Hi all, looking to join the club. Please direct me to a link explaining what to look for.
Sorry to ask, I couldn’t readily find one.

Just got a NIB LE, had been in a warehouse sealed in the box but sitting there I guess. Sorted a few problems. One problem is the elf targets work in test up and down but don’t go up in play. When the game starts they wobble like they are trying to go up but can’t. In test they appear as smooth as silk. I reloaded the 3.1 and that fixed a couple of other issues but not this one. Any ideas.

Thanks, will do both.

Has anyone tried plugging a guitar amp into the headphone jack. Would it work.

What do you think could go wrong.

I have had this game for bit over a month NIB. One spotlight flickers one has stopped working. Taken both globes out bent the wires every way. Swapped globes as well. The flickering one continues and the other won’t work. Checked the connections and reseated. After the connections the wires aren’t traceable. Anyone else had similar spotlight issues and could help.

It’s just an indication of how few people have had the opportunity to live with the game. IMHO you really need to own this game.

How do you lite kickback.

Would be good if it auto back up to the cloud daily when they do the connectivity update.
Anyone heard more on internet connection progress.

This game is heavy. If you are doing it alone, video it so you can show the emergency dept. They could do with the laugh about now.

The GiTD rubbers work well with the side blades. Pretty tempted on the blades. Really looks great in photos.

My first Hobbit had spring steel ramp flaps where my second has stainless flaps. The spring steel resulted in a far more energetic movement around the rear ramp bends. As the spring steel settled in, ie bent with ball entrances it became far more difficult to backhand. I had to use Velcro on the bends to slow the ball to stop it bouncing out of the lock side habitrail if a normal shot is hit, while still being able to make the backhand on that flipper setting.
The stainless flaps have settled in shape with hits, the bend is greater but the backhand is easier at a lower flipper setting. Both became harder to backhand as they settled in.
The photo is the stainless flaps. The bend has lifted the flaps from the pf but it plays far better.

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I have the rear castors wound right up on this game. Just wondering if anyone has risers on the rear to reduce the wind and therefore make the game more stable. Ideas, photos or suppliers would be great. Thanks.

Where are these breaking. Will a washer type protector work. Where does it need to go.
Thanks.

Tests, Device test. Run all of these. Should cover you. Remember to pull out the isolator switch by the coin door.

Saw this fix on another thread for another issue. Attach wax paper behind the back glass as a filter. Tried it on TH and must say there is a visible reduction in the colour wash out. Photos are no help with after shots like a lot of pinball photos so only included my test picture of my trial attachment. Hey, it costs nothing and does show a considerable improvement to the point I would say the colour washout is no longer readily apparent. I have no doubt the filters discussed previously in this thread are better but with best of intentions I never got around to buying one. Best 10 mins investment.

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Yup. Lots of weight in those mechs. Quite a bit of flex in the Pf.

But it’s so much more fun from the top flipper.

Keep the keys in the door. Get the ball to a VUK and open the door. Apply beverage to brain as required and resume. Just watch countdown modes, pretty sure they continue.

I Got rid of the spottys, looks much cleaner. The pop up lights eliminates the need for them imho

In Australia, Mr Sheen. Use it for rubbers and playfield. Brilliant.

To whom ever in the factory drew this face on the coil connector to my Orc pop up. The answer is it ended up in Australia.

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Happen to be fixing a pop up. Cable tie as in photo or the wires can sever and bind.
My cage need removing then, loosen 4 screws fixing the toy end, align the coil stroke with the pop up stroke so it freely moves, then tighten. First one worked well but used the bottom 4 screws in order to maintain a true alignment when reattaching to the pf. Top 2 float. Pull the Spider and have a play. Don’t disable, gotta fix it or you will end up selling and regretting.
There are other fixes in this thread. This worked for me.

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Sorry I’m sure I saw these were addressed before but can’t seem to find it in the thread now. Two issues:
1) how do I adjust the wind lance to fire into the right orbit consistently? I’ve adjusted both the “strength” and “delay” in the coil settings (can someone explain the difference?) and it’s better but not at all consistent. How do you test this outside of gameplay - just hold a ball there with your finger and fire the coil? Or can you put the post up to hold it somehow while you adjust the coil setting? I also read to bend the metal rail but wanted to make sure I’m doing the other adjustments first.

