This is a blog documenting the restoration of my 1987 Williams Space Station pinball machine. Thanks for visiting. Dave Santoro
Category: Electronics
Aug 25
Troubleshooting the Pop Bumpers
I refurbished the pop bumpers – I replaced all the plastic and electric parts inside and polished the plasic. I am new at this after all, and so I did manage to screw them up pretty well by shorting out a coil by mistake along the way. It took weeks of troubleshooting to figure out. I pored over the …
Nov 18
Relocating the Backup Batteries
The battery caddy on the system board was decrepit. Many restorers move the backup batteries of of the board to protect it from battery acid. This is wise and I did the same. It required removing the old holder and installing a jumper wire, then putting a Radio Shack battery holder on the back box.
Nov 18
Lighting!
One thing I did that a purist might not agree with, I replaced almost every incandescent bulb with a new LED. In my view the benefits far outweigh the ever-so-slightly-reduced authenticity. Benefits of LEDs: Bolder and more vivid colors Longer life Cooler burning Draw less power and therefore easier on the wiring and components …
Sep 18
The condition of my new acquisition.
The machine was in what I would describe as good+ condition. The great news is that most of the issues seemed to be cosmetic. The game was playable, but mechanically there were a few issues – a pop bumper or two was non responsive, the sound was badly garbled, and a few segments in the VFD …
Sep 01
Thus beginneth my next obsession.
I am Dave Santoro. This site has been created to document the restoration project for my 1987 Williams Space Station Pinball Machine. I had always wanted a pinball machine, mainly for the sentimental fun of playing it, but also for the technical challenge of restoring it. I had always assumed that acquiring a good condition …