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Removing the Sonic Pinball Upper Playfield

Cary Hardy·video·10m 54s·analyzed·Jul 24, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.009

TL;DR

Tutorial: Removing and reinstalling the upper playfield on JJP Sonic the Hedgehog.

Summary

Cary Hardy provides a detailed tutorial on removing and reinstalling the upper playfield assembly on a Jersey Jack Pinball Sonic the Hedgehog machine. The video covers the mechanical and electrical disconnections required, maintenance considerations, and step-by-step reinstallation procedures, emphasizing proper alignment and fastener torque to avoid damage.

Key Claims

  • JJP machines do not require lifting the playfield as high as other machines due to their design, reducing the risk of balls falling out.

    high confidence · Cary Hardy, opening remarks about JJP machine design advantages

  • An 8mm wrench (or 5/16 inch) is required to loosen the hex posts holding the upper playfield; Phillips head screwdriver alone will only loosen the screw without removing the post.

    high confidence · Cary Hardy, detailed technical instruction on post removal

  • Five fasteners total hold the upper playfield to the lower deck: four hex posts and one Phillips head screw.

    high confidence · Cary Hardy, enumeration of attachment points

  • Upper playfield removal is necessary maintenance on pinball machines to access internal components, replace rubbers, clean, and perform repairs.

    high confidence · Cary Hardy, explanation of maintenance rationale

  • Dr. Robotnik toy on Sonic is held in place by three nuts that must be loosened before upper playfield removal.

    high confidence · Cary Hardy, detailed removal procedure for toy mechanism

Notable Quotes

  • “One of the perks with JJP machines is that you shouldn't have to worry about the balls falling out of your game, but also you're not going to have to lift the playfield up that high anyways.”

    Cary Hardy @ ~0:30 — Highlights JJP design advantage over other manufacturers

  • “In pinball, things break. And not just break. But if you want things to remain clean, you're gonna need to know how to do this.”

    Cary Hardy @ ~3:45 — Emphasizes the practical necessity of maintenance knowledge for pinball owners

  • “You want to make sure it's nice and snug back here, guys. No gap in between your metal sheet that was holding the mech and the metal sheet that it's basically attaching to.”

    Cary Hardy @ ~6:30 — Critical assembly instruction for proper alignment and mechanical integrity

  • “When I say home, it will find the position that it needs to be at resting.”

    Cary Hardy @ ~6:50 — Explains stepper motor behavior and self-alignment on boot

  • “Don't fully install and tighten down your hex bolts yet.”

    Cary Hardy @ ~5:45 — Important procedural warning about proper assembly sequencing

Entities

Cary HardypersonSonic the Hedgehog (Jersey Jack Pinball)gameJersey Jack PinballcompanyDr. RobotnikproductPinballs.comcompany

Signals

  • ?

    operational_signal: Detailed procedural guidance for upper playfield removal and reinstallation on JJP Sonic, including proper tool selection and fastener sequencing.

    high · Step-by-step tutorial covering eight distinct procedural steps with specific tool requirements and alignment procedures

  • ?

    design_innovation: Jersey Jack Pinball's upper playfield design is engineered to minimize playfield lift height and reduce risk of ball loss during maintenance, indicating sophisticated mechanical engineering.

    high · Cary Hardy: 'One of the perks with JJP machines is that you shouldn't have to worry about the balls falling out of your game, but also you're not going to have to lift the playfield up that high anyways.'

  • ?

    content_signal: Educational video content targeting pinball machine owners seeking hands-on maintenance knowledge; indicates demand for DIY troubleshooting and maintenance guidance in the collector community.

    high · Full-length tutorial video with detailed close-up demonstrations, tool specifications, and procedural warnings

  • ?

    product_concern: Sonic the Hedgehog upper playfield exhibits spots or residue from protective film applied at manufacture; Cary Hardy plans to clean and reinstall.

    medium · Cary Hardy: 'But honestly, I think that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to clean this and then I'm going to put it back on the game for you.'

