Last Updated On 9/7/2005
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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 them 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 these 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.
Pictures-
Gumballs vs Pinball Comparison
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"
Instructions-
Pictures-
The Original Lady and the Tramp 2 Toy set
Another Lady and Tramp 2 picture
Tracy Piano- Horizontal lights
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. Click here for the major points.
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.
Pictures-
Old vs New Clock (TZ Clock Housing's clock)
New vs Old Clock (TZ Clock Housing's clock)
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 $199
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.
Pictures-
The clock after a new housing and PBLiz board
The clock after a new housing and PBLiz board- Closer
PB Liz photos:
A
good picure of lit PB Liz board with their standard SMT LED's
A
picture of the PB Liz board installed in a clock and lit up
Defunct website as of 9/7/06
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
Pictures-
A
PB Liz photo of the white LED's properly mounted
A picture from "Left Spin" showing the board work
A picture from "Left Spin" showing the board work - Huge Picture
A picture from "Left Spin" showing the clock after the mod
A picture from "Left Spin" showing the clock after the mod - Huge Picture
Notes on these pictures from "Left Spin":
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.
Summary- Install a toy robot over the left ramp. This goes with the theme of the game and also with the robot on the playfield (as well as the robot award for making the left ramp shot). The most common version of the toy has LED's that are synchronized with playfield bulbs.
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - Robot Kit from Tracy
Sources/Costs -
"Tracy"
or his ebay
account- This robot kit is comes with 1) the base Robby the Robot toy 2) a
mounting bracket with you need to mount the robot to your left ramp below the
existing bracket and 3) the necessary wiring and sockets to hook the toy up to
your game. Tracy asks $95 $130 $175 for this mod. Stop rolling your eyes and
read "Why is it worth $95 $130
$175?" in the comments section below.
"Robert Frysztak"- Robert has taken inspiration from Tracy's mod. He has made his own version of the mod but has also made his instructions publicly available for those who want to make their own. I have mirrored his instructions here. He also sells a few of them for $135 including shipping.
Instructions- (Note these instructions apply to Tracy's version) The hardest part to installing this mod is the wiring. Don't get me wrong, I still think this is an easy mod as some of them go... The first obstacle is getting the playfield plastic to the right of the gumball machine up so you can run the wiring through the hole beneath it. It is held with three nuts/screws. I had pull my playfield forward to get to the second screw (the backbox was blocking my screwdriver). The third is below the metal rails that load balls into the gumball machine. I got frustrated trying to get to this one, so I just lifted the plastic with the third screw still attached (as opposed to a major dismantle of pieces). If you have the right tools you may have a better time than I did. The best would be a long nut screwdriver that you can fit between the metal rails. The rest is pretty straightforward. Screw the metal bracket down and unplug three existing sockets from your playfield underside ("Gum", "Ball", and "Multiball"). Plug the bulbs from the sockets your removed into the new sockets.
Pictures-
Tracy Robots:
Robby installed and lit- face close up
Robert Frysztak's Robot:
Comments- Maybe I'm getting way too into these mods (or have too much disposable income), but I think this one is very cool! The "gum" LED lights a red LED on the left of the robot's helmet. The "ball" LED lights a yellow LED on the right of the robot's helmet. The multiball LED lights a white LED inside the robot's helmet. (I looked around for another 555 [do make my own change to Tracy's mod] that would light more often for the third LED but there aren't too many other choices. The center faceplate LED is the coolest and I unfortunately don't get this light lit very often - and when it does, I usually go right for the multiball shot.. Tracy went this route to make the toy more interactive.)
"Why is it worth $95 $130
$135 to $175?" - Those of you who are particularly astute
may have realized that the toy
robot is actually a wind-up toy (from Japan, I believe). There are several
versions of the toy, but this one is about 4.5 inches tall. You can usually
find
them on eBay by searching for "Robby Robot Wind". They have
recently started selling for a lot due to the rarity and collectibility of this
figure. They used to be cheaper, but I
think a lot of TZ pinheads and robot collectors have been buying them up. How then can Tracy
sleep at night charging $95 $130 $175? for this kit? Before you start flaming him,
you should know what goes into each one. Tracy details the robot with some paints to add a little color (it adds a nice touch to it).
