Clarksburg, WV
Wish you the best outcome possible!!
(Topic ID: 120382)
Linked Games
Metallica (Premium)
Stern, 2013
Topic Gallery
Regina, SK
Quoted from Rob_G:Stern didn't even test the playfield properly
The snake switches don't work. Neither the jaw or the mouth (ball sense)... Are there supposed to be diodes on these switches? These never had to be touched because there are connectors for them.
The RJ11 cable is not the one that was original to the game. The one I got is too short and barely reaches back to the RJ11 connector on the cpu board.
Rob
Those were the apparent problems right off the bat. We haven't played it yet because we had to spend a few hours putting it together and then troubleshooting the issues. We're well experienced techs so we can figure out what's wrong and fix it, but we shouldn't have to. I wanted to play the game tonight, not have to start pulling things like the snake apart to fix them. We fixed the color changing inserts, but not the snake (yet).
And I don't want to sound ungrateful to Stern, but this whole process should have been a lot less frustrating than it has been. Truth be told, I was almost expecting some things to be wrong with the playfield because it is A LOT of work to swap a playfield. I've done it before so I know firsthand. Whoever tested it maybe didn't know how some features of the game were supposed to operate, like the snake which does not currently work. But the non working playfield lamps is pretty hard to miss.....
Rob
Quoted from Gorno:I am glad you guys figured it out after I bailed. Where the the z connector supposed to connected to?
It's not supposed to be there at all! Those 2 connectors in the lower right of the picture are not supposed to be joined together by a Z connector. They are supposed to connect to the board in the picture. The other connectors on the controller board were also not connected to the proper places.
Rob
Moe
That's really poor on behalf of Stern. Their customer service should have put this right long ago. If you were a big distributor with these problems, the issue would have been resolved long ago. For you to receive a reworked playfield and have on going issues with it, is just sloppy quality control and final testing. No excuses Stern, lift your game!
All the best Rob, here's hoping your game functions 100% very soon.
Totally insane. I can't believe the shit you've gone through.
At this point stern needs to step up send you a new machine. Then once you have it and verify it works you can send yours back.
It might change the sentiment of this thread from "wow I can't believe stern is doing this to him". To "awesome, did you see what stern did for that Guy who got screwed with a warped playfield??!!"
Good luck with your problems
I was going to pull the trigger on a nib twd. Reading this post reminded of stern's recent lack of quality and good customer service and I decided to pass. They really need to get their act together.
speechless. I see they are doing a re-run on the monster premiums? maybe you should just have them mail you a new machine and swap it for this one? in a perfect world
Quoted from Crash:Painfully clear they didn't even bother to TEST this playfield before sending off. Unbelieveable.
This part is completely true. The snake switches were diodeless and not functioning, and they clearly never tested those colour changing LEDs. Are they really that sloppy at quality assurance, or is it not policy to test these playfields before they are sent out?
Sorry Rob, I was hoping for better results! Sounds like it will be good in the end, but what a hassle.
Trying to see the positive in this, at least they didn't charge you $$ for a new play field, then want you to do all the labour involved in a play field swap.
This is exactly what they did to me on my acdc premium. Wanted to charge me for a new playfield that of course I would have to swap.
I'm not a Stern basher, but this is BS. It sounds like they just slapped it together, and it went through zero testing and QA.
What happened if this went to the average Joe with minimal experience?
Not cool.....
I would be dropping Gary a note.
given what it cost them to pay for the return shipping of rob's original pf and then send it back out, it's no wonder why the price of stern's machines continue to sky-rocket. sounds to me like they just said 'f*ck it, box it up' at 5pm on a friday
note to self:
at the stern seminar @ this year's chicago expo, remember to ask gary how much vodka he had to drink before boxing up rob's thrown-together playfield
they go through all that work, without taking the time to even test it in house? You would think, knowing they had a major faulty product, they would go out of their way to make sure this new one works 100% and plug and play. WTF? Customer service isn't that hard.
Unacceptable. It's great that you have the skills to identify and fix the problems, but many people wouldn't. They'd be stuck with a DOA machine instead of the plug and play that kind of money should buy.
Quoted from Crash:I'm not seeing how that huge connector is supposed to fit on that auxiliary board in the picture.
Here it is from the manual. Each large connector spans across 3 small connectors. The gaps are key pins.
Quoted from Rob_G:Can someone please answer if there are supposed to be diodes on the snake mechanism switches please! Thanks!
A picture or two of the switches would help a lot too!
Rob
I dont have a met premium, but looked at the online manual and on page (hand written y23) it has diagrams for snake switches 54 55 56 and they all three appear to have diodes on them.
http://www.sternpinball.com/upload/games/metallica/pro/421/MTLAB1.PDF
Hope that helps
The snake problem has been found. The green wire is from the middle lug of the switch. The heatshrink was holding it in place so you could not easily see it was broken off. Testing had shown the switch matrix was good, but the switches themselves were not. So I pulled the snake out to test them easier and found this.
For the record, it appears some switches have diodes that are not on the switches themselves. There are several small terminal strips with diodes on them mounted under the playfield. I assume this is for higher reliability since on high vibration mechanisms the switch diodes are more prone to breaking. Tracing the wiring is a real chore though!
Yes the problems sucked and were initially frustrating, but it could always have been worse. These issues can be fixed with a bit of troubleshooting and patience. If this is all I have to deal with then that's not too bad. Chas is going to send me a longer RJ11 (telephone-like) data cable.
Rob
Omg I can't belive they sent you back a payfield you then had to work on. Posts like this are the reason why casual buyers are fearful of pinball. Some of us just lack the skill required or don't have time to pull machines apart. How is stern reimbursing you for your time? This is crazy.
Quoted from kaneda:How is stern reimbursing you for your time?
Hahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha..............Joey
Quoted from Rob_G:They are sending me a free package of bacon....
Rob
Turkey bacon to promote healthy eating?
least williams could have had company letterhead bacon.
Rob_G - Looks like you got the answer you needed. If you come across anything else that could use a reference image or someone to check something out please send me a PM and I'll get you a pic of what you need. I've got an LE but it should be the same as the Prem's. I say PM as I get an e-mail on my phone for those so that would make sure I saw it fairly quickly.
When I had an issue with my playfield, I told them I had no clue how to work on pinball machines, but I could try swapping the playfield if given proper instructions. 
They did it themselves. 
Quoted from 85vett:Rob_G - Looks like you got the answer you needed. If you come across anything else that could use a reference image or someone to check something out please send me a PM and I'll get you a pic of what you need. I've got an LE but it should be the same as the Prem's. I say PM as I get an e-mail on my phone for those so that would make sure I saw it fairly quickly.
Sure, sounds good and thanks! I hope to get it re-assembled tonight and test, but if not then tomorrow night.
Rob
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