Thanks ill check the optos. The two thinfs that make that sound are trough rollover and left ramp. So maybe left ramp opto is loose.

Side note i like JJPs menus for switches

I hope they release their schedule for the last run soon and what the allocation numbers are going to be.

I find myself automatically skipping a lot of the clips, then wishing I hadn’t! The game has great integration

Put it in the first switch test on the menu. Start banging the playfield. Does any switch go off. It will number and name the switch that goes off. You mentioned the flippers cause it to activate. In the same test mode flip the shit out of the flippers. If another switch is triggered straight after the EOS switch there you go. This game s how I found my pop bumper problem in STh.

Haha, welcome to the finickiest Stern there is! Thought you were being punished enough by Alien. I had quite a few adjustments I needed to do to EHOH. but once fixed she’s running pretty well. Fun game. Good luck.

Thanks! At least this is a little problem. Alien has been bricked for a month!

So interesting development. Switch test doesnt work. I go into switch test and the flippers dont work or anything else. Does that mean anything?

I really think its the rollover in the shooter lane. But when i look at it it seems fine

If the switch matrix is shorted, that could block it from working in test. Were you working on it, or did it happen randomly?

Could also be the node board died or a connector or connectors worked their way loose. Try reseating all the node board connectors for Node 8 and 9.

Im and idiot in switch test i didnt pull the darn white knob. But i still cant re create the issue in switch test….ugh

Ah, right. Forgot about that idiotic cutoff in Spike2 where they kill the coils AND switches instead of just the coils. So dumb.

Elvira is known to have opto issues, so I would lean toward opto if you can't recreate the issue by smacking the PF.

Cant recreate by smacking it. I just get the tilt. Im
Pretty sure its the rollover in shooter lane. Sometimes the game gives me 30 points and the swoosh sound before i even plunge. And when that happens usually it goes into ball search eventually before i even plunge

This time on ball one it gave me 30 points and the noise before plunging. But it hasnt gone into ball search yet.

It wouldn't be the shooter lane switch for the points. You don't get points for the ball waiting. BUT the ball search could be a shooter lane switch that needs adjustment or replacement.

Only thing ive noticed with the optos is the lasers arent lined up with the holes in the plastic. But they still seem to work fine. And they are not loose.

If they're off from the holes they're shooting through (lane guides, etc) that can cause them to trigger with vibration or ball movement.

Ok good point. Those may be a pain to adjust. Hopefully those guides come off easy without too much bother.

Are you getting points when you think a switch is being inadvertently triggered?

Oops...just noticed you mentioned it does. How many points (i.e. Maybe you can use the point value to help find the culprit)?

The rollover switch in the shooter lane shouldn't give you any points.

Ifs 30 points that seems to happen randomly. Many times when i hit the flippers. And it has a swoosh sound with it

I’ve worked on two different EHOH that needed the right ramp opto removed and the hole in the ramp adjusted (drilled larger) to allow the beam to pass through accurately, but had a similar symptom. They both were fine initially and over time as the ramp got more wear the clarity of the beam was affected. Drilling the ramp holes larger and better aligned to the optos solved the problem both times. Hope that helps you. You can do this without removing the ramp if you get the playfield propped up above the cabinet in the back.

Ok thanks. Yea it seems that circuit board has no chance of the laser hitting the holes as its just bot long enough.

But that sounds like it wouldn't register a ball which is backwards from the problem (false triggers)?

But it still sounds like it wouldn't hurt to take a look at.

well they are clear, and my theory is that the beam goes through them initially very well but as they age / weather / get dirty they start to break up the beam and any slight motion (like the trough kicking the ball out) is a false sensor positive. The ramp opto I'm referring to is on the clear return from the ramp, not the ramp itself per se.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing - along the lines of a 'hair trigger' scenario.

I actually had a bad Tx opto behind the house. Luckily, I was able to utilize (aka kludge) another Tx opto until the proper opto shows up. But I don't think that is the same issue mrbrave77 is having.

It probably is the left ramp return opto. It makes the right sound and the laser is lined up over plastic and not the hole. I unscrewed the ramp and wiped it down really good. Its not dirty. Well see if that helps. But the otpo is very securely attached. And i dont want to drill a hole!

One simple troubleshooting trick you can maybe try is take some black electrical tape and cut a small hole in the tape and stick it on the ramp with the cutout in the tape over the ramp hole. That sort of forces the light to only be picked up via the intended opening. Looking at mine, I think the right side (Tx opto) is lined up pretty good. Hard to tell about the Rx opto on the left (I didn't take the glass off). Hopefully that will help point you in the right direction.