He also makes his own polished stainless steel mounting brackets that angle the
robot so it faces the player (mounting on the existing bracket would cause it to
face downhill...). He also solders the wires to the 555 sockets for
you so there is no soldering in the install- just screws and three sockets to
plug in. Tracy has also told me that the white led alone is a "super
bright long life LED" which retails for $5. He has also told me that
"all electronics, LED's and wiring are actually incorporated into the
robot's body housing, so that any shorts are eliminated". The other thing you are
paying for is Tracy's high quality. He has years of experience in
electronics and he puts a lot of time and energy into his products. There
have been negative things said about Tracy on RGP and these usually stem from
his verbose eBay auctions. I have only good experiences in dealing with
Tracy. If you can afford the robot, I highly recommend it! (And if
you don't believe me, e-mail Tracy and he will send you a six page e-mail
telling you why his product is such high quality). My gut reaction when
purchasing this item is that it was slightly overpriced, but the longer I've had
it installed, the more it is one of my favorite mods. I'm now concluding
this summary before I start getting verbose like Tracy!
Summary- Install wiring, bulbs, and board which allows you to light up the bottom half of the GUM and BALL panels on the door (normally unlit) with flashers that light together with the flashers on the left and right ramp locations.
Install Difficulty - Easy (No tools required)
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - Circuit Board Kit - Includes:
1 Circuit Board with 2 Flasher bulbs installed
1 Wiring Harness
4 Plastic Standoffs
Color Instructions for Installation
Sources/Costs -
PinGizmos.com
$35 plus $5 Shipping Alas, PinGizmos is no more...
Pinball Pro- $29.95 plus $6 shipping
"Tracy" - $35 plus ? shipping (9/7/06 update- I'm checking if this is still true.)
Instructions- Included with Kit. My summary:
Lift Playfield
Mount standoffs to existing board.
Insert new board on standoffs.
Unplug appropriate plug (existing).
Connect new wiring to board and at the other end to both sides of the existing plug.
Done!
Pictures- See parts from my installation...
Comments- The flasher lights got cut from production for costs reasons. This will put the game back to its intended state. You could probably build this one yourself cheaper if you had the right parts, but the kit is a reasonable price and has a proven track record.
I installed this one (from Pingizmos). It is just as easy as PinGizmos say it is. The affect is subtle as the lights only come on with the associated flashers. It is kind of cool to bring some light to the lower part of the playfield when the upper flashers are flashing. I will post some videos shortly to show the affect.
Method 1
Summary- Install a third magnet that the 9.4h ROM will support.
Install Difficulty - Difficult- Only the truly brave should proceed
Removal Difficulty - Not Recommended (and you won't want to anyway - even TZ mod purists won't deny the coolness and value of this one)
Materials -
Sources/Costs - This one may run you over $100. The magnet itself is easy to come by. The hardest part to find is the magnet pole that protrudes through the playfield. I have not heard of a reliable source for this part. The most common source is from people parting out other TZ's, World Cup Soccer or Dirty Harry.
Instructions- http://www.shootmagain.nl/games/dmdgames/tz/3rdmag/index_e.htm
Pictures- A picture from thirdmagnet.tk showing where the third magnet is installed
Comments- Not for the weak of heart! This is the big boy. There is a lot of room for causing irreparable damage to your playfield. Why even bother? Because version 9.4 of the game ROM will support it and will do wicked cool things with it. The author plans to tackle this one eventually and provide feedback. Note that if you have an early version of this machine, you may already have most of the hardware already installed. If so, this will make the mod much easier.
So what's the deal with this mod? The accountants at Williams/Bally decided to cut the third magnet during production for cost purposes. Originally the game designers thought it would take two magnets to stop the ball (one to slow it and another to catch it). They later learned that one was more than enough. When Ted Estes wrote the 9.4h ROM (see the 9.4h ROM upgrade section), he added support for the 3rd magnet since a limited number of early games actually had shipped with all three. (THANKS TED!) This has led to a bunch of jealous two magnet owners wanting to add the third magnet.
Note- do not confuse the upper playfield "Power" magnets with the playfield spiral magnets. A game with all three magnets technically has five (three lower, two upper) and the standard release with two has four (two lower and two upper). See the picture above for the location of the mod third magnet.
