ChipScott PM'd a link for the correct EL Panel supply
(Topic ID: 106728)
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Alien (Heighway Pinball)
Heighway Pinball, 2017
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Considering that bcd was kindly updating the firmware for us I was going to release the 3Dmodel for all that have a machine so that they could make them up themselves.
I really don't want to manufacture these for sale etc.
Also not to be mass produced for profit. This is for individual owners of the machine. Thanks
1 week later
Quoted from razorsedge:I've seen a solution someone had for this, but can't find where ... it was a year or two ago.
[quoted image]
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
Quoted from Oneangrymo: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
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).JPGI think you will find some have Full Throttle serial labels on .
Maybe a few owners may have pulled those off?
Quoted from MK6PIN: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.
"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.
Quoted from dpeck3:Looks great! I just got my airlock frame also. Where did you get those stickers on eBay? What are they called?
You can get the water decals from here. they also have the numbers etc.
You need to prime the surface with a grey acrylic primer. Add the decals and then spray with satin clear acrylic.
Look up modeling decals. They are a bit fiddly to put on but look great after clear has been applied.
Quoted from TomDK:Contact ChipScott ... he will send you the files via EMail.
Let them print in a online store as a sticker and cut them out ... easy doing. I like them because the graphics are very well done, fits perfect to the machine.
I also have a set and they look great.
The door is a perfect choice.
Quoted from dpeck3:So I installed some mini beacons in the existing holes where they are presently mounted. They are 4.5v-6v beacons. The LEDs throughout the playfield appear to be 12 V. Anybody know where I can grab 4.5-6v power on fhe playfield to light them up?
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Contact Faust as he has a great pcb mod for triggering these off switches etc
Not sure if they work on a 5v beacon so ask.
Motion tracker
I'm soak testing at the moment. So when ticked OK will start.
It's going to be stuck down with double sided as there's no real way to mount it easily.
Connections are plug and play etc
I will probably make a limited run so contact me if you want to be put on the list.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Averell:Hello,
here's the latest version of the ALIEN Rulesheet - enjoy.
[quoted image]
Thanks for the updated manual
Have designed a bracket for the rear USB cable.
Use double sided tape and short screws.
Make sure the screws do not go through the rear panel!
Two tie wraps for cable and connector clamp.
Again a free design for you to download and print for yourselves. Not for commercial purposes etc
https://pinshape.com/items/98579-3d-printed-alien-pinball-rear-panel-usb-bracket
bracket (resized).JPGQuoted from dpeck3:Just catching up. I am in for all those mods! Can’t wait to see the final products. Question. Is there a thread that someone can direct me to to add a shaker to my game? Is this recommended? Is the software capable of managing it? Thanks
try this
For anyone that may have a similar problem.
Alien Pinball had flickering inserts central of playfield.
I checked all connections and led's etc changed USB cable and swapped out IO pcb.
Problem solved by resoldering IO PCB connector on the large center led pcb.
It was riddled with dry joints.
Quoted from Faust:Well honestly adding a shaker is pointless.
It is used so sparsely, that it is not worth it. Curious what the others think
I have a Quake version in mine and tell you the truth is hard to tell if it's working.
The woofer shakes more than the shaker
Quoted from adamross:Love me some mini beacons. Are these DIY or is someone offering a mod?
Faust had something done
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/alien-pinball-official-game-thread/page/542#post-5756119
Quoted from Ferret:Did you do Install Quake under (I believe) Utilities > Presets? (Sorry, not in front of my game right now.) That changes some settings to try to add some oomph to the Quake shaker, although IMHO it's just not as good as what had been used on earlier units (Cointaker Red Tremor, I think?)
I dont think I had. Thanks for pointing it out,will try it out
Quoted from dgpinball:I just got 4 of them I ordered off of Ebay, but I don't know which wires are which, hoping someone here can tell me?
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Think these are wired for Model RC so
Brown 0V
Red 5V
Orange would have various modes.
I guess just leaving the orange wire unconnected you would get a rotatation of leds.
That would be normally controlled by a servo output so low ,High and pwm would change its behaviour
Just noticed that the Airlock screen is black and blank with no image for long periods of time when a ball has finally drained.
only shows something when a new ball hits something.
Would be nice to have a starfield in these sections if theres another update.
Quoted from adamross:Just received Andrew's motion tracking and bezel mods, super impressed. Only place for possible improvement is the adhesive for the foam handle as it's already separating. But overall brilliant work.
[quoted image]
I stuck some Evostick impact glue on but may have missed a bit.
Try peeling it back a bit add some more on both surfaces and let it dry for 10 mins and then stick it back on.
