Oh heck yes...

That would be pretty awesome just need to get it working in the game first.

I would get one of these even without all the fancy lights and electronics on it. Looks WAY better than the flat plastic!

Problem Solved !!!
Thanks for all Hints
I Open the Monitor Chasis and reorder the small cable inside.
Now it works fine !!!!

Thanks for all helping hints

Thomas

Just received and installed ChipScott decal set... absolutely stunning!!! His pics are way better than what I could take...highly recommend!!!
Adds amazing beauty to the ramps and match the vibe perfectly...quality!!!

So typical Alien fashion....after reinstalling the scoop ( polished all 3) was in the middle of a great battle, and this black, plastic piece appeared on the playfield.... can't recall running into this prior...anyone recently tear one down recognize it?

Finished the game fine, doesn't appear broken, but obviously has a home...thanks in advance

IMG_20200418_205353898 (resized).jpg

IMG_20200418_205339038 (resized).jpg

IMG_20200418_205348430 (resized).jpg

It's broken.

Where it has that rough shape on the end, it once was a hole in the shaft for the retaining pin. It looks like the plastic end of the plunger (the post) from your up post/diverter in the top of the orbit.

The other piece is probably still in the end of the metal plunger. Only difference with gameplay would be shooting for eggs in the lifecycle and the ball goes all the way around, instead of diverting to pops.

Yep....just left it, realizing what you describe. Guess I'll try to cross-check the assembly, as free-play doesn't have one in stock. Never had that break on a game prior...crazy

You should be able to see without taking the glass off. Usually the up post top face will sit flush with the playfield. Look at the playfield ball runway in the orbit, where that broken part pokes up from you should see a void instead of the top of a post.

https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-bell-armature-plunger-assembly-a-17767.html

https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-bell-armature-plunger-assembly-04-10291.html

https://www.pinballlife.com/williamsbally-bell-armature-plunger-assembly-02-4668.html

With a little homework and/or a phonecall to Margaret (or pm to Scott), I am certain you will find one of these is the exact same part.

Never had that happen? ..... maybe never played so much (and give an up post such a smashing) before Alien came to be!?

Yep...stuck it back in the hole...break matched so decided to just put JB Weld (very small amount) on the break and let it sit overnight (knowing it will launch again...just made me feel better...

These posts seem to all adjust to sit flush w playfield, so I think a little research and I'll find a suitable replacement. Will post what I find.

I've truly never broken one before....adjusted many. Think you're right....I had just polished my ramps, scoop, applied killer decals, and was destroying the game tonight having a blast. Thing launched after I finished loader battle, and heading to the other side...just snatched it out and kept playing...

I would start with those 3 links I put there, I'll put my bottom dollar on one of those. They are all the same aside from lengths.

JB weld may work, likely outcome is that it will eventually come astray again though. They are getting bashed sideways, and take some stress down inside there, on that skinny bit of shaft and pinhole.

Some kind of adhesive when installing again, to fill the clearance, may help prevent a new one frome breaking in the same way again.

*Heighway used a mix of component sources from what I've noticed. Many from the "homebrew" catalogue. Alot of Bally/Williams spec stuff, mixed with other such as DE/SEGA pops. My bet one of those B/W plungers listed can be a direct replacment.

Agreed....I'll pull it tomorrow and measure.....need some other stuff from Terry anyway....thanks for looking them up. Initial look at length of plastic, thinking 02-4668 is gonna be the winner....

:applause:Its not a pinball machine .. its a Alien from Heighway
Strange things will happen ...

Has anyone heard from Faust on their acrylic speaker panels? It's been a long time (months) since I ordered them. Not really in a rush, but can't get any communication back from them on where my package is (if shipped yet).

You are right about that...every time I pop the playfield I'm reminded. I've used more profanity working on this thing than any other machine ( TZ comes close though)

But when you get a good ball going...amazing. I didn't care if a leg came off, I was going to finish...

All have been shipped 3-4 weeks ago, some have arrived already. But have not heard from anyone in the US already receiving any...
I guess things are slow. I personally have neither received the eggs from Backalley neither (ordered when announced).

I'm back in the forum with the IO board missing problem. Thought I solved it, but I just had to play a little longer
First real game since rebuild and at 2nd game at some point it won't throw it out of the airlock anymore, and then you know what's going on... IO board missing.

Hard reset only way to fix, it will not redetect the missing one (says always IO board 1)

So I have done the following that was suggested in the forum already:

-Replaced USB cables
-Rerouted, avoiding high 70V lines
-Ferrite chokes on each end
-Kept all wires away from subwoofer or whatever.

No luck.

I can try changing IO boards? But which one... I have 1 spare. Any other ideas?

Staring at the pic and mine this morning, I ordered the 02-4668, along w some other stuff I needed. We will see.

The JB Weld dried incredibly strong...stuck it back in the game and put a few plays on...worked perfectly.

I'll still change it out, but can still get my "Alien fix" if needed in the meantime....I was being especially brutal on it last night, so will tone down a bit until new part arrives..