Summary- Install Pin Gizmo's 3rd Magnet Mod kit!
Install Difficulty - Medium
Getting the Confidence to do this mod- Difficult
Having a TZ with the 3rd magnet- Priceless ;-)
Removal Difficulty - No chance...
Materials - The Pin Gizmos 3rd magnet kit
Sources/Costs - Pin Gizmos sells
the kit for $110 plus shipping. Note that the kit includes
"illustrated instructions, fully-assembled wiring harness, custom circuit board
with mounting hardware, and fully-wired opto/receiver pair". You still
need to supply the magnet and magnet pole. Again, the magnet itself is
easy to come by. The hardest part to find is the magnet pole that
protrudes through the playfield. I have not heard of a reliable source for
this part. The most common source is from people parting out other TZ's, World Cup Soccer or Dirty Harry.
OUCH! It hurt me to have to scratch this one from the list.
PinGizmos site is dead and I can't track down anyone selling a similar
kit. For the love of all that is good, let me know if you know of anyone
selling a similar kit!
Instructions-
Pictures-
Comments- As you read through ShootMAgan's site, you'll notice that there is a significant amount of wiring and circuitry involved. What Pin Gizmo's has done is removed all of this complexity. You still need to drill the playfield though...
OK. Mine is done (pictures to follow). End result - awesome! This is no quick install mod though. You will have to earn this one. My installation went very well. It was not very complicated, it was just very tedious to remove all the parts to do the mod. You may want to shop your playfield when you install this mod since you will already be tearing down most of the top right of the playfield.
The drilling went fine. Everyone I have heard doing this mod has been most worried about this part, but I have never heard of it going bad for anyone. Just follow the directions to the letter and you'll be fine. (Make sure you buy a new drill bit). In hindsight though, I wish I had tracked down the metric drill bit... In the instructions Steve talks about the 2 sizes of bits you can use. The metric is the same size as the factory holes, but is a lot more difficult to find. He says you can use the English bit and it is only 1/16 or 1/32 bigger... I went for this option. The gap between the post and the game is very small and has no effect on game play, but I'm a perfectionist and darn it, I know it's there...
Also, I bought my magnet from Steve Young a while ago and the adapter was a different size than the plug Steve (Pin Gizmos Steve) supplies. I couldn't wait to order another magnet, so I just cut the wires and used a few "quick disconnects" from Radio Shack to connect them.
Maybe it was just old drill bits, but it took me forever to drill through the ball guides. (You have to drill two holes so that the new optos "see" the ball and trigger the magnet when appropriate). I bought some new bits from radio shack for metal drilling finally and it was fine. The guy at Home Depot said to use a drop of oil on the tip of the drill bit too. (I really only needed a new bit for the starter hole. I just kept going up in size bit by bit [pun not intended] until I had the required 1/4 inch hole. My old bits worked fine once the started hole was made.)
Steve truly thought of everything with this mod. The board was very easy to install. The wiring was a no-brainer. Truly a great product!!!
Method 1
Summary- Clean your Powerball with red rouge compound and a cloth wheel on a grinder to make a gray powerball white (the original color) again.
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Not Applicable
Materials -
Red Rouge Buffing Compound
Grinder
Cloth Buffing Wheel
Sources/Costs- Any Hardware Store -
Sears Hardware had 4 colors of buffing compound for $5.99, a 6 inch grinder for $39.99 and a cloth buffing wheel for about $4.
Sears also carries a "Buffing Wheel & Component Set" item #9-28650 for $9.99 which might be a cheaper alternative
Instructions- Put the cloth wheel on your grinder. Turn the grinder on and prep it with the red rouge buffing compound (this color is the least abrasive - it is used for gold and other precious metals). My grinder has a tool support that you rest the item being grinded on, so I placed the ball on it for support. I got a spinning motion going by holding the ball with my thumbs and index fingers. Keep spinning the ball as you polish it. I don't think that you could polish an uneven surface on the ball, but I wouldn't want to be the person to prove you could... It took me about three minutes to remove almost all the gray discoloration from the ball.
