Perhaps you should consider the exchange rates for those outside the U.S. You wouldn't pay $7800 u.s if the currency was reversed here in Australia.
I also doubt anyone who bought an LE thought they were by buying some super strength pinball each rigorously and individually tested for flaws and came with extended guarantees.
Oh yeah my lost revenue and downtime isn't good for small business last time I checked.

Just download the code and put on a usb and plug into the backbox,turn on,open coin door press select to update. Remove,reboot,go.

Stern replaces. Contact them.

well said T-800, mine's flawless also, and what I've heard from the belgian distributor its been the perfect stern for all the other buyers too, something that hasn't been the case the last few years.

I also did not feel to need to shout out how well it was working.

Honestly, I completely agree with everything you said above. It's all relevant. But what you paid isnt. If you only paid $3000 for the game, you'd still deserve the exact same support.

From the beginning my comments are about what 1.21 did to my machine. At least one other Pinsider has the same problem. $13k wasn't and isn't my issue. My LE is being picked tomorrow by an interstate company and a NIB L.E delivered on Wednesday,this would have only been approved by Stern in Sydney and even then via Chicago I'm sure. That doesn't happen due to a broken throne or scratched decal.
A few LE's are having issues which Stern will rectify.
An incredible machine in so many ways and people set on getting an LE or premium should not be put off by my words or any in this forum and continue with the purchase.
Premiums now in production along with new game codes will be free of these issues by then.
If you see these comments as unrelated to 1.21 then that's your opinion.

Sounds like we agree then

For what it's worth, I finally updated my game to 1.21 this weekend. First 3 attempts all failed at the very end of the update. Downloaded the file again, tried the update, failed, did it one more time and then the update took. So far everything looks to be good, my sound gaps went away too. Anyone that's having issues with the update try it multiple times and try downloading the source file again, worked for me as strange as it was.

I updated to 1.21 and now every game I have random times where the flippers just freeze for a second. Losing so many balls. Never had this before the update. I saw some others post that they had this issue and were told it was the node board 8. I thought it was a bug in the new code, but if most of you don't have this problem, I guess I will call Chas too.

Are your lower playfield lights going out at the same time? If so, that's the node board. If your left flipper is freezing during Battle for the Wall multiball, that's part of the code.

It is not the Wall. It happens mostly during multiball and the lights do go out too.

Please post when you get the issue resolved and what the final fix was.

I just played again with wife so I could confirm what is happening . If both flipper buttons are depressed at the same time, or any overlap, then both flippers will temporarily seize and the lower playfield GI lights go out, only lasts a second. It happens right after plunge when ball hits upper playfield because we are trying to use both flippers. Then it happens during multiball, when you need to use both flippers. Tomorrow I will check the connections on node board and if that is the problem I will post it. If not, I will be calling Stern. Thanks for your input folks.

It's node 8, brother...call Chas at Stern to get it confirmed, then call your distro for a replacement to be sent out. Why Stern does it that way, I have no idea (you're already on the phone with them!). But that's your solution. Waiting for my replacement now.

what is the date time stamp on these GOT LE pins?

My distributor has replaced my entire machine more so due to damage. Pat from Stern has confirmed node 8 board # 520-6935-10 needs replacing.
New LE is being delivered in a few hours. Fingers crossed for no more issues.Good luck.

node 8 board # 520-6935-10
Confirmed.

Spoke to Chas today. He said exactly above. Have to call distributor tomorrow with serial #.

Don't hold your breath, it took 13 agonizing days for me to receive my replacement node board. However, well worth it. This pin is awesome.

Big deal. I'm going on a week waiting for my topper. I have to keep reminding myself I'm a 51-year-old man with multiple jobs and responsibilities and to stop acting like a 12-year-old on Christmas Eve. But, man, is it tough to wait ...

I think every replacement part where ever in the world should be shipped 1st class overnight regardless of the distributor.

But at least you can still play mate, mine was unplayable to due to flipper failure with the node board. 13 days no play isn't good enough.
ps Those Toppers are $850 down here..whoa

Nope. I had the flipper failure too. Just got my node board yesterday. When it comes to waiting, nobody beats me. (I have a WOZ, so...)

Obligatory idiocracy reference

image_(resized).jpeg

My I ask if node board 8 is failing after newest code is installed?

That's when mine went.

I haven't updated to latest code yet,and my left flipper went completely dead while in a multiball mode.
started working on its own while playing.

It's a feature in the game. You got Frozen!!

Really,if thats true they got me on that one LOL

Definitely true if you were in the winter has come multiball.

I thought I was in Battle for the wall,maybe I had both going.
I guess thats ok then,better than having an issue with it.

Another surprise at midnight for you then? Make sure the clock is set though. wtf is happening and FUN! Just be playing before midnight

Did the new node board solve your flipper freeze and lower GI light issue?
My Node board supposed to come tomorrow.

Yes...as far as I can tell. Just a word of warning: This whole Spike system just behaves...well...weird, for lack of a better word. When I put the board in, I immediately had a flipper freeze/lights out and panicked. But that was the last time. Then, shortly after, I had a few situations where the ball drained but wasn't recognized by the ball trough optos until I hit both flipper buttons. That, too, went away. It's almost like the machine has to think about what's been done and filter out the bugs. I've never seen another machine behave this way, and it's really strange.

