(Topic ID: 217437)

A lotta ins.. a lotta outs - TBL maintenance thread

By sd_tom

5 years ago


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#601 2 years ago
Quoted from mac2444:

I like the look of the gap in that top photo, this should negate any issue with it hanging up in the gap. Try placing balls in the arm with this setup and pulling the release coil slowly down by hand and see if the ball is still sitting in the arm with that post as far down as you can get it. If it's still sitting there with the post totally out of the way then you are right, it must be the angle of the arm. This seems super odd though as you say the machine had been working fine previously and the arm shape has obviously not changed.
If you get to this point and are sure the arm is at fault, I'd talk to DP about a replacement but in the meantime, how about a couple thin washers or shims, under the pf between the pf and the arm assembly on the side closest to the release pin. This should slope the entire mech a little, hopefully enough to keep the ball rolling out of the arm with a little more force.

WINNER WINNER mac2444 deserves all the chicken dinners!!! Except the solution was the opposite (or more likely that I read his advice/direction wrong). I put one washer on each L & R arm/stepper motor bracket screw on the other side (away from the coil/release pin) and all of a sudden noticed more success with the ball dropping in test. This has tilted the arm enough forward to overcome the terrible design of it having to go up the upslope and over to get past the arm itself. However, if the arm was at it's furthest L or R position, the ball would still get stuck in the arm even with that single set of washers. So I then added a second washer on each side. Currently the ball is consistently dropping now, but still kind of struggles at the far L or R points (video below).

What I will say is that there's still an alignment problem. If you look closely in this video you'll see that the arm is "tilted" in that all the way Right, the gap b/t the arm plastic and PF hole closes up, then all the way to the Left it's more open. Also the arm sinks one position or the other. Regardless it is working now. Pics and videos showing the overall current positions and the washers I added to ultimately get things working:

PXL_20210520_010133313 (resized).jpgPXL_20210520_010133313 (resized).jpg

PXL_20210520_010140417 (resized).jpgPXL_20210520_010140417 (resized).jpg

PXL_20210520_010145888 (resized).jpgPXL_20210520_010145888 (resized).jpg

In TEST:

In Gameplay:

Quoted from cpr9999:

Is there a crack in your orange piece widening it or is this just an illusion?[quoted image]

Good eye cpr9999 . Yes I just recently noticed as well. The "hole" in the orange arm is chipped. That may have been part of the issue all along. After I get advice from the technician I have coming this weekend to assess, I will likely be requesting an entirely new assembly in this area for the sake of everything holding up in the long run. I am still beyond clueless how this started out of nowhere.

#602 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

WINNER WINNER mac2444 deserves all the chicken dinners!!! Except the solution was the opposite (or more likely that I read his advice/direction wrong). I put one washer on each L & R arm/stepper motor bracket screw on the other side (away from the coil/release pin) and all of a sudden noticed more success with the ball dropping in test. This has tilted the arm enough forward to overcome the terrible design of it having to go up the upslope and over to get past the arm itself. However, if the arm was at it's furthest L or R position, the ball would still get stuck in the arm even with that single set of washers. So I then added a second washer on each side. Currently the ball is consistently dropping now, but still kind of struggles at the far L or R points (video below).
What I will say is that there's still an alignment problem. If you look closely in this video you'll see that the arm is "tilted" in that all the way Right, the gap b/t the arm plastic and PF hole closes up, then all the way to the Left it's more open. Also the arm sinks one position or the other. Regardless it is working now. Pics and videos showing the overall current positions and the washers I added to ultimately get things working:
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
In TEST:
In Gameplay:

Good eye cpr9999 . Yes I just recently noticed as well. The "hole" in the orange arm is chipped. That may have been part of the issue all along. After I get advice from the technician I have coming this weekend to assess, I will likely be requesting an entirely new assembly in this area for the sake of everything holding up in the long run. I am still beyond clueless how this started out of nowhere.