Pictures-
Comments- I know, I know... This isn't really a mod, but in my opinion, this will impact the appearance of your machine. My powerball was gray before polishing and my friends had to be explained that this ball was different then the other and not some old junky pinball. Now that it is white, it is obvious that this is not a standard pinball. I did this mod and was frankly amazed at how easy it was and the color difference it made.
Note that other people have had success using chrome cleaners and other polishes for less money, but they all agree that it took a lot of elbow grease and time. This method worked perfect and only took about three minutes. It's kind of expensive to buy a grinder just for this, but if you can borrow one or use it for other things, it may be worth it. (Replacement Powerballs usually cost about $40 and they too will tarnish in time...)
Also note that the cleanliness of your machine will determine how dirty your Powerball will get (and how quickly). The two most common ways that the Powerball turns gray is from dirt on the playfield and in the lower ball tunnels (often overlooked) and from impacting metal objects on the playfield (make sure your slot machine target has been fixed).
John T (a fellow crazy Ohioan) had the follow to add here:
"Instead of buying a grinder ($40) and a 6" polishing wheel ($8) and Red Rouge paste, if you have a hand drill you can buy Sears "Buffing Wheel & Component Set" item #9-28650 for $9.99. It has a 1,2 & 4" buffing wheels and hardware to connect it to your hand drill. It also includes Red Rouge, White Rouge, and two other buffing pastes. It worked like a dream with my high speed drill and saved me over $40"
Method 2
Summary- Use a fine grit sandpaper to "polish" the powerball
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Not Applicable
Materials - 1,000 to 1,500 grit sandpaper
Sources/Costs- Any Hardware Store
Instructions- Wrap the paper around the ball and lightly use your thumb and index finger to "massage" the ball with the paper. (ie. rotate the ball while using the paper to "polish" it).
Pictures-
Comments- NOTE- I have not tested this method. One person recommended 1000 grit and another recommended 1500. If I was to try this, I would start with 1500 and then move down to 1200 or 1000 if the going was too slow.
Method 3
Summary- By a new "reproduction" poweball
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Not Applicable
Materials -
Sources/Costs- Marco has 'em for $44.
Instructions-
Pictures-
Comments- TZ Mod reader "Jason B" sent me a quick email and said that they "show dirt quicker and are more difficult to clean" than the original ones. Readers - thoughts?
Method 1
Summary- Install LED's inside of the gumball machine and run wiring to light them up
Install Difficulty - Medium
Removal Difficulty - Medium
Materials -
4 LED's. The author used 4, 5mm white LED's 3.6 volt 20mA 1100mcd from Radio Shack.
22 ohm 1/2 watt resistor, wiring, and shrink tubing
Sources/Costs-
Instructions- The author Tim has some instructions and some really good pictures on a photo site: http://members6.clubphoto.com/tim531160/1014243/guest.phtml
Pictures-
Comments- This one is inexpensive and lights up a fairly dark area of the machine. My gut reaction though is you can't beat the price and it doesn't seem much more difficult than the Door Flashers mod.
Method 2
Summary- Install a Pin Gizmos light kit inside the Pinball machine
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - Pinball Light kit
Sources/Costs-
Pin Gizmos sells a "Gumball Machine Lighting Kit" for $35 plus $5 shipping. This one uses white LED's
Instructions-
Pictures-
Gumball Machine Lights Off - 1
Gumball Machine Lights Off - 2
Comments- OK! You guys can thank me (or swear at me) for this mod. Here's the history as I know it. I saw Tim's website with this mod done. He built it himself and gave me instructions on how to do it. I put the info on my website. Pinball Pro saw the idea on my site and made it into a pre-packaged kit that's easy to install. Isn't the internet a beautiful thing? (I'm not sure how Pin Gizmos fits into the picture, but I would imagine they were inspired by Pinball Pro, my site, or Tim's site. Update- Steve at Pin Gizmos claims Tim was his inspiration. Now you can't blame me for all of them...)
OK, my Pin Gizmos kit has been installed. Let me frame this one up for you. I went into this mod with rather low expectations. I didn't really think that the lights would be too dramatic or cool, but since I am partially responsible for this mod, I figured I try it anyway. I installed the Pingizmos kit. It went in easy. My only reservations was the fact that you have to file off a portion of the gumball divider plate to accommodate the circuit board... Permanent changes to game... Arrgghh!!! They give you a sticker template to apply to the piece, then you have to file off the indicated area... The good news is you can't tell that the piece was filed if you do it right (even if you were to remove the mod). I filed the piece for about 30 seconds and got impatient due to the slow-going. I then jumped on my grinder and 1 minute later, the piece was filed perfect (be very careful when you do this).
