Sorry, I have to share this because it happened again tonight.

Is there a better shot than nailing "Big Bang" during the end of a mode, then having the ball immediately ricochet straight down the Sim Card hole?

Man, I love this game!

That did also work for me, though...the Bluetooth connection was much weaker so I couldn't connect my phone anymore since it was behind the monitor. Turns out it was just a faulty USB extension cable.

Probably the best shot!

All my drones also died after a few months of usage, but I didn't notice it until recently when another Dialed In owner asked me, if my drones are broken too. Replacement drones from the european distributor are way too expensive, and getting a warranty exchange is a struggle too, so I simply ordered new motors from AliExpress in China. 12 replacement motors incl. shipping will cost just 11 USD. that's a fraction of the cost to ship the broken drones back to the distributor, and I don't have to argue with those guys anymore

There's a discussion about broken drones burried somewhere deep in a very long "general dialed in discussion" thread of a german pinball forum, where someone recommends to add resistors. The motors are connected in series, so if one motor fails, the other 3 motors will stop working as well. It's possible that the voltage supplied to the drones, or voltage spikes, cause damage to the motors. Or maybe those dirt cheap toy motors are just not built for durability and will die regardless of voltage anyway.
A solution could be to simply add a resistor in series to reduce the voltage, as pictured in the photo. When you have to open the drones to replace the motors, it's pretty simple to add an additional resistor. The only drawback is, that the LEDs of the drones will stop working (or barely visible), because the voltage is too low for operation. But that's not an issue for me, as I didn't even notice the existence of those small LEDs until I opened the drones

I'm not sure if that "Matrix brightness adjuster" will work, because if it's intended to dim LED lights, it's probably not a resistor, but a controller which adjusts the pulse width, as you cannot dim LEDs by simply lowering the voltage.

I have replaced all my motors and added resistors. Although time will tell if this is a permanent fix, or if they will break again.

drone_fix (resized).JPG

Thanks for the info, do you happen to have a link to the motors? i wouldn't mind having some as spares.

"Cheerson CX-10 CX10 CX-10 CX-10A V646 V676 RC Part CW/CCW Motor For Cheerson CX-10 Hubsan H111 RC Quadcopter Parts"

I had ordered these, it's a set of 4 motors:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/CX-10-005-Clockwise-Rotation-Motor-Drive-Parts-For-CX-10-4CH-2-4G-6-Axis/32222729666.html

but also available from other vendors on aliexpress. you can even order the whole drone incl. remote control and then rip it apart.

Is there a fix for the ball dropping into the cabinet when making the BOB shot into the trap door? It happens about 50% of the time on the machine we have at leagues. Maybe something is missing because there is a huge space in there for the ball to fall through.

Has anyone replaced the USB extension cable? I'm assuming a 3 meter USB2.0 extension would work without issue?

Thanks.

I did recently, though it was replaced under warranty from JJP. In the invoice, its called ->

USB Extension Cable, 2.0 A to A, M-F, 10ft, Shielded

So yeah, looks like you are right on the money with a 3 meter one.

Ok, I'll send a quick email to comet and confirm what you are saying. I guess adding a resistor would probably be about the same amount of work as splicing in their product anyway.

I know its lame of me...but...what kind of resistor did you use and how did you figure out that is where you needed to solder it in? Did you also source it from aliexpress or somewhere like digikey?

As long as the drones are still OK it's definitely faster to just add something in between the connectors under the playfield. I added the resistors in the drone because I had to open and replace the motors anyways.

If you want to add resistors, just add a resistor in series to one of the wires of the motor. It doesn't matter to which one or which wire as they are all wired in series. instead of soldering the wire of the motor to the PCB, solder the wire to the resistor, and the other end of the resistor into the hole where the wire of the motor was coming from. I used one of the holes of the screws to bring the wire of the resistor to the other side of the PCB and removed some of the plastic of the drone cover. And I took 100 ohms, as suggested by the guy in the german forums, but it does not have to be exactly 100ohms.
I always have various resistors on stock at home from other projects, so I didn't have to order. If you don't want to order just 3 pieces (digikey, adafruit etc), check if you have old electronics stuff lying around to remove one.. I often keep old PCB boards as spare parts for resistors, capacitors etc Just takes time to find the right ones
Or you could also cut the wires under the playfield and add resistors there, combined with shrink tube.. but of course adding a harness with connectors is cleaner.. especially since we don't know if adding resistors will really permanently solve the problem. I think JJP will probably also come up with a solution soon.

Check if the blue steel flap is broken off of the trap door. If it is, fix that first.

Next up, lift the playfield up and hold with your right hand. Grab the trap door assembly with your left and give it a sharp tug or two towards the front of the game.

That should fix you up.
LTG : )

In my case, I had the ball getting stuck between the deflector piece and the below playfield part of the trap door assembly. It is a big gap. I didn't think to check on the flap at the time. Decided to mount a small flipper coil stop upside down to fill that space. Haven't had a problem since.

