Quick Change Gizmos

[Guest]

Ken started a real good thread on machine mods to make a machine run better.

I thought I'd start this thread for "inventions" that make our lives a little easier by having Emergency and Quick Change Gizmos. I have a few gizmos in my bag of tricks, as I'm sure a lot of you guys do. One of them was an Emergency Start Switch (see Coor's Pic's). I was asked "Why do you need an emergency start switch, it only takes a couple of minutes to change the start switch out as it is"?

Lets see,... Why an emergency start switch?....

Scenario...

You get a call...no cycle.
You stand behind it, cycling it,cycling it,and cycling it.
You’re a hero to the bowler who has an 8 bagger! (can't lose concentration, ya know).

Now you get a spotting call at the other end of the house.
Problem has now reoccurred to the bowler about to get up in the 10th frame for the big 3 and he burry’s it through the nose!! Let the feeding frenzy begin!!! Now your the dumbest, @#$%^&...mech? on the planet.

This is not an exaggeration. We have a classic league with a 1075 cap! Another one with a 970 cap!

We are a very high scoring house with stiff competition down the road. Minutes seem like hours to a Premaddona who's runnin' a string!

I'm paid pretty generous to keep such scenarios at an absolute minimum. Every edge is one step up on the competition and a bigger raise for me and the boys when the time comes around!!

SO WHAT YOU GOT IN YOUR BAG????

TECH

[Guest]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

Hey Guys
I can definintly see the advantages to having a emergency switch now, I to have a very high scoring house and time is money. Can someone send me a description of a good start switch I can build. I am both mechanic and pinchaser and anything you can do to make my life easier is done.
Thanx for the help!!!

[Ron]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

Hey Ken:
a mercury switch mounted on an angle bracket. slide the assemble between the cushion plank and pad and cover, or unimold and cushion plank. You will have to hook a wire to each end with connectors,and make wires long enough to connect to the existing wires from your regular switch. Works pretty good and installs in seconds.

[vinson]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

2 things guys, First when you have time take electrical tape and remove the microswitches and wrap them twice around the middle, one major failure of the switches is the brass pins work loose and the top comes off or when they get loose oil starts seeping into the contacts a couple of wraps with ele. tape will prevent this. Next if you have a lite ball sensor out front, install an off- on toggle on the control box and leave it on. each system will back up the other one. If I have a switch or spring fail I just shut that system down till league is done.

[vinson]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

PS: the toggle is wired to the start switch not the lite ball sensor, also glue or what I use is fingernail polish and put a drop on the ss terminals it will make them harder to work loose.

[Guest]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

Got another quick change gizmo.

How fast can you change a cushion? By making two cuts (opposite ball door side) in the metal cushion bracket straight across the hole (towards the front of the machine) you only have one bolt (can be replaced by a pin) to remove...besides the shock pin. There are after market gizmos that do this but at ~8 times the cost.

Also this idea greatly reduces the chances of stripping the welded nuts on the other side!! I used to change the cushion on the shock side to reduce this risk.

It takes me longer to get another cushion than it does to change it! But then again, I'm getting old. If I knew how to post pics I'd send one.

TECH

[Guest]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

Hey Tech_mech
I have started to modify my backboard mounts and let me tell you, this is the sweetiest idea I've heard in a long time. Have about half the house done and I love it. It takes me about 2 minutes to change a backboard now. Also great for pulling bounceboards and carpets out. Keep up the good work!!

[Coors]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

anybody have any quick fixes to keeping the backboards (piece of plywood with three pegs) from flying off and causing a pit jam....im down to about 60 calls a week....if i had Ultra 98's with automatic sweep reverse on an out of range id have about 30 calls...anyhow seems one call a month is a back board falling into pit getting wedged and overloading pit motor.....any ideas?.......besides duct tape...im the master of that...lol



[This message has been edited by Coors (edited 04-15-2000).]

[GPS]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

Hey coors, I hear you about the duct tape. Duct tape , tyraps and super glue keep me running. About the backboard falling in your pin wheel. Take a distributor linear spring and hook one end to the top of board and the othe end to bottom of pin wheel guard. You may have to strech the spring a little. Good luck.

[Guest]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

Heavier wood works for me.

Tuffy makes an after market gizmo that are slotted guides that bolts to the cover. Don't know how much it costs.

TECH

[Coors]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

actually i use 3/4 inch plywood in place of my dying 1/4 inch stuff.....i was told that regular plywood wood be splintered into toothpicks in no time...these backboards have lasted 12+years without a prob.....& they are perfect to stand on when replacin/watchin/workin on distributor from behind.....when standing on the thin stuff its like surfin....i think ill use bungy cords to keep my loose boards on...at least they'll be colorful...lol

[Dutch]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

These are not so much time savers but part savers. In the long run they do save time.

1.AMF style vibration dampeners - Trash them!
Stall's has the Vantage style only it's made with a softer rubber. Less ball impact is transfered to the pit supports - Less breakage.

2.Most of our bounce plate breakage occures on the rear board, opposite the ball door, between the angle brace & the "T" brace. IF you put a brace from 1 brace to the other, even IF it does break, it won't collaps. The curtain pad "U" bolt strap (070-001-421) is perfect for this. Use 5/16" bolts.

3.Tired of front roller supports seizing up? Never worry about or lube them EVER again. Buy the Stahl's pivot bushing. (900-112-203-TRB) They ARE more expensive but they will NEVER seize & we've had them in for about 5 years on 50 lanes & NONE have worn out.

4.Stall's also has a synthetic pinion bushing that we've had alot of luck with. Also more expensive, but worth it. 070-006-679-G for the bushing alone. Or 610-704-005-
G for the pinion assy with bushing.

[Coors]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

im gonna have to disagree with ya dutch on the compression style dampners offered by vantage and other companies...

i know i have no way to proove it....but in my absence from my current house(4 years)...my counterpart replaced the house with vantage dampners...

Im not a Vantage Vib. Dampner fan...Coincidence or not...damn near every pit when the Vantage Dampners were installed had a broken Bounce plate and/or Pit Weld Before the year was up ....Since i replaced the house with AMF dampners (over 6 years ago)......The Beer Has Been VERY COLD...LOL.

and even the one pit i did not rebuild....cuz i was on vacation that week...my counterpart used vantage damps and agan the pit welds were broke in less than two years........later....a year or so i replaced the reg pit supports with universal's (was too lazy to replace dampners...which were in GREAT SHAPE!!!)...thick stuff...and when i went to put my PBL' in....lo and behold the vantage damps had busted BOTH pit support welds within a year....im sorry....bounce plate dampners in shear are the way to go.....

they may give out earlier....but better to replace a $5 dollar dampners every other year then replace a bounce plate and/or pit weld(s) every year

[Guest]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

Gotta agree with you on that one Coors. Every Vantage dampener that I put in either broke the bounce plate or the weldment. Wish dampeners were a little cheaper, though. I think they run around 12 dollars a pop. A couple of p[arts that I like from vantage are their metal sweep brackets and their cushion covers. I have to resort to vantage a lot to keep the cost of parts down. Thier bounce plates seem pretty good too.

[Coors]

Re: Quick Change Gizmos

hey trick

i too resort to vantage for most parts...just to keep AMF "honest" but now that AMF no longer deals direct...we dont have that luxury.

anyone having sweep arm problems???...not that i blame the sweep arms...(which lasted 30+ years without a thought!!!) if anyone else is havin a rash of sweep arm breakages ill elaborate...LOL another one of my crazy theories as to why.....LOL