I have an le that came off the line early this week and is shipping now. Anyone know if the ramp flap fix will be on it? That's a tough one for me to fix later because I don't have riveting tools or skills. Seems like a pita
(Topic ID: 155578)
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The Hobbit
Jersey Jack, 2016
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Quoted from Meph:I haven't really followed The Hobbit development because I always thought of it as out of my range. I recently picked up a NIB Ghostbusters Pro and my wife really hates it. I thought the theme would be perfect for the kids but even with the center post addon, its just too brutal for the kids and the wife. I sold my STTNG that they didn't play in hopes of the theme/game they would play. They all play Metallica daily.
Since my Ghostbusters so far has shown no insert ghosting that many are experiencing I figured it was time to move it out and get something else that they might like better. That brings me to the hobbit. The theme is perfect for them. So without reading the whole thread and the numerous others during development can someone school me on the basics of the hobbit.
The rules sound pretty deep with 33(?) modes. I have also heard it has longer ball times? I think that is part of the problem with GB for my wife. 30-40 second ball times and laddered progression for her is a bit of a buzz kill. Like most people she wants to feel she is progressing in her game and not just draining before she accomplishes anything. She played WoZ for the first time 2 weeks ago and really liked it.
So sell me on why The Hobbit would be a good choice for a small 2 game collection, paired with Metallica. I have also watched some videos but if anyone has links to some good HD videos with nice sound, it would be appreciated. I send an email to a local distributor tonight for pricing, I hope to be joining the club soon.
I really think you won't go wrong with Hobbit. If it's a great theme for you and progressing through modes will suit your family well, this is it. I like long ball times and intricate rules. If they play pinball reasonably well, they will enjoy this. Callouts are great. Shots are satisfying but sometimes blocked by pop ups, etc. well worth it. And if you call automated services in Connecticut you can have it there in a few days. They are great to work with. Get Smaug. It's worth a little extra.
1 week later
1 week later
2 weeks later
Quoted from fordtudoor:Now why would somebody cancel their pre-order and lose $1000 in order to receive a machine in "three" days when they might receive their pre-order in 2-3 weeks? I'm beginning to think that distributors are getting preferential treatment over private individuals with older pre-order dates. By the way, my order is with JJP direct.
Yeah, I forgot the discount people got on the preorder. It is probably worth sticking it out. But not having any clue to arrival time is frustrating. I know automated does get preferential supplies. I think it's a longstanding deal with jjp.
3 weeks later
Hey all,
My hobbit has two dwarf drops that
Won't reset up! I briefly looked at wiring, etc to make sure it wasn't something easy. I'm not quite sure where to start. It will pop them down. But can't go back up
Hi Hobbit owners! I have a developing problem and wanted some input.
Error report shows goblin switch problem. I do the typical diagnosis. Goblin still pops up but you can't hit him down. I find a broken wire at the switch (I think it's to the switch. I didn't have tools to disassemble).
Anyway, it seems pretty clear to me that the part that Jjp added to prevent the ball from getting trapped in the beast mech (I have a newer one... factory installed) is cutting the wire! I looked at all the other ones and it really looks like a matter of time before it's going to happen to all of them. The wires are zip-tied to the moving part of the mech and it comes up enough to smash the wires against the glowing added-in part (I don't know what it's called).
Can some others look to see if theirs is like that (especially new owners who had these parts factory installed? For those who added in the part, did you reroute the wires?
Quoted from pinballinreno:sometimes wires fall into mech area's during shipping.
repair the broken wire and make sure its attached securely, its not too hard.
gather any wires that are in danger of hitting a mech.
secure them with nylon ties away from the mech.
I will definitely do that. But I'll have to clip some factory zips to do it. They're secured there.
So, nobody seemed alarmed about my beast mech breakdown, but I think there is a serious design flaw and I think it will affect many people. Here are some pics. You
Should probably all look to see if this is happening. It definitely wasn't from wires shifting during shipping. They looked to be zip tied right into this spot. And the mech definitely smashes the wires into the new glowing bar that prevents the ball trap.
Not trying to stir the pot. Still love my hobbit, but I think you should all look. It would be helpful to me if someone posted a pic of where their wires are routed because I'm not sure there's a way to avoid this. IMG_0115 (resized).JPGIMG_0115 (resized).JPG
Quoted from yonizzell:Can I ask what the build date of your game is?
August-September. I don't have access to it right now. Very recent.
Quoted from koops:To anyone that has done the ramp flap fix, are you finding you are getting massive numbers of ramp airballs now?