But yes, my machine is working so far.

Glad to hear you are up and runnin. Will put new board in tomorrow. I'll be on the lookout for weird stuff.

I had the same exact initial behavior happen with the new revision node board replacement including the ball detection failure (the trough optos are connected on node board 8 as well). The issues go away after playing for a while. But, when you power the machine on the next day they come back (my flippers were freezing like crazy the next day and the lower GI blinking out). You and I having the exact same problems with the replacements prove the new revision boards do not fix the problem! I emailed Chas last night, to ask him what's next. The way the problem shows up most frequently when the machine is first turned on smells like a capacitor problem to me. I asked him if he thought it could be a bad batch of power distribution boards. Sorry for the bad new Beez, but I don't think your problems are over either. Sadly your post cheered me up a little. I'm glad knowing I'm not the only one!

I replaced node board 8. First game, hit both flippers and seized, lower GI lights out, same as before. But then, just like you guys said, it went away. Played three games and worked fine. I am still skeptical that problem won't return, as jrnyman says above. Gonna try it again later, don't want to be disappointed just yet.

Was feeling good, so then I installed my topper. It said "update failed" two times and had tech alert for node 1. Sigh..... But then I did what someone posted on of these threads, unplugged one of the J45s turned it on, update failed again. Then reconnected, powered on and success, no more error and can play, Start button lit. So it seems ok. Dragon doesn't do anything during gameplay, but the lights work and it flaps when you start up machine. Need next code update I reckon.

I also lowered the left drop targets slightly, by loosening 2 screws underneath. This prevents balls from launching off the rubber because the ball was hitting the top of the downed targets and launching off the rubber. Had hit glass a few times. All fixed, targets flush when down. Also lowered target in front of ramp to upper playfield, and this has stopped the ball hitting the plastic and coming back down the ramp.

Enough tinkering for one day for. Still a great machine and having fun.

Any help guys on how to fix the left orbit or adjustments that can be made?

Had the flippers and lights go out again today, but the upper flippers went too. Is this normal when node 8 fails? i.e.: are ALL the flippers on node 8 since they don't work independently?

Who'd you get your topper from? I'm going on three weeks and still waiting for mine to arrive. I should probably just come to your house and see what it looks like.

I just bought the fix from Capguntrooper. It's worth it to get something that's proven to work. If Stern comes up with something better, then hey!...I have a backup plan.

Anyone, I just set up my premium it came with current code and I have the topper. I have node 12 alert? I also feel like my flippers are a little laggy or non-snappy. The right more than the left. thanks.

I have had several sterns come with flippers that are not gapped correctly, flipper buttons that are gapped wrong not sensitive enough, and end of stroke switches that fire way too early. Fixing these problems always brings the life back into the flippers. Start with those basics first and see where you're at.

Yes, the upper flippers are connected to node 8 so if the board is having issues they can turn off too. You're probably the first person who happened to notice the upper flippers go out when the lights and the lower flippers went out as well. It's probably happened the whole time since we've seen this issue. in the 1.21 readme, for the firmware update for the boards they talk about "improved handling of overcurrent conditions". Overcurrent on circuit boards is a bad thing. It means they are frying parts on the board. So when we are seeing the lower GI and flippers go out they are probably shutting off the current to the whole board after detecting an overcurrent condition to stop parts from frying on the board.

On the earlier code (1.01) they were definitely frying circuit components, because eventually you would just lose power for all coils associated with that board permanently and the board needed to be replaced. (Had that happen to me more than once).

I studied the hardware on the two board revisions (the old and new). Everything seems to be the same except they bridged a pin on two of the transistors together with a wire on the underside of the board. It works out to be the transistors for the right slingshot and right lower flipper on node board 8.

So, it seems to me they still have board issues for the Spike 8 48V driver node board that GOT LE/Prem node 8 uncovers. Why this one machine and board? Because it has two slingshots, two sets of flippers, and the lord of light target bank all tied to it. And a lot of those coils can be firing at once. KISS and WWE probably did not have as many coils firing at once on their 8 48V driver node boards (just like node board 11 on GOT LE/Prem which is also a 8 48V driver node board).

And nope, have not heard back from Chas yet...

I notice it happens the most when the Castle Black kickback is triggered. Of course, when that happens, you instinctively hit the flippers almost simultaneously to avoid a drain. Maybe that's one cause for the problem. Thanks for the great explanation. I'll be emailing Chas and my distro tomorrow, and calling Chas on Monday.

Chas emailed me that 1.22 code should fix my issues... I'll need two days to prove this.

Still getting GI flicker on 1.22 code when both flippers are depressed, anyone else? I have had to reload code three times now.

Cap, do you have the latest revision node board for board 8 (with a wire bridging two transistors on the underside of the board? Mine's still loading the code, I'll let you know how it goes.

yes i have the newest node board

Flicker still present here. Never updated node 8 board but I do have one on the way.

I sent Chas an email about it. Who here does not have the GI flicker? I made sure my Node board dip settings were exactly as the sold one, is there a setting it should be on I am not aware that will prevent this?