Lyon Pinball, Pinball Repair and restoration. UK

Lyon Pinball, Pinball Repair and restoration. UK

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Pinball repair, service and restoration in the UK

🛠️ Zaccaria Rescue – Against All Odds! 🇮 🛠️ Zaccaria Rescue – Against All Odds! 🇮🇹🎯

I usually don’t work on Italian or Spanish pinballs. Every time someone calls about one, it’s almost always a “no.” Why?

Because:
	•	They’re built completely differently from the US machines (Williams, Bally, etc.)
	•	Parts are almost impossible to find
	•	Documentation is scarce

So when a local owner called about a Zaccaria pinball, I gave my usual answer: “Sorry, I don’t work on those.” He was clearly disappointed. Turns out we live quite close, and he didn’t know any other technician around. He told me he had just bought the game at an online auction – his first pinball ever – and really wanted to bring it back to life.

Later, I got curious and did a bit of research… and surprise! It turns out his game is one of the rare Zaccarias built entirely with Williams parts. So I called him back and said: “Let’s do it.”

🎁 The Condition at Pickup (Auction in Cardiff):
	•	No glass and dirty 
	•	No keys
	•	And of course… not working

🔧 First step: drilled the locks open, gave it a good clean. One thing I do like about these Italian games? The playfields are often in amazing condition. After a deep clean and polish, this one was shining like new again.

✨ Replaced:
	•	Rubbers
	•	Lights
	•	Cleaned and polished all metal + posts

🐛 Found some woodworm damage (no idea where it was stored!), so I treated it with woodworm killer. Mechanisms were surprisingly well preserved, but all the stepper units were completely jammed.

⚙️ After a few days of work: The game is alive again!

🎮 It’s a simple but fun game to play. I especially like the dual bonus system. And check out the backglass — the score reels go into the millions! Must’ve been some sort of point inflation in Italy back then 😂 Most games cap out at 100,000… but here they just threw on two extra static zeroes to make it look like more.

📸 Swipe to see:
	1.	The condition I found it in
	2.	A cleaned stepper unit
	3.	The game restored
	4.	And a video of it in action 🎥

Not bad for a game that almost got left behind 🙌

#pinball #pinballfix #pinballrepair #pinballrestoration #pinballtech #zaccaria #zaccariapinball #pinballuk #wales
🛠️ FLASH!! AH-AHHH!! ⚡ Sometimes pinball jo 🛠️ FLASH!! AH-AHHH!! ⚡
Sometimes pinball jobs come with surprises—and this Flash Gordon was one of them!

I got a call about a “non-working” machine with “a bit of dirt” and a ball that wouldn’t launch. Asked for a picture… and well, it wasn’t just dirty—it was barn-find level filthy.

I told the owner to give it a quick wipe-down if possible, and then I’d come out for a proper diagnosis. Drove an hour out, and what I found was a completely dead game:
🔧 All switches unresponsive
🔧 2 displays not working
🔧 Wrong voltages on the driver board
🔧 HV section toasted
🔧 Corrosion on the CPU (but miraculously still booting)

I gave an estimate for a full bench repair and restoration. But then he asked me the question every tech both dreads and loves:
“Can you fix it… now? There’s a surprise party in few day and the pinball is one of the surprises.”

😅

Thankfully, I had most of my parts with me. I told him it wouldn’t be a full restore, and that two drop targets were broken (I disabled them), but… yes, I could make it playable.

6 hours later:
✅ Switch and connector issues resolved
✅ Driver board repaired with new caps + key fixes
✅ HV rebuilt
✅ Display repairs (missing digits/segments, cold solder joints)
✅ Deep clean with Novus, wax, fresh rubbers & bulbs

Not showroom perfect, but Flash Gordon was alive again—and playing strong. 💥

Owner was thrilled, and the party got its surprise.
Me? Tired. I always prefer a full shop job, but this one was about getting it ready just in time.

From barn dust to party-ready in a day.
That’s pinball life. 🎯

#pinballrepair #flashgordonpinball #pinballrestoration #pinballtech #pinballlife #classicpinball #ballypinball #surpriseparty #pinballfix #beforeandafter #fieldservice
#pinballuk #uk
🛠️ This week I had the chance to work on some 🛠️ This week I had the chance to work on something special – an Iron Maiden Limited Edition pinball machine in Hereford 🎸🤘
Always a treat to work on one of these. Absolute beauty of a game.

