Congrats and welcome!! This machine had pretty much a " dream" team assembled for audio, art, video, and coding...a deadly game in the dark!!!

Reliability will be based on when yours was born, and what prior owner did ( or didn't) do to it. @skynight320 is spot on in his recommendation...a good read post Andrew will get you up to speed....enjoy!!

Heighway Pinball Starts dying at around page 293. The owners really start taking over from there. I’m still reading myself. Good luck And have fun with it!

Who in the group has an LE? I’m just wondering how they lit the blades? Anyone done it on an SE? Looks like it’s an el panel. Anyone have photos on how it was wired? Is it one panel cut to match each blade and the back panel? Im gonna try to bring it to life a little more of the way I think it should be to suit my love for the movie. I’m gonna try to figure out how to add some strobes during queens nest and sentry guns to start.

@sdpinballer..... I see in your picture you have that late build POS Chinese subwoofer. Chuck it in the trash and put in a QUALITY driver, audiophiles will give you hundreds of choices so I won't bother, BUT DO IT. The sounds and script choices in this game are not to be missed by a CHEAP piece such as that, it really helps the playing more. I would also add a Polk Audio PSW10 self powered unit underneath so you can find out where your body fat is. I'm old school and have found strapping the additional sub to the cabinet will really shake things up.
The only problem with this advice of strapping is it increases vibration in the cabinet and puts at risk, all those VALUABLE electronics! Not withstanding the problematic USB connections. That's another story.
I only say this as I don't have a shaker in my LE right now, as it's debatable whether it is enough for the quote "Experience". I know, I know, there goes that word again but c'mon that shaker thing is weak. The power draw without an upgraded power supply will ruin your attitude about this game but also don't forget about the vibration aspect. Try it first, unstrapped with a better cabinet speaker, and add if you don't jiggle a bit. Remembering the risks.

Just my 2 cents, "you never know unless you try".
But no matter what, get rid of that POS subwoofer speaker!

P.S. IF you want more TUBBY bass put your sub and the game in a corner spot, bass sounds are omnidirectional and increase with deflection. Like I said, "old school"

Definitely an early hybrid build, so hats off to you for keeping it alive!!! The other thread has valuable info regarding the early games alive. might be worth reading there too....I recall they had trouble getting the toroidal transformer to power correctly, but I'd have to revisit..possibly knockerlover could chime in...pioneers in that thread. Post previously posted....life blood of these games - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/alien-pinball-official-game-thread/page/534#post-5686848 "c)" will be of most value to your build

The caps on the 70v ps side, along with a beefier 12v supply nailed reliability for me...highly recommend if it behaves in your setup....props for going at this one!!!!!

I'm honest when I say this is the most amazing audio in any of my games...David outdid himself on this one!!!! Agree on the sub, and balance settings on the amp are crucial. In truth, once you get a genuine lacing plan in place w proper USB cables, there won't be any problems w connectivity. I enjoy the shaker effect in my LE, and really don't think it will bother things much. Some want more in the final code...I could live either way w it.....

Just a matter of taking your time and going the extra mile on this one to nail it. Mine is played quite often, and is easily as reliable as my other machines in current state. Power supplies can't be overstated enough...caps handle extended mb action in 70v, and the beefier 12v eliminates resets (on mine, anyway).

Excited to see new owners going at it. Just finished a long evening of Alienland (mixed in w TWDLE)....this game is the real deal....

Hey Everyone what is the best brand of cables that goes to the I/o boards replace with ?
Thanks
Btw welcome pinkitten! The game rocks!

Thanks for the advice everyone. I definitely will read thru this thread and bring myself up to speed on this rare gem. Quick question for you Alien experts...are you able to tell what generation example I have from pictures of my boards or hardware in the cab? Or is there a “born on” date that is revealing? I jumped on this local example fast, but the sooner I know what exactly I’m dealing with the better. In other words, are there things I should do right away to bulletproof it, depending on my pin’s generation? I know the prior owner did almost zero work on it. He rarely played it, and had never even unlocked and opened the head.

Thanks!

