Been a lot of posts on the EM mech. Did you check the key posts on page 1? Not sure if it’s covered there, but worth a look.
(Topic ID: 283506)
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Quoted from Wmsfan-GAP:Been a lot of posts on the EM mech. Did you check the key posts on page 1? Not sure if it’s covered there, but worth a look.
Thanks, this one doesn't appear to be in the key posts... yet. Seems like it is a popular issue.
Quoted from crobby:Thanks, this one doesn't appear to be in the key posts... yet. Seems like it is a popular issue.
There on three? nuts near the bottom of the mech under the playfield. You need to loosen those to allow for the adjustment. When those are loose you can adjust and tighten it flush.
32F042A2-A82C-4C94-8B2C-D681152F3B17 (resized).jpegAlso noticed that when I’m drinking, “Communication Breakdown” doesn’t bother me! I even kinda like it.
Fultondale, AL
Quoted from swampfire:How’s this for a dubious achievement:
- 3 Tour MBs played
- 2 Zep MBs
- 4.5 songs completed (so close!!!)
- 1 EM MB
And my score was just 335M, lol.
You will find that Mothership MB for 5 songs doesn't really boost your score that much. But EM Frenzy, that can double a 335M score! World Tour can be pretty beefy too. Celebration Day can triple or quadruple your score!
Quoted from gwarrior:Okay, I made a video...I shot the right orbit repeatedly, and edited out all the dead space, so I have a video that just shows a series of shots up the right orbit. Most get rejected. The first two and a half minutes show approximately 22 shots at regular speed, and then the video shows the same shots at half speed. The half speed video is revealing. Although the rejects vary, there is one thing that seems to happen consistently: a solid right orbit shot skates across the rubber along the top of the playfield, and then strikes the metal guide just above the saucer...from there, the ball ricochets downwards into the gate for the reject (examples at 7:07, 8:20 and 9:24). Even some of the balls that don't get rejected seem to bounce off the ball guide above the saucer and then ricochet off the gate, but the gate sometimes bounces them into the saucer.
Based on this, I see two possible fixes: bend the ball guide above the saucer upwards to reduce the angle of downward ricochet, or bend the gate wireform to try and get the ball to bounce upwards into the saucer instead of away from the saucer.
But, I'm open to better ideas...I'm not sure "bending" metal is the best solution.
FOLLOW UP: for others who are experiencing consistent rejects at the top saucer. In my case, the ball shot up the right orbit towards the top saucer was ricocheting downwards off the right end of the ball guide immediately above the saucer, and then bouncing off the gate away from the saucer and into the jets. I figured the solution would be to move the ball guide upwards to reduce the angle of impact and reduce the ricochet. But, I wasn't able to bend the ball guide upwards...so I grabbed my dremel grinder and took off some of the edge of the ball guide. Now, the shots up the right orbit glance less severely off the end of the ball guide and mostly make it into the saucer. Mostly.
Quoted from gwarrior:FOLLOW UP: for others who are experiencing consistent rejects at the top saucer. In my case, the ball shot up the right orbit towards the top saucer was ricocheting downwards off the right end of the ball guide immediately above the saucer, and then bouncing off the gate away from the saucer and into the jets. I figured the solution would be to move the ball guide upwards to reduce the angle of impact and reduce the ricochet. But, I wasn't able to bend the ball guide upwards...so I grabbed my dremel grinder and took off some of the edge of the ball guide. Now, the shots up the right orbit glance less severely off the end of the ball guide and mostly make it into the saucer. Mostly.
I had this. I made a slow motion video and saw the ball was hitting the edge of the metal guide as well. I emailed Stern and they suggested that I remove the post that holds the rubber to gain access, then with channel locks, gently bend the guide outward. It creates a nice scoop shape that has all but eliminated the bounced rejects. But just be advised that to get the post out of the way, you have to move the backboard and there is a hidden, sneaky screw in the bottom.
I’ve been following all the advice here and it’s really helped me improve my LZ. The right ramp can be made consistently with a backhand, and the zeppelin ramp is getting made much more. I’m finding the left and right ramps are both much easier to make backhand, as well as the left spinner shot. LZ is really a game where you have to get control of your Multiballs and take controlled shots.
I’m finding the hardest shots now are the 2 ejects. When that EM timer is counting down and I miss that left eject repeatedly, I get so mad. It’ll come with practice, I’m sure.
Quoted from swampfire:I’ve been following all the advice here and it’s really helped me improve my LZ. The right ramp can be made consistently with a backhand, and the zeppelin ramp is getting made much more. I’m finding the left and right ramps are both much easier to make backhand, as well as the left spinner shot. LZ is really a game where you have to get control of your Multiballs and take controlled shots.
