I would love to see this as well. Picked up a used HUO Ghostbusters (Pro) only to have node 8 completely fail a couple hours after bringing it home. Called Stern support and was advised to purchase a new board (P/N 520-7017-72). That's the latest node board. Unfortunately, its special order and I was told to expect about 2 weeks before it's shipped.

Sadly, since there are only 14 or so components (12 transistors and 2 capacitors) that even look serviceable on the board, I'm not sure repair is even an option.

Well that looks like a fun board.

pasted_image (resized).png

Yeah pretty much all surface mount components. This is now the future...throw away boards. Which I guess wouldn't be an issue but this node board is north of $250! It seems to be a common failure part. What are the chances that a replacement board is going to fail down the road? Will these boards be available 20 years from now?

Is there a defect in these boards that they fail so easily? Have the replacements been revised in any way? Or does Spike 2 use a different board, or same susceptible ones?

Anyone know what is going wrong? Is it not just a blown transistor one can replace?

Just another thing to put people on the fence when considering buying...

Considering that they don't seem to be able to keep many in stock, probably not. With other manufacturers back in the day, there was a generous stockpile of NOS parts. Stern seems to run a lot leaner.

In our case the board failed and wouldn't communicate any longer with the other node boards. I wish it was simply a failed transistor.

I'd guess it's a chip failure, since most complaints about node board issues seem to be that basically renders the game inoperable. A single transistor blowing would likely only affect one thing.

I suspect the same thing. If it were a transistor, I'd expect one series of switches or LEDs to quit working, but as my board was failing the whole lower half of the playfield would die. I could reboot the machine and it would work for a seemingly random amount of time (I could find no consistent action that caused it to die). Eventually it stopped working entirely.

FWIW, it get's the 48v status light still, but the 6v light is dead as well as the communication one.

So heat and time related. Guessing that it could be a resistor or capacitor. Common components that work a bit from a cold start then flip shit once up to temp or power...

That board looks busy but not too bad. If stern took back failed boards and found the issue we could have a quick fix for the community :/

northvibe That's a great point. I may change the two caps out just out of curiosity.

When I called support I asked if they were seeing a common point of failure on these boards, the reply I got made me suspect they either don't know or aren't telling.

The Node 8 board on my brand new Pabst Can Crusher failed a week after I received it last December. I'm surprised to hear that they don't keep more in stock as I have heard that this has not been an uncommon issue on new games.

I hope that Spike owners aren't gonna have a bad time in the future when these need repair or replacement and they aren't available Maybe someone will have a more robust aftermarket replacement board available at some point.

I haven't seen one of these up close, but I'm wondering if the chips have custom code on them, or if one of them is an NVRAM chip. Custom data/code would make replacements difficult.

I'll post some pictures when I get home this evening. My busted one does not look like the picture above. It's a 520-6985-72B. I haven't seen a picture of the one I ordered 520-7017-72 to know what the differences are.

There are other threads on here about bad stern node boards that have pictures like the one I currently have.

Yeah yours is the slightly bigger one with dip switches? That's what failed on my GB.

I'm not an expert at all on these, but from what I understand, when you install a new node board the game code (or a portion of the code) gets written to the node board. So there are some reading and writing of code, but the communication bus takes care of it automatically. When you turn the machine on, it runs a communications test of all the node boards, and if it fails, the game won't boot. If any one of the node boards fail the communications test you have a 250# paperweight.

And sadly they aren't nearly as heavy as the older boards.

From Stern's website (don't forget to roll your eyes when you read about reliability and serviceability):

Stern Pinball Debuts New SPIKETM Pinball System World’s Leading Maker of Arcade-Quality Pinball Games

Announces Next-Generation Pinball System

MELROSE PARK, IL – January 5, 2015 – Stern Pinball, Inc., the world's oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball machines, announced today that it will debut its newest pinball electronics system, SPIKETM, at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. SPIKETM is a modern, scalable and modular electronics hardware system engineered for the rigors and complexities of pinball applications.

“The modular nature of the system will allow game designers to embrace new technologies to evolve the game of pinball while also improving earnings, reliability, serviceability and efficiency,” said George Gomez, Executive Vice President of Product Development at Stern Pinball.

The new SPIKETM system is based on distributed processor architecture and an industrial grade network protocol. These technologies reduce product complexity and simplify the manufacturing of the game resulting in a more efficient, reliable and easier-to-service game. The system is designed to facilitate integration of various display technologies such as varying size LCD displays both on the playfield and in the backbox. The scalable nature of the system allows for the integration of Wi-Fi and numerous new game specific features and technologies.

Experienced players will recognize a more engaging overall game experience and quickly appreciate the enhanced illumination effects and higher quality sound.

“SPIKE is the latest step in our ongoing program to leverage technological advancements to improve the game for all segments of our customer base,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball. “Commercial customers such as operators and location owners will be particularly well served by SPIKE.”