4537E60F-3D5F-48CD-9BE7-A6EB7DF7383A (resized).jpeg

7BE9F0B7-35C7-4D8E-91A6-9164B6977372 (resized).jpeg

A2EABD8D-36DE-4AAE-A4FF-5257E2B976BC (resized).jpeg

D9F5F7A4-37FA-4E2F-B6BB-FD1505360064 (resized).jpeg

Search for cables in the blog. It's been a while but I think it was (2) 3ft. and (2) 6ft. required. These are not top of the line but you can't beat the price....

https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030302&p_id=5450&seq=1&format=2

Make sure they are USB-A to Mini-B 2.0 Cables and don't forget Ferrite Chokes. Both can be gotten off E-Bay or Amazon.
Main thing to remember is make sure ALL cables are routed away from interference lines, like the speaker magnet.
Oh, and also get a half dozen cable ladders to secure and make sure those crappy USB connections stay seated.
Just do a search of the blog, a lot of good info there!

No evidence of a improvement but look nice............

ebay.com link: JSAUX Mini USB Cable 2 Pack 3 3ft 6 6ft USB 2 0 Type A to Mini B Cable Male

Thanks sky!
Its crazy that I have had the game this long and never got around to replacing the cables!

Thank you for the advice. I love a good project that I’m capable of completing. Converting to a new power supply and adding the 70v caps is unfortunately out of my league to complete. If I were to break something in the process, I would be SUPER bummed. Plus, I just don’t see the need to do it on this particular machine as it plays just fine without it. I’m okay with the tiniest bit of lag on the flipper action. I have another machine with “improved” flippers (upgraded coils) and they are too responsive. Will need adjusting. Plus, I’ve never had a power failure, and I don’t want one, but have weighed the options and decided for now just leaving as is b/c it’s super fun/challenging the way it is. Has a couple of my favorite shots in all of pinball and I’m afraid if I start messing with things, I’ll lose that “favorite” Feel.

With regard to audio, up until your post, I was under the impression that this machine has the best stock audio out of any that I’ve ever heard. I’ve other machines with upgraded sound systems and Alien still wins. I’m not a complete dunce when it comes to audio as I have separately a nice calibrated Macintosh system as well as upgraded system in the commute car, but I’m surely not an audiophile either. The sounds coming from this machine are crisp. The bass is perfect with the recommendations of amp settings aforementioned in this thread. I wouldn’t want any more draw being pulled from an already taxed power supply so again, in my situation if it ain’t broke...

I really do appreciate the advice though. I may call upon you to help me someday in the future if things change. Seeing as how ugly and unhappy the ownership experience started out (Heighway ripping me off), the people in this community make owning this particular machine a happy experience for sure! Thank you!

Now with regard to MK6PIN temperature control mod, well that’s just a no brainer. That may end up being the single most important thing to “do” to this machine.

Love this hobby!

Did anyone ever figure out what to do when I/O boards wont update from .8 to .9? I had a standard that did this and then one day it allowed me to update it. Now I have an LE and 3 out of 4 boards are .8 and when I select any to update to .9 and I click enter, the game freezes for approx 10 minutes and then just goes back showing the board at .8. The 1 board thats .9 lets me downgrade it to .8 and update it back to .9 no matter what I/O position I install it in. So this seems like a board issue in some way, but I put in a brand new one I got from Freeplay and it also will not update. Not sure what I did before to get that one to update. Ive swapped cables, swapped positions, used different USB drives, downloaded fresh files, unzipped the files and nothing. Also, my standard let me leave my thumb drive in the computer when resetting and it booted fine, this LE will freeze on boot and say to remove all media if I have the thumb drive in it.

Did anyone come up with a permanent fix for that left switch next to the right ramp ? Mine keeps getting misaligned then hits the side of the ramp and gets stuck kind of annoying . Still gotta add foam under that ramp to prevent balls from getting hung up there .

I've seen a solution someone had for this, but can't find where ... it was a year or two ago.

williams green translucent 3-D retangular target (resized).jpg

It was a plastic (3dprinted) shim with edge lips both sides, on both sides. Fitted in between it maintained vertical alignment, to combat this very issue. I think maybe the stack ended up bolted together.

That is another option.... just lose the rivets, and try bolts, using a bit more tension than the rivets can provide.

https://mezelmods.com/products/stern-target-splints?variant=923513721

Yep something like that!!

Thanks guys that splint looks like it would work do u guys know which size I should try ?

Theres also this https://mezelmods.com/products/williams-target-splint

Can someone Please advise where to get That green target.

https://www.pinballlife.com/williams-green-transparent-standup-target-3-ddeep-rectangle.html

Your the Best Thank you! Not sure how I didn't see that...lol

I believe Heighway just used that Whitewater part.

