Hard to see parts you are missing. Maybe this picture will help. You are missing the rubber grommet between hex post and steel ramp support and the screw.

LTG : )

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Green circle is where rubber grommet goes. Red circle points to where screw goes.

LTG : )

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Looks like one of these - https://www.pinballlife.com/38-od-black-mini-post-rubber.html

Any rubber ring will work. It spaces the right side of the ramp up or down depending on how far to tighten the screw through it.

LTG : )

This is top that was it !!! I just saw your last post and I was missing the rubber. It works and suddenly it is adjustable !! Thank you LTG it's really cool

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See if you have the rubber, I also loosen the number 1 screw by one turn, the barrel does not rub and the ramp is well aligned with the pearl

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Need some guidance.

My black pearl upper left flipper is energized. As soon as I power on the flipper activates. Will not go down unless I open the coin door.

Have not hit the start button, no other flippers have power.

Appreciate some help!!

Not sure if this relates but had a switch error also and noticed this wire hanging off...this explains the bonus switch error....

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Needs to be soldered back on.

Transistor driving it has failed.

LTG : )

How do I address the transistor problem?

Check the coil chart in the manual for the drive transistor on the I/O board. If it's shorted, replace it.

LTG : )

LTG Is the transistor something I can manually replace (plug and play) or is it more than that. I'm okay with soldering a coil, but I'm past my technical knowledge here. I have the black pearl pulled out to resolver that loose wire.

Is there anything below the black pearl or on the coil that I should inspect while it's out? Or are you sure it's a transistor on the I/O board?

They are soldered onto the I/O board. Get help if you need it so you don't hurt the board if you don't think you are up to it.

You can fix the target wire first. Get it back to the right spot. Then look around the flipper coil area, but it's most likely a bad transistor since it goes up at power up. If it went up when you started a game or flipped it, then there would be other things to check.

LTG : )

Noticed the flipper in question is not moving up and down smoothly. The plungercwill stay down in the coil as well.

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If the transistor is bad. It locks the coil on. Heating it up until you turn the game off, open the coin door, or it blows a fuse. This heat can ruin the coil sleeve and coil, the plunger won't work in it good anymore.

I'd replace the transistor, coil, and coil sleeve.

LTG : )

I got the coil sleeve fixed. Just need to figure out the transistor. I can't tell anything is wrong by looking at it. I put in a ticket with JJP. Ill try to figure out what transistor tomorrow. Im not comfortable trying to solder these on though.

Appreciate your help LTG

I'm about as far as I can go here.

Q408 - page C-154 in the manual. You can download a copy from jerseyjackpinball.com - under Support - under Pirates.

You'd need a meter to check it. Check it, and compare to identical transistors nearby. Youtube has lots of short videos on how to use a meter and check a transistor.

LTG : )

https://pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=General#Testing_a_Transistor.2C_Silicon_Controlled_Rectifier_.28SCR.29_or_Field_Effect_Transistor_.28FET.29
Also just a fyi you are not too far from me.

Thanks for that. Do you do board work?

I will review and watch some videos today. I have done my share of basic soldering but I don't have really steady hands and board work scares me. I've fixed solder joints on old bally boards and displays ect and nothing has exploded yet, but that's the gist of my experience.

Ken @ JJP has me some resistors coming as well as a new coil and sleeve. I was hoping to find locally or something on Prime to get them faster. Any brick and mortar stores carry these?

Appreciate the help!

Take a look and see what you think. I have done some board work but in no way am a professional at it! So if there is some one closer I would suggest them. But if not I will gladly help you get back up and running. I don't think it is a hard one to do. As I have heard some others had the same problem and fixed it their selves.

LTG? Is it possible to swap boards from one pirates to another like sys 11's? Just to check and make sure transistor is installed and working properly.

I'll pull the board tonight and get a closer look. I ordered transistors from 3 different places in hopes one will arrive tomorrow (unlikely), if JJP ships today I should receive tomorrow as well.

I appreciate your offer to help. I'm thinking I can do it and will take the risk if it gets me back up and running in a few days as opposed to a week. I just got the damn game and I want to play it! Drove across the country to get it and have only played maybe 15 games before trouble hit. I love this damn hobby!

Yes.

But once you have the I/O board out. Check the transistor with a meter and then replace it. No sense doing it twice with another board.

LTG : )

LTG I took the board out as I couldn't see how to reach the legs from the front of the board. Testing on my multimeter 401 through 408 read all the same. Outside to outside is 13, outside to center is 9

Take heni1977 up on his offer to help.

LTG : )

Are you thinking its not the transistor? Take the black pearl out again and check the coils? Swap the coils even? I dont want to keep taking the black pearl off and on, but what else is there for me to investigate? I haveva selection of Bally and Williams coils downstairs, are any interchangeable?

Have you reached out to Jersey jack? Steve is super helpful

Yes, emailing Ken back and forth. Thinking something is shorted causing the coil to stay hot.