New SPIKETM system benefits and features include:

Improved earnings:

• All LED lighting enables enhanced lighting effects, increases reliability and attracts new players. Included is the florescent light replacement by LED’s, which last longer, run cooler and draw less electricity.

A new modern CPU and expanded memory allow the designers greater freedom to create new compelling game scenarios to attract more players and lengthen their engagement.

A more powerful high definition digital sound system enhances the game experience.

Higher reliability

New built-in automotive-grade circuit protection for LEDs, switches and solenoids reduces circuit failures from accidental shorts and environmental faults.

Lower game heat reduces stress on components increasing longevity.

Easier serviceability

Low-cost game modules are easy for any technician to replace and costly circuit board repair is eliminated.

Reduced wiring complexity eases troubleshooting and worn component replacement.

Improved system diagnostics make the system easy to learn.

Greater efficiency

Reduced chances of failure from environmental conditions with robust solenoid, switch and lighting protection circuitry.

SPIKETM system games use less energy than older models and generate less heat during operation.

New controllable LED artwork backlighting reduces fade, saves energy and lasts longer.

I'd argue the definition of 'low-cost' if a node board is $289. I'll definitely give them that they are easy to replace and since you can't repair them it does eliminate board repair. If I had a Spike game I'd probably buy a dozen just to have on hand, but then that's not really 'low-cost'.

Yes. I saw something similar when I replaced the cat with Vigo on the Ecto Goggles in Ghostbusters. When I put in my new, hacked SD card, the game actually updated the node board (I assume the one attached to the Ecto Goggles). It was not a quick swap out...took a couple of minutes. It must have copied the new video files down to the node.

I recently had issues with mine - Stern was AWESOME about swapping it out. Shipped very fast as well. Hopefully the new ones are bulletproofed.

What qualifies as "very fast"? I was told 2 weeks when I ordered mine yesterday (distributor). It really sucks having a new-to-me game in the basement that isn't playable. Hoping the 2 weeks is just a buffer number and they get it shipped out quicker.

If your 6V light is out (low voltage), that probably explains why communications are dead.

Are schematics available for this board? It might be a matter of replacing a component in a voltage regulator section (unless 6V has an origin elsewhere in the machine ... I am not familiar with SPIKE at all).

One thing I don't like about that board ... it is long and narrow. That is not good design practice for boards using surface mount components in a high vibration environment like a pinball machine. You want to keep the boards square and rigid. If not, you will get cracked solder joints. If you have to do long and narrow, you need additional mounting points in the middle of the board to keep the board as rigid as possible . 10+ years in the robotics industry taught me that (learned that first hand in my first year working on robots vs. telecom nonsense ).

Anyway, try and inspect the board for cracked solder joints ... you'll have to use a magnifying glass to see them. If you do see one, just use your regular soldering iron to reflow the node.

I can't believe Stern charges so much for these boards!!! That's frigging ridiculous.

They must have shipped them that day, as I had them in 4 to 5 business days (both shipments as a lightboard had issues as well) I was impressed.

megadeth2600 My board is less narrow, more rectangular. It has a mounting screw in the center of the board as well. I suspected a cracked solder joint too, but most of the board is (unsure of the right term) surface mounted?? the only through hole components are the pins, transistors,and 2 capacitors. I guess I could bake the board in my toaster oven, but that's something I'm hesitant to do as I've never done it before.

Youd need a rework station with a hot air gun to try and fix any of the surface mount components.

If this node board is anything like the boards in Star Trek LE/Premium... then there is a microcontroller on the nodeboard which has custom code and "communicates" with the cpu board in the backbox. So; assuming the voltages are good on the board; the uC might have been over driving due to a bad load and fried itself.

Looking at the picture above; there appears to be a DC to DC converter in the mix because of the 470(uH) Inductor and the large Caps. But that's only a guess.

You need one for something like a cpu, for ball grid stuff, but if it is just "legs" then you just need a nice solder station/tip. I mean....what is easy and what is doable are different. But you could DIY most components with a nice solder station.

I glanced over the appropriate sections in the Ghostbusters manual ... You are referring to the status LEDs on the CPU board, correct?

If so, you meant 9V, not 6V, right?

If that's the case, then your communication bus voltage supply is dead from what I can tell. That's the supply for the components that talk on the serial bus (the stuff that looks like phone cable ... that's the communication bus that is chained to all boards under the playfield ... it uses 9V for the 1s and 0s to tell the node boards what to go do with themselves).

If you're stuck fixing it yourself, you have to see if the 9V is *really* dead (basically measure it at its source) ... that might be your problem.

megadeth2600 the node board (not the cpu board) has status indicators as well. They are not listed in the ops manual for whatever reason.

