this is it, 100%. whenever I have a problem, I can solve it and typically I do if it does not require new parts.
Nonetheless, I do not and never let Stern off the hook. I will contact support and ask for help regardless - why you ask? - simple. Because they need to be aware of their sh!t workmaship.

I think accountability if part of the problem. Did you notice that Stern machines do not have a QC sticker?
Spooky for example (and Williams/ Bally in the old days) all have a sticker inside with the person that inspected it. If you receive this game and report QC issues, What do you think Spooky is going to do after the receive 5 phone calls with issues in games from the same person... The sticker is there to keep them accountable and to also call them up when they F up.

Stern has none of that but I make a point in calling support every time, often I do because I do need the parts, but I do take the time to report all the problems I find in the game.

Not sure if this makes a difference or not, I hope it does...I just hope it does....

Agreed but his pin is new and under warranty. Based on symptoms they should be sending him new node boards to swap out and a phone call or email thread with tech support.

Thanks for the tip. I did what you said, powered the machibe back on, and now the lower GI is working!

I didnt see any solder blobs anywhere or any disconnected bulbs, though. For future reference, if one bulb isnt sitting in its socket correctly, will that cause the entire chain to go out? Any idea why it would send an overcurrent warning about node board 8?

My next issue is my house isnt holding the ball when starting up a mode (the ball almost immediately shoots out to the right pop bumpers). Any idea on what needs to be done to fix this issue?

Lastly, is it normal for the spinning turret at the top of the house not to center when static? Mine doesn't center. I unscrewed it, straightened, and screwed back in but nothing has seemingly changes (still sideways static - see picture).

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I could not agree more with you, I was just giving my personal opinion and experience.

Look under the cabinet in the front. Right where you turned on the machine back in the day..I think it's a stamp tho and a signature for QC

I’m not sure on the house, but most issues I’ve read about seem to revolve around the optos being misaligned. I’m trying to think of the logic why a ball would spit out of the house immediately and am drawing a blank, other than the bad opto makes the game think the ball was already in the house and so it spits it right out.. I’ve never taken my house off so not quite sure what’s under there or how things work. Someone on this thread recently posted a video how to take the house off, looked very easy, just a few screws and it lifts right out. Maybe give it a shot. To remove the house, the video also showed how to remove the turret so you can check on centering. My turret is not 100% centered, but it looks better than yours.

I know it seems like a lot of work to do all of this and you shouldn’t have to for a new game, but in the end you’ll have a much better understanding of how your game works and will be able and more confident to fix future issues. You’ve already fixed your GI issues, good job on that.

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Thank you. I sold off one plus an arcade to finance most of Elvira. The only thing I feel I am lacking is an Elwin pin. It was a coin flip for me to get Elvira vs waiting for Maiden to run next month. I would also like to get a Meteor/Centaur/Sorcerer for an 80’s pin

Well I finally found the problem. The lid was a little loose so tightened the nuts after I pushed the lid all the way back. I had the right gargoyle off of the topper.

Tested the topper lid with wild woman multiball. Worked 5/5 times. Put the gargoyle back on and lid wouldn’t stay up. So asked myself what was the last thing I did when it was still working.

Pulled the gargoyle off and noticed the lid mechanism was running against the slot on the gargoyle base. Saw area where paint was rubbed with off. (See pic)

So now will have to grind some of the metal off so the mechanism for the lid is clear.

******update******

Grinded out some on the gargoyle base and now topper working 100%!!
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Scoring question - if 2x or 4x is running for a portion (or all) of a haunt, and its still running when you complete trailer trash, is trailer trash doubled, or equal to your completed house mode?

Trailer Trash IS affected by Double Trouble. Don't forget to collect the bits! Trailer Trash = 50% of haunt score; with 1 bit = 75%; with 2 bits = 100% of haunt score. There are HUGE points available here!

Check the up/down post in the subway behind the backboard. It is most likely misaligned and is not holding the ball.

Thanks a lot! Ive owned the game a year and just last night bothered to lookup how trailer trash actually worked, ended up getting a 600m trailer trash, crazy points I have been missing out on, haha.