🎥 The first video shows the machine finally up and running again. The owner called me in because it was throwing a “node board missing” error. If you’ve worked on modern Stern machines, you know this could mean a few things — often it’s just a loose connector or a dodgy Ethernet cable. But sometimes… the node board has simply decided to die. 😵

Unfortunately, these boards aren’t repairable, and a new one runs close to £200.
I tested all the cables first, then swapped some parts to confirm — and sure enough, Node 8 was gone.

💡 Swapped in a brand-new node board and we were back in business. The left flipper also wasn’t working when I got there, but that turned out to be just a misadjusted switch. Quick fix. ✅

Always satisfying to bring a great machine back to life.
If your pinball machine is acting up — you know who to call. 😉

#PinballRepair #IronMaidenLE #SternPinball #NodeBoard #PinballFix #UKPinball #PinballUK
🛠️ Service Call: Bride of Pinbot in Devon Yes 🛠️ Service Call: Bride of Pinbot in Devon
Yesterday I took a long trip from Cardiff to beautiful Devon to rescue a classic: Bride of Pinbot. Despite the miles, this game deserved the care!

🎯 Issue #1: Tripping the House Fuse
The machine recently started shutting down the house fuse—unusual for a game that’s been stable. Turns out the inrush current at power-on was a bit too aggressive.
✅ Solution: Installed an NTC thermistor (varistor) between the fuse and the game. No more fuse trips—solid fix!

🤖 Issue #2: Spinning Head Non-Stop
The iconic rotating head just wouldn’t stop turning.
	•	Switch tested OK with the meter ✅
	•	Replaced the diode—still no change ❌
	•	Ended up replacing the entire switch—that did the trick! 💡

🧼 Before heading back, I gave the playfield a good clean. She’s showing her age, but still delivers great games. Classic Bally/Williams charm!

🙏 Big thanks to the owner for trusting me with this beauty. Always a pleasure to keep pinball alive!

#PinballRepair #BrideOfPinbot #PinballMaintenance #PinballTech #PinballLife #PinballFix #Pinballuk #pinball
Another video of the working Xenon now with the so Another video of the working Xenon now with the sound and voice working. One the most beautiful Xenon I ever seen. 
#Xenon #pinballuk #pinball #pinballfix #pinballrepair
🎯 Xenon Sound Board Repair 🎯 One of the most 🎯 Xenon Sound Board Repair 🎯
One of the most beautiful classic pinball machines, Xenon, but with no sound — just a loud humming. Here’s how I brought her voice back:

🔧 Diagnosis & Bench Testing:
I pulled the sound & driver boards. The driver board still had a 40-year-old capacitor (a many times affect humming!), so I replaced it and added necessary jumpers. That improved stability, but the sound board still only gave off noise on the bench.

💾 ROM Issues:
Chips tested OK — the issue was the original ROM, which had gone bad from tarnish and age. I burned a new EPROM and the test sounds played perfectly!

🗣️ Voice Trouble:
Back in the machine, Xenon spoke — but one phrase was corrupted. I found a damaged and broken-leg voice ROM. The owner had a spare vocalizer board, so we swapped it in…

✅ Success!
Xenon is alive and speaking again!
From no sound to full voice — check out the video clips showing the process:
1️⃣ Dead sound board
2️⃣ Working test tones
3️⃣ Corrupted speech
4️⃣ Full voice restored 🎙️💙

#PinballRepair #XenonPinball #VintagePinball #SoundBoardFix #TechRestoration #BallyXenon #RetroGaming #PinballLove #PinballUK #Pinballrepair
🎯 Pinball Repair Visit: Highest Score Arcade (S 🎯 Pinball Repair Visit: Highest Score Arcade (Salisbury)
This week I visited @highestscorearcade to work on two classic machines — Barracora and Fish Tales — each with their own quirks!

🔧 Barracora:
The game wasn’t launching the ball, and a few coils weren’t working. After a quick inspection, I found a disconnected wire (check the pic 📸) and discovered the launch problem was due to a missing transistor — yes, missing! It likely fell off during shipping or handling. I installed a new transistor and reconnected the loose wire. Boom 💥 — Barracora is back in action!

