While I agree with the standard vs the le thoughts I’m like the exact opposite on the le vs ce debate. I live the CE and lord knows if I could afford that kind of scratch I would have gotten it but there just isn’t enough extra in it to justify the 3k to me

That being said who cares as long as there are more happy pirate owners out there. The model picked makes no difference. And I say that with respect to every pin bought by anyone. Just keep the industry alive and well so we can get great games in the future.

Off my soapbox back to playing

If you wanted to be one of the first people to play it and did not pre-order, your options were limited.

$8.5k is already big money to spend on a pin and the SE is still loaded with a ton of features. The stainless steel armor on the SE does look nice as well. Hell the SE is more loaded then competitors LE's! If there ends up not being a lot of these made as the rumors suggest the resale hit may not be bad at all.

Also, with that type of thinking one could end up saying "just spend $3k more for the CE" lol. I start having those conversations with myself and start thinking "you live only once, upgrade to the CE"! haha.

Tonight I went to Bishop Cidercade in Dallas. They have a JJPOTC there - in fact it is the first one I played early last December that made me fall in love with the game and buy one. Ok, two.

I am sorry to report this game is now trashed.

- The chest release paddle was entirely missing. Every time you locked a ball in the chest it would roll right out, and you’d get zero credit making movie 2 progress impossible.
- The Depths VUK was jacked with super low power (or some other malady.). The balls would eject, slowly creep and drain out through the I lane.
- 2 spotlights were completely out and the one by the Pearl was pointed directly at the cabinet wall.
- Tortuga scoop was visibly loose and shook with each eject.

Aside from the spots, these are major game-breaking bugs. If I had played this game, I would have written it off out of sheer frustration.

If you’re gonna put a game on location, at least have the decency to keep it up.

I played a bunch of other stuff there tonight also. Several other games had similar major issues. A few were powered off entirely. Dialed In had a monitor sagging almost an inch on the right side. Indiana Jones had a one way drain gate that decided to go two-way. A few of the newer sterns were ok. Played a little Munsters. It doesn’t do much for me at all, but if you like the theme I’d say they did a good job.

Glad to hear you got yours in and in excellent shape!

Mike was nice enough to give me a heads-up once inquiring, he said they were selling them really quickly. Got my LE order in on Thursday pronto, so hopefully one of those good condition badboys is mine!

Any of you install Cliffy's yet? Were they tough or laborious? After doing a scoop and side rail install on a Houdini, I'm hoping for far less stress....

What is it with jjp and their spotlights .I've had issues with the two jjp pins I've owned and it looks like the trend is continuing . I brought some spotlights from pinball bulbs for my fish tails and they haven't missed a beat .

Lol! I totally hear ya. That’s what happens when I’m buying a truck. I set my budget, next thing ya know I keep upping it because “it’s only a little more”.

I just feel that JJP sets the pricing on the standdard and LE to pretty much ensure nobody really buys the standard. Now if the standard were $8000 and the LE was $9500....now we are making sense. $1,000 separating the two just makes the LE an easy decision.

Got all but the MAP ones in yesterday, not too bad. Thanks to thread all-star evh347 we have these fine instructions for those:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/65#post-4814032

Well, I got mine as a result of a trade so I guess my options were limited . Shhh do not tell any one , but mine game came with invi glass. I must complain to JJP about quality control. NOT! ( I have no problem with the three things I had to fix out of box, we are even . ). I believe I can get a shaker for the game and not a real big topper guy. I would not mind the star field, but, I can live with out. That being said, the Brushed Stainless is a big upgrade over powder coat in my book. It is that nice.

I think resale depreciation on JJP's Hobbit and Dialed in LE's are about 15 percent so I would expect no different, The SE's in those models seem to depreciate about the same,but, I knew that at the time I got the game. I am wondering what re sale will be on the LE and SE model of this table due to the actual limited run of the game. I am actually pretty glad I am sitting on any version of this great game at this point.

Thanks for reposting got my cliffys this week was waiting till a day off to dive in. I'll clean and wax while I'm at it only about 200 games on but can see her getting a little dirty

I think one of the main issues my game had no problems was Mike picks up all his games from JJP and makes a direct trip to his facility. Than I picked it up there and it goes through minimal transport. I was surprised to see my game was LE #36. I was happy to get a low number with such a late build.

Anyone know how difficult it is to take the subway apart?

Was playing the game last night and the ball was supposed to pop up to the pearl and didn't. Game went into constant ball search mode and lifting the playfield or shaking the game didn't rattle the ball loose from wherever it is so I am guessing I have major dismantling to do in order to find the ball.

In addition the game is now in constant tilt mode (no bob installed at the moment either) i.e. when you hit start it searches for a ball then lets you play but the ball launches and immediately goes into tilt.

I hadn't seen a picture of a production se before the stainless steel does look really good

Love the escalera I got from Zach. Moving pins is a one man job for me now.

Found these primal skulls at the pet shop.

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How do you actually start the purple spinner multiball?

