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    Repair log: Playboy (Stern, 2002)

    2002 Playboy Repair log Stern

    ο»ΏRepair logs are quick summaries of workshop and on-site repairs. If your machine needs a service, πŸ“¬ Contact Us to discuss how we can help!

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    Service call to a Stern Playboy a couple of days ago. I took the MPU board in for repair to abate some alkaline corrosion from leaking batteries. Replaced with a lithium cell and installed NVRAM while I was there.


    Little bit of work to do on the playfield, too. The triangle motor wasn't stopping at the correct spots for "Splash" and "Triple Jackpot" awards. The switches underneath the assembly were out of adjustment. The clear plastic above the left ramp was missing. This resulted in shots to the ramp getting rejected most of the time. I fashioned a new plastic out of polycarbonate, drilled the mounting holes, and voila! Not as precise as a CNC cut plastic, sure, but not bad for an on-site repair either! Also installed a custom topper and wired it into the backbox. Changed a few rubbers and replaced a couple of switches to finish things off.


    Welcome back to the mansion!


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    Repair log: Batman: The Dark Knight (Stern, 2008)

    2008 Batman Repair log Stern

    ο»ΏRepair logs are quick summaries of workshop and on-site repairs. If your machine needs a service, πŸ“¬ Contact Us to discuss how we can help!

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    New shaker motor installed! An awesome addition to the game which really makes you feel those shots to the crane.


    Some of the early SAM system games were made with a shaker motor option available, but the cabinets were not always prepared for installation of the assembly at the factory. As a result, you may need to drill the mounting holes and install tee-nuts so you can bolt the shaker motor into place. Ensure proper alignment and fitment as this is not a mechanism that you want to shake loose!


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    Repair log: Stern Stars (1978) and Stern Dracula (1979)

    1978 Dracula Repair log Stars Stern

    ο»ΏRepair logs are quick summaries of workshop and on-site repairs. If your machine needs a service, πŸ“¬ Contact Us to discuss how we can help!

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    A couple of Stern MPU-100 boards came in for service. Both with similar corrosion damage which required significant abatement. Once the corrosion was dealt with, the boards were repopulated.


    A couple of small mods were done, too. Batteries and RAM were replaced with NVRAM modules from Tangles Pin Parts. A nice product from an Aussie supplier. One of the ROM chips was damaged on the Stars board, so I combined the two 2716 ROM images into a single 2764. Some modding of the board was required to accommodate the 2764 but it works well.


    Before and after photos of one of the boards below!

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    Trident

    1979 Stern Trident
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    Trident (Stern Electronics, 1979) was my first foray into classic solid state (SS) game repair for a customer. I had bought Stars (Stern Electronics, 1978) a little while ago and while I hadn't restored it yet, I had done a lot of reading about common problems, the boardset, and playfield mechanisms. While I initially wanted to work on Stars as my first classic SS restoration, a customer approached me about fixing his Trident so I decided to bring this one back to life first. He had actually asked about selling the machine to me, but instead decided that he wanted to have the game repaired so he could play it again. As this wasn't a full game restoration, this blog entry will be shorter and will cover only the more interesting aspects of the repairs.