Staples on Pop Bumper GI <Rant>

llabrevlis

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Sep 10, 2007, 3:59:21 AM9/10/07

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Tonight I spent an extremely frustrating nearly 2 hours repairing 2
pop bumpers on a WPC-95 game that I had on location. If not for the
d**n stapled down GI, the job would have been done in no time :-( 2
staples on each lead, all hard to get at and difficult to pry up. Bad
enough, but after rebuilding the 2 units, trying to get the leads back
in the same place was just plain ugly, and soldering the 2 separate
wires onto the leads was no fun either (didn't have enough slack in
the lines to bare the wire and connect them together. WHY did they
never come up with a better system for this, seems VERY simple to have
sometype on quick connect made for these. But since they haven't,
does anyone have a easier way to reattach the leads to the
playfield?? I realize that with the proper air stapler it's pretty
easy to tack them back down, but that's not a practical alternative
for most people, and certainly not possible out on location. Anyone
have a trick they can pass on, cause I swear, unless the bumpers are
almost lying in a pile, I won't do an onsite repair of pop bumpers
again!!

Thanks for letting me vent!

DG

MarsNeedsWomen

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Sep 10, 2007, 5:19:50 AM9/10/07

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I know!! Those things suck. I just replaced my MM's pops with these:

Pop Bumper Lamp Socket
This pop bumper lamp socket is a major improvement over the original
flat wire lead sockets.
The 12-inch, insulated and stranded wire leads are very easy to work
with and can be cut down to what ever length needed.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=299&parent=71

PT

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Sep 10, 2007, 7:04:56 AM9/10/07

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Here's how I do it. I never actually remove the wires or the second
staple, so all of that just stays in place.

First cut the socket lead in between the two staples. Then using a
needlenose, grab the cut lead and pull up to lift the staple closest
to the bumper just a little. This will allow you to slide out the pop
bumper and socket. The wires, (diodes) and a short piece of the
socket leads will still be stapled in place. Now rebuild the the
bumpers as needed. Slide the leads from the new socket through the
playfield and carefully route them under the lifted staples. Now all
that it needed is to twist the new lead together with the remaining
old socket lead, snip off the extra, put a dab of solder on and tap
the staple back down.

Don't use those new sockets with the insulated leads. They don't hold
the bulb in place very well - the bulb flops around like a wet
noodle. This makes the lighting uneven and quickly rattles the bulbs
to death.

I've done this same method without replacing the sockets. Just lift
the second staple a bit, slide a little more of the wire/lead under
the staple and tap it back down. This will give enough overlap to
solder the lead back together at the point that it was cut.

John

John Wart, jr

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Sep 10, 2007, 8:23:40 AM9/10/07

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While I've not used the method mentioned here, I will agree that the
insulated wire lead pop bumper sockets are not as good as the original
solid wire ones.

The original style are easier to work with, and stay put properly.

seymour-shabow

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Sep 10, 2007, 8:27:38 AM9/10/07

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If you really had to you could run a hex screw (the shorter one!) into
it. Not factory and not "right" but it will do the job of preventing
the lead from flapping around.

The best pop light lead solution I've seen was the bally bumpers that
have the base - the bulb socket snaps in and out of the base with barrel
connectors.

-scott CARGPB#29

Lloyd Olson

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Sep 10, 2007, 1:15:55 PM9/10/07

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They were designed to be assembled, they weren't designed to be worked on.
When you put them back together, just invent something new, don't try and
redo do staples that are near impossible to do at this point in the games
life. LTG :)

"llabrevlis" <llabr...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:1189411161....@r34g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...

erick...@msn.com

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Sep 10, 2007, 1:27:34 PM9/10/07

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I made a tool out of an old Arrow stapler feed rail, grind the end
down to hold one staple tap the end with a hammer to set the staple
and finish setting it with a punch.
Works great.

Eric

CraigC -CPM-

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Sep 10, 2007, 2:19:48 PM9/10/07

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buy an upholstery stapler. they sell one on pinrestore.com.

this makes it an enjoyable experience.

I've done about 10 playfields with it and it's gone from the least fun
to the most fun.

If you have a circle of pin friends everyone chip in.

-c

bogart

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Sep 10, 2007, 4:31:57 PM9/10/07

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On Sep 10, 12:19 pm, CraigC -CPM- <craigc-NOS...@pinballmafia.net>
wrote:

I thought about offering a rental tool but I'm afraid it would get me
in legal trouble. These staplers have NO safety. If you pull the
trigger, a staple comes out. Not such a problem at 60 psi as they just
bounce off the skin if shot from a distance, but at 125 psi it gets
kinda wild!

I could add that to my disclaimer page, I suppose.

bogart
www.pinrestore.com