Found issue for problem one with my topper light issue on the lid. Pad pulled off with wire on led strip. Tested coil and it’s at 4 ohms. My distributor I bought topper from emailed Pablo. So not sure why lid won’t stay open.

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Crypt help please. When the ball goes in the crypt, the deadheads will not activate. When in Gappa mode, Gappa progress/jackpot will not activate. The lasers at the entrance to the crypt are functioning. The ball will sit in the crypt for 10 seconds or so until the ball missing game wide ejectors kick it out. Looked under the game for anything misaligned or unplugged and everything looks in place. I took the roof off the crypt and nothing is amiss there.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

well, not sure if I want to do this, seems too permanent and a hassle if I ever need to remove them you have to unscrew from the bottom... I prefer a more practical approach...

I did try (twice) to tighten them really well to prevent any movement, unfortunately, that did not work for me. What ends up happening is that the ball hits the gargoyle cover on the side and it shuffles it to the side then jamming the gargoyle's bar, often keeping the gargoyle in the air.
If the cover is loose enough to get hit but return to the centre, then, it does not seem to jam the bar.

So after some trial and error, I now opted for leaving the covers slightly loose, I did add blue lock tite to the screw and are just tight enough to allow be just snug enough while allowing for some movement if they get hit, they wiggle but won't jam the gargoyle's bar.

We will see how it works, I just need to let the blue loc tite cure now, will test tomorrow.

I have updated game code before for my STh and BKSOR. I want to do a fresh install of the game code to see if it fixes my topper lid not staying open since the coil test fine at 4 OHMS and wires are all good. So do I format the SD to FAT32, then just extract files to the SD card or just copy them? Thanks

After the 10th game where it pops off, you'll do the same

The gargoyle sticks go through those metal holes but it's not apparent at first that there are actually 2_ pieces of metal which get out of alignment and trap the stick (what the hell is the proper word?). loosen the screw that holds the 2 metal pieces that the stick goes through, and line them up, and retighten. also add some silicone grease (a small amount)

Also, I'm pretty sure removing them is just a matter of unscrewing one screw from the bottom, then sliding the whole stick out of the game

You have to flash the card with the file that Stern made for that.

The other file is for updating, never had amy luck with updating cards. It is glitchy almost every time and some features dont work (in any game).

Flashing is bullet proof, files and instructions here:

https://sternpinball.com/support/sd-cards/

The jam also occurs at the bottom, there is another metal component under the pf. The bracket will always shift.

I am not sure I followed your explanation, so you are saying you glued the bracket together, but this would eliminate the leveraging action of it…

If you want to share your fix with images, it would help.

Ps/ i understand the mechanism in itself, I am just curious to know where you have used the glue on.

Still, thread locker seems a more adequate approach for now… but sends us some images of what yours look like.

What's his current turnaround time?

Topper issues resolved!! Lights work fine in the lid now. I set the topper lockout scream setting back to default and now lid stays open!! I thought if I lowered the setting to 90 it would possibly stay open longer, factory s 160 I believe. So now we know what setting 284 does. Mystery solved. I am now 100% up and running.

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Bout 3 weeks. Supply issues, which is happening everywhere . But I prepaid, so he sent me armor he had, then I return ship my armor to him. So no downtime on game.

Awesome! Dude glad u fixed it! I didnt realize how messed up it was till i saw that video of the topper flap going right back down immediately.

So holy crap man! The epic wait it done. Cant wait to see mods in action!

Thanks my friend, really appreciate it. I just finished making and installing my custom shooter rod. It’s a bit off center so not to thrilled about that. Will start installing art blades and other mods tomorrow’s.

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Looks freeking great! Had no idea how good that thing would look until I saw it on the machine. Its proportions are perfect.

What would you say your first impressions were paying that first round of balls? Worth the wait? Ill bet it felt super surreal!

I really appreciate the compliment. I am thinking about offering them for sale. Will have to see if there’s any interest. For me the game is perfection.

Getting it set up and trying to fix the topper issue definitely distracted me from enjoying it fully. But I love having it sitting in my front room to play anytime I want and not drive 50 minutes away to play. Plus I still have some more mods to install tomorrow and the art blades and apron accent piece.

