Nope. Out of LEs. May be getting some of the last Standards made.
(Topic ID: 200141)
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Pirates of the Caribbean
Jersey Jack, 2018-
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Quoted from cbdarden:Love the game and continue to be incredibly disappointed with the QA. Who thought it a good idea to ship a pin out the door with the shooter rod hitting the automatic plunger. AND not being able to lower the plunger enough that it doesn’t hit it? I’ve tried double stacking washers to angle it down, guess I’ll do three. How was this not QA’d? It’s only essential to the game to get the ball into play.
The cause isn't what you think it is. The playfield brackets have bent from the weight of the playfield. We had this problem starting with Hobbit. Lift the playfield and bend the bracket hooks back down slightly and that will raise the auto-launcher up enough to let the shooter rod pass. It's not exclusively a JJP problem. Had it happen last month on Houdini as well after a year on location.
Quoted from screaminr:If that is the cause of the problem and the fix to the issue well done . I'm surprised none of the experts have thought of this , as this has been an ongoing problem here for ages .
95% sure this is the fix for this particular described problem as the symptoms are the same as what happens when the bracket begins to bend from the weight of the playfield and I've seen this a number of times with JJP games (never WoZ for some reason, though), and once with AP Houdini. It's an easy fix, but it's irritating since harder playfield hook metal would fix it.
Quoted from ngg:New issue.....
Intermittently when a ball drains sdtm with the ball save light on, ball will not be put back into shooter lane. Machine goes into ballsearch mode then acts as if ball was drained. Next ball is then given.
Thoughts?
Make sure you don't have magnetized balls, which can slow or stop the ball in the trough so it doesn't get to home. You can use a steel paperclip to check.
Quoted from dnaman:And the fix is now shipping on new POTC from factory.
Only new standards left to be made before they're done, last I heard.
Quoted from Pinzzz:I’ve had two sets of balls, from two different companies magnetize in POTC. will it ever end?
Were they carbon steel or "chrome" balls?
Quoted from Pinzzz:I would have to research...but, one set was Ninja’s from Mezel mods. and the other set was from Titan pinball from a couple years back.
Ninja balls are a no-no in games with magnets. They even have a disclaimer on their page for them about it.
Basically, the "chrome" balls magnetize faster.
Quoted from Pinzzz:How bout these? they advertise resistance to residual magnetism...
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/PB116-5
I've bought Marco pinballs in the past and never had any problems with them. They're not cheap, though!
Quoted from fastchef:I’m having an issue with the ball not getting a full plunge. It seems to be hitting the automatic plunger when I pull the plunger. If I turn the knob a bit one way or the other it goes back to normal. Any ideas?
Your playfield hooks have likely bent from the weight of the playfield, which lowers the auto-plunge bracket into the path of the manual plunger. Lift the playfield onto the service rails and bend the two hooks down a little. This commonly happens over time with JJP machines we've had (except WoZ). I don't know why they don't use harder metal on the hooks so they don't bend over time.
Quoted from Schabs81:Anyone replace with better hooks? If so what did you use?
I haven't looked that hard. On location, I just bend them back every 6 months or so when it becomes a problem again.
But if someone comes up with better hooks that don't bend over time, I'd definitely buy them.
Quoted from Hogbog:We created new hooks before POTC because of this issue. Likely just need to adjust the shooter housing down a bit. Pretty sure you could hang a semi from these hooks now and not bend them. You will see if you pull the apron on Pirates vs Hobbit, for example.
We have a Pirates LE coming in, so looking forward to checking this out.
Any idea why WoZ ECLE (and maybe RR) never did this? It's the only JJP that we had that didn't have the problem.
Quoted from Yelobird:Pirates weigh more than witches?
No idea. I don't think Dialed In weighs more than WoZ, though, and it does it, too. Hobbit, I understand. Those individually controlled targets and 4 pop ups add a lot of weight.
Quoted from Yelobird:Just wear that Dark Helmet costume and we will find you. Lol. Welcome aboard just remember rules are more like bylaws, we are simple Pirates having fun with the best dam machine ever made!
I don't think it's designed to hold back water.
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:Likely. When it comes down to votes, there are a lot more enthusiastic IMDN owners than POTC owners.
I think there are just MORE owners in general for Maiden, which probably translates into more votes. Looking forward to jjPotC and hoping it's as awesome as the hype.
Quoted from Hogbog:We created new hooks before POTC because of this issue. Likely just need to adjust the shooter housing down a bit. Pretty sure you could hang a semi from these hooks now and not bend them. You will see if you pull the apron on Pirates vs Hobbit, for example.
One suggestion for Pirates...can you have both flippers at the same time change the character selection row? Basically, each time you do it, it flips rows to the same position on the opposite row? It would make character selection faster/easier as it sometimes starts far from where you want to be...
jjPotC arrived and is getting set up to go out on the route next week. I need to wire up the topper so the eyes flash in sync with the machine and add cliffies to prevent the nasty chipping I've seen on other unfortunate machines already. I have NO IDEA why JJP didn't continue with cliffies after he solved their Dialed In problems. These mantis-style protectors jjPotC is using are not up to the task of protecting the playfield surface at the holes.
potc-84-small (resized).jpg
Quoted from zaphX:Wow lots of LE’s today!
Congrats to all the new deck swabs!
Pretty much a frenzy before they're gone, hopefully not forever...
Quoted from wesman:Are Mantis style usually inside versus Cliffy's being outside and over?
Yeah, that's the basic difference. With the seemingly more brittle clearcoat on playfields for the last 10 years or so, the surface seems to be more in need of protection immediately than the inside edges that will blow out after years and thousands of plays (which was the concern in the diamondplate B/W days). The Dialed In we got cracked and chipped around the SIM card hole within 50 plays. JJP should definitely still be talking to Cliff about protecting their holes, especially after those pictures of the badly chipped hole under the ship. AP isn't immune, either. Houdinis have been cracked and chipped at the edge of the scoop kickout when not protected by a cliffy.
Quoted from imagamejunky:Today I took on the mildly daunting task of installing RadCals on my LE. It took me a little longer than I expected but I'm real happy with the end results. They are thick and have a highly reflective glossy look to them. I'm pretty stoked. I really like the way they feel too.
Here are some before pics for comparison.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Looks great!
How much was the set?
Did you use the wet install method?
Quoted from arzoo:Hey all - I installed a cliffy around the Map hole/targets and now the map shot is nearly impossible. The ball jumps up just slightly (from the cliffy) and deflects off the back plate and bounces out rather than down. I would say one in ten shots goes in. Not sure what to do here. Maybe try a different back deflector plate? The one over the Tortuga hole comes up and over, maybe that would work? Anyone else install the cliffy and having issues?
I just looked at the parts list and interestingly the "Snubber" bracket for both the map and tortuga holes is the same part even though they are obviously different on my game.
Did you overtighten the connections over the cliffy? Too tight can make the cliffy bow VERY slightly and cause issues. It needs to have no gap between the cliffy and the playfield.
Quoted from Axl:The stairs down to my game room is very steep. If I take the game apart, do the play field by itself, head and cabinet by themselves, will it help the weight?
Anyone done this? Tried to search the thread, but couldn’t find anything.
You can definitely get the playfield out of the cabinet, it's not that hard, just mark everything with little masking tape flags to note what connections go where. Head should be not that hard, either. This is a very heavy machine!
Quoted from arzoo:There's no gap, the double-stick tape holds it flat. As suggested above I could just remove the cliffy, but before I go that route I may try a few other deflector brackets like this one https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/535-8250-01.
That seems like an awesome possibility. Post back how it works if you install it, because there must be a solution. I'm not leaving the holes unprotected on the surface when damage to the playfield surface around the holes like this is already documented:
jjPotC Hole (resized).jpgQuoted from f3honda4me:But that's after how many plays? People post those pics but don't say if the machine is on route or how many plays. Mine has 1000 plays and looks new.
Until it doesn't. Chips and cracks happen suddenly and mylar won't stop them, it just holds the pieces in place. After having Dialed In chip in multiple places around the SIM hole in like 50 plays, I don't trust unprotected holes on modern playfields, especially Mirco ones.
It seems like there's been discussion about it, but I can't find it. Is there some adjustment for the trunk lock forks? I can get it in there when it's lit maybe one out of 30 tries. I even upped the flipper power a few notches, but I cannot get the balls in the trunk. One ball lock in a whole game and I'm doing good. Suggestions?
Quoted from zaphX:Are the fork screws loose? Fork assembly comes out with 5 screws, then the fork is held by 2. Make sure they are tight.
I checked that already. The screws are tight, but it seems like the tines are off center, biased toward the right side of the playfield cutouts. Are they supposed to be dead center?
Quoted from Axl:Here is a picture from the post on one of the games on location.
[quoted image]
I highly doubt that this is something they have done with the game.
[quoted image]
They, uh, forgot to take the bubble wrap out from under the Brittania ship that stabilizes it for shipping...
Quoted from PanzerFreak:It was the least confident I've heard Jack speak about something since JJP started.
The dude went through hellish development only to have it all be for naught when the discgate thing meted out almost unprecedented fan punishment at launch and hundreds of orders evaporated. I'm sure he's still licking his wounds privately.
The irony is, it actually seems like a pretty good game and demand is building up that will now apparently go unfulfilled.
But c'est la vie I guess. On to Wonka and Guns'n'Roses!
Okay my trunk lock rejects are mostly fixed. As I kind of thought initially (having nothing to compare it to, I wasn't 100% sure), the tines of the fork were bent towards the right wall of the chest entrance on the back, causing the ball to hit the wall on the right side of the chest hole and reject. iPhone slo-mo to the rescue.
Removed the assembly, bent both tines back toward the left, reinstalled, and I can make 3 out of 4 shots into the chest lock now. I might fine-tune it later, but it's pretty much fixed now.
One other thing that's cropped up is black screens on the bonus screen? Just the bonus text and music, but no random video playing behind it? Is this a timed bug? I've had the machine on for hours and this started happening...
Also, what's the deal with the black screen in attract mode that is all black except for "GAME #84" (the number of the game)? I have that off in the settings, but even if it was on, really? An all black screen with white text with the game number but nothing else?
Quoted from Pinballomatic:The bonus screen black backgrounds are a known thing that I believe Keith is addressing in the next code update. I didn’t see them on my game until I turned off the protips but I’m not certain if the two things are related. The other situation I hadn’t heard about before.
Ah, we just turned off the tips. That must be it.
But yeah, the "Game#84" black screen with that white text in the middle in attract mode is weird, and I have the game number option turned off in the settings.
Another thing I haven't figured out is sometimes the character you have chosen will change to the #1 guy on the list without you selecting it - like well after the initial selection and ball launch I look up and I have a different character. It seems like a definite bug.
I really should start a running list of Pirates bugs and when they're fixed like I've done for a few Sterns...
Quoted from delt31:I also agree that it's a cost thing. More then ever actually after they released WoZ yellow for 11.5 - an obvious increase in their margins.
POTC is prob the most loaded Pinball made ever. Speaking of, isn't it amazing how you don't see any POTC LEs for sale used? You're prob seeing the last "deal" from JJP if this trend continues. WW at 11.5 I'm out
Mechanically, The Hobbit is the most loaded, but most of it's under the playfield. The underside of Pirates looks positively sparse by comparison.
Quoted from Michigan1837:I apologize if this isn't the place to post this, but it seemed like a good place to start - are there any JJP PoTC Pinballs in Southeast Michigan that can be played by the public? I don't want to spend $8.5k just to try this thing, but I'm curious if it's fun or not.
Thanks!
There's one location an hour away from you in Hamburg that has in May at the Ann Arbor show:
Vintage Flipper World
Spicer Rd, Brighton, MI 48116, USA
More immediately, three pinsiders have it in your area and might invite you to try it if asked nicely, too.
Quoted from Pale_Purple:I think this show is already sold out unfortunately. Also unfortunately my game isn’t playing 100% and I’m out of the country for a bit or I’d invite you over.
FYI for y’all traveling internationally make sure to get some Havana Club at duty free on the way home. Can’t get it in the states and I’m hoping a bottle will help me fix my chest when I’m home.
Honestly, as the LEs are evaporating, I think there's very little chance of taking a bath on it if you buy it and find it's not for you then sell it in a month. The LEs will be rare for quite a while, maybe permanently.
FINDING an LE NIB is getting harder by the day now, though.
Quoted from dnaman:I hate to say it but with this upward trend of JJP's, and now with starting to scale things back (a la 'get less for more' mentality), this leaves an opening for Deep Root. We'll see if DR puts their money where their mouth is. One or two titles to come in under Stern Pro titles and it will be anyone's guess as to what the future holds. Assuming that they materialize of course
Deeproot is just vaporware with a butthole logo at this point. I'll seriously consider them once they have playable products shown and pricing.
Quoted from TZBen:Hi everybody,
Have an le coming soon, what are the protectors and mods that are popular with this title?
Thanks
Email cliff to get on the list for his full set of protectors, first thing.
www.passionforpinball.com
Quoted from Heater:Im getting a right flipper EOS switch stuck message. Which switch is that?
Thanks!
Likely the blades of the switch just need to be adjusted closer together when the flipper is a rest. Visually look at them and see if they're touching when the flipper's at rest, then manually move the flipper while watching the switch and see if moving the flipper opens the gap.
It also may be a broken switch wire, but at this point it's unlikely.
Quoted from Axl:When listening to jack about that and the fact that WOZ YBR will only be sold trough distributors, it kinda sounds like he is trying to get The distributors to have more stock. In other words, it’s the distributors fault that not more POTC are out there.
I hadn't thought of that, but maybe you're right and he's trying to get them to carry more inventory instead of doing just-in-time orders for customers a few at a time.
Quoted from Heater:Thanks @zaphx ,
Still not sure where I'm looking. Is it the leaf switch that is hit buy the flipper button on the side? Sorry, I'm really new to this.
Thanks
It's on the under-playfield assembly directly underneath the flipper bats.
Quoted from PsychoPsonic:I haven't seen any of the movies and had no interest in the theme. After playing 3 games and reading up on the rules, it was clear that if I wanted a game with very long legs for home use, able to offer depth and challenge even to my extraordinarily skilled son, Pirates was a clear winner. Our experience since its arrival in December has only further validated that impression.
As more people get the chance to experience extended free play in quiet environments and get a better sense of the game's very high quality, I expect there will be considerable pent-up demand when they decide it's time to build them again.
It's a hilarious multiplayer pin with the plundering other player's gold, treasures, and even CHARACTER in the game. That aspect hasn't been talked about that much but cracks me up. Brutal.
Quoted from arzoo:Hey all - I installed a cliffy around the Map hole/targets and now the map shot is nearly impossible. The ball jumps up just slightly (from the cliffy) and deflects off the back plate and bounces out rather than down. I would say one in ten shots goes in. Not sure what to do here. Maybe try a different back deflector plate? The one over the Tortuga hole comes up and over, maybe that would work? Anyone else install the cliffy and having issues?
I just looked at the parts list and interestingly the "Snubber" bracket for both the map and tortuga holes is the same part even though they are obviously different on my game.
You had to have an installation problem with the map hole cliffy. I just finished this installation yesterday and map hole is just as shootable as it was before the install. My guess is you over-tightened the post or the screw on the back side and it caused the metal to raise up a little OR you didn't get the orientation of the ball deflector right when you put it back on. There's some play in it and you have to hold the angle while you tighten the screw on the left, then the post on the right.
Do you have a picture of the install? That might help to see what the problem is.
Quoted from gliebig:So...any tips on reading that star map?
Yeah, I don't get that at all yet.
Quoted from wesman:How does the "Map 2" Cliffy fit into this area? Did you find any of the installations overly challenging?
The map2 piece goes on the backside of the map hole to protect the back of the hole from ball hits. The goal is to try to keep the map 1 piece as flat as possible and then not torque too much pressure on it, so I put down map 1 (after wiping the area with the activator so the 3M adhesive for the front edge would stick well):
map1 (resized).jpg
...then put the map2 piece on top of that at the backside of the hole:
map2 (resized).jpg
...then put the ball guide on the right on top of that stack. Then I put in the post and screw to hold the deflector, paying attention not to tighten overly tight and also to orient the deflector to similar orientation to when I took it off.
map3 (resized).jpg
Quoted from javagrind888:That's got to be one of the hardest cliffies I've ever seen to put on. I think I'll pass on this one and just check the mylar periodically.
It was a pain, but given what I've seen happen on Dialed In first hand, I definitely recommend the extra protection of metal. The clear on these mirco playfields can be brittle and irreversible damage (chip off PF art or cracks in the clear) can happen unexpectedly and without warning. I would not risk it.
It was really just more annoying to install than actually hard. I'd say about 45 minutes total. Take down the stand-up targets, get the ship out of the way, remove 4 nuts, lift the plastic a bit, take off 2 posts and one screw, wipe down the area with the activator, install the cliffy pieces, then reverse the process and put everything back on. Didn't like doing it, but would not recommend skipping it.
It would be a DREAM if JJP would continue working with Cliff like they eventually did for Dialed In and have a complete package of this level of protection was installed from the factory. If they involved him in the design process of the playfields, Cliff could also help them with making holes less damage-prone (angled beveling is not the answer). He has more experience with hole and playfield surface protection than anyone out there, I have no idea why Jack isn't tapping into that.
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:My map hole is fine after thousand of plays...
That's the problem. You may have lucked out, but the next person will have a chip happen without warning in 50 plays? 200 plays? 500 plays? You can't know, so why risk it? Dialed In literally cracked AND chipped in the first 50 plays while I was waiting for the cliffies to show up. And once the damage like that happens, you can't unwind it for a do-over. I just protect everything that goes out and it's worked very well. The cost for a full set of cliffies is a tiny fraction of the cost of the machine. Completely worth it for the insurance.
Quoted from AUKraut:"drop targets"??? I think you meant stand-up targets.....
Wishing...wishing. Heh, I'll fix it.
Quoted from arzoo:I was busy with other projects over the weekend but I hope to have time to remove the Pearl and see what I can do later this week. I did notice the cliffy is no longer sticking to the playfield, so the tape must have given out - but even if I push it back down, the shot is still mostly impossible. You may be right about the deflector needing adjustment. I also ordered a couple other deflector styles from Marco which should arrive in a day or two. One way or another I'm sure I can get it working.
The deflector design there is fine, replacing it with another style will not help, maybe just small angle adjustment is needed. My guess is you over-tightened the screws and posts and it tweaked the thin metal, causing it to raise up. It's a very common mistake with cliffies as most people think tighter=better, but with cliffies just tight enough is preferred to over-tight. They're such thin metal that tweaking becomes an issue if the pressure on them is too tight, and once they're tweaked, it's hard to get them perfectly flat again.
Quoted from arzoo:One of the first problems I had to fix on my POTC was two of the Star Map standups were so misaligned that they were overlapping. I've also found other parts that don't seem correctly aligned. If I didn't know better I'd say the playfield had no dimple marks for the screws during assembly and the staff just eye-balled everything. I'm exaggerating, but what I'm getting at is my map hole deflector is probably not installed the same as yours - could be 1/32" closer or farther or left or right or angled slightly and that combined with just the slightest jump from the cliffy causes the ball to bounce out rather than in. Wonder if I could record with my phone and step through video to see exactly what's happening?
Thinking about this, it could even be the small map 2 cliffy that's the cause - if it's not flush against the wood it may be introducing some additional bounce.
iPhone slow-mo is endlessly useful for diagnosing these issues, so yeah, do that. There's quite a bit of play in that deflector before you tighten it down, so it may just be tightened 5 degrees off angle.
Quoted from indypinhead:What do you mean by "using an activator"?
Yeah, it's an included 3M square with rubbing alcohol that cleans the surface and helps the 3M adhesive stick strongly to the surface. You do it before putting a cliffy with adhesive on the bottom down.
Quoted from Lermods:Are cliffys not standard on the game? Are they needed in a HUO environment? They are needed for dialed, at least for the sim hole.
I ordered an LE yesterday, should have in a few weeks. Thx
The only factory game with cliffies standard is Dialed In, the later run ones. Nothing else has actual cliffies on it, and JJP games need it most because they're using chip and crack-prone mirco playfields.
I know cliff is backed up as usual, so be like me and order before your machine shows up so it won't be unprotected for long. This one was only unprotected for less than a week before I got them and put them on.
Quoted from gliebig:Anyone know what this is for? Looks like a sticker. Not sure if it came with the game or one of the mods.[quoted image]
Looks like the action button sticker for this mod:
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1080-the-mod-couple/01705-jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-gold-lock-button-mod
Quoted from zaphX:Not to take anything away from the winners, but I also felt POTC deserved best music and rookie of the year.
PotC has some amazing music compositions. Super-polished.
Quoted from javagrind888:So I got my Davy Jones from eBay in the mail and he was HUGE! At first I was let down, but I realized he makes a great topper addition. [quoted image][quoted image]
I wasn't going to use the acrylic piece topper, just the skull, but then I realized that the skull overlaid onto the acrylic pretty seamlessly and added the illuminated game logo to the skull and flames behind the sword handles. So change of plan, I'm going to combine the two, uplight the skull, and wire up the eyes to light up in concert with some light or lights in the game and I'd LIKE to disable the speaker (cut it off) so the mouth can be triggered to move with no sound to have it "laugh" when you lose a ball. If I can get it all wired up, it should be pretty cool.
pirates-topper-in-progress (resized).jpg
Quoted from Heater:Need some more help. The post that pops up in the left orbit under the dauntless seems to be getting stuck half the time. I think I recall some posts talking about that with a bolt being lose. Does anyone know which post it was or input.
Thanks again!
Stuck up or stuck down?
Quoted from anathematize:Yes. They probably should have won for music... especially if you consider its all original compositions David made for the game. Going forward I do think the award should be for 'Best Original Music' and we can just take the band pins out of the mix. Its not really a level playfield.
100% agree. Original music award only. Why are we awarding a band's greatest hits in a pinball machine when that music was made and honed over DECADES and original pin music is usually created in only a year or so.
Quoted from Heater:So I found a brass bolt inside the cabinet but I couldn't tell if it goes to the pop-up. Does anyone have a picture of the pop-up?
Bolt or screw? There's a brass screw on the bottom...
Quoted from Pinballomatic:They’re still building pirates at the factory. Nothing wrong with “to be built” as of now.
I thought they were only building standards until they're out of parts?
Quoted from Pinballomatic:They’re not finished everybody’s order yet so no they’re doing LEs and standards
But they've locked down orders so no new distributor orders for LEs are being taken?
Quoted from Axl:Keefer has been sick for a few weeks. My guess is that they where going to launch it at Texas.
My next guest would be at MGC April 12th.
Hopefully before that. The black bonus screens are annoying, and I'm not turning the tips back on to get rid of them.
Quoted from Gibo:25 games in and its off with the black pearl chasing switch faults at least its 25 plays more than I had with Dialled In before pulling it apart I guess
What switches are you having problems with?
Quoted from Gibo:EOS and standup targets,I have fixed a few customers machines in the past with similar problems,probably a wire fallen off,things are pretty tight under there on the early production games
EOS was not gapped right from the factory on the one we just got. Easy fix.
Quoted from PinPeet:Tech question.
I have these switch errors on the Pearl. Doesn’t look good, think I have to remove the pearl. Any first ideas?
Thanks
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
It's really not that hard to get the ship off and tilt it enough to check/fix these switches if they can't be adjusted from the top side and it's a broken wire or diode causing the error.
Quoted from heni1977:Has the ship removal video by Butch been released yet?
I haven't seen it, but it's not that hard. One screw at the back of the playfield just before the playfield backboard, then a cotter pin removal of the arm behind the backboard. Take the nylon washer there off, too. Then pull the pin forward that the arm was hooked to and move the ship slightly toward the backboard and it's free. Just have to wriggle it past the ramps at the front. 3 minutes, maybe?
Quoted from KingBW:When did you order the cliffys? I ordered mine a month ago and didn't get them yet. He didn't respond to an email I sent a couple of days ago.
I think he said he was like 2 months out on orders last time I talked to him. Maybe he's caught up since then, but I doubt it since there's always new machines coming out that need protection.
Quoted from PanzerFreak:Is this a tweak required on all games or does it only affect certain build dates?
I haven't had any issues with ship aiming with the one we got. Built in Feb.
Quoted from slavin20:I keep getting the ball stuck under the ship next to the Map targets. Coming off the 3rd flipper the ball goes between the metal backguard (1) of the hole to the right of these targets and another piece of metal (2) (which has the ability to move). It then gets stuck as you see in the picture below. Any ideas of how to stop the ball from getting in between these two metal pieces?
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Your post on the right behind the bracket is supposed to go through the lane guide AND the right hole on the bracket to hold the lane guide down. You can see the screw tab on the bracket, but no screw in it, which is why the bracket's lifted and allowing balls in.
map2 (resized).jpgmap3 (resized).jpg
We've only had this for a bit over a week, but the star map was driving me nuts with the giant halos around all the star points. So, I made a filter to focus the LED points so it looks like real stars. Haven't worked out pricing yet, but this will be in the Pin Monk store very soon (with some better pics - these were just taken quickly) once I have that figured out. Installation is less than 5 minutes, and it makes a HUGE difference in the look of the star map!
star-map-before-sml (resized).jpgstar-map-after-sml (resized).jpg
Quoted from slavin20:I installed legs without using the provided leg protectors. Didn’t know I was supposed to put them in between cabinet and legs. Should I take apart and reinstall with them, or not a big deal and leave it. Thanks
Install. If it's like Dialed In (I haven't checked) the curve of the leg still makes light contact with the cabinet at one point and will rub a wrinkle or wear spot into the cabinet. Maybe why they added the felt...
Quoted from bigdaddy07:Can you show a picture of it from the players view? Further back? I like your concept. I was just thinking as I was looking at it, that when looking at the real nighttime sky, all stars are not equal in size. I'm thinking that it would may look better if they were all a bit different.
I had one taken further back but there was a lot more glare and reflections. I could make them different sizes, but that would be changing it, not just refining it, and I try to work within the original intent to just make the presentation better. They're all the same size in the original there's just giant halos to kind of obscure that. The reason they look different sizes in the "before" pic is I took that while they were animating in the game so some are turning on and some are turning off in that picture, and the "after" picture was static in the system menu with all lit up at equal brightness.
I'll try to take a movie of it so you can see it in action. It looks a LOT better than stock.
I tried making larger holes for the stars, but it gets away from looking like star-like points of light and more like light blobs, which is what I was trying to get away from with the stock massive light halos look. So I think I'll offer it with the factory size star holes that line up with the cover plastic and people can easily drill out some or all of the holes if they want to suit their personal preference. Getting the map template right is the hard part and that will be done already. Here's a comparison I shot.
This is the way it comes from the factory where they light doesn't really come through the holes they made in the screened plastic, but basically bleeds all around the holes making a bunch of fuzzy blobs that look kind of like the WOPR:
factory-look.gif
The this one is with the holes in the filter I made widened to 3/64" :
3-64 star holes.gif
The second one is using filter holes that are only as large as the light openings on the factory cover plastic, which I think looks more star-like:
stock-star-holes.gif
You can always make a small hole bigger, but you can't make a big hole smaller (at least not easily), so shipping them with the smaller holes will make it flexible enough for everyone's taste to be met (but I think most will like the small holes when they see it in real life).
I don't think the screened plastic suggests clouds. It looks more like a dark starlit night at sea where you can see some of the milky way (possibly embellished with color) with maybe a few clouds blobs in the foreground of the graphic.
Quoted from Yelobird:Just a suggestion but I fear making these holes pin size will take away from the goal of reading what the star formations are drawing as a game feature. Will end up looking like a grid of dots is from what I see. Seems like the original design was to give the appearance of looking at the stars through a cloudy sky?
You can still read them if they're reduced to more star-like points. If looking at them through a cloudy (Hazy maybe? Is cloudy even possible?) sky was the goal of how they shipped it, it was a factory fail. It just looks like uniform blobs of light as it comes from the factory. One of the few things that drove me nuts immediately.
Quoted from Yelobird:Totally understand just suggesting it might be hard to decipher (not that it’s easy now) the star map images if they are just micro dots. A bit larger blends them to form some basic shaded shape. Sounded like you were playing with hole diameters just giving a suggestion.
I totally appreciate it. I just can't leave it with the blobby light because it completely ruins the idea that I'm looking at stars and makes me think, "Would you like to play a game, professor?" instead. 
But you did give me an idea for something else to try as a Star Map bonus Jonas...
Quoted from wesman:Lifted the playfield again, finally got them set again.
Anyone know why these might be so snug???
Snug on the one here, too.
Quoted from gliebig:Ok, I can't read that star map for the life of me. What is the one in this gif telling you?
It's saying "Attract mode on, stick money in"
Quoted from AUKraut:From your pics you are missing 2 2" pieces of rubber padding one on each vertical stop (circled in red where it should go on your pic below):[quoted image]
Those rubber pieces came off the second time I put the lockdown bar back on. Put them back on, they came off again. Gave up, left them off.
Quoted from RichterMC:Anybody know where this big screw belongs ?
That's a carriage bolt. It looks like the ones that go on the sides of the head on the bottom to hold on the hinge. There are supposed to be 3 on each side on the bottom edge of the head.
Quoted from RichterMC:Three of the spot light LEDs already break.
On some just the lens fall off, on others LED fall out altogether.
They look like OPTIX MAXIMUS from Comet but are 12 volts DC and not 6,3 Volt AC.
I need to find a better solution for the spot lights, not fun to drive to location just to remove a LED from the subway or trough...
THIS is the solution JJP should be using from the factory. Pretty much bulletproof method to rock-solid spotlights, and looks better than glue or clips. If you do this on your spotlights, they will not fall out again:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fixing-led-bulbs-flashers-that-fall-out-of-spotlights
Quoted from zaphX:I don’t believe so. I have found the spots to be extremely flaky. They can be tweaked or replaced, see the notes on http://tinyurl.com/potcfixes
Thanks for that link, but annoying that's in iCloud pages. Why not just put it in a PDF? So much less hassle.
Quoted from PanzerFreak:There's an option to download a copy and save it PDF, click the wrench icon see the download option and from there the formats it can be saved as.
Thanks for that. I'll do it right away. We should probably start a jjPotC troubleshooting/solutions thread and make that post 1 with a portable PDF attached that can be taken along with. There are enough niggly issues with jjPotC it would be nice to have all the solutions and conversation about potential solutions in one place for new owners.
Quoted from anathematize:Seems redundant. This thread is - bar none - the best place for solutions to issues with Pirates. I can't think of an issue I've seen that hasn't been covered in this thread so far.
Problem is, it's mixed in with general conversation. A dedicated issue thread would be a faster read for new owners.
Quoted from anathematize:search function.
It's not that effective, especially if you don't know what the issue is called/posted as.
Quoted from cheshirefilms:Question- the shooter rod doesn't appear to be "long enough" to rest the ball high enough on the rubber tip for the autoplunger to hit the ball effectively. Other than "pushing up" on the rubber, a makeshift solution but not a great one, how do I fix?
[quoted image]
If you pull and release on the shooter with no ball, does the autoplunger bracket tick forward (it's being hit by the shooter rod)?
Quoted from wesman:No need to push yourself while getting a move in! I'm sure many have said it here before, but you, and many in this thread, do an amazing job helping spread info and advice.
Mine might. Is that an issue if it does?
It retards the energy of the rod, so it can be an issue. Either your shooter rod was installed too high or the playfield hanger hooks are bending. Hogbog said this (hooks bending from the weight of the PF) is fixed (it was a real problem on Hobbit and Dialed In), but I'm not so sure, because I think the jjPotC here is starting to have the same issue.
Quoted from Yelobird:If the ball is plunging no it’s not an issue. If the auto plunger throws the ball not an issue. Any other occurrence doesn’t matter as long as they are doing what they were designed to do.
This isn't true. If it's retarding energy off the shooter rod, it makes it hard to gauge the amount of pull needed to hit the skill shot, often from shot to shot (since the amount of nicking varies). It absolutely matters if you want to do skill shots.
Quoted from cheshirefilms:No movement of the autoplunger from the shooter rod.
Sounds like that's not your issue, then. Try slo-mo filming with your camera phone. It can often highlight the problem.
Quoted from Yelobird:I was simply offering Wesman a simple answer to a simple question. No sense creating a possible worrisome issue that’s not really there. I felt bad watching the dozen posts dismantling the lock bar only to find a simple bad staple. I recall he went through some troubles with Houdini so I suspect he’s not a seasons pinball tech just yet. In time yes, for now it’s best to not over analize mechanics and make fun complicated. Just my thought hoping to see a Pirates owner simply enjoy the game not diagnos it.
I understand the why, and I'm down with that in a PM direct to him, but as a general post other people will read it and have the wrong idea. Just trying to keep the information strictly true.
Quoted from BC_Gambit:I just ordered one of these today; any summary of "must do" fixes on day one? (mylar, cliffy's, anything?).
I ordered the silicone washers from the Fix Guide, but not sure what else to get within reason. I expect some wear and tear, but I remember reading about concerns re: the map area where the balls bounce, scoop chipping etc; it sounded like some cliffy's came with recent versions of the game?
Any help is appreciated!
You don't get cliffies. You get mantis ripoff protectors that are not helpful at all for protecting the chippable surface of the playfield. I'd email cliff ASAP and get a set of his ordered, since it will probably be a month or 6 weeks before your order comes up to be shipped. There's some pictures of the cliffy map hole install, which is the most challenging one on jjPotC in the image gallery on this thread.
Edit: Here's the post for the map hole install - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/123#post-4902185
Quoted from BC_Gambit:Thank you for the heads up! I have emailed re the protectors. Open to other thoughts though. Not 100 percent sure these will be needed on a home game bit from what I read some have had worse luck than others with chipping.
After dialed in chipped in less than 50 plays, and with some jjPotC on location chipping already, it's not really the amount of play, it's the luck of the draw with the Mirco playfields JJP uses. I wouldn't run a JJP machine without cliffies as a result.
The game's pretty complete as-is, so I don't really have a recommendation for other must have things for it. I do like the Kraken mod because it looks cool, and maybe a 3D barrel top for the lower pop bumper because it will then match the other one next to it better, but that's about it. I'm working on a mod for the star map that will make the light look more star-like, but it's not quite done yet.
Quoted from wesman:Is there a reason why the attract music would cut off after about 2-3 seconds of playing? I'll adjust the volume on the outside volume control, then it cuts off fairly quickly.
I also have a noticeable electric hum when play isn't active from the speakers in the head.
Ground loop isolator is what you need to get rid of the hum. Dirt cheap, but I think JJP will send you one if you call tech support.
Quoted from wesman:Oh excellent! That sounds familiar from this thread! I'm missing a manual cd, and topper plugs and screws also. Should I contact my distributor for all of these or JJP tech support?
Would this be causing the attract audio cut out also?
Did JJP pack topper plugs and screws with some of the LEs? The one we got didn't have them, but I just dipped into my spare parts and made it work.
I'd call JJP tech support directly, you'll probably get faster resolution.
Quoted from DarthSinex:Shots to the chest seem to go in when lock is lit but then just bounce out. Only a really hard shot will cause the ball to go up and into the trunk. Is this normal behaviour?
We're having the same problem here. Initially, the forks were bent to the right and it was slamming the ball into the side of the chest opening rather than into the chest. I bent them back to the left (they're tight, so that's not it) and now about 30% of the hits to the chest make it into the trunk, but I can't figure out how to get that number up so it's not rejecting so many. It's really the only major issue I have left to tweak to get it all working well.
Quoted from roddog:I finally installed a map cliffy last night. What a pain that was. There were 2 cliffys for the map. Was the 2nd, smaller one supposed to also be installed from the top? I assumed it was installed from under the playfield. But it also seems like a pain to get into. And those arent standard screws. Or did I mess up bigtime and was supposed to stack the 2 cliffys? Will probably leave that one uninstalled. STILL LOVIN' THE GAME THO!
This post shows the installation of both pieces:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjp-pirates-of-the-caribbean-official-owners-and-fan-club/page/123#post-4902185
Quoted from estrader:Is the disc silencer kit from mod couple still necessary on the new builds?
The one we have from mid-feb is LOUD. Seems to have calmed down a little, but it's WAY louder than other games with spinning discs I've played.
Quoted from gliebig:The easy fix is to crank the volume up.
Unfortunately, some locations don't want loud pins, so that's not an option there.
Quoted from DarthSinex:Don't think my forks are bent. Feels like the switch isn't triggering the forks, but I'll take a look again
You can take a slo-mo video with your phone to help diagnose what's happening. It helped get me from 0% to 30%.
Quoted from PanzerFreak:Just a small heads up for owners. The inside corners of the lockdown bar does not have mylar applied which if you are not careful can lead to scratching of the powder coat on the side rails. JJP was applying mylar to the corners of lockdown bars on some or all of their past games, not sure why they stopped with Pirates. I cut a few pieces of mylar and applied it to my lockdown bar today.
Yeah, it's a weird omission.
Quoted from thc666:just got my cliffys this week . just in time. found this when i was about to take the pearl off. how that happened have no idea.
this is just a heads up to the guys who dont think they need cliffys.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Echoes of Dialed In's SIM Card hole chipping. Like they eventually did on Dialed In after months of failures, JJP should be using actual cliffies from the factory to protect the SURFACE of the proven chippable mirco playfields, not the inside of the holes OR get the next level up of Mirco playfields that are supposedly harder. Mirco offers several levels of PF finish, but you have to pay as you go up them.
Quoted from f3honda4me:I'm not seeing damage anywhere. Am I just missing it? You're not talking about the mylar bubble on the right of the hole are you? That's not PF damage, it's just a mylar bubble. :p In fact, most POTCs seem to have it. Mine has it too. It's like the mylar wasn't set correctly on the PF or sized wrong. But the PF is undamaged underneath.
It looks like the playfield is chipped under that mylar, but it may be the angle. A closer picture would be good.
Quoted from drfrightner:I'm making a mod for POTC... this will replace the star map. This mod will just hang off the star map, and it will include a screen about the same size as the one featured in the Hobbit game.
It will feature a 3D print cover for the screen, and show clips from the movie. I'm not selling the video just the mod which will feature a screen and player. All you do is pop in a mini SD card and play the whole movie if you want.
We're going to mock up an awesome set of clips, we do CGI work, video production for the amusement attractions we build World Wide. So this will be easy... I was going to do the same thing for ACDC but rather 3D print a stage that holds a screen.
I'll have it to show within the next couple of weeks. Its going to be pretty neat.
This will finally end the whole issue of no film clips.
But it will obscure the star map? Why would you want to lose that? It's integrated into the gameplay...
Quoted from GnarLee:Ok just spent a good couple hours properly going over the machine. have not got to switches yet might be a lengthy post, I'm a attn to detail guy and a little ocd at times here goes wish me luck.
Lighting
#084 "not used" Lights left spinner
#090 "GI left flipper guide high" No light. do not see a place for light. there is a spotlight there
#119 "upper sling low" No light
#121 "right orbit jackpot" No light
#122 "Top POP Mystery" No light
#123 "Top Sling Mystery" No Light
#124 "mid POP Mystery" No light
#125 "Right Pop Mystery" No Light
#126 "Carina" No Light
#127 "Norrington" No light
#128 "Phillip" No Light
#140 "Upper playfield right spinner" green produces yellow and white produces pink
#164 "Jack" No green white is pink
#168 "Left lane spinner light" Not working Light up under #084
#181 "Chest Right" No light
#195 "Right pop inside" No Light
#197 " Lower pop inside" No Light
Coils
#021 Can hear it fire but seems like it takes 4-5 seconds for it to reset. Is probly nothing but worth noting
#041 "Barrel spinning pop bumper" not spinning hitting wire form
#047 and #048 seem like they do nothing during test "Mini PF Rocking motion and Relay" during gameplay ship is rocking do not think it is going through the full motion. full right pf is level mid is slightly left and left is way left.
#072 "Black Pearl cannon door lock" does not fire. door does not open during test game.
Other Issues out of box
Few spots with targets too close together
Wire loom binded from factory
ball shooter tip broke within 10 games
ball shooter inconsistent often rattles around wireform even with a almost full plunge
found a thumbscrew in bottom of cabinet and a plastic piece that I very loosly think is a piece of one of the optos (I do not know what the optos look like but there is writing on it that say opto
Nothing happens during fork test
monitor is sagging on right side
and just because I'm picky and on a rampage. Where in the hell is the attract music. The Jersey Jack rock music every 10 minutes or so isn't fun (well it is but there needs to be something else)
Needless to say I'm a teed off at this point dont even know where to start and cant really play until I figure out some of these issues. Shouldnt have these many issues out of the box.
$3700, and I'll pay to have it picked up.
Quoted from GnarLee:I guess when its time to look for mods ill just skip over your website
Well, I'm not opposed to a little negotiation either, as long as you pick up, too.
Quoted from rs812:I live in bumbfuck Ohio. Who would they ever send clear out here?
Bumb, looking for some guaranteed action.
Quoted from ngg:New problem......
Occasionally on a ball drained sdtm, the game does not recognize that the ball is gone and goes into search mode for the ball. I’d estimate that this happens 30% of the time on center drains.
Also, possibly related, at times there are issues with balls moving into position from the ball trough to the shooter lane. This has happened a few times during multiball.
Stock balls? Did you check to see if they're magnetized?
Quoted from Lazar:Game is 5 days old and broke an upper Playfield flipper rubber. From what I can tell this requires removal of the upper Playfield to get at. Is this true?
Thanks
Uh, no. You just stretch a new one on. This is instructions for superbands, but it's the same idea for regular flipper rubber, too:
Quoted from Lazar:How do you get it around the thick part of the flipper without removing the part of the ship that covers it?
There are two nuts on top of the trim plastic on each flipper. Take the nuts off and pry the plastic trim up and off to get access to the flipper. Less than 5 minute job to do it all and put it back together.
Trim on, as it is from the factory
trim-on (resized).jpg
Remove the two nuts and pry it up on the flipper bat side to get it off (it was kind of tight on the posts)
trim-off (resized).jpg
Quoted from joseph5185:So I do have to remove that cover from the silver box? I thought so. I'm pretty sure that's going to require removing the screen as well? .. as it's in front.
I guess this is what I meant by "not easy" ...
Appreciate it.
Also, this:
"As for the weak plunger, pull the plunger and let it snap - does the autoplunger fork jiggle? If so, it’s making contact and robbing your shooter power."
Sorry guys ... what exactly is the "fork" and I'm guessing I can do this while the machine is off.
If you look down through the opening that lets you see the spring on the plunger, there's a band over the top of the plunger, that's the part that kicks forward to auto-launch the ball. If it's hanging low or the plunger is a bit too high, the plunger can catch it as it moves forward, robbing the manual plunge of power. If you see it "jiggle" when you manually plunge, your plunger is probably nicking it and one or the other needs to be adjusted so they don't contact.
Quoted from joseph5185:Ah, got it. Thank you for the extra bit there. Umm.. as far as "looking through the opening" ... do I need to remove the glass and all that or should it not be necessary?
No, you should be able to clearly see if that bit through the opening is moving when the plunger is let go and moves forward rapidly, even with the glass on.
Quoted from joseph5185:Checking now!
You can also slo-mo record it with a phone to see what may be happening, both from the front where the ball is, and through that slot over the spring of the plunger.
Quoted from joseph5185:Okay...
So the "fork" is essentially those metal things on both sides of the plunger?
When I pull back and let go or let it snap -- they are DEFINITELY moving ... both of them.
Then you need to loosen the three screws on your shooter rod plate and adjust it down (or if it won't go lower, shim the top side of the plate to aim the rod lower). There's also a chance the playfield hooks are bent a little and the PF is resting like 1mm too low, putting the auto plunge onto the shooter rod path. But that long-running problem that affected The Hobbit and Dialed In was supposedly fixed for PotC, so that may be the least likely.
Yeah, it's definitely hitting the auto launch part that runs over the top of it. So adjust the shooter plate down, or shim it. If neither of those work, try raising the PF like 1-2mm by shimming the hooks.
Quoted from joseph5185:I catch on quick - I PROMISE.
This is just new terminology..
"Shimming" the "hooks" ??
That should be the last thing you try after the other two fail.
Basically you want to loosen the two shiny steel playfield hooks (the things that hang on the receiver under the lockdown bar when you put the playfield down) where they connect under the playfield then put a shim between the hook and the playfield to raise the playfield up just a little, which will in turn raise the auto launch relative to the shooter rod because the shooter rod is attached to the cabinet and the auto launch is attached to the playfield.
Quoted from TZBen:what kind of rubber is JJP installing these days? china brand X? or titan silicone?
Clear silicone bands, not sure what brand, but Titan wouldn't surprise me. Flippers are standard rubber.
Quoted from NightTrain:For those that have switched the sling posts out for start posts, are you switching all 3 per side, or just 2 (top and bottom)?
I did the standard two star posts at the top and bottom of each sling and left the regular clear post in the back. There was some indentation into the PF from the factory post/clear washer combination, but no chipping on the PF there.
Quoted from NightTrain:I’m not following you here. What clear post in the back?
So you did star posts on the slings top and bottom, but left the middle (outside) post Alone?
Pictures?
Yes, middle post on each side - the one away from the front of the slings I called "back".
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:VERY COOL looking!
I just wished it worked with the trigger ala TS, IJ, etc. as I'm not a big fan of the "feel" of bulky irregular shooter rod knobs.
This. Hard mounting these and wiring them to the auto launch switch so they worked like indy, shadow, etc would be awesome.
Quoted from wesman:Oh, nice work! Did you have to loosen or uninstall much to get it in there?
The Cliffy for The Depths edge is springloaded and just slides on and clips in place without removing anything.
Quoted from rs812:How far behind is cliffy on shipping?
About a month last I heard...
Quoted from lordloss:Fine, i'll buy a pin with powdercoat as long as the price isn't an "added value" to up the cost of the pin.
Powdercoating is in the class of mods you rarely get the money back out of when you sell the pin. May help it sell faster, but won't increase the sale price.
Quoted from BC_Gambit:Anybody know how much this machine weighs? I cant find that anywhere (though now that I think of it may be in the manual...)
HEAVY. Like 400lbs-ish. Basically almost as much as two Stern pros.
Quoted from DarthSinex:Turned on the machine today and got an error that said dauntless ship hit switch closed. I touched the ship and it cleared the error instantly. I'd like to believe this is because I'm now so accurate at sinkking the ship it hasn't triggered this switch for too long? Am I being optimistic?
It seems like it's a little optimistic about how many times people can hit that target so the error pops up when there's no problem other than it hasn't been hit in a while. That diagnostic might need to be loosened up in the code.
Quoted from ellips6:I need to advice on my chest fork, other than what has been suggested so far in this tread (the 2 little screws). I can make the chest shots when they are precise, about 7 times out of 10, but still a few shots bounce back when the ball is not at high speed and I see when these shots fail that the fork is moving (like loose) a bit but just on one side.
I unscrewed the fork, and checked that the 2 little screws under are very tight and they both are. Then I made a video, at first you see the left side of the fork that is not loose up/down at all and work perfectly, then you see the right side of the fork has some loose in it.
How can I make the right side of the fork as tight as the left side? Hope the video shows it good enough, the playfield is in the last service position (fully up side down).[quoted image]
You need that play so the fork can move freely. If it's like the one we got, the forks were directing the ball towards the left or right side of the chest entrance. Glass off, keep teeing up the ball and slo-mo record it from the front of the chest with a phone and see what the ball is doing when it's rejecting. Once I got the forks right (took a while because I over-corrected initially, sending the ball into the OTHER side of the entrance), I bumped the right flipper to 27 and it's great now - FINALLY. This was easily the worst part of dialing the machine in.
Quoted from zaphX:2. The iPhone accelerometers are not that accurate
Actually, because if the critical nature of medical software, the NIH published a study concluding that the iPhone accelerometer was "highly accurate and precise" with tiny deviations from their control device. Of course, that does NOT mean any given SOFTWARE program is accurate at INTERPRETING and presenting the information it provides.
Quoted from zaphX:3. The stupid bump that iPhones have now keeps them from lying flat anyway.
A case solves that problem.
Quoted from zaphX:As a developer who has worked with the acclerometer, I can tell you it’s noisy and jittery and must be smoothed in software. That study was tracking user movement, not level accuracy.
Popular Mechanics -did- measure level accuracy:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gear/a4175/4308358/
Actually, popular mechanics is reviewing some apps that use it there, not the actual hardware. Has anyone reviewed the actual hardware?
Quoted from wesman:Well, I'm thinking my issues trying to get the playfield hooks into the apron has to do with the apron being offset itself and shifted, and one of the service rails being misaligned.
This reminds me to mention that it turns out you can't shim the Pirates playfield to fix the shooter rod hitting the auto launch top piece and fix shooter issues because the hooks on pirates attach from the TOP. I went to fix the issues on the one we have here and realized that. So bending the hooks back down then the ends out slightly is the only option. Also, these bent pretty easily, so I don't think the bending problem from playfield weight is fixed. These are very slightly reinforced as compared to prior hooks, but the metal still seems too soft, and the reinforcement doesn't resist the bending much.
Quoted from zaphX:I’m having an alignment issue myself with the shooter contacting the autoplunger. I tried moving the shooter down as far as it would go, but it still contacts unless I rotate it slightly right which is not acceptable to me. I will look at the hooks, perhaps a bit of padding such that the playfield lays down slightly higher will do the trick?
I’m planning to mess with it more when I get home this afternoon.
You can shim where the hook hangs on the receiver using a small piece of metal to raise the PF, too. I just bent the hooks. Works great now. Same problem from Hobbit and Dialed In, essentially.
Quoted from wesman:Feel free to post photos. I'd like to see how things lie/are supposed to lie. I wish I could see another table upfront to note differences.
I've seen several people discuss the shooter having alignment issues.
It's not really an alignment issue in most cases I've seen. It's essentially playfield sag, lowering the top of the auto launcher into the path of the shooter rod, robbing it of energy. Bent the hooks, problem solved, just like Hobbit and Dialed In.
Quoted from wesman:I wish my issue was just brushing the shooter rod. I can't wedge the hooks back in at all, no matter how I adjust the angle, press backwards, or shift the wire looms. The apron itself, for me, looks misaligned/not flush at all.
Your left hook looks like it's mis-mounted. It's WAY too far left. The gap on the left side of the left hook should be about the same as the right, but you have NO GAP, which is why you're probably having problems getting it to rest correctly. Unfortunately the hooks are t-nutted into the PF, so moving them is no simple task.
Quoted from wesman:That's what I was figuring. The apron isn't flush against the shooter lane either. And even my right hook doesn't look flush with the playfield, it's sagging a bit. All of this would explain why I can't seat the playfield at all, yet alone with ease, and also having lockdown bar issues. I had to entirely remove the styrofoam braces just to let that sit against the glass.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Styrofoam "braces"? You mean the foam shipping blocks? Those are supposed to be removed. Did you take ALL of them out? From the manual:
potc-shipping-blocks (resized).jpgQuoted from wesman:I meant foam, as in the sticky tape under the lockdown bar.
All of the packing foam is removed. I was installing the map Cliffy's last night. Those are all long gone.
The two pieces of foam that go on the "prongs" came off the second time I put the lockdown bar on, and I never put them back on. The long piece is beer seal to trap out liquids and should stay on as it's an important function.
Quoted from joseph5185:THIS could explain why I have some-what hell getting my playfield flush again when I seat it back in. I swear my pin doesn't have these in the back under the pf, but I'm gonna go check again...
There's one large block of foam screwed to the back of the cabinet inside, about 2/3 from the bottom.
Quoted from joseph5185:I *MAY* have a problem.
I was thinking that I could just rock the Dauntless to the side or w/e and it would clear this error.
Unfortunately, I'm unable to clear this error...
[quoted image]
Move the ship with your hand. The one here was rubbing on the back of the maelstrom whirlpool so it never fully closed the switch.
Quoted from joseph5185:I did not rock it in gameplay, but before starting a game.
=P
Might just ignore it for now .. haha .. I thought there was a switch specifically for the bullseye which I thought meant a ball going into the hole.
Either way, if you guys recall, I had two matrixed switch errors and just the one now. =)
There's one for the bullseye and one for hitting the ship and making it move, but not hitting the bullseys (a miss).
Quoted from joseph5185:Don't I feel stupid ...
Yea so I DEFINITELY wasn't expecting anything to be screwed as far as packing goes.
Still a newbie.
[quoted image]
Don't feel bad. I initially missed it until I RTFM and realized that maybe it wasn't supposed to be there after unpacking was completed.
Quoted from joseph5185:Yea so... that error is definitely still there.
I basically moved the dauntless to the left and let it just rock back into place at least 5-10 times ... with an actual game started.
If you go into switch test and rock it like it was hit with the ball, but not destroyed, does it trigger the switch?
Quoted from joseph5185:Uhh... testing!
BTW, the switch for this is easy to get to, it's behind the backboard at the bottom of the PF. If you can't make it happen with the ship, put your finger down there. The switch triggers when it RELEASES, not when it's depressed, so it may be too compressed and can't release enough to trigger without some bending or loosening and re-situating the switch mount.
Quoted from joseph5185:Thanks.
To confirm, it's UNDER the playfield?
Pull the playfield out to the second rubber feet. Look behind the backboard right behind the ship, almost at the bottom of the backboard. The switch is directly behind the ship on the back of the backboard. Move the ship and you can see the bar that's supposed to be easing up and releasing the switch so it registers.
Quoted from D_N_G:Hi Guys, Joined the club today with LE 197 thanks to some peer pressure from kevinbuffalo
This is my first home pinball, have been an arcade guy in the past, so have some experience with wiring, pcbs, etc.
Having a couple of issues, and have a call in to the distributor, but figured Pinside might have some ideas?
1.) Have a Fork Malfunction/Device Broken error and balls wont lock in the chest
- Checked the suggested 2 screws to make sure they were tight
- Checked wiring under the play field for the fork mechanism and everything seems ok
- Individual coil tests will raise and lower the fork successfully
- The specific fork test itself will not work
- No balls will physically enter or lock in the chest, but screen animations show ball locks when hit through the middle chest shot
Anything else to check?
2.) Have a stuck closed switch #50 on the right high slingshot. It wont activate when depressed manually.
-Checked under playfield wiring and seems ok from a glance (no broken wires)
Read through every post in this thread in preparation. So far have done these checks/minor fixes:
- Cut some zip ties to give slack to the Black Pearl
- Subway post was there from the factory - Manufacture date was 1/21/2019
- Protected cabling behind dauntless
- Leveled to 6.5
[quoted image][quoted image]
You just need to re-gap that upper right slingshot's switch leaves. If you pull the rubber AWAY it should release the contact and make the switch register. The problem is the back leaf is too close to the front, so when the rubber's just at rest it's always making contact. Move the back leaf away so it's not making contact until the rubber is depressed.
On that test, it looks to me like the switch that detects forks are up is stuck on, so it always thinks they're up. What does switch test say? If it's always on, you need to adjust that switch so it changes when the forks come down.
Quoted from joseph5185:Hey,
So I guess audio clipping is "rare."
...Yay!
Did you play with the sound/fx/volume mixes from factory levels? That can cause it.
Quoted from joseph5185:vireland
BING-O WAS HIS NAME-O
I see EXACTLY what you are referring to...
And when I moved the ship, the switch works!
So now I have a new fun problem.
It seems that it's only an issue when the playfield is actually in place... =/
You just need to either loosen the screws holding the switch on and rotate the switch body to give it more room so it "disconnects" easier when the bar moves away, or bend the roller leaf on the switch back towards the body of the switch so it registers the release easier.
In either case, it's a relatively easy switch adjustment.
Quoted from Titan_Pinball:Some of the rubber is Titan. The flipper rubber is Suzo red rubber and some of the other rings might be regular rubber. If it's clear silicone, it should be Titan. Dialed In also came with white Titan rubber and Suzo red flipper.
Those flipper rubbers that come stock are GROSS. They look bad and feel yukky. Marco would give them better standard red rubber than whatever they're using.
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:Sure would be nice if there was a separate JJP POTC tech issues thread. This club thread seems to be dominated by repeated issues - many of them from owners new to the hobby.
Doesn't make for lively gameplay/strategy discussions and leaves others with the impression that JJP POTC is nothing but problems.
Just sayin'.
Suggested that a few pages back. Shot down.
Quoted from joseph5185:Probably.
People have talked about doing it.
Do you already have the mylar for it?
I wish I did...
Get a bulk sheet of Mylar from marco specialties. Then you can cut mylar for anything and everything on demand.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/66-MFT
I think I bought like 3-4 feet years ago and still have some left.
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:Yes ... thanks. I have already studied and know the rules pretty well though.
I've been hoping to find a livelier discussion of strategies and shared gameplay experiences more typical of other club threads. I don't mean to be overly negative, but while somewhat informative, this one is a downer.
Ok - rant off. I hope all Pirates owners get to fully enjoy their game soon!
My main advice is play multiplayer a LOT. Plundering is GREAT fun.
Quoted from PanzerFreak:Yup...that was two hours of pure fun. Lol. Both map Cliffys not installed and everything is put back together. Wife is sleeping now so still need to test in the morning.
Yeah that far rear nut for the plastic was a pain. I used a socket with a flexible extension on it like this one. One of these comes in really handy a times.
The right tool for that job:
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/43916329
(those might be 11/32 back there, but this is the tool type...)
You can get something like this for under $10 at Sears or maybe even harbor freight.
Quoted from Yelobird:Have you resorted to replying and answering your own posts now? Lol.
I've done that. Notification functionality can be evil.
Quoted from KornFreak28:Would you guys say that the permanent fix for the shooter rod catching the auto plunger is adding weather stripping under the hooks? Really?
Or bending the hooks. You only need about 1-2mm more height. I just bend the hooks, because the reason it's low in the first place is the hooks likely bent down a bit from the weight, just like Hobbit and Dialed In.
I started a tech/troubleshooting/issues thread for PotC here:
I'll be filling it out with information and curating it into the first post with links organized by type to make searching easier than a key post index.
If you've posted tech tips, feel free to re-post there with info and pics and I'll pull your information into the curated index, too.
Quoted from zaphX:¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it’s what I tried, as they didn’t look bent to me and it worked.
You can do it either way. Shim the area where the hooks connect, or bend the hooks. On earlier machines where the hooks connected UNDER the playfield you could shim the hook bracket to raise the playfield out of sight. Now that the hooks connect from the top side of the playfield, adding a shim where the hook bracket meets the playfield has the opposite effect - it lowers the playfield even more, which no one wants.
Quoted from lapean111:Anyone have anymore ideas for balls getting stuck in the depths during multiball? My game has the factory fix, and balls get stuck down there almost every single multiball. Sometimes I have to manually plunge the kicker with my finger to get the balls out.
I have tried increasing the strength, but this has no effect on the balls getting stuck.
The one here doesn't have this problem. Have you checked in switch test mode to make sure the switches or optos (whatever is down there) are registering that the ball is there?
Quoted from roddog:Does anybody know if it is possible to buy a black pearl ramp? I cracked mine by fastening it in to tight I guess. A screw on the slingshot below was touching the ramp and it made a small crack in it. So don't do that!
Yeah, that screw under the ramp should have been a mini post (I might still make it one...). On the one we have the screw is pressing up into the ramp and has started to deform it.
Quoted from KornFreak28:Can you post a pic?
It's in the tech thread here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjpirates-of-the-caribbean-troubleshooting-tips-issues#post-4933792
Quoted from Nepi23:How is the HMS Dauntless removed from the playfield? Any guides in relation to that?
The whole thing, or just the non-moving top? There aren't currently pictures of that, but there will be. I just need to finish getting everything in...
Quoted from Skypilot:Still don’t understand why they packed it up on pirates. WOnka looks nice but it ain’t no pirates.
I think they were beaten down from a year of delays, disc-gate, trunk-gate and the lost orders as a result. The irony is, once it was in the wild and word got around how fantastic jjPotC is, demand was picking up. They cut bait too soon. But if this is what it takes to get us to JJP Guns and Roses on schedule, I'm good.
Quoted from joseph5185:So I probably have a wire issue on the left BP flipper .. =/
I loosened and tightened the nut, but I wouldn't expect a "loose" flipper to have 0 movement.
Also when I lift that left BP flipper up, it's for some reason locking in that up position.
Are you doing this with the power off? If it's sticking up when you lift it manually and the power is off, you have a physical, likely mechanical issue, not an electrical one.
Quoted from joseph5185:Perhaps a bit too loose ... =D
As a side ... the left flipper isn't sticking anymore! =P
I feel silly. I should be intelligent enough to put 1 + 1 together. I am learning that there is a "bit more" to it then just that nut.
Sighs... back to it!
[quoted image][quoted image]
So it just wasn't tightened to the flipper shaft enough? Easy solution. When you put it back on, make sure you have about a dime's thickness of play if you pull the flipper straight up and release it. If it's too tight to the playfield, it can bind also. You want a smidge of movement up and down if you pull up on it.
Quoted from GCS2000:I asked before but never got a reply can anyone tell me what star posts to order for the slings please. thx.
They're just standard star posts. Pick a color and you're set:
https://www.pinballlife.com/plastic-translucent-star-posts-1-116-tall.html
Quoted from Schabs81:Well finally tackled the map cliffy today not to bad was a little tight removing black pearl was pretty dirty under there gave it a good whip down with some novas 1 and back together . So depth cliffy anyone know that just snap on I cant get my sausage fingers in there lol
Yeah, The Depths cliffy just snaps on from the top side. I angled it so the bottom made contact first and then rotated it forward onto the lip on top, then slid it all the way on.
Quoted from joseph5185:Yea.
I'm not sure if you saw my other post, but my left BP flipper isn't responsive at all. I checked the molex cables underneath for the Black Pearl and all seem fine. I'm probably definitely going to try and just take out the pings on the back and see if I get enough room to investigate further.
Otherwise looks like I'll be cutting zip ties and everything else to get the BP out.
So the left flipper used to work and now it doesn't at all? If you pull out the white switch inside the left side of the coin door frame and go into diagnostics, can you trigger the left upper flipper coil there? If so, have you checked the left flipper switch in the cabinet to see if it's the switch that's the problem?
Quoted from joseph5185:Yea.. I'm working on testing out the right flipper now with the manual adjustments and tightening.
As a side, I'm struggling with the plunger slamming into the auto-plunge. I fixed it once and it seemed good for awhile and the issue is back. Also, my bubble meter isn't at the second line so I downloaded the Pinguy app as a curiosity of where it was and it's actually 7.0 degrees. It's also not entirely level left to right. Pretty handy...
I'll have to look through the various posts on plunging. I can try to fix it again by simply moving the plate around and see what happens. The shimming with foam or something seems like an easy enough fix though.
Probably makes sense to level it out first and get that ideal 6.5 before trying to play with the plunger more.
... These are basically the two issues that I have atm. Otherwise, I do believe the game is in pretty great shape.
Just raise the playfield hooks a tiny bit and put the tip of a screw under the right hook and let it rest on that. It will raise the PF enough temporarily that the plunger will work fine. You can return to that problem after you get the flipper issue worked out.
plunger-temp-fix (resized).jpgQuoted from joseph5185:That's right... I'm still amiss as to what happened..
You kinda lost me at "if you pull out the white switch." What white switch? So I loosened the flipper assembly too much and it's not intact now. I shared a photo several posts ago. Hopefully it's easy enough to put back in ideally without putting the BP on it's side or w/e, but idk ...
If you haven't put that linkage back yet, the flipper has no chance of working. That's the part that grabs the flipper and makes it move. I would loosen the ramp (3 screws, 2 in front, and one in back on the right) to get it out of the way and then take the Black Pearl loose so you can work on it a little better without having to take the whole thing off.
The part highlighted in green is what dropped out of yours, right?
Quoted from GnarLee:Speaking of plunger issues, and I have not investigated yet, but with the ball to be plunged it does not reach tip of plunger (maybe a 2mm gap). Im pretty sure this is causing my inconsistent plunge issues.
Unlikely. Most-likely drag on the autolauncher bracket where it runs over the top of the plunger. Do what I showed in the pic a couple posts up with the screw under the right PF hook temporarily and see if it fixes your issues. Then if confirmed you can do a long-term fix.
Quoted from joseph5185:Let me just find that photo ...
Screw it... let me work on this ramp and that pin and screw or w/e on the back ...
I really appreciate the help and would LOVE to get this straight!
[quoted image]
Power off.
So tighten the nut on the assembly that grabs the flipper shaft JUST ENOUGH to give some resistance, but not so much you can't manually move the flipper with your hand (also, make sure the return spring is attached so it drags it down when you let go). Then rotate the flipper up and let go, then repeat until when you let it go it DOES NOT rest at the home position when you let go, but it slightly above it. Then hold the linkage underneath and raise the flipper to the top position with your other hand and back the flipper back away from the top a little and let go again to see if you backed it off enough so it is fully in the rest position (not floating above it) when you let go. If not repeat this backing off procedure. Then, when you're done, tighten the nut so the flipper does not move or slip.
Quoted from joseph5185:You guys are awesome... don't you realize how late it is!?
I'm going to upset some pinsiders when they come back to this thread and there are like a 100 unread responses about me babbling about this. haha
I'm moving my answers from here out over to the tech thread. It's where this belongs anyway. I'll post pics of the max height of the BP flippers on mine there.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjpirates-of-the-caribbean-troubleshooting-tips-issues
Quoted from PanzerFreak:Any news out of MGC regarding Pirates code?
Yes, it would be nice not to have a black screen when it counts up the bonus and the black screen with "GAME#84" in the middle all by itself.
Quoted from cheshirefilms:Incorrect. Lots of people have confirmed. The LE and CE are both sold out. Here and there is wishful thinking. The standard is all that's left and its just not home collector highly sought after. At least not right now. I suspect they'll sell too, in time, especially to new large barcades that hadn't gotten one yet. As for the game not being a commerical success, it wasn't mate. Certainly not by past JJP standards. The writing is on the wall. It's barely been out and it's already gone.
PotC LEs are gone for sure, but pretty sure automated/pinballs.com has a few CEs left.
Quoted from GnarLee:So decided to look into my inconsistent plunger issue today. Tried to determan what the difference was between the good plunges and the bad ones. Good ones auto plunger didn’t move bad ones it did. But why was it 50/50? Upon closer inspection the play left and right on the auto plunger mech was causing the issue. If the mech was towards the right the you would hit auto plunger and the ball was roughly 2mm farther up the shooter lane. If I moved mech towards the left plunger would not hit the auto and ball was 2mm closer to shooter tip. I added 2 1/4” nylon washers to get rid of that play and keep mech to the left position. On diagram washers go between green and purple. Black arrrows all point to the same spot. Prolly 200 plus plunges since fix with only 1 bad plunge (assuming ball was still moving when I tried to plunge that one)
[quoted image]
Stick that over in the tech thread and I'll link it to the index.
Quoted from bigdaddy07:As well as mine. Two weeks, turned into two more weeks, turned into two more weeks, turned into three months total (it now appears).
Those boats from China are a bitch, and if they spill them overboard enroute, you need to chase them to portland on the tides.
Quoted from joseph5185:I just went with Ninja chrome since I was tired of waiting and they are prettier (which is a +)
If they start magnetizing, I'll swap them out.
Chrome ones will generally magnetize the fastest. Save yourself the headache and just avoid them for any machine with magnets.
Quoted from harryhoudini:Does anyone sell Titan that also sells star posts? I see that Marco doesn't... it looks like Bay Area might. I was hoping for Marco or PBL. Are the Perfect Play close to Titan? Or are Titan just that much better? Or is just because that is what is OEM?
Also, I'm putting together an order... I have the 6 star posts and all new rings for the PoTC I just picked up used/routed a bit. All the rubbers need to be replaced (all black colored now) and I can clearly see the dimpling on the sling posts (one of them had some chipping now where the playfield wood is showing). Do I need some sort of soft washer to go under them?
As far as I can tell the game plays fine. Ship works nicely, nothing is protecting the wires so I'll do that when I install the rest of the cliffy kit that came with it. Also came with the gear mod for the spinning disc, so that was nice. Need to install. So not sure I need anything else, but open to suggestions
I use PerfectPlay on the flippers and marco (only - his is the best) white rubber on the rest of the machines once I replace the stock rubber.
Quoted from zaphX:I try to keep all the coils at defaults unless there is a problem. I think I only had to bump Tortuga up one or two from default so it fires consistently into the left flipper.
I had to bump the right flipper up 2 to make the chest lock consistently after I straightened the tines on the fork.
Quoted from harryhoudini:For anyone that said this over DI, thank you. LE over SE, most definitely if you can. That cabinet art and playfield are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. To all the other LE owners, you are welcome. This one is off the market for the foreseeable future, so scarcity just went up.
Anyone that's spent a good amount of time with both Dialed In and jjPotC knows jjPotC DESTROYS Dialed In. Utterly.
And yes, LE over SE - IF you can still find one, even the CEs are drying up fast. Jack is going to regret cutting this production run short to get WonkaVoltaire on the line. He should have skipped that WoZ YBR...thing and just moved jjPotC to the small line instead.
Quoted from DrDQ:Not sure I agree that one blows away the other but of course that depends on your taste and what you like in a pin.
They are both very enjoyable yet different games. DI shoots better and has just about unrivaled flow. As of now I think the modes are also better on DI, but that may change with code updates.
POTC is an EPIC and immersive journey with just so much going on and so much to do.
Both are very challenging and keep you coming back.
.
Dialed In started to feel a little same-y after about a month and after 6 months I never really wanted to play it again. The route we had it on must have had a similar conclusion because earnings fell off a cliff after the first couple months. It was sold shortly after they added Theatre and Chaos City multiballs to try to break up the monotony of climbing the cell phone 3 disasters at a time, every time. It just wasn't enough of a fix to make the game fun over and over.
Fun is subjective, so that's maybe debatable, but jjPotC's music absolutely obliterates Dialed In, no contest, hands down. I'll see how I feel about jjPotC 6 months from now, but it's off to a much stronger start than Dialed In. I was already getting the "maybe this isn't so great" feeling by this point in the Dialed In relationship.
Quoted from Maide:My CE is supposed to come in sometime this next week, so I was going through common issues in preparation for all the fun that comes with NIB games. I was wondering what the star-post slings issue is/was? I can only see people talking about washers being used to fix it, but not what the problem is?
The clear seems to be a little soft still and there's some bunching around posts on the playfield. It's seen on Sterns for the last few releases, too.
Quoted from zaphX:Playfield chipping around the slingshot posts. My advice is don’t fix it unless broken, if you’re not chipping (or showing weird pre-chipping bunching up around the posts) just play. If it chips, the star posts hide the damage nicely and the washers pad the posts so they don’t cause more chipping.
The bunching doesn't necessarily lead to chipping. It just means the playfield finish was too soft when the components were attached and they may have been torqued too tight. Stern has had this issue also since at least Iron Maiden.
Quoted from dts:Thinking about jumping in last minute. Looks like the most fun of all JJP games, although I haven’t played Wonka yet. I was gonna buy initially but loved the triple spinner when I played the prototypes. Are there any prototypes out there to take home? I still love that original feature, although I get it is not a major deal. Like the TZ third spiral magnet that was thrown out, it doesn’t seem to affect gameplay much, if at all. Of course, I have a third spiral magnet, so those things are interesting to me.
There are none to buy with the triple spinner, and actually I think what they ended up doing (variable speed disc that also changes directions randomly) is a very effective spinner that actually affects the ball trajectory a LOT, unlike spinners from pretty most other games that spin at a constant speed in one direction. It really doesn't matter that it's not a triple disc in the end because what they ended up doing actually seems to be better.
Quoted from dts:Great responses, thanks guys! I’m gonna go for it, I hope... maybe there is a way to make the disc slightly more grippy to increase randomness...
It doesn't need any more grip. The speed and direction changes grab and change the ball trajectory much better than any implementation I've ever seen in a pin.
Good luck in the hunt for an LE. They're almost completely dried up now, but there are some CEs left, then that's it.
Quoted from cheshirefilms:I was gonna say the LEs are gone by most accounts, but there are a few standards and CEs.
Standards are only a last resort IMO. There are a few LEs still lurking around, but you need to have the nose of a truffle pig to find them. CEs are easier, but $3 grand more, which you might end up paying down the road for an LE HUO anyway if Jack really doesn't make anymore ever.
Quoted from iloveplywood:Why the large aversion to the standard model? Isn't the gameplay the same? Is the lightshow much worse?
RGB GI is the biggest loss. It's WELL integrated into gameplay, and you can't add it later if you change your mind (like you could by spending $800 on just the shaker/invisiglass/rails at some future point). I'd never want a SE, nor would I recommend it, for that reason alone.