Once I see that spinner shit arrow insert flashing white/purple (and the little multiball insert) I start shooting forvtge spinner. The multiball never seems to start, and I’ve seen the purple arrow stop flashing. So confused!

Need some help guys. I’m putting my POTC back together after have removed the backbox and moved the game into one of the back rooms. There’s one connector I’m not sure where it plugged into on the motherboard behind the metal cover. I’m also not sure which USB connector plugged into which USB port at the bottom of the motherboard and don’t want to accidentally reverse them. One of them has a yellow zip tie around it. If anyone has their backbox open and would mind taking a look and posting a few pics of those specific cables, I’d greatly appreciate it. Starting to miss playing this game!

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It takes a good hard hit to the Devils Triangle spinner. The ball has to make it all the way up the u turn.

Definitely upgrade and install the shaker. Adds a nice effect to the cannon blast in game.

I don’t have mine open at the moment but I found this picture from the last time I did. Not sure if you can find what you need or not.

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So I had no idea how addicting adding mods can be to this game. I think I'm tapped out. The only thing I'm waiting for is my DJ coming in the mail to replace Tom. Unless of course Yelobird has something else up their sleeves and is going to keep me coming back for more!

I’m really considering pinstadium - I don’t like how the spots reflect off the LCD and wash it out.

Do they turn on/off sections to simulate what the spots do when they turn off in certain areas?

I’m generally a “keep it stock” guy, but I’m considering this.

If memory serves, one of the biggest reasons he got kicked off of Pinside was that he couldn't stop bashing the Hobbit. Starting threads, going in owners threads, every chance he got, even with multiple warnings. Just couldn't let it go. Makes you wonder what problem he has with JJP games.

Zaphx - That was it, all three connections are back where they belong and the game is up and running! Thank you VERY much

\ o /

Since you’re local-ish to me we ought to get together and battle sometime! cextion also.

Sunday Funday Tourney @ Mission Brewery! San Diego Pinball Club - Streaming POTCLE if anyone is interested.

https://www.twitch.tv/sdpinball

Had to lengthening why ships main drive arm. When cannon was loaded ship would stop rocking. So I got it working now after playing with the adjustment and did a force calibration. My question...I notes the ship will move at all different speeds during gameplay..is this normal ?

Absolutely normal, it gets faster and faster as the game progresses. Glad you were able to fix it!

Try lifting the game from the front (grab below the coin door) about 6-12” and see if the ball rattles into the pearl vuk.

Oh, excellent work for the repost and the original post from @evh347. Somewhat piddled me pantaloons surveying this installation, but as with all pinball repairs/mods and such, patience, photos and asking questions always get you set sailing in the right direction! Though not even having the game yet, and visualizing this, is a bit intimidating and fun dampening....

Did you need to detach much wiring or anything for the Cliffy's you did do yesterday?

Those numbers seem to be somewhat random from what folks on here say. What was your build/birth date? Mike seems like a straightforward and honest dude. Good vibes!

I put Pinstadium lights on mine and I'm happy with them. I like having more lighting coverage throughout the playfield and I also didn't like the washing out from the spots. I pulled the lamps from the spots so the only lighting (other than the playfield lights) is now the Pinstadium. I like having the color selection to enhance the color tone of the playfield and I like controlling the brightness to get the lighting level where I like it. The Pinstadium lights don't turn on and off in sections. The Pin lights have two connections, one connection for the UV flasher and one GI connection for the main lights. If you hook up the UV flasher connection to the shaker motor and the GI connection to the wiring for a spotlight, then the main strips of lights on both sides of the cabinet stay on constantly at whatever brightness and color setting you select. The UV flasher activates (flashes) for an effect when the shaker motor activates. My GI connection was originally tapped into a regular playfield light, but since the Pinstadium connection tap has two connectors and the playfield light has four wires (RGB & white), the Pin lights were off when the playfield light was illuminated as one of the two color wires I hadn't tapped into. To keep the Pin lights on full time I switched the GI connection to the wiring for a spotlight. I looked recently at the installation instructions on the Pinstadium website and that's what they're recommending to do now also.

Before my escalera, I’d keep a pin in its box and just slide the pin down the stairs. I’d be in front and just bracing/slowing it as it slid. Worked ok. Never got smooshed.

That was my plan for sliding one UP the stairs before I wisely reconsidered and rented the powermate. . Since it looks like this hobby is going to be a thing for me, it is probably time for me to look into an Escalera.

2/7/19 was my build date

Congrats and yes it Can be a one man job but DO always consider a second person and don't get complacent with that machine. I know from experience that thing can and will get away from you in a big way if you get to comfortable. Not a scare just advice to take it slow its like riding a bucking bronco if you take the simplicity for granted.

I have heard many people use this method yet I have never seen it. Always feared the "Ok honey, I am just going to lean it back a little" then ZIP right down the stairs and through the wall. lol. I wish someone would post a video of this so I could believe.... I have a stairwell that tests me Every time.

