Played the Pro model at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo and was absolutely blown away with this game. Hoping to order a table after the holiday season (And the PF issues hopefully settle), but picked up what will be a fun topper in the meantime

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/jurassic-park-t-rex-rampage-75936

I am weak...

I couldn't wait until after the holidays and just ordered a JP3 Pro which should be delivered on Monday.

I asked about the pooling/chipping issues. The table is a recent manufacture date and is supposed to have the newer artwork spacing changes and the different clear coat. Hopefully there's no major problems and I can just enjoy the new table...

Wow, they didn't contract someone to do the swap for you?

Tables are heavy, plus another 20-40 pounds for the boxing/crating; the Stern JP flyer says 280 pounds boxed and 250 unboxed. Unless you have a forklift or a hand truck plus ramps to get it out of the back of your vehicle, that's going to really suck to dead-lift to the ground. If you can get a reasonable price on at least delivery, I'd say it's likely worth it to avoid loading/unloading hassle if you aren't equipped for it already.

You shouldn't have to do much more than standard assembly, inspection, and leveling if anything. The only additional step for a NIB that I know of you may not have done with used machines is wipe the oil off of new pinballs before loading them in the machine.

I would think if there is a major play-prevention issue with the table (i.e. DOA electronics), a shop person is likely going to be just as stuck as you would be unless they happen to have spares. I'm personally opting to pay more for installation because my table is going upstairs and they have the equipment to make that a much easier process.

Call and talk to your shop, find out what delivery and install costs are, and what they can and will help with in the event of unexpected problems. Then you can make an educated decision if it's worth it and/or get some added piece of mind with your new table setup. You're about to spend $6k with them, they should be more than willing to answer a few questions on delivery and install options

Woohoo! Table arrived today and had a chance to play a few games, it's such an awesome table layout.

Not sure if I need to make some other PF adjustments since I'm only getting about 1/5 plunger shots through the half-pipe, plus I'm having a really difficult time getting the ball up the T-Rex/left ramp. Most of my shots just seem to rattle left to right just past the flap and roll back out. I'm not the greatest by any stretch, but yikes it seems way tougher to hit that left ramp than it was when I played it at PRGE.

Prior to leveling, slope was around 7.8 degrees and now it's about 6.7; no difference on me hitting ramps or the launch half-pipe bricking. Left to right was leaning to the right 0.2 degrees and is now dead on 0.0 degrees. All measurements were taken off of the PF surface at the base of the ramps and at the flippers.

I still have the stock blacks on the flippers which might also be a factor since the PRGE tables all had reds and that's more what I'm used to on my other tables. My pinball skills aren't good enough to easily compensate for the difference

The auto-launcher fairs better than me with the plunger getting up the half-pipe. I noticed when there is a bricking issue, the ball is traveling more on the left side of the shooting lane. I was trying to find the post, someone mentioned backing off the lower left launch ramp screw and slightly propping up that side with a washer/grommet to better guide the ball to the middle of the lane. If there isn't an obvious plunger alignment problem I might try that next to see if it helps.

My Pro table arrived yesterday, no pooling that I can find. I can feel a very slight ridge around the edge of inserts. No dimpling, but my table is only a day old with ~20 plays.

Here's some pics of my new Pro's PF I took this morning:

Upper flipper post
Raptor cage right posts

The paddock mode you start depends on the direction the truck is facing when you hit the left ramp after lighting M-A-P. You can only get to the Spinosaurus paddock by going right from the Stegosaurus paddock or left from the Compsognathus paddock.

You have to complete Spinosaurus before you reach the Pteranodon or Velociraptor paddocks.

You can get to the Visitor Center completing as few as five paddocks/modes by taking all left turns or all right turns up the map, or up to eight if you alternate left and right turns and complete some or all of the super predator paddocks (Dilophosaurus (Spitter), Tyrannosaurus Rex, Spinosaurus) up the middle.

The playfield clear coat pooling/chipping seems be an issue on earlier runs. Recent new posts show a thinner coating and no issues, but YMMV...

My failed idea for a topper. Turned out to be too top heavy with nudging, will likely end up putting this on a shelf just above the backbox instead.

IMG_20191117_124508 (resized).jpg

I don't think I could pull off this again if I tried...