I’m finding the hardest shots now are the 2 ejects. When that EM timer is counting down and I miss that left eject repeatedly, I get so mad. It’ll come with practice, I’m sure.
Does anyone have any strategies for hitting the right ramp with a backhand. I do it sometimes but usually too in the moment to figure out what I did with any consistency.
Looking for help on adjusting the trajectory of the ball when it ejects out of the left eject. When the ball ejects it’s hitting the top of the left sling and not to the left flipper. I removed the plastic above that rail thinking that there would be a screw to adjust the rail, but no screw.
Quoted from Forehead_Slap:I had this. I made a slow motion video and saw the ball was hitting the edge of the metal guide as well. I emailed Stern and they suggested that I remove the post that holds the rubber to gain access, then with channel locks, gently bend the guide outward. It creates a nice scoop shape that has all but eliminated the bounced rejects. But just be advised that to get the post out of the way, you have to move the backboard and there is a hidden, sneaky screw in the bottom.
The bending approach didn't work for me, because the very end of the ball guide is anchored into the playfield. I removed the nut from the underside of the playfield, but the "anchor" was still keeping me from bending the guide. I thought about using a drill to make the hole through the playfield bigger, and then trying to bend the ball guide, but decided to use the grinding approach instead.
Glad to hear Stern wrote back to you...they didn't respond to my e-mail. Just curious...how did you manage to bend the ball guide? I understand removing the adjacent post with the rubber the create room to grasp the ball guide with a channel lock pliers, but how were you able to bend it upwards with the ball guide's anchor in the playfield?
Bending would have been my preferred solution to make the "scoop" as you mention, but I couldn't get it to work.
Quoted from gwarrior:The bending approach didn't work for me, because the very end of the ball guide is anchored into the playfield. I removed the nut from the underside of the playfield, but the "anchor" was still keeping me from bending the guide. I thought about using a drill to make the hole through the playfield bigger, and then trying to bend the ball guide, but decided to use the grinding approach instead.
Glad to hear Stern wrote back to you...they didn't respond to my e-mail. Just curious...how did you manage to bend the ball guide? I understand removing the adjacent post with the rubber the create room to grasp the ball guide with a channel lock pliers, but how were you able to bend it upwards with the ball guide's anchor in the playfield?
Bending would have been my preferred solution to make the "scoop" as you mention, but I couldn't get it to work.
I loosened the nut under the ball guide, then removed the post holding the rubber. By doing that I could get channel locks in the space and grip the metal. I bent it using the mounting post as a center point. It actually bent fairly easily. If you got the rubber post out, then that was the hard part.
Quoted from Blue_Agave:Looking for help on adjusting the trajectory of the ball when it ejects out of the left eject. When the ball ejects it’s hitting the top of the left sling and not to the left flipper. I removed the plastic above that rail thinking that there would be a screw to adjust the rail, but no screw.
First, make absolutely sure the game is level and not leaning to the left.
Second, the game might be too steep. Try making more shallow.
Third, if neither of those work, you can put a flat blade screwdriver behind the rail near the end and gently pry it out .
I know how frustrating this can be. I played a pro on location for a long time that would bounce off the top of the sling. Totally messes up the flow of the game.
Quoted from shlt_thunder:Does anyone have any strategies for hitting the right ramp with a backhand. I do it sometimes but usually too in the moment to figure out what I did with any consistency.
I can only do it from a cradle. And when I say a make it “consistently” I really mean about 50%, which is as good as it gets on LZ for an average player like me.
Gotta adjust the right flipper as Haymaker showed a little bit back in the thread.
I still haven’t made the change yet.
Quoted from shlt_thunder:Does anyone have any strategies for hitting the right ramp with a backhand. I do it sometimes but usually too in the moment to figure out what I did with any consistency.
Let me tell you an advanced way of hitting the right ramp. Difficult, but do it once and you'll be hooked. Ball in left saucer, when it kicks out, do not flip. The ball will bounce from the left flipper to the right flipper. Now, on the fly, backhand the right ramp with the right flipper. I'm telling you, if you do it once you will be hooked. I can pull it off about 25% of the time now with lots of practice.
Quoted from LOTR_breath:First, make absolutely sure the game is level and not leaning to the left.
Second, the game might be too steep. Try making more shallow.
Third, if neither of those work, you can put a flat blade screwdriver behind the rail near the end and gently pry it out .
I know how frustrating this can be. I played a pro on location for a long time that would bounce off the top of the sling. Totally messes up the flow of the game.
I’ve got it level side to side and have the playfield at 7 degrees. Is 7 too much? I’m going to try to gently pry the rail.
