Malicious intent. To have fun. Just to see if it can be done.

Why do we see on the news regularly hackers up to no good and even holding systems hostage.

Pinball might be low on the list of potential targets.

I look at it as potential risk vs benefit. I haven't needed it for 49 years. So I'll wait and see. If it becomes the thing to do or a necessity, I can always do it later.

Since Scorbit started appearing on my JJP line up. I've only had one customer asked about it. I gave him a brief run down and told him to check your website. He did, later told me he wasn't interested.

This is for me. Other places it might be the thing to do or they need. Your customers will let you know if it's important to them.

LTG : )

The world is a harsh, stupid and dangerous place, especially on the internet. Protection, weak as it is, is barely sufficient at this point in time.

So, risk vs reward etc. for networked devices.

Back in the day kids used to hack ones wifi just to print out reams of paper on your printer as a prank.

Like I said, just stupid...

Ahh the good ol days when we'd get the phone book out and ring random numbers asking if their Westinghouse was still running.

RememberPhoneBooksPunkin

You know, I like this perspective. Scorbit honestly is not designed to fill in a void that existed in pinball. We literally exist for one purpose: To get more people to play, more often. That's why we (pinball enthusiasts who didn't need it either the past 49 years) are building it.

If one push notification to one next generation player gets them to play, or our payments system eliminates friction to put credit in, or an achievement gets them to care that much more about some kind of goal in a game from 1995, we have done what we set out to do.

I don't think it's for everyone, by any stretch.

As for hackers... I have some experience with this (see my background), having been involved in cybersecurity most of my adult life. You're right, when it happens, it usually is not for the reasons we might think (stealing something). The fewer things connected the better.

The risk/reward analysis is precisely it. Our goal is to get more people playing, so until we prove we can, that's the lost part of the equation. So we'll keep at it and if we do, fantastic. You can always wait!

I don't mind internet connected devices. My home security system is (so I can monitor and get alerts while away) nice to have.

Heck, even my aquarium is online connected for similar reasons. I don't mind my gaming computers, consoles, and now pinball machines connected to the internet either (for updates and apps).

I know some aren't comfortable with it, but it is where things are going for sure. I think my new refrigerator will be next (not kidding). LOL

So my issue with any of it is that you get such a variety of security with all these things. Some are fantastic, well built secure devices, others are garbage and are shipped with compromised code from the factory, destined to be part of a bot net for a zombie attack.

The consumer doesn't know, so unless they have something on their network checking, it's just a free for all. The issue is less about someone breaking in to our stuff and taking anything or watching our keypresses, it's that our thermostats are being used as part of bot nets to extort large companies out of cash.

Anyway, all for another time... but let's try to have fun with this stuff!

Our house is internet overload. It has over 100 devices connected to the router - including one Hobbit and one WOZ for Scorbit

I need to update code on a bunch of my JJP pins, including Hobbit LE. Are the achievements available/unlockable if playing solo and not against any other players? I like the concept of achievements, but have no interest in playing in competitions or with other plays over the Internet. Sorry for the dumb question.

Yes, they are primarily designed around personal achievements versus competitive.

So achievements for Scorbit are in the Hobbit now? or are they coming in a future release? I guess another way of asking is that are the achievements in the hobbit code - or are they 'created' in the Scorbit system?

Hobbit achievements are not released to the public today but they are coming; JJP is releasing one game at a time fairly quickly, depending on the number of cups of coffee involved with their release team.

Achievements are created in the Scorbit system, and already exist, but they work by any number of triggers, both real-time and post-game. We've tested all of this across all of JJP and when they are ready to release, we'll begin showing them on our production platform.

In other words, achievements are always a cooperation between the game and the platform. Any manufacturer can use it, it's free and open to all of them.

Gotcha. Thanks!

My game (an LE) has a plastic sheet over the playfield, I guess it's what's called a 'playfield protector'... as apposed to the old fashioned mylar... the snag is it's giving the whole playfield artwork a kind of washed out look... are these factory fitted on the LE's? And are they easy to remove? I'd like to see the vibrant playfield colours... if I played 1000games a day, or had the game on site, I'd be concerned, but I imagine the clear on these things is sufficient to protect the playfield for a low play rate game...?

Thanks for any thoughts on this.

Factory installed playfield protectors are pretty easy to remove.

Just cut it all out in sections with scissors.

There may also be plastic discs applied to the lock rollovers that add a little height, that have to be peeled off.

And possibly some adjustments to the beast mechs and drop targets.

Has anyone removed one? If so, did it improve the vibrance of the artwork to a degree that made it worthwhile?

Those things suck, you will be happier without it.