💡 Fish Tales:
Most of the GI lights were out. But when I touched the connector, they flickered back on. A closer look showed a couple of worn-out female pins. Swapped them out with fresh ones, and the lights are shining bright again!

It’s always a pleasure keeping the games at Highest Score running strong — it’s a fantastic place to enjoy pinball and arcade vibes. I even got a chance to try their newly acquired Dungeons & Dragons Limited Edition — amazing game! 🎮⚔️

📍If you’re near Salisbury, go check them out and experience the pinball magic!
#PinballRepair #ArcadeLife #Barracora #FishTales #DungeonsAndDragonsPinball #HighestScoreArcade #PinballMaintenance #PinballRestoration #ArcadeTech #PinballFix #Pinball #pinballuk
Doctor Who Pinball – Service Call in Shaftesbury Doctor Who Pinball – Service Call in Shaftesbury 🛠️🎯
I recently headed out to Shaftesbury to give this Doctor Who pinball machine some much-needed attention. The owner told me it hadn’t been serviced in over 7 years — and it showed!

The main issue was a non-working right flipper. I expected a switch or opto board fault, but it turned out to be a loose cable under the playfield. A quick resolder, and it sprang back to life. 🔧⚡
(Batteries and holder corroded so I replaced that too).

I also realigned the upper left flipper, which was installed in the wrong position, replaced several dead bulbs, and gave the playfield a deep clean and polish. Swipe to see the before-and-after shots — what a difference! ✨

Always a pleasure to travel around Dorset with its stunning views, and even better when I get to bring another classic game back to life.

Happy flipping! 🎉

#PinballRepair #DoctorWhoPinball #Shaftesbury #PinballService #DorsetDays #PinballRestoration #Pinball #Pinballfix #Pinballuk
🎯 Service Call: Getaway High Speed II 🚨 Got 🎯 Service Call: Getaway High Speed II 🚨

Got called in last night to rescue a Williams Getaway: High Speed II with a completely dead DMD. No high voltages present, and the owner had already attempted a repair but hit a wall. 🔧

After some board-level troubleshooting and replacing a few key transistors in the high-voltage section, the display roared back to life. 💥

This machine was in pristine condition, so it was incredibly satisfying to see it fully working again — and to hear that supercharger spinning! 🏁

Always a pleasure bringing these classics back to life.

#PinballRepair #GetawayHighSpeed2 #WilliamsPinball #DMDRepair #PinballRestoration  #PinballTech #PinballLife #PinballMachine #Pinballuk #Pinballfix
Sweethearts is back in action! ❤️🎯 This cl Sweethearts is back in action! ❤️🎯

This classic pinball machine was not working for over a year. The owner was heartbroken — it’s a very special game to him.

Another tech had swapped a failing score reel, but it was misadjusted and wouldn’t reset properly. On top of that, the 100-point scoring was dead, and the 1-point switch was stuck.

After a full tune-up and some careful adjustments, everything’s now working just like it should — and the owner couldn’t be happier.

Keeping the silverball spirit alive, one game at a time! 🛠️✨
#PinballRepair #SweetHeartsPinball #EMPinball #PinballRestoration  #Pinballrepair #Pinballuk #pinballfix #Gottliebpinball
🛠️ Before & After: Bumper Ring Edition 🛠️
Sometimes they’re too far gone and need replacing, but most of the time, a little elbow grease and polish brings them back to life ✨

These bumper rings are from the Harlem Globetrotters pinball I’m currently restoring — they started out rusty, but now they’re shining like new!

#PinballRestoration #BeforeAndAfter #HarlemGlobetrottersPinball #PinballFix  #PinballLife #VintagePinball #PinballRepair #ShinyAgain #Pinballuk
🛠️ Flipper Fix Time! 🛠️ This Harlem Glob 🛠️ Flipper Fix Time! 🛠️
This Harlem Globetrotters pinball came in with serious battle scars — broken posts, damaged kickers, and flippers that had clearly seen 40+ years of action.

One of the biggest issues? A badly pitted and mushroomed coil stop. If you’ve ever played with worn-out flippers, you know the feel — weak, inconsistent, and just plain off. Flippers are the soul of the game, and when the coil stop is damaged, it throws everything off.

