The Hobbit
Jersey Jack, 2016I'm still looking to source an engraved Ring Button Plate in the US if anyone knows where to find one.
I have recreated the plate in CAD in case there are no more to be had. I would just need to track down a shop that could cut and engrave the plate. If anyone knows of such a place please let me know.
Quoted from XpertDBA:The 'F' drop target goes up, but once up it will not go down when the ball hits it, and the tests are showing it malfunctioning too. Any easy fixes for a non-technical guy like me?
Yep end of spring broke off
Grab another loop off the spring and reattach it
Quoted from Reaper802:I'm still looking to source an engraved Ring Button Plate in the US if anyone knows where to find one.
I have recreated the plate in CAD in case there are no more to be had. I would just need to track down a shop that could cut and engrave the plate. If anyone knows of such a place please let me know.
Most trophie shops could do it .
Quoted from XpertDBA:The 'F' drop target goes up, but once up it will not go down when the ball hits it, and the tests are showing it malfunctioning too. Any easy fixes for a non-technical guy like me?
"Apparently" JJP found the supplied springs were sub par. They now offer a beefier spring. Buy a complete kit and swap all your springs.
Quoted from CLEllison:"Apparently" JJP found the supplied springs were sub par. They now offer a beefier spring. Buy a complete kit and swap all your springs.
Longer. The word you want is longer. Initial feedback on early production Hobbits showed that a slightly longer spring would perform better so a running change was made.
Quoted from CLEllison:They now offer a beefier spring.
Yeah. I've been replacing mine as they break. Surprisingly, I still have a lot of the wimpier ones still operating properly...
Quoted from XpertDBA:Is there a trick at getting the far end of the spring put back where it belongs without dis-assembling the entire drop target bank? The hole to get back there seems way too small for my fingers.
I used needle nosed pliers once to attach the spring...
Quoted from XpertDBA:Is there a trick at getting the far end of the spring put back where it belongs without dis-assembling the entire drop target bank? The hole to get back there seems way too small for my fingers.
Haemostat, harbor frieght.
Get a couple sizes.
Quoted from XpertDBA:The hole to get back there seems way too small for my fingers.
I get my wife to do it.
(I'm serious)
Mezel Mods found one last engraved Ring Button plate hidden away which is now in route to me.
I have created a CAD drawing of the plate in case anyone wants to try and have more made in the future. Just let me know if you want it.
Fingers crossed my ramp finally ships from JJP today. Maybe I can get to play this machine on my birthday come Saturday.
40 days later my Hobbit is back up and running. Time to put up some numbers.
20190726_135356 (resized).jpg20190726_135411 (resized).jpg20190726_135430 (resized).jpg20190726_135437 (resized).jpg20190726_135450 (resized).jpg20190726_135504 (resized).jpg20190726_135515 (resized).jpg20190726_135528 (resized).jpg20190726_135535 (resized).jpg20190726_135547 (resized).jpg20190726_135557 (resized).jpg20190726_135615 (resized).jpg20190726_135635 (resized).jpg20190726_135748 (resized).jpgQuoted from Reaper802:40 days later my Hobbit is back up and running. Time to put up some numbers.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Have a happy birthday! This is a great game to spend some quality time on.
Still debating removing the playfield protector. Should the playfield protector be waxed like a normal playfield? I can't imagine that it should be but maybe that is where the extra speed I'm looking for is hiding. Engraved Ring Plate arrived in the mail late today, I'm going to install it this evening. Photos to follow.
