I’m also looking for some advise on the laneguide for the chestburster shot.

I’ve seen that it is very difficult to make, especially when the pin is steep.

I’ve seen one post where someone made the holes a bit wider in the guide with a dremel to make the lane a bit wider and also adjusted the angle. Any tips?

The whole area of the metal ramps is no longer a perfect fit due to a design change.
You can see that at the plastics and the playfield design under the ramps and at the posts in front of the ramps!
You have to be very careful so that nothing is damaged.
The Plexi-Plastics are garbage anyway and have to be replaced by PET-G, they will last and are even a bit thinner.
An absolute catastrophe are the posts and the very bad threads - watch out, otherwise they are directly broken or tear off!
Electropolishing only works with the stainless steel parts, everything else has to be galvanized. All ALIEN look like this, one better, the other worse - but all in all not really finished!
The lane guides at the slingshots, especially the left one, has to be modified, otherwise it's very tricky to swap the rubbers or mount the entire assembly without losing parts or damaging the plastics.
The three bolts left of the plastic over the revive can easily changed to posts.
In general all the plastic needs to be adjusted with spacers or washers to be straight in that area, otherwise they bend and will be damaged sooner or later!

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Hi all,

I picked up some Of the little inductive switches that alien uses to try in a homebrew and am wondering if there is a manual for alien or component schematics/ pin outs? I couldn’t get it to register anything in testing today.. would love to know what the six pins are supposed to connect to, circuit wise..

My last information is that the mircoprocessor code for the inductive switches is not decrypted, yet.

Well fixed my friends alien. The gears had exploded in the original motor. Hardest part was alignment but on the third try it worked fine.

I tried som LEDs around the acrylic; that works quite good. Like with convolux, the sides bright up most.
The picture is pretty aweful but it lights up nicely green.

I will make some U-profile on the outer edge so there is no green or blue in the rest of the cabinet and this fixes the leds. I will try it with green speaker grills how it looks in the cabinet

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Only 3 pins are used: +5Volt and GND for power supply and Out to signal a ball (active low, open collector). The other pins are not needed (in play). We replaced the ball detection in a Monster Bash with the Alien inductive switches, works well...
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My game is a green LE as well, however, the backbox translite has a unique blue to it ( as does the playfield). Will be fun to see what you discover...

Faust

If you make a frame around the panel, the unsightly drop shadows will appear in the translite.
Especially the translite of the LE has nice colored transitions that would be "ruined" by this.
Even the Heighway logo with the Giger font comes out very bright with clear panels.
Otherwise you can't see it at all.

I have received final pricing for a batch of panels based on the amount of people that were interested.

This is glass-transparent machined perspex (acrylic). So 100% transparent single piece, nothing had to be glued.
It is not cheap, but it is at least the best material option and looks good in the backbox.

I am offering the following:

Minimalist option:

Just the 2 acrylic panels. Shipment in a cardboard box that fits in the mailbox.
The speaker connections are pre-drilled 3.2mm but no tapped thread + screws.
You have to find the rest yourself.
Shipment worldwide without tracking: 14 euro's
Just the 2 panels: 128 euros

Plug and play model:
2 acrylic panels
Speaker grill to size and attached in Black, Blue (5012) or Green (6018)
Speaker mounts are threaded M4 + SS316 bolts included (as shown in the picture). Easy mounting of the speaker.
Wooden inserts included for the bottom.
Plug and play.

EUR 178
Registered shipment EU: 19 euros
Worldwide: 28 euros

Options:
-Priority shipping + 15
-LED light kit attached to the panel + wiring + 45 euros.
-Extra LED strips for in the backbox: EUR 9 per meter.

I will post some more pictures later, as I am busy with work.
Just like Averell I will make one batch and sold out is sold out.

Payment:paypal as friend or IBAN transfer (preferred).

Shipment: in approximately 10-12 days I ship them out.

I'm also announcing my next mod: improved airlock display.

I was thinking of making a display enclosure looking like the prototype. I am curious about your opinions

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Thinking about pulling the trigger on an Alien LE

If (when?) boards and other computer components fail, or the unit is DOA, how hard will it be to find these parts? Is it even possible at this point?

I apologize in advance, as I am sure this topic has been addressed earlier in the thousands of posts.

Thanks so much. Appreciate you guidance.

computer is really easy to find and a lot of extra parts are still available like PCB boards and so on.
With this pin, you need to run the latest code with the latest PCB boards and firmware.

I did also some improvements USB, PS, Caps...on mine thanks to the help of this great community and run my pin for 1 year now without any big issues with a lot of plays.

I would jump on it...

can it work with newer Ubuntu builds?
use the Kernel/MainlineBuilds PPA?
That should get round pc hardware lock in down the road.

Computer is easy to get, I already bought a new one from the manufacturer. Failed to know when upgrading from the old style comp to the new that the power requirements were different and after a few months it fried so ordered a brand new comp. Easy enough. Was smart enough to correct the power problem though.

Don't worry about this. Actually most problems arise in the xenomorph head (easy to find parts and reparts), cables etc (easy to replace) and sometimes an I/O board blows up, but those MOSFETS are also easy to replace.
Shooter lane may need some adjustment and you will probably get a badly assembled unit; if you take a close look there are many small things to improve.

I have not seen dead PCs or anything like that that needs very special parts that can't be found, or the community can't help you with.
So get it with confidence but ONLY if you don't mind some fixing here and there. When its set up and running, it will stay working in HUO conditions

dead pc's? Just needs to be better then Pin-2k or old nucore

Doubtful. The OS was highly customized for the target hardware. A stock kernel would likely not perform well.

