What's new
By:
Filters

Found cheaper drop-in replacements for Ghost Squad and Time Crisis recoil solenoids

Z

Zebra

Professional
Joined
Nov 5, 2018
Messages
526
Reaction score
141
Location
New York
As everyone who uses arcade recoil guns knows, when it comes to replacing broken solenoids, Sega and Namco like to bend you over and fist you with a boxing glove. So, in the interest of keeping our botty holes the correct size, I wanted to share info on some drop-in replacements.


First, Time Crisis guns.

For these, you can use any comparably sized tubular pull solenoid (sometimes called cylindrical) that is rated for continuous duty. For example, this Guardian Electric one I got off Ebay for $12:

20200212-153831.jpg


You can see the model number in the pic but it's not important to get the same model. Just find any continuous duty cylindrical of similar size and power draw. note how it's mounting mechanism is the same as the original Namco part:

20200212-153914.jpg


Depending on which one you buy, you may need a different PSU. The one I got was described as 12v but it needed 36v to do the job.

Another option is to transplant the solenoid from a PS1 Super Jolt gun. They are the same size and have similar performance:

20200207-190515.jpg


You can actually use the whole slide mechanism as it fits in the Namco shell for TC guns with missing parts.


For Ghost Squad, the Terminator Salvation solenoid is a drop-in replacement. It's identical in size and screw hole pattern:

20200212-154043.jpg


This will save $100 on the solenoid and $60 on the mounting bracket. I believe there is a 12v and a 24v version so confirm which you are getting from Betson and use the appropriate PSU. There is no performance difference as long as you use the right psu.
 
In case anyone is restoring Time Crisis guns now, This lot is worth picking up:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-2-P...004552?hash=item2f3df62588:g:tXgAAOSwXc1eQwES

I normally snap up any good deals on these Jolt guns for my own projects but I probably have enough for now... Two for $30 is a bargain though. It's safe to assume at least one of the solenoids will work if not both. They are terrible as PS1 and Saturn light guns but the shells, slide and solenoid are worth keeping. The lenses and sensor are not.

I have a bunch of real Namco guns (which I love) but sometimes you want that recoil slide goodness for games with two or three buttons, or perhaps a credit button. The switch is also useful for turning things on and off (like your Supergun). Rescue them before some godless Philistine puts an Aimtrak in them.
 
Last edited:
Nice. Thanks for sharing. I've been on the lookout for some Namco recoil guns and this info will come in handy.
 
Hi,

So I found this thread and was overjoyed but I think I may have ordered the wrong solenoid by mistake in my haste. Can any of the experts here help me out?

This is what I ordered to replace my burnt out (and weak) solenoid in my Real arcade gun. I wanted a 24v one that produces a similar force to the Namco TC1/PB guns.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NSF-Tubular-Solenoid-24v-Pull/dp/B01M99APKQ

However I think I might have ordered one that requires too much voltage as I ordered the SDT2652L2-31. I'm confused as to data sheet that has a chart for nominal voltage. How does that equate to the 24v mentioned in the title?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help out

P.s I think the amazon one links to a SDT2652L2-25. Which would mean at 10% duty cycle it requires 22v. Which might tally with the 24v in the title. My problem was I bought it from ebay and they'd lifted the title from the amazon page I think but not researched the different AWG options
 
Last edited:
OK. So I think i see my confusion. The duty cycle columns are the maximum rating at the voltages below. I hadn't made that (now obvious) link. So it's drawing more power and creating more heat and draw force.
Still looks like I got the wrong one. At 24v it might not have the power to pull back the plunger correctly since it says nominal is 28v.

If the draw force is constant across the different wire guages then I should have aimed for lower to allow me to up the voltage and make the recoil harder. Going above 24v is harder than going from 12 to 24 in terms of price etc and I suppose I also risk other components in my gun (also probably true at 24v :()


Does anyone know the force the Namco stock 24v solenoid generates? I can't find any info online.

OP do you have the specs of the GE solenoid you bought. How does it feel compared to stock Namco?
 
Info for anyone who stumbles on this like I did. THe NFS SDT2652L2-31 is perfect when fed 36v. That gives it a 60% (ish) max duty cycle. Typical shot would be 40ms pulse so you can auto fire up to 15 times a second.
Only thing I had to do was widen the thread hole it screws into. Otherwise its dimensions are pretty spot on. I also used the old plunger as this one has a different end.

It cost me £18 new from ebay

If you have 24v only then the NFS SDT2652L2-29 is the one you want. that would then be at 50% max duty cycle (and so slightly more kick). Meaning 12 shots a second max

Cheers

Pod
 
The force of a solenoid is not governed by the voltage.

The nominal voltage only matters in the sense that you need to feed a 12v solenoid something close to 12v. If you fed a 36v solenoid with a 24v psu, you'd get considerably less force than a 12v solenoid that's fed 12v.

I have a bunch of 12, 24, 36 and 60 volt solenoids. The most powerful happens to be a 12v one. Check the rated force, not the voltage to see what to expect.

Continuous duty solenoids typically produce less force than ones rated for momentary only, so don't just pick the most powerful. A powerful momentary one can overheat in minutes when used for full auto.

speaking from experience, there is such a thing as too much force when gaming too. A solenoid that feels like a jackhammer will be uncomfortable to use for you and everyone in your house...

Time Crisis, Ghost Squad and Terminator Salvation arcade solenoids are not particularly powerful. You only find powerful full auto solenoids in larger positional arcade guns. You don't need much to create a pleasing recoil effect in full auto.
 
Any one ever find cheap replacement solenoids for time crisis 4 guns? They are different than TC 1&2
 
Zebra said:
As everyone who uses arcade recoil guns knows, when it comes to replacing broken solenoids, Sega and Namco like to bend you over and fist you with a boxing glove. So, in the interest of keeping our botty holes the correct size, I wanted to share info on some drop-in replacements.


First, Time Crisis guns.

For these, you can use any comparably sized tubular pull solenoid (sometimes called cylindrical) that is rated for continuous duty. For example, this Guardian Electric one I got off Ebay for $12:

20200212-153831.jpg


You can see the model number in the pic but it's not important to get the same model. Just find any continuous duty cylindrical of similar size and power draw. note how it's mounting mechanism is the same as the original Namco part:

20200212-153914.jpg


Depending on which one you buy, you may need a different PSU. The one I got was described as 12v but it needed 36v to do the job.

Another option is to transplant the solenoid from a PS1 Super Jolt gun. They are the same size and have similar performance:

20200207-190515.jpg


You can actually use the whole slide mechanism as it fits in the Namco shell for TC guns with missing parts.


For Ghost Squad, the Terminator Salvation solenoid is a drop-in replacement. It's identical in size and screw hole pattern:

20200212-154043.jpg


This will save $100 on the solenoid and $60 on the mounting bracket. I believe there is a 12v and a 24v version so confirm which you are getting from Betson and use the appropriate PSU. There is no performance difference as long as you use the right psu.
Click to expand...
Hiya do you have a link for the ghost squad solenoid or model number/ equivalent so I can repair my Rambo machine. Thanks 😊
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top