Well...fun. Fixed the drones yesterday and...1 is already failing. Makes sense though. Once one motor fails, the other motors on that drone were probably 90%+ close on failing too. I probably should have changed all 12 when I had the drones off, though...I only bought 4 motors from aliexpress. Will need to place another order and wait the 1-2 months to get them.

Thanks for this. OK, so....do these look fine for resistors? ->

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/20PCS-Lot-2W-100ohm-5-Resistor-2W-100R-ohm-Carbon-film-resistor-5-2W-Color/32812941546.html

Question about the wizard modes. Last night I finally got to both Showdown and Armageddon. I first spelled Dialed In and began Showdown. On the next ball, I finished making it through all the disaster modes and then began Armageddon.

But if I had finished making it through the modes before spelling Dialed In, would Showdown have started when completing the modes, or is it exclusive to spelling Dialed In?

2W is probably too big to fit inside the drones. 0.25W is enough.

something like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100PCS-100-Ohms-0-25W-1-4W-5-Carbon-Film-Resistors-Resistance-BRAND-NEW/32468126247.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.37.58b54d59FWRXgJ

Showdown is exclusive to spelling Dialed In I believe.

I wouldn't get those either. since Gogdog is in the US your best bet for small quantity is amazon. quick and not too overpriced. If you have prime bundle it and she for free. Since the load on these is minute you should be able to get away with a 1/8 watt or a 1/4 watt. the 2 watt is simply huge. If you go with a ire wound rather than carbon resister it will be about half the size. Is i recommend a 1/4 watt wire wound resistor at 100 ohms.
Places i order, mouser electronics, good selection, but shipping, so order larger. Digi-key same as mouser. great plains electronics. he specializes in pinball parts, has a smaller selection but also has connectors and parts etc. Slower to ship. ALL of these are quicker than allied express in the US.

One last note. flx was nice enough to post pictures and instructions, but also note in his picture you can see the resisotor bands, this is really easy to decode online to figure out the value and tolerance. by judging size you can learn the wattage. most electronics we will deal with are 1/4 watt with some 1/2. more than that is in power supply sections or special opto power boards from WMS.

oh and if you need 4 buy 10 or more, 100 ohm is a really useful value. Last time i needed some i get them from mouser and just got 100, dirt cheap.

Thanks for all the input guys. I don't mind waiting for an aliexpress order because....I have to wait for the drone motors anyway. Actually, I think I ordered the drone motors from amazon but it was still from China so it still took forever. Basically, most stuff on aliexpress you can find on amazon but if its still shipping from china its the same waiting time/price.

Anyone know how to fix the camera if the pictures it’s taking are the ceiling?

Only thing I can think of is that your camera must be misaligned. There's a test for the camera in the Devices menu. My first port of call would be to run that test, and then check to see if the bracket holding the camera is bent backwards.

Are you playing on a dark room? The cam needs to "see" your face

Go into test mode and see if it recognizes your face. If not, it takes pictures of other things at times. You can adjust the recognition sensitivity.

Check out post # 5225

If you add the resistor in line with a motor, the LEDs continue working. If you adjust the power to the whole drine, they might turn off.

I tried 50 Ohm and 100 Ohm. Both work great and since that no motor failing anymore!

good to know!
hmm, that username somehow looks familiar, I assume you must be the guy from the german forums?! thanks again for your input regarding the drones!

Why so many used DI's appear up for sale ?

It it just lots were sold or does the pin get old quick!

Likely selling to fund a new machine (ie Munsters) or make room. But then again, you could say that about any other machine on the marketplace as well.

This game does not get old.

FatPanda is correct. Just like any game, all pins get sold all the time to fund new releases, make room for other pins, or for funding a non-pin related venture.

Also, any game can get boring, dull, and repetitive. DI is no different than any other pin in that regard.

It's bizarre for me to say, but DI gets the most attention from everyone who comes over to play.

I think it clicks w/you or it doesn't. We had ours only about 2 weeks.

I liked it -- didn't necessarily "click" -- but no one else in the house enjoyed it. It is packed with shots though. I mean Lawlor did an amazing job on the design. The left ramp shot is awesome. The outer loop has like 4 different ways for the ball to travel. I think every feature Pat could think of is in the machine, except for a Talking Head.

I didn't mind the theme, but man, it was tough to explain to guests though.

The music and sounds aren't the best. They're really monotone, even keeled, etc. I know that's done on purpose but both Mandi and the Anchorman are really calm. Excitement there is lacking.

Multiball where you fight off the pulse attacks is amazing. Overall the game shoots really well. Wish it wasn't an original theme.

But hey that's pinball. If you don't enjoy it, it just goes to the next owner for them to enjoy.

Original theme is what makes it great for me. Wish we'd see more original thought in new pins.

Yep, that's me...

I saw others have resistors in the power supply wires that feed the drones. This made the motors much more durable, but the lower voltage turned off the LEDs. So I examined the drones itself. As the motors and LEDs are in two different circuits you can just add the resistor in the motor circuit without changing the voltage of the LED circuit. Only the motors will be affected. This worked perfectly for my drones.

Before I had motors dying all the time. One or two motors a week. After I added the resistors, no motor died for several months. So this is my suggestion for everybody having problems with the drone motors.

