found 1948 Wisconsin pinball.

[donnyblue]

I recently found an Excellent condition 1948 "Wisconsin Pinball" machine. It is in somewhat very good working, All the white rubber bands have yellowed and new have been ordered. I am a very savvy electronic tech and currently going through every circuit, every wire, and making factory-like repairs were needed, the machine was very well stored for??? 25+ years. but is cleaning up magnificently. The biggest problem with this machine was very little to no lubrication causing solenoids to overwork. I may have to rewind a couple. But all switch contacts (and there's over a thousand) will be professionally filed, leveled and cleaned and electrically lubed. Surely there is an interested buyer in Wisconsin for this one-of-a-kind finally found machine. my contact info is: dneitzke@cox.net

[Eric_S]

Well, a couple of items.

First, no solenoids need lubrication - they are intended to be dry and clean. I use rubbing alcohol to clean off grime, but no oil or lubricant is to be used. Also, solenoids do not get "overworked". They can overheat due to a stuck switch or the moving components can wear out. I've never had to rewind a solenoid as replacements can usually be readily found (reach out to the Pinball Resource).

What do you mean by "electrically lubed"?

United made many of these machines and a lot of them are still out there. This was United's first flipper game and the flippers are backwards compared to what we are accustomed to today. To be honest, most collectors don't find these early flipper pinball machines to be much fun and as such, the pricing is relatively low. Maybe someone wanting one due to the Wisconsin theme may boost the price, but I'd guess fully working, probably $500-600.

https://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?any=wisc ... quick#2800

[donnyblue]

Hi, and thanks for the quick reply, I just started getting into this 1948 machine, the outside appearance isn't to bad, it was stored in a dry and heated environment, but never got played much at all because it would just stop working. .When I opened it up I could clearly
see why it was filthy, solenoids got very hot, enough to put appreciable burn marks on the wood there mounted, they both read much higher resistance than the others as they should, anytime that coil is allowed to get that hot, (due to a stuck switch or mechanism, the dielectric properties of the insulation of that coiled wired is now diminished and it will continue to have higher resistance and continue to destroy itself. Having a thin coat of the correct dielectric grease on the solenoid moving pin cannot hurt it in any way after it's been cleaned. some of those are very close tolerance and do come to a small degree of contact, so why not avoid that if you can. the only drawback I can see is the ability for it to attract dust and dirt, but if you keep up with your machine, that point is moot. Keep in mind when this machine was manufactured, there was no comprehension of dielectric grease, and petroleum lubricant was only known which just seem to be a part of these machines, but if applyed correctly and not overused it too would certainly be beneficial in theover all working efficiency. just laws of the universe.

[DeaconBlooze]

I'll echo what Eric said, don't use grease. It's used only in really rare exceptions in the hobby (certain heavy mechs). Replace the coils as needed, and the metal coil sleeves with plastic and you should be good.

[donnyblue]

thankyou for your words of advice. , But pleases, I understand as to why you are giving this advice, As you both have far more experience in this area than myself. And shall take heed to it. , but what about ....................................all those stepper switches. I completely disassembled one, and put all of its contents in my ultrasonic cleaner using a mild solution, , about 2 hours later and rinsed, they look new, there was this bakelite. type,plate with about 9 or 10 contacts on it that had open wiring exposed, which I desoldered all wires, cut off the bad ends and resoldered all, reassembled ALL COMPONENTS and lightly greased were there is metal to metal contact, and some of those gear teeth appear pretty worn from running dry for a long period.
Also. understand that when I say "Greased lightly," that's what I mean. it's not just globbed it on, there is to much to consider. to even wanna think that. Regardless the stepper switch is now running nice and smooth, much quieter, and correct. What I would like to understand is that You said those coils on those solenoids would be ok with a new covering, but where that rubs me wrong is that they got very hot, their static resistance is a lot higher than the others. what is going to fix that? thank you.

?

[FrankJ]

Rationalize it any way you choose, but you are advertising it in a forum with much more experience than you. That grease will indeed attract dirt and dust and cause problems until all of the lube-work you have done is reversed.

I like the game based on the name. Would I be interested in this one? No way.

[Methos]

There is a certain way these games need to be maintained. I suggest you log on to Pinside and review the EM forum. Otherwise there is the likelyhood you will damage this machine.

The game is almost 75 years old. There is a long tenure of maintenance protocols already established.

[AlexF]

90% of EM repair is just cleaning and minor adjustments. That's the beauty of these things. Some lubrication on the stepper contacts is a good idea. Some guys like a little on the metal on metal stepper bits as well. But less is more. A very lightweight oil instead of grease. A light application of Super lube synthetic grease seems to have become the standard for stepper plate contact lubrication.

De-soldering every wire seems like overkill to me. It presents an opportunity for added problems, but I suppose if you are precise in reassembly after the ultrasonic it's not necessarily a bad thing.

I've never played Wisconsin. These United games once shopped seem pretty lively and charming. Because of the name and being a fairly attractive game I think a lot of guys in our state wouldn't mind having one. With that said it's never going to be a big dollar title. Woodrails are soft right now, and although United made fine games they aren't the most collectible among them. Even with a lot of effort put in, temper expectations on value.