hello everyone.... i recently purchased a used 1981 Ballys Eightball Deluxe pin and i'm having an issue... as i'm playing the game, some of the drop targets on the rh target bank (labeled 1-ball thru 7-ball) will periodically drop, by themselves, without them being hit by the ball? and when i say "periodically", its happening on just about every single game i play. so it looks as though its due to vibrations thru the pf that the various bumpers create,especially the large pop bumpers? looks like some of those drop targets were replaced recently with re-pro parts, and even though they are all "hooded"-style drop targets,you can tell the difference between the 4 newer targets & the 3 older oem ones,as the tops of them are slightly different in shape & thickness, but once again,it's a very small difference. so i was wondering if anyone has run into this very same issue, on a 30+ yr old game and if so,what they did to fix it? i've been told to replace the full set of 7 drop targets with a fresh,new "matched" set of re-pro drop targets? also, looking at the mechanics of the drop target system, i am wondering if the "springs" that connect to the underside of them have weakened over time and not keeping the targets taught against where they rest on the pf, in their raised position? any and all advice,tips,etc is GREATLY appreciated! i love this game alot,but in its current state,its a bit disappointing & frustrating to have various drop targets fall before the ball hits them! lol.... oh btw, i've watched ALL 7 drop targets fall periodically so the issue isnt confined to just a few select targets and many times when a target falls on its own, 1 or 2 of them will fall together at the same time! it ... ugh,lol!! i've played another EBD pin at a local arcade and havent seen any of that game's targets fall on their own,having played that pin for months & months? so i'm pretty sure this issue, that my pin is having, is NOT a normal characteristic of the game?

lastly,i've attached 1 pic of that drop target bank i speak of...you can see the slight mis-match between the old oem ones compared to the newer re-pros. the tops,looking down as the pic shows, is what i'm noticing a bit different? whether that has any bearing or not, on my issue, i just wanted to mention this,plus show a pic of it! thanks.

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hmmmm? thats very interesting! thx alot for that info,good to know! the issue i'm having is def not due to that scenerio, unfortunately, it seems to happen randomly as i play a game and, at any given time while playing, any particular standing 1-7 target will just drop,seemingly about the same time as the ball bounces off a bumper,which i suppose is vibration then transferring thru the pf enough to rattle the drop target area just enough to have 1 (and sometimes 2) targets drop at the same time...this is happening to me each & every game i play.

ok, all great info there...thx again guys for your input,pics & your time..., any addtl comments are welcome too! : )

yeah i was orig thinking new springs (at the very least) and probably a new set of matched targets.....so with all the various pinball parts on-line sources, who would u guys recommend to get replacement springs/targets, for top quality/oem accurate-build quality?

cool beans,thx.... yeah i've ordered from them before, for other stuff.

got it, will add that latest info to my overall diag...thank you,guys!

on a separate note, i see Buffalo Grove,Illinois for the location of member BigAl56..nice,thats 2 burbs away from where i grew up,which is in Glenview,Il.... i'm a Chicago boy "transplant" to the Phx,Az area for work, some years ago....this internet "thing" sure makes it a small world,huh? lol!

....thx again to ALL for responding!!!