This. You only need a fine tip to reflow pins on a surface mount device. I do it all of the time. Yes, it is intimidating at first, but, like anything, practice makes perfect ... I wouldn't advise your first time trying to reflow smt pins be on a $300 board and void the warranty. However, if you're feeling up to it, it's not *that* hard ... especially if you've soldered stuff before.

krankin I can't believe they don't list all of the diagnostic information in the manual ... I can't believe there are no schematics in the manual .... annoying.

Obviously that 6V is your problem. Are all of the LEDs on for all power supplies on the CPU board?

Man ... while I dig the idea of what Stern did for pinball control using SPIKE, I don't like how they're raping people charging what they charge for these boards!

Yes, everything on the CPU is functioning as described in this video from stern.

Absolutely a schematic would have been helpful here, but I'm guessing since they highlight the "ease of board replacement" as a feature, providing board schematics would be counter to the business model.

F wouldn't it be awesome if we all figured out what the failure was and it was a simple component swap??!?! ugh I can dream.. I haven't had a failure on my GB, but if I do. I'll swap stuff! We could list components like Zitt mentioned and have a list of ones we think could be it. Someone with a failure would need to use a DMM or probe to see where we should look.

At this point it looks like I'll be breaking out the microscope and reflowing pins tonight. Since the new board is already on order and it's not working now, I'm willing to try things to fix it.

I'll be home in an hour or so.. I'll take some high quality pictures of the board.

All those surface mount components under the playfield near the flippers? Cracked joints are almost certainly a source of most failures. Are these things mounted with any type of rubber grommets? Who all remembers the fun days rebuilding WPC trough boards that had all their resistors and opto joints crack? Hell, we had a STLE where the Captains Chair and EB light would turn random colors when you hit the flippers... same communications setup, just much less dire results when the joints went south. No, reseating cables did not help.

Looks like no Spike games for us til they fix this design issue.

I'll do what I can to help ... I could certainly do more with schematics, but Stern seems to want to keep everything top secret for some stupid reason.

I'm sure I'll be stupid and forget about all of this when Star Wars is announced.

Yes near flippers, just plastic posts and wood screws..

I haven't had that problem yet. I currently have a problem with the LEDs (including the flasher) on the Vengance. They went intermittent then failed. Turns out they used a really short run of wire from the ship to the connections at the rear of the playfield. The stress of the movement of the ship caused a couple of the wires to break. The insulation of one of the flasher wires was cracked. I basically need to run all new wires to the connector (doing that tonight actually).

They go nuts with that heat shrink tubing ... there are better conduits out there to hide wire (but they cost a few pennies more).

" Low-cost game modules are easy for any technician to replace and costly circuit board repair is eliminated. "

I hope they are still making them in 10 years

Basically no, they are not. I have a blown transistor that I can't find details of from the package markings, can't get the specs for, and with lead free solder good luck with your air gun.
I'm starting to question the sustainability of my relationship with Spike.

Added over 7 years ago: Edit -- see my later post. Can be done, with good equipment and patience. And hopefully parts specs will be divulged by distributors.

I was told the on board voltage regulator tends to fail. But also told you will need a hot air station to replace it because of the large pad it is attached to.

Meh, I'd rather be able to glance at schematics and replace a $1 transistor or chip that I probably have on-hand than have to order a $250+ board.

Granted, not everyone can do repairs or have the parts/tools/experience to be able to, but I would at least like to see the option available to those who can.

The frequency at which these boards seem to go out of stock doesn't make me very enthusiastic about future availability.

You can definitely repair smd components, but you need a hot air soldering station, a steady hand, and a magnifying glass. I've been watching Louis Rossmann videos on YouTube, he's a gentleman who repairs macbook motherboards, and he often goes into great detail on how to properly repair boards with very tightly packed surface mounted components. It all looks like a pain in the ass, but completely doable.

https://www.youtube.com/user/rossmanngroup

Here a couple pictures of the Node 8 board.. I need better lighting if you want to see any specifics. Anyway, I'm going to look over the thing carefully for any cracked solder joints. Will let you know you if I find anything suspicious.

board-front (resized).JPG

IMG_3934 (resized).JPG

It really isn't. Unless you're getting into BGA or something, SMT boards are so much easier to rework than through-hole. All you need is the right equipment, which isn't really all that expensive, and a little training.

Once it's worthwhile I'm sure you'll see the typical board repair guys get into it. The big obstacle at this point is the need to reverse engineer the board to get a schematic, not the SMD's.

Nice job Stern on the excess flux, jumper wire and cap added after the fact... seems they are still trying to figure out the design on these.

Like I mentioned earlier, this board is a 520-6985-72. Support recommended I "upgrade" to the 520-7017-72.

Like @ SnakesnSparklers said ---
It obviously looks like that Stern used a returned/repaired Node 8 Board in your brand new Game !?!

A new PCB SHOULDN'T have any obvious reworks or flux sitting on the back of the PCB & let-alone a Capacitor that looks like a "patch/fix" hanging loosely off the back side!