Actually if Jack had his thinking cap on, he'd make the last 100 or whatever Standards into LEs to help with the demand that is going to go unfulfilled.
Quoted from Doctor6:Are there even ANY LEs left at all to buy? Anywhere at all??
Very FEW are still out there, but it's a cash in hand situation. No haggling.
Quoted from joseph5185:So not that I'm going to do this...but I'm on Marco's site and people actually mylar the "entire" play field?
Maybe on older games?...
Changes the way the game plays, looks bad over time, not recommended.
Quoted from GCS2000:I wouldn't mind the stainless at all but I would not want to give up RGB lighting. I cannot imagine this game w/o it.
I will say this about POTC - it is by a wide margin the best game we have in our home and have owned. Does that mean I cannot wait to play it all the time, no - does that mean I only play it vs the other games in my home - no but it is still the BEST game we have.
Sometimes I am looking for something fun and and basic to play - WCS and MB fit that mold to a T. When I want an ass kicking but superbly fun - WH20.
When I want EPIC game play and endless variation - POTC. Our family absolutely sucks at the game be still love to play it. The wife has started stacking MBs and the score is finally starting to rise (and she is just a flipper - no tactics, no strategy etc).
In the home I can think of no better game to have especially for its legs. I cannot imagine playing this on location and enjoying it. Too much going on and too much to do and you need the visual and audible cues the game gives.
Happy to be an LE owner just wish it had been cheaper, lol.
Do you play multiplayer games with the plundering? It's one of the best parts of the game IMO. FANTASTIC multiplayer due to the plundering feature.
Quoted from joseph5185:I plundered my girlfriend's...character. (I didn't know you could do THAT.)
Needless to say...
She wasn't happy!
Hahahaha
Yeah, that's the ultimate plunder because they can't re-pick the character and lose the perk they wanted. First time we realized you could do that we all cracked up.
Quoted from arzoo:It looks ok this way but the cannon mod has a horizontal "wood" part that I'm assuming represents the cannon door in an open position, and shifting it to the left makes it look less attached to the side of the ship.
Yep, there's definitely less of a connection when you put on a shield. Most definitely.
Quoted from harryhoudini:Are those regular metal washers? IMHO that doesn't look so hot.
It's the Stern way. Time-tested, ugly as sin.
Quoted from zaphX:amazon.com link »
Here they are installed with the star posts. Note that you will need to adjust the leaf holders after doing this mod.
[quoted image]
That extra height from the washers might be why you're getting switch leaves falling out and balls getting stuck behind the sling rubber. It's enough to make a difference.
Quoted from zaphX:Maybe. Obviously something I'm watching for, but both issues went away when I put in fresh rubber. I'm sticking with the washers for now as I don't want new star-shaped chip areas.
A mylar circle under each would be as effective and not change the geometry.
Quoted from rs812:https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/66-MSC
What are your thoughts on one of these round mylars under each post?
Right idea, but at almost 2" across, way too big. I'd just buy the Marco square bulk mylar sheet and cut your own with a circular something about the right size a little bigger than the star post and a sharp x-acto knife.
Quoted from dts:There is a good chance I'll be able to get one of the last run. Do you guys like playfield protectors on this? I found them useful on BM66 and IMDNLE, but haven't bothered with other machines.
No. All it will do is hide problems if there are actual issues with the playfield cracking or chipping. It also changes the way it plays. If you keep the machine clean and waxed, it's plenty.
Quoted from harryhoudini:It's an odd dichotomy with JJP. Some things are completely reasonable, cheap even. Some things are a bit ridiculous. Dealing with light boards on my WOZ right now. JJPs shipping costs are also a bit crazy... $27 for a t-shirt, spotlight fixture and hex standoff. The label they put on the box says it cost $9.
New Jersey labor costs are high, then you have to figure in protection money.
Quoted from screaminr:Discovered the wife has plundered the money I had set aside for pirates so I won't be able to get it . So Potc CE number 25 is up for grabs.
When are you eligible for parole?
Quoted from Doctor6:I just called automated, and they're out of LEs. All LEs coming in are spoken for. So my question, now, is how "gimped" is the SE version? I asked over in the dialed in thread, between a Dialed In LE and a Pirates SE, which one to go for. Your thoughts?
Resale value will fall faster than an LE since that's what everyone wants, but the gameplay is the same on both.
SE is missing: Shaker motor, invisiglass, powder coated armor, star map, basic lit topper, spinning pop bumper caps with figure, external knee-level headphone jack, rock cliff sculpture over The Depths, RGB GI. For only $1000 more the LE is a relative bargain.
Quoted from screaminr:But with the se you get the cool looking stainless steel armour
Meh. Doesn't really match the art package.
Quoted from screaminr:To me the black looks meh , I was surprised how good the stainless steel looks . Each to their own
It's more like a deep brown in real life. Same way the AfMr Martian Green looks meh in pictures but amazing in real life. Photos are not always not great to judge by.
EDIT: Looking at it closely from all angles, maybe it is black...I had a scratched rail (getting replaced) out of the box and the edges of the scratch are brown, so that maybe gave me the idea it's really a dark brown. Dunno. It's definitely black on top.
Quoted from rs812:Pinballs.com website says they have a few left
http://pinballs.com/
Someone just posted that they said all the LEs they have left coming are now spoken for. All they have are a few CEs.
Quoted from Yelobird:And I Believe some of the rock sculptures? Not certain.
Oh, right. The rock cliff on the left past The Depths is missing on the SE.
Quoted from Breger1:Really wanting an LE, realizing that's not going to be possible. on the SE, does white GI lighting really make a huge difference? And the 72-light starfield on the back panel? I can live without the powder coat and invisiglass and can add a shaker motor.
The RGB GI is really nice because it changes colors to create mood modes, for lack of a better phrase. Completely changes the look of the playfield as the lighting changes to all green or all red or all purple or whatever, depending on the mode. But if you can't find an LE, you can't find an LE. At that point a CE is your only option, but it should hold its value given the scarcity of it and the LE.
Quoted from zaphX:It's a thing. I've seen it happen on 3 different machines, more than once per.
My solution was to fill that hole with wire loom so the ball can't settle there as easily.[quoted image]
Honestly a 3D printed "V" coming from that post by the "M" in map would probably be a better solution. I might try that. I do not like the shield.
Quoted from Av8:You think its a softer playfield? Looks like the post was loose and moved. Smaller metal washer usually works great. I thought these playfields had special clear.
Clear is definitely soft. Star posts are settling into a 3 month old playfield here less than a week after I replaced the thin posts which were also sunk into the clear. I just posted a how-to on the tech thread for removing the posts and protecting the area with mylar discs or a thin washer.
Quoted from Breger1:I understand, I waited too long and now that I am ready to empty my pockets there isn’t any!
If you're emptying pockets, shake a little harder - there are some CEs left, but not many.
Quoted from joseph5185:People commented that it doesn't feel like a wide body and I agree...
It feels very different from say TH.
For this old guy, that's the only drawback. DEFINITELY FEELS like a widebody if you're a 50+ nudger/bumper. On long games, my hands will get tingly from 20-30 minutes of non stop abuse and I have to shake them out between balls. I only have this issue on widebodies.
Quoted from joseph5185:Anyone think code 1.0 will allow you to fire the ball with the gold button as an alternative to always using the plunger.
That would be kinda cool.
Though I'm pretty sure anyone who is serious is going to go for those skill shots.
Isn't there a setting for that on the system menu?
It's also nice to see that jjPotC has continued the stacked skill shots that Dialed In had, but they need to make more of a fuss about it when you make each new stack.
Also, the camera can shoot video, so it would be funny to have short clips of people watching when they manage to blow up the Dauntless. I bet some of the ones are great the first time they see it.
Quoted from joseph5185:I don’t know! But will check for sure! That’s pretty cool if that’s true.
Speaking of the camera, I don’t always get the best mug shots. Does it snap a pic IMMEDIATELY after hitting end or ? I feel like I’m looking down a lot of times...
It does a hotdog/not hotdog pass on the photo, and if it thinks you're showing your dick, flashing tits, or flipping it off etc , OR it's super blurry or bad quality, it will just use a generic shot maybe from earlier in the game or (on Dialed In it did this) a placeholder nothing photo. I try to pose a bit before hitting the action button on the last letter to snap the pic and that works pretty well.
Quoted from Psw757:Anyone try Mylar under the posts rather than washers? Don’t have this issue yet but since star posts are reportedly digging and and the washers look odd maybe Mylar would mitigate the issue a bit.
Check the tech thread. Instructions with pictures. This is what I recommend at the present.
Quoted from joseph5185:Let me ask here.
Do "most" of you install those sling mylars (ya know, the half moon thingys) ...
I particular don't want to as that's like my favorite action on a pin and I think it would be affected by this -- even if only marginally.
I do not. I just wax frequently. Never had a wear problem.
Quoted from Doctor6:So did this get changed today? I called automated literally yesterday and they said they were all spoken for. Do we think they are actually getting more to sell? Their website didn't change and says they're all gone. Hmmm
They have more coming, but they're all presold. The next LE batch they're getting to fulfill the rest of their order from months ago is the last.
Quoted from harryhoudini:HAH! We've only played multiplayer once and she plundered me (we both had no idea this was a thing) but our games are so low scoring it didn't matter I also got liars dice somehow once and had (still have) no freaking clue what I was doing. I need to read the manual.
It matters if what they plunder is one of your balls or your hand-picked character and its perks.
Quoted from Av8:Sweet. How many LE are there? 500?
No one knows. Less than 1000, though.
Quoted from screaminr:Does anyone use this wax my tech says it's the best .
[quoted image]
I haven't used that in years. I use P21 now. Wipe on, wipe off, lightly buff with a wool buffing pad on a drill for a nice shine.
Quoted from harryhoudini:Someone installed the 6 spotlight kit on my WOZ before I got it and I really love the fact that it allows me to play in the dark. Looks like they took some inspiration from feedback or a kit like this to light up PoTC, which is awesome, except the white lights really kill me. That's one of the things I dislike about Sterns, it seems like they just throw a bunch of white spotlights on it and bam, lit game. The previous owner of my PoTC had the LED trough and backboard lighting installed. Single color, white, always on 100%. I unplugged that, it was way too bright on the backboard, killing the starmap effect. I am going to reinstate the trough lighting, need to rewire a bit, wasn't a great install.
So, what I did as a fix for the lighting is do what they did on my WOZ, install purple lighting. After a bit you don't even notice it is purple, it looks almost white once you get used to it. It's dimmer, easier on the eyes and really compliments the games, IMHO. I am going to add another spotlight to the right sling, not sure why they installed two on the left and none on the right. Also going to see if I can get one situated near the kraken/maelstrom to point at the dauntless, it could use some lighting.. probably a blue spotlight would work.
Otherwise, all the spotlights are converted to these: https://pinballbulbs.com/products/flasher-906-purple-flat-top-pinball-led
Pictures don't quite do it justice, it's way more purple in the photos than in real life.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Purple and blue are actually worse for your eyes than white. Depending on the wavelength they can cause permanent damage with long-term exposure if they're on the edge of the UV range. Red is the safest, but, well, no one wants a red playfield wash...
Quoted from harryhoudini:Maybe it's just the brightness of the white. I am guessing my time playing pinball isn't really enough exposure to cause issue.. but I'm just an armchair optometrist.
If you're putting the bulbs in the spotlights, you can control the brightness of the white you choose.
Quoted from harryhoudini:Does anyone else have these markings? The posts are wearing through the printing. Not sure why there aren't bolts/nuts on the 3rd post.
[quoted image]
Normal (and very common on many pins) if that area is unprotected. If you put a small mylar disc on the underside, it prevents the screw from wearing through the backing ink on the plastic.
Quoted from PanzerFreak:Best bet to just use the clear washers from Pinball Life right now under the stock posts as a preventative measure?
I'd use mylar (and did). Doesn't change the height of the posts and provides protection.
Quoted from tatapolus:I just had a crazy game and need to share. On ball one I started a couple multiballs, had x3 Playfield on and started Arrr Frenzy. Then a mystery award gave me 6x playfield. I shot the spinners nicely and got some jackpots from the different multiball. And suddenly I had 6 Millions. Arrr Frenzy alone was over 2 Millions. So much fun. But because I was laughing so much I screwed up the other two balls what a great fun game. But it is quite rare to get 6x playfield right? Normally it takes quite some Pirates award and then you still have to hit the 6x target.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Wow, that's an amazing game!
