HOMEPIN Thunderbirds Manual

Unpack & setup
Homepin Thunderbirds
pinball machine
rev 1.3 Dec 2018
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nsure the package has no visible damage, check the ‘tilt label’ and don’t
sign for delivery if there appears to be any problems. Carefully cut the
outer plastic wrap and remove the foam packing. Under the cardboard top
packing you will find the setup instructions as well as the service manual.
NOT : The power cable might be packed with the manual (pic above)

P2
Cut the large cable ties holding the box with legs to the pallet and unpack
the four legs. They are all the same but will become front and back legs
when you screw the four feet into them. Note the legs with the shorter feet
will be bolted to the front of the machine.
Locate the keys to both the front door and
the coin box. They are cable tied to the plunger on
the front right side of the machine. There are
duplicates of these keys included. Open the front
door, reach in and unlock the padlock securing the
coin box and remove the coin box from the machine.

P3
In the coin box you will find spare trees, spare plastics and spare apron
cards. There is also a box of pinballs, a mains power cable, 8 leg bolts and
two backbox wing bolts with washers. There might also be a bag of
Thunderbirds tokens (limited supply, may run out).
NOT : The power cable may not
be in the money box. It may be
packed in its own box with the
service manual.
Using four of the leg bolts
and an 18mm spanner attach
the legs with the short feet
to the front of the machine.
Snug the bolts up but don’t
overtighten them.

P4
Locate the two bolts holding the machine to the steel pallet and remove
these using an 18mm spanner.
Now tip the machine onto the front legs. Raise the back and sit it on a stool
or similar so that the back legs can be bolted on.

P5
Carefully cut and remove the plastic wrap holding the backbox.
Slowly fold the backbox up to its vertical position. Take note of the three
tubes that carry the wires. The two thicker ones (indicated by red arrows)
are attached to the headbox and will push into the bottom cabinet as you
fold the headbox up while the thin one (in yellow) is attached to the main
body of the machine (bottom) and so you can help it into the headbox.
Make sure these tubes do not get jammed between the headbox and the
main body of the machine. The headbox will sit in the upright position
while you prepare to bolt it in place.

P6
Remove the protective plastic from the playfield glass.
Locate the backbox translite key on the hook inside the front door and
unlock the translite (the key will stay in the lock in the unlocked position).
Lift the translite up and towards you using the plastic channel at the
bottom. As you lift the bottom clear of the backbox, slide the translite
down and lift it clear of the cabinet. Set it aside for the moment.

P7
Identify and lift the small latch on the top right of the DMD panel. This
will release it and you can swing it out to the left and clear of the backbox.
Fit the two backbox wingbolts with washers, screw them into the positions
shown below to secure the backbox.

P8
Now identify the lock down bar release handle inside the door and move it
to the left to release the lock bar. It will be quite firm and will require some
force to move it. Pushing down on the lock down bar might assist here.
Take off the lock down bar and prepare a place to sit the glass.
N V R – V R put the glass directly onto a hard surface such as
concrete or tiles as it will shatter instantly and spectacularly!
Slide the glass from the machine holding it with one open palm on each
side of the glass. Set it down carefully, on one end vertically as shown
below.

P9
Remove the three pieces of packing foam from The Mole captive ball, the
ball launch trough and the tilt bob shown below.

P10
Peel off the protective plastic coverings from the playfield and the
playfield plastics.
NOT : Never use any harsh chemicals to clean the playfield – ONLY use
soapy water or isopropyl alchohol. A furniture polish can be used but we
advise testing it in an inconspicuous area before using it widely to ensure it
doesn’t adversely affect the plastics.
Remove five (5) pinballs from their packing and clean them well with the
cloth provided in the box. Install them into the machine by simply allowing
them to drain into the bottom between the flippers.