I have an early sample IJ with the Jackpot light board and just installed the color LED display last night. It fits perfectly and seamlessly as it is the same size as the regular dmd. No additional hardware is required even if you have the jackpot light board.

Now in terms of preference, I also have a color LCD in my TAFG and MB.

The color LED display on my IJ seems considerably brighter and more vibrant. It has really beautiful colors on the animations and the scoring has a graduated, almost 'rainbowish' look to them. Pretty cool in my opinion.

For MB and particularly TAF, I think I prefer the LCD at this point for these titles as the themes seem to suit the less vibrant dots.

In the end, it may just come down to personal preference. I think both the color LED and LCD screens have awesome colourized dots.

Greetings IJ owners, I have owned a Prototype IJ for many years; and a recurring issue I have is as follows:
When we occasionally reach the wizard mode and shoot the right ramp, the ball will usually not stop and fail to drop into the Paths of Adventure. Making finishing the Wizard Mode impossible.
Instead the ball goes right around to the outer lane returning to the left flipper. This happen maybe 4 out of 5 times, rarely dropping into the POA.
During regular play (not the Wizard Mode), the POA works absolutely perfectly.
I’m running newest roms L-7.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

@pinballreno, thanks for the input.
The post works perfectly 100% in every other instance when the POA is activated. All tests show that it works, no loose wires. Alignment of the post is also perfect or it wouldn’t function as it should during all other modes which use the POA.
It goes up and down cleanly with ease.
This is why this is such a strange issue: it only occurs during the Wizard Mode and at no other instance does the POA post not properly stop the ball and allow it to drop to the mini pf.
Has anyone else had this issue during the Wizard Mode?

@ Pinballreno: I believe all the cables and connectors are original. Everything looks nortmal in the area. It was a high end restoration game but I will re-check the connector.

Just very strange that the mini pf post only malfunctions during the Eternal Life Wizard Mode and yet works perfectly during all other modes and gameplay.

Perhaps swapping in a different game rom could show if my current rom is compromised.

Thanks again for the assistance.

Thanks again @pinballreno, I will need to give that a shot.

@pinballinreno: quick update, I tested out the coil, cleaned a bit around the post, added a piece of mylar in front of the post and changed the batteries (had been a while) and finally did a full factory reset.

My son and I tested out the upper pf during the Eternal Life Wizard Mode and for most shots it worked properly, staying up/dropping down and allowing the ball to fall into the mini pf.
We’re going to monitor this going forward and see if the above did the trick.
If not, swapping the game rom will be the next step.

Thanks again for your help.

Hey guys, what pitch do most of you have your IJ set at?
Sometimes, we find it kinda tough to make the right ramp so we have it set at a lower pitch. However, this does make the game a bit more floaty.

Also, do you typically check your pitch between the flippers or higher up the pf?
I’ve often done it both ways in the past. We use a digital level.

Thanks!

Looking for some help. My IJ has recently had 3 separate issues come up at once:

Firstly, my Hand of Fate Mode Hole switch no longer works and the ball isn’t ejecting from the mode hole. I tested the switch in switch test and it’s not responding.

At the same time, secondly, the game now always shoots up 2 balls during gameplay.

Thirdly, I’m getting an Error that my ‘Idol has a bad switch and is not running properly’.

Unfortunately, I’m not overly tech savvy and local service guys are unable to come and fix due to the virus.

Any advice and assistance would be truly appreciated. I’m wondering if there’s a broken wire somewhere that is linking these issues?

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

Further to above, I went into switch test and the ‘U’ and ‘A’ stand up targets aren’t responding either.
There may be other switches that aren’t working as well.
Could this be a blown fuse, broken wire or something else?
Also, the only error I’m getting at the game start is the Idol Error.
Thanks again for any advice.

How would I be able to tell what the common wire from the switch matrix would be?
Really appreciate the help.

I just located my manual.
I believe my issue is with the switches on the top horizontal line of the above Switch Matrix page.
2 of my adventure lights switches (#51 & #61) don’t register nor, left eject (which is the mode hole I believe) nor wheel position or trough #6.
How would I find the common broken wire connecting all these together?
Thanks!

