Ok.Thanks for the info

Installing the stabilization fix I was very cautious and it went fine until I finished the install. One last step, and when snipping the excess tie-end off, my wire cutter catches the top corner of Q5 and the transistor body snapped off the metal tab. I didn't even know I did it until I start playing and one of the coils doesn't function.

Fortunately that's a serviceable part. Does anyone know if there's other reasonable substitute for PSNM027 / STP40NF10L? I have a bunch of other pinball transistors. Would IRL540 do? I guess it's 28A vs 40A. Just wondering if that high is actually necessary.

Found specs for IRL540N which I have. It sounds very close, I will try it:

http://www.st.com/resource/en/datasheet/stp40nf10l.pdf

https://alltransistors.com/mosfet/transistor.php?transistor=3466

Yes, IRL540N installed and works fine.

Did Stern redesign the newer boards, or does Iron Maiden have the zip tie fix?

ZIP tie. Just took home my IMDN Premium. I noticed the ZIP tie in diagnosing my out of box issue: bottom half of playfield has all insert lights out. Connectors good. Node board is likely defective. "Super reliable, robust, yada yada." Sure. So robust that the boards are warrantied for a whopping TWO months.......from the date your distributor gets the machine, not when you buy it.

Pro-Tip: If your warranty is 2 months, your product is not robust. In fact, it means the exact opposite.

Stern seems to stand behind their product longer than 2 months (I know from experience). Just contact them and it’ll be taken care of. Frustrating to get a NIB that has problems, but stuff happens in shipping. Good luck. I’m sure Stern will treat you right.

I agree 100% with ya, they absolutely do..... That is unless your a total prick to them and start posting shit about crap products and bad C/S.

Better just to ask on the forum and then contact then direct. They will help you out, always be nice and your game will be up and running in no time.

BTW: I feel for anyone with issues right out the box but rest assure they will be addressed.

But it's entirely at their discretion.

Also, that they haven't begun shipping revised boards in newly shipped machines is extraordinary. Zip ties / glue are now standard 'factory' spec?

As the above poster's experience tends to hint at, application of them or their efficacy is far from fool proof either, so there will still be ruined boards.

Exactly how cheap are the boards for them to choose to do this instead of a minor respin with more durable mounting / components? Or if they really wanted to push the boat out, some fuses. Almost certainly cheap enough to be a minute fraction of the (high) cost they charge for replacements.

Also, from what I've heard, the going price for a Spike 2 MPU board in Europe is €1200 ($1400). Retailers here must provide replacements due to consumer protection law. But Stern are adamant that warranty / guarantee replacements are non-transferrable, even in EU (where that's illegal). So if you sell your Spike/2 machine to someone, and parts fail, the reseller / distributor is then between a rock and a hard place, because they're obligated to provide replacements, but would then have to pay Stern an obscene price for a replacement.

In 3-5 years time when MPU boards and node boards begin failing en masse, what are people going to do? If your MPU and, say, half your node boards drop out on a Spike2 Pro, it's essentially going to be a write off and not worth replacing. It'd be cheaper to part it out and buy a new machine.

This whole thing is gross; they are STILL sending out zip tied boards on these supposedly commercial "high end" machines? Give me a break.

And people are still buying them?

Right to repair laws are needed in the USA and it sounds like stern is doing what the car manufacturers do Buy parts from the dealer at high mark up.
Also try warranty / guarantee ownership BS.

What does JJP do for that at least the main boards are X86-64 pc's with no pin2k level lock in but they still have an driver board and usb dongle

If they are doing stuff that is illegal under EU laws then that may stop when US laws change.

Well I had a node board fail on an Aerosmith a couple weeks ago. Got a replacement and now the trough board is malfunctioning. The worst part is Stern denied the claim per my distributor. The machine has been on sight for about 60 days. Its embarrassing having a machine down for 3 weeks and buying piece by piece trying to get this up and running again.

Unfortunate! Good luck. All you can hope is there is not a third board out.

Might be worth going straight to Stern to complain. Assuming you bought this new 60 days ago I think you should still be able to get coverage. If it's a couple of years old now maybe less likely.