The wiring harness uses the "Shoot Here to Load Gumball" sign for power. I turned the game on and "Whoa!" The led's are extremely cool! You may not have noticed, but the gumball light comes on briefly at many points in the game (in addition to staying on when the sign is lit). This mod lights up the gumball machine quite brilliantly. (See the on vs. off pictures above.) I was able to see the light from across the room when my friend was playing. This mod adds a great touch to the gumball motif and even makes the game a little easier for new players. I highly recommend this mod!
Method 3
Summary- Install a Pinball Pro light kit inside the Pinball machine
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - Pinball ProLight kit
Sources/Costs-
Pinball Pro sells a "Gumball Sparkle Kit" for $39.95 plus $4 shipping. This one uses #86 lamps
Instructions- PDF of instructions
Pictures-
Comments- Now for the Pinball Pro sparkle kit... I did not install one, but Don at Pinball Pro sent me some info on his mod:
"Four white lamps fit in the center chamber of the gumball machine and flash as the rear flash lamps flash. It puts a sparkle effect in the gumball machine and looks quite nice. It uses the same bulb that fits the clock so replacement is easy if they need it."
One of my faithful readers was kind enough to send me the scan of instructions above as well as his experience with this mod. Now, over to Chris H:
"The kit is fairly easy to install. The directions are complete and include full color pictures on a single sheet of paper.
There is one main cable that splits into four short, six inch cables. At the end of each of the small cables is a single light (four in all). You feed this through the back of the gumball machine entrance, and the lights just kind of hang in there. You can position them how you want...usually two on each side of the diverter. No modification of the diverter (or anything else) is required.
I had a little trouble with the ball hitting the wires as the ball fed into the gumball machine. I split the four wires into two pairs each and tied them off on each side of the rail. That seemed to work well.
The main cable is white, and it is exposed before you route it under the upper (battle the power) playfield. The directions say you can color the cable with a black marker if it bothers you, but I wonder why it isn't black to begin with since the shorter light wires at the end *are* black.
The lights tie into the flashers so when you load the gumball, etc, the lights "sparkle". It is a nice effect, but a little subtle. The gumball does not light when it is time to "shoot the gumball machine"...they sparkle after you make the gumball shot. They also sparkle during other flasher effects.
It's a quality product and performs exactly as advertised. And the guys at Pinball Pro even cut me out a gumball diverter since mine was missing...great customer service!"
Summary- Install two 44 bulb sockets behind the two signs on the mini-playfield which read "Defeat the Power By Shooting Ball Thru Top of Pyramid" and "To Use Magna-Flip Flip when ball is in red zone". Kinda brightens up the place...
Install Difficulty -
Removal Difficulty -
Materials - See instructions
Sources/Costs-
Instructions- To the best of my knowledge, this hasn't been documented anywhere else, so click here for my instructions.
Pictures- Pictures are included on instructions page
Comments- Thanks to Jon Christian for being the brains behind this one and bringing to me. I have not done this one yet, but it's cheap and it's cool. Just make sure you use 47 bulbs instead of 44's. 44's burn hotter and that last thing I want is for someone to melt there plastic signs!
Summary- Install a Toy Slot Machine of the slot machine target on the habitrail.
Install Difficulty -
Removal Difficulty -
Materials - Slot machine toy
Sources/Costs-
"Tracy" $75 plus $6 shipping unless you combine with another item from Tracy. He doesn't have a website, so you have to e-mail him.
"Dave K" $75 plus shipping. Dave sells on eBay with a Buy it now. (Some of you may remember the bidding frenzy that occurred when he put an auction up without a buy it now price.)