Think you changed (swapped) boards already? The #1 is by far the worst for seating properly, especially when you pull the playfield in and out. Just naturally seems to wiggle loose.

Given a reset brings it back, I'd really look hard at the strain relief you provided there. Just my thoughts...

Thanks for the advice. Will look into it and report back if I make some progress.

I swear I'd have everything snug, then that last " push" to set the play field would jar it loose just enough. Sorting the strain relief back there is not easy...took me awhile to get it right. No lacing bar will help you on this one.

Good luck...you'll get it. I can post some pics on how I did mine when I open it again later next weekend to replace my up post....

Buddy came over today and after 5 hours we now have all the leds in the game running except one. There is a single led board to the left of the alien jaw. If you put an led in it, it fries the led instantly. I ended up just disconnecting it.

Also have a dead io board. Does anyone repair them or is it trash? Still don't have working drop targets, but at least something is done.

No. Even within Europe received nothing...

Do not trash it !!
I am sure our electronics-Alien-guru Per_ would be happy to have a "dead" board to work with !

And now the very reverse...have received the parcel now!
The parcel service has thrown it in our corporate building's staircase. The secretary found it now...

Thanks Felix!

Got mine last week ....

I repaired some I/O boards from other Alien owners. Most often the coil or the over-current protection MOS FETs are dead - this can be repaired quite easily. So I would put a defect board in my alien parts box and remember when I run out of replacement boards ... I am pretty sure you will find someone who can replace SMD components in your area.

Mine is somewhere at DHL home...

My Flipper beeping just magically went away.. sweet!

And the winner is...02-4668 ( my eyes not so bad after all) thanks to @razorsedge!!!

Pic of my repaired one as I already installed the new...think I'll keep for a spare...turned out strong

IMG_20200423_225950854 (resized).jpg

I’ve made some progress with the ball through. Adding the plastic anti jam is certainly a good idea, it makes the balls roll down smoother.
So its moving slowly forward.
Redid some cabling with the USB, and it seems better for now.

Then: My ‘eternal ballsaver’ issue:

Once I start ambush multiball I get infinitely new balls:
-‘scream again’ light stays on all the time
-Its limited to keeping 2 balls in play.
-Happens most of the times, but not always
-Was already like this when I got the game (NOB).

Have tried:
-Swap io board 3 for a spare (flippers)
-test every single switch
-bought low magnet balls, redid ballthrough assy and placed anti jam plastic
-adjusted shooter lane switch

I’ve done all the obvious testing. I can’t believe nobody has this issue, and at my game it happens almost always.... Then it shouldn’t be so hard to fix, no??

I have the impression that when I reduce coil power on the flippers, it becomes worse.

I’ve reduced coil power of the right upper flipper because otherwise it does never detect the ball shooting it over the inner loop; it goes too fast over the sensor.

Reducing coil power has also some weird side effects as you can see in my video: I have UV flashers hooked up to the magnet, and at reduced coil power the magnet gets activated when you press the flipper buttons...

Probably not related, but still...weird.

Maybe you guys have some more ideas.

I am going to say it again....get a compatible thumb drive, format it correctly. Download a fresh copy of 1.2 game software and also .9 I/O software from Weir. Install on properly formatted thumb drive. Insert drive into computer and go into settings/actions/update. Then click update on game software, then do every single I/O board even if everything is .9 and 1.2. I had your exact issue and after replacing I/O #1 and then reflashing all the software and I/O versions, my problem went away. Could be a simple Comm issue between the boards and some numbers arent matching up in the software which is causing conflict.

You mention "UV flashers"...I think the first thing I'd do is remove any sort of electrical mod you may have on the game and try again.

My game only became truly reliable after I dealt w the PS issue.....just a guess, but then you can rule it out.

Alien runs the ragged edge on the 12v side as is...w installed ps

Thanks for the tips, will try.

I didn’t put it in my post, but already reflashed the IO boards with 0.9
Will do a full new software install also

I will also disconnect any electrical mod and try from there; however when I got the game it had already this behavior (just out of the box). But certainly good to be sure.

Does it happen only during Ambush MB or for any other MB?

That's a good question. I doubt I have tried it that far (because ambush is easy to start). I will try a hypersleep multiball and report back.

So...just an informational for all regarding the LED serial problems (if you encounter it):

After replacing my broken up-post (easy) I suddenly lost a string of LEDS several games later (think she was laying in wait...it had been so long since a problem).

Fix seemed easy enough - single lamp test, find the offender (first fail) and replace it or the one just prior. I've done this twice in the past.

This time, it was A/1 string, fourth in, I believe. Lives on the huge, center, unobtainium. PITA to remove board. Anyway, got to it, changed the "dead" one...nothing. Changed the one before it in the string, nothing. Scratched my head, and decided to start swapping several in the string at different points. Still couldn't get them to light past the original 3. Started to panic that the board itself had a broken trace or something...time for a break.