Quoted from Cobray:Just reading through this with people asking how many LE's is JJP making... I kind of laugh at this because the reality is, JJP doesn't really limit the middle-of-the-line models if there is demand.
Look at Hobbit- LE, then they came out with a more desirable "Smaug" edition that was just like the LE. Now look at WOZ, multiple editions, all "LE" quality available.
Nope. ECLE is the only one with a direct-printed cabinet. They never did it again, making it A> Awesome, and B> Truly a JJP LE.
Quoted from harryhoudini:So, neither my wife nor I knew that plundering a ball was possible. She found out tonight that it was, HA!
Ball and character are the most damaging plunders.
Quoted from f3honda4me:Posting this for a key post referencing rubber ring sizes and locations. This is in the owners manual as well. Screenshot is from vireland I believe.
[quoted image]
Appreciate it, but it's better to direct people to the tech thread for PotC (and key post it there, if you like) where this post is in the index rather than this general conversation/club thread.
The graphic is a combination of two pages from the manual that eliminates wasted space.
Quoted from jarozi:Anyone heard status on the latest run? If they are still idling waiting for parts?
Last I heard. In other news, the LE we have here has a number that's almost 800 on the playfield underside in blue, and that was mid-Feb. So JJP probably will have made at least 1000 LEs by the time they're done.
Quoted from PinMonk:Appreciate it, but it's better to direct people to the tech thread for PotC (and key post it there, if you like) where this post is in the index rather than this general conversation/club thread.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jjpirates-of-the-caribbean-troubleshooting-tips-issues/page/8#post-4958386
The graphic is a combination of two pages from the manual that eliminates wasted space.
Haha, not quite perfect. I forgot to deselect the word "rubber" that I used to find the page in the PDF, so one instance of it is highlighted blue on the parts list for no apparent reason.
Quoted from harryhoudini:What's this all about again? Whatever it is sounds interesting...
*Hey guys, don't be afraid to make some new topics and link them. It's hard to keep up with the single level of quoting.
You aren't using the pinside-buddy plug-in to track all the threads of interest to you?
Quoted from harryhoudini:.... not sure if this is sarcasm.... bah, you made me google it
Sometimes I cannot help myself. Drives my wife nuts in social situations.
Quoted from davisjl1979:Anyone hear new status on shipping of LEs?
I just got a shipment of a couple LE replacement parts that were held up waiting for restock, so the last LEs are likely being built now.
Quoted from Heater:Which parts did you order?
I didn't order any parts, they were warranty replacements for a couple cabinet parts that arrived with the machine damaged. But they were OOS until this week so I'm pretty sure that means the last parts needed to make the rest of the LEs have arrived or are arriving.
Quoted from Psw757:That is what mine looks like. Early build 10/8/18.
No eject issues, just issues getting the ball to consistently stay in. Bricks out way too frequently!
What's your flipper power? May be too high or the deflector bracket may be loose. The Tortuga hole on the one here has no reject problems.
Quoted from lexi:The UK dealer for POTC has stated that they are taking orders for LE's this year as "another batch was being manufactured".
Can anyone tell me what the original batch run was for POTC LE?
Looking at WW the LE numbers are at 5000, that sounds like a lot!
The LE has to be around 1000 made. We have a mid-Feb build with the blue marker number under the PF being just shy of 800.
Quoted from Yelobird:Curious, do you have a Cliffy on this tortoga hole? Never had a reject granted I don't have any metal ring protectors.
We have Cliffies installed. Zero rejects.
Quoted from Yelobird:Understood, just asking why he would have issues to see if his setup is different in an attempt to help. Tortuga is a key shot for the game so having issues with it would be a pain.
I was just saving him time in that properly-installed Cliffies don't cause rejects at that hole as ours and others are working fine with Cliffies installed. Sounds like he has the older deflector? It will be good to get some clarity on this for the tech thread in case old PoTCs need to be updated with a newer deflector part.
Quoted from PinballSTAR:We have 1 NIB left to sell at Allentown Pinfest this weekend in the PinballSTAR booth !
Can’t make the show and interested in purchasing ? Email Joe at [email protected].
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
But no LEs. SEs aren't really that hard to find, are they?
Quoted from Psw757:I’ve been told by several sources that not all 200 were made so who really knows.
I guess we need a recent CE owner to see what the blue marker number is under their PF.
Quoted from joseph5185:Hmm.. I MAY be one of the more recent CE owners... 12/27/18.
There are people that have bought CEs in the last couple weeks. Just dunno when they were made.
Quoted from joseph5185:[quoted image]
So CEs aren't broken out from LEs if your CE is 566. The LE here is almost 800, in mid-feb, so 6 weeks to make ~200 from the one you have in late Dec. So, maybe 1000 total then.
Quoted from Psw757:Interesting mine is a 10/8/18 build with a PF of 187.
So it looks like they were building about 35 a week/7 a day. Adding 385 (almost 11 weeks from 10-8 to 12-27) puts it at 572, which is almost dead on to the actual 566 number.
Quoted from zaphX:I am really not seeing meaning/patterns in these blue numbers.
Mine is 376 on an 11/19/2018 build date.
Look harder.
187 on 10/8 plus 5.5 weeks (10/8 to 11/19) of ~35/week puts the output at 379 on 11/19 - almost dead on to what you have and certainly within the margin of ~7 for that build day. Seems to be very accurate as long as they're constantly building. It gets sketchy in March/early April because they ran out of parts and we don't know when that happened exactly so the constant rate doesn't apply.
But it seems like they will have made about 1000 in total for the run of all three flavors combined.
Quoted from zaphX:Interesting. I had two machines, one built on a Friday and the other built the following Monday. The difference in serials was 23. (Not sure on the blue numbers as I no longer have the Monday machine to check it.)
They could have had a weekend shift that Saturday (first one Friday to last one Monday, plus a Saturday would be 21 at 7 a day), but it's certainly within the macro average output of ~35 a week. I think the weekly number is more stable. The daily variations within the week are probably a lot greater.
Using the 35/week, I made a quick spreadsheet (no graph) with actual vs expected. They're VERY close. IF they ran to 3/15 solid, they'd have 954. 3/25 would put them at 1004.
Date Actual Expected
8-Oct 187
19-Nov 376 397
12/27/2018 566 566
2/11/2019 794 796
3/15/2019 ??? 954
Quoted from zaphX:Whatever the production number is, it's clearly not enough
Especially since the most desirable model is only 70% or so of those 1000. Nowhere near enough for the growing demand. Pretty sure Jack will circle back to this once Wonka fizzles and run a fill-in. There's enough demand and I assume it will only grow as the software is polished a bit more.
Also, I just re-read your post and realized you were talking about the serial numbers being 23 apart. That's meaningless. The only thing that matters is the blue number on the playfield. The serials are somewhat to massively arbitrary. So your two pins were probably actually much closer if you compare blue numbers (have your buyer look!).
Quoted from Psw757:Has anyone with production in mar/apr posted a PF number?
Not that it matters just interesting data points.
I don't think they were making them in April, until MAYBE the last couple days since they were out of parts to finish what they had left to do for the whole month. But it would be interesting to see if any March builds post their blue number.
Quoted from lexi:I have taken a photo of the inside label for CE number 030, with a manufacture date of 8th January 2019. I have not looked at the blue marker as I am not sure what else that would add?[quoted image]
The blue number stamped on the bottom of the playfield is the actual order. The serial numbers are meaningless for production tracking.
Your blue number should be in the low 600's.
Quoted from lexi:So to clarify does the LE have a number presented on the back box in the same way that a CE does?
Yes, there's a collector's plate with a number on the LEs, too.
Quoted from lexi:So if we have 200 CE's I am yet to get a final figure on the LE production run?
Anyone anywhere any input?
A> We don't know that 200 CEs are actually built or will be built. That was the limit, not the total actually produced.
B> The blue number is ALL jjPotCs, SE, LE, CE, so we can only guesstimate. It looks like ~1000 is the total made.
Quoted from lexi:Okay so LE's and CE's (er and maybe SE's) all made together and the sequence is the blue number underneath the playfield, that is interesting. I will have a look in the morning and see what it is.
TBH I was surprised to get a 30 manufactured in 2019!
You may have gotten a 130 CE with a 30 plate for all we know. The number on the plate is meaningless and distributors/customers often request specific numbers on their plate.
Quoted from lexi:I think the 200 figure for CE is documented, the one that is missing is the LE?
The 200 LIMIT is documented. We don't know how many were actually produced. They may not have hit the limit.
Quoted from lexi:So the number of LE's is unknown then?
I here the feedback on the CE, but not much on the LE production run? Please bear in mind that for WW the production numbers are in the public domain right now for CE and LE, this does not seem to be the case foe POTC?
You're confusing the stated production LIMITS for each type with the ACTUAL amount made. Wonka hasn't even been released yet. There's no production numbers made and verified.
On jjPotC since the SE, LE, and CE production was combined with the blue number on the playfield and not separated out, we may never know the actual amount of each. Just a rough total and an estimate of how that breaks down.
Quoted from rs812:Yours is the 197th CE built
But are the serial number stickers reliable indicators of actual order?
The one we have is blue "combined" PF number 794, serial number 514.
If that's the case (and they made 3 more to hit the CE limit), that means that as of 2/11/19, they had only made 83 SE units.
Quoted from lexi:That is an interesting comment from you. Most people would think that a limited edition of say 500 meant that only 500 would ever be made?
Not sure how something like this could be confusing to the average person etc?
Below is the WW information that is in the public domain but the same doe not exist for POTC?[quoted image][quoted image]
Again, you're confusing the LIMIT for that model (the most they will make) with the amount ACTUALLY MADE. Totally different numbers. Hint: They're never selling 5000 Wonka LE machines. 20% of that number will be a victory.
Quoted from rs812:Correct. Very few SE’s were made. Number 97 was made in first week of March. Highest SE number I have personally seen is 115 (08732115)
So that (SE late in the run at 115 and 200CEs) puts us back at about 70% of the machines being LEs, or about 700 of the ~1000 total run.
Quoted from lexi:So people can predict the future now?
Interesting.
I predict that the 200 POTC CE will be sold out so limit (no caps) will be the actual made (er no caps again)...........
And, short of asking again can anyone tell me the actual LE numbers for POTC?
Email Jack at JJP. If what's been clearly laid out here isn't enough for you, it's all I can recommend.
Quoted from zaphX:Does the production count really matter?
If you own one you're selling, you likely have multiple buyers jumping on it - I did.
If you own one you're not selling, you know what a great game it is so who cares?
Usually I couldn't care less, but in this case it's just interesting (to me, at least) to see how few were actually made when there is strong demand that seems to be growing. They probably left at least another 250 LE sales, maybe 500 on the table. That's a big miss.
Discovered something interesting about the camera processing logic for the wanted pictures when playing tonight.
It uses glasses as a point of reference for your eyes. We are always trying to make wacky wanted shots and see what it will and won't accept (placeholder or standard shot of you from another game means it rejected the picture). Tonight I put my glasses over my mouth on my chin and widened my eyes. To my surprise, the picture on the wanted poster was of my neck and chest! No face! It thought the glasses were my eyes and processed down from there, didn't find a nose or mouth and kept going. Crazy. We'll keep testing the parameters of the image processing to find more cracks.
Quoted from harryhoudini:Do the pics show up somewhere else than just right after the game takes it? I never see them again and didn't notice any menu setting for that.
They show up on wanted posters that scroll right to left in the attract mode.
Quoted from harryhoudini:Can you make them show (using buttons)? I don't think I've seen them.
Yes, but when you skip with the flipper buttons it goes in "sections" and the wanted posters aren't the first part of the section, so to see them you have to either leave it alone and watch, or skip to the beginning of the right "section" then wait a minute or so for the wanted scroll to start.
On the one here, the wanted scroll follows the black screen with "GAME#" on it by itself. But only sometimes. Most times it will skip the wanted scrolling. If it does, you have to flip back to the black screen and wait 20-30 seconds again.
Quoted from pinball_keefer:Sure, why not.
==============================================================================
== Version 0.99 April 23, 2019 ==
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When is this going to be available for download, and is it a full install, or a delta?
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