My Warg mech stopped registering hits. After removing the mech (expecting to find a chopped wire) what I found instead was the switch activator was missing a bolt. Low and behold, not only did I find the bolt for it but also found a screw,a spring, a broken c-clip, washer and a round spring looking thing. I fixed the beast mech and reinstalled. The cool part is the parts generally land underneath the part so I found the shooter lane switch had chucked the switch screw. The other one was loose as hell - fixed as well. Now where does all these other parts go to? AHA! Goes to A of the man target. The long spring had broken, the c-clip had broken and the washer and spring went to that as well. I was actually happy to see I didn't have to pull the whole mech to fix....or do I? Seriously .... the small coil is flopping side to side. I'm not sure exactly how that attached to the drop target and maybe with the drop target lacking tension is allowing it to flop? I've contacted JJP about this a little bit ago so I don' have an answer so I figured I'd ask here. I'm hoping I don't have to tear the entire mech out to fix the flopping coil issue.
I will say I'm growing tired of it seeming like every time I raise the play field there's more components laying there that I have to play "where's waldo" and trying to find where stuff goes. I can only hope after time JJP figured out OPs aren't going to be happy having to fix stuff that could've easily been avoided using screws/bolts with the blue thread locker stuff on em. I've never owned a part chucking game like this before
Quoted from CLEllison:My Warg mech stopped registering hits. After removing the mech (expecting to find a chopped wire) what I found instead was the switch activator was missing a bolt. Low and behold, not only did I find the bolt for it but also found a screw,a spring, a broken c-clip, washer and a round spring looking thing. I fixed the beast mech and reinstalled. The cool part is the parts generally land underneath the part so I found the shooter lane switch had chucked the switch screw. The other one was loose as hell - fixed as well. Now where does all these other parts go to? AHA! Goes to A of the man target. The long spring had broken, the c-clip had broken and the washer and spring went to that as well. I was actually happy to see I didn't have to pull the whole mech to fix....or do I? Seriously .... the small coil is flopping side to side. I'm not sure exactly how that attached to the drop target and maybe with the drop target lacking tension is allowing it to flop? I've contacted JJP about this a little bit ago so I don' have an answer so I figured I'd ask here. I'm hoping I don't have to tear the entire mech out to fix the flopping coil issue.
I will say I'm growing tired of it seeming like every time I raise the play field there's more components laying there that I have to play "where's waldo" and trying to find where stuff goes. I can only hope after time JJP figured out OPs aren't going to be happy having to fix stuff that could've easily been avoided using screws/bolts with the blue thread locker stuff on em. I've never owned a part chucking game like this before
When I get a NIB game,
I run through and spend a good hour and a half checking every single screw and bolt.
Every connector, every switch in test with a ball.
You will find stripped screws and stuff barely tightened.
Often I have to insert a piece of toothpick and titebond to firm up screws.
This is on a NIB game.
It's actually what your supposed to do. Especially if it's been shipped.
This is all games from all manufacturers.
Nothing new here.
Or, you can just fire it up! And sort out the parts falling off as you go...lol.
Do the lids for the Beasts sit flush to the playfield on machines that don't have a playfield protector installed?
On my machine with the protector the lids sit on top of the protector causing a pretty good lip. This sometimes gets the ball airborne and adds some nasty spin and redirects at times.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Quoted from Reaper802:Do the lids for the Beasts sit flush to the playfield on machines that don't have a playfield protector installed?
On my machine with the protector the lids sit on top of the protector causing a pretty good lip. This sometimes gets the ball airborne and adds some nasty spin and redirects at times.
Any input would be greatly appreciated
I removed my protector since it made the ramps almost impossible to shoot. Balls would lift of and end up rattling in the ramp and not make the shot. After removal of the protector every well aimed shot makes it. Especially on the left ramp.
And btw: a pf protector is ugly as hell. Just play your machines instead of looking at them....
Quoted from Reaper802:Do the lids for the Beasts sit flush to the playfield on machines that don't have a playfield protector installed?
On my machine with the protector the lids sit on top of the protector causing a pretty good lip. This sometimes gets the ball airborne and adds some nasty spin and redirects at times.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
mine do not sit perfectly flush.
Quoted from Lermods:mine do not sit perfectly flush.
They should sit flush to the playfield but not inset.
Adjust the stop nut until they sit all the way down.
