# The Getaway Restoration: Part 7

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2020-03-04  
**Duration:** 10m 54s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrkBXvRJz0s

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy continues restoration of a Getaway pinball machine (Part 7), focusing on cabinet cleanup, internal component inspection, and playfield preparation. He discovers a missing capacitor on the general illumination board during inspection, addresses various maintenance issues, and installs new star posts, pop bumper tops, and other playfield components. The episode documents detailed restoration work including board repair verification, wire organization, and surface polishing.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Missing capacitor found on general illumination board that was overlooked in previous repair — _Speaker visually identifies a vacant capacitor socket during board inspection and acknowledges the oversight_
- [HIGH] Uses arcade power supply for accessory power instead of onboard power supply — _Speaker explains preference for external arcade power supply for lighting and long flipper button mod power_
- [HIGH] Plans to purchase color DMD at Texas Pinball Festival for discount pricing — _Speaker states Texas Pinball Festival is when they purchase color DMDs due to available discounts_
- [HIGH] General illumination issues should be resolved by replacing molex connector and fixing capacitor — _Speaker identifies GI iffy behavior before disassembly and links it to molex connector repair and missing capacitor_
- [HIGH] Adding star post at rear of machine to increase shot difficulty — _Speaker explicitly states decision to install post to make shot more difficult and fun despite noting some machines don't have it there_

### Notable Quotes

> "Would you look at that? Absolutely ridiculous. How the hell do I miss a capacitor that is just completely vacant? Not even there."
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~12:30
> _Discovery of significant board repair oversight affecting general illumination functionality_

> "I prefer to use these instead of the onboard for accessory power. So this is powering all the lighting for underneath and behind the tool."
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~2:45
> _Explains equipment choice for power management during restoration_

> "I probably won't get the color DMD until Texas Pinball Festival. That's when I get my discount. That's when I tend to buy those color DMDs is at Pinfest. Yep I'm cheap."
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~14:20
> _Reveals purchasing strategy tied to convention timing and cost optimization_

> "I know that some people don't have a post here but I'm gonna put one there because I want to say that they I've heard it this post is makes this shot more difficult to hit and I all about a little more difficulty and makes it makes it a little more fun"
> — **Cary Hardy**, ~20:15
> _Design philosophy regarding playfield difficulty and player engagement_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Cary Hardy | person | Pinball enthusiast and content creator documenting detailed restoration of Getaway pinball machine |
| Getaway | game | Pinball machine being restored across multi-part video series; appears to be Williams or similar era machine with standard WPC components |
| Texas Pinball Festival | event | Annual pinball convention where speaker purchases color DMD upgrades at discounted pricing |
| Pin2DMD | product | Color DMD upgrade system speaker plans to install on Getaway machine, typically purchased at conventions |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Playfield restoration and component replacement, Board-level repair and diagnostics, Cabinet cleaning and organization
- **Secondary:** Aftermarket modifications (color DMD, power supply upgrades), Detailed restoration documentation and process

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Generally upbeat and methodical approach to restoration work. Some frustration expressed about missed capacitor oversight, but balanced by problem-solving and satisfaction with progress. Humorous self-deprecation about cost-consciousness and past mistakes.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Detail-oriented approach to restoration prioritizing comprehensive board inspection, thorough cleaning, and methodical component replacement (confidence: high) — Multiple inspection passes on boards, checking solder joints, molex connectors, and discovering missed capacitor during review
- **[product_strategy]** Strategic addition of star post to playfield for shot difficulty optimization and engagement improvement (confidence: high) — Speaker explicitly adds rear star post despite noting it's not standard on all machines, justifying decision based on difficulty/fun increase
- **[technology_signal]** Use of external arcade power supply for accessory power management rather than onboard supply represents common aftermarket practice in restoration community (confidence: high) — Speaker explains preference for arcade power supply for lighting and flipper button mod power distribution