IMG_20191119_192813 (resized).jpg

The boxed Lego set fits the table theme really well even though it's "Jurassic World", I'm bummed it has to go on a shelf above the table instead. Unfortunately the T-Rex has weak ankles, both it and the gate were swaying a lot when testing. I don't think gluing it would have helped much, either. The last thing I wanted is the legs to snap on a forward nudge and the whole thing come down through the cabinet glass.

Feel like I had to do something since it doesn't move

IMG_20191121_203037 (resized).jpg

I'm right there with you, but learning more and getting better.

It feels like there are some crazy physics going on at times. A good bounce off of the top of the right slingshot almost always beelines into the left outlane. I've also had quite a few balls that started down the inner lanes and must be spinning enough to walk back up the half to full ball width and take the outlane path instead. I switched to white rubbers and it somehow seems to be worse than the stock blacks that came with the table.

What's helping me learn better aim is looking at the ball's position on the flipper longer, and waiting until after it's left the flipper before looking to see where it went. I'm also trying to learn what I can backhand with a high consistency, like the raptor pit entrance from the left flipper, and the right set trap target from the right flipper. The right loop and Helipad are tough shots though, I agree.

Yep, this is the left outlane post, note the hole on each side:

The lower hole (Left in picture) will make an outlane drain easier to avoid

I don't see this being quite the same as the TZ camera shot; the post in front of the flipper prevents this. Even if you do end up banking the ball off the underside of the upper right flipper, does it always keep enough momentum to still make it up the half-pipe?

That, and if you are hitting the raised flipper you actually made the right orbit shot and missed the Helipad. Wouldn't you be better of just letting it go through the right orbit to recover and try again?

Way too subjective to answer. TZ is one of the greats; I'd hate to see someone let it go simply due to space as opposed to folding it up and parking it for a while. As awesome as JP is, you liked TZ enough to buy and maintain it and may kick yourself later for letting it go.

Another update coming this month, per Stern of the Union Address news:

"Jurassic Park – For all Jurassic Park owners, please make sure you have updated your game to the most current code version (v0.95.0). This code contains multiple new wizard modes, bug fixes, enhancements and additional polish. Be on the lookout for a new code update later this month."

So the multiball+smart missile issue impacts Pros as well with the 0.95.0 version. Just had the game lock up and reset during T-rex multiball.

Turn off the replay noise.

Anyone else have a problem with applying the .96 code? The update finished installing and I got to the power cycle screen. I turned the table off, pulled the USB out and close everything up, and now nothing happens when I turn the machine on...

Edit: Apparently turning it off for a third time and opening the coin door before turning it on again was the trick.

Nope, I had it happen to me on 0.91.0. Makes a terrible loud screech/garbled noise and then goes back to normal. I happen to be looking at the screen at the start of the screech and saw the replay animation. Sent a comment in on the issue, Chas just told me I can turn the knocker sound off in the menu. Thinking maybe I wasn't clear enough.

The museum madness insert not lighting up in the attract mode radar sweep animation bugs me too. Can't unsee it now.

It works most of the time, I think this issue is tied to a end-of-ball earned replay based on my limited experience and what others have described. It was after a right outlane drain when it happened to me, I can't remember if it was the end of a game or not. I remember the table lights being dark, hearing the screech and seeing the Dilophosaurus animation. My table is home use so I normally keep the game at a volume of 4. It scared the crap out of me when it happened since it shot up to about 15 for the screech replay screen, then back down again.

This only happened to me once and never again since I turned off the kicker sound. The programmer in me is curious to see how the SPIKE2 audio scripting works. Maybe the Dilophosaurus spitting sound during the replay animation combines with the "beep kicker" sound on a single track which gets over-processed with a temporary kicker volume increase. The music track seemed ok in the audio background, just temporarily louder like everything else.

It sounds like you need to take a look at the optos, not the switches. Air balls going by at higher speeds may not block enough of the opto signal and the loops don't register.

There's a few posts in the Premium/LE thread on this issue. Have you seen or tried either the tape strip methodof blocking the lower part of the metal guide openings or shimming the optos higher
on the mounting brackets with washers?