Glad it's working for you! It's quite possible that you jut got a defective casting from the part supplier. Maybe a new arm will roll free and you can set it back up the way it came. I haven't heard of anyone else with this issue so I think you've just had some really bad luck with this. Hopefully now you can get some games in and enjoy it while you wait for the tech visit

#603 2 years ago
Quoted from mac2444:

Glad it's working for you! It's quite possible that you jut got a defective casting from the part supplier. Maybe a new arm will roll free and you can set it back up the way it came. I haven't heard of anyone else with this issue so I think you've just had some really bad luck with this. Hopefully now you can get some games in and enjoy it while you wait for the tech visit

Just curious can you adjust the orange piece versus adding washers? I suggested above but don’t recall if this was tried.

#604 2 years ago
Quoted from cpr9999:

Just curious can you adjust the orange piece versus adding washers? I suggested above but don’t recall if this was tried.

Yes, if you scroll up you'll see all of the adjustment possibilities I tried. The adjustments you can or cannot make to this are not documented. What's possible or recommended would be a question for @rensh.

#605 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

Yes, if you scroll up you'll see all of the adjustment possibilities I tried. The adjustments you can or cannot make to this are not documented. What's possible or recommended would be a question for Rensh.

Agree. I would try adjusting the orange piece leveling it back to front instead of washers if possible. That’s all.

#606 2 years ago

What a ride this thread was for the last few days, sheesh. Glad that was figured out.

The best part is all the owners and people involved with TBL who worked together to find the solution. It's stuff like this that will build confidence in buying/selling TBLs to other people. Good work everyone!

#607 2 years ago
Quoted from mac2444:

Glad it's working for you! It's quite possible that you jut got a defective casting from the part supplier. Maybe a new arm will roll free and you can set it back up the way it came. I haven't heard of anyone else with this issue so I think you've just had some really bad luck with this. Hopefully now you can get some games in and enjoy it while you wait for the tech visit

So after closer inspection to all the photos I took throughout this bowling arm issue troubleshooting the arm plastic is most definitely cracked.

I can't imagine anyone in the US has a replacement they could sell me?

I just got a ton of parts from DP but of course not this one and I'm trying not to have them ship a replacement if I can find one in the states. Thanks!

#608 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

So after closer inspection to all the photos I took throughout this bowling arm issue troubleshooting the arm plastic is most definitely cracked.
I can't imagine anyone in the US has a replacement they could sell me?
I just got a ton of parts from DP but of course not this one and I'm trying not to have them ship a replacement if I can find one in the states. Thanks!

It seems like, at one time, Cointaker offered just the bowling alley mech, apart from the playfield and upper playfiield.

Assuming its come to that.

#609 2 years ago
Quoted from cpr9999:

Is there a crack in your orange piece widening it or is this just an illusion?[quoted image]

Was it the crack I had seen?

B362E058-0D27-46CA-AA9A-507D30C7EC66 (resized).jpegB362E058-0D27-46CA-AA9A-507D30C7EC66 (resized).jpeg
#610 2 years ago
Quoted from Dan1733:

It seems like, at one time, Cointaker offered just the bowling alley mech, apart from the playfield and upper playfiield.
Assuming its come to that.

They don't have any in stock I checked. This has to be replaced because I am nearly certain even with my "shim hack" the plastic is going to completely separate / break at some point. I wish someone in the US had one but I'll likely have to get it from DP.

Quoted from cpr9999:

Was it the crack I had seen?[quoted image]

That's definitely a crack, not an illusion! Dunno how you saw that... amazing. The pics I was reviewing were from the underside but it's probably the same "fracture" as you showed from the top. Here's the photo that lead me to the conclusion. It's weird b/c it almost looks like a divot/gouge but if you follow it down you can see that it is in fact a "hairline fracture." The photo I've attached is before I even started messing with it much. I had only started rotating the arm at this point as I tried to figure out the position needed to access the screw as well as what the heck type it was (which I obviously know now T10, not 2.5mm allen). I was so focused on finding that hole/screw that I completely missed the fact that the plastic's been cracked this whole time. :/ Now I can review all the pics I took over time and see it.

I'm not touching anything until the tech comes tomorrow but I'll make sure to get some better pics to share.

TBL Blowling Arm Plastic Crack Underside (resized).jpgTBL Blowling Arm Plastic Crack Underside (resized).jpg

#611 2 years ago

Not sure those are cracks, maybe imperfections of the injection mold / painting process (I don't know the details about that though). Just a consideration.

