in some "tasteful" way. 😉

You mean I get two videos with Ron in them today! Awesome! Go check out Donnie and his crew in today’s post.

I had a few of the bally games , and they were cooked at the male pins and the female housing was crispy brown.

At first someone is trying to murder the machine and then using tin foil as fuse! C'mon, people! You can't do that! C'mon now! What's wrong with you people?!

Archie bunker burnt his bathroom by using a penny.

I had a 74 cutlass that half the fuses were foil out of a cigarette pack lol.

9:30 Not just that, you'll most likely be mixing chemistries by not removing the old solder from the board. Metal is metal sure (obligatory rock sign), but mixing leaded and non-leaded is no-bueno. Add some solder to the old stuff for the purpose of getting the old stuff mixed up so you can remove it, then do the soldering properly with leaded solder and flux.

At least they didn't use a .22LR as a fuse.

I would be interested in buying this pin when it's finished.

Come on Matt come on now 👍 😁

Chsnge the fuse holder and the fuse then find what is drawing that extra current. I have seen lots of dead fusr holders scorched that sizzle a new good fuse. 15 amp and higher the fuse is good the holder burns out in a slow sizzle. Foiled fuses create a voltage drop that generate enough heat to start a fire and that old dry wood is not fire resistant.

Did you ever find out what caliber of gun that was used to kill the Star trek pinball machine? My theory. because on the backglass Captain Kirk is holding a phaser. So bubba was a big drunk and decided to defend himself.

Come on people! The debate is over! s-o-d-d-e-r

My friend SOLDER has an L in it solder 🤣 great vid as always 🙌🙌🙌

Instant Karma 21:57...A great John Lennon song people ✌ ☮

Ron, can you share whare you bought those larger bridge rectifier? Thanks Pat

I've done foil on a blown fuse. But I did it so only a really thin strip went between the ends and at the ends it wrapped around the ends. Got it about right for anywhere between a 10 and 20 amp fuse. Not easy to do bit if I needed to do it again I probably could.

Should you keep the machine powered off when not in use

Darn! Foiled again!

You can easily dope the old solder with new solder. It'll be fine

This is the common Method for Beginners to replace a blown Fuse, because no Replacement is available..

Matt’s cool

JOE, When you install Bridge Rectifiers on the other side of the PCB Board, you have to install them in the opposite direction because the pinout for the + and - of the bridge rectifiers. The Bridge Rectifier has a + and - pinout on the IC package and the PCB Board has pcb board reference indicators of the + and - which has to go into the correct orientation. Any reasons why the GI lights are using higher current and AC instead of using DC? Using DC current will burn damage those higher pins faster because its direct current compared to AC current you get more of an average RMS current because there is 60 zero points for every second of its flicking the current and voltage so you can run a higher AC current but its like "strobing" the current to the GI lamps?

I'm currently working on a similar board (skateball) for a friend. His board has a dead bridge which keeps blowing the fuse attached to it. Theses bridges aren't easy to find !

I really don't understand why people insist on wrapping blown fuses in foil rather than spend a few cents on a new fuse, and then they wonder why a very expensive part ends up being burnt-out, worse still, some people insist on replacing a blown fuse with one that's about four times the rating of the blown one, some people have no idea what fuses are for, let alone how they work, a fuse is usually designed to blow when about 1.5 times it's rating is exceeded.

Just thinking about it for a moment, an argument for removing and replacing the original solder would be to address any corrosion on the original contact (due to any of several reasons). I’m not saying it’s likely, would need more information...but “it’s metal, people” doesn’t address that issue. Pretty sure we get the idea it melts and flows and mixes together.

Whats you opinion on refreshing the varnish / enamel on the transformers? On some of my equipement the paper is flaking off, and the steel is rusty and dusty.

i remember the penny trick as well and had been guilty of it many a time back in the 70's. one of the reasons the fuse would blow is not for the circuit being shorted but mostly due to the circuit being overloaded and not providing enough current (IE in the movie A Christmas Story when they plugged in the christmas tree) to whatever is being plugged in and the reason for the penny trick is to be used as a temporary fix till you can get to the store to get a proper replacement fuse. they eventually came out with fuses that had a button on them to reset the fuse when it pops like the breakers that are being used today. unfortunately a lot of people would just leave the penny in and not replace the fuse and when the circuit gets overloaded the current being drawn through the wires would cause them to heat up and you would have your self a nice little electrical fire happening in your walls.

It s better than a 22lr...some really did it on a car..1000 ways to die if I remember correctly. If you will do a nanao 2930,I will restore mine soon. A new flyback,where take a good modern one.

3/16" round stock works better than foil.

The foil on that fuse looked sketchy. Probably would have mimicked a 1amp fuse anyway

COME ON PEOPLE HAHAHA

Yeah, it works, but the fuse is there to fail so that nothing important fails.

i usually find someone has an iron nail swapped out for a fuse..

Ah, so the GI lights are halogen and use AC, so if you were to swap out all the lights to LED you'd have to somehow switch their power to DC? Do you just add a new power supply if doing that, or some sort of way to convert it? And I was surprised that it actually sends AC to parts of the game, like maybe you get zapped at full house voltage if not careful? Ouchie.

Yodelayheehoo

You're not touching it right..that's what she said🤣

Real foil or foil from a bubble gum wrapper? :D

Nowadays I gotta say we are probably better off with older parts than newer parts because of the cheap quality we see given that everything comes from China now.

Couldn't you just install a rheostat to adjust the 122Vac inline voltage?

empty .22 shells work better.