Instructions-
Pictures-
Dave's Slot Machine In the Dark
Comments- I have not seen this one firsthand, so here's a few quotes from Tracy. This enhancement is "made of a lightweight die cast metal". It also has "a working LED, that will need to be soldered across your slot light (or the light of your choosing) and the ball will spin the lighted drum, as it passes through it on the wire ramp." This design is supposed to mirror the design on the backglass very closely. Tracy deserves a lot of credit for this one. I know that he worked on the "original design and concept" for the TZ 3D-Slot Machine add-on enhancement for 3+ years in order to develop it. It was then offered to the pinball community starting around the first of this year to the best of my recollection.
Dave K has entered the arena. From what I hear, his model is different than Tracy's but functions similarly.
I have not installed either, but if anyone has experience they want to share, send me an e-mail.
Summary- Place something on top of the backbox.
Install Difficulty - Varies from Simple to Medium
Removal Difficulty - Varies from Simple to Medium
Materials - A topper...
Action Figures:
Summary- These figures are often out of stock at various sources. Just search for "twilight zone figures" in your favorite search engine...
Sources/Costs-
Eye of the Beholder Figures (the pig people)- Doctor and Nurse
EntertainmentEarth.com- $64.99 for both
The "Two Serve Man" alien-
EntertainmentEarth.com- $37.99
The Airplane gremlin- (The TV show version, not the John Lithgow movie version)
EntertainmentEarth.com- $37.99
The Invader Alien- (On the Backglass and in several video modes)
EntertainmentEarth.com- $37.99
Customized Invader Alien Action Figure:
Comments- Tim (the inventor of the gumball lights mod concept) made a nonmoving Robby topper with lights using the Invader Alien (he doesn't sell them, but he tells you how to make one here): http://members6.clubphoto.com/tim531160/1014243/guest.phtml The only thing he doesn't detail here is what LED's he used. Tim e-mailed me and said he used "a wide angle 5mm red LED for the Rocket and four 5mm blue LED's for the faceplate". He purchased all of them from Radio Shack. So per my amazing search skills, this would be the red LED and this would be the blue LED.
Gumball machine:
Sources/Costs-
Some people will get a standard gumball machine with real gumball and either mount it or sit it on the backbox of the game. Goes with the whole gumball machine theme...
"Tracy" - $35, ? shipping. Tracy describes this as follows:
"these come with enough Matching Plastic Gumballs to adequately fill the globe and are painted and detailed to match the gumball machine and colors featured on the playfield."
Pyramid:
Sources/Costs- $99.95 plus about $6 for shipping from Pinball Pro.
Comments- I give them credit for the creativity. This topper plugs into existing wiring so no drilling is required. I'll probably skip this one though, so if anyone makes the jump and wants to tell me what they think of this topper, drop me an e-mail at smitty@tzmodfaq.com
Overall Comments- Some people are topper obsessive while others are a little more conservative. I have heard of people that need one for every pin they own. This people usually go for the theme and will put toy cars, action figures... on top of their pins. Others will hold out for truly good toppers where the have been custom made for a game and involve lights, sounds, motion or some combination of all three.
I'm not a big fan of the action figures unless they are modified to work with the game electronically. I also am of the opinion that Twilight Zone merchandise should be related to the artwork or the game. That would disqualify all of the action figures except "The Invader" for me. Then again, that's just my two cents...
Also, other people have made either cool toppers, but only in small runs or have since stopped making them. One example is Mick Rogala who made a very cool Robby the Robot topper (not to be confused with the Robbie toy over the left ramp) which was made out of a 18 inch (?) Robby the Robot toy and had flashing lights and moved. (The word on the street is he is working on a Pyramid/Eye topper...).
Tim (the inventor of the gumball lights mod concept) made a nonmoving Robby topper with lights:
http://members6.clubphoto.com/tim53116 0/1014243/guest.phtml
I have also heard of people using airplanes (like on the backglass) and someone even made a very cool curio shop diorama (complete with lights) based roughly on the backglass. As of right now, there are not very many choices left.
Summary- Apply a decal to the blank area area under the glass along the back behind the gumball machine.
Install Difficulty -
Removal Difficulty -
Materials - Decal from Kevin Strasser
Sources/Costs- $19.95 plus $2.95 for shipping at Kevin's Website: www.pinbotz.com
Instructions-
Pictures-
Comments- This one adds a nice touch to an otherwise blank area of the playfield.
Summary- Install neon lights on ramps
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - ?