#612 2 years ago

I am also sure that will not affect the function.

13
#613 2 years ago

Just finished my first version of a Support manual in which I gathered all FAQ's I made and some made by DP

It can be seen and downloaded at https://www.dropbox.com/s/tpyc5ww2te7rxz7/Technical%20support%20TBL%20FAQ%20manual.pdf?dl=0

If new releases come it will be at the same download link

Hopes this helps all users to keep their TBL up and running as smoothly as possible

Enjoy and keep flipping

#614 2 years ago
Quoted from KoenHeltzel:

Not sure those are cracks, maybe imperfections of the injection mold / painting process (I don't know the details about that though). Just a consideration.

Quoted from TomDK:

I am also sure that will not affect the function.

Here are a bunch of photos of the arm during today's tech visit. While some areas look like molding seams, the right arm of it is clearly cracking/separating. We didn't want to stress it too much but the one time we did ever so slightly we could see the separation. While I imagine this could be patched and strengthened with some epoxy, the tech figured that could introduce more issues so I should just get a new one. There are also scrapes and divots around the mold. Is this contributing to the issue? Not sure, but it's only going to keep separating over time so I am asking for a replacement. Also during attempts to align (not pictured) when the arm is at it's furthermost Left position it is we can see that the entire thing dips / tilts down to the left and up on the right. At the furthermost Right position it is more "level" with the PF hole. Therefore the ball has more of a chance of not making it over the arms when L and more of a chance when centered or R. Wasn't much the tech could do here. I did receive a new stepper motor assembly from DP but since we now know I need a new arm plastic too, we left things basically as is, along with the shims that I have in the bracket until I receive that replacement part.
TBL Arm 1 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 1 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 2 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 2 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 4 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 4 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 5 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 5 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 6 (resized).jpgTBL Arm 6 (resized).jpg

#615 2 years ago

Update on the right flipper losing its hold strength when the ball hits it from eject out of the scoop (too many posts above to quote everything):

After further testing with the tech today, he was able to reproduce the issue on both L & R flippers without the scoop eject in play. If the ball strikes either at the right velocity, if that force is enough to move the coil arm / flipper down enough the magnetism is lost and the flipper(s) go lose until the button(s) are released and pressed again. It appears the scoop eject is just the most likely culprit to provide the amount of velocity and angle on the flipper to cause the issue. Changing the coil strength on the scoop eject has no effect. At the lowest it's just as forceful as at the highest. Unsure if this is a software bug or physical. We tried raising an lowering the flipper resting spots to mitigate but that didn't help. We tried all flipper strength settings as well. This means I cannot adjust the strength of the scoop eject nor the position of the flippers to avoid this from happening. The pitch of the machine is now at the recommended 6.5 degrees as well.

The tech suggests a design problem and that perhaps a longer flipper arm would not allow it to happen. But that's still very puzzling because this issue was not from day one, perhaps I was getting lucky but it only started happening about 2 weeks into owning the machine. It's mind-boggling that no one else has reported this issue. Looking for any advice still on this one.

Here's a video showing how easily this can be reproduced on both flippers:

#616 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

Update on the right flipper losing its hold strength when the ball hits it from eject out of the scoop (too many posts above to quote everything):
After further testing with the tech today, he was able to reproduce the issue on both L & R flippers without the scoop eject in play. If the ball strikes either at the right velocity, if that force is enough to move the coil arm / flipper down enough the magnetism is lost and the flipper(s) go lose until the button(s) are released and pressed again. It appears the scoop eject is just the most likely culprit to provide the amount of velocity and angle on the flipper to cause the issue. Changing the coil strength on the scoop eject has no effect. At the lowest it's just as forceful as at the highest. Unsure if this is a software bug or physical. We tried raising an lowering the flipper resting spots to mitigate but that didn't help. We tried all flipper strength settings as well. This means I cannot adjust the strength of the scoop eject nor the position of the flippers to avoid this from happening. The pitch of the machine is now at the recommended 6.5 degrees as well.
The tech suggests a design problem and that perhaps a longer flipper arm would not allow it to happen. But that's still very puzzling because this issue was not from day one, perhaps I was getting lucky but it only started happening about 2 weeks into owning the machine. It's mind-boggling that no one else has reported this issue. Looking for any advice still on this one.
Here's a video showing how easily this can be reproduced on both flippers:

This same thing has happened on both Stern and Spooky machines. Does TBL use the P-ROC system? Because it was fixed in code.