Also having an issue with the shooter gate getting stuck backwards when the ball hits it and the ball gets stuck.
Quoted from Blue_Agave:I’ve got it level side to side and have the playfield at 7 degrees. If 7 too much? I’m going to try to gently pry the rail.
Also having an issue with the shooter hate getting stuck backwards when the ball hits it and the ball gets stuck.
You might try 6.5 and see if it makes a difference.
Quoted from shlt_thunder:Does anyone have any strategies for hitting the right ramp with a backhand. I do it sometimes but usually too in the moment to figure out what I did with any consistency.
Don’t pose while in the cradle .Settle it and rip it !
Quoted from wtatumjr:I've posted this before, but for newcomers. Lower the right ramp using this. It will give you about a 20 percent better success rate.
[quoted image]
Thanks for the tip !
Quoted from livetowin:Just picked up a premium and the left spinner isnt registering. Anyone with the same problem?
Check the wire under the playfield and test the switch leaf with your hand.
Quoted from swampfire:I can only do it from a cradle. And when I say a make it “consistently” I really mean about 50%, which is as good as it gets on LZ for an average player like me.
I was able to do it from cradle once last night. Tried for an hour and was not able to do it again. It would get to the peak of the ramp and then come right back every other time.
Quoted from LOTR_breath:Let me tell you an advanced way of hitting the right ramp. Difficult, but do it once and you'll be hooked. Ball in left saucer, when it kicks out, do not flip. The ball will bounce from the left flipper to the right flipper. Now, on the fly, backhand the right ramp with the right flipper. I'm telling you, if you do it once you will be hooked. I can pull it off about 25% of the time now with lots of practice.
Sounds fun. I’ll try this method.
Quoted from LOTR_breath:Let me tell you an advanced way of hitting the right ramp. Difficult, but do it once and you'll be hooked. Ball in left saucer, when it kicks out, do not flip. The ball will bounce from the left flipper to the right flipper. Now, on the fly, backhand the right ramp with the right flipper. I'm telling you, if you do it once you will be hooked. I can pull it off about 25% of the time now with lots of practice.
I played with it and it works like a charm. I’d say I was hitting the ramp approximately a quarter of the time also. Thanks for the tip!
So after being delivered Friday night I spent the weekend playing my LZ Prem. I saw a post here that recommended changing the sling power to 16 to prevent the ball from leaving the playfield, which I changed. Are there any other settings I should consider modifying? All three flippers and both ejects are at factory default and I was wondering if there was an advantage of changing these default settings. I also lowered the setting for the ball eject into the shooter lane. Any tips or opinions are greatly appreciated.
If you can’t backhand the right ramp, move the right flipper up just a tad above the guide mark. That made a huge difference on my game, since the flipper was slightly below the mark.
Quoted from Blue_Agave:So after being delivered Friday night I spent the weekend playing my LZ Prem. I saw a post here that recommended changing the sling power to 16 to prevent the ball from leaving the playfield, which I changed. Are there any other settings I should consider modifying? All three flippers and both ejects are at factory default and I was wondering if there was an advantage of changing these default settings. I also lowered the setting for the ball eject into the shooter lane. Any tips or opinions are greatly appreciated.
The lower flippers default is already on max. I also set my upper flipper to max. Default on that one is slightly below max for some reason.
I also lowered the one that says something like "upper eject when gate closed". It was too powerful and the ball often bounced right back into the eject on mine.
Quoted from swampfire:If you can’t backhand the right ramp, move the right flipper up just a tad above the guide mark. That made a huge difference on my game, since the flipper was slightly below the mark.
Thanks, I have hit the right ramp with a backhand. Unfortunately I just don’t have enough practice yet.
Quoted from LOTR_breath:The lower flippers default is already on max. I also set my upper flipper to max. Default on that one is slightly below max for some reason.
I also lowered the one that says something like "upper eject when gate closed". It was too powerful and the ball often bounced right back into the eject on mine.
Yeah, that upper flipper is set lower than max. Not sure if it was that way for a reason. How are you liking the upper flipper set at the max?
I don’t recall what the upper eject default is and I am not currently able to check. Do you recall what your setting is set at by any chance?
Thanks to all for the help and tips.
Quoted from LOTR_breath:I also lowered the one that says something like "upper eject when gate closed". It was too powerful and the ball often bounced right back into the eject on mine.
Eject-gate-eject = no fun
Eject-gate-popopopopopop-eject = awesome
Zep electric magic spinner:
I'm considering changing out my original early build spinner for the replacement "fix kit" spinner.
