Quoted from 85vett:

OK, I'm at my wits end right now with my auto launcher. I've worked on it for HOURS now in my spare time since we are locked indoors. Absolutely nothing I'm doing is making a difference. It still hits the post just to the bottom of the upper orbit. Here is what I've done,
- Changed the coil and tried all strengths from as low as 150 to as high as it's max setting. Zero change in game play. In test, it will work about 40% of the time.
- Push the end of the rail of the shooter lane in and out. Zero change.
- Started thinking the ball may have been hitting the tip of the flipper so move it out of the way completely. No Change
- Thinking the diverter gate could be causing and issue. - No change
- Noticed the ball launching to the left at the start which was sometimes hitting the end of the guide between the outlane and shooter lane. - No change
- Adjusted pitch of game from as low as 6.5 to as high as 7.2 - No change
- Made sure game was level - No change
Here is the kicker. A full pull (orange spring) of my plunger does the same thing. But a weak pull will go into the orbit 80% of the time. So it is better.
It seems like the guide is not allowing the ball to go high enough in the game but I've maxed out the movement in the guide without taking it off and drilling out the hole a little bit. If I need to do that, how do you remove it? There is a screw at the end and a bolt that goes through the PF in the middle but the part on the shooter lane by the launch mech looks glued on.
Please, I'm begging you for help at this point as it's making me hate this game now as the ball has started to hit that post, go out of control and drain a lot now. Starting to feel as bad as the Star Wars launcher with drains.

Quoted from Billy16:

That's pretty big, I think I took my burr off with a fine jewelers file

Quoted from Gorgar123:

Thanks. So something more like these?
amazon.com link »
This is what my edge looks like.[quoted image]

Quoted from JonCBrand:

I had same issue with my Pro until I cleaned and waxed the playfield it's been spot in now.

Quoted from Gorgar123:

Thanks. So something more like these?
amazon.com link »
This is what my edge looks like.[quoted image]

Quoted from Billy16:

Photo 1 is it.
I just looked at my guide again. There is a rivet in the middle of the curve at the upper end. Whatever is attached to this rivet--maybe it was a threaded bolt--is what I cut off (and isn't on the newest guide). It puts all the holding of the end of the guide solely on the adjustment screw, but as S-Squid has noted you can shim the end to keep it in place if the screw tends to loosen. I have not had any issues in 6 months since I used this fix on my guide.
I found my original post on this fix: I made one more adjustment to my shooting guide today that made a big difference, so I thought I'd pass it along. I have made all the normal adjustments and installed the more powerful coil, which has helped. After time my percentage of accurate auto launches was decreasing so I thought I'd take another look at it. Stern had sent me the new and "improved" metal shooting lane guide. I tried to install it and found the adjustment mounting tab was in the wrong place--and I didn't want to drill another hole in the playfield. Both guides are very similar, except the new one does not have the threaded rod riveted onto the guide near the adjustment screw tab. So, I cut the one off of my original guide, filed down a small burr that was right at the end of the guide, polished the guide and put it back on. Oh, ho--a little more adjustment is available with that rod gone! I had to raise the tip of the upper right flipper to make use of that adjustment, but now auto launch is at 100%--and it has never been that good. The only neg to raising the flipper a smidge is that the ball will not loop all the way around to the lower right flipper, but I can live with that. Another plus is the loop shot is way easier to hit with this new alignment--so I like that a lot.

Quoted from Tranquilize:

You can use a fingernail file if you want. Any rough surface will work for such a small file job.

Quoted from creepykenny:

I have a small set of tiny metal working files, can't remember where I purchased them but was prolly one of the big boxes
that file in your link is too large, I think there are 4-5 in the set and its in a red vinyl pouch

Quoted from 85vett:

THANK YOU!!!! I removed the bolt that goes through the playfield and is riveted to the middle of the bend. After doing that it relieved some of the sharpness of the curve and I'm now at 80% with my auto launcher and when it misses it is going to high and goes through the upper orbit. Played a game last night and it was the first time Trooper actually started with all 3 balls at the top.

Quoted from 85vett:

Yeah, I cleaned the end up when I had the guide off. Mine was pretty smooth though. I wound up putting an oversized rubber on the post above the inlane since it didn't need to be all the way up anymore. My guide now rest against it so hopefully it wont be moving anymore. I think now I just need to play with the power settings a bit to get that extra little bit. I'm going to play it as is for now and just enjoy not having a Star Wars Stern like ball launcher to where it's draining all the time on an auto plunge.