Congrats to all the new owners!

I made to gappa angry multiball by locking all 6 balls yesterday.
Pretty cool!

I received my game about a week ago and am having intermittent issues with my right flipper. It works most of the time but sometimes is dead for a few seconds. Lost 2 balls in 1 game as a result tonight.

Any ideas what could be causing this issue?
Thanks
Ed

if the connection to the board is good, then possibly a software issue.
I would start by looking into NODE 8 (left hand side, under pf, closer to the right flipper), check connector CN8 (coil) and CN9 (flipper button), make sure they are connected tightly properly to node 8.

If that is fine, I would check your flipper switch, inside the cabinet, make sure it is installed correctly and check all soldering points.

IF all connections look good on visual inspection, you will have to check for voltage at these points.

start here, and once you discard all components here might need to investigate further.

For now this is a good start and should be a solid one.

Looks great! I like that orientation of the skull (shooter rod goes into back of the skull and skull faces straight forward).

Has me considering doing some surgery on my Stern Creepo the Clown shooter rod to have him orientated like your skull.

Thank you! Appreciate the compliment. I didn’t like the orientation of the the clown shooter.

Bam! Thats it! Thats whats been bugging me most about also..just couldnt put my finger on it. Man theres gotta be a way to pull that off. For all my griping I think Im just gonna snag one to see if it wears on me at all. I did happen to notice stern just about doubled the cost from 90 to either 170 or 180..cant remember. It can still be found elsewhere for 90 though so it might be the time to snag it if ever were interested. Anyway u figure out a front mod for that do tell!

Pinball life has it still for $89.99

https://www.pinballlife.com/stern-elviras-house-of-horrors-officially-licensed-custom-shooter-rod.html

Thanks! Snagged!

your welcome!

They did this on all the shooters. I'm scared to see what the pinballs are going up. Rumor is $500 across the board.

I think there is a point where people are going to say no more and a $500 increase across the board may do that. I know I'm out on NIB if that happens. The quality and value just isn't there

No, no just glue the figure to the metal piece. I tried thread locker at first, but 2 or 3 games in the gargoyle just popping off again. I just meant to be aware of the metal pieces it slots into - the silicone (if you choose to do that) should just be a tiny amount on the metal blade

They are going up that's for sure, by how much is anyone's guess. When the phrase was said "We held the line on Mando" you know that means anything following will come with a higher price tag.

I think you guys are talking about 2 different things, gargoyle flying off vs screw holding metal actuator from moving around. I have the same issue where the actuators move and block a bit of the right ramp shot among other things, even when tight.

Sounds like you might be having the same problem a couple of the others are having with the Node board. I can't speak for all solutions but I know on one it was (I believe) due to the GI wires making contact with some metal under the flipper solenoid. Sounds like there were some MAJOR quality control issues on this run of HoH... Feeling lucky I haven't noticed anything wrong with my machine so far. Stern really needs to address these problems instead of leaving it up to their distributors to sort out.

Lol! I spoke to soon!
Can anyone give me any ideas on this one before I start pulling things apart?
It was preceded by the house diverter failing and then clearing and then by the house solenoid firing over and over until it faulted.
The house no longer sees the ball. Opto missalignment?

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Try Gorilla Glue Clear Epoxy. I just used it for my custom skull shooter rod. Sets up in 5 minutes and works for metal, plastic, wood ect.

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I bought a new shooter rod with no end. Just drilled hole into skull and then used Gorilla Glue clear epoxy to hold it in place.

Damn that sucks. Sorry brother. Spend over $8k and people having so many issues. Not right at all.

I have posted some things to look for but we have not heard back.

If this issue is only happening to one side that means only 1 circuit is being affected...., then the issue is clear: it is the wiring for that flipper and have to look the areas I mentioned just to start.

If the power was out for the entire 48V circuit, then you would notice all the lights off, just like when you open the coin door. I do not think this is the issue here.

Some rant/advice:

what I noticed that what most people do when dealing with pinball issues, is that they end up looking at A LOT of different things rather than having a more structured approach. They end up disconnecting 4 unrelated things and wiggle cables and boards, but not really visually check anything... that is not going to help.