I think some have, may want to read through the main PF issue related thread:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/continued-playfield-issues-with-jjp-and-stern

Anyone else seeing cracking in some of the PF inserts?

TIL this insert cracking has an official term...

Not a good one at present, but I can take a picture after I get home from work. It is crazing, and seems to be on a few inserts. I have a feeling this isn't something Stern will be willing to address.

It was me that brought up the question initially. It is crazing, and some of my inserts look just like what you
posted. I'm still learning these sorts of details as I'm getting deeper into the hobby and didn't know crazing is somewhat normal.

JP is my first NIB table, and with the other reported JP playfield issues combined with not seeing this on my other two tables, I was concerned this was a bigger issue than it really is. I'm a player, not a collector, I'm just doing my best to take care of my pins and learning as I go...

Nothing on the game, it's just a freebie Stern included. There should also have been a ziptop bag with a few replacement stickers for the stand-up targets, for the Pro model a second Raptor pen plastic, and a few keychain fobs that I used for the coin door and backglass keys.

Clear all of the T-Rex modes

Clearing Paddocks gets you to Visitor Center. T-Rex clears open Museum Mayhem.

Mistake, the bottom "Visitor Center" should be "Main Gate"

Probably because of the difficulty level, and the additional capture bonus you get above and beyond the Jurassic Perk. T-Rex gives an extra ball, and Spino
starts King of the Island.

Care to be more specific? Haven't had a chance to play .97 yet to see for myself, nor can I make it to the post-Visitor Center game where more of the recent changes exist.

Right here:

IMG_20200112_090606 (resized).jpg

No, it should be just about flush with the PF, and level with the ball on the truck assembly.

Stern has officially licensed rails as an option:

https://shop.sternpinball.com/products/jurassic-park-side-armor

A full pull on the plunger and the auto-launch should get the ball up the halfpipe and back down on the helicopter rails to the right flipper. Intentional short plunges should come out of the helipad lane to the flippers.

Things to check and do:

• Make sure the table is level left to right, JP is sensitive to proper leveling and pitch. The manual says the table should be at a six and a half degree pitch, Keith Elwin recommends seven.
• Some plungers have needed alignment to make sure it is properly centered on the ball in the shooter lane trough
• Highly recommended to go into the adjustments menu and lower the shooting lane solenoid (Not auto-launch) power to the lowest possible setting to help reduce lane wear.
• If auto-launch and full-strength plunger pulls do not go up the halfpipe 90% or more of the time, it is very common for the left fork of the metal shooter lane ramp to need propping up with washers or other support underneath. I used washers on mine, putting the left fork's screw through the middle of the washers to help hold them in place. Be sure that the top of the left fork is not propped up above the playfield surface to avoid damaging pinballs. When it's needed, raising the left metal fork helps auto and full-strength ball launches go all the way up the halfpipe significantly more reliably.
• The plunger should have an orange spring, some tables (Mine included) shipped with a green spring. The spring in my table is too weak to get the ball up the halfpipe when letting go of the plunger after holding the plunger fully extended. I have to do more of a "lawnmower start" pull, or use the auto-launch, in conjunction with the ramp adjustment above to get the ball up the halfpipe to the ramp

That's because you have a Premium; Pros don't have the Raptor Pen post or the Newton gate. Shots on the back Raptor Pen standup target are designed to drain out of the Control Room lane so they get stopped on the Control Room lane post for the Rapture Capture event. The pictured one-way gate keeps Control Room lane shots from coming out of the Raptor Pen.

Removing the gate would hinder if not completely prevent post captures for Control Room mode starts on Pro tables, the ball could drain out of the Raptor Pen instead.

I would agree. Beyond SDTM drain avoidance, it puts the flipper mech and bat at a higher damage risk. I would rather deal with repairing a post over a flipper.

DNA combos definitely MIA. Maybe they can fix the "Shoot the left ramp" call-out playing after the final bonus screen while they're at it.

This is a new one for a "stuck" ball...

IMG_20200209_190729b (resized).jpg

I will settle for nothing less than a no-cost delivered Premium full table replacement for this virtually unplayable manufacturing defect in my Pro as compensation for my inconvenience.

