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Earthshaker Pinball Restoration: Episode 3

Cary Hardy·video·13m 29s·analyzed·Mar 12, 2024
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.015

TL;DR

Earthshaker restoration progresses toward TPF debut with switch matrix, mechanics, and topside assembly work.

Summary

Cary Hardy documents Episode 3 of his Earthshaker pinball restoration, focusing on switch matrix installation, underside playfield assembly, and topside preparation. Working against a tight deadline for Texas Pinball Festival, he addresses common restoration challenges including unreliable dimple guides, LED lighting installation, mechanical assembly, and playfield finishing techniques. The restoration is nearing completion with new plastics, rubbers, and switches installed.

Key Claims

  • Switch matrix dimples on playfield are inaccurate and should not be trusted for rollover switch alignment

    high confidence · Direct observation during switch matrix installation; speaker recommends using judgment over dimple guides

  • Switch matrix installation is the most challenging part of the restoration process

    high confidence · Cary states 'the switch matrix getting everything back to where it's supposed to be is the most challenging part'

  • Original playfield design has a gap issue where plastic pieces don't sit flush due to recess design

    high confidence · Speaker enlarges holes in LED housing to ensure flush fit and eliminate light bleeding

  • New playfield holes are often too small for screws to properly engage wood without drilling through artwork first

    high confidence · Demonstrates countersinking technique to prevent artwork/clear coat damage during post installation

  • Restoration will be completed in time for Texas Pinball Festival display and play

    medium confidence · Speaker states 'if all goes according to plan then it should be there at the show' and mentions 'major time crunch'

Notable Quotes

  • “the dimples that are on here are drastically suggestive so many are nowhere near right so just whenever you're installing rollover switches and stuff like that make sure that you know just use your best judgment more than you use these damn dimples because they are not more than likely going to be correct”

    Cary Hardy@ 0:58 — Practical restoration advice addressing a widespread issue with playfield dimple accuracy

  • “the switch matrix getting everything back to where it's supposed to be is the most challenging part”

    Cary Hardy@ 2:07 — Identifies switch matrix as the primary bottleneck in restoration work

  • “I mean all the wires that are like this are going to flasher bulbs but as far as going through getting all the connectors and then all the solid noise connected flasher bulb, I'm about done on that side”

    Cary Hardy@ 3:14 — Progress update on underside harness work

  • “the chances of it actually grabbing the clear and the artwork and lifting before it even gets to the wood is very likely”

    Cary Hardy@ 9:37 — Explains the technical problem that countersinking solves in playfield assembly

  • “I'm going with translucent, guys. I think that's going to do pretty good with light refraction, dispersion across the plate field and stuff like that”

    Cary Hardy@ 12:51 — Restoration choice for rubber bumpers to work with LED lighting scheme

Entities

Cary HardypersonEarthshakergameTexas Pinball FestivaleventTitan PinballcompanyEricperson

Signals

  • ?

    event_signal: Earthshaker restoration timed for Texas Pinball Festival display; restoration becoming community attraction

    high · Speaker explicitly states game should be available to see and play at TPF; patron community being kept updated on progress

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Educational content strategy: detailed walkthrough of restoration techniques including countersinking, GI testing, post installation, and rubber selection decisions

    high · Speaker explicitly shares tricks and techniques with audience ('let me show you guys a little trick here', 'just a real easy way to test', 'just an extra little precaution')

  • ?

    product_concern: Playfield dimple guides on new/reproduction playfields are inaccurate and unreliable for switch alignment

    high · Multiple instances of dimples being 'drastically suggestive' and 'nowhere near right'; speaker advises judgment over dimple accuracy

  • ?

    technology_signal: LED retrofit allowing playfield design improvements (flush fit without light bleeding) that were problematic with original incandescent bulbs

    high · Speaker notes original design gap issue caused by heat/bulb age, but LED retrofit eliminates warping problem; allows countersinking solution

