Just played a few games on my GBLE and noticed that my Ecto Goggles didn't seem to be functioning properly. I finished my game, turned it off and re-started it.
When the game turned on, the screen read: 'Updating Node Board Runtime' (underneath it shows the numbers 1 8 9). Next screen says: 'Update Failed'. Please power cycle game. (Not sure what that means). At the same time, my Ecto Goggles flickered during this error message. During gameplay, the ghosts come on intermittently and no longer dissolve.

After all of this happened, I thought I would try a factory reset. Well, that seemed to be a mistake as after the reset, the game became glitchy: the subway ramp no longer locked balls, Slimer became finnicky and the trough didn't seem to be reading balls properly.
Aside from a possible Ecgo Goggles issue, is it possible the software has now been compromised.
This is all so disheartening after a few amazing weeks of owning this game. (I posted this in the other GB thread as well).
Thanks for any thoughts on this.

Update on the plunger issue: green spring did the trick. Thanks guys!

Call stern support or your distro.

Yep- plan on calling Stern today. I've never seen a factory reset cause these issues before. Thx.

Quick update: both Chas at Stern support and the service department at my local distributor have indicated that I will likely need to replace my Node Board 8. The board is being sent immediately under warranty. This should remedy my issues as they are all interconnected to this particular board.
Both Stern and my distributor were very quick to assist.

Ah those tricky node boards! Yep I had a bad one myself and Chas fixed it up pretty quick with referbed one.

Is anyone having issues with when mass hysteria starts the flipper die? I had a regular at one of my locations tell me this two different times now. First I thought it was a fluke but seems it has happened again. I started mass hysteria once and the flippers didn't reverse no matter what I did.

Anyone else having mass hysteria issues?

I know this may sound crazy, but maybe reversed flippers have kicked in as they are supposed to. Your customer might be flailing away at the right flipper button and seeing nothing happen on the right side while the left one is going crazy. Thus the thought that it has died.

Maybe?

My wife was playing today, and thought the same thing....

I told him they reverse and he said neither side was doing anything. I guess it's possible but why would they not reverse when I started it with the glass off?

old code?

New code ?

New code. I was going to call Chaz at Stern tomorrow and ask his opinion, and more then likely reload 1.05 onto the machine.

What is the cause of this? Has stern figured anything out yet? I can see this becoming rather costly for owners if the node boards keep going after warranty...

I'll take Overly Cheap Components for the Sake of Tiny Margin Increases for $100, Alex.

Yes but something has to be causing the failure. It can't all be crap components can it? Are they really using that bad of components?

I don't know if they know, but I know many of the board come back to people with resistors added onto the boards (Don't worry, because they did it after the board failed it isn't a "hack").

I'll bet they weren't paying 8 thousand dollars for one either.

Of course they weren't. It was 20 years ago. Inflation is real. There was also more demand in the early 90s, more machines were sold, margins were better so they could make less per machine. Then everyone (except Stern) went out of business or got out of business because the market changed.

With machines, shit happened then, shit happens now. Main difference is the number of collectors buying NIB, and the instant info internet age. A problem happened back then, an op fixed it, and maybe complained to his distrib or fellow ops. Now everyone hops onto a message forum and raises hell.

Sounds like Node 8 boards can have problems, lots of people having to get them replaced. My guess is future revs of the boards will be better, just like the Metallica magnet boards or X-men aux boards.

Mine does this too. When I first set mine up I had the playfield at around 7.5 degrees and the ball was falling out of the storage facility often. I adjusted to 7 degrees and its better but it still does it occasionally, just a case of bad design in my opinion.

These air balls are huge, balls goes everywhere smashing into everything !

Look where the ball got stuck this time, top of the ramp and I had to remove the glass the get the ball

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Just put a Pro on location last Monday.
Slimer mech has the fix and is working great.
Scoleri Bros. are working really well.
Just today I lowered both outlane posts and now the left and right drains are very manageable.
Also took a small safety tork screwdriver and a hammer and tapped up the two outlane wireforms from the playfield underside about 2/8 of and inch.
No more balls flying over the rails now unless they are airborn to begin with.