Materials - Neon Light Kit
Sources/Costs- pinballmagic.com- Jesse sells these for $79.99 plus $5 for shipping.
Instructions-
Pictures-
The official pinball magic picture:
(These were provided by people who bought the mod, not by Pinball magic)
Comments- I have not performed this mod. If anyone has done this mod and has feedback they would like me to post, drop me a line.
One person who used this mod indicated that the install was fairly easy. He also indicated that the lights are not tied to any game feature (as most lighting mods are). The neon stays on at all times.
Jesse wrote me and indicated that he has updated the way that the neon is attached so that the ball travels on the ramps better.
Summary- Install Rocket Toy over Rocketship launcher of playfield
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - Rocketship toy
Sources/Costs- Pinball Pro- $34.99 plus $4 for shipping for the basic one and $44.99 plus $4 for shipping if you want them to send you a pre-drilled rocket plastic too.
Instructions-
Pictures-
Comments- This one looks cool. According to Pinball Pro's site "The red tail flame flashes as the skill shot winds up to shoot the ball." I'm not a big fan of drilling into my plastic, but this one looks like a keeper (and they offer replacement plastics in case you want to keep your original untouched.)
The first thing I did when I got this one was to compare it to the artwork on the game. The belt-like circle seems a little out of place, since no of the game artwork shows it. But overall, I really like the look of this mod. The install went pretty smooth. I cried a little as I drilled a hole in my plastic... Overall, I was little let down by the tail light. I had imagined it just a bit brighter than it was. Overall, though, it's a pretty cool mod. I especially like how the tail flashes fast as the kicker "prepares" to launch the ball.
21. Custom Mini Playfield Lamp
Summary- Install Custom mini Playfield Lamp on mini-playfield
Install Difficulty -
Removal Difficulty -
Materials - Custom Mini-playfield lamp
Sources/Costs- "Dave K" $49 plus shipping. Dave sells on eBay with a Buy it now. (Some of you may remember the bidding frenzy that occurred when he put an auction up without a buy it now price.)
Instructions-
Pictures-
Dave's Custom Lamp in the Dark
Comments- I like the simplicity of this one. It's subtle yet cool.
Summary- Install Custom Camera Toy Mod
Install Difficulty -
Removal Difficulty -
Materials - Custom Mini-playfield lamp
Sources/Costs- Pinball Pro sells this one for $39.95 plus $4 shipping
Instructions- I haven't tried this one yet (and they didn't send me a freebie either - where's the love?). Per their website, the it's two blue LED's are tied into the "The Camera" light on the playfield. I would be interested in feedback on this one from users.
Pictures-
Comments-
Summary- More of a how to fix it guide, but this one is the TZ bible.
Install Difficulty - Varies
Removal Difficulty - Varies
Materials - Varies
Sources/Costs- FREE (at least the info is free...)!
Instructions- http://marvin3m.com/wpc/index.htm
Pictures-
Comments- Clay has written a lot of great stuff on pinball repair and maintenance and gives it away free. Print out all of this and cherish it!
Summary- Change the sockets to allow 455 bulbs behind the backglass. 545's are rare and expensive. 455's are more abundant and cheaper
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - You won't want to...
Materials - 455 bulbs and #47 sockets
Sources/Costs- E-mail Steve Young at Pinball Resource
Instructions- 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/
Pictures-
Comments- I did this one. It's pretty straightforward, but let's just say that when I did it there was a lot of swearing involved. It turns out the wood that the wood the door is made of is harder than most. My staple gun would fail to do a good staple 4 out of 5 times. One side of the staple would go in the wood and the other would be hanging out all bent up (keeping the socket from staying in place). I blame this on cheap/flimsy staples and the fact that it was hard to hold the door from swinging, hold the staple gun and press the staple gun firmly against the door (all at once!). I eventually got the mod done, but I would highly recommend using heavy staples that won't crumple against heavy wood.
Summary- Upgrade the ROM chip to the latest home version.
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - 9.4h Game Rom
Sources/Costs-
eBay - I've seen costs from $10 to $30.
Action Pinball - $10 plus a $10 chip deposit (refunded when you return your old chip back to them). Shipping for two chips was $5.35.