This looks awesome to me, I would definitely be in for one of these mods.

Chris

by the way, sort of linked with the 'MODS' topic. Does anyone actually have - either on a prototype machine / playfield or separately the original Xeno Toy which the screen replaced??? I was curious as to what that toy actually did - or was intended to do..??????

Dan, your choice buddy, but if you are a fan of the movies - pull the trigger! Can't speak for anyone else, but I have had virtually no issues with my LE for 1 year now, it's a truly amazing pin and scores massively with me on immersive / atmospheric.

That looks cool!
While I do t have a 3D printer, I always thought it would be a cool idea to also create some sort of dome-like sleeping chamber to lay over the back left plastic, give that area some dimension.

Great idea - and if an interactive LED light could work in somehow to one of the modes - not sure which would be most appropriate, someone will be able to work that out - that would be cool!. Even cooler, a 2 part with a motor which opens the lid of the sleeping chamber as per the 'wake up' scene for the crew in Aliens!!!

It was a Queen figurine hidden behind a metal curtain that could rotate away to reveal her. Very similar to the Joker reveal on Batman Dark Knight. The LCD is a much better use of the space.

Thanks Ferret - wow, did any machines, including prototypes get shipped with this toy? or was it just a development (very) early on which got canned and never made it onto a machine in the owners club?

Not "shipped", but that toy was on the early Aliens that were revealed at Pinball Expo 2016. I think the motor for the reveal even worked. I'm not sure what happened to those three Expo 2016 machines.

I have a prototype dated January 2017, and it already has the Airlock LCD.

I think the white led illuminates perfectly to the speaker through the acrylic (too good, as it's a white light which cannot be controlled without blacking out the inside of the speaker opening). Having a light blue acrylic ring insert to fit inside the existing hole would give it just the right amount of light, imho, and not impede the white from reaching the far areas of backbox (where logo is located).

Can you make/ offer this ring? It would be slightly smaller than the speaker opening, possibly w a slight lip that would go against the translite.

I added extra, white LED's to mine (have Averell version) to get great balance....just looking for a bit of blue glow (not white) hitting the speaker cone.

Yes!!!! Thank you!! Didn’t realize it had to be fed 5v to work, that looks like the key. It doesn’t matter which side of 3 pins you use? One row is labeled ‘j4’ on all of them.. thinking maybe that’s the side to use?

Too late .. already there.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/alien-hypersleep-chambers-3d-

I have this but not installed, no time to make some illumination.

I've seen that a while ago, I could print a few maybe at work.

Edit: I will try and also make some of those acrylic covers for this mod and add lighting. Will do it after I'm done with the speaker panels

I only checked the pins which are used by the Alien playfield boards, and these are the 3 pins close to the small PCB number, see attached picture. The output is low when a ball/metall is detected and high (4,4V) otherwiese - so it's not an open collector output. The LED shows the sensor's activity with dim flashes and lights up when a ball is passing.
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I have not been able to work on te Alien. A fellow Pinsider has installed my panels, see below.

This is the last moment to order panels if anyone wants them.

They are produced next week and will ship out in roughly 10 days.

I will make 1 batch only, just like Averell!

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Thought I'd share some additions I made to my Alien.
Added a Derelict Ship in the back right, a face hugger coming out of one of the pop bumpers, a Drop Ship by the left ramp and an Alien creeping out of the duct work in front of the sleeping chamber. Depending on the game lighting during modes, each addition has a very cool and sometimes very creepy feel.

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As asked by some people, some experiments with the lighted panels.

Anyone who wants this can order it with the panels or make it himself.

So if you want green light it will go well with the green grill.
I will post pictures of the colored grill later

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Is there anyone with a spare PETG set for sale or anyone willing to do a run of these for the Alien owners - I imagine there may be quite a bit of interest.......

I would definitely be interested in picking up a set.

+1

I've been hunting, asking and searching the planet... for nearly a year....

I'd like a set.

QSS

Just completed the Loader Battle mode for the first time last night...what a rush...just awesome!!!! Such a very cool mode

Does anyone also have a problem with the Xeno in the Ambush Multiball?
When I play a mode and get the Ambush Multiball while the Xeno is grabbing a ball, the tongue (gear) and jaw will be interrupted immediately.
This always happens when all lights are turned off and then change to red.
I'm not sure if this is a problem in the game code or caused by the flasher mode for the strobe light?

+ 1 just in case someone thinking about doing a run of these.

I see that I have an other 5 sets in a couple of weeks BUT I will only sell them to1 person in the US and ship only with UPS !! Had many many trouble with the PET-G backboards.

If someone buys 5 sets and distribute we will find a way !

I would be in for a set!

Unfortunately here's the confirmation of a recommendation of an Airlock Plastic Protector!
Without protector this plastic won't last long!
I hope to get the plastic soon.
This broken part was made of PET-G but couldn't resist against heavy multiball shootout.

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I’d volunteer for that @tomdk, if those others above give an affirmative. I count four in the US and one in Canada (so far). Of course, it would be first come first serve basis. This community has been so good to me, it’s time I give a little in an area where I can...

I'd be up for a PETG plastics set.

I can back up SDpinballer as a North American distributor. I'd be happy to buy all 5 sets and ship them out to others ad needed.

QSS

I'd also be in for a PETG set if one is available.