The ball was rolling up the inlane and had just enough oomph to stop at the edge of the rollover switch cutout and "fall" into the hole. A simple nudge got the ball free. The vibration from the ball search would have likely jostled it free, but I wasn't feeling patient enough to wait for it after taking the picture.

Did you activate it while in a dino capture mode? That gets super crazy!

You are in multiball with your left flipper tied up or limited chance to make the shot and you don't want to waste it.

You have to hit the three front targets twice (Increasing by one after each multiball) or the back target once to light the raptor lock/capture. Once the lock is lit, you have to hit the back target to do the Rapture Capture event. For Prem/LE tables this lifts the gate and captures a ball in the pen as the Newton target, for Pros the ball goes through the pass-through and stops on the Control Room/C lane post then dumps to the left flipper. To start MB, you have to drop the fence integrity to zero by hitting any of the targets in the pen, the back target causes a bigger integrity percentage drop. Once the fence integrity is at zero (Flashing bolt inserts and the music change), you have to hit the back target to start Raptor MB.

Check the back target to make sure it isn't getting intermittently stuck behind the rubber on the post right next to the standup target. That could cause some switch chatter, and would explain why you can start Raptor MB by only hitting somewhere in the front of the raptor pen, or that you sometimes need to really hit the back target solid for it to register (i.e. it's caught on the "front side" of the post rubber).

You can fix this by putting a washer/shim under one side of the standup target mounting bracket so the target leans away from the post just enough for clearance to move freely.

Make sure you have an orange spring on the plunger and not a green one, your table is level left to right, and possibly put a washer or two under the shooter lane ramp's left fork.

I used two thinner washers since it is what I had on hand. Don't lift the front of the fork higher than the routed edge of the playfield. It doesn't take much and you don't want to chip the pinballs going up the ramp.

IMG_20191113_005418 (resized).jpg

IMG_20200112_090606 (resized).jpg

I believe the Shaker use option is in the feature adjustments, adjustable between none, limited, normal, and Max. The intensity of the actual motor shake is a physical adjustment.

You should never need to grease any part of the flipper assembly; they are designed to operate dry. Is there a small amount of up and down play on the flipper? The flipper being tightened flush against the bushing can cause the resistance you are feeling.

September build date for my Pro. Has the thinner clear, pulled back artwork as you can see, and the improved post. Just noticed this today when I was cleaning the table...☹️

IMG_20200321_140035 (resized).jpg

Three of them?

I'm curious if the auto-launch isn't waiting long enough after the kickout into the lane, and it just needs another half-second or so for the ball to settle before trying to launch.

That'll be right about the time something breaks

Has anyone else had shots rattle out of the right ramp entrance and still trigger a successful ramp hit? This happened once before, but it triggers more frequently for me now; I've had right ramp rejects trigger skill shots, extra balls, rescues, and dino captures so I don't think it's a code thing.

I'm going to take a look to see if there's a problem with the switch and the related gate at the top of the ramp, although I was mostly curious if anyone else had or has this same issue.

Yep, was totally the switch, the gate barely had to move to trigger the switch. I tweaked the switch arm up so the gate has to move way farther now.

Have the flippers become weaker in general? If so, have you replaced the coil stops?

Naptha for cleaning playfields and rubber, Windex or your favorite glass cleaner for the glass and plastics, and a 100% Carnauba wax with no solvents.

Novus 1 will be about as effective as Windex, and I've had no issue with Naptha damaging or discoloring the ramps on JP. Note that you must use a very well ventilated area for Naptha, and while it does an amazing low scrubbing effort to remove pencil lines and dirt from rubber, it will take off playfield wax just as easy.

I'd say backbox so they drop into the cabinet. This way you don't have long cables dangling out of the backbox when you're moving it. I don't think it matters, otherwise.

Is this a frequency issue (How often the motor spins), or an intensity issue (How strong is the shaking)?

I don't know about a "cheat sheet", but there is a solid rules outline on Tilt Forums: http://tiltforums.com/t/stern-jurassic-park-rulesheet/5644

They'll go through the side of the switch body. Honestly, I'd recommend adjusting the actuator over taking apart the ramp.