50 - 100 Ohm are working great. The 1/4w resistor can fit in the drone under the plastic as you showed in your picture. just cut off a little of the plastic where the screw sits and let this one screw out.

Regards,
Lars

I totally understand. I just picked up a Funhouse and Fish Tales and love the themes.

Hard to explain, but Dialed In tries hard to be a "modern classic" original theme, but it just didn't get there for me. It tries real hard to do it though.

My opinions...
DI doesn't TRY to be a modern classic because it IS a modern classic. It's a complete Lawlor masterpiece that's full of little throwbacks or tributes to some of the VERY best Bally/Williams pins in history. It shoots fantastic and smooth. It's very difficult to master so it keeps you pressing start. Great animations. Amazing lightshow. Lots of "toys". It's built like a tank too!
No, it's not based on some old rock band. No it's not based on a comic book, TV show, or movie. It's got it's own unique theme. Which means some people just won't like it.

Junky

Just to be clear....since I don't really care about the LEDs either way (too small too see while playing), does putting the resistor in the power supply line make the motors more durable than placing the resistor in the motor line in the drone?

I ask because....it still seems like it would be quite a bit easier to add the resistor to the power supply line than getting it situated correctly in the drone. I know placing it in the drone can be done no problem but.....power supply line still seems easier. If it also makes the drone motors last longer it would be no brainer for me to place in power supply line.

Also...I assume 50ohm makes the drone motors spin slower than the 100ohm? (I could be wrong..maybe that's reversed?).

I do like hearing the drone motors run so you have that audio cue that they turned on, plus the drones turning on in sequence when you do the "light drone" in lane is cool. So....turning down the speed enough to make the motors last but still enough to be heard would be optimal.

For the motors it doesn't matter where the resistor is placed. With 50 ohm they will run faster than 100 ohm.
If you have not ordered 100 ohm resistors already, order a bag of 50 ohm and check how loud/fast they are with just 50 ohm, and then test with two 50 ohm in series (which is the same as one 100 ohm). so you can choose which speed you prefer, either just one 50 ohm, or 100 ohm by using two 50 ohm in series.
I went directly for 100 ohm without trying 50 ohm, but that's because I just wanted to be sure there is a notable drop in voltage to reduce future failures. but now the propellers also make less noise than before. And in the latest game code the drones will not trigger that much anymore.

the higher the resistor value, the lower the rpm of the motors will be (as the resistor "takes" more voltage off the motors). The wire without the resistor has 0 ohm (almost), a too high ohm value will prevent the motors from spinning at all. At 50 Ohms you can hardly hear the motors. But try by yourself... Maybe 10 Ohm are enough to save the motors... I just tried only 50 and 100 Ohm, both working fine.

Placing the resistor in the power supply line looks easier. But I did not want to cut a wire, so for me the resistor inside of the drone is more convenient.

If you have the resistor in the supply line, all electrics of the drone get less power. So there might be higher collateral. One example is the LEDs not working any more, as the voltage drops too low to light them up. I do not know, if anything else might stop working, I do not expect it, as the drones are quite simple. Nevertheless, I like the LEDs to light up, too.

The resistor in the motor circuit has really only impact on the motors. So this is my solution and I would not recommend anything else...

No other game in my collection draws me in as much as DI. CIQC and Theater MB modes are insane. Sound/lighting/callouts....nothing compares.

Normally I am a 90s guy. I like the DMD B/W games the most... But DI! is the one in my collection just breaking this rule!
DI! is turned on whenever I am in my game room. All others are played some games, then I end up playing DI! again and again...

Thanks. Ok, I was wrong with my assumption of the ohm ratings. Alright, the resistors are so cheap I'll just get a variety of different ohm ratings and see what I like best. I appreciate your feedback!

So I have been having issues with intermittent hang ups on the skill shot switch and sometimes I could shake it loose but most times I would have to wait for the ball search to get it. So I took the switch out and bent the wire a little to try to get it more centered...and of course now am getting hang ups on like 3 out of 4 balls.

What was weird was that when I pushed the switch down with my finger or rolled a ball over it with the game turned off it felt smooth and it worked perfectly every time and the balls would all slide right on by, but with the game on, the first ball seems go though fine, but then as soon as that ball got ejected, the next time it would hang up.

So I looked at the whole area again and noticed that there is a lot of slop in the adjacent coil plunger and arm and the arm can be anywhere from probably 1/4 inch away from the switch wire to pressing up against it and binding the switch, which is what it appears to be doing after it fires.

None of the mounting screws or anything else apparent seemed to be loose on the coil mechanism. Is there a way to take out the slop or any other ideas on how to correct this? Would a new coil sleeve tighten this up or do I maybe need a new coil and/or arm? Thanks.

SS open (resized).jpg

SS closed (resized).jpg

Same here! I'm always thinking: this is the last game for today, no this one, no this one...

For me, Dialed In feels like a 90's B/W game with technology of today.

Exactly, tz on steroids. I sold my tz when I got DI, never looked back.

So did i ....

a TZ ? a TAF ? or even better, a bit of these 2 ?