On my 4th go at it, I decided on a whim to take a known working LED from ANOTHER string and just start working down the path. When I got to the 10th LED in the string (well behind the "failed" one) the board came back to life!!!!.

Before I smashed the offender, put a meter on it, finding a ground short.

Moral of my story - There is a chance the failed LED can be anywhere in the string, not just in proximity to the "last good bulb" in test mode.

2nd moral of the story - Anytime you work on your properly laced game (USB), remember to relace everything as prior. If not, you may leave a loop dangling, which could catch on the PC plexi cover shield when relifting playfield - ripping the connector off of an I/O board (ask me how I know....actually, don't ask as I'm still pissed).

She's back up and running (had a spare I/O board), playing great. Guess it was a friendly reminder of "who was boss".......another lesson in Alienland....

Excellent info...can't believe the offending LED was so far away from what would have been the suspected culprit!! You mentioned you found a ground short...how and where did you diagnose and subsequently address/fix that? (for future knowledge). Also, what a gutwrenching feeling that must have been lifting up the pf and hearing a board component rip off...ughhhh!!!!! I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach just hearing that story, man...I'm so sorry that happened!! Thank goodness you had a spare IO board!!
Anyway, so happy you got the game back up and running!!

My thoughts exactly!!! I kept swapping LEDs in the same string to the " bad" spot, not realizing the culprit was down the line...crazy.

The repair was a new LED assembly. I tested the pins on the bad one w my meter, comparing to a good one and id'd the short.

Looked in the other thread and someone had a similar problem ( a year ago), except the offender stayed "on", taking out LEDs on both sides...mine stayed dark. A toughy for sure...

It takes me several attempts at repairs sometimes, as I've learned to "step away" instead of making things worse ( a valuable lesson taught to me by LTG several years ago).

I never leave the playfield in service position however, always afraid it might fall, so just laid it back down. Had to remove some of my lacing to get that #$@! board out, so the USB cable was hanging. You know the rest.

Could happen on any game, it's just parts are so hard to come by on this one

Ughh, spent 3 hours working on my drop target opto yesterday.

Replaced all the 3. Board shows two working, but one was activating at the wrong spot. Unplugged the opto board with the game on, optos failed to work after that. Replaced them again, 1 working. Turn game off, try moving the signal wires around, opto no longer works. Really want to say f* this game. I am close to getting it 100 percent, after this it is just putting in the new alien head, but so sick of it. Half tempted to get it 100 percent and throw it out as trade bait least I have to fix it again.

Don't forget to place these screws into the assy.
Without these limit stop the drop targets standing too deep under the surface of the playfield.
This is how it should be.

DSCN7775 (resized).JPG

DSCN7780 (resized).JPG

DSCN7779 (resized).JPG

Did anyone come up with a fix for that right ramp ? My ball has been getting stuck between play field
And the metal part of that ramp

Yes, you have to dismantle the small ramp to lift it and stuck some foam between.
Tight the ramp only that much that the edge is smooth to the playfield.

I have a question: It seems that it happens quite often that the LEDS break (while normally LEDS have a very long lifetime).
Can someone explain why this happens? Sure the target lights may be damaged by balls, but the insert lights...

If there anywhere documentation on how the LED strings are organized on the PCBs?

Regarding my ball problems, I have contacted BCD and sent an errorlog; I hope that gives some info.
Today I tried a few test games (with no glass) and was not able to replicate the issue.
Probably up until the moment that I put the glass and start a normal game

Yes I did pretty much what Averell said, but I used a piece of plastic (thickness of aplayfield protector ~1.8mm). I had some unused protector parts laying around and cut it out from there. After that, the scoop is exactly flat with the playfield.
The ramp is fairly easy to remove. When I removed it, I took the opportunity to make the wood black around the scoop, giving a slightly better look.

No worse than any other game I've had..just the ability to get to them can be challenging. Some cases the assembly is just loose in the socket as well. At least they are socketed, sparing a tremendous expense if one fails. Also, Alien has a LOT of lights.....

You can go to pinwiki to see the LED strings written out, and/ or just follow the menu in single lamp test. Very descriptive....

I know this thread is a very large, confusing swamp. But there is anywhere a posting from Per_ with many many very good technical explanations and, dont know who made it, a lamp matrix.

Most topics are discussed but it is a nightmare to find them on pinside.

Alien Lamp Matrix - Sheet1.pdf

The next rulesheet will include this lamp matrix and some other useful hints.

The lamp matrix is also listed on pinwiki...
https://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Heighway_Pinball_Repair#Alien

Thanks for posting the link...should have included in my suggestion above. MUCH of this info that has " recently" been discovered is found here, and worked through years ago.

Now, if there are any true insiders ( beyond Brian, Joe, Dan, and Aurich on occasion, who have all been amazing), a full schematic set, including part #'s would be a very valuable thing.

Surely the game was designed and built w such a document set. But getting info ( much less the game itself) from across the pond has been an exercise in futility.