I can appreciate the caution, but light pressure is all it will likely need, about the same as a leaf switch. You might put a little too much of a bend and have to straighten the actuator arm out again, or more likely the actuator could pop off the switch body and it will have to be clipped back on again. You're not going to permanently break the actuator arm unless you do something crazy like repeating sharp bends back and forth or try to fold it in half.

Even if you totally destroy the switch, it's a $5 part, tops:

https://www.pinballlife.com/data-eastsegastern-switch-180-5010-04.html

In that picture you can see one side of the actuator clip that pops over the little plastic nubs on the switch body.

There's no need to add additional washers. Pinball Life has a good assembly picture showing where the two flat washers should go:

Stern ball shooter assembly picture from Pinball Life

There is also the e-clip just behind the plunger tip rubber that retains the inner spring and sort of acts like a washer.

Some general tips in case you haven't tried them yet:

JP seems to be really picky about level. Use a level with a digital readout and make sure the table is level side to side, measuring off the playfield and not the cabinet or glass. Ignore the bubble level on the playfield and measure the playfield pitch near the flippers and closer to the truck assembly. You'll likely get different readings, you can average them or lean more toward the flipper area pitch, your call. Keith Elwin recommended a seven degree pitch, I prefer a six and a half to make the ball exits out of the pop area gate near the truck a little easier to save.

For the shooting lane ramp, do you have a slow motion video record option on your phone? A slow motion video of a ball launch will show if the ramp forks need adjusting. The premise behind using the washers is that the routed cutout for the ramp is too deep on the left fork on some (Maybe all) playfields, so the ball doesn't travel up the middle of the launch ramp and drifts left. This misalignment makes manual plunges and auto-launches of the ball hit the Helicopter half-pipe off-center and reject, or brick entirely in extreme cases. Lifting the left fork with washers makes sure the ball travels up the ramp channel each time, although it shouldn't be raised so high the ball catches the front edge of the fork.

As for the plunger inner spring, the green spring that ships with tables will be generally too weak to make launches up the half-pipe unless you rip the plunger, orange is ideal (And reportedly what should be included), and blue works but a bit too strong and hits the half-pipe pretty hard with longer pulls. Other than the spring strength or the shooter rod not moving smoothly through the shaft, the other big item is checking the plunger rod tip is vertically and horizontally aligned with the center of the ball in the plunger lane. That might mean removing the assembly and cutting out bigger openings for the plate screw shafts if it's really bad. I'd strongly recommend trying an orange spring to see if it resolves manual plunger issues before carving on the cabinet, though.

For the auto plunger, the ball should make even contact with both forks on the auto-plunger kicker arm. Another assembly picture from Marco Specialties in the lower left shows the rounded forks I'm talking about that sit behind and strike the ball:

Auto-plunger assembly picture from Marco Specialties

If only one fork touches the ball, or the ball has to shift sideways in the lane to rest on both forks when you pull the plunger rod back, bend one or both forks with a pair of pliers as needed. Ideally, the ball should only move forward or backward in the lane switching between resting on the shooter rod tip and kicker arm forks. It might be worth a try to bend the tips of the forks a little closer together to contact more toward the center of the pinball (Maybe 5/8"-3/4" apart?) making sure the forks can't clip the shooter rod assembly.

If aligning or adjusting the forks doesn't fix the auto-plunge issue, try dropping the auto-plunger power value by five or ten from default and see what happens. It seems counter-intuitive to lower the strength to start, but if the plunge strength is too hard, the ball can bounce off the back of the half-pipe more that it will roll up the half pipe. If the auto-plunges are rolling partway up the half-pipe and back down or rolling up the half-pipe and dropping straight down before getting to the rail, then you can start incrementing the plunger power by fives until you find a value that consistently makes it up the half-pipe.

I'd say you need the washer lift, it looks like the ball is pushing to the left after passing the forks.

Here's a clip from mine, you can see how the forks sort of realign the auto-plunger shot.

https://imgur.com/a/3eKi9eQ

Check the stand-up target in the back of the raptor pen.

