(And I just cleared 9,000 viagra emails, so I promise I'll stay more on top of my email now!)
The author and operators of this website are in no way responsible for deaths you cause to yourself or your pins as a result of performing any mods indicated on this site. Some of them can go wrong and do bad things to your pin (i.e., third magnet add-on). I will indicate all mods that I have personally tested and performed and I will make every effort to present the most accurate information possible, but "modders beware"! Seriously, if you are not familiar with electronics and the inner workings of a pin, start reading Clay's pinball repair guides first, followed by some of the This Old Pinball videos!
Also, make sure that you always empty all the balls from your game (5 steel and 1 ceramic) before lifting the playfield. You will be plenty angry if you are installing a quick and cheap mod only to destroy your clock or gumball machine with a falling pinball...
This is a FAQ that is being written to help consolidate all the information I have pieced together from various sources concerning mods and enhancements that can be done to Bally's Twilight Zone Pinball machine. Furthermore, I plan to provide sources for materials to complete the mods in as many places as possible. I welcome suggestions for other mods, results from implementing mods, and and other advice! Seriously, e-mail me with questions, comments, ideas, verbal abuse...
Note that I am not in any way affiliated with any of the suppliers that I mention here. I reference them in an unbiased manner (well, I bias a little based on price and quality) so that other pinball hobbyists can easily perform these upgrades. Not that I don't like kickbacks and freebies... (This was originally meant as a joke, but since operating this site, I have received one mod at a 50% discount as this site's operator. I will not disclose who gave this discount, but suffice it to say, the discount did not alter my review of their product.)
Note that this document is in an infant
toddler pre-teen state currently. I am working
hard to implement my mods and document them along the
way. (9/7/06 -
this is a lie for now. Check my FAQ
Updates
update for 9/7/06 for my excuses for being a slacker with this site.)
Let me know if you know of any mods, enhancements or sellers that should be listed here!!
A mod is a modification, add-on or enhancement to your pinball game. I will refer to them as mods from here on out for simplicity (and to save on the extra typing!). Many people define this differently, but the most common answer is that a mod it is a change made to a machine after production by a user that alters either the game play of the machine or the appearance of the machine from the state it was upon completion of manufacturing. By this definition, replacing defective parts, blown bulbs and old rubber is not a mod, rather it is maintenance. Some adjustments I will describe are not technically mods but may be documented here as they have the potential to greatly affect game play (i.e., bridge diverter).
Some mods take the form of slight tweaks to the way a game plays to make a game easier or more fun. An example would be an adjustment made to a playfield opening to make it an easier target. (i.e., Preventing Lock Bounce Outs)
Other mods are done as maintenance before or after a problem occurs. An example is the Slot Machine Switch Modification below.
Mods can also be as dramatic as revising the game code by either installing updated ROM chips or adding playfield features that the games designers never intended or had to cut out of production for financial reasons (i.e., Gum and Ball Door Flashers)
Also, mods may strictly be done to save you money, as in the 455 bulb replacement mod.
The final and most noticeable mods are modifications to the appearance of your machine. I will detail the most common appearance mods in this FAQ. An example would be adding plastic gumballs to your gumball machine.
If your machine is not running the latest ROM, you may find that the latest mod will fix bugs in the older software, add additional features, and potentially increase the market value of your machine.
Some mods put back features that the game was originally intended to be built with but were cut from the final production of the machine (usually for cost purposes).
Other mods may prevent damage from occurring to your machine over time (or correcting damage that has already occurred). That's a good thing...
Mods that change the appearance are a hot-topic. Some people love them (the author included) while others vehemently hate them. Search for "TZ mods" in rec.games.pinball on groups.google.com if you need proof.... These may also affect the market value of your machine. The problem is market value is determined by your market. Person A may think that your robot topper that does the Macarena (not yet a known mod) is well worth an additional $200, while Person B may curse the day your mother birthed you for drilling holes in the backbox of the game. My opinion is to keep permanent/destructive mods to a minimum. That way a buyer can reverse out any undesired mods.
The most important thing about mods are you should only do tem if they will make your game more fun. Some people feel that they are a waste of time and money while others feel that they add to the overall Twilight Zone experience.
Appearance Mods:
Other Mods:
Summary- Install colored plastics balls in gumball machine to simulate real gumballs.
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - 60 Colored Plastic Gumballs
Sources/Costs - Note - these all seem to come with 60 colored balls. To the best of my knowledge all these sellers sell the same items. Let me know if your experience says otherwise.
"Tracy" - $9, free shipping. Tracy has told me that he is the "Original Ebay Seller of the TZ Plastic Gumballs". He also offers a pack of gumballs and his piano kit for $43 plus $5 shipping. Tracy doesn't have a website, so you have to e-mail him. (9/7/06 update- I'm following up with Tracy to see if he still sells these.)
eBay - Price Varies - usually $8 - $10, free shipping. Tracy sells here too. (9/7/06 update- I'm checking if this is still true.)
Pinball Pro - $9.95, $4 shipping
pinballmagic.com- Jesse sells thee for $9 and ? shipping (9/7/06 update- I'm checking if this is still true.)