#617 2 years ago
Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:

This same thing has happened on both Stern and Spooky machines. Does TBL use the P-ROC system? Because it was fixed in code.

yes. DP uses P-Roc system. Do you have more info in regard to this fix?

This looks like a hold coil issue. With rel 055 the setting can be set to strong which is full force 100% for hold. Stronger than that isn’t possible. The other settings are just for flipper strength itself, not for hold. Since that setting no more hold issues have been reported. The setting is on Strong?

#618 2 years ago
Quoted from Rensh:

yes. DP uses P-Roc system. Do you have more info in regard to this fix?
This looks like a hold coil issue. With rel 055 the setting can be set to strong which is full force 100% for hold. Stronger than that isn’t possible. The other settings are just for flipper strength itself, not for hold. Since that setting no more hold issues have been reported. The setting is on Strong?

Yes the setting is and has always been on Strong. Setting it to medium makes the issue even easier to reproduce. Why isn't the Scoop coil setting making any difference in the velocity of the eject? If that were just softer then the issue with the flipper might rarely occur. I have it at its lowest setting and it's the same velocity as its highest setting or anywhere in between. It looks like the fact that this setting does nothing was reported 10 months ago by someone who had the opposite issue of the scoop being too weak: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/a-lotta-ins-a-lotta-outs-tbl-maintenance-thread/page/6#post-5759917

Can anyone else please verify if their Scoop setting changes the velocity at all?

Rensh If not, is DP aware that the Scoop strength setting doesn't do anything? And if so, is this something that can be addressed in the code anytime soon? If you're saying there's no way to make the flipper hold stronger, then I can only imagine at this point that making the adjustment work for making the scoop weaker is the only way to mitigate chances of the flipper hold failing.

#619 2 years ago
Quoted from Rensh:

Just finished my first version of a Support manual in which I gathered all FAQ's I made and some made by DP
It can be seen and downloaded at https://www.dropbox.com/s/tpyc5ww2te7rxz7/Technical%20support%20TBL%20FAQ%20manual.pdf?dl=0
If new releases come it will be at the same download link
Hopes this helps all users to keep their TBL up and running as smoothly as possible
Enjoy and keep flipping

Thank you rens. I can’t imagine how many (hundreds of) hours this took to write. The tbl community owes you a lot.

#620 2 years ago
Quoted from Dan1733:

Thank you rens. I can’t imagine how many (hundreds of) hours this took to write. The tbl community owes you a lot.

Agree.

Nice work.

#621 2 years ago
Quoted from Rensh:

yes. DP uses P-Roc system. Do you have more info in regard to this fix?
This looks like a hold coil issue. With rel 055 the setting can be set to strong which is full force 100% for hold. Stronger than that isn’t possible. The other settings are just for flipper strength itself, not for hold. Since that setting no more hold issues have been reported. The setting is on Strong?

I do. Charlie from Spooky did hours upon hours of testing on this. He said in the following link that it was fixed in the latest code. Maybe you should reach out to him and see what he says? After all, he likes pinball and he's a super nice guy. Maybe he's share it with ya.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/aw-jeez-official-rick-and-morty-club/page/231#post-6172535

#622 2 years ago
Quoted from Rensh:

So, put mylar in my subway and polished the balls.
We will see how it holds up.
[quoted image]

How is this holding up?
thx.

#623 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

Rensh If not, is DP aware that the Scoop strength setting doesn't do anything? And if so, is this something that can be addressed in the code anytime soon? If you're saying there's no way to make the flipper hold stronger, then I can only imagine at this point that making the adjustment work for making the scoop weaker is the only way to mitigate chances of the flipper hold failing.

Hi, I'm the programmer. I'll check this tomorrow. It's likely the range of 35ms to 45ms is just generally too high and should be lowered or widened to allow lower values

#624 2 years ago
Quoted from KoenHeltzel:

Hi, I'm the programmer. I'll check this tomorrow. It's likely the range of 35ms to 45ms is just generally too high and should be lowered or widened to allow lower values

Awesome! Thanks so much for addressing this KoenHeltzel . I've added this as well as a few other bugs and feature suggestions to the bug spreadsheet. If you could address any of those for the next release that would be equally amazing. Thank you for allowing the community to contribute!