Spike II controls the power throughout the game, even the amount of electricity that gets sent to the flippers = flipper power. This can be adjusted in the settings, therefore, any interruption or incorrect conductivity will make Spike II to have issues.
Even having a short in a light bulb affects the entire system and it will make it shut down (it has been reported many times and it is a common issue).

The information I posted is on the manual, so the fact that people are not looking into the manual is ... another issue also part of the problem. Please learn how to read your manual, if you are reading this, unless you are not technically inclined to do so, please make the effort.

I am ok with helping and looking it up, it would also be appreciated that when do get help, keep us posted of your progress and follow the steps we suggested as I often see people 100% ignoring suggestions and then they post the same question again 4 times, commonly when people have software issues and we suggest to flash the card, they do not flash the card, ask again, then flash the card and voila...

So that is my little rant, if you ask for help, please report your progress and make sure you follow instructions. just saying.

you are correct, 2 different issues.

I opted for not tightening the bracket, just enough to allow for movement, so when it gets it sideways, it wiggles but it won't jam the gargoyles bar. I have tried tightening, it is just impossible to keep it from shifting over time and it will always lock the bar up.

This was happening on my game. Two connectors were inverted I found out for the house sensors.

That's interesting. Mine was working for at least 40 games before the issue started happening. If the connectors were inverted wouldn't this have been happening from the beginning?

I received my pin NIB with a May 12th 2021 build date. Flippers weren't working, lower playfield lights under slings, apron, and flippers not working. Swapped out Node Board 8 with my JP one flippers started working but was getting two faults. 1. Trough Malfunction 2. Overcurrent Protection. Disconnected Connector 15 on Node Board 8 and the faults when away. The connector handles the lights on circuit 171 which are all the lights. After looking more into the wires on the 171 circuit found that a zip tie was binding up the wires that run into the right flipper mounting bracket. That bracket cut them and was allowing them to ground out. Put paper between the wires and metal and all is well. Installed the original Node board and all lights works and no more alerts.

I am having an issue with the garage ball lock. I sees ball 1 and 3 but not ball 2. Did the Opto test and it sees 1 & 3 on switch test. All the optos are on one circuit. Took everything apart and cleaned the optos. Not really away to adjust and if I did then in theory it would bump 1 & 3 out of the way. After cleaning the Optos now it will recognize ball 2 locked after ball searching a couple of times. If the ball drains on the left drain it then start Wild Woman Multiball. If the ball drains on the right side multiball doesn't start and half the time the pin doesn't recognize it as ball drained and start the next ball.

My distrubtor has been amazing to deal with, but he can only do so much. Stern has sent some emails, but waiting on a response for ball lock issue.

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I would not be happy by fixing this like this...

I would:
- Remove the flipper assy and visually inspect for any other damage
- and cut that section of cable off,
- re wire with brand new cable and solder accordingly to the light socket,
- use the opportunity to replace the shitty Stern LEDS with better ones since these are the hardest to reach (under the flipper assy)
- re install fish paper (brand new paper, the paper you are using is not insulating and electricity will pass through/conduct still)

In other words, I think the only way to know something is working as it should is by fixing it properly.
You can't assume you have other issues until you really solve the one at hand, you have not yet. You will otherwise be chasing your tail.

The board that controls your Garage locks (Node 8 connector CN13)
also happens to be the same board that control under the PF General Illumination ( connector CN15).

If an electrical discrepancy happens in any part of any circuit will make the system fail.

You issue will most likely be resolved once you properly address the short at CN15 (it is most likely still shorting, just to a lesser degree).

Patiently waiting on Stern to see how they want to proceed or if they even want me to repair it myself.

Last thing I want to do is have them void my warranty or wipe their hands if I start repairing without their consent.

I had the same conversation with Stern, actually yesterday. You will be waiting for days and they will give you the go ahead.

If you did not see my post a few days before where my 48V circuit was 100% not grounded at the power supply. I fixed it myself of course.

