I took off the black rubber rings and put red silicone rings on the rocket.

IMG_1308 (resized).JPEG

IMG_1313 (resized).JPEG

I went red/ yellow for ussr colors

20230208_203511 (resized).jpg

20230208_203526 (resized).jpg

Jonesin for this new code update...come on Stern. Release the damn thing!

Bend in the outside arm inward more aggressively? I only had to fix mine once.

ONCE.

once_ONCE.gif

Why does Stern not stamp the pin? I thought this was an industry SOP for years.

3 cents more labor per $7-12k machine. No budget for that.

Add a small washer to the end of the arm and then crimp it.

Like what Stern did to fix this problem.

The spinner issue was addressed in the stream. Gomez said to just bend the outside vertical piece in a little to make a tighter fit for the spinner.

Are stern selling the scuba models to pro owners? I seem to remember George saying that they plan to, anyone enquired about it and got a price? Marco and the usual suspects don’t seem to have them available, curious what Stern will be charging for them.

I may look at something like this. I bend the outside arm in slightly the first two times it fell off. It seems like it only falls off when the ball impacts the outside arm and pushes it though the hole.

When you put the spinner back in does it hang straight up and down? Basically it is getting knocked off because of hits on the bottom edge rather than square against the face. Maybe bend the frame a little tighter? Make sure it hangs straight and not angled forward and make sure there is enough wire sticking through the frame.

Another more subtle point it that this is an opto spinner, so it has less friction and will spin much longer than a normal spinner when properly adjusted. That means it is more likely to get hit again while it is still spinning. When it is hit while spinning there is always that chance that it will be turned just right to get whacked on the bottom edge (see LZ spinner issues). So here is another suggestion learned from LZ. Don't aim at the spinner while it is spinning already. The main reason is that hitting it while still spinning will most likely slow it down or stop it, so just let it continue to rip. Waiting for it to stop spinning and come to rest standing straight up and down then has the second benefit of less off angle smashes on the spinner. So higher score and less wear. Win/win.

Edit: Another possibility is the spinner is hanging to low or the ball is somehow airborne when hitting it? This would result in a hit on the spinner that is more of a broadside whack rather than clipping just the bottom half as it passes underneath. Enough hits like that and the spinner will be bent so it leans backwards and takes more hits on the bottom edge or simply takes a broadside and gets knocked off.

I almost wish George didn't say it was coming out in a week. Everyone is gonna lose their shit if it does not come out this week.

He should have said the next was done but going through the test cycle and it would hopefully come out next week. New bugs can pop up during testing that can cause a little more delay to resolve.

I'd rather have them release the next update when it's ready and not put out buggy code just to make a date George mentions in an interview.

I'll take a look at each of your suggestions. I didn't get too radical when bending it the first couple of times because it felt like the outside arm was far enough in it shouldn't fall out. The spinner definitely rips (I almost made a joke that I'm ripping the spinner too hard), so I don't think it's out of whack and creating any friction.

Got a chance to stream Bond this week. Anxiously awaiting new code but having a lot of fun regardless. Looking forward to seeing what they put in with the next update.

https://www.youtube.com/live/LrCA8Hn8K7k?feature=share
CC7926D6-F8FE-4BF7-AD89-B7234A0B176C (resized).png

Truth. Look at the pitchforks and torches that were out when Spooky didn't release a Halloween update before Halloween as they had mentioned. It was crazy

I will put faith in my totally unconfirmed idea that all of the assets for Bond are/were finalized by the time the 60th SLE ships. I will double down on this personal opinion and say they have actually significant updates ready, but they couldn't push them until everything was approved.

I know it doesn't make sense to *us* to hold approvals when the games are totally separate, but the licensor may have a different opinion.

The last update was dated 24th (tues) but released publicly on the 25th (wed) fingers crossed they are finalising it and we see it tomorrow!

I work from home. New code drops in the middle of the day don’t bode well for my productivity!

Same, I've been turning my game on in the morning so that when the code drops it starts downloading. Listening for the pop from upstairs!

That is the only good thing about that pop. If I am in the basement when it goes off it usually scares the shit out of me!

I’ve not updated via wifi yet still use the usb method as it takes me minutes to download that way. Is it the same “pop” Stern use for the knocker? That always used to scare the shit out of me; so glad you can turn it off in Spike2 games

No, it’s a new sound and even more obnoxious…which I didn’t think was possible.