Quoted from jlock:

I'm brainstorming that now

Quoted from jlock:

IMDN Pro owner for a few months. Struggled with autolaunch issues. Read this whole thread and tried most of the fixes. For me the fix was adjusting (not bending) the guide at the end of the launch lane. I think this issue is responsible for most incidents of inconsistency, more than anything involving the admittedly janky autoplunge mech such as prong contact points. I think that the guide repeatedly getting hammered by the ball loosens the attachment of the guide to the PF, resulting in degraded and increasingly random performance. Once the attachment is not 100% you are left with a battle between the provided attachment and the intrinsic bend of the guide that plays out with some randomness on every launch. I think a larger screw with a washer might help to keep it more solidly in place once you have it dialed in. I think it would be useful to have some kind of horizontal adjustment mechanism to do fine tuning on the exact position of the end of the guide, I'm brainstorming that now. I am also thinking of dremeling the plastic above the existing screw to provide access to that screw without having to remove plastic and ramp wireform.
So no new revelation, but my 2 cents as a NOOB after hours of analysis and trial-and-error.
BTW love this forum, I've learned so much, just reading has given me confidence to work on the machine. Thanks to all.

Quoted from jlock:

IMDN Pro owner for a few months. Struggled with autolaunch issues. Read this whole thread and tried most of the fixes. For me the fix was adjusting (not bending) the guide at the end of the launch lane. I think this issue is responsible for most incidents of inconsistency, more than anything involving the admittedly janky autoplunge mech such as prong contact points. I think that the guide repeatedly getting hammered by the ball loosens the attachment of the guide to the PF, resulting in degraded and increasingly random performance. Once the attachment is not 100% you are left with a battle between the provided attachment and the intrinsic bend of the guide that plays out with some randomness on every launch. I think a larger screw with a washer might help to keep it more solidly in place once you have it dialed in. I think it would be useful to have some kind of horizontal adjustment mechanism to do fine tuning on the exact position of the end of the guide, I'm brainstorming that now. I am also thinking of dremeling the plastic above the existing screw to provide access to that screw without having to remove plastic and ramp wireform.
So no new revelation, but my 2 cents as a NOOB after hours of analysis and trial-and-error.
BTW love this forum, I've learned so much, just reading has given me confidence to work on the machine. Thanks to all.

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Does anyone sell the thin metal piece that you can get from stern to protect the playfield where the ball drops after it hits the bullseye shot on the backboard? I screwed mine up when I installed it and had to take it back off. I'm sure that they wont send me another one probably.
Is it really even neccessary? Were peoples playfields actually getting chewed up and damaged before they made the protector?

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Does anyone sell the thin metal piece that you can get from stern to protect the playfield where the ball drops after it hits the bullseye shot on the backboard? I screwed mine up when I installed it and had to take it back off. I'm sure that they wont send me another one probably.
Is it really even neccessary? Were peoples playfields actually getting chewed up and damaged before they made the protector?

Quoted from mollyspub:

My pro is home use only and didn't have any issues without it. I installed one just because. I'm guessing you could purchase another from stern ?

Quoted from beergut666:

I can't see these things costing a whole lot of money, I don't think it would hurt to ask for another. I've seen your posts about playfield issues and I think they owe you a lot more than a flimsy playfield protector piece.

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Is it really even neccessary? Were peoples playfields actually getting chewed up and damaged before they made the protector?

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Lol yeah good point. They will probably want to call it even if they send me another one. I think they are probably closed at the moment and probably arent sending anything out. What do you think?

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Does anyone sell the thin metal piece that you can get from stern to protect the playfield where the ball drops after it hits the bullseye shot on the backboard? I screwed mine up when I installed it and had to take it back off. I'm sure that they wont send me another one probably.
Is it really even neccessary? Were peoples playfields actually getting chewed up and damaged before they made the protector?

Quoted from PinMonk:

It tears up the mylar back there and eventually the chewed up mylar will hang up very slow moving balls. I'd just call Stern and explain what happened and ask for another. They have to cost less than 50 cents each in the quantities they got them.

Quoted from Who-Dey:

What do you think that would eventually do to the playfield Vireland if someone didnt out that .etal piece on there? Think it would ruin the playfield? It's a pain in the ass putting that on the Premium because that sarcophagus lock is in the way big time.

Quoted from beergut666:

Shit, I sometimes forget that the entire world is shut down. You are probably right, I doubt they are sending out replacement parts at the moment.