Most get removed after awhile.

The game plays differently on a protector. Especially if they are worn a bit.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking along those lines... It could be compared to having sex without a condom... more risky but you get a lot more pleasure out of it!

On a more technical note, the upper left head has stopped coming up... it started by it taking 2 attempts to raise, but now I can see it trying, but it fails... looking under the playfield I notice that the other 3 are totally free to move away from their down position, but the problem one is a bit sticky to get away from that fully down position... I guess this slight hang-up is what's stopping it raising... I would remove the whole assembly and look into what's causing the hang-up, but one of the screws is totally obscured by that massive bundle of wires shoe-horned between those upper s mechs... I can get a driver on it and take the screw out, but getting that screw back looks impossible! Even with a magnetic bit, pushing it past those cables will probably knock the screw off... does anyone know if it's possible to fix this issue by dismantling the mechanism while the body of it is still fixed to the playfield??

Thanks!!

Only chance is the black rubber stopper on the bottom of the mech. Loosen it's bolt, turn the rubber stopper up or down as needed, The tighten the bolt back up.

Otherwise remove the mech and work on it's alignment. When you put the one screw back in, long magnetic driver and tape around the edge of the screw to help hold it to the driver.

LTG : )

I decided to take the bracket that clamps the 2 parts of the mechanism together off... when I simulate the plunger being pulled by the coil by pushing where my finger is the whole moving part twists, and then hangs up... if I stop the twisting by pushing down (towards the back of the playfield) on the rod under the head, it moves a lot easier... if there was a bush where I've highlighted with purple in the 2nd pic that would probably fix the issue... those 2nd brackets (without the bush) don't seem to do anything... shouldn't they have bushes on them to guide that main rod and stop the twisting I'm seeing?

Thanks!

20211006_232416 (resized).jpg20211006_232544 (resized).jpg

A bit more dismantling and it looks like the ball deflector behind the head is catching on the playfield wood as it gets pushed up by the plunger... if the whole mechanism was a couple of mm closer to the front of the playfield I think it would solve it... but it's odd that it worked OK and then starting getting caught...

20211007_000242 (resized).jpg

The twisting allowed by the clearance in that rear bracket is allowing this contact to be heavier...

Discretely raising, bending where it binds either forward or backward id how to fix it.

The soft steel channels are easy to maniplulate by just tweaking them with the internal part.

Most binding mechs are fixed without removal.

Also a beast can drop unpredictably if its leaf switch is gapped to closely.

I ended up putting a flipper coil sleeve through the two brackets that take the metal rod under the head which centralised the whole head mech... fits perfectly like it was made for the job... works fine now... bit puzzled why that's not installed from the factory... that 2nd bracket appears to do nothing without at least a bush inside it...
20211007_184430 (resized).jpg20211007_184435 (resized).jpg

Originally had the blue bushing top and bottom. Bottom one was left out because it caused binding.

LTG : )

That's interesting... because on mine it seems like the blue bushing would have prevented binding... but because I didn't have a spare one, I just replaced both with the full sleeve... and now I have a spare blue bushing which I can use if another starts doing the same thing

I took the plunge and cut my playfield protector off... what a difference!! I cut the right half off with a neat line up the middle just so I could have a clear vision of what difference it makes, and I thought it would make a good pic so anyone thinking of doing the same can see the effect before they do it...

Literally just spent the last 1/2hr gazing at this amazing artwork that I no longer have to look at through frosted glass! It has to be the most amazing playfield I've ever seen!! What a work of art... scared to actually play the game now

20211007_224748 (resized).jpg20211007_224834 (resized).jpg

Looks beautiful and what a difference. On a side note you might want to adjust the “LOCK” rollovers or you might get a lot of airballs.

Ok, thanks for the tip!

I cut my protector off too and had the same reaction you did. I'll never do a playfield protector again. Wax and cliffys are the way to go.

Another technical question... at the back of the cabinet I noticed a connector not connected to anything... is this normal? See photo in red circle:

Thanks for any help!!
20211008_163521 (resized).jpg

That's an extra 110v power connector for when the game had a 110v monitor in it (like the early WOZ games did).

Ok, thanks. So in this game it's redundant...

I also notice in that photo that there is what looks like an audio jack plug (red) that doesn't appear to be pushed in fully... must check that when I get home! My game still makes a whining sound from the speakers, even with the game just sitting in attract mode... that could be why maybe...

Take that 120v open wire/connector that you have circled an put it by the side or back corner of the pin away from the speaker magnet. It might help with the hum. Just a thought and a similar issue that I had with my JJPOTC.