The ball coming from the back of the house to the pops is all controlled from the subway behind the playfield. No need to remove the house. Others have posted in here about the alignment of the solenoid post in the back. If it isnt centered it may bind and not extend fully into the subway to trap the ball. You can see the post if you look in past the far left bumper. The opto that controls it is accessible from the back of the play field as well. Try rolling a ball through there with the switch test mode on and see if it registers. If it doesnt register its likely the opto. If it does it may be an alignment issue on the solenoid.

^^^ I vote for this. Setup to start a haunt should have the diverter (metal plate) behind the house raised to allow the ball into the subway and the post in the subway extended down. You can check what's going on in switch test or just take the glass off and start a game while standing to the side of the machine so you can watch the exit of the subway behind the pops. Then use your hand to roll the ball through the house to start the first haunt while watching the subway exit and see what happens with the ball coming through. The post should be down and the ball should be blocked by it until the haunt intro video clip is done. Then the post coil should fire to raise the post to let the ball go into the pops. If that's not happening then I'd check the things Scorpius mentioned to try to resolve it.

Okay so I have got to ask, How do you set up AFM to be set up hard. Is it in the settings or is it an angle of the playfield. I want to make sure that mine is set up as easy as possible. It is the only game that the kids want to play consistently.

I’m definitely no expert on AFM. I bet some owners can speak to that. Generally the pitch will make most games harder or easier depending on the speed. I’ve played some AFM machines that were very fast and game times were shorter. Others I’m sure good players can play for a long while. Should be some settings too that make the goals harder to achieve. I’ll find out soon, mine shipped today!

Well Elvira at 100%. Topper working perfectly now after I widened the gap with the dremel on the gargoyle base for the lid mechanism to go through. The mechanism is not getting stuck on it any longer and stays open the whole time when Elvira screams. Now can enjoy the game.

you should report this to Stern and they should be sending you a new base for the topper.
This is not the first time I have seen people with your issue (never cared to look what happened as I did not own Elvira then). Reporting it might help Stern in correcting this issue.

No kidding? That’s crazy other people had issue. I did let Pablo know. I will follow up with him and let him know my fixed work. Should have never been an issue in the first place.

Was it yr box that was damaged in shipping or someone else? Problems might of been caused by usps or whoever delivered

No it was not any damage done by FedEx . No damage to the topper thankfully. Just a design flaw unfortunately

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Does the topper scream when open? Mine opens, stays open three seconds and closes but no sound. What controls the sound??? I wish the topper played 5 or 6 screams from Cassandra.

It should scream when open but I also noticed that it doesn’t scream in attract mode

Mine does scream in attract mode as well.

Thank you! This is exactly what the issue was. The bracket holding the opto was too close to the solenoid bar that goes up and down at the back. I pulled the opto bracket away far enough for the solenoid bar to move freely up and down. It knocked the opto off but I have it back working... for now.

The ball now occasionally comes back down the middle ramp on mode startup so it isnt 100% holding the ball. Is that the same issue or something else?

Lastly, I'm guessing it is something simple but now when I open the coin door and pull out the white lever to try to get into the settings, the buttons aren't working (volume control buttons not working either). Ideas?

Unplug connectors on cpu board in backbox and cabinet node board by left flipper and reseat them. Had this exact issue on my Elvira. Connectors are shown below. Cn12 at cabinet node board and cn25 on the cpu in backbox.

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Mine doesn’t come on in attract mode. How often does yours come on? I have mine set at 100% for scream setting in attract mode.

Mine doesn’t open in attract mode and sometimes opens and screams when I hit the left flipper button but rarely activates when I hit the button.

Different issue, but same problem area. This fix has been 100% for me:

I want to thank Tim (ralphwiggum) for the awesome custom lenticular instruction cards. They look awesome and are a must have for the game!

I ordered a set and did not realize there were two versions, the standard ones that fit in the stern pre-cut instruction card cutouts on the apron, and a custom size that you can attach a magnetic backing to to attach to the apron with magnets. I wanted the larger ones but ordered the standard size. Tim was nice enough to send me another set of the bigger ones and asked that I give away the standard size set to someone on Pinside.

If you are interested, please PM me and I will get your address and send them to you.

Ed

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PM Sent!

I'll take them.

I have it set to 40%. It only activates when I press a flipper button.

Trekkie1978...the cards are yours...I will drop them in the mail tomorrow.

Send your thanks to ralphwiggum who told me to offer them up on here to someone.

Like I said, he makes a great product and awesome customer service in sending me replacement cards and giving this set away.

Thanks again Tim!
Ed

Thanks! Turns out the connector to the board on the side of the cabinet where the shaker plugs had come loose.

I'm 2 for 3 helping you...not too bad! slowly but surely you are getting your game to where it should be. What's left to fix?

Finally got my topper from the 2nd run. Like most, i was critical of the topper when launched - mostly the price and lack of “value”. But after receiving it, I have to say it’s probably the best topper Stern has produced. The interaction with the game and the very detailed sculpts are fantastic. I actually LOL’d when she popped up and screamed, even though I had a fair idea what to expect.

I will try that setting and see if it helps. Thanks!!

Collage.com sent me a fathers day code to get a free 30x40 fleece blanket (you still need to pay shipping and tax though). The code was "BlanketDeal". I dont if it was a code that only works if they send it to you or would work for anyone or.how lo g its active. Worth a shot if you were interested in getting one of the photo blankets.for almost free.

Well had to pull the gargoyle off again and dremel some more to widen it gap. The lid after activating a few times comes forward. Hopefully this will be the last time.

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Thanks again for the help! I'm getting closer. The ball is no longer shooting out to the right pop bumpers everytime it starts up a mode.

Now it holds the ball about 50% of the time like it should when entering the house and starting a mode. The other 50% it goes in, triggers a mode, and then comes back out down the middle ramp (where it entered) while the mode is being introduced. Any ideas on why it doesn't hold the ball 100%? Does it work for most 100% or is the inoinsistency just the norm with this game?

So you are saying you shoot the ramp and the ball immediately comes back out down the ramp, like you bricked the shot, but the mode still starts? I’ve had that happen, but it’s fairly rare, certainly not 50%. Like I said earlier, I’ve never taken the house off, but sounds like something is misaligned preventing a clean shot into the house…if I understand your issue correctly.

Thank you doc! It was automatically on there. Total price was $17.29. Great deal!

I’ve seen this issue rarely reported but same thing happens to me. My game works flawlessly, EXCEPT for this. Clean shot up the middle to start mode, ball falls right back down, which sucks because the lights go dim and hard to recover sometimes.

Hoping you find a fix, as it’ll help me as well.

Having 2 issues now with my HOH Prem. The trunk often doesn't register the ball is there, and sometimes gets stuck. It also shoots out a ball (as if the ball drained during the ball save timer) when the ball is in the middle of play. Anyone have any suggestions?

Yes. How often does it happen to you? At about 50% for me, it has an adverse effect on the game sometimes as the play field dims, it is difficult to see the ball, and sometimes drains down the middle or before I can get anything going.

What is supposed to happen when you shoot the ball up the left ramp into the open trunk? Originally mine wouldn't even register it was in there and would wait for a ball search to shoot it out. I adjusted the physical switch (not the opto above it) and now as soon as the ball drops into the open crate, it shoots it out. So, I know it recognizes the ball (since it shoots out immediately) but it doesn't seem to award anything. Is it supposed to start some mode or otherwise acknowledge the ball in the trunk with a callout or anything? It kinda seems like it's not doing whatever it is supposed to do.

The trunk is supposed to close, keeping the ball, and you are supposed to get another ball in the shooter lane.

I would check for loose connections. I had the same issues in the garage, and found a plug that was loose.

Yes I had this issue, the opto inside the trunk shines through a slot in the playfield , it was lose and randomly getting blocked by the playfield so was ejecting balls intermittently..

It should keep the first ball in there and give the award even if it is a fluke
Check the opto , my guess is it thinks there’s 2 balls in there

This is the fix, fellas.

A clean hard shot will just bounce off the back of the subway. This helps deaden it and it rolls down as it should.