It’s time for the second update on my repair and servicing of a SEGA X-Files pinball machine. Less repairs for this installment and mainly servicing what’s there. My focus for this update is to work through the remaining under playfield assemblies that need a service. X-Files is a bit thin on coil assemblies compared with other machines I’ve worked on recently. Outside of the flippers and slingshots, there are only 6 others to service (and three of those are pop bumpers). Once they’ve all been cleaned up, that will mean I’m ready to strip and clean the playfield. I’ll be starting with the slingshots. The assemblies are just like the ones I saw on my Date East Last Action Hero. They get a good work out during play, so have built up a nice layer of black dust around the plunger, link and coil sleeve.
coil
All posts tagged coil
The work on my Bally Mariner is coming to a end. Since my last update, I’ve had the chance to play quite a few games on it and the machine has been holding up really well. Mariner has been very reliable and no issues have come up. There are just a few last things to do and then I’m done. First item on the agenda for this update is sorting out the relay coil for the up post. This one spends a lot of its time energised and as such was showing strong signs of stress. A new coil was purchased to replace it.
One of the final assemblies to look at on my Last Action Hero is the drop target bank. Located on the left side of the playfield, it contains 5 targets, spelling the word crane. It’s use for the skill shot to begin each ball and also to activate the crane during the game. It gets a fair bit of use during play and I have no doubt can do with a clean.
Well it didn’t take long. Only a few weeks into owning a machine that I didn’t plan to do any work on, and am going to strip the playfield for a solid clean. Having had a much closer inspection now, there is a lot of dust and dirt at the top of the playfield, along the ramps and on the plastics located up there too. I really want to get it into a clean state – a base line – that I can reference to know when the machine was last given a service and deep clean. Since I’ve already worked through a number of the assemblies below the playfield, I want to give the playfield itself similar attention. While I’m doing that, I can clean the individual parts on the playfield and get fresh rubber all over it. Naturally, that means I won’t be able to play it for about a week – but it’s task well worth doing.
I’ve been having a lot of fun playing my Last Action Hero since it’s arrival. I’m not sure how it rates as a game among the pinball community, but I’ve found it to be really enjoyable and it’s a welcome entry to my Pinball fleet. My previous update focused mostly on small cosmetic things but in update #2, I’m starting to look at cleaning the assemblies to get the game running at an optimal level. First thing on my radar this time is the single scoop, located on the right side of the playfield.