Instructions- Unscrew the gumball lid and gently squeeze the balls between the center plastic divider and the outer globe.
Comments- I did this one. Mine came with two possible modes of installation. There was the unscrew and muscle the balls into the globe method. The other way (which I didn't do) involved unscrewing the globe enough to allow the globe to open wider.
This one makes the gumball machine look more realistic and is a nice touch. Don't use real gumballs. Just don't do it. People have done it and claim to have had no problems, but is saving $10 worth possibly ruining a $2,000 pinball machine (or turning it into an anthill)? I received feedback from a reader for this comment and was told that he has used real ones and had no problems after two years. He does warn that you would want to remove them if they would be exposed to extreme heat (such as during shipment in the back of a sweltering tracker trailer). I will leave you, faithful reader, to decide on this issue.
Summary- Install a cut piano "toy" under the clock over the piano slot.
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - Piano toy
Sources/Costs -
eBay - Tracy (eBay seller "TracyToys") lists his on here usually for $40 with a Buy-It-Now of $47. Shipping $5. You can also e-mail him directly. If you do the Buy-It-Now for $47, he included a set of gumballs. He also honors this deal is you contact him via e-mail too. (9/7/06 update- I'm checking if this is still true.)
Pinball Pro - $29.95 + $6 shipping. They now have a page set up for their piano. Don from Pinball Pro sent me an e-mail saying that their piano now "has been improved with a rubber music roll to deflect airballs and has a neater appearance"
Comments- This mod originally started out as a Happy Meal toy. In Europe, McDonalds had a Disney "Lady and the Tramp 2" Happy Meal toy promotion. One of the toys was a plush "Francois" with a plastic piano. (See picture links above). Anyhow, someone got the great idea to hack off a corner and put it under their TZ clock. Someone else got the idea to sell them on eBay. Then the controversy starts. --NOTE - I will not take sides in this argument, I will only present facts.-- Some people claimed that they bought what amounted to be nothing more than a cut Happy Meal toy for over-inflated prices. Others bought toys which cracked/exploded under ball impact. This phenomena has led to anti-modders derisively referring to mod toys as "Happy Meal Mods". Since then, two sources (see above) sell a much higher quality custom made product. There is some debate as to whose is better... I purchased mine from Tracy and have no complaints. Tracy does go to some lengths to describe why his is better/different than other peoples' pianos in his auctions.
Another bit of information. There are differences in the two sellers' toys. Tracy's toy shows sheet music and I think Pinball Pro's shows the old fashioned self-playing reel (I'm not 100% sure, though). The light configuration between the two does differ. Pinall Pro's is an up and down style which differs from the factory configuration, while Tracy sells the up and down style as well as the horizontal style. I bought the horizontal style to keep the lights in the same position. Tracy has sent me a good bit of info about why his is top notch.
I will now leave this choice to you, faithful reader.
Method 1
Summary-
Replace clock housing to reduce
internal heat and/or replace due to damage to housing
Install
Difficulty - Medium
Removal
Difficulty - Medium
Materials
- New clock housing
Sources/Costs
-
tzclockhousings.com
$99.95
plus $5.95 shipping
Action
Pinball $50 plus ? shipping
Marco Specialties - Marco sells the clock in parts (including lens and housing). This is a good way to go if you don't want to replace the whole thing but one part is damaged.
Rear clock housing for $31.00, Marco sells the back of the clock housing where the gears are housed.
Main Housing for $20.00
Front Lens for $2.50
Instructions-
WARNING! Do not strip out the screw
holes in the plastic housing. Always screw and unscrew by hand so
you can
feel how much stress you are putting on the housing. Lots of
people have
stripped them out and from what I've heard, it's a pain in the rear to
fix.
The
housing I bought (from TZ Clock
Housings) did not come
with instructions and the clock does have a lot of pieces, so I
recommend using
PBLiz's instruction guide (www.pbliz.com/id100.htm)
for how to install their clock boards. It will give great pictures
and all
the info you need for how to assemble and disassemble your clock board.
Defunct
website as of 9/7/06 - drop me a line if you have a good graphic of
this.
Comments- This method is more
expensive. The replacement
housings are noticeable clearer than the original clock housings. I
installed 3 Mods all
at the same time. I did a new clock housing, a new LED clock
board, and I
added the plastic piano under the clock. It took me about 2 hours
total.
Between the clock LED lights and the new clear clock housing, my
clock
looks awesome! Also, overtime (and repeated ball bashings, I'm
sure), my
clock was hanging down at an angle. I discovered this because the
piano
would not line up under the clock at all. I took the clock support
bracket
and bent it in a vise back to a good 90 degree angle.
Also TZClockHousings.com carried two varieties of
housings. One has
ventilation slots cut into it (two top, one bottom). The other is
their
standard model which is the same minus the slots. Obviously, you
don't
need the slotted variety if you plan to use LED's for
lighting.
Chris Enright from TZClockHousings.com contacted
me after stumbling across this FAQ and indicated that
the slotted variety was a limited run due to extra time and labor in
machining
the slots. (I actually bought his last slotted housing). If
he gets
back into selling these, you may or may not be able to get the slotted
variety
(you may have to beg, plead, bribe, or pay extra...).