#625 2 years ago

Yeah, so this range of timings was way too high.
8ms = ball doesn't make it out of scoop
9ms = if ball makes it out of scoop, it's close to SDTM
10ms to 20 ms is probably the workable range where you can tweak the strength of the returning ball.
So that will be addressed in the next update.

#626 2 years ago

KoenHeltzel and Rensh - Why is it that during Solenoid Fipper Test, my Left Flipper "holds" yet the problematic Right Flipper "doesn't hold" (just goes up and down)? Also when in the Right Flipper test as I hold the button there is no "hold" on the Right Flipper itself. I can move the Right Flipper up and down with my fingers with ease.

Is this a software problem or is this yet another PCB issue? At this point I feel that it cannot be a coil, assembly, etc. root cause. I already ruled all of that out earlier by swapping the L&R coils and installing an entirely new R assembly sent by DP. I think that in this video, I've proven that its not a "physical/mechanical" issue but something else entirely.

EDIT: Video link removed as this is simply a bug in 0.55.

#627 2 years ago

As Rens confirmed earlier in #572, the flippers don't "hold" in the flipper test in v0.55. This is fixed for the next update.
This is only true if the flipper hold is set to "strong" (which is default now).

So the fact that your left flipper does hold in that test, I can reproduce if I set the setting "Adjustment Menu > Coil Strengths > Flippers > Left Flipper Hold" to "MEDIUM". Is that the case by any chance?

#628 2 years ago

Hi, I have been lurking around TBL threads for months now. I want to pull the trigger on one but my question for you guys is. Are this machines very problematic? what's your experience like? I am not new to pinball and I know we always have to work on them, but I don't want to buy a machine that I spent more time fixing than playing. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much and have a great day people.

#629 2 years ago
Quoted from tk375:

Hi, I have been lurking around TBL threads for months now. I want to pull the trigger on one but my question for you guys is. Are this machines very problematic? what's your experience like? I am not new to pinball and I know we always have to work on them, but I don't want to buy a machine that I spent more time fixing than playing. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much and have a great day people.

Its potentially some extra work. But the playfield probably won't dimple like EHOH or possibly chip like GnR (both are games I too like and own)

I think its worth the extra effort

#630 2 years ago
Quoted from tk375:

Hi, I have been lurking around TBL threads for months now. I want to pull the trigger on one but my question for you guys is. Are this machines very problematic? what's your experience like? I am not new to pinball and I know we always have to work on them, but I don't want to buy a machine that I spent more time fixing than playing. Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much and have a great day people.

The worst that can happen is you buy the game, spend too much time under the hood, and then sell it for a few grand more than you paid for your troubles.

#631 2 years ago
Quoted from Dan1733:

Its potentially some extra work. But the playfield probably won't dimple like EHOH or possibly chip like GnR (both are games I too like and own)
I think its worth the extra effort

It is a dream theme for me.

Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:

The worst that can happen is you buy the game, spend too much time under the hood, and then sell it for a few grand more than you paid for your troubles.

right? hahaha. I own EHOH and GnR. No problems yet!

#632 2 years ago
Quoted from KoenHeltzel:

As Rens confirmed earlier in #572, the flippers don't "hold" in the flipper test in v0.55. This is fixed for the next update.
This is only true if the flipper hold is set to "strong" (which is default now).
So the fact that your left flipper does hold in that test, I can reproduce if I set the setting "Adjustment Menu > Coil Strengths > Flippers > Left Flipper Hold" to "MEDIUM". Is that the case by any chance?

KoenHeltzel Aaah ok yeah it was set to MEDIUM, thank you! I think I had changed that during troubleshooting. Correct, when the Left flipper is set back to STRONG, it doesn't hold in test either. I didn't realize there was a difference in behavior in test depending on that setting, my apologies. Do you happen to have an ETA on the next code release?