Quoted from adamross:Is there an alternate option? I can't seem to find anywhere to order Evostick here in the US.
try this its sold on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Evo-Stik-Impact-Adhesive-Large-347908/dp/B0001P03S8/ref=sr_1_4
Quoted from adamross:Thanks, it appears to be up to a 4 week shipping window unless I choose to pay $35 to get it expedited in the next week. Must be international..?
It's just contact adhesive mate. try this
https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Clear-Contact-Adhesive-Waterproof/dp/B06WGSRM4Z
Quoted from manadams:My 12v and 70v power has tested good. I ordered some shielded usb cables to replace three that are not shielded. I tested all coils again and some are working, some just get a slight bump and some do not work. All pop bumpers, cab and backbox lights, beacons and shaker work. All flippers, slings, left eject and auto launch get a slight bump. All other coils do not work. I swapped out #3 I/O board with a spare and no change.
I was having issues with the inserts on my machine and found that the IO connector on the main led pcb was riddled with dry joints.
As the coils switches are also attach to this pcb maybe take it out and resolder all connection on the led pcb.
Quoted from TomDK:Addet open egg and the scanner for the shooterlane.
Great looking mods !!
vimtoman :
Maybe it would look great if a ball is in the shooterlane to see only the scanner ! However .. great job !
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Can you show a video of it not working properly
Quoted from adamross:vimtoman Having trouble getting the motion tracker to work. Not sure what I may be doing wrong...?
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
This is my pcb
Notice yours says 2 next to the red mine says 1
Looks like there are two versions of that led pcb and the connectors are reversed.
Swap the red and black wires over on the two pin connector.
mypcb (resized).jpg
4 weeks later
Quoted from May:I get more balls all the time, what should I check?
Everything looks normal.
Vincent
Check you have all 6 balls.
There may be one stuck usually in Airlock
Magnet on mine fell off down the trough and kept two balls down there 
2 weeks later
Quoted from Maurice:Looking for a new EL inverter. Model nr. HY AC5000-BKL. It’s located in the rear of the cabinet. Can find it via several oriental sites, but cannot order just one: minimum is 10 or company doesn’t ship to my country. Any idea where I can buy this inverter?
[quoted image]
3 weeks later
Quoted from Faust:Question: I was thinking to upgrade the subwoofer in the game.
Averel used the Visaton BG20; anyone has some other recommendations or opinions about it?
Same goes for the backbox speakers. Or should I leave them like they are.
Overall I'm quite happy with the sound of the game.l
Visaton BG20 is not really a bass speaker
Quoted from Faust:Question: Is that really so hot? 50-60C locally measured on PCB's would seem fine to me (depends what is your ambient temperature).
I haven't ever measured a WPC game, but with standard bulbs I think these could run very hot too without much issues.
Faust is correct.
Internal and external ambient is key here.
Also 50 to 60 seems Ok
1 week later
1 week later
1 month later
Quoted from Oneangrymo:Hey guys for many months my machine was just fine launching balls, now it once again hits the right wall and bounces back into the trough, then gets all messed up and then spits out two balls. I thought I had it figured out because it was simple leveling issue, and that fixed it right away again for many months. I just measured my pitch its about 6.3 in between flippers.. what number are u guys using as the pitch?
Thanks
Heres mine. You should adjust the power.
Its not going to be 100% I still have the odd one bounce back.
bubble (resized).JPGQuoted from Oneangrymo:After I adjusted the kicker plate I am now getting random shooter lane triggers, random multiball and when the ball drains it doesnt show that scream cut scene anymore and just keeps launching a ball. Any ideas what I did wrong?
I cant tell if its a hardware issue or a software one
Check and reseat all connectors on the trough IR boards and IO boards.
1 week later
Just tested out a larger 70Vdc 21A PSU and had issues with it.
Could of have been a rouge/faulty supply but had to let you guys know I had problems
So warning to all dont use https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000816881141.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.2f554c4dSZNMVq
Right flipper coil burnt up and FET blown on IO pcb which is now repaired.
Not sure if this was a coincidence or a result of the new PSU install.
The supply just does not cope with multiple flipper activations and flippers die.
Whilst testing other bits I noticed a strange mod on my driver pcb in the cabinet.
Theres a black relay that switches two resistors R1 R2 to discharge the 70VDC on power down.
Its setup to discharge the 70vdc only on the IO pcb side disconnecting the PSU side.
Someone/Heighway when modding for the 70VDC PSU had shorted out two contacts on the rear of this relay with solder bridging the resistor discharge circuit to be connected at all times?
It may be a good idea to check this on your boards as its just loading the 70VDC supply for no reason.
relay (resized).JPGQuoted from Averell:As I remember there's a note somewhere regarding the modification of new power supply boards before switching the machine on.
