I'm in the USA and mine is doing the same thing. Will sometimes hold the ball for a second then release it, after awhile the magnet gets really hot and then it seems to not even try anymore (magnet shuts down). Had the game 2 weeks, and only had coffin MB 3 times in that time. I have been talking to Stern, and they sent me a new Magnet controller board for under the PF, it had no effect when I installed it, the magnet still acts the same as before I got the new board. Stern is sending me a new magnet now, hoping it will be here tomorrow, and will see if that helps any.

Phoebe

I still have not received the new magnet, have talked to Chas several times and he says they are trying to get the issue resolved, I am supposed to call him back when I get the magnet installed and let them know if it solves the issue or not. He had me try a few other things to see if it was part of the issue nothing so far has panned out. The biggest issue with mine is that the magnet is still getting very hot after a couple games of trying to lock the ball, before the magnet shuts down and will not even attempt to lock a ball. No one else has said that their magnet is getting hot? I played a couple games today, and I could get 2 balls locked. Then I shut the game down completely and pull the glass and the magnet is HOT. turn it off and let it sit for about half an hour or so turn it back on and play and on the first game I can lock all 3 balls and get coffin MB, then the next game it won't lock anymore balls and the magnet is very HOT again so I have to turn the game off.
I am hoping the new magnet will arrive tomorrow and will post back with the results when I get it.

Phoebe

I had mine disconnected for the first week and a half after I had it because of it getting hot. The new board did not change the issue. I was hoping to get the new magnet yesterday to install and see if that fixes it, but I didn't get it so it will be at least Monday before I get it. The magnet works fine in test, so I really don't think the magnet is the problem, but I will try it. I have been leaving the magnet connected, I have only been playing a couple games then turning the game off to let it cool. If I am going to be playing alot or friends are coming over to play I disconnect it. (I disconnect it by unplugging the connector under the PF between the magnet and the controller board for the magnet)
Last night Hubby was able to get coffin MB in a couple different games. (turning the game off and coming back after a bit to play again) I was never able to get it, there just never seems to be any rhyme or reason to when the magnet actually decides to activate or not...Had 1 ball come out of the pop bumpers directly after launch and the magnet caught it and locked it...Then I had others hit switches in the immediate area that it didn't even try to catch it...

Phoebe

Sorry to hear this Joe!! It sounds like yours is doing just like mine! Although mine has been doing this from the start, the code made no difference in the way mine acts.
Hopefully they get it straightened out SOON!!!

Phoebe

It is not just an overseas issue, there are at least 2 I know of in the states that are doing this. Mine (it is a premium not an LE, but the PF, and all the wiring harnesses are marked LE) has been doing this from the beginning and my magnet gets extremely HOT, there are several other posts about mine. Stern has sent me a new magnet board for under the PF and that did not help, they are sending me a magnet assembly to try. I have loaded the new code (1.18) and the magnet captures the ball a little better, but not all the time, and the hammer from the time the lock is lit pretty much constantly hammers even if the ball is not moving and is being held on the flipper. once today while the hammer was hammering I shot the ball up there, and it dropped in the hole, then when the magnet tried to come back up, the ball got jammed in between the magnet and the edge of the PF and I had to shut it off and unjam it. I agree with Poibug that it works somewhat better, but it is not a permanent or acceptable solution. It is still a fun game, and even with this MB unavailable, there are still 3 others to achieve and lots of other things to shoot for, but the coffin MB is still really cool to get. (I would like to get it more than once every 20 or so games.) So unless they moved Ohio to Europe without telling me it is not just a European game issue.

Phoebe

There is an LED on the board, it is green, it flashes when the game is first turned on then it goes off. Stern thought the board under the PF was the problem on mine, and sent me a new one. It didn't fix the issue on mine. The problem with mine is that along with the not grabbing the ball, the magnet gets extremely HOT, and then it will just shut down and not work at all. After the game is shut off and the magnet has cooled it will work again for a couple games. (that is with the 1.16 code) Now since I put the 1.18 code in, I get more grabs with the magnet and it will lock the ball after a few tries. It never holds the ball and just releases it anymore. Now it does the phantom hammer, from the time the lock is lit, the hammer and magnet activate every 5 to 10 seconds even if the ball is held on the flipper and not moving. I believe this helps my magnet not get so hot, because it does eventually grab the ball and lock it. Alot of times the hammer is going down when the ball is just getting to it, so it is hitting the hammer or a couple times now I have had the ball actually drop in the hole while the magnet is down, then when the magnet tries to come back up it jams the ball between the magnet and the bottom of the PF. I am concerned that the way it is now it is going to cause damage to the PF (cause the magnet does not come up gently and it jams the ball pretty hard against the bottom of the PF) or from the ball hitting the hammer. Hopefully Stern comes up with something soon.

Phoebe

yes Julien, at start up, it flashes three times. It also flashes during test mode at certain times. I really think it is a problem with the way the magnet senses the ball. I have also heard they are working on a new board for the way the ball is sensed. I would also suggest you check the magnet after a few games to see if it is very hot. I had my magnet assembly removed and there is a burn mark on the underside of the playfield. It isn't to bad, but I only play a couple of games at a time now then let it cool off. If I am going to play more, I disconnect the magnet. The new code seems to help this alot, my game will lock the ball now, so I don't think the magnet gets as hot now.

Phoebe