Like the trolls on MM.
Quoted from Reaper802:Good riddance! Lower Beast lids look good, top two will need lowered.
Should the lock roll over buttons be flush to the playfield when depressed all the way down? If so they will also need adjusted.[quoted image]
Wow!
Quoted from Reaper802:Good riddance! Lower Beast lids look good, top two will need lowered.
Should the lock roll over buttons be flush to the playfield when depressed all the way down? If so they will also need adjusted.[quoted image]
I did the same. No regrets, it looks and plays better without it.
Quoted from Reaper802:Should the lock roll over buttons be flush to the playfield when depressed all the way down? If so they will also need adjusted
1. Yes. Take some time to adjust them properly. A fast ball might not trigger the switch if it is not properly adjusted. This happens often when the button isn’t flush when depressed.
I plan on attacking the lock buttons after I fix my drop target issue. They sit too high and they literally cause air balls and failed ramp shots not to mention effect ball travel. I had spoken to Matt at backalleycreations about producing either a spacer kit or new buttons. He said he'd take a look at it and that's as far as it went. This issue was discussed a couple months ago. I'm going to look into buying a roll of make your own gasket paper and see if that'll be enough to drop them low enough and still perform decently.
So I think I just cracked the case for Lock Rollover Buttons that don't press down flush.
If your machine had a playfield protector like mine did check the top of your lock rollovers. What I discovered this evening was that mine had mylar disks on top of them to make them taller. See the pictures below.
I peeled them off and cleaned up the top of the buttons to get excess glue off. Now they sit perfectly flush when pressed down. They also seem a little quicker to rebound. I can't play test it right now since the kids are asleep but I'll be back with a report earlier tomorrow.
20190802_211231 (resized).jpg20190802_211246 (resized).jpg20190802_211518 (resized).jpg20190802_211524 (resized).jpgQuoted from Reaper802:So I think I just cracked the case for Lock Rollover Buttons that don't press down flush.
If your machine had a playfield protector like mine did check the top of your lock rollovers. What I discovered this evening was that mine had mylar disks on top of them to make them taller. See the pictures below.
I peeled them off and cleaned up the top of the buttons to get excess glue off. Now they sit perfectly flush when pressed down. They also seem a little quicker to rebound. I can't play test it right now since the kids are asleep but I'll be back with a report earlier tomorrow.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Great post!
And the promised update. Second test game this morning I started Barrel Escape for the first time ever with a 4 star mode completed. Did poorly in it unfortunately and didn't even crack 50K for the Mode. Just missed my GC score, just shy of one million.
I'm going to call this issue solved. The ball rolled and tracked as I expected and never did anything really crazy. Didn't notice any air balls either. Now if I could just crack the million mark...
By the way I added a little something to my yellow targets behind the drops.
20190802_210213 (resized).jpg20190802_210226 (resized).jpg20190802_210235 (resized).jpgQuoted from Reaper802:So I think I just cracked the case for Lock Rollover Buttons that don't press down flush.
If your machine had a playfield protector like mine did check the top of your lock rollovers. What I discovered this evening was that mine had mylar disks on top of them to make them taller. See the pictures below.
I peeled them off and cleaned up the top of the buttons to get excess glue off. Now they sit perfectly flush when pressed down. They also seem a little quicker to rebound. I can't play test it right now since the kids are asleep but I'll be back with a report earlier tomorrow.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
When was your pin assembled?
Quoted from Goronic:When was your pin assembled?
04-22-2016
Quoted from Reaper802:So I think I just cracked the case for Lock Rollover Buttons that don't press down flush.
With all due respect, using your finger to press the button down VS the ball going over are two very different things. You cured one ailment that those who chose the protector have/had. Now you have the same problem as the rest ..... the buttons sit too high and cause air balls not to mention ball redirection. (Though that's indicative of this type of switch). Is it really a problem? No, not really. However for me it's just a major annoyance and I feel an improvement can be made. Over time you'll notice the edges of the buttons start to look chipped/scratched..... and rightfully so due to the angle the ball is hitting them thus producing air balls. There's a video of slow motion showing the ball taking flight after going over the button. Lowering the button is really the only solution here.