I would not wait if I knew how to do the steps above. It will not void your warranty unless you do something very stupid... Stern will give you the go ahead and they will not help fix your issue in any other way.
Unless you are not comfortable and you need to wait for your bistro to send a tech to solder the new cables and re-installing things. Most techs are working by the hour, like a mechanic, Stern would only pay 'so much' for this repair.
I do not want anybody rushing through a job touching my games. Do not care who they are or what credentials they have.
There is nothing in pinball that is impossible to fix - diagnosing is a different story - and this might require someone with a different toolbox and this is when asking Stern comes in handy. So they can help figure out when you have a bad board for example. Anything else, I am better off myself. I will do a better job than they did at a factory and excel anything else I have seen... I am a bit obsessed with perfection.

Pablo and Eddie are only good at regurgitating what comes from engineering, What comes from engineering is often a good guess - sometimes it is not - it is sort of a broken telephone situation.

Your issue is very clear now I think you can solve this on your own if you got this far, please see my previous post with my recommendations. Sorry, I am a being so specific, I just do not know what level of expertise you have.

Update on the "House lockup device malfunction" issue. Took off the house snooped around for loose or bad wires. Everything seemed fine. Checked the opto on the house tunnel where the solenoid was malfunctioning. The bottom opto seems to be falling out of alignment by about 1/8 of an inch...
Kind of frustrating but a piece of electrical tape to hold it in place seems to correct the issue - at least for now...
Pictured below before putting tape on the side of it:

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how did you fix the uneven ramp flap there? mine is the same way and hell if i can figure out a way to fix it.

So my game occasionally stutters when doing the trailer, is there something i can do to fix it? best way to describe it is when the words are scrolling in to existence part of the word will appear then it freezes and skips frames to more letters. My friend's is smooth. Any idea what I can do? Maybe new sd card?

you have to reshape the ramp.
I use a blow drier, with my hand as a gauge to know when it is getting uncomfortably hot, when it does, you know you are the bending point, after this point when you are in pain, then you are overheating...

Overheating will most likely burn the decal under the ramp, do not overheat, just uncomfortably hot enough to bend the ramp in the general direction without burning your skin. If you are burning, you are melting. Do not melt.

You will not get it done on the first try, so take your time, I did mine in less than 30 min. It is important that you take time in releasing all the cables from under the PF so you can elevate the ramp.

Take your time and you will not damage anything, rush it and you will melt things or burn the PF. Use your hand as a gauge: you blow hot air on the spot you want to get bent and put your finger right next to the spot. When your finger burns, stop blowing hot air. Sounds simple and stupid, but this approach will keep you from burning stuff.
Do not try to wing it, or count in your mind... use your hand, trust me on this... or you can learn the hard way like I did when I melted a few Kydex holsters out of shape.

I managed to do it comfortably without taking the ramp off fully, it was however fully detached... Sorry I cannot remember the exact steps as to how I was holding the ramp but I did everything without any help and it turned out great. I recommend a small blow dryer - I just happened to have a travel one - that get really hot in the FAST setting and it was just the perfect size for this job.
I have used a similar approach to fix KYDEX holsters when I was ccompeting in USPSA and IPSC and I am comfortable around bending plastic now, the first I did - not so much -lol... So learn from my experience: It is easy, the key is to not overheat and burn or deform the ramp, you just need it to bend slightly.

I was honestly not sure if it was going to work as the plastic can bend at different temperatures depending on the plastic itself - not all bend at the same temp - , but this one did ok with the blow drier I had at hand.

The metal flap now sits flush against the PF. Everything is perfect.

I also used the opportunity to add mylar under the flapper. I do this to all my games and protect the mylar that is already on the PF from getting poked by the metal flap, so it is mylar against mylar now. It works great.

please make sure to report things like this to Stern. If this turns out to be a common issue then they have to change the design of the Opto bracket/holder.

Are you getting any overcurrent warning? May be similar to the issue I'm dealing with (and another pinsider in my area).

Are your lower GI lights (,under slings, outlanes, apron) working? If all those connectors to node board 8 are okay, you may have a short or exposed wire hitting metal someplace. I'm searching for thst issue right now myself but not finding anything yet.

the overcurrent warning typically happens when there is a constant short, for example, a piece of metal inside light bulb socket, or, a piece of solder touching something... constantly in contact.

The other issue mentioned here sounded more like power loss than a short, i.e, something is intermittently connecting (not shorting), which will lead to the flipper going on and off sporadically.