Marco Specialties sells the rear portion of the
housing which encloses the
gears. I did not replace this piece even though it is
discolored. I
didn't feel that it is noticeable and worth replacing on mine.
Method 2
Summary-
Drill holes clock housing to
reduce internal heat.
Install
Difficulty - Medium
Removal
Difficulty - No can do...
Materials
- Drill
Sources/Costs
- What,
you don't have a drill??
Instructions- Drill holes in top and bottom
of case to allow proper
ventilation of heat from clock bulbs.
Pictures-
Comments- A low cost way to reduce heat
in your clock and reduce
strain on your board and optics...
Method 1
Summary- Install new clock board that uses white LEDs instead of light bulbs. Helps prevent damage to clock housing by operating at a lower temperature.
Install Difficulty - Medium
Removal Difficulty - Medium
Materials - Clock board with 4 attached LEDs
Sources/Costs - pbliz.com
$120
plus $8 shipping or for
$99
send them your entire clock and they will clean and lube your clock,
install the
$120 board, test it on a TZ and return it to you. Has any
one
filled the void in the market for this one Drop me an email if you
know of
someone...
Instructions- WARNING! Do
not strip out the screw
holes in the plastic housing. Always screw and unscrew by hand so
you can
feel how much stress you are putting on the housing. Lots of
people have
stripped them out and from what I've heard, it's a pain in the rear to
fix. Go to www.pbliz.com/id100.htm
for great instructions for how to carefully assemble and disassemble
your
clock.
Comments- Some people drill air holes in their casing to ventilate the clock unit. This one will permanently lower the temperature in the housing. Also, some people claim that the LED's look brighter/cooler than the standard bulbs. Clay's This Old Pinball tape "Lost in the Zone" shows the opposite. The LED's aren't as bright, but the color does change.
OK- I finally did this one (along with the clock housing and piano at the same time). Two words - AWE-SOME! The color did change from a yellow to a white/blue look. It also stands out much more than before. (Granted, my housing was dull and yellowed with the old board, but I believe that it is noticeable brighter now.) Prior to the Mod, I seldom glanced at the clock. After the Mod, whenever I go into a timed mode, the lights flash in the clock and it catches my eye almost every time. Expensive? Yes. Does it make a difference? YES! (Again, I repeat... I have not been bribed by PBLiz or anyone else who makes Mods. I paid my dough just like everyone else...)
Method 2
Summary- Install LEDs on an old (original) clock board. Helps prevent damage to clock housing by operating at a lower temperature.
Install Difficulty - Medium
Removal Difficulty - Medium
Materials -
4 LEDs Digi-Key part #CMD67-21UWCCT (SMT ultra white LED) $3 a piece
Diode
130 ohm resistor 1/8th watt
10 uF tantalum capacitor (polarized)
Sources/Costs - $15 or so
Instructions- PBLiz and Clay have a mod
where you install 4 LEDs
and 4 resistors and you get a cooler (temperature and aesthetics) clock
board. This is the method depicted in the This Old Pinball tape
"Lost
in the Zone". (http://www.marvin3m.com/top/
for the $6 tape) It is also described on PB
Liz's
web site. Defunct website as of 9/7/06
Note the bit of wire from one side of a diode for the return to the socket from the top of the LED. You can inspect the replacement of LMP2 for a good look at what I did ... I believe this looks better than with the traditional style led. Much better light dispersion.
Comments- This one is a cheaper alternative to PBLiz's boards, but not necessarily better. I have had several people say that this one is definitely better than the factory (unmodded) version, though. Also, Shaggy and Norm show how to do this mod in their "This Old Pinball" tape "Lost in the Zone". I highly recommend this tape! They provide lots of great info plus they have great footage of some of the classic episodes of Twilight Zone the game is based on (plus the Golden Earring song)! http://www.marvin3m.com/top/
A person who has seen both method 1 and 2 has indicated that the addition of LED's to the original board yields very different results than buying the PB Liz board. The primary difference is that the PB Liz boards use "white SMT LEDs that have a wider dispersion, and shine directly on the face of the clock." When watching the tape, you can see that adding LED's to the original board does not look as bright. I will see if I can post some comparison pictures here soon. Also as noted on PB Liz's web site, this will not fix any existing problems like burnt traces...
Method 3
Summary- Install diodes on an old (original) clock board with the original bulbs. Helps prevent damage to clock housing by operating at a lower temperature.
Install Difficulty - Medium
Removal Difficulty - Medium
Materials - 4 diodes
Sources/Costs - $5 or so
Instructions- If you object to the change of look and feel but want a cooler (temperature) clock, Clay also describes a mod of adding 4 diodes and retaining the original bulbs to lower the temperature. Click http://marvin3m.com/wpc/index3.htm#odd and scroll down to the question "Problem: On my Twilight Zone, I get the error, "clock is broken". How do I fix this?"
Pictures-
Comments- This one is another cheaper alternative to PBLiz's boards. I believe this one will lower your brightness as well as your clock temperature, but it may be better for people who don't like the idea of using LED's.