Are u sure your spinner switch is working 100% via ball activation?

Is there a test for the magnet?? I never understood what the magnet was supposed to do. Maybe mine doesn't work either??

There is a fuse for the magnet..... may be it is toast.
I am pretty sure you can increase the fuse rating a little....

Mine was doing the same thing for awhile. The switch worked in test mode if I manually rotated the spinner. The problem was the hole in the ramp was worn slightly. This allowed too much play in the spinner. The ball would not make up the switch when rolling it through the spinner.

Check the fuse. Mine blows frequently.

I need to find out how high we can safely go. I think it's 4amp.

That fuse is known to blow.
Pretty sure the spinner always activates the magnet.

That fuse is F20 -- a 4A 250v Slow Blow. If it keeps blowing you can replace it with a 5A. Once I put a 5A in there I no longer had any problems. I also set my game to 2 ball DTR (where the ring magnet does NOT hold the first ball) to prevent wear and tear on the magnet.

Your spinner should be activating the magnet every time along with a flasher inside the Ring. I had the game for 7 months before I knew there was a burnt out flasher back there. Having that flasher working is an awesome effect!

There is a Ring Magnet Test in the LOTR Tests sub-menu of the diagnostics -- allowing you to test the Ring Made (OPTO), Back Trough, Spinner and Ring Magnet - check page 27 of your manual for a very thorough explanation of how the spinner, ring switch and magnet are supposed to work.

EDIT: as pointed out by Gweempose, I had it backwards. Mine is set to 1 ball, not 2 ball. On 2 ball, the first shot gets held in the magnet and you use the 2nd ball to knock the first ball out.

I have to learn what the heck this 2 ball DTR is. I'm sure it's just as the name implies. I guess this is how people get ridiculously fast DTR times. I'm still sitting at 46 seconds for my fastest ... and people have reported ~11seconds. Crazy.

Anyhoo - S37VEN, do we know 5A is safe for the magnet? I'm thinking 4.5A first, but what do I know... (BTW, hey neighbor!)

Ever since the original 4amp fuse blew, I've used a slow blow 5 from radio shack. Never had a problem since. But the ring flasher, that's a different problem. That is constantly going.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that you should only use a 5A fuse if you have an LE.

Hey there neighbor -- I can't definitively say that the 5A is safe. I am going off of what other pinsiders have experienced. Here's a hearsay link explaining that Stern said it was OK to use a 5A which was good enough for me. I have not had any problems since switching out for a 5A almost a year ago.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lotr-ring-magnet-update

In some thread not too long ago, Keith (LOTR programmer) said that DTR 2 ball times should be lower than 1 ball times because in 2 ball DTR, the first shot goes through the ring and right back to the right flipper for an "easy" second shot into the ring, whereas on 1 ball DTR, you need to plunge another ball after locking the first, wait for it to get to a flipper and then make the second knock out shot.

Wow - honestly I didn't know. I must be set up for 2 ball DTR because It never locks in the ring. I still can't see how anyone can get 11 seconds. I haven't hit them perfect, but pretty quick ... I just CAN'T see it that quick.

Now I need to switch to 1 ball DTR to see what the effect is.

Nifty.

Put an LED in the flasher and it should last a long time. The 5-sided type that cointaker sells work great there.

Isn't it the opposite? I thought on 2-ball, the first shot to the ring locks it, and then a second ball is auto-plunged. You then need to knock the first ball out of the magnet to DTR.

I've only blown the 4A fuse once, when I first got it. I replaced it with another 4A and it has lasted for 4 years now. I do have an LE so not sure if that makes a difference. Mine is set for 2 ball as I like the effect of knocking the ball out of the magnet.

I just turned 2-ball DTR and Cave Troll Sequence modes on. I had my LOTR for 6 months now and didn't even know these existed.

What is cave troll sequence? Is that the video on youtube (played by tattyadams) that happens at the 2:25 mark?
I have to go check my machine!!!

It came stock with the 3A fuse and I kept blowing mine about every 10 games or so, finnally put in a 4A and have had no problems. I think the 4A is enough without the risk of going too high with a 5A.

I set mine to 2 ball as well because the magent would grip the ball like a bulldog and not let anything, let alone another ball break it free. I got tired of missing DTR because of it.

This (copied from an old post from jarjarisgod):

From the Service Menu go to Adj and then LOTR. Once there, scroll until you get to Feature Adjustment #33. It should say "Cave Troll Sequence" and it will indicate that it is disabled. Toggle it on to enable it. Once enabled the Fellowship of the Ring MB will now start with the Cave Troll sequence and be followed by the Balrog midway through. Enjoy!

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I think it's pretty cool, and adds more depth to the Fellowship mode. Not sure why they disable it by default. Perhaps that it wasn't in the earlier software revs.

The "transceiver" is used as both a transmitter and a receiver, same part. I would replace the pair and the amp board. Also, on the amplifier board, typically the last 2 digits are the revision number, so "00" vs. "01" should work just fine. Look at the connectors on the picture below. As long as your connectors look the same it will work.

Like someone else mentioned, look to see if the holes that the spinner is mounted in are elongated from wear. My spinner spins for quite a while after the ball leaves it. If the holes are messed up, your only fix is to replace the metal ramp, 2nd link. One other thing. Make sure the clear plastic funnel that leads the ball into the ring is not cracked. 3rd link.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=2219

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=185

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=188

Good luck in your fix!

Congrats. It's very satisfying to fix a long-standing problem.