The instructions refer to the original standoffs as being black plastic, I found mine were white. It is exactly the same size and reuses the existing screw holes. The screws and plastic standoffs from the original board can be reused to mount the new board. It is a simple matter to carefully unplug the connectors, unscrew and remove the board.

If we look at the original servo PCB we can see that it has two connector plugs attached to it and the board is mounted with 4 screws with plastic standoffs between the board and the playfield. Once removed, the blinders, servo motor and the servo PCB are revealed. This is a simple of matter of removing two securing screws from the top of the apron and two screws from underneath the playfield. So let’s see how easy it is to install, and importantly how well it works!Īfter powering off the game and removing the playfield glass, access to the Servo PCB requires removal of the playfield apron. It is designed to fit exactly in place of the original board and requires no soldering. The new Servo PCB comes complete with comprehensive installation instructions and mounting hardware in the form of 4 screws and 4 plastic standoffs. This redesigned controller board from Tom van der Mast we’re looking at here is a solution to that problem. Owners would have to replace faulty components or try to source a replacement board if theirs was beyond repair or even missing. Until now there has not been a direct replacement for this board available to buy. This board includes amongst other components two potentiometers that are important for adjustment of the blinder open/close position and which unfortunately are prone to unreliability with age. This is often a direct result of faulty or failing components on the small Servo controller board which sits underneath the apron to the left of the blinders.

They also work brilliantly within the theme of the game, and importantly they add something to the gameplay.Īnd unfortunately like all great pinball toys, the blinders can also suffer problems which will prevent them working properly - they may slip out of correct alignment, or open and close at the wrong time. Like all great pinball toys they have a real ‘wow’ factor - especially for players who have not seen them before. At certain points in the game - ‘Tommy’ mode, advanced stages of multiball and during the Wizard mode - the blinders will sweep out from below the apron completely blocking the players view of the flipper area, forcing them to call on all their pinball wizard skills as they effectively play blind, just like Tommy! The unique blinders on Data East’s Tommy pinball are in my opinion one of the greatest ‘toys’ on any pinball machine.

Pinball wizard position