I swapped in new coil stops and coil sleeves (one was actually broken!), and now this machine is flipping crisp and strong again — like it should. 🌀⚡

Swipe to see the before & after — the difference is real.
#PinballRepair #PinballRestoration #HarlemGlobetrottersPinball #FlipperFix #PinballMechanic #BeforeAndAfter #PinballLife #Pinballuk #Pinballfix
🔥 Display Damage Control 🔥 This is what a se 🔥 Display Damage Control 🔥
This is what a seriously toasted pinball display looks like—burnt board and all. I was able to bring 3 out of 5 back to life, but unfortunately, the other two were beyond saving. Just ordered new replacements from my favorite provider @retroarcadespecialists .

I always aim to keep games as original as possible, but sometimes these parts are just too far gone. Original displays can be hard to find—and even harder to fix when they’re this far gone. Still, getting machines back into shape is what it’s all about. 💪

#PinballRepair #PinballRestoration #PinballFix #Pinballuk #pinball
🛠️ Today’s patient: a Bally Globetrotters w 🛠️ Today’s patient: a Bally Globetrotters with major voltage issues.

Two of the five voltages on the power supply were completely missing, and someone had soldered some awful connectors straight to the pins. 😬

So, I gave the power supply a full bulletproofing:
🔧 Replaced diodes and bridges
🔧 Installed critical jumpers
🔧 Brand new Molex connectors — male and female, as they should be

Now all voltages are present, stable, and rock solid. 💡

With that sorted, I moved on to the driver board. Testing showed the high voltage section for the displays was fried. I replaced all the transistors and a resistor, and now the display voltage is working like it should. ✅

Next up: getting the MPU to fire up again. The lamp driver board, though… that one’s a wild card. It’s heavily corroded, so we’ll see what kind of surprises it has in store. 🤞

#PinballRepair #GlobetrottersPinball #BallyPinball #PinballRestoration #TechLife #ElectronicsRepair #SolidStatePinball #PinballWizard #Pinballuk #Pinballfix #Pinball
🛠️ I’ve never understood why people solder 🛠️ I’ve never understood why people solder wires directly to the rectifier board. It doesn’t take much more effort to do things properly! Just grab some new connectors and crimp fresh headers—it’s really not that bad.

Maybe they don’t have access to the right parts, but still… now it’s up to me to undo the mess and install proper male and female Molex connectors on this game.

The rectifier board itself has an issue, but instead of replacing it, I’m going to repair it. Even if I went with a new board, I’d still need to replace the female connectors—so in terms of time and effort, it’s almost the same.

Let’s bring this machine back the right way 🔧✨

#PinballRepair #PinballRestoration #PinballTech #MolexConnectors #PinballFix #RectifierBoard #pinballuk #pinball
🛠️ Another Revival from the Stars! 🛸✨ T 🛠️ Another Revival from the Stars! 🛸✨

This time I brought a Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball back to life in Cirencester.

The owner called me because the machine was showing a “switch row grounded” error — a common but tricky issue that can have multiple causes.

🔍 When I arrived, I noticed all the balls were sitting in the shooter lane. That usually means none of the switches are working. I tried to access the switch test via the coin door, but the door buttons weren’t responding either. That’s a clear sign of no 12V power, which is essential for switch operation in these Williams machines.

✅ First check: the fuse. It was intact.
✅ Next: the bridge rectifier — also working fine, and 18V was present.
❌ Then I checked the 12V regulator section and noticed that the filter capacitor (C2)had leaked badly.

Over the past year, I’ve repaired dozens of Williams games, and in almost all of them, I’ve had to replace the C2 and C4 capacitors. These were not built to last and can leak or even explode, causing serious damage.

In this case, someone had already replaced the C5 capacitor — often done to solve reset issues — but missed the critical C2 and C4 caps. These are essential for stable 12V and 5v power.

🧠 Pro tip: Replacing C2 and C4 is a must for preventative maintenance on Williams WPC boards.

Here, the C2 had exploded, but thankfully the leak hadn’t caused major PCB damage. I ran a jumper wire to bridge the damaged trace from the capacitor to the 12V regulator, and just like that — power was back and the switch matrix came alive!

🎯 Final steps:
	•	Fixed a few coils that weren’t working due to broken wires (took a bit to track those down).
	•	Gave the machine a thorough clean.
	•	Game playing beautifully now.

