Explanation:

I created this mod to beat the maddening rejections to the left ramp. I surmised that the cause of these rejections was the leading edge of the “lid” plastic that covers the behind-the-back-panel sections of the left ramp. In this first photo, you can see the edge of the plastic spanning the top of the ramp, about two inches above the surface of the ramp. Any ball that gets airborne as it goes up the ramp can easily smack into that edge and be reflected back down the ramp and onto the playfield. This DIY mod is a simple deflector that sits below the plastic like the bill of a cap and directs airborne balls down into the elbow of the ramp.

Ramp.ledge (resized).jpg

Necessary Tools/Parts:

1. Bench vise
2. Hacksaw
3. Hammer
4. ¼” nut driver
5. #2 Phillips screwdriver
6. 5/16” combination wrench
7. Pencil and Sharpie
8. Hand drill or drill press
9. Clamps and wood blocks
10. Cheap, stainless switch plate from hardware store
11. Scrap paper

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Step One:

Remove the two screws that secure the T-Rex head. (If you have a Premium/LE, removing the head will be more involved, and as I have a PRO I can’t instruct you there.) Next remove the two screws that hold the left portion of the ramp’s “cover” plastic. The one on the left goes into a tall hex spacer and the one toward the back simply attaches to the lower half of the redirect elbow of the ramp.

Step Two:

Cut a scrap of paper to match the floor dimensions of your switch plate. Do NOT simply cut your paper to match the external dimensions of the plate. The full plate is larger than you need and the more of the formed edges you can avoid the better. This rectangle of paper will become your stencil in a moment.

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Step Three:

Carefully slide your stencil into position between the two ¼” spacers and the “lid” plastic, then use a sharpened pencil to pierce the paper at each hardware point. Remove the pencils and reinstall the hardware to secure the stencil in place. Next, trace the perimeter of the cover plastic onto the stencil, then remove the hardware and lastly the stencil.

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Step Four:

Transfer the stencil to your switch plate using your Sharpie. Hold the stencil in place on the switch plate and mark key points with your Sharpie, then take the stencil away and use a straight edge to draw long/complete lines on your plate. Look at the colored zones in this photo. The magenta “A” zone is the “bill” (think baseball cap) of the deflector. Do NOT trim it away. The turquoise line is a bend seem, NOT a cut line. The neon green “B” zone is waste and needs to be cut away however you want to do it.
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Step Five:

Clamp your marked switch plate onto a scrap of wood held securely in your shop vise, then use your hacksaw to cut out the deflector, one edge at a time. You can make a support “sandwich” with scraps of wood in your vise to hold the part while filing your rough, freshly sawn edges, and use your rough file to round corners. You can even create a large radius in the left half of the “bill,” as I chose to do on mine.

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Step Six:

Use your punch and a hammer to create pilot marks for your drill, then use a 5/32” drill bit – in a hand drill or in your drill press – to make your holes.

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Step Seven:

Apply about ten degrees of bend to the “bill” of your deflector by squeezing it between two scraps of wood held tightly in vise, with the bend seem barely visible. Use a scrap of wood and a hammer to bend it over just slightly. Don’t over do it!

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Step Eight:

Test fit your deflector in the ramp. I suggest securing the rear screw first, then pivoting the deflector carefully while managing the pesky spacer beneath before you can thread the second screw into the hex spacer. If your holes are not the right distance apart, your deflector may not fit and you will have to remove it and enlarge your hole/holes as necessary, then reinstall. Reinstall the T-Rex head and you are done and now rejection-free! Good work!

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Final Thoughts:

You will notice in these final photos that the installed deflector is all but invisible. You can barely see it from the left side and not at all from the right.

If this DIY was helpful to you, you might also benefit from a similar DIY I posted for an orbit-feed fix on DP.

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Deflector.visibility.right.jpg (resized).jpg