Quoted from Who-Dey:

It's a pain in the ass putting that on the Premium because that sarcophagus lock is in the way big time.

Quoted from mattosborn:

You followed the instructions, right?

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Well yeah.......
No I didnt, I'm not going to lie about it.....I don't think I did anyways. It's been awhile and I cant remember honestly. What does the directions say to do? Only thing I remember was it saying to only peel like half of the tape off and to position it in place and then peel the rest of the tape off as you are putting it down. That damn sarcophagus lock is in the way BAD!!

Quoted from mattosborn:

Yeah, the trick is to peel it back just a little bit and get it firmly positioned before you pull the rest of the backing and commit. You're right though, it is tough to get your hands in there. IIRC, I used a stick wrapped in a microfiber cloth to get it pressed down firmly (since I couldn't get my fat fingers in there).

Quoted from mattosborn:

I used a stick wrapped in a microfiber cloth to get it pressed down firmly (since I couldn't get my fat fingers in there).

Quoted from Mancave:

Ditto about the fat fingers but i used a slightly different method. Several test fits to suss out where it should go in my head, used a hobby paint brush handle with a nice blob of blue tack attached to it, pressed onto the protector and peeled the whole backing off and then located and pressed in.

Quoted from Tkaye:

Do you need to call Stern directly for this protector or your distributor? I’ve never heard of it before now. Thanks.

Quoted from Tkaye:

Do you need to call Stern directly for this protector or your distributor? I’ve never heard of it before now. Thanks.

Quoted from jlock:

The larger coil is being delivered in the next few days. But I'm on about 100 consecutive successful autolaunches since the guide adjustment a few nights ago so I think the new coil will be sidelined until/if the problem resurfaces. For anyone else considering the guide adjustment, I had to adjust more than I would have thought. The ball just barely clears the upper right flipper now. I don't think I could adjust any more in that direction without starting to graze the flipper. Also FWIW my autolaunch power is set at the default max. Trooper MB is so much more satisfying when the balls queue as intended. Even leaves enough time for a solid beer swig. That alone makes a solution worth pursuing.

Quoted from mattosborn:

You used to be able to email them your serial number and they'd send it out. Not sure if that's still the case.

Quoted from Tkaye:

Do you need to call Stern directly for this protector or your distributor? I’ve never heard of it before now. Thanks.

Quoted from Bundy:

Got mine from a distributor. They should take care of you, if not order it from Stern. You will need it over time.

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Does anyone sell the thin metal piece that you can get from stern to protect the playfield where the ball drops after it hits the bullseye shot on the backboard? I screwed mine up when I installed it and had to take it back off. I'm sure that they wont send me another one probably.
Is it really even neccessary? Were peoples playfields actually getting chewed up and damaged before they made the protector?Yes, Cliffy personally made me a prototype. Carbon fiber. He said, he may put them for sale. Works amazing. Bashed Mylar gone. Ball still rolls smooth...

Quoted from Chetrico:

Wow! Thank you for this information! Last week I started having the same problem after a routine cleaning. A shot that use to hit the loop 100% of the time now bricks into the post/guide just below the loop...manual and auto. And like you, I tried about everything suggested on this thread. How hard was it to adjust the guide? After you loosened the screw near the top of the launch, did the guide give you a little play then you tightened it back down? Thanks again for this post.

Quoted from Tranquilize:

For those with launcher problems, my previous post about eliminating the adjustment screw altogether has me at 99.5% for months. Easy fix.
Anyone else having their jump ramp protector curling up on the back side?[quoted image]

Quoted from Gambeno:

Hey, I just got my maiden prem two days ago and out the box im having an issue. Anyone ever had a problem with the entrance not opening after MUMMY is lit? Everytime it tells me to enter the sarcophagus the door never moves of even tries too open. Also think my sarcophagus doesnt work either. So annoying. For now I'm been playing it disabled since it doesnt seem to work. Any help would be great. Switches seem to register not sure what triggers the entrance door to open other than hitting the newton ball which works. Maybe bad board or motor?
[quoted image]

Quoted from PinMonk:

Go into test mode and see if you can make it raise and lower there. It may just have come disconnected in shipping. Both the sarcophagus and tomb guardian up/down are run off the node 9c board. Sounds like it just came disconnected. After you confirm it doesn't work in test, either, POWER OFF and check all the connections to that board (it's at the bottom of the playfield in the picture of the raised playfield below).[quoted image]