Stern Flippers (1977 - 1984)

Stern Flippers are of a different design to the Bally Pinball Flippers of the same age, even though the circuit boards and many parts used on a Stern Pinball are the same as Bally.

This makes it difficult to rebuild the Stern Flippers, as these parts are no longer available. So what can you do if you want to rebuild your flipper assemblies?

Here's a neat little trick we use on the Stern machines - modifiy the flipper assembly to take 90's model Williams flipper parts!

The Flipper stroke is almost exactly the same when using the Williams parts versus the original Stern parts - you won't notice any difference.

The Williams flipper parts are easy to come by, and are not expensive, so by making this change you will always have strong flippers on your Stern pinball...

Parts Required:

1 x Williams Left Flipper Plunger, Link and Crank (2 if there are 2 right flippers) - Part Number: B-10655-L
1 x Williams Right Flipper Plunger, Link and Crank (2 if there are 2 left flippers) - Part Number: B-10655-R
2 x Williams Flipper Bumper Plug (add for more flippers) - Part Number: 23-6577
2 x Williams Flipper Return Spring (add for more flippers) - Part Number: 10-376

Please Note: You will need to use the Williams "Left" Flipper Plunger, Link and Crank for the Right hand Flipper on the Stern pinball. Obviously the Williams "Right" Fipper Plunger, Link and Crank will be used for the Left hand Flipper on the Stern pinball.

Upgrading the Flipper Assembly

Below is a photo of the complete Stern Flipper Assembly on the underside of the playfield:

To start to remove the flipper assembly for modification, you need to loosen the two allen key bolts that hold the Flipper Bat Shaft into the Flipper Crank. Once these are loose, you can remove the Flipper Bat from the top side of the playfiled:

Once the Flipper Bat has been removed, you can then pull the Flipper Plunger, Link and Crank out of the Flipper Coil:

Next, remove the two screws holding the Flipper Coil Stop in place, and remove it:

Now you can remove the Flipper Coil:

The next step is to remove the End of Stroke switch (and in this case the upper flipper switch also):

Now you can remove the screws for the Flipper Bushing (the white plastic part on the Flipper Base), and the screws holding the Flipper Base:

Now, drill a hole in the Flipper Base where the Plunger Link rests against. The centre of the hole should be about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom of the Flipper Base. Use a 5/16" drill bit for this. Make sure that the new Flipper Link will rest against it and be as close to the centre as possible:

Here are the parts used for modifying the left flipper on the Stern pinball machine:

After drilling the hole for the Flipper Bumper Plug, insert it with the larger side facing the Flipper Coil. Once this is done, you can start to re-assemble the flipper. When you insert the new Flipper Plunger, Link and Crank, make sure the metal "arm" with the black plastic on it is facing towards the Flipper Base. This arm activates the End of Stroke switch, and is essential for correct operation of the flipper. You may need to adjust where the End of Stroke switch contacts are to make sure the new arm does indeed open them when the Flipper Bat is at it's full stroke (all the way up):

Here is the final result...

In the picture above, the End of Stroke switch (and Upper Flipper Switch) have been replaced, along with a new "Bally" Flipper Bat. The new Bally Flipper Bat shaft is longer than the old Stern shaft, and so comes out the bottom of the Flipper Crank much further.

And there you have it, one re-built Stern Flipper, using new Williams Parts! And it works a treat!!

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