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## Transcript

 I'm alone Now let's take a look inside. Alright, Carrie. I'm going to have to print out new ones. These are the originals. I could pronounce new ones that are nice and white. And evidently I used what looks like a crap stapler gun or something. And these staples aren't even really in there. Well, that one kind of is. So I'm going to redo that. I've got a bunch of junk in here right now too. EL wire stuff. This is the key for the front of the machine right here. The key starter mode. I keep that in here because my daughters will play with it and I'll lose it. I know that for a fact because I already did lose it once. So, I've got this arcade power supply in here. I prefer to use these instead of the onboard for accessory power. So this is powering all the lighting for underneath and behind the tool and tool like I'm at work for the machine as well as the long flipper button mod. And this is all this excess stuff that doesn't even belong here. And this is extra hardware. WPC power. I think I bought this on accident. I guess I'll... this won't even be the new one anyway so I'll get it. Good So I may have bought it on accident but I kept it around for just in case purpose And it looks like I going to use it because this one got a little divot in it I have never installed the side rails even though they are powder coated I tend to do those last because I don't want any unnecessary dents or scratches on them while I'm still putting things into the machine. Probably a layer of dust up here too. I don't even know what I've got going on in the backbox here. Let's see what we can find. Okay, so I have got not much going on back here. Alright. Alright. Curious as to why I put these boards in here. Oh well. They're in there. I remember I had to repair this This was all kinds of mess up So I got this all repaired I cleaned that up And That's where we're at on that Eventually we will get a color DMD for her I probably won't get the color DMD Until Texas Pinball Festival That's when I get my discount That's when I tend to buy those color DMDs Is at Pinfest Yep I'm cheap And And yeah, I think that's where we're at on that. I really want to get the mirrored back glass. I just don't think I'm going to get it soon. But I do want to get it. And I think that's where we're at on the cabinet. It's not horrible. It just needs to be cleaned out. I also have an idea for a modification to this. and we'll see how that goes. That's still in the works, just basically in my head about what I want to do with it. Alright. spent some time today cleaning out the cabinet and getting a lot of things cleaned up and wiped down just to see what all if there's anything else i need to do i got the one inch layer of dust off the top of the backbox. Now I'm going to start working on getting things put back into the backbox, like the boards and everything. I'm gonna go over them to make sure that everything looks good It doesn need any kind of reflowing on any of the solder joints and the molex connectors all look good And that what I doing now Pulling all the boards out of the box that I had these in, I can already remember that it is... I have already repaired this board when it comes to the general illumination. I've already replaced that molex because that one was really messed up. The pins were sliding through the holes. it was a little crispy. So that should be good. As far as there's anything else with the board that's wrong, I'm not seeing anything, but I'll go through here and wiggle these. Would you look at that? Absolutely ridiculous. How the hell do I miss a capacitor that is just completely vacant? Not even there. I don't even understand how I missed that. But I did, so keep that in mind in a future episode. I'm trying to make sure everything looks good, but I want to say that was the only issue that I had before taking this game apart, is that my GI was very iffy, and that should resolve it. Time to install the good old cabinet wiring harness. That is where we're at on that. Going to get this all organized and put back in here. I've got some wire correcting and just tidying things up a bit just for my own peace of mind. Here we go. Okay, I've got more parts in, including my all-new StarPost doubles and singles. I'm going to be installing all of those on the plate field as well as my new pop bumper tops. I've got all my new rings for underneath the plate fill just to make that a little more poppy rubber grommets for my flipper brackets and pads for the Basically where the balls gonna be bouncing from like at the ends of the wire forms as well as inside the video mode eject hole over there So got all that and Here we go I now have all star posts in place including this one right here I know that some people don't have a post here but I'm gonna put one there because I want to say that they I've heard it this post is makes this shot more difficult to hit and I all about a little more difficulty and makes it makes it a little more fun So I putting it on there and there it going to be Alright moving on I only got a couple more pieces left to polish And that is at the very rear of the machine, including the lift ramp. Now this simply will not do. No, no, no, no, no, no. Let's see if we can fix that up a bit. and that looks a lot better much better I'll take that it's even got a nice reflection right there hello Almost seven, West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, Shannon to our river Life is older, older than the trees Younger than the mountains, no way I merely just got this sitting here right now. I'm just making sure everything is going to line up and look good. And I'm going to have access to everything because I'm not putting this on here until I have my plastics and my rubbers. Otherwise, it's just going to be really difficult. to get in here and do things. Well, I might be able to do this. Yeah, I think I'll mount this and then I'll be able to get the plastics and rubbers on there with the supercharger in place. Mm, scratch that. I don't think I will be able to. So yeah, I just got this kind of in place for right now. So it's got a home, but we're getting there. I think I'm gonna run and get the new rubbers right now actually. Outro Music

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 43e7edcc-c7fb-4999-9000-86c51914299e*