Hey guys, some good news, after much searching, we located the broken (white/brown) wire under the pf. The wire had snapped off and needed to be re-soldered. We were happy to find the elusive wire. Thanks for all the great suggestions.

That fixed all the switches except the Idol issue.

The Idol still gets an error message: “Error Idol Bad, Check Switches/Mtr.
In Idol test, it indicates ‘Idol lock not running correctly’.

In continuous test, it only shows position 1,5 & 6, but doesn’t seem to be reading or stopping at position 2,3 or 4.

During gameplay the Idol locks just 2 balls and doesn’t release them. The motor seems to be running perfectly.

Is this a faulty opto as it’s not reading position 2-4 in test? Can optos be cleaned if that’s the case?

Any further suggestions or help is really appreciated.

@PBFan: Thanks so much for that guide. Excellent reference.

How difficult is it to access the 3 optos inside the Idol?
Do you remove the Idol from on top or can you access the optos from below the pf.

I’m not all that tech savvy and I’m hoping they just need to be cleaned as I’ve never re-flowed nor replaced optos before.
In test, it’s not reading position 2-4 (only 1, 5 & 6 positions are shown).

Thanks again!

Thanks! Will give this a try tonight. Going to be looking for a broken wire as well.

Thanks again.
I will first eyeball the entire area before attempting to remove the Idol head and assembly. Re-soldering a broken wire would certainly be preferable.

I’ve been trying for an hour to get the allen key to turn the screw to release the Idol head, but there is so little space and I can’t get a good enough angle.

I’ve gone into test mode to rotate the Idol head mech, but it won’t line up straight.

Are there any suggestions as to how I can line-up the Idol screw hole for the Allen key to access it?

Thanks for the suggestion. I may try this later if I can find a 9v battery.
Aside from this, is there any other way to rotate the Idol head if I don’t have the 9v battery?

Btw- from underneath I was able to clean the optos and test them out.
One of them is not responding- guessing this is my issue. Just need to get at it.

Thanks again for everyone’s help.

@PBFan: Thanks for the tip.
I do not own any long Allen-keys so I’ll need to get a set of those in any event.

Finally got my IJ Idol fixed by replacing one of the white Opto emitters.
Thanks to all those earlier who provided some suggestions.

A question regarding the Wizard Mode:
When I finally reach the Wizard Mode and make the right ramp, I find the ball often doesn’t drop down onto the mini playfield because the post doesn’t appear to stop the ball.

Instead the ball bypasses the mini pf and rolls down the far left-side metal guide rail back to the left flipper. This means I’m unable to roll over those switches on the mini pf to complete the Wizard Mode.

During normal gameplay (outside of the Wizard Mode), my mini playfield and post function perfectly. The post comes up when it should and the ball drops into the mini pf.

Has anyone else experienced this? Wondering if it’s a glitch in the software?
Thanks!

@AaronZOOM: thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, our issue during the Wizard Mode with the ball bypassing the mini playfield has happened on numerous occasions.
We have a sample IJ with most updated software.
Wondering if the software has somehow been compromised or if other owners have experienced this same glitch during the Wizard Mode?

@pinballreno@ thanks for the suggestion. That makes sense as I never have issues during regular gameplay with that mini pf post, just during the chaotic action of the Wizard mode.

I have never tried doubling the wire to a coil; any suggestions on how best to do this?
Thanks.

Thanks! Some great ideas here to remedy this strange issue.

Is there any risk in adding a stronger coil for that post?
Seems like that might be the most direct and strongest solution for that post to come up.

There’s never an issue with it during regular modes for the POA, just only during the wizard mode, the post simply doesn’t seem to make it up when required.
Wondering if it’s just beacuase I have a sample game and a weaker coil was used?

In any case, thanks for the suggestions pinballreno.

Hey Fremen, this is exactly what is happening on my game during the Wizard Mode- except in my case it happens about two thirds of the time, which is very frustrating (and could be robbing us of that tough to achieve billion points).