#633 2 years ago

I asked this a while ago but don't think I got an answer. Once the machine is powered on, with the coin door closed, I almost always hear a constant "ding da ding da ding da ding" coming from the backbox. It then goes away if I either start a game or if I open the coin door. But will sometimes come back if I do any switching into test mode and back to gameplay. Is this normal? Let me know if my description isn't clear and I'll make another video. Thanks!

Added over 3 years ago:

Video of the behavior. It's coming from the RSP-500-48 in the backbox This is happening more consistently now. Like almost every time I power the machine on. Then often in between games. Thoughts?

#634 2 years ago
Quoted from Rensh:

This belongs in the maintenance thread but it’s interesting.
That it closes after ball drains I can explain as door position is checked very time at start of a new ball. but why is it opening slowly? It is gravity? If so, I would expect it also to open slowly when pin is turned off. Or do you have the feeling vibrations are causing it to go open? To check if vibrations are causing it you could try to disable the car in the menu or perhaps even better, remove the plug of the stepper motor on the pcb. Than you know it’s not the stepper motor itself moving.
Try this and we take it from there but pls move this thread to the maintenance thread. Thanks.

Thanks for your suggestions Rens. I disabled the stepper motor in the menu, but it still swings open. Here you can see that I'm having trouble with the motor via the menu test:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fxf9z8fL8WCCgc93A

#635 2 years ago

The fun doesn't stop with my machine. Two new issues popped up today out of nowhere:
1. Shooter Lane Diverter not working: The ball is not going around to Maude letters since the diverter is not lifting out of the way. It looks like there's a secondary spring that's supposed to be attached to an arm underneath the coil but it's just flailing about. Notice how in the second picture it's turned sideways. The little pin mechanism is loose and I don't know but it seems like the spring is supposed to be looped around the hole in the arm below but there is no lead from the spring to do so as far as I can tell.
EDIT: After further research it appears this type of spring is supposed to have a loop lead on both ends. Mine only has the top one and/or the bottom one somehow snapped off. I was able to create my own loop with a pair of pliers but I'll still need to replace this. Part referenced at Marco's: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/10-389

Photo of what it should look like I believe:
Marcos diverter spring (resized).pngMarcos diverter spring (resized).png

PXL_20210529_033931808 (resized).jpgPXL_20210529_033931808 (resized).jpg
PXL_20210529_033921194 (resized).jpgPXL_20210529_033921194 (resized).jpg

2. I realized one of the bowling pins has snapped off. I had to take the entire assembly off in order to retrieve it. Fortunately I had stocked up on mods far before purchasing the machine so I was able to after about an hour's work replace the snapped pin with one from the mod couple. The downsides are that a) their logo is terrible in comparison to the stock pins, b) the pin is larger than stock, c) it doesn't sit flush like the rest of the stock pins. The good thing is that its mold seems far more durable. As you can see in the attached photos, not only did the pin snap off right at its arm, but the cylindrical part of the arm was already chipping due to being so thin/brittle. Even as I carefully removed it from its rod, plastic was flaking off. I also noticed the same deterioration on multiple other pins as I was replacing just this one for now. I've now added a new set of pins to my parts request from DP. Unless the new set DP sends is of higher quality, I'm guessing I'll have to replace them all with the mod couple pins and settle for the poor logos and placement in order to avoid breakage again. This was a beast to take apart and document as I went along in order to not break anything or miss a reconnection afterwards. Anyone else face this issue after owning the machine for a month? (BTW I have no idea why there's seemingly a burn mark on the snapped stock pin.)

EDIT 5/29/21 (Following Day): The pin that snapped yesterday (mentioned below) was #6. After meticulously replacing just that one pin with the stronger mod version, I played maybe 3 games last night. Today during my *first* game pin #3 snapped off. So I have gone ahead and replaced ALL of the pins with the mod versions. Rensh what could be causing this so early on? I feel like it isn't ball contact but rather something stressing the pins as they are lifted by the arm. Also Almost half of the non-snapped, stock pins' cylindrical holes were chipped on one or the either side too. Have there been any considerations for a stronger + thicker plastic mold or some kind of padding to ensure the pins aren't being beat up?

