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Thread: Repairing vintage leaf switches

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    Fever Hunter topper's Avatar
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    Default Repairing vintage leaf switches

    So, I clearly should have asked this first but...

    Any tips or tricks for repairing vintage leaf springs?

    I wasn't getting continuity across the leaves when closed. Cleaning the metal leaves with a little naval jelly fixed that.

    Then I tried to remove the old wires and solder ones in their place

    First one went OK, barely gave me any trouble. I tinned my wires, jammed them in where the old wires used to be, hit it with the soldering iron and I was good to go.

    Second one was a totally different story. I couldn't get the new wires to solder onto the leaves for anything. I ended up melting the plastic housing of the switch. I abandoned it and just installed a modern micro switch instead.

    My lights are working, but I'd like to know what I did wrong.

    In retrospect, if I'd known how tricky it was going to be, I'd have left a stub of old wire and just soldered my new wire onto that. But is that the only way? I'm guessing a few of you have been down this road already. Hoping you can steer me right for next time around.

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    Fever Hunter doa12's Avatar
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    While this isn't directly related to Pachinkos, I bought TOP#8 http://www.pinrepair.com/top/top8.htm as I'm wanting to work on my shuffle bowler. It has tons of leaf switches inside and this video shows how to work with them, replace them, etc. If I remember correctly they use a roll to clean contacts... Yeah, like a brown and serve bread roll. Anyway, it's a video on electromechanical repairs. They interject here and there with history/model/games but while I haven't actually applied it yet, I think they give a good run on how to repair/clean electromechanical equipment.

    The TOP#8 video warns about adult stuff... The 'adult' stuff at the end is just a girl in a tight tshirt jumping around on the bowlers, not really 'adult' but probably needed the warning so some aren't surprised. That's completely at the end of the instructional part so if that's not your cup of tea you can just stop at that point.

    This video isn't mine, but around 12:33 you see the multitude of leaf switches inside the bowler. Mine isn't that exact model but it's pretty close. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuQH8y9rb4A
    Last edited by doa12; 01-31-2019 at 03:00 AM.

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    Fever Hunter topper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    Do they provide any tips on how to solder onto the leaf switches?

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    Fever Hunter doa12's Avatar
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    I can't recall, I was thinking they used a clip on heat sink but it's been a while since I watched the video. I'll try to scan through it tonight again to see.

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    Pachi Puro Moparformances's Avatar
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    i take a sharp hobby style knife and carefully cut the lief switch back back open (cutting along the path of the lief.. )

    then make which way is up and where the long lief is..

    then i pull both lief out from the end (this sometimes straighten them out..)

    once there out i take the time to straighten the ends out total and as close to perfectly flat as i can get them..

    Im not the best and soldering so i then take a small finish nail and punch a small hole thre the end where the wire will be soldered.. this gives me a way to push the wire threw and tie it to the lief

    then solder the wire to each lief. pay attention to the direction the wires leave the lief so they don't get in the way upon instillation

    pry the plastic open where the cuts are and slide the newly soldered lief back onto position.. making sure the contact points are lined up..

    then use your iron to melt the plastic back up.. (i have had to had hot glue to a few when the factory plastic was melted to much already)
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Fever Hunter topper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    Quote Originally Posted by Moparformances View Post
    i take a sharp hobby style knife and carefully cut the lief switch back back open (cutting along the path of the lief.. )

    then make which way is up and where the long lief is..

    then i pull both lief out from the end (this sometimes straighten them out..)
    Do you have any pictures of this part?

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    Fever Hunter doa12's Avatar
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    I just scanned through that TOP#8, they go into cleaning the leaf switches, and adjusting them for distance, but they don't actually solder the switches, they solder a relay that they showed melted the wire due to being stuck on, and repair a lattice type frame that goes around leaf switches to keep them apart, but not actually solder the leaf switch.

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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    Quote Originally Posted by topper View Post
    Do you have any pictures of this part?
    not really

    its the standard plastic lief switch found on most older vintage machines.. usually white plastic with two copper lief strips sticking out
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    Quote Originally Posted by topper View Post
    Do you have any pictures of this part?
    i can take a pic if needed
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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    Fever Hunter topper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    Yeah that would help. I know what the switch looks like, just having trouble visualizing what you're describing.

  12. #11
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    Default Re: Repairing vintage leaf switches

    back of switch switch 2.jpg
    different angle of back switch 1.jpg
    cut the plastic in the back above the lief like this.switch.jpg

    then use the cuts to reinstall the lief tabs back into the plastic holder
    Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, .......... /........ If your not going to stand behind our troops
    ...committed people can change the world. ............. /.................Please, Please stand in front of them
    .....Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has............./
    .........................................Margaret Mead

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