New boards don't have these soldered areas, but the built in versions do.
So the new boards have to be modified first?
And there's a note on the cover that F1 and F2 no more used as descriped in earlier machines?
The mods were for routing 12v for switching the new external mains relay to switch the 70VDC PSU on/off.
The fuses were for the AC input to the now redundant Bridge recitfier.
Mine no longer has the bridge etc. Ive just used a stock photo.
The shorting of the relay does not make sense as all its doing is connecting the discharge resistors all the time.
Quoted from Averell:Maybe this was a solution with the often fried IO-Boards, they also been bridged?
By the way, your Motion Tracker... mmmhh, in combination with Marks' Apron... excellent work!
Both the aprons are looking good. Nice to see it on both.
Theres always going to be changes on circuits as complex as these.
The relay one is an odd one.
Quoted from dts:I've noticed that my right ramp wireform carries a little charge to touch, but haven't dived in to see where this is coming from. Any ideas on that here before I go further? Everything has worked normally.
Two types of effects.
Buzzing tinge on the skin.
Check your mains earthing.
Switchmode PSU's will float +100vAC with regards to earth if not earthed correctly.
This gives a uncomfortable feeling when touched.
Sharp zap
Your charged up and discharging onto an earthed item
Quoted from Vimtoman:Two types of effects.
Buzzing tinge on the skin.
Check your mains earthing.
Switchmode PSU's will float +100vAC with regards to earth if not earthed correctly.
This gives a uncomfortable feeling when touched.
Sharp zap
Your charged up and discharging onto an earthed item
Quoted from dts:Buzzing tinge that is continuous to the touch. I’ll look at earthing today, thanks!
Yep espescially if you have moist hands.
It will feel like a stinging sensation moving in the area touching the metal.
Quoted from dts:Hands are dry but it is definitely conducting current. I’ll see what’s up and report back.
Make sure the earth is good and all PSU's have good earth connection
Averell &
Mik-ReadingUK this is really great stuff guys.
Could you post a video of the changes you have made.
Really interesting.
Long shot try a symlink to a usb for the relavent folders
1 month later
This mod inspired by @Averells own creation.
Not all can drill stainless steel so I thought I would make a slide in version.
3D print in solid, no screws needed. Slide in.
Free model to print
https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/various/various-models/mod-averells-mod
1 (resized).JPG2 (resized).JPGQuoted from fossmin:Thanks for this! I joined cgtrader, but can't figure out how to actually have it printed or add it to a cart to have done.
Download the STL file and then browse online for a local 3d printer company or use Shapeways
If possible print in Nylon
1 week later
Quoted from MK6PIN:I do know it's timed, but can't recall where/ if it's a setting in the menu somewhere.
Blamed the trough for many things (as it's certainly not a robust version), but back when I was sorting - magnetized balls drive this game crazy in regards to inconsistent loads in the lane, along w other weirdness. In fashion w my WOZ, I mistakenly put in silverjets and after about only a dozen games the machine was sort of playing itself. Don't know if this is consistent w your problem, but man, Alien just doesn't play right at all w even slightly magnetized balls.
Then believe it or not....(some time back) I'd be getting crazy, errant multiball action for no apparent reason. They would come out mid ball, not when they were supposed to, etc. Drove me crazy (no factory tech to reach to). Turns out one of the damn switches under the Xeno was stuck, causing the machine to just lose it's mind...can't explain why. Got it aligned properly and she settled back down nicely.
The little things seem to really impact bigger things I guess is my point. Happy hunting!!
Just had the same issue as you with the mindless spitting out of balls and odd play.
Also found a rouge switch permanently on which was top left pop bumper switch.
Clearing this and alls playing OK.
So confirms your switch theory.
I dont think the firmware checks for switch issues as no error shown at boot.
Quoted from bcd:If either of the two xeno standup targets becomes "almost stuck on", it will rapidly toggle active/inactive and the game will think that you're making that shot over and over, which will take you into constant Ambush Multiball. This happened to my game a few times.
Most of the errors I've heard of over the years were due to bad trough optos though (not connected, mis-aligned, wired in the wrong order) or magnetized balls. There was one serious bug with the ball saver never ending, but that was fixed in version 1.1.
Not me . I only had one pop bumper switch stuck on.
Only when going through the switch test in menu did I work out the reason.
Quoted from MK6PIN:I've never seen an error message either...took me awhile to figure out what was going on. This game goes multi ball crazy when switches stick for some reason.
First noticed where I would get two balls spat out in the the lane .
Then would get odd multiball sections of play.
Now all's cleared it plays ok.
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Evansville, IN
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