Sounds more like somebody stepping on a duck to me…

I have said since I got my Bond LE that "It's my license to kill.....Time". Who's with me?

How do you know it hasn't been tested?

Has anyone replaced the noisy Stern fan with this quiet one from PinballLife?

https://www.pinballlife.com/stern-spike-system-plug-n-play-quiet-fan-kit.html

Yep, works great.

Buy mine from PinMonk. Work great and if you have several games with noisy fans it really makes the gameroom more enjoyable.

Pretty sure Pinball Life sells the PinMonk kit.

The two that George mentioned that I have actually experienced were:

1) On top of the rocket gate
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2) Between the two wireforms
IMG_1756 (resized).JPG

How did they get there? No clue, but somehow my wife finds ball traps like she's a playfield tester. So I requested the kit. Wireform area has a new clear plastic, probably with a post. Guessing that the clear plastic gets captured between the screw that attaches the two wireforms together, you can see it just above the ball in my pic. Not sure what the rocket gate fix is.

Another that George mentioned they'd seen in testing was the ball getting trapped on top of the wall between the rocket / SPECTRE targets and the center chute for the lock. If I understood him correctly, the fix is to simply spin the wire clip around 180 degrees. I didn't have that issue yet but it was easy to do so I spun it. Before and after pic below.

Before
IMG_1754 (resized).JPG

After
IMG_1759 (resized).JPG

The other funny spot we had was that wimpy shots up the right chute between Henchman/Villain ramps would sometimes get hung up underneath if it were rolling slowly back down. Turns out the wiring pigtail that goes to the Villain ramp opto was hanging down, so some careful re-tucking of that pigtail cleared the area completely. Another spot for folks to check out if they're under the glass adjusting things.

Same issue here. A direct powerfull shot doesnt make drop target falling it seems to be a brick wall, but a very soft shot or a very smooth touch on side or else immedialty drop them of.

Is it normal on this game ?

The ramps have a slot where they bolt together, pull them apart a bit and you should be fine. I've never had a hangup in either place. Mine was at the top of the henchman and Villain ramp

I installed two PinMonk fans this morning. Installing a third this afternoon. Bond is still too new for me. I'll wait a few more months for the "warranty" to expire.

I don't, it was just an assumption <insert ASS out of U and ME comment here>

Not enough "give" in the wireforms to do that on my machine without deflecting them and trying to hold them in a bent position. I'll wait for the ball trap kit, we've only had it happen once.

I've had the same with the ball caught at the opening between Henchman / Villain, where it just eases up the ramp and lands there. Easy one to design 3D print and fill that notch with a piece with a small round end to keep the ball from being able to stop there. Print in black and it should be invisible but functional.

I used a piece of the ramp entrance rubber I bought up there

Yes, Pinball Life (US) and Ministry of Pinball (Europe) are official distributors. Also the pinmonk pinside store here and on pinmonk.com. Pinball Life will also have the ZEN kits for flippers shortly.

Squelch-fart!

I'd love to have a printed piece to put there

Ill see if I can come up with something, shouldn't be terribly hard. Just some funky angles, but my brother's got a bitchin' set of tools.

Yes - It's from PinMonk. I'm going to install it today along with the shaker. I not excited to cut the "white goop" but this fan is too much.

Thanks!

You might get lucky. Some of the power supplies have almost no goop at all - like just a few droplets. But if you get one with a thick blob, just take it slow and make small cuts with a precision cutter to make a path that weakens the blob allowing you to get the wire for the existing fan out. Here's a pic of the idea...

wire removal RSP500-48-sml (resized).jpg

And here's a comparison of a Stranger Things I did that had almost no goop to power supplies with more goop I frequently saw before that...

Older_vs_2020_power_supply_goo_gone (resized).jpg

Also, if you press the two pins and remove the existing connector end from the wire, you might be able to just pull the wire through the blob without cutting it. I haven't tried that approach (next Spike pin in I will), but it might be easier...

Stern has just released a code update!
For Godzilla. . .

Give us 007!

Haha. The fix for slow code updates. Own more machines. Brilliant!

Nice! Wifi installing it now. I'm concentrating on Rush and Gz right now and still have a lot of game play to figure out on them before 007 gets a few more updates.