Pinballreno above suggested a few different fixes including possibly a stronger coil would work.
Just not sure if there’s anything negative could result with a stronger coil for that post.
Maybe a small piece of felt as you suggested stuck behind the post might slow the ball down a bit. Just have to make sure it didn’t affect the path of the ball.

Anyone else having this issue?

What pitch do you guys keep your IJ at?
Also, do you measure you pitch between the flippers or higher up the pf?

@Ricochet: Do you know what your pitch is between the flippers?
Do you find hitting your right ramp is easy & seamless?
I’m at 6.5 measured at the flippers currently but wondering if I should have a bit more pitch.

Maybe it’s just my accuracy. Have been working recently on my game quite a bit fixing some issues. Just need to look at re-leveling. Thanks for the feedback!

Im currently using titans for the flippers.
Every time I tweak this game, I seem to throw something else off a bit lol.
Regardless, an amazing pin which is bolted to our floor.

@pinballinreno: just curious, where do you measure your 6.0 degrees angle from: between the flippers or at the middle of the table by the drop targets?
I’ve read many players measure the pitch from different areas of the pf.
I typically use a digital level.
Thanks!

Thanks for the suggestion. I typically set them up at 6.5 as well.
Indy does have a steeper right ramp is why I was curious.

Greetings, I have just moved my pins to a new home and noticed the bottom IJ lights do not turn on. These are the lights under the sling shots & to the left & right of the flippers.
Not sure if others aren’t working that I haven’t noticed.
I’ve attached a pic of the lights which are off.
Could this be a blown fuse or connector issue?
Thanks so much for any advice!

5A2C4124-03A2-41EA-A2D0-71E2DC11202E (resized).jpeg

Thanks, will check that out.

If I can’t locate a broken wire, do you know if there’s a fuse which controls those lights that might have blown?

Hey Manny,
Thanks for your help.
On J121, the wires look black (burnt) at the top?
Is this normal?
I’m not great at some of this trouble shooting.
If that’s an issue, is it an easy repair?
Pic below with my finger holding the wire:

884B0B6D-6633-4D46-A138-417567CD47B9 (resized).jpeg

Thanks Manny, so I re-seated the J121 connector in the same spot; and at the same time noticed J604 was just hanging loose so re-seated that connector as well.

I turned on the pin and all the lights (including the sling shot & lower lights) were back on & functioning properly. Wondering now if the J604 connector falling out was the issue?
I’m going to keep an eye on this & see if the issue re-appears.
Thanks for all your suggestions above.

Manny, thanks again for your help with this.

I’m going to closely monitor & if the problem re-occurs with the lights going back off, I will have my tech guy over to repair the connector. (Beyond my novice abilities).

Regarding connector J604, I do have a color dmd installed and this must have been why that wasn’t plugged in. (Color dmd was installed many years ago).

Since I’ve re-seated the J604 connector last night again, it didn’t seem to impact anything.
Can I simply leave this connector plugged in or do I have to take out again in order to prevent any damage somehow?
Thanks once more!

I had a similar issue many years ago when my Idol stopping releasing the balls.
I first tried cleaning the optos but in the end, I had to replace 1 or 2 of the optos.

We had a bit of a tricky time removing the Idol from the top side as the screw which held it on was very tight & didn’t easily undo. I used a long allen/hex tool to undo the tiny screw then just removed the idol. This was a while back but hope it helps a bit.

@sheev_palpatine: Agreed the set screw is not easy to get at and ours was really tight. We had to use a long allen/hex tool to unscrew it. Good kick with your fix!

I believe it’s the white one which is the transmitter; and this is the one which I’m pretty sure I had to replace on my IJ. (Can’t recall if I replaced the black one as well).

I replaced the opto(s) so long ago I don’t recall which I had to replace; but I remember testing each out to determine which one I had to ultimately replace.
Perhaps DumbAss or another Pinsider could provide some further input on this.
Agreed, it would be a pain to have to replace them all.

@pindeadhead: I would suggest emailing Joey at Pinballdecals first just to confirm he has these in stock.
Gold mirror blades are really sharp but also quite pricey.