No. I think it is. We need somebody with more experience than you on this.

The flipper going up when you turn the game on is indicative of a bad transistor.

LTG : )

Please be sure and let Ken Holland know this.

"You turn the game on. The flipper immediately goes up."

Thank you.
LTG : )

Sorry you’re dealing with this issue, I saw you just received this pin.

Beyond not eating dinner for 2 nights and obsessively trying to figure out the problem after work....I think I've been pretty mature about the whole thing.

Thanks for the kind thoughts. It is shitty to get your grail game and only get 15 games on it before a small catastrophe hits. I think tomorrow will be the day I succeed!

I wish the best. It has always worked out in my experience so far but it is definitely stressful trouble shooting the problem. I have enjoyed seeing your pinball pickups in the “what machine did you bring home today”thread!!

Flip on!!

So, sorry for asking again: but has there been any news on a version 1 code update? Or have they abandoned the game?

I had the same problem and Lloyd and others helped me diagnose and work through the problem. I bought some Mosfets and had the transistor swapped at a local place that does circuit board repair. $30 for the board work. You will need to extract the board though, but it really not that hard. The main issue is actually getting the right Mosfets and finding the local person to do the onboard transistor removal and soldering.

If it is the same part, PM me and I can send you a couple Mosfets through the mail for free.

P.S. This crew is the best. I couldn’t own a pinball machine without the help on this site. Thank you everyone!

The hardest part (imo) when it comes to replacing a transistor is getting the old one off the board. Without a de-soldering tool it can be tricky and you can do damage to the board. But with a good de-soldering gun (I use a HAKKO FR301) it's almost trivial.

Here is a some what cheap desolder gun that works well for small jobs.

Short video I did when I first got it. Was working on relay boards for my F-14 resto.

Granted you will want to get a cheap board to practice on before your pirates cpu! I actually had a cheap radio build from amazon my wife got me when I first got into soldering so I practiced on it!

I will tell you that unless you have significant experience, I personally would not want to attempt what I saw them do with my I/O board. I have done some soldering, but the skill of desoldering and soldering a Mosfet was something I would pass on. There are three connections that have be removed. Obviously some on Pinside have this skill. I am envious.

Thanks all for the kindness and suggestions. If I had someone local to come over or bring the board to, I would most likely go that route. I have a few transistors arriving today in the mail. There is a computer repair place I might reach out to and see if they are capable, if not I will take a stab at it.

I do have a desoldering pump and have yet to burn up any boards, but I don't have steady hands so it worries me. I've left the black pearl out of the machine and checked it thoroughly last night for broken wires and metal touching metal. I dont see anything wrong. Will change the coil tonight and see if that still happens and them on to the mosfet.

Awesome!

I wish you the best. I went through the same procedure before pulling the board, but my multimeter on the MOSFET confirmed the problem. It is a good time to clean under the Black Pearl though and wrap loose wires together.

Note, I thought that you can test the coil with a multimeter without swapping it. I tested for a short, then moved on. Your call. It was wonderful to have her back running again.

No news about it from JJP. Seems like the last comment about it from anyone at JJP was many months ago when one of them said new code would not be released until the final wizard mode is finished, but no word about it since then. Doesn't seem like delivering new code for their POTC customers is very important to them and without any communication there's no way to know when or if new code will come soon, if at all.

I heard from another owner that new code was being beta tested currently. He knew some of the users that were testing it. Grain of salt and all that, but I hope it's true.

I will check the coil before I cut it off. I did read that the transformers can test good even when they are shorted. I'd feel a lot better about the whole thing if they tested bad. Found a cell phone repair shop in town that can do it in one to two days. Do I wait for them? I want to play this damn thing.

Is this a different/newer Beta than the one that's been out for almost a year now?

LTG

I received IRL540 from pinball life. These do not have the N that I was told to use. Do I need to wait for those to arrive? I have 405 and 406 off the board and ready.

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Those are for the Black Pearl upper RIGHT flipper power and hold. I thought your upper left flipper was the issue ? C-154 in the manual - 407 and 408.

IRL540 is fine.

LTG : )

I was going to ask earlier about the pre drivers. Seems they beefed them up from the smaller transistors. When did they start doing that?

Hello, I bought the "starry sky" mod but this one does not work. I sent a pm to the company but got no response so I'm turning to you. Does anyone have the same model and if so is there a special handling to make it turn on?

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I think code will come when they integrate WIFI. Maybe Hobbit and DI first.

Hobbit & WOZ are next for WIFI & Scorbit very soon. Then DI following shortly after.

I know everyone in the group was losing sleep wondering If I'd be successful or not. Happy to report we are up and running. Soldered and removed more than necessary but 4 transistors later we are playing again

Truly, thanks for everyone's help. I've had a restless and disgruntled couple days. Look forward to sleeping well tonight.

Appreciate the support!