Pingizmos- $15 plus $5 shipping
Instructions- Shipped with the chip. It's this easy:
Pictures-
Comments- There is a whole history to this particular ROM at gameroommagazine.com. The ROM chip is the rules and programming code of the game. It contains all the instructions that coordinate most of the electronics in the game. If you know anything about computer programming, you know that any decent size program always has some bugs. This version fixes almost all known bugs. The programmer (Ted Estes) also added a lot of features to this chip. Some of the best ones are:
Note that this chip is for home use only. This upgrade is cheap and easy and well worth it! I completed mine and immediately noticed a few changes.
Here is a link to a site where a faithful TZ devotee has typed out the manual with all the correct settings for revision 9.4h: http://www.frii.com/~foxtrot/games/tzman.html Quite a few changes have been made to the settings so your User Manual is probably out of date unless you use this one.
Summary- Upgrade the Sound ROM chip to the latest version.
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - L-2 Game Rom
Sources/Costs-
Action Pinball - $10 plus a $10 chip deposit (refunded when you return your old chip back to them). Shipping for two chips was $5.35.
Instructions- Shipped with the chip. It's this easy:
Pictures-
Sound ROM before upgrade - Close up
Comments- I installed this chip along with my 9.4h game ROM. I did not notice any drastic changes. I believe this chip has no additional sounds/music. It was supposed to correct a few volume levels. You could probably skip this mod and be just as well off.
Summary- Upgrade the factory speakers to some booming subwoofers.
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials -
- One 8 inch 150 Watt Subwoofer
- One 4 inch speaker
- One 5 inch speaker
Sources/Costs- pinballpro.com - $103.95 plus $16 shipping for all 3 (these are monster speakers and are heavy!) Or $64.95 for the 8 inch and $39.95 for the 4 and 5 inch. Yup, save a whole $0.95 when you buy them together...
Instructions- Shipped with the speakers. When I install mine, I will detail the process.
Pictures-
Comments- I have not yet installed my TZ speakers yet, but I have gotten Pinball Pro's speaker for my other pin and the sound difference is unbelievable. Note that TZ's come with a 6 inch cabinet speaker. When you replace that with a high quality 8 inch, the results are immediate. I'm not just talking about volume either. When you install these, power your machine and (carefully!!) connect the wires first to your old speaker, then your new speaker. You'll hear the difference.
Summary- The target left of the slot machine opening will bend back and can cause damage to your machine by allowing the ball to hit the metal around the opening. Left untreated, you can damage the entire metal scoop for the slot machine.
Method 1
Summary- Replace the Target with a better one.
Install Difficulty - Easy/Medium
Removal Difficulty - Medium (This is one that even purists wouldn't reverse).
Materials -
- One Replacement Target Part Number A18530-6E (the "E" is for enhanced)
Note- this target is not a flat piece of metal. It is actually in a slight "L" shape which provides much more support for the impact the target receives.
Sources/Costs- Steve Young's Pinball Resource - $8.22 plus shipping
Instructions- Lift playfield and unscrew old target. (You may need to loosen another board which partial blocks one screw. Desolder wires from old target (or just cut and restrip the wires). Solder the two wires to the new target. Screw target on.
Pictures-
Shot of the target's range of motion and the damage done by the ball hitting the metal
Old Target Vs New - Top View- Notice how the new target curls on the right to add extra support.
Old Target Vs New - Front View
Old Target Vs New - Right View- Notice how the "Enhanced" target is much thicker on this side.
Comments- I highly recommend this one. My target was bent way back to the point that I would avoid shooting for the slot machine due to the metal clank that I would hear if I didn't hit the hole dead-on. I installed this target in no time. I am not good with solder, so my efforts to desolder failed. I just snipped the wire and resoldered the new target. This new target was well worth the $8. It sticks out at the proper angle and will drastically reduce the number of impacts on the slot's housing.
Method 2
Summary- Reinforce the target
Instructions- http://www.marvin3m.com/tzmod/
Comments- Clay goes into another method and also describes what to do if you have had this problem and ignored it, allowing the ball to actually break the weld on the metal scoop.
Method 3
Summary- Reinforce the target using Ken S kit
Install Difficulty - Easy
Removal Difficulty - Easy
Materials - One wire kit from Ken S