Every game I get 2-3 airballs which throw the ball in all sorts of weird places.
I'll have to see if they were the early flipper hit ones. ie. left flipper up left ramp.\
edit : seems as if this is normal when you have normal ramp flaps
No airballs here with new flaps. Factory installed
Quoted from metahugh:I just checked mine and none of my wires are even remotely close to being hit when the mechs raise and lower. I am having a hard time figuring out what the wires are being cut on.
Here is a video I just took of me actuating the mech:
» YouTube video
Nothing contacts the wires.
It is definitely the added plastic ball trap protectors that pinch the wires. I like the washer fix idea. Thanks for the heads up.
Quoted from FlippyD:So my Goblin pop-up just stopped working. Worked fine last game, about 30 mins later played another and it won't raise up.
Entered the pop-up tests and it will attempt to lift but seems either stuck or not getting enough power. After a few tries it reports back that the mech is broken.
Examined the mech underneath and didn't see any loose wires or anything that looked wrong.
The ball-stuck preventers are installed on these.
Any ideas where to start? I'm going back to examine closely to see if anything is out of allignment causing the mech to get stuck.
Thanks for any help!
It's hard to see but check really closely that the mech hasn't pinched through the wires against the ball stuck preventers. It happened to me and others.
3 weeks later
Quoted from Ransom99:So I've opened everything up. I cut the 4 orange zipties on the beast mechs and inspected the green/white wires that everyone seems to be having problems with. After moving each mech back and forth I too can see that over time my wires will also be cut through. I think I've moved them enough to fi the problem but only time will tell.
After powering on for the first time (oh so pretty *___*) and trying the game a few times:
What is going on with the speakers? There's a grainy sound... like you'd hear on an old speaker that's got a cheap audio cable plugged into it. The game audio sounds good but the grainy sounds is very noticeable.
Also my right wire frame track, the upper portion (when the ball shoots up from beneath the playfield) seems bent at the end because it stops my ball from rolling through the rest of the track. I figure I can bend it easily enough but I'm disappointed that I would have to. The ball stuck brings me to my next gripe. The sounds this machine makes when a ball is stuck, MY GOD! haha. I wasn't prepared for it, I thought the damn thing was broken with all the grinding and popping noises it makes. I'm sure I'll get used to it but god forbid someone else try it for the first time hahaha. End rant.
The thing is loud for sure. I too thought the drops were broken for the sound they were making!!
3 weeks later
1 week later
Quoted from thewool:Was playing tonight and noticed my orc pop-up not popping, investigation showed the 'orc hit' switch was permanently on. Lifted the playfield and the green/white wire for the hit switch has been totally severed. Support case raised with JJP, looks like a bastard to fix...
Design flaw with beast mech stuck ball fix. See previous post for fix
1 month later
Quoted from BladeFury:Just replaced my Smaug last week as the mouth quit moving up and down then a couple days later it wouldn't move. Took it apart and took pictures for JJP and they took care of me quick! Their service and communication was great! Happily playing again here is what burned up....
Any ideas why? Did they tell you to change anything to prevent it happening again?
Quoted from KingBW:How in the world do you spell "RACE" on the Hobbit?
I think you spell a particular race (like man, elf, dwarf)
1 month later
Quoted from pinballinreno:They break off if they get loose.
All my beasts were super loose, I used blue loctite on the screws and so far they are holding up strong.
Do you need to remove the mech to tighten?
1 year later
Quoted from Pin_Guy:I finally did it...Purchased a NIB Hobbit Black Arrow (mfg 03/2018) and LOVE IT; what a great game! This is my first time viewing this thread, with over 4K posts its gonna take me awhile to catch up.
Is it just the pic or is Pin_Guy’s translite MUCH more vivid and colorful than others? Is that a mod I can get?
3 months later
Quoted from IceFang:If any owners have ever experienced unexplained flaky triggering on the bag end shot (opto #32), read on for the issue I was experiencing.
ISSUE: The bag end shot (opto #32) would not always register when the ball passed through the area.
ROOT CAUSE: The opto's beam was reflecting off the transparent plastic trim piece directly above the area. When a ball passed through the area, the reflected beam would often still remain connected, and the opto would not trigger.
MY SOLUTION: I cut out a piece of non-reflective dark paper matching the size of the plastic trim piece and attached it to the underside of the trim piece to eliminate the opto beam's reflection. No reoccurrences since.