#7177 by Pinballinreno covers this but very broadly. I would like to get mine running better as well. I have improved it but still would like it better. It’s probably about 10% now, when I first adjusted it it was about 60%.
Could Pinballinreno please help. Thanks.

Wind lance adjustment. What worked for me.

1. I reduced the strength to the settings in the photo. I slowly reduced it until the speed felt like it was somewhat controllable. Strength is the force the ball is pushed out of the lane by the coil. (The delay is the time between when the ball hits the switch and the coil is fired, for kickback)
2. The ball was hitting the post right of the Radagast VUK. Dropping the strength reduced the force but it still hit the post.
I removed the 2 screws holding the left metal rail in the Windlance outlane from the side rail, leaving the top nut which holds the rail to the pf. No need to remove plastics and ramp etc. I placed a finger in the middle of the curve radius and gently increased the bend in the metal rail by bending the loose end towards the centre of the machine. After testing for correct adjustment, replaced screws.
Testing.
- By lifting the pop up post and putting a rag to hold it up under Pf. Lower pf and place ball in windlance.
- menu, test, coils, kickback. Pull coin door switch to enable coils. Start button fires coil.

I hope this helps someone. It’s really disappointing to get the kill Smaug shot and not get a chance at the shot as intended.

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It had to be said.

The pinball gods must be pleased.

Dialed In is worthy too. Get em before the Stern Army wake from their hypnosis.

The external volume control will lower the volume and mute from the maximum. The maximum volume is set in the settings menu.
If you lower the volume externally then you can raise it back to that level say for a wizard mode.

During arrow launch modes is the ball still going nicely from the arrow launch, up the right orbit for the upper flipper shot after returning to factory settings.

If you have a gap between your teeth you don’t go to the dentist to make it bigger.

Works on mine

Just a warning that this happened. The nut was backed off as well. The washer has since been added.

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Which switch do you mean

Just killed Smaug, haven’t done it for a while. Really can’t think of another moment in pinball that beats the feeling. The nature of the shot under pressure. The precise shot required when you get there. The flippers dying, the video, light show, sounds. What a game. Had it since new, can’t ever see any chance of selling it. How lucky we are to have this incredible piece of engineering and magic in our lives. There is a pinball god.

Here posteth mine shrine.

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Your first JJP pin, make room, you have opened the door. They breed.

Dialed In is the best shooting pin I have ever owned for me. Jump on one before everyone realises.

Test everything.
Good place to start is Test/device test I think. That will run thru drop targets, pop ups, dragon head. Should show you major problems above normal tests like switches, lights. Mind blowing engineering show. Don’t forget to pull the isolators switch to prevent heart attack.

Pretty sure it’s a tight fit which often results in damage when pf is lifted. That’s why I didn’t do it any way.

There is a setting for that I’m pretty sure in device tests. Try that first.

Just have a beer between balls. Best cooling solution.

The diffusers were an after thought, a fix. It means for me I could get rid of the ugly spotlights. Looks much cleaner.

Well, just replaced the battery, have put it off for too long. I am the original owner, so it’s the original battery. Pretty easy, should have done it sooner. The old one tested at 2.86V so maybe pushed it a bit too far.
Just wanted to share and give a number.

Get rid of the spotlights to grab 12v. Looks much better without them.

I’m not recommending the stainless over spring but I have had an LE from new with the stainless. After a few hundred games the curling is very smooth. Yes it’s lifted but I dont think if affects ball travel. It’s a convenient excuse though.
It’s not too much of a problem to change, which is why I accepted the machine. For me the stainless is just so pretty it’s definitely staying.
Just my opinion of course.

Have a read of this thread. It has caused problems to quite a few.

Steel Smaug diverted cover came with stainless ramp flaps? I seem to recall that was my choice, but it was a long time ago.