New code:

LE/PRE V0.86.0 - February 9, 2023
=====================

- Added a "Villain" Trouble in Jamaica mode. Default = 10 shots to complete. Shoot the lit
right orbit, pop bumper lane, or tank target to collect an award. Pop bumpers contribute
to the next tank target award.
- Now mode award lightshows that occur during multiball blink at a faster rate.
- Added a Villain Mode Start difficulty adjustment, default = 3 shots to start a
Villain mode.
- Added a Henchmen Mode Start difficulty adjustment, default = Medium. The following
table indicates how many shots are need to start a Henchmen mode. For example, on
Medium settings the first Henchmen mode takes 1 side ramp shot to start. The next
Henchmen mode requires 2 shots to start, and the 3rd Henchmen mode requires 2
shots to start, etc...

Extra Easy - 1,1,1,1,1,1
Easy - 1,1,2,2,3,3
Medium - 1,2,2,3,3,3
Hard - 1,2,3,3,3,3
Ex Hard - 3,3,3,3,3,3

- Added a mode award lamp effect that plays during stacked mode/multiballs.
- Added Q's Ring and Radio Reconnaissance mode total display effects to be used during multiball.
- Added logic to stacked mode award display effects to insure choreographed display
effects waiting to run actually get to run.
- Added logic so Trouble in Jamaica tank target awards can be seen during multiball
events.
- Added logic for mode awards given during multiball to end if full screen display
effects are running.
- Added 3 Dr. No Insider Connected achievements (Trouble in Jamaica, No Means No, NOsy Neighbor).
- Added alternate Q's Ring and Radio Reconnaissance display awards that are shown during multiball events.
- Fixed a problem where 2 mode awards could be given at once.
- Now Villain and Henchman Total display effects have a vertically centered core.
- Added tick marks to the Mode Timer progress bar.
- Fixed a problem with Mode Total SFX playing at the wrong time.
- Added new mode award SFX (that are heard during multiball events).
- Added logic so the progress bar located under the Villain and Henchman Mode Timer only
appears when multiball is active.
- Added logic to display the large/mode progress bar during Q's Ring.
- Changed text in the game to read 'RED GRANT' instead of 'GRANT'
- Changed the spacing of the mode total text to improve readability.
- Added a progress bar to the Mode Timer.
- Now all Henchman icons and banners are gold. Score moves along with the banner immediately.
- Updated text to Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd to match the playfield.
- Set the default time to complete Trouble in Jamaica, i.e. default = 70 Seconds.
- Added logic to the top lane control gate to divert balls into the pop bumpers
while the right orbit is lit during Trouble in Jamaica.
- Fixed "He Blew a Fuse" and " Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd" artwork.
- Added logic to make sure alternate mode award sound FX only play the fanfare
portion of the sound FX.
- Fixed a display bug where 1 frame of "Gray" could be displayed at the end of a display effect.
- Added Q's Ring and Radio Reconnaissance videos.
- Now active/present Villain, Henchmen, and Q Branch modes are allowed to run upon
starting a multiball event, i.e. Bird 1 Multiball & Jetpack Multiball.
- Added new Villain/Henchmen Total display effects.
- Changed lowercase 'r' to uppercase in 'Mr. HENDERSON'
- Updated Henchmen Start and Total videos to use the mode's associated colors.
- Now advancing towards Bird 1 Multiball is disallowed while SPECTRE Weapon Countdown
modes are active/present.
- Now advancing towards Jetpack Multiball is disallowed while SPECTRE Weapon Countdown
modes are active/present.
- Added award sound FX for Femme Fatale, Arrange Usual Reception Please, He Blew a Fuse,
Orient Express, and Q's Ring all of which are only heard during multiball events.
- Lowered the volume on Disco Volante Demolition sound FX.
- Fixed a bug where mode totals were not being displayed upon draining a ball.
- Added the pop bumper exit switch as an available mode award shot.
- Added logic to Jetpack/Bird 1 Multiball awards to display layered display effects.
- Added Villain/Henchmen score banner display effects.
- Fixed an issue in Orient Express where the combo timer grace would blink the light on the right orbit incorrectly.
- Fixed an issue in Orient Express where the combo timer wasn't ended and would give incorrect combo awards.
- Fixed a bug in Orient Express where the blinking lights did not represent the game rules correctly.

- Updated to nodeboard firmware/protocol v1.3.0
- Adjusted timing to address phantom broken trough sw tech alerts.

Got the new Godzilla and new Bond code downloading now. Baby steps on this Bond code, but we are starting to see the ground work being laid in these updates for Bond to be the monster we all think it can be once it reaches 1.0 and beyond! LFG!!

<slowly puts down pitchfork>

Just looked over

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PvosfsiSZMnrCS2D8