Woohoo! Fork ramp shoots like butter! Thanks for the help, mates. Just needed to tighten those screws!

YARR MATEY! Glad to hear it!

Hey everyone!
I'm not a big sales pitch guy about different mods on the market but I got some mods from the Mod Couple and I thought it was worth mentioning. One of the mods is the "disc silencer kit". I was skeptical but holy crap what a difference. Before it sounded like a tin can with pennies banging around. After install, it's virtually complete silence! I don't know how they made this stuff and especially the new gear but it was well worth the purchase. The other mods I got were really cool looking but the mod couple's disc silencer is kick ass for functionality. Kudos mod couple! Nice work.

This thread desperately needs key posts with all the great information.
I wish robin would make a "suggest key post" button.

I agree. I’m trying to get an account on pinwiki.com to document everything I’ve learned and fixed there.

Don’t have access to my game at the moment but where are these screws located?

The chest fork mech is held onto the playfield underside by 5 screws. When you remove those and pull the fork assembly out, you will see the 2 loose screws securing the fork.

Thanks!

This post: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/46#post-4750534

Yea this one seems pretty common. I'm guessing shipping and temperature changes etc caused them to loosen after factory, but once tightened in home use, they seem to stay tight. I haven't had to retighten mine after about 150 games so far.

PS. The bug where you hit chapter start, and it doesn't start a chapter, is driving me crazy. I hope we see a .99 or 1.00 soon with that fix.

I like the picture of the dog there .Would be good to see him / her in a wanted poster .

If they can add a ball save option for tortuga drains I would appreciate it. I can't count how many times the ball kicks out and drains. I have tried all of the coil power settings, the coil strength is unreliable, sometimes kicks hard, other times soft.

The double flipper at the end of the chapter selection works well to kick the ball up with the magnet but occasionally can drain as well.

There are also times when the ball flies off of the pearl over the left sided gate, SDTM.

Has anyone experienced a ball drain on the left outlane when the ball goes up past the left flipper, hits the gate and goes under the gate, only to drain from the left outlane drain?

Wow, that was draining...

She's on every JJP pin here. Unfortunately she's too small for her paws to reach the flippers and get a score and her picture on a wanted poster.

LTG : )
Disclaimer : Facial recognition probably wouldn't pick her up.

Completely agree on that bumpers/tortuga VUK. I have used lots of coil settings and sometimes it kicks super hard and other times it is hardly at all. Very sporadic. I noticed the shield on it is loose and so I'm going to have to remove a bumper to get at and tighten them. I will report back if that fixes the sporadic behavior. I'd be curious to know if your kickout shield is also loose?

Turn the game off. Lean playfield against the backbox.

Remove 5 screws holding the whole assembly to the underside of the playfield. Hold the assembly in your hand and look at the top of it, the two screws are right there. A 1/4 drive for the whole thing. Phillips screw driver can work too.

LTG : )

Anyone with any insight , to or not to add a pf protector from factory ?

I am not a fan, have had a few in second hand games, but have also never been in a position to add one from new ..

I will probably not

My shield/deflector is tight. One of the things on my list to do when I get a pin. The power is exactly as we have both experienced.

Tortuga kick out is pretty inconsistent on the machine I play on too. Not that its the most elegant solution but I've found a quick forward nudge on the machine when the ball kicks out is enough to never worry about it draining.

I can agree on this one. Its usually when the ball exits cleanly without bumping a post on the way out of the starfield/jack area. On the upside its usually pretty easy to spot when its about to happen so a little lateral nudge on the machine is usually more than enough to prevent a straight drain or kick it into the GOLD target area.

Hundreds of games so far and I can't say I've ever seen this one.

Another one I haven't seen but I've had it happen to me on Indiana Jones and its BEYOND infuriating.

Can someone point me to a tutorial or instructions to adjust the upper playfield? Mine definitely favors the left and barely get to level when it rocks to the right.

See the flat metal part in the picture that hooks the motor ot the rocking playfield pivot ? See the two screws on it ? Loosen and then you can adjust that long metal part tighter or looser as needed.

LTG : )

potcship (resized).jpeg

Thanks Lloyd. I'll give it a shot.

Does anybody know if the cannon shooting lane/guide "underneath" the Black Pearl is adjustable? It is not lined up correctly at all on my game, it is pointing too far to the right so you are never able to sink a ship because it hits the right side of the hole on the other ship even when you have fired the cannon at the right time (up/down).

Thanks

Heads up when making adjustments to those two screws on the ship armature: There is a retractable bolt coming from the ship that passes through the horizontal groove in the back of the playfield this. The little cotter pin secures this bolt through the backside of the playfield. That bolt feeds through a vertical groove that has an extreme upper most position and lower (which translates to more leftward or rightward rocking of the black pearl).

If you re-secure the two screws on the ship motor arm when the bolt is placed full downward or upward in that groove, the motor driving the armature will buckle during a full revolution over and over.

You can see this happening here (credit to zaphX for link):
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B11G0ehgLGJRel5;19361558-3938-4DAE-BE51-A8E8BE8F2E5A

So essentially, if you’re going to make adjustments to the screws in the ship armature, make sure you’ve got full range of movement and the ship motor assembly doesn’t bend on every revolution before you re-secure the two ship armature screws.

The character you select, the amount of time the ball stays up on the playfield, and the progress/mode you’re in all have an effect on the upper playfield’s rocking behavior. I had to make an adjustment on my machine because I was able to trap and hold the ball on the upper left flipper without much skill. You’re not supposed to be able to trap the ball on a flipper up on the Black Pearl playfield and hold it indefinitely.

I’m unboxing another one tomorrow and confirming proper operation (and center position) on the Pearl is part of my checklist.

I was getting some kick outs from the chest as well so I had to do the same thing . what I noticed is the bracket that the screws thread through is pretty thin.and may not have much in the way of threads, I would suggest adding a jam nut on the other side or at least some lock tight. my .02 cents.
now working perfectly.. while your under there it would be worth checking the coil adjustment screws on the playfield posts .the one by the chapter start you would notice but the one in the left orb wasn't working on mine and I didn't know until I found the screw in the bottom of the cab.I think there's 3 such coils with this adjustment on them. correct me if I'm wrong ..

I found the chapter select post and the left orbit - both of mine needed adjustment and spinning the nut down. Where is the third?

Fork mech has one.

LTG : )

Has anyone figured out how the heck the "Spot Character" standup gets lit? Besides from picking the Spot Character dude?

Shoot YOUR character's shot.

Well I still don’t have a pinwiki account but here’s my list of problems and solutions for POTC so far. I will replicate it there once I am approved.

Problem: Chest seems to reject shots that it should have captured.
Solution: Remove the chest mech from under the playfield (5 screws.). Tighten the two screws for the fork which are likely loose. This is a common problem.

Problem: Balls getting stuck at the top of the Black Pearl ramp.
Solution: Ensure the game is horizontally level, measured at the playfield. Next, locate the screw to the right of the ramp which compresses a rubber crush washer. Tighten this screw clockwise until setting balls on the top of the ramp always makes them roll away right. This fixed the problem for me permanently.

Problem: The Black Pearl rocking motion sometimes halts (especially during the cannon shot) or otherwise seems to struggle in the calibration test.
Solution: Put the playfield in the first service position, such that you can observe the motion of the arm. Run the ship calibration test. If the pin that controls the rocking of the Pearl contacts the top or bottom of the slot, loosen the two screws on the control arm and correct the height travel is unimpeded in both directions. This took a bit for me to find, but after correcting it the calibration was able to run all the way down to 4, and the ship rocking was much more playable.

Problem: The metal rails in the shooter lane are malformed, causing bad plunges
Solution: Take pictures of the shooter lane before removal, noting the angle of attack into the right orbit. Remove the shooter lane. It has 3 connection points, one hex screw near the top, the “stack” which holds the right strobe, and a small black screw near the bottom. With the wireform removed, gently bend the bottom two forks such that they are slightly down and slightly apart. The goal here is to make them hug the shooter lane when reinserted. When reassembling, take care not to strip the black screw. I was advised to put the screw in and gently turn counterclockwise until it rises up, to ensure it hit the threads correctly on reinsertion. This fixed the problems with the shooter completely.

Problem: Maelstrom exit ramp switch reporting stuck closed
Solution: This may be more of a “general pinall troubleshooting” thing. I removed the switch and found the plastic plunger in the microswitch was stuck down. Loosening one of the set screws on the switch itself freed it and normal operation resumed.

Problem: Game reports switch errors on the ship on startup
Solution: This is a normal condition that happens if the ship hasn’t been hit in the last N games and usually does not indicate an actual fault.

Problem: Game reports stuck MAP targets
Solution: In my case the targets were mounted too closely together and were physically stuck behind one another. Loosening from under the playfield and moving them apart resolved the problem.

Problem: Game reports stuck GOLD targets
Solution: In my case the L target was getting caught under the wiring harness on the Pearl ramp. I loosened the target and pressed the harness up and out of the way, then reinstalled. The Pearl ramp adjustment to stop the ball from sticking on the ramp also helped.

Problem: Chapter Select or Left Orbit posts fail to raise up
Solution: Locate the posts under the playfield. Adjust the position with the screw and lock into place with the hex nut.

Problem: Action button sticking during gameplay
Solution: Remove the lockbar. Depress the action button and apply a small amount of lubricant to the exposed plunger. I had success with WD40, others used silicon spray. Clean off any excess before replacing the lockbar.

There is one thing that I have to say about this machine is that it rank should be way higher. I have played all the top 10. But there is not 1 that I can say come close to the various game play here. All I see is haters that they hate this game because they stopped the triple disk and closed chest. Then we have the there is no movie clips. All there. I think it the most important game to come around in a long time. And to you that think is not........................ Try getting it out of my my dead and dying fingers.

Just bought my LE (first pin!) and am excited to join the group! Crossing fingers I won’t have some of the issues posted here, but I appreciate everyone here that offers so much help to each other to make sure everything works smoothly.

I am blown away by how great this game is and can’t wait for it to arrive.

Re: a question asked above about play field protectors etc, I have a similar question. If there is anything you all think I should do to the game to maintain it in great condition before I start playing, please let me know!

Welcome and congrats on selecting a great first pin!

I haven't tried a full PF protector but the newest ones are even thinner from what I read. Might be a good buy. Until then...

I put the small mylar squares (1 each) under the ball drop of each in-lane. Look down through the habitrail (metal rail/ramps) hole to ensure that you are right below the hole where the ball drops. Use a new exacto blade to trim out the switch hole and play away. I then ordered two Cliffy universal slot protectors and installed them as well.

There is a small odd shaped mylar in your goodie bag. The best I can tell is that it goes quite nicely on the Pearl where the ball drops in from the VUK in the upper right side of the playfield. Position it to get the most coverage for the ball drop.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/32#post-4726809

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/32#post-4727167

I also had an extra mylar square handy so I trimmed it and installed it on the small wood area between the ball eject and the outlane. I noticed that mine was getting a bit black from the balls ejecting.

I think that we need a bit of mylar where the balls drop out of the chest. They do drop onto the white post area below on the playfield so not sure on this one yet. I need more mylar before I can do that. This or maybe a small carbon fiber Cliffy around the hole for the white post. (This does not yet exist from Cliff, just a thought)
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/33#post-4728415

(Edited: I've linked to my posts which include pics!)

The last thing that might be of interest is to pull the playfield out and forward and use a flashlight and to look at the placement and coverage of the factory installed mylar protectors. Ensure that they aren't skewed or maybe out a bit too from their intended coverage area, leaving any unprotected area.

Many might not care about this stuff but I do as it is my pin.

Have fun!

@zaphX, nice list and great idea in getting this out on Pinwiki, your contribution will be appreciated by many.

Although I love the inclusion of pictures when detailing or describing things, I'll share my thoughts for consideration of your tips, thus far:

"switch errors on the ship on startup";
- you mention 'Black pearl" in the other points, maybe add "Dauntless" to this one.

"Action button sticking during gameplay"
- I realize that my issue was not yours but on all three POTC pins that I've helped out with, the tip of the button plunger (the screw on the end), was skewing slightly down along the metal switch arm and causing binding as well. As per one of my posts (pics are included) I just bent the metal switch arm up in the middle of the arm to form A BIT OF a V. This essentially makes the switch arm sit above horizontal and prevents binding.

