I put the stronger LOTR flipper coils in my IM when I still had it and it was extreme!

I would say put on a weaker coil . If those are the upgraded LOTR coils take them off sell them and buy ones that are not as strong .

You will notice over time the velocity will get toned down. If it still bothers you, go back to the stock coils rather than the upgraded ones. I had only minimal luck reducing strength using the coil settings menus.

"I feel like I'm going to break off Balrog's crotch!"

Omfg undo #3. You most likely have "upgraded" coils because the previous owner was too dumb to rebuild the flippers and instead got the stronger coils. Put the stock coils back on and enjoy the game.

No such thing.

The flipper travel will be the same as all other sterns. It may look higher pitched if say the inlanes are slightly higher pitched. If you have new coil stops and new plunger mechs then the flipper will be moving the expected amount. The flipper coil part numbers are listed in the manual.

Heres a pic of the original.
090-5020-20T

I dont think you have the right upgraded coils. I got mine from pinball life and they have the same number as the original coils, but they are noticeably larger.

I upgraded mine and really like them. They dont tire like the original ones.

20141015_210438.jpg

Never do that. This game plays insanely strong when new or rebuilt. It settles down over time. Most games are like this.

I think there's a coil strength/voltage adjustment somewhere in the menus. Might try putting that at low. Also I you think the flippers are too high, maybe they should be adjusted lower. Post some pics of them in the up and down positions. The little pins/divots in the playfield should be where the flippers rest when down. I do remember it being pretty easy to catch the ball on LOTR though so it could be normal.

Invite your 3 year old son/daughter/niece/nephew over to play LOTR for one hour. After that, your flippers will be broken in and a suitable strength

Make sure you have the right coils. People unnecessarily "upgrade" coils on LoTR because they don't know how to rebuild flippers. A flipper rebuild will play like new got a good thousand games. It does not wear down in a short time. In a home, it will probably never wear down. All my games play the same as when I out then into my home.

"Too dumb"? Okay, smart guy...I upgraded my coils after fewer than 100 plays out of the box, because I got tired of people coming over and complaining that after an hour of play, the ring shot was impossible to make. If I put my original coils back in, what would prevent that problem from coming back? It's a sincere question, because I'd like to be able to make the Gimli shot, and the ball flies over it now.

Piniteration, FWIW I've had the upgraded coils for at least 8 years, and there's no sign of wear at the Shire or Gimli saucer (and with no protectors). I wax the game every 200 plays.

We've been over this, but I'll try one more time. The problem of flipper fade was so bad on LOTR Stern admitted the problem in a service bulletin.

Symptom:

Flippers feel weaker after extreme amount of usage

Explanation:

After long playtime on LOTR, some players notice the flippers feel weaker. This game utilizes very strong flipper coils on the flipper assemblies which after extensive play can heat up and feel weak.

http://www.sternpinball.com/upload/downloads/sb151.pdf

The fix didn't work. The larger Pinball Life coils do work. Fading flippers are extremely common on LOTR location games. Try one near you and you'll see. Then check the software version to see that the service bulletin didn't work.

Not all games are the same. The game you have sounds like it plays fine with the upgraded coils. The OP's game does not. The previous owner likely had the game and rather than rebuilding the flippers just read that he should buy upgraded coils and did.

Unfortunately, "going over this multiple times" doesn't really address it. The problem of flipper fade is not well solved by upgrading the coil strength. By doing that, you take coils that are too strong, put them in. Now you start the game and the coils are way too strong. They'll fade after an hour to being about right. Great, but then you have to play a while with them too strong. If the flippers are fading after an hour because they are too hot, then I would suggest active cooling. I put active cooling ($10 in parts) on my first ACDC premium (new one doesnt need it).

This describes my game pretty well - too strong, fading to just right after about an hour. I've put heat sinks on the original coils before (passive cooling), and that helped some. What parts did you use for active cooling?

I imagine seeing a radiator mounted on back for some water cooling rig.

Nothing ridiculous. Active cooling can be achieve with a cheap pc 12v fan tie strapped to the wires under the flipper coils blowing onto the flipper coils. A 120mm fan will do the job nicely. I grabbed power by the aux plug to the right of the coindoor.

I tried the heat sinks, they helped a bit, but still need to install the fans I bought. I agree the upgraded coils are too strong, then fade with the heatsinks even to just a tad below what they feel like they should be.

Markmon, can you please post some pics of your active cooling mod? Both of the "cheap pc 12v [120mm] fan tie strapped to the wires under the flipper coils" and the wiring connection to the "aux plug to the right of the coindoor" for power? Thanks in advance for your help.

Sorry I do not own the games where these were installed any longer.

OK, thanks. Can you at least clarify when you say "aux plug to the right of the coindoor", do you mean on the right hand side of the pinball machine (i.e., under the right flipper button), or to the right of the coin door when opened (i.e., one of the coin door switches, which is under the left flipper button)?

Right of the coin door when open. 3 pin female connector. Outside pins are switched 12 volts DC.

You can use 'plumber's tape' strapping to mount the fans. Cover the strapping with electrical tape so it doesn't become a potential giant short. Use 1/2" wood screws to mount the fan (strapping) to the playfield. Use longer strapping as needed to correctly position the fans over the coils, but use as little as possible. Once mounted, they should be slightly adjustable as the strapping is easily bent.

Thanks, phishrace. I've got two spare 120mm fans, and I'm planning to experiment a little to see if I can get a decent setup that works to keep the flipper coils cool.

If I mount the fans underneath the playfield, I'll need to run the wiring down the playfield wiring harness to the back of the machine so the playfield can still be raised for maintenance. Otherwise, I could try to mount the fans to fixed positions in the bottom of the cab so they don't move when the playfield is raised. I'd probably have to have them mounted at an angle to avoid interference with the playfield support slide brackets when the playfield is lowered.

Is there another convenient spot for 12V DC somewhere in the backbox? That might be simpler than having to run back down the bottom of the cab to the aux plug near the coindoor.

Well your in luck my friend! When LOTR VE comes out you can sell your old LOTR and upgrade to the VE gunna be sweet! (I can't wait)