Progress fix update:
As I previously reported issues with my drop target assembly - I ordered replacement parts. I had told JJP support the small coil on one of the drop targets was sloppy loose. They sent me a diagram - and while appreciated it wasn't overly helpful. I REALLY didn't want to remove the drop target assembly but I had too to fix the sloppy coil issue. In order to do this you have to cut the zip tie that holds the drop target harness to the rest of the machines harness. Remove the 4 screws to remove the opto board, disconnect the wiring harness and then remove the 4 screws from the target assembly mount itself and pull it out taking care to fish the smaller wire assembly found up top. (don't remember what it's for). In order to get to the small coils you must remove the 2 outside drop targets. Remove c-clips and take notice the lower mount/post has a washer, spring, washer, c-clip. 1 washer underneath on each post as well.
Now remove the two screws exposed on each side. The small coil bracket assembly is now loose. You will need to lightly pry on one side of the bracket to clear the large coil. At this point your small coil assembly is loose. You will see each small coil is held in place by a screw. Now is the time to bullet proof/rebuild your assembly. Remove each small coil screw and add a very small amount of blue loctite.
NOTE: When reattaching the small coil bracket to the main assembly ENSURE YOU PAY ATTENTION that the "armature" of each coil goes back into the holes. It will reassemble however the armatures potentially won't be in their holes and you have to slightly bend them to get them back in which you don't really want to do as it weakens the integrity of the metal - and there's not much there to start with
I suggest you remove the large coils and either clean/replace the coil sleeves. Also replace all 3 long springs. Those springs suck to replace while the unit is mounted so save yourself a headache - it's not if it's when. Reassemble your unit and reinstall.
On a side note: The spot light lamps are pretty poor quality. I had 3 out of the 4 stop working. Thought the bulbs were bad as wiggling the bulb didn't help - nope. I read some where of people talking about bending the bulb legs out, wrapping black tape and then reinserting. LED legs are pretty damn stiff - I find bending the legs outward about 1/4" and reinserting is enough. Those bulbs suck to extract as it is - IMHO adding black tape is only going to make it worse.
Quoted from Reaper802:04-22-2016
Thank you sooooo much! I also had the Mylar disks on my rollovers. I removed them and not only are they shiny and new, they also are brighter and cause less ball redirects and air balls.
This is hobbit owner post of the month!
Ever since I've owned this beauty of a pin, I wished there was some physical model to represent Hobbiton and I kept eyeing the empty space just above the Bag End feature lamp that leads to the pops. So this Friday I took a day off work and set my mind to finally making something that would look good there, but not obstruct anything on the playfield. It's a bit of tricky area with two layers of plastics to work around.
I came up with this first draft. I think it looks really good so far and fills that void that was bothering me. The green shades I used for the grassy areas need to be a closer match to the surrounding plastic artwork, but I'll save that for the next iteration.
The pictures below are before I applied a matte clearcoat to the finished model, so it's currently curing.
I'm also working on the overall shape to make it look a little less like a clock
Any other suggestions would be welcome!
Pinside2 (resized).jpgPinside3 (resized).jpgpinside1 (resized).jpg
Quoted from PinballCharlie:Ever since I've owned this beauty of pin, I wished there was some physical model to represent Hobbiton and I kept eyeing the empty space just above the Bag End feature lamp that leads to the pops. So this Friday I took a day off work and set my mind to finally making something that would look good there, but not obstruct anything on the playfield. It's a bit of tricky area with two layers of plastics to work around.
I came up with this first draft. I think it looks really good so far and fills that void that was bothering me. The green shades I used for the grassy areas need to be a closer match to the surrounding plastic artwork, but I'll save that for the next iteration.