Here is my post:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/23#post-4702349
------------------------

Just additional thoughts.

Do any other of you have problems to reach JJP support, I have 2 open tickets that I don´t even get a response to. In one I had the last response dec 4th, and after that nothing even though I have sent a couple of emails regarding the broken parts that JJP said they would send. In the other one I haven’t even got a response beside the automatic support ticket mail.
Is there anyone here att JJP that can contact me and resolve this matters (scratched back box decals, broken action button, broken menu buttons in coin door). LTG
/ Jonas Jireteg, Sweden

Hi Jonas,

Very sorry to hear about your issues. I expect that it would make it worse if you don't have a local dealer to handle this communication with JJP. Lloyd will likely respond here as well.

I recall long ago with my WOZ issues that I was told not to rely on the ticketing system; not sure that has changed by what you describe. I then directed all of my support questions through to Frank and Jen (Jack's daughter) via email. I can PM those over (Edit: PM sent) Amazing response on all of my questions and issues.

This said, based on you current situation, I would call their support Team. I have been told by others that they have even connected with Jack.

Two other places to communicate; FaceBook and GoogleGroups; search Jersey Jack Pinball

Be well.

Anyone getting the ball stuck between the moving ship and the up ramp. I constantly have to hit the flippers to knock it back down.

Yes, it happens once in a while for me but not painful as it takes a flip to kick it down when sitting on the far left (left flipper side). The ball sits on the gap between to mini pf and the plastic ramp. I am happy with the top edge alignment of the pf (when horizontally level) and the ramp so not sure what your option is, unless you have a larger gap maybe? Let's see what others share.

I've had a few ball hang ups.

The 'spot catch' (or insert a more clever name here) has happened at least two times to me.

IMG_20181120_1109577 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181120_1110152 (resized).jpg

IMG_20181124_1437552 (resized).jpg

Hi Jonas,
Very sorry to hear about your issues.

Thanks, I’ll try the other ways than the ticketing system.

Thanks, I’l try to get a response by mail or here as my distributor in Sweden only directs me to the ticketing system

Start a jjp Potc issues - solutions thread . If there isn't one already and if there is one could someone post a link . I would do it but I'm not sure about doing the links. Pinside is my first port of call for a information regarding issues and solutions for Potc .

It is possible to adjust, there is an earlier post in this thread with instructions that I don´t find at the moment,

I believe that the issue that zaphX is describing is when the ball sits at the gate on the left side of the plastic ramp. The adjustment described pulls the right side of the plastic ramp down, thus allowing the ball to roll towards the right side and down the ramp.

The issue that tmezel is describing (I believe) is when the ball sits on the gap between the mini pf and the plastic ramp. The ball will roll left and right with the pearl motion, once it goes to the left, flipping the mini flipper will kick it out of the gap and down the right side of the ramp.

My pearl and ramp are beautifully aligned when the pearl is homed, there is still a gap between both however.

Also, when you contact JJP make sure they send the package with UPS (fully trackable) and not USPS (only trackable until leaving the US). My package was lost by USPS and JJP demanded I paid for a new order.

VividPsychosis

I would really like you to detail your support experience here if you have a moment.

I would expect your retailer to take care of that. You cannot be held responsible for a faulty part, and the loss of a third party hired by JJP.

I remember booting up my brand new hobbit , playing a game , smelling a burn and discovering a loose switch wire contacting a live coil lug.

This was 23dec, The cpu board took a hit but I resorted to ordering some ic chips /diodes and try myself before christmas after a less than statisfsctory answer from my distributor , they said contact direct.. JJP said send us 450 dollars and we’ll send you a new one ..

Oh and 199 dollar ups quick service.. yeah right pfff

A dealer aquired Nib game we’re talking about here.

( I think that my retailer might have had some burnt bridges with JJP hq, hence their hesitance to send me repair parts )

Yes, that’s Important for all deliveries from US if you have that option. In this case I am waiting for a confirmation that they will / have sent the broken parts as promised from JJP a month ago

When do the wanted posters come up? I never see it on my game during the attract mode.