Left scoop is dangerously close to ejecting right down the middle and just barely hits the right flipper.
May need to adjust it but right now it is not to bad.
This game is a blast and I can't wait to get my Premium for my house.

Set left scoop power to 18.

I physically bent the top part of the left scoop down and cranked up the coil power and now it feeds more reliably to the right flipper. We'll see if it stays that way.

The scoop power was simply lowered on the one on route near me and it consistently feeds the left flipper for a dead bounce to the right flipper.

Yeah, but that scoop is supposed to feed the right flipper. Just like the right scoop is supposed to feed the left flipper.

Interesting. As long as it doesn't go down the middle I'm okay with it.

The right saucer on the pro is great because you can just let it dead bounce safely off the left flipper and easily catch it on the right every time.
Have not tried it on an LE yet.

Yes I am, I have dropped the back some more to slow things down. Ball smashes the glass more than once and I am waiting for an earth shattering kaboom. On a side note the Slimer hits the black playfield ramp when it swings across and goes back into position, whats the go with this so that it doesn't hit the ramp when swinging.

Thanks

One thing that I'm sure will be fixed with code is that when you're in a mode and go into multiball you lose the mode.

It should run concurrently with the multiball or start back up when the mutliball is over in my opinion.

I posted on a separate thread, but just to share, I had crazy slimer action, that was a result of the board connection coming a little loose. It wasnt visibly apparent, I thought I had a boom/set screw issue, but much like TWD, a shaker may be the culprit.
Re seat.....and back to normal.

I'm getting lots of phantom hits on Slimer. Time to poke around.

I havent done this yet...should you or anyone else see a way to raise slimer a mm or 2, please do share.
Also, has anyone seen the LED inside? Im guessing its on a board.

I ask as Slimer is extremely UV reactive! nothing else in the game is, and Im wondering if I can get that "glow".

Which revision?

about slimer, i think its hard to talk/share experience, as we all have "different" feeling about it

i want mine making contact ONLY if its a direct powerfull center hit
as example, dont want to get contact for an unwated soft touch from a side or a ball simply falling from the bumpers...

and at the moment lets admit its working as that

It's the newest style of Slimer. It just started with the phantom hits. Apparently no version is foolproof.

Not always. I'm playing an early run slimer on location today that direct HARD hits aren't registering. It's hard enough to light the modes, if he's not registering when you clip him and or hit him dead on at full speed, that's just too mean.

Are you sure? Just watched a guy take who brought the dog into MB and was getting mode shot awards.

I also could've sworn I started spooked librarian last night before MB and when Mb was done that mode was completed.

I have a topper issue. When I plug it in, I get the update node failure others have mentioned. When I plug the machine in back the way it came the game plays fine. I'm going to try and replace the rj45 coupler but I don't have faith that will work? Anyone else got any clues? It seems a little silly I need a new node 8 board just run the topper?

The cables to tight making it so the actuator plate can not swing downward enough. Easy fix. Center the cable between the 2 wires and use a twist tie not a zip tie and add washers under black roof plate. The cable needs to have play and not be pinched.

Also on the Pro during mball the modes stay active but on LEs maybe not but i havent played a LE yet

Modes do stay active on the LE.

Thanks, that makes sense. Good news!

Yeah I assumed they stayed active during MB and usually just time out due to the frantic-ness of MB.

By my armchair financial analysis regarding inflation, new Williams pins were around what you'd pay for a Stern pro now. FWIW.

You'll find a grub screw at the top of the slimer shaft. Loosen, adjust height and tighten. Very simple

I'll happily be wrong here. There's so much going on in multiball it's hard to to tell. I know a few times I've entered MB with a few shots remaining and when I came out the mode insert was not lit at all..maybe I just missed the shots during MB and it timed out.

Yup... 3 to 3.6k is around 5.3k today. Nowhere near the 7k and up some models are priced at... but the market seems to accept it so what can ya do?

Thank you. I couldnt get the screw loose, but will try again.

Having issues with my subway ramp. The ball does not always pop up from under the playfield. I can see it teeter back and forth looking down into the exit.

The game will go into a ball search and the ball eventually gets ejected from the lower right scoop. Game is set at exactly 6.5 degrees.