I experienced a very similar issue on The Shadow with the mini-playfield opto beam reflecting off the playfield glass. So before I ever assume an opto is bad, I always check first to see if the beam is reflecting off of something. I hope this helps anyone who is experiencing this same issue!
This is a great generalized tip! Thanks for posting that and in such detail.
6 months later
Hey all,
My hobbit is at my brothers house. They report it not turning on at all. They made sure the outlet is working. Before I head over to troubleshoot I thought I’d throw it out here. Is there like a master fuse or something like that?
Quoted from LTG:Plug something into the service outlet. If that works, then you have power that far. Outlet is good, power cord is in tight, and main fuse is good.
LTG : )
Power cord for the win! Thanks guys. Didn’t have to make the trip!
7 months later
Quoted from DudeRegular:Do this. Fixed mine right up.
Anyone have an easy install video or pic to show where these go?
Quoted from LTG:Page D-102 in the manual , unplug the cable into 13, plug ground loop isolator in 13, then cable you unplugged into ground loop isolator.
You can download the manual from jerseyjackpinball.com - Support - Downloads - Hobbit.
LTG : )
Thanks as always LTG.
3 weeks later
Quoted from Lermods:you can buy the servo on Amazon for $20, the link may be in this thread somewhere. the servo motor controls the up/down movement of the mouth. Does your smaug at least move left and right as that is a different motor?
I did a search for the link. Anyone know where to get that replacement servo?
1 week later
Quoted from pinballinreno:something like this
ebay.com link
Anyone know what voltage these run? I’m interested for my lotr too
Quoted from Wildbill327:That’s what I was thinking. I know they make a difference in the R/C world...could work for flipper coils.
Sorry, clarifying a previous question:
Does anyone know what voltage these little rc motor coolers run on?
Quoted from freddy:Did anyone try putting the RC car motor fans on their coils?
If so what were the results?
I’m still wondering what the voltages were
6 months later
Is there a current rule sheet out there? I just have kinda rejoined the club and am eager to learn but it seems all the rule sheets are outdated big time.
Quoted from Reaper802:A-18 of the manual has the flow chart. It's an excellent guide to the game.
I was more thinking modes’ and multiballs’ individual shots. Is the old version of the rule sheet still up to date on those type things (ie layers of shots to get a chance to kill Smaug)?
Quoted from Reaper802:Couldn't tell you. Smaug multiball for me is just a tool to finish high star level modes to increase the mini wizard mode values. Smaug MB does do a great job of telling you what to shoot, probably why I don't have it memorized. When it comes to modes, the book on the playfield is your friend. If you really wanted to map all 31+ modes out I guess you could take the glass off and run through them all writing down what is required. Although that also seems kind of silly. There are a few modes that I target and more that I avoid. You don't need to finish them for There and Back Again so I've never invested the time to try and memorize them all.
So even your answer begs a question about star levels but I’ll dig deeper
Quoted from Reaper802:* - 1/4 value mini wizard mode
** - 1/2 value mini wizard mode
*** - Full value mini wizard mode
**** - 2X value mini wizard mode
***** - 4X value mini wizard mode
This may be the most important thing to know about this game. I always try to start a mini wizard mode with AT LEAST a three star mode completed if not four.
My best Into the Fire was after finishing Riddles in the Dark which is maybe the only 5 star mode you have any hope of finishing. That Into the Fire was worth over 750K. Finishing the right modes is worth your time. Keefer writes incredible code.
So is it only when you complete a mode that this takes effect? Would it be beneficial to start but not finish a mode if it reduces your score that much?
Quoted from Reaper802:There is risk reward in finishing say a 1 or 2 star mode if you have not already finished a 3-5 star. Let's say you finish The One Ring early in the game, it's a 1 star and you get some extra points for finishing it. BUT, now you finish everything else for Into the Fire and you haven't finished another higher value mode. If you shoot either gobble hole by mistake your Into the Fire is going to be 1/4 value. Instead now you have to play super careful, try to qualify a solid mode, start that mode, and finish it all without shooting a gobble hole by mistake. That's a serious challenge. Again, it's amazing rules design by Keefer.
Is there an order that the game selects modes when you cycle it with the ramp (assuming they’re all qualified)?
1 month later
Quoted from bmlors:Sorry for the cross post, but for anyone looking for a complete rulesheet for Hobbit, I just published an updated version here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-hobbit-rulesheet/page/4#post-5735785
Can’t wait to read this!! So much going on I can’t follow it well.