I’ve done the sliding down the stairs box method. It’s actually really easy, just use two people.

How jealous I am of those with walk in basements/games on the first floor. For the first 6-7 years of owning pins I kept my games on the first floor, five steps up the porch straight shot no problem. Newer place I have them in the basement. Game goes in the garage door on a dolly then is rotated 180 degrees on the landing and down six steps. It’s a pain but after moving so many machines my friend and I have it down. Haven’t had to move a game out of the basement yet, that’ll be something else.
Is pirates heavier than WOZ or Hobbit? Haven’t moved or lifted either of those before.

One condition though....my stairs are carpeted. The boxes slide nicely on carpet.

So I’m on a flight back to Los Gatos and I’m bored. Let’s talk POTC gameplay, yeah?

Are you currently targeting chapters, multiballs, acheivement-based scores, or all of the above?
Who is your favorite character right now and why?
What are your favorite things about playing it?

I’ll start - I have been heavily multiball focused (trying to perfect the 666666) but I think I’ve been leaving a lot of points on the table by not working the chapters as hard as I should. I also go through the scoreboards, look for low hanging fruit on a character or task, and try to work that.

I play Pintel quite a bit right now, as he gets me to Arrr Frenzy fastest. I also like going random (hold left, hit right 5x quickly) and playing the game based on the character I end up with. Swann sucks! What a bore, his only buff/debuff is no plundering/can’t plunder.

My favorite moments are “rescuing” multiple multiballs at the last second, getting several good solid rips on the upper loop, and good hard spinner rips (especially during Arrr Frenzy).

This might seem like a daft question, I don't yet own a POTC or have one in front of me, but for the Cliffy Map 1/2 installation, can the ship just be held or placed on it's left side? Or is the map plastic underneath or in the way of the Pearl?

Somehow you need to get a third POTC airborne for exclusive Pinball Party Flights back and forth between your two games! Boredom and POTC separation anxiety...solved!!

Does that method of random selection make the character selection relatively even per character? I have just been choosing whichever one pops up first and read what their advantage is to try to learn what to shoot for and what works best, but that always seems to pick a character at the top half of the list. I didn't get a selection at the bottom half of the list unless I selected them manually - just because they were never popped up first. Just curious as how it chooses … if you noticed any pattern.

I haven’t noticed a pattern. Gibbs does some fun callouts when you do this. “Throw caution to the wind!” “Let the fates decide!”

Speaking of flying - I’m coming back to Frisco TX in 2 weeks for Texas Pinball Festival. If you’re going, hit me up.

Ok so I have a plunger issue that I don't think has been mentioned already and need some help on a fix.

So the auto plunger works fine and launches ball fine. However manual plunge is not making enough contact to launch the ball. Its hitting the back of the auto plunger. Basically if I stick my finger in from the top of the apron and move the auto plunger forward a small amount (1/8" maybe 1/4" inch max) then manual plunge works great.

I don't see any way to permanently move the auto plunge forward like I need to.

The ball does sit flat on both sides of the auto plunge when looking at it.

I had this. I had to loosen the screws to the manual plunger assembly and move it down so it stopped contacting the autoplunger.

Let me preface by saying I'm a novice and not a very good player. That said, I've been playing Tia Dalma for the ability to select what chapter to start and she makes it easier to collect the pieces of eight to start At World's End multiball. I've been working on trying to get pretty reliable at a couple shots (the left orbit and the star map) to qualify and play chapters. I use the left orbit shot as a bit of a crutch, and I like to send it around into the bumpers to build the mystery award. That makes me not a huge fan of the left orbit post assist on some chapters, but I've been trying to learn to anticipate it and use it.

I try to complete each chapter I start. That leads to more ball drains & lower scores but has definitely improved my shooting accuracy over time. I'm much more able to work the ball around and be in the neighborhood of shots than I was a couple months ago, and playing POTC has really improved my ability to shoot & score on my other machine too.

I love the multiple characters & multiple daily high scores (my kids love that they can get their picture taken for a high score every day and friends love getting their picture taken too), and I really love the stacking of multiballs & chapters. I think it's fun to have 3 multi balls going while working on a chapter, or better yet hit the starfield to start a chapter during multiball and then have to try to flip to the movie chapter I want to select & start it while keeping balls in play, or better yet have the cannon load during multiball and take a shot while trying to keep balls in play, and if I can also get Arrrrrr Frenzy going on top of all this then it's just amazing & awesome sensory overload! Oh, and when a multi ball starts, I also like switching my pirate lane award to Add a Ball. Just an incredible number of fun little things to monkey with and aim for while playing this game and it's a ton of fun discovering them all and trying to become a bit competent at it. Last night I played Ragetti a few times and liked being able to add a ball, so I think playing that character is going to be the next fun world of discovery for me. I've played the game most every day since I got it in early December, and I still find myself saying "Ok, one more game" over and over and over each time I play.

I’ve moved it as low as possible and still no good. Any other ideas