I think the JP guys even do something similar on one of the ramps to address an issue, but they probably install on the outside of the ramp, not the inside.

In my case i think that would block the light totally because the hole is like a cm away

Sorry if this was mentioned already, but have you gone into switch test mode to see what’s active and what is triggering. Pull out the interlock switch and eject a ball into the shooter lane. A few switch’s will activate like shooter lane switch and trough switches, but maybe something else will trigger. Could it be one of your sling shots or perhaps a rollover switch? Very well could be an opto, but would be a waste to take things apart before nailing it down.

Is it the left or right side that is not centered?

Yeah, he already did "smack the playfield in test mode" and got nothing.

what do you mean by that? Can youu send me a a pic of the opto and the other side? Where on the other side should the light be hitting? Is there a certain spot? Maybe they arent lined up perfectly?

And yea when im in test mode I cant re create it

Did you break that opto path with your finger or something with the glass off, game started, and ball in the shooter lane to see if that awards 30 points and is even the right one?

i know it triggers the sound. Ill double check if it triggers the points. this is the left return ramp opto

There's a transmit opto and a receive opto. I believe the transmit is on the right and receive is on the left. Can send a picture later. But it sounds like you think they aren't lined up correctly. They are directly across from each other.

Ill take a pic of mine shortly. Would just like to see what normal looks like

This just dawned on me after looking at my EHoH and rereading your post...are you seeing the power LED on the right side opto? See below, that's not the transmit IR LED, it's the pwr LED. It just indicates the board is getting 5V. I don't see how the board could be a cm off - that's WAYYY too far.

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I mean the red light is off from the hole. Are you saying the red light is not the actual opto switch light that tips the switch? If thats the case it may be aligned correctly after all

Yep... That's the power to the opto board LED. Use your front facing camera on the phone or tablet, you might be able to spot the IR LED. Those cameras don't usually have IR filters.

Stern has been awful quite lately. I haven’t heard any news about new games being made. My distributor isn’t even sure what is on the line now. Anybody have an update?

Adding to my post...I think a little bit of opto tech talk is needed.

You have a transmit (Tx) opto, that's not really an opto per se, it just has the IR LED that *should* shine on the receive (Rx) opto. But it's often called an opto since it's just part of the Tx/Rx opto setup. The Rx opto will sense when the Tx IR opto LED light is blocked or not. In your case, the Tx opto has a power LED that added some confusion. Here's a different Tx opto using a cheap tablet front facing camera that doesn't have an IR filter. Hence, the bright light. The Rx opto will sense when that light beam is broken.

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ty for that

I heard GOTG pro one last time for autumn, but that may be old news.

Might be slipping to late Sept, but yeah, that last call for GotG Pro.

Hello, was hoping to get some feedback-

When should the topper open? I had a previous Elvira, and I remember the topper opening, I could hear it while playing. Added a topper to my 40th and I’m not sure it ever opens so wanted to test it. What triggers it to open?

Second, coming down the left orbit, where is the ball meant to land? Assuming left flipper? Mine hits about an inch above on the sling, and these slings are crazy powerful so turns a non-event into an event! On my previous one, I think I recall adjusting the lane guide for the left orbit.

Appreciate any help. Thanks!

Is it me or does it seem this game comes with a lot of issues for not being very old? I have mine on order and reading the slew of tweaks and problems this game has after a couple years concerns me. Especially when the price is going up and the new ones aren't corrected? I know all game threads are about fixes but this one seems to be more than others? Whats everyones thoughts?

Nowhere near as many tweaks as a jjPotC.

It is a little fussy, but all the issues are addressable.

There is a test mode for the topper in the service menu. Sometimes when you hit the flipper buttons (i think the left one) in attract mode the topper will flip open and she screams at ya. Not sure tbh in what modes it activates in gameplay.

The ball should be coming down to your left flipper and avoid the sling. You will need to adjust the ball guide from the left orbit. There is a youtube vid on this procedure - look up HurryUpPinball.

As a general rule, it should activate upon some multiball starts (can't remember if it does on all) and on super jackpots.

I don’t think that’s happening but in test mode it opens fine. I’ll take the glass off and try it out.

So I'm getting balls stuck in the garage. It's not every time, but it's often enough that it's really annoying. 3rd ball search kicks them all out.
What do I need to check or adjust?

Thanks

There are settings to adjust how often it opens. I have mine set to open in attract mode when you hit a (left only?) flipper button.