PXL_20210529_020009177 (resized).jpgPXL_20210529_020009177 (resized).jpgPXL_20210529_020039100 (resized).jpgPXL_20210529_020039100 (resized).jpgPXL_20210529_020054158 (resized).jpgPXL_20210529_020054158 (resized).jpg

#636 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

The fun doesn't stop with my machine. Two new issues popped up today out of nowhere:
1. Shooter Lane Diverter not working: The ball is not going around to Maude letters since the diverter is not lifting out of the way. It looks like there's a secondary spring that's supposed to be attached to an arm underneath the coil but it's just flailing about. Notice how in the second picture it's turned sideways. The little pin mechanism is loose and I don't know but it seems like the spring is supposed to be looped around the hole in the arm below but there is no lead from the spring to do so as far as I can tell.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
2. I realized one of the bowling pins has snapped off. I had to take the entire assembly off in order to retrieve it. Fortunately I had stocked up on mods far before purchasing the machine so I was able to after about an hour's work replace the snapped pin with one from the mod couple. The downsides are that a) their logo is terrible in comparison to the stock pins, b) the pin is larger than stock, c) it doesn't sit flush like the rest of the stock pins. The good thing is that its mold seems far more durable. As you can see in the attached photos, not only did the pin snap off right at its arm, but the cylindrical part of the arm was already chipping due to being so thin/brittle. Even as I carefully removed it from its rod, plastic was flaking off. I also noticed the same deterioration on multiple other pins as I was replacing just this one for now. I've now added a new set of pins to my parts request from DP. Unless the new set DP sends is of higher quality, I'm guessing I'll have to replace them all with the mod couple pins and settle for the poor logos and placement in order to avoid breakage again. This was a beast to take apart and document as I went along in order to not break anything or miss a reconnection afterwards. Anyone else face this issue after owning the machine for a month? (BTW I have no idea why there's seemingly a burn mark on the snapped stock pin.)
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

I don't want to use the "L" word when describing your game but holy crap the hits just keep coming.

#637 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

... I realized one of the bowling pins has snapped off. I had to take the entire assembly off in order to retrieve it. ... Anyone else face this issue after owning the machine for a month? ...

I recently had two bowling pins (#'s 2 and 4 positions) snap off within a couple weeks of each other after approx 6 months of play. I've purchased replacements and extra pins from DP, but they are taking forever to arrive so I decided to try gluing the pins back together as another TBL owner told me he had done this.

I've added reinforcement glue around the neck of the two glued pins as well as the three other pins In the two affected rows to hopefully strengthen them somewhat against further breakage. I'm reinstalling them today; we'll see how well they hold up.

#638 2 years ago
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

I recently had two bowling pins (#'s 2 and 4 positions) snap off within a couple weeks of each other after approx 6 months of play. I've purchased replacements and extra pins from DP, but they are taking forever to arrive so I decided to try gluing the pins back together as another TBL owner told me he had done this.
I've added reinforcement glue around the neck of the two glued pins as well as the three other pins In the two affected rows to hopefully strengthen them somewhat against further breakage. I'm reinstalling them today; we'll see how well they hold up.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to drill holes in both ends and additionally connect the parts with a piece of wire!?

#639 2 years ago
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

I recently had two bowling pins (#'s 2 and 4 positions) snap off within a couple weeks of each other after approx 6 months of play. I've purchased replacements and extra pins from DP, but they are taking forever to arrive so I decided to try gluing the pins back together as another TBL owner told me he had done this.
I've added reinforcement glue around the neck of the two glued pins as well as the three other pins In the two affected rows to hopefully strengthen them somewhat against further breakage. I'm reinstalling them today; we'll see how well they hold up.

Getting parts in is a nightmare nowadays

Sorry for all the delay. DP has taken steps to stock up much higher and has acquired funds for this. But it takes time .

Man, they have now the personal, space and funds to really ramp up and now the supply chain fails . Man, it’s like a gift which never stops giving but than in the wrong way.

#640 2 years ago
Quoted from highdef:

Thanks for your suggestions Rens. I disabled the stepper motor in the menu, but it still swings open. Here you can see that I'm having trouble with the motor via the menu test:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fxf9z8fL8WCCgc93A

What I see on the movie looks like a switch issue. How does it work in loop?

But I thought your issue was that the door swings slowly open during gameplay. This is not seen here. I am really suspecting a switch issue here. The motor usually has enough friction to prevent it swinging open during gameplay becasue of vibrations.