Do i need to change the entire included assembly, or can I just swap the spinner itself (the old one with the 90 degree angle arms to the new one with the bent angle arms).
I guess what I'm asking is does anybody know if there's anything else different with the "new" fix kit assembly? (bracket etc.)
You’d have to review some of the posted spinner pics, but I believe the bracket that the spinner sets in changed as well as the spinner itself. Maybe review the pdf manual on the stern site?
Quoted from wtatumjr:I've posted this before, but for newcomers. Lower the right ramp using this. It will give you about a 20 percent better success rate.
[quoted image]
Thanks, I bookmarked your first post last week. But now I’m making that shot enough that I sort of don’t want to tamper with it. Strangely for me it’s the middle ramp that regularly pisses me off. It’s like SR decided the shot was too easy, so he jacked it up another inch.
Wasn't sure where else to put this. Does anyone here think that it'd be possible to add the left reversal/wireform from the Premium to the left reject on the Pro? That's the only feature from the Premium I think the Pro is really lacking. Looks like there are two full assemblies, one for the reversal and one for the wireform. Each has a set of optos, though, and there's only a single standup target on the Pro. I think there'd have to be some kind of code modification for it to work properly with both switches. I suppose you could just leave one of them out and splice in the opto in place of the standup and it would work similarly. Anyone thought of this or working on it? I'm willing to test on my machine if anyone wants to let me know how I can obtain these assemblies 
242596465_281164423830168_7305222775562947475_n (resized).png242698492_249503237102038_2045521199246629427_n (resized).pngI need to ask for some help. Been emailing Stern and they have been helpful, but I get one email a day and we,re over 10 days into this.... Apparently the phones don't work there.
My EM stays up almost all the time and it pops up and down like a hyperactive 4 yr old. At the end of one ball it literally pops up and down three times before the next ball. The tech agent wants me to check the EM switches. Great. I have no idea how to do this, except I followed her advice to get to the EM switch test... This was what I see. What is good.... or bad? What am I supposed to see and how an I supposed to adjust any switch that's not correct?
Sorry... I'm tired of this thing not working.
PS. If you hit a ball as the EM is popping up, it REALLY launches that sucker. Good news is that I haven't broken glass yet.
PXL_20210921_184427826.MP (resized).jpg^^ check both of the “end-of-travel” switches for the EM stage. Also make sure no stray wires are tripping those switches (that was my issue).
Aside from the test you showed earlier, you can just go into switch test and push the switches manually and look for sw 70 and 71 to open and close. Try re-seating connector CN12 on node board 9 if the switches physically look ok.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:Zep electric magic spinner:
I'm considering changing out my original early build spinner for the replacement "fix kit" spinner.
Do i need to change the entire included assembly, or can I just swap the spinner itself (the old one with the 90 degree angle arms to the new one with the bent angle arms).
I guess what I'm asking is does anybody know if there's anything else different with the "new" fix kit assembly? (bracket etc.)
The new spinner needs to be installed with all the new hardware. Mine came with about a dozen pages of instructions. Did you get that also? I have not installed any of it because my original works great.
Quoted from Kkoss24:Was going to go with the big ben mod but that reminds me of draining so went with the double neck and couldn’t be happier .The object pop cap and start button are on the way .This game is going nowhere .
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Quoted from Kkoss24:Go on Rocket Pinballs site .He’s here on pinside .He has little corner protectors that are perfect .Also I couldn’t help bet get the object,start button and coin slot mods
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Thanks for posting our mods -- by "our", I mean John's (Space Coast Pinball) and mine (Rocket City Pinball) ... but I just wanted to clear up whose was whose, since there was a little confusion (probably because you ordered from both of us, lol). Buy with confidence from John -- I know he has many happy customers in this thread -- and if you have any trouble, let me know and I'll go slap him for you (he's a good friend of mine).
Of the mods you described:
Space Coast: Guitar/Amp -- https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1312-space-coast-pinball/04896-deluxe-guitar-and-zoso-amplifier-mod-for-led-zeppelin
Space Coast: Glass corners -- https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1312-space-coast-pinball/04943-glass-corner-protectors-now-bright-yellow
Space Coast: Other stuff -- https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1312-space-coast-pinball
Rocket City: Start Button -- https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1282-rocket-city-pinball/05360-3d-start-button-led-zeppelin
Rocket City: Coin Reject Buttons -- https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1282-rocket-city-pinball/04899-3d-coin-reject-buttons-led-zeppelin
Rocket City: Object mod -- https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1282-rocket-city-pinball/04919-the-object-led-zeppelin-pop-bumper-mo
Rocket City: Other stuff -- https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1282-rocket-city-pinball
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