Let's see what I can still remember:

-Swapping the manual plunger inner spring to the orange version (https://www.pinballlife.com/ball-shooter-plunger-inner-spring-orange.html)
-Align the top edge of the three flipper bat plastics to the alignment holes, not the centers like normal.
-The left fork of the shooting lane ramp often needs a few washers underneath to stop the ball from drifting left and rejecting out of the half-pipe
-Keith Elwin recommends a playfield pitch of seven degrees (I prefer 6.5, but that's me)
-Replace the stock black rubbers off the table to keep the playfield cleaner
-Tighten the upper flipper post; a loose post will start chipping the playfield. Protective washers or rings are also a good idea.
-Make sure the stand-up target in the very back of the raptor pen doesn't rub or catch on the post rubber right next to it (Shim one side of the stand-up brace with washers under the table to lean the target if needed)
-Use tape to block the lower portion of the opto holes in guides/ramps for the orbit and T-Rex ramp to catch faster moving shots or airballs. You can also put washers underneath for a cleaner looking fix.
-Upgrade the thrust bearing on the truck assembly (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QLWRTBN)
-Order replacement coil stops for all three flippers. Stern's shipped coil stops used to (and still may) break loose or fail prematurely (https://www.pinballlife.com/flipper-coil-stop-for-sternsega.html)

Almost forgot:
-Drop the ball trough eject strength to the lowest setting

It's a cool feature, yea, but would you rather have the raptor gate and animated T-Rex, or another older machine for that $2k? That was the budget question I had to ask myself that drove my decision in getting the Pro.

Granted, this was also before "pinflation" kicked in and there were more options for machines at a $2k price tag, and the T-Rex didn't do as much then either, making it an easier choice.

Nah, only new to the table. Keep at it and your scores will improve in no time.

Is it still drifting to the left? Any pictures of the washers under the fork?

You could also try a blue spring like I have, but I'd advise against doing a full plunge to avoid hitting the right orbit shot from the shooting lane via making a hole in the half-pipe. It might be a good idea to check the auto-plunger coil and assembly under the playfield to make sure there isn't a mechanical issue like the coil sleeve causing binding or a loose/broken coil stop.

Have you checked or replaced the coil stops yet? Coil stops were prone to early failure when JP first started shipping in 2019 and may still be problematic. I highly recommend swapping out all of the coil stops on Stern tables. Try checking continuity on both the flipper and EOS leaf switches to be sure, although I suspect the coil stop "button" is broken off and floating around in the coil sleeve. If so, also replace the coil sleeve for that flipper if the inside of the sleeve is damaged.

It's certainly possible if there is a weak or failing connection, although I would expect the CPU to pick up intermittent flipper failures. You can try swapping the node8 and node9 boards (Requires changing jumper settings after swapping connections). I really suspect the coil stop, though, and highly recommend checking that first since it's a common known issue and a much easier test/solution.

Yes, there is an EOS switch. Stern uses single wound flipper coils and rapidly pulses power instead of an alternate lower power hold coil. There is some debate on the functionality of the EOS switch on SPIKE2. For Sega/Stern Whitestar, if a ball impact causes the flipper to drop and close the EOS switch, the board will send a full longer pulse to push the flipper back out which should re-open the EOS switch, and go back to pulsing the coil power to hold the flipper up. Presumable nothing changed for SPIKE/SPIKE2, although it isn't confirmed. For JP/SPIKE2, the EOS switch either does little to nothing except signal the CPU, or the EOS switch handles rebounds the same way it did in the Whitestar era.

Correct, and all three wizard modes require successful completion to play the final WDRTE mode.

I agree with Gogdog that it's a serious shame to avoid JP just because the game ends after Escape Nublar/WDRTE. It takes 30-45 minutes just to reach Visitor Center, plus the requirement of needing to complete the four T-Rex modes and three Control Room modes to qualify the other two mini-wizard modes. A "full game" is not only a very difficult task (I've only finished 2/3 mini-wizard modes toward Escape Nublar), it's going to be an hour long game, at least.

Were you in the Compy paddock at the time?

If it's while you're in the Compy paddock, it's not a bug. Compys are tranq immune as their special ability, so hitting the green arrow shot won't pause them, and the action button super tranq is temp disabled.

The flippers should be aligned with the top edge of the flipper plastic (Not the rubber) to the flipper alignment hole, not the center of the flipper plastic like usual. Makes the Control Room and Hellipad shots much easier to make.