Possibly why they are aplenty again, perhaps?. Couldn't get hold of them so easily there a while back, either. Was that because they were populating Alien playfields?

Curious what you guys think an LE green should go for, in Europe 300 plays, a rental at a business that is mostly unplayed there. I’ve wanted one for years now, but have been watching the prices go up, hoping for a remake. It sounds like even if a remake were to happen, it would be very different than the original. Can I still find parts such as I/O boards, lcd screens, etc?

The price is always set by what your willing to pay for it, or what the seller is willing to sell it for. A lot of price considerations come into effect such as, demand, rarity, and the good old DESIRE to own.
Look at it like art..... some say "WTH" to a paintings price, but someone paid it. This is a GRAIL pin for a lot of people including myself but I've seen quite a few say that and then sell. The old saying "Everything has a price" is true. So research all the good and bad of it and check your emotions, and then your bank balance!
As far as getting parts for it, after decades there are still a bunch of old FERRARI'S driving around.

Thanks for the feedback! I’ve held off in part over concerns regarding parts, but as long as there is a community that is this enthusiastic, it seems there will be a way. Seems like the later run machines have been reliable.

The final (only) real run of machines were all LE's, mostly green (some blue, less black)...around 2/18 as I recall. Those had most of the items sorted (Xeno, boards, weird computer stuff, etc.) so you should be good.

PETG plastics are come and go.....the rest of the components are attainable (large black LED PCB board seems to be unobtanium currently...might be hard to get, but not prone to breaking).

Price - got mine NIB for around 10k US from Sweden 5/18 (not counting my lost deposit)...they seem to have risen to 15k, but I guess it's worth what someone is willing to pay. I'd be much more comfortable buying a green LE from Europe (as where they mostly ended up) opposed to a US standard, period. Mixed bag ended up over here......good luck on the hunt!!!!

Super helpful, thanks for the input!

10k?............Now I'm really pissed off @MK6PIN!.... LOL
Yeah, and look at all those FREE stories you have extra. They have been shipped, they're on the ship enroute and be docking shortly!...Ring a Bell?

"Don't worry be HAPPY" which you will be when you get one. Pinball is a passion and these truly are "WORKS" of art for the enthusiast.
In any collecting it's not just the item that sets price, it's the history and stories behind it. These have lots of stories. For that aspect read this blog from the beginning!
Some "people" are saying this will be rebuilt. If it does, it WON'T be the same. As an example look what Stern did with the Indiana Jones remake!
But if it does more enthusiasts will get to play this game and who wants a copy when you can get an original.

Good luck to you and I hope you join the club.

Whew....years of them....a terrible ride.I had resigned myself to never having one after Melissa took the final hit ( she was amazing and willing to help me if she could, w one off the " container"). Mine was to be a preorder before they had any distribution.

After "quitting" the club ( given we would never see one)... a Pinsider across the pond reached to me, as he had gotten a small # of the games that never made the ship.

Took a final leap of faith, and am very grateful to him. I lost deposit $$, but other guys lost more ( even started a thread back then to capture the $$ Pinsiders had given as deposits or paid in full).

It's a journey I won't take again, and the machine has very special meaning to me ( obviously). Fortunately, it was far more than just a box of lights....the game exceeded expectations...

Just added a couple of isolated seaker protection pcb's in.
No more pop squelch when powering up.
Bought these as they were totally isolated on the power plus speaker contacts.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32799021078.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.52b04c4dkpbUp6
Had some plastic covers made up and added screwpillars etc.

Antipop (resized).JPG

Mod number one complete! Added a flasher to the left tunnel. I’ve got a couple of micro strobes coming that will alternate flashes during Queen’s nest and sentry guns. One strobe on the main xeno and then I have a dog xeno that I’m going to put on top of the tunnel with a strobe pointing at it. I’ll post the final video when it’s done If there is a way to post a video. Looks really cool though.