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.040

0:00
It's currently the week of Texas Pinball Festival. I'm going to be trying to get the remaining episodes out to you up until the day of TPF. My patrons are well aware of the current status of this game. They're well up to date on what the game looks like as well. Any spare time I have had has been going into this game and if all goes according to plan then it should be there at the show for you all to see and play.
0:35
Alright, the illumination harness is installed and complete. Now, let's get the Switch Matrix 1 all cleaned up and installed. so i've been working at it getting the switch matrix reinstalled on this particular play field and i'll tell you right now the dimples that are on here are drastically suggestive so many are nowhere near right so just whenever you're installing rollover switches and stuff like that make sure that you know just use your best judgment more than you use these damn dimples because they are not more than likely going to be correct and uh like so many of these things were just not right if i was to line up some of these things that would be drastically off more than likely but um yeah so all these rollover switches right here i'm just basically making sure that They're easily movable within the slot. And move on to the next one. Same thing with these particular switches right here. Just lined up the circle to that down here. Because the actual dot ones are... I can't see. But they're underneath here. But I definitely don't trust these.
1:59
So bad. I'm just kind of going through getting a lot of the switches in place. Making sure everything's where it's supposed to be. I was dreading this because the switch matrix getting everything back to where it's supposed to be is the most challenging part I mean everything else I think is gonna be pretty straightforward with the solenoids underside of the plate fill is starting to get more and more built up getting more and more convoluted just installed the subway system gonna start getting these targets replaced because these are trash just got the new ones in so bye-bye with the old and busted and hello to the new hotness those are supposed to be down inside there and down in here so we're going to get these micro switches all connected back to the subway system and start getting these targets replaced and then i think we're going to move on to the next wire harness maybe? Or more mechs, maybe more mechs, yeah. We're gonna get the rest of the mechs on here. We are starting to get the mechs back on here.
3:10
Working my way through, getting all the solar noise attached. Now about halfway through on the connectors portion I mean all the wires that are like this are going to flasher bulbs but as far as going through getting all the connectors and then all the solid noise connected flasher bulb, I'm about done on that side. So now I'm starting to work my way on this side and so I think my next one where was it I think it was yeah right there that's where I'm at so only about one two three four five six six more to go when it comes to the solenoids and then I'll work on the flasher bulbs all right pretty much the last piece to be installed on the underside of the playfield so now I mean I just gotta take it apart which literally isn't much to it and get all cleaned up and with new plastics. So something that's always kind of bugged me is that originally this piece is kind of like not fully on there because it's got these are basically these are recesses right here that kind of stick out so that normally this will be here I'll just show you by using the new plastic. If I can pick it up. Basically it does not go flush against there which would in turn leave me with this gap which I honestly don't like so what I'm doing is what I've done to the original here and I have enlarged the holes to where it's going to fit snug and it will be flat against it although the one I've got now is kind of warped so it wants to stick up and that's because of the original bulbs and age and everything behind it but since we're going with LEDs we're not gonna have to worry about that anymore so going to enlarge these holes so that way it fits nice and snug against this right here and we shouldn't get any kind of bleeding of light going across to any other one after that ideally but we'll see now I want to make sure that when I install this that I'm only gonna have to install it once and all the lights are going to work so a method I'm going to do is just a 9 volt battery so I know that one works
5:47
no that will need to be adjusted or okay gonna have to fiddle with this one probably just needs a little bit of adjustment we'll play with it now it wasn't loose it's just that all of them are daisy chain together on here guys except for this one this one's all on its own over here on that pin while the rest of them are on this pin so yeah they all light up and all work so i don't have to worry about getting it all connected and it not looking good and so begins the journey of top side assembly still waiting on some parts to come in but i need to progress I need to move on I am on a major time crunch here to get this done in time So we're going to start assembling. I've merely got these kind of just sitting on here for right now. I've got to go get the screws polished up and everything before I go putting things in. And that's the thing about this, guys. I mean, it's going to be pretty basic, straightforward stuff here. when it comes to just getting everything installed again. I mean I've got all new plastics, I've got all new posts, plastic posts that is, I'm going to have to polish all the metal posts that are going on here, but it's just gonna be cleaning, thoroughly polishing, and putting everything back on here again. That's pretty close to it I mean would these still work yeah but uh no we are installing new slingshot leaf switches obviously I like those to be a snappy not as much as my pop bumpers but I do like them to be reactive and reliable so yeah out with that and with this so let me show you guys a little trick here in regards to testing like your GI and stuff like that simply just 9-volt battery alligator clips to your GI bulb one of the GI bulbs and basically that shows you right there that that entire top GI strand is good and then you can set your battery down and then take it off of this one this lead and then you could try it on another GI lead somewhere else but it's a good way to test the GI strand so that way you don't have to worry about getting the play field back in there turning it on after you've got the top side all the way up or whatever and realize that your GI strand or certain bulb doesn't work just a real easy way to test food for thought so when you get a new play field like this you're going to notice that they've already got your holes placed for you when it comes to your particular post and everything and these little bitty holes like this it's like oh sweet that's very kind of you now the thing is if you go trying to screw in let me get one of these real quick so you have a post like this but I've got all nice and shiny and then you have a screw like that that's supposed to go into a hole like that notice how the screw is a little bit wider obviously than the hole itself the thing is you're gonna have to go through the art first and the clear before you even get to the wood for this screw to really actually get a hold of it the chances of it actually grabbing the clear and the artwork and lifting before it even gets to the wood is very likely to give you an example this right here I mean luckily the post is gonna cover this up but this gives you an example of what can happen if you don do what I about to do and that is by using a countersink bit and a drill and turning that hole right there that small one into something like this that hole right there that's bigger let me point to it just so we're clear right there I've already screwed in that post that made this hole right here I've already screwed it in and taken it out after using this countersink so basically all I got to do done that hole is now basically ready to take a screw and it will go into the wood and you won't have to worry about this.
10:53
Like I said, luckily the post is going to cover it up and this could be a lot worse. Believe me, it could be a lot worse. But that's just something to do, guys. Just an extra little precaution. So, take note.
11:09
Top side is well underway. basically got all the items like this all my posts that go all the way through the playfield all the way around i'm about ready to start busting out all the ziploc bags and getting each one all cleaned up and start getting this thing all built up yeah this stuff is definitely not going to fit into the tumbler that I've got right there so we're going to be using the buffer wheel right here obviously this is a little bit of time consuming and not really looking forward to it but we're gonna do one piece at a time all right all we're waiting on is the new rubbers from Titan pinball once I get the new rubbers and I can put those on and then put the new plastics down on top of everything but this is what Earth shaker looks like without plastics or rubbers everything all nice and shiny and clean polished up sexy looking oh Oh, man.
12:45
But, yep, I expect the new rubbers to be in tomorrow. I'm going with translucent, guys. I think that's going to do pretty good with light refraction, dispersion across the plate field and stuff like that. Worst case scenario, I don't like it, then I'll run over to Eric's and I'll get different ones. But that's what we're going with. got the new speaker decal and everything on here all the switches are nice and clicky and responsive subway and the buck system works oh man but there you go