🖖 Live long and play pinball!
#pinballfix #pinballuk #pinballlife #pinball #startrek #pinballrepair
🎉 Jungle Lord ROARS again! 🎉 Finally brought 🎉 Jungle Lord ROARS again! 🎉
Finally brought this classic Jungle Lord sound board back to life — now you can hear the elephant and jungle vibes just like it’s 1981! 🐘🌴🔊

These old boards are basically mini computers: CPU, RAM, ROMs, and a PIA chip. In this case, the CPU was dead, and all the ROMs were toast. 🔥 Had to replace the whole set to get it going again.

Surprisingly, the AMI PIA (which often fails) was still kicking — that saved some work!

✅ New CPU
✅ New ROMs
✅ Full testing
✅ Jungle sounds restored!

Got a pinball machine with no sound? I fix these all the time — drop me a message! 🎯

#PinballRepair #JungleLord #SoundBoardFix #RetroGaming #PinballRestoration #Pinballfix #pinballuk #pinball
From Dead to Alive! ⚡ This pinball machine has a From Dead to Alive! ⚡
This pinball machine has a great story: it was gifted to the current owner, enjoyed for years, then stored away for over half a decade. Now, he wanted to bring it back to life so his family could enjoy it again—but the machine was completely dead when he plugged it in. That’s when he called me.

🛠️ The first issue was simple: no lights, no boot-up. Usually when nothing powers on, it’s a fuse, a bad cable, or the plug. In this case, the plug itself was faulty.

💀 Next up, the display was dead, the playfield was filthy, and several lights weren’t working. I found that the DMD was gone, and the display power board wasn’t giving the right voltages. A faulty diode and resistor were to blame—once replaced, boom! New display working like a charm.

🔥 Then came the lighting issue. One of the connectors that powers the lights was completely toasted—check the photo for a close-up! I replaced both the male and female connectors with high-quality new ones, and also upgraded some bulbs to LEDs to lower the power draw and extend the life of the new connectors.

🔧 While I had the Driver Board out, I took the opportunity to replace two aging capacitors—these often leak after years and can cause serious damage. Preventive maintenance goes a long way!

✨ Finally, I gave the playfield a deep clean and a proper wax. I also fixed the coin door buttons, which weren’t working due to loose wires.

The result? The machine plays flawlessly now, and the owner was thrilled to see it back in action.

#pinball #pinballlife #pinballuk #bristol #pinballfix #pinballrepair #pinballrestoration #nofear
Not every service call ends with a win — but tha Not every service call ends with a win — but that’s part of the game.

This morning I went out to troubleshoot a No Fear that wouldn’t boot. I got it to power up, but the display was still dead. Unfortunately, I didn’t have one of the components to finish the job, so I’ll be heading back in a couple of days once it’s in hand.

But the day wasn’t over yet — on my way home, I got a call from the owner of an Addams Family machine. He’d been doing some modifications and accidentally shorted a switch, which took out both the switch fuse and the matrix chip.

After some quick diagnostics, I found the culprit, replaced the fuse and chip, and The Addams Family is back in business!

📍 Some days are a rollercoaster — but that’s the thrill of pinball repair.

#pinball #pinballuk #cardiff #bristol #pinballfix #pinballlife #pinballrepair #pinballrepairs #pinballtech
🛠️ Feeling proud of this one! Dave from Card 🛠️ Feeling proud of this one!

Dave from Cardiff reached out to me about his Addams Family pinball machine, which he bought just two weeks ago. It was acting weird — switches not responding properly and a ground short issue. He was a bit unsure at first and even asked if I’d still charge him if I couldn’t fix it, since someone else had already tried and failed.

I told him, “I don’t think that’s going to be the case with me.” 😉

As soon as I opened the machine, I saw the opto board was fried — luckily, he had already ordered a replacement. After installing the new board, some issues were fixed, but the switch matrix still had stuck rows.

I used my external switch testers and confirmed the issue was in the CPU. I replaced the chip that controls the matrix, added a socket for easier service in the future, and brought the game back to life.

I’m really glad he called me. The machine is in great condition, super fun to play, and now working perfectly. I also gave the playfield a deep clean and a good waxing — it plays smooth and fast, just the way it should! 😎

#PinballRepair #AddamsFamilyPinball #PinballFix  #WilliamsPinball #PinballRestoration #pinballuk #wales #pinball #pinballlife
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Lyon Pinball, Pinball Repair and restoration. UK

Lyon Pinball, Pinball Repair and restoration. UK

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