One issue I'm trying to understand on my game is that the drop targets seem to be re-setting in a very harsh way... there's a lound rasping sound, even if only a couple of targets are being reset... this sound does not occurr when the roving target is happening, only on general resets... once the ball was rolling close to the lower left DT bank when it reset and it literally jumped off the playfield by about an inch!! Surely that can't be right... can it? I went to the coil settings to see if I could turn down the power, but the only adjustment to the DTs is 'reset time' and 'trip time'... any idea what these two adjustments do? This rasping noise is probably the most annoying part of the game .

Thanks for any advice!!

20211008_202142 (resized).jpg

The drop targets have always been loud to me - on reset, going up and down, etc. I have learned to live with it.

I really wish there was a way to have quieter.

They are very loud especially when you aren't used to hearing them. Normal though.

I might experiment with some springs on the coil plungers, to try and take a bit of excess energy out of them!! If the ball jumps an inch off the playfield when they reset, I suspect there's more energy going to them than needed!!

Anyone know what the trip and reset times are associated with the drop targets?

Maybe the reset time is the time (in ms) that the power is sent to the reset coils, and the trip time is the time the power's sent to the coil that knocks the targets down... if so, shortening the reset time could help with the noise... not with the game now, so I can't fiddle with it.

On another note, I'm trying to get to grips with the rules, have been reading the rulesheet that's linked to this topic... there's a bit about getting to the level 4 mystery award which says this:

Level 4/Green – Precioussss: Ring save – carefully time your ring button strike to save
your ball (exiting the right outlane) [Note: Does not require Beorn Target Hit… does
Beorn do anything?]
o Awards a right outlane exit ball save feature where you must time your ring
button press to fall within a specified window.
o This feature is only enabled when you exit the right outlane and then nudge the
ball so it hits the Beorn target.

Can anyone add some info to this, like what's the specified window? And does the Beorn target really need hitting?

Also, is there a more recent rulesheet? The one I'm looking at has a lot of blanks/tbds/questions in it...

Thanks a lot!!

I have a new issue on my Hobbit: after booting up or closing coin door, the Radagast VUK Coil is firing 5 times and does not register a ball ingame until ball search starts. matrix switch test shows active switch and does not register a ball. So I think it is a opto issue and the opto does all time „think“ a ball is in the VUK. Any ideas what could be the reason? Thanks

Opto failed.

Plug it into a different spot on opto driver board, if that doesn't work. Then you know the opto set is bad.

LTG : )

Thanks, Lloyd. One additional question: what does the „active switch“ indicator in the matrixed switch test menu mean? Is the opto active all day? Does that mean, the board is active or does it mean, it does not register?

Optos are on, when a ball breaks the light beam, then they are off.

LTG : )

Ok, that means, that the state with active switch is right, if there is no ball in the VUK? But if this is so, I don’t understand, why the coil fires when opto is active and no ball in play.

These trough boards seem to be problematic. My Hobbit project was missing the receiver board. (Assume needed for another game or was bad) and the replacement I got from JJP ended up being bad out of the box. 3rd time was a charm.

When Golem is lit, and you hit the rollover, the ring save is visual on the main screen. You have to time the button hit when the moving bar is within the blue ‘save zone’ if you get one save the next ‘save zone’ is smaller, and the bar moves faster. I have saved twice on many games, but never a third time. Beorn target does nothing here.

For the MB Beorn save, usually a quick nudge as ball drains is enough for the target to be hit, my experience is that nudging isn’t always needed because the ball bounces enough when draining, but it can drain without hitting the target. So I always nudge if I see the ball right draining during a multi ball. You will often hear Gandalf say, ‘There is another ball’

This is the best rule sheet I’ve seen, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w8A56XYts9n-qZBQUL4VW4c91AIzoUmk/view

But there are really good nuggets in this owners thread, like using your flipper to determine which subway VUK the ball rolls too when you put it in the Erebor Lock…(e.g Smaug vs Radagast)

Having to jump start WOZ and think it's the board itself. Did just fine with motherboard from my Hobbit I borrowed to see if it would start okay with a different board. Plays fine with no know errors but won't ever start up without being jump started. Any suggestions or ideas on what to try next or possibly test with DMM on the motherboard?

Thanks for your detailed reply! Just to be sure I understand this first line, to get Golem lit, you have to get to level 4 of the mystery awards by not collecting levels 1 to 3, and the level increases by going over a left and right inlane... is that correct? And by 'hit the rollover' you mean the outlane rollover, correct?

I'll certainly be reading that rule sheet! Thanks for the link!

I'm getting my Hobbit on friday, is their something i should do or think off before i start playing ?