OK, here's the story, but DONT read if you're afraid with supernaturel things !!!

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still here ?

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are you sure ?

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OK let's go

well than, in fact no BSD or STh here, i will talk about Oktoberfest

got his pin for nearly 2 monthes, absolute no prob with it, and than today i'll go for a 2nd playfield cleaning...
meanwhile i was busy, i decide to also go under the apron (and this is not part of the story, but i noticed that i have a Bader PF not a Mirco)

cleaning finished, put all back to his place... start button, locked ball(s) ejected to drain, game on, and than i can start...
play ball 1, which goes out, and... nothing ! no new ball in shooterlane, game still active
pin goes in ball search, nothing change
i did eject myself a ball in the shooterlane, play on and OK, ball goes out and same prob again !

let's suppose a software bug, and than try a pin reboot... but same prob again

ok, let's see hardware than
check the rack connector (even if should work as its OK for the very 1st ball) : and yes its OK...
let's check the rack switches : all 6 are OK (all balls are in & detected), the shooterlane works too...
may be pin is "lost" with some bad switches in locks, than i eject ball after ball, and put them in locks, 3 in beer barel, all OK, 3 in the coaster, all OK...
i relaunch the game, all 6 balls are normally ejected, back in the drain, and than i restart the game, play ball 1, goes out, and... same prob again

now i'm swearing... did i have a defective board !?
to be sure, let's now try switch by switch in the rack, i remove the balls from there... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ... heu ...

7 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????

OF need 6...

now, its time to ask : could you believe than yesterday all was playing OK (with than the needeed 6 balls), and today, i have 7 in the rack ?
few will believe balls have sex (...) during the night !? its badddddd
few others may think there's some magic in this !? shazam !
few more will remain logic : EASY ! its simply the capture ball that escaped from his place... its not ! no broken or missing part, the capture ball is in place...

than what ? do we have some Columbo here ?

(i "forget" a small detail in my story, solution at the end of the day )

easy and logical of course...

in fact, when i remove (for the very 1st time) the apron, i think (even not sure, was not concentrate on that) a ball did roll on the PF
mainly thought that it was a lose ball in the shooterlane... in fact was not !

i did test it, and surelly it happends as it : a ball could stay blocked under the apron : on the right side, above the vuk exit, behind the apron, and blocked by the metal plate there... even with nudges, no free exit... than ball is surelly there from factory...

tanx API for that extra ball offered, and this hour spend while looking for a pinball bug