Transcript

supadata_caption · $0.001

0:00
What's up, guys? And welcome back to the channel. And in today's video, I'm going to be showing you how to remove this upper playfield region on your very own Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, I'm pretty sure this goes without saying, but of course, the first thing you need to do is let's turn off the power to the machine, take your lock down bar off, and remove the playfield glass. One of the perks with JJP machines is that you shouldn't have to worry about the balls falling out of your game, but also you're not going to have to lift the playfield up that high anyways. Just merely get it to this point right here. And then everything else is going to be accessible. Now, if you look across the upper playfield, you're going to see posts like this. You got a Phillips head screwdriver along with a hex post. The thing is, if you try using the Phillips head screwdriver on this, you're only going to be loosening the screw and you need to loosen the entire post. So, you're going to need, I believe, an 8 mm. An 8 mm or a 5/16 is what you're going to need to loosen this post up. 5/16 is very snug. I recommend an 8 mm. And then once you get it loosened, you should be able to just finger twist this out. There you go. So you've got a total of four of these to remove. You've got one here behind Dr. Robotnik here or Eggman. Your next one is right here. And the last post that you need to remove is way back here in the back. And this one's going to be just a little bit more challenging because of the metal stuff in the back handle that's around it. But you should still be able to get your 8 mm in there, whether it be at an angle or wherever, and give it a little twist. Now, once you get it loosened up, then you should be able to get your Phillips head screwdriver down in here and get the rest of it out. All four of those posts are now removed from the upper playfield. Let's move on. The next item to remove is this little screw right here, a Phillips head. This is right here, but right here in front of the Dr. Eggman's area or where the left ramp comes up around, you've got this little screw that's mounted. So, let's take that out. Yay. So, those five little items are what holds this playfield to the lower deck. Now that we've got that obstacle out of the way, the next thing we need to tackle is all of the communications and power that are going to the upper playfield. And they're all located right here on this panel board right here. So, you've got a USB, this little thing right here. You can just get that. You've got a USB. Then you've got your power. It's got a little thing right here you can squeeze. I recommend two hands. We're doing it with one. Then you've got all your switches. And then you've got your other but you've got four connections right there that need to be removed that are keyed. So there's no wrong way to put those back whenever you're reinstalling it. So now that's all the out of the way. The only obstacle we have left is Dr. Robotnik himself. And you have all this back here and you have this that weighs over the playfield. But it's honestly pretty easy. What you can do is take him, move him out there about midway through like that. And then we've got to tackle a screw or I'm sorry, a a nut right here, a nut right here, and a nut right here. This is an 1132 nut driver and they are pretty much able to be taken out with ease. I'm merely going to loosen them up
4:14
and then do the rest by hand. All right, so that's all three of those nuts. Now, now that those have been removed, you can literally
4:29
just do that right there. That's all you need to do. It goes up and goes down. And there you go. And that should give you the ability to lift up the playfield.
4:50
And it comes off just like that. Now, if you're asking why do you need to know how to remove your upper playfield off your Sonic, then evidently you've never owned a pinball machine before. Because in pinball, things break. and not just break. But if you want things to remain clean, you're gonna need to know how to do this because this is going to give you the ability to replace the rubbers, clean up and around here. Any kind of maintenance that needs to be performed in this general vicinity or up in here to make things look all nice and clean and access certain things, you're going to have to remove that upper playfield. But not just any maintenance on that playfield, but if you have to perform maintenance on your upper playfield region, if you need to make any kind of repairs or anything on the other side of this or clean this, which is something I need to do if you see spots or anything on this, this is due to the protective film that was on this whenever I first peeled it off. But honestly, I think that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to clean this and then I'm going to put it back on the game for you. So when it comes to the reinstallation, it's just the reverse of what you did. Bringing it in.
6:12
You got to maneuver around everything that's up here, your flippers. And you just want to make sure you're lining up with the holes where your hex bolts are going to be going. Now, something to keep mind of is that these hex bolts are probably gonna they have a little bit of wiggle room. So, don't fully install and tighten down your hex bolts yet. So, reverse. So, we're going to bring this up. Dr. Robotnic back in position.
6:50
Tighten that up to where he's not going to go anywhere. You want to make sure it's nice and snug back here, guys. No gap in between your metal sheet that was holding the mech and the metal sheet that it's basically attaching to. So, that's nice and snug. We can remove move Robotnik back to home position. You're only going to be able to do it so much because of the stepper motor, but at least he's back in the general vicinity. When the game first boots up, it will home him. When I say home, it will find the position that it needs to be at resting. So, now we're going to reattach our four connections right here.
7:36
merely connecting that two pin connector, this 10pin connector, our power two pin, and the USB. Put this back here to cover that portion up. So, we're done back here. Now, all we have is the four uh hex bolts and the screw for the top of this ramp. So, I'm going to do these top these hex bolts first or these hex post. Now, remember I said you want to make sure you get them lined up. You should be able to see straight through. I'm merely getting them started, but I'm not buckling them down yet.
8:25
See, I'm going to have to wiggle this one down here to make sure it lines up. All right. Well, see, this one's going to be one that I might have to finagle.
8:47
There we go. And then the last one goes in back here. So, all of the posts are in. Now, the only thing I want to put in next before I start tightening things down is this tiny screw that goes to the top of this ramp. That'll be what goes in and tightens first. That's snug. So, then now when it comes to tightening these bolts, you can use your Phillips screwdriver. Goes a little faster. Give it one little nice little oomph. You shouldn't have to buckle it down, but once it comes to a stop, give it one little and that's all you need. Don't do that.
9:46
All right, playfield is reinstalled, guys. And then all remains is getting the playfield back into play position. And that is how you do it. So, there you have it. Hopefully you found this video helpful or educational. And if you would like to get your very own Sonic or other pinball machine from the same distributor that I did, then visit ww.pinballs.com. Link will be in the video description down below. Thanks for watching, guys, and I'll see you soon with more pinball content.
10:22
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