The pictures below are before I applied a matte clearcoat to the finished model, so it's currently curing.
I'm also working on the overall shape to make it look a little less like a clock
Any other suggestions would be welcome![quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
If you're making these, how about a smaller lower profile design and add the hill it's built into? I think that would look fantastic. And then add the windows and a light. I would definitely buy that!
Quoted from CLEllison:If you're making these, how about a smaller lower profile design and add the hill it's built into? I think that would look fantastic. And then add the windows and a light. I would definitely buy that!
Me too. And where did you get that nice mystery target decal?
Quoted from CLEllison:If you're making these, how about a smaller lower profile design and add the hill it's built into? I think that would look fantastic. And then add the windows and a light. I would definitely buy that!
That's actually exactly how I originally envisioned it. Doing it that way will greatly reduce details in the Bag End entrance (it will just be too small to paint well) and become more of a terrain piece. It's definitely something I will experiment with. The squarish look of the model as it it now has got to change; gotta try to find that happy medium. As far as lighting - that will be tough. So maybe an internal light that shines out of the windows? I've also gotta figure out the JJP electrical system and figure out a good place to tap power. I assume it would be a 12v tap somewhere?
Quoted from Goronic:Me too. And where did you get that nice mystery target decal?
I'm second owner of this pin - I always assumed that sticker was stock - ignorance is bliss
Here's a shot of the mod with a matte clearcoat showing the base plate.
Pinside6 (resized).jpg
Quoted from Crile1:That Hobbiton mod is great. Solves the problem of opto not catching the ball because of glare, too. I printed a Hobbiton decal and placed it in the empty space on mine.[quoted image]
I just pulled the glass to check - I had no idea there was an opto switch there 
. Nice decal! That would be great if this mod solves a potential problem. I don’t recall which modes require a Bag End shot, but now I’ll pay attention.
I’m going to work on getting more of an inset look to it as pictured without shrinking the entrance too much.
D67E195B-9AD3-439B-B3D9-C3F65814A271 (resized).jpegQuoted from PinballCharlie:Ever since I've owned this beauty of a pin, I wished there was some physical model to represent Hobbiton and I kept eyeing the empty space just above the Bag End feature lamp that leads to the pops. So this Friday I took a day off work and set my mind to finally making something that would look good there, but not obstruct anything on the playfield. It's a bit of tricky area with two layers of plastics to work around.
I came up with this first draft. I think it looks really good so far and fills that void that was bothering me. The green shades I used for the grassy areas need to be a closer match to the surrounding plastic artwork, but I'll save that for the next iteration.
The pictures below are before I applied a matte clearcoat to the finished model, so it's currently curing.
I'm also working on the overall shape to make it look a little less like a clock
Any other suggestions would be welcome!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
that's a pretty great idea! Are you working to sell these, or would you be ok with sharing the .STL?
I'd suggest a very small gentle slope on either side of the door which could be painted green. It will give it more of an impression of it being in a hill, and look less like a clock as you pointed out. Not exactly accurate to the film or book, but given the space to work with, i think it's a good compromise.
There's a lot of detail in the back of the playfield there that can get lost; this will definitely look perfect there, as a literal 'doorway'.
Quoted from PinballCharlie:I just pulled the glass to check - I had no idea there was an opto switch there . Nice decal! That would be great if this mod solves a potential problem. I don’t recall which modes require a Bag End shot, but now I’ll pay attention.
I’m going to work on getting more of an inset look to it as pictured without shrinking the entrance too much.[quoted image]
I think it is the mode where the dwarves arrive at BagEnd. I couldn't complete it because of the opto issue. I searched this page and found a person who fixed it by putting an opaque paper on the plastic. The opto beam reflects off the ball and refracts off the clear plastic or something like that. Anyhow, amazing job. I'm sure many will want it if you can make more.
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Lexington Park, MD
Den Haag