#641 2 years ago
Quoted from Rensh:

Getting parts in is a nightmare nowadays
Sorry for all the delay. DP has taken steps to stock up much higher and has acquired funds for this. But it takes time .
Man, they have now the personal, space and funds to really ramp up and now the supply chain fails . Man, it’s like a gift which never stops giving but than in the wrong way.

No problem Rens. And ... the new pins actually just arrived in the mail minutes ago! VERY fortunate timing as I was just about to install the glued pins. My thanks to you and DP!

So I won't be installing the glued pins (yet anyway), but I'm going to put the reinforced pins in the positions where the other ones broke and see if they hold up better.

#642 2 years ago

Question on how to address one of my pop bumpers. The right one seems to not activate on the upper right side consistently. How do you adjust the reaction on them?

Thanks

#643 2 years ago
Quoted from JimB:

How do you adjust the reaction on them?

Adjust the leaf blade switch for it below the playfield.

Turn the game off. Lift playfield up and lean back. See the leaf blade switch ? The long one with the plastic spoon is pushed by a plastic rod coming down from the pop bumper skirt. This plastic spoon should be clean, ( not worn on older games ) well centered on the rod, just resting on it, not pushing it up. The shorter lower leaf blade switch should be close enough so the slightest ball hit triggers it yet vibration doesn't set it off. A little adjusting/tweaking, and you'll be fine.

LTG : )

#644 2 years ago

Here’s what I found. The plastic post when pressed on from above is not reaching far enough I think. It also seems to be sliding and catching beyond the spoon depending on where pressed. Switch test is also verified not always sensing.

I don’t see how I can move the switch itself closer to that post. Other one works perfectly. Thoughts?

58496D7A-2020-46B5-B75B-CB031F324C70 (resized).jpeg58496D7A-2020-46B5-B75B-CB031F324C70 (resized).jpeg
#645 2 years ago

You can loosen the complete plastic spoon assembly with 2 screws from the playfield; then you can adjust/align spoon to plastic rod. Did the same today

#646 2 years ago

Thanks I didn’t realize those screws allowed so much play in them

#647 2 years ago
Quoted from Rensh:

What I see on the movie looks like a switch issue. How does it work in loop?
But I thought your issue was that the door swings slowly open during gameplay. This is not seen here. I am really suspecting a switch issue here. The motor usually has enough friction to prevent it swinging open during gameplay becasue of vibrations.

Rensh my game has started having a similar issue. At the start of almost every game recently, the door is slightly open and loose. The game isn't calibrating it back to its closed position at game start. Also, when this happens if I transition to the stepper motor test, the test only allows me to open the door, the close function doesn't work. If I physically push the door closed then disable and re-enable 48V the closed direction test starts working again. I added the failure to calibrate as a bug on the spreadsheet but am curious what could be causing this. Could it be a switch issue? I don't get any switch alerts or anything.

#648 2 years ago
Quoted from timlah79:

Rensh my game has started having a similar issue. At the start of almost every game recently, the door is slightly open and loose. The game isn't calibrating it back to its closed position at game start. Also, when this happens if I transition to the stepper motor test, the test only allows me to open the door, the close function doesn't work. If I physically push the door closed then disable and re-enable 48V the closed direction test starts working again. I added the failure to calibrate as a bug on the spreadsheet but am curious what could be causing this. Could it be a switch issue? I don't get any switch alerts or anything.

Sounds like a switch issue to me. Check the function of the door close switch and the two parking targets. See my FAQ.

And there is nothing to calibrate software wise. The switches determine open and close state.

Switch reports you only get on stuck switches upon boot or if switches are not used for a longer period.

#649 2 years ago

Trying to join the club but these two wires look like they need to be plugged in. Any idea?

CD5123BC-C5AF-4052-8D29-AE2272118180 (resized).jpegCD5123BC-C5AF-4052-8D29-AE2272118180 (resized).jpeg
#650 2 years ago
Quoted from Noma2017:

Trying to join the club but these two wires look like they need to be plugged in. Any idea?
[quoted image]

Doesn’t look original. Speaker lightning installed? Does look like ledstrip connectors to me.

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