6D23FF27-3B1E-4352-8EFE-9FF7738910AF (resized).jpeg

So ive seen over 25 Alien pins without any data/serial decals on the back of the cabinet and have spoken with some regarding this and it seems that some mid to late batches were rushed out during the transition and they didnt have time to rebrand the decals or just plain ran out. Some have the serial number decal, but not the power decal, and a lot just dont have any of them. I will be doing a run of these here once I can get a good solid scan of both decals and find a place able to mimic the metal like sticker. The issue with this, and I have been contacting many I know that have one, is trying to get a solid lock on what the serial number range is supposed to be....if any. It seems that USA ones have a certain range and then out of states ones have their own as well, and then of course LE's vs Standards have their own unique ones. PB has said they have no records anymore of serials or anything to go off of. So while you could just make up your own, Id rather like to try and come to some sort of close resemblance to what it was supposed to be. Maybe even just putting down "survivor" as the serial to signify its one that was not issued a serial. The playfields have serials attached, but cannot confirm if this is linked to the cab or is separate. So who's interested?

I think you will find some have Full Throttle serial labels on .
Maybe a few owners may have pulled those off?

Do you guys find it necessary to lube up the siren lights? My left one is acting all weird and slow. THinking maybe a little bit of lube will help.

Yep.....definitely early and "mid stream" machines had varying degrees of markings or none at all. If you've seen "over 25" in the US, that's what you are seeing and hearing about I suspect.

Not sure what would be gained by creating made-up (fake) serial # tags, LE Plaques, etc. (though some have done it), except further muddy the waters (I like the "survivor" word for the serial though...cool idea I guess).

PB was only part of the equation when Heighway tanked....never aware of (or have seen) a "rebranded" Alien game, just parts.

The thread and people w more insight across the pond could possibly help identify the build of a machine, if you could trace it to the original owner and source.

Pure madness back then.

Get the belt driven ones. Completely silent. My link doesn't work any more but I am sure they are out there still.

"Survivor" sounds like a great idea.
I know of one machine that has the Full throttle sticker on the back.
I think some may have had playfield swap options.

I have a full throttle sticker on mine

Do people add the beacon lights to SE models? Is that a complicated endeavor?

I think delt31 did. He seems like a reasonable enough guy to give you some advice.

Yeah mine came brand new in box from PB and they said they no longer have any info on LE numbers to serials. And yes, i dont like the idea many others have of trying to convert up their SEs into LEs and create numbers that do not belong to them ie "426". I would need proof of their game like a pic of their LE plaque or i will just subsidize all these tags with a survivor serial number or followup the number with and "S" to signify it as a survivor number. "Last surviving crew member of the nostromo"

"R" for Ripley

RIP or URIP (Unofficial Ripley edition)

Or "KIT" for kit games.

Instructions in the Alien Club thread
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/get-away-from-her-you-bitch-alien-club-all-members-expendable/page/4#post-4128786

Here are beacons on ebay, but not the belt driven ones. Maybe someone can post a link to those.
ebay.com link: Rotating Beacon Warning Light Lamp Spiral Fixed ABS 12VDC 220VAC LTE 1101

You do need to lube up the beacon lights. And they can be added to an SE. My SE has them. And they are available on the free-play website for like $70 each. I can tell you where they plug-in if you decide to buy them because mines already been rigged for them. Decided to keep my machine after all. Been playing it and I like it more amd more but it does need a code update if you decide to go from version 1.2 to 1.3. there is a glitch in 1.4 with tunnel hunt. He is working on a new release to fix that it. Having fun adding more toys to my machine. Most recently a new xeno And face hugger. Once the dog Xeno and the strobes are installed on them I think it’s going to look awesome. The last picture is the whole upper playfield so far complete with the latest add-ons including the two eggs near the egg bumpers. And I agree that I also don’t see the real value in making up fake serial numbers and plaques. it’s really not going to add value if it’s not real anyway. I think it’s kind of cool that it’s part of its untouched history. They just slammed these things out near the end.

5E980883-925F-431F-A571-5F76F1539478 (resized).jpeg7ECA8D14-E8C1-4BBE-B5D7-819A8A9CB6FD (resized).jpegCF3024B0-5E1C-46D5-91CB-E7AC61A7E8CE (resized).jpeg
4BC6A8AC-05EA-4DC8-AF58-5301504336D4 (resized).jpeg

Cool luckily I have some lube for my WOZ monkey, will try lubing up my Alien then. Thanks

There's no official version 1.4 available yet, just some test files and not for public.
The glitch is in version 1.3 with a known bug in the tunnel hunt mission.
All these issues will be fixed with the next release of version 1.4.

version 1.4-beacon lubers edition

Never left fellas. And yes - I reached out to help him.

In fact.....I think it’s time I came back. Wanted ad going up shortly. See you soon.