2 months later
Quoted from Ballsaversunite:Finally ready to purchase this pin but I am a few years late! Is pinside market the best source or are folks scoring them elsewhere? I don’t want to settle on a new Stern or JJP’s October release since the immersive adventure of the Hobbit just can’t be duplicated from what I have played so far. Obtaining one now though seems pretty challenging. Any tips? Thanks.
Grab one used. They are a real bargain when they come up.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Antron77:So my Hobbit has been out of commission for about a month now. I have had the game since March, second owner, the game had about 100 plays on it when I got and has a little over 1000 now. Looking to see if anyone can help. Need a different set of eyes to see if they can catch something we didn't. I have spent about 10 hours troubleshooting this with different JJP tech support.
One day it was working fine, never had a problem with booting up or crashing mid game. They next day I go to turn it on the game doesnt boot correctly. The big lcd says no signal, the small book lcd turns blue and says VGA upside down, the playfield lights dont come on, nor does the topper lights. The IO board lights turn on, the amplifier board lights turn on, all the small boards mounted underneath the playfield lights turn on, the mother board fan comes on, as well as other power like the coin door lights.
Troubleshooting I did was got the multimeter out tested the voltage on the motherboard battery and the 12 pin connector seated on the mother board. They tested fine, 3 volts, 5 volts, and 12 volts all where they are supposed to be. Tried the jump start with a paperclip and didnt work(although mine has a wire basically built in as a jump start, pic below). Took off the big lcd screen and hooked the game up to a separate monitor which wouldn't boot. Reseated the long green chip on the motherboard(forgot the name of it). Basically reseated every connector in the backbox and bottom of the cabinet. Everything looked fine and nothing helped.
So I sent the motherboard into JPP since thats what they suggested. Said maybe it needed to be reflashed or the BIOS restored. JPP said the motherboard tested fine and there was nothing wrong with it. They sent it back, I put everything back together, booted it back up and still has the same problem. JPP mentioned it might be the power supply but I dont have a back up one to test. Although the 1st rep I worked with kind of ruled that out as the motherboard voltages were all reading right when we measured them with my multimeter.
So here I am asking for any suggestions. I am out of options other than calling back into JJP again to start troubleshooting anything we might have missed. Please help if you can think of anything. Thanks!
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You did the cmos clear step? Or maybe JJP did it?
Do you have an old pc you could just hook the mobo into? I have done that before. Sounds like a bad power supply to me. Mine went out on jjpotc. I replaced it with a spare I had for pc parts and it worked great.
4 months later
Just got a high score and heard a call out I haven’t heard before! Gandalf says “Son of a Took!” I lloled. That’s not even in the hobbit movies is it?
2 weeks later
Quoted from pinballinreno:With the 3rd flipper mod I find myself working solely on modes for the first time, and I am a very early adopter. I have had my game since week 4 of production.
The 3rd flipper mod has me playing the game as it was envisioned. Modes are everything, multiballs are incidental.
Im amazed that this wasnt part of the original setup of the game.
I really love this game, its never leaving.
I ordered the mod. How does it make it more mode focused? I’m still learning all the rules. Is it going to help me get to TABA?
2 weeks later
Anyone know if you can restore high scores and setting from a different machine? Or are they coded to a game? I have an April fools prank in the works.
1 month later
Is it just me or is this game way harder to control the ball on the flippers? Something about the inlane guides are very bouncy, so something I could typically coming from a loop (or similar) tends to bounce so hard it pops back to the opposite sling and gets all out of control. People say this game is too easy, I’d like to see them play mine! Is it just me or do you all notice this?
Quoted from DrDoom:Because of the bouncy inlanes I have installed the Anti Hopping Mod.
It was developed by the German Pinsider Jim Beam.
With this Mod the ball control is much better, especially during MB
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-hobbit-mod-stop-for-jumping-ball-at-the-outlanes#post-4099584
Ok that’s crazy! That is exactly the solution I was envisioning when playing last night. I’ll get video tonight to explain what I mean, but basically those wire inlane guides (as opposed to a solid metal inlane guide) are Way More springy and make the ball hop like crazy. Like a ball coming from the right orbit and hitting the left flipper will hop over to the other flipper, but this is hitting the metal wire inlane guide above the flipper and bouncing wildly to the right sling (and often straight to a drain). Normally if it hits a solid lane guide it will be pretty dead or maybe hop to the other flipper. But it’s like having wildly bouncy rubber on the inlane above the flipper. In my game at least.
Ok. Here’s what I’m taking about. I hope this iCloud link works here:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0XxmigRsIGWmfw42IYhPinNMw#Eagle
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