OP

Quoted from AMartin56:

So time to chime in on my post...
I was able to reseat the pin by firmly applying pressure to it while plugging in the Molex connector. It can't be pulled out now. It didn't solve the problem.
Regarding the molex pin...I didn't swap it because I don't have any on hand. It was shoved into the housing 'sideways' when I initially found it. This didn't happen in shipping. The pin is a bit worn and the tab that holds it in is missing. I imagine the factory employee plugged the connector in normally like I did and the pin fell out. So they just shoved it back in and called it a day. There was tons of evidence of similar lack of care on my machine so it's very plausible.
Luckily I had another node board I'd purchased as a spare so I replaced node 8 and it seems to be working now...we played about 3 hours of it last night. But prior to about ten days ago I would have called it fixed after previous repairs too so only time will tell I guess.
Node 8 was NEVER under consideration as a point of failure until this latest round of troubleshooting. Connecting to the node boards individually with a new cable via all the CPU board ports in multiple combinations did not isolate it prior to the CPU board being replaced. Initially I was losing the TOP half of the playfield...and then it progressed to all of it dropping out..Now in hindsight I was a bit naive about what controls what because apparently node 8 actually creeps pretty high up on the playfield, but Stern etc seemed to accept my previous symptom descriptions as applying to node 9 only as well so it's not like they initially were going over the switch matrix in detail either.
My problem with all of this is:
a) I fail to see ANY benefit to Spike 2 and node boards. A modular approach seems reasonable if the number of boards vary but it's always 0,1,8 and 9 so is it only the home pins that actually only use one playfield node and saves them money? And fuses make more sense to me than what I find to be very vague and flaky internal over voltage protection. I'm starting to wonder if the inevitable Spike 3 returns to more of a traditional Apollo capsule design and the other Spike systems are seen as a space shuttle approach that seemed like a good idea at the time but was ultimately a PITA that changed stuff that didn't need to be change to seem modern.
b) I'll ask Stern technical questions regarding the node boards and I don't get answers. I don't want to make this post any longer than it is but let's just say the answers wouldn't be top secret and are what I would expect the manufacturer to know. So it gives off a vibe that they don't understand them much more than I as some random guy does.
If Stern gets back to me I'm going to ask for a replacement playfield node and a replacement PDB since I finally seem to have one that doesn't click. And will hopefully be done and out of their hair forever. I'm tired and they're tired of me.
But...and I'm sure this is will be a delicate conversation and subject to much debate here (since I ONLY spent 20+ hours troubleshooting this lemon and found numerous defects) I want Stern to consider compensating me with some 'swag' (for lack of a better term) that I might find useful if I'm trying to refurbish this thing 15 years from now. Like spare plastics etc. Anything at all. Don't even know how to ask since I'm typically not like this but I like to stockpile spares and I feel like I earned it so I'm going to blatantly ask.They probably won't since I'm apparently a whiner judging from Pinside but if they do it suggests my experience is unique and not 'what everyone just has to deal with when buying a complicated $10,000 machine!'.