Does anyone that installed a new fresh set of drop targets still happen to have the originals you pulled out? I just joined the club and noticed that two of the drop targets on my machine have the extra lip on the top. I'd like to find a good used M and E drops without the lip so that when I take the assembly out to service it I can replace those and have a matched set. At some point I may spring for a full set down the road but would be happy if I can at least get these two. I'd be glad to buy any good original spares without the lip that match these so I have some on hand in case any break. Please send me a PM if you have something that may help.

Robert

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It looks like the previous person that "shopped" the game I bought may have messed up on the placement of the red playfield posts. I can see that there are two different heights and one thing that caught my eye is that the spinner sits on an angle. If anyone has a good picture of how the spinner is supposed to sit let me know.

Also it appears that a couple posts are cracked and some had been replaced with a different style/pattern on the post. I'd like to confirm what style should be on the game and try to get more of those so they all match.

Seems like a fun game so far and I look forward to cleaning this up.

Thanks for posting the pictures. It looks like the game should have all faceted posts. Most are like that on mine but some star posts are mixed in on one side. There is also one missing and a couple broken that I need to replace. Also the spinner is sitting on an angle because the installed one short and one tall. I guess they could not make up their mind on what was right so they used on of each.

I just want to make it right when I get a chance to clean and wax the playfield and install fresh rubber rings. Looks like I need to get one of the post screws too for the missing post.

I just saw that these drop targets use stickers so if I can't find any with the M an E then just regular ones will work and I can order a sticker set. Does anyone have extra plain ones they pulled out when putting in a new set?

Has anyone else noticed that with LED's in the coin door that they can be seen if you look between the lock bar and playfield?

I had some extra white LED's that I just put on the coin door. They look great from the outside but I've noticed that you can see them if you lean over the playfield a bit and look down by the lock bar. It was bugging me a bit so I wanted to make a shield to keep the light going where it should. Modeled up the first version last night to try. Have a few adjustments to make and then print it in black to help block the light more. As it is this first attempt seems to help a great deal. Will see how the next version works.

Does anyone have spare coin door parts? I need one of the screws that holds the chute to the door as well as one of the coin switches and bracket that holds that switch with the screws. With that I could have all three coin mechs working.

Robert

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I tried out the 2nd version of the light shield for the coin door lamps. Made these out of black ABS for use with LEDs. Made a huge difference. I no longer get the light shining up behind the lockdown bar. I may make a couple more adjustments since I want to make them 1mm taller and bring the sides shown on the left and top out a few mm to ensure they cover the hole. I wouldn't recommend use these with regular bulbs since there would be too much heat there.

Robert

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The final version of the lamp cover for the Meteor coin door fits perfect! The lamp socket it holds it in place. I made it 1mm taller and bumped out the one side and top another 3mm to ensure it covers the coin door hole. One picture shows one new one with the previous version and then a couple that show all the new ones installed.

Now I just need to get a couple of those short screws like the ones used to secure the lamp sockets and that extra middle switch assembly/bracket. Then I can install the coin mechs again.

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My nephew came over while I was working on the game and I think he is now hooked on this machine! This is a great example of a game that you don't have to have a lot of extras to make it a fun game. Eventually I will get this setup next to my Blackout.

So, I have been working on my coin door. It had one broken .25 mech installed. I just put in a pair of .25 metal mechs and one SBA mech on the door. Also found that two slots were covered in duct tape to keep people from using those slots. Took a while to get that and all the old dried up adhesive off.

After all these years it is hard to tell what parts may have been mixed up. The game currently has the SBA mech on the right and the .25 on the left and in the center. Is that how these were normally configured? I have a blackout and it has the SBA in the middle and the .25 mechs on the right and left. I wasn't sure if the Stern should be like that or the way it is now. If your machine came with two .25 and one SBA mechs how are they positioned?

Still need to find the mounting bracket and switch for below the middle mech. It looks like all three switches are the same. If anyone has an old coin door being parted out I could use those parts and a few screws. Maybe even one of the white .25 entry slot plastic pieces.

It looks like I need to add an O to the list. If you have any spare METEOR chiclet style drops let me now.

I thought I read somewhere that contacts on some games could have been installed backwards. Maybe that is the case on your game. Are they all like that or just some of them?

Thank you for the suggestions. I also have a Blackout and it has the SBA mech in the center. I wasn't sure if Stern was setup differently. I'll move that slot for the SBA to the center like my other game. Still need to find a bracket and switch for that center mech but can add that later when I find it.

Can someone confirm what power cord came on these when new? Is it a flat one or a round cord? The one on mine is a yellow cord that I think started life as an extension cord. I'd like to replace it with the correct one.

If you ever do get to them I'd be glad to send you a set of the light shields I made for installing LEDs in the coin door.

I just pulled mine out last night to rebuild it and install new targets since the O just broke off. I can take some pictures of it. Do you need pictures of the wires on the switches or solenoids?

Maybe these pictures will help.

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If you find a replacement coin door I could use a couple parts off your trashed one if they are still good. Need an extra coin switch with bracket and a couple if the screws.

You remove them or just disconnect them? Wouldn't it be better to just leave it in place (but disconnect) so it can easily be converted back to the quarter sucking machine it was meant to be?

https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/default.asp

Does anyone happen to have good pictures of the neck attached to the meteor cabinet? The head on mine seemed like it was tilted forward and I think it was replaced. Mine is a rectangle the same height on all for sides. If I'm not mistaken it should be taller in the front and the sides angled. I'd like to confirm that and the correct measurements.

Does anyone reproduce that neck section for the old Stern games? If not I know someone who does wood working and could make one with the proper measurements.

Thank you for the pictures. It confirmed what I thought. Someone replaced the neck on my machine and it isn't tapered correctly. It explains why the head was leaning forward.

I had to take the machine down to store it temporarily and noticed it. When I pull it back out to setup again I'll have to see about replacing it.

Can someone with an original power cord take a picture on how it is routed in the cabinet? Also, is it supposed to be a round cord or one of the flat ribbed cords? The one on my machine isn't right and I would like to get a proper replacement.

Thank You!

Thank you! Now I know what cord to pickup and how it should be fastened in the cabinet.

Are you running LEDs on the original boards?

Definitely check over all the wiring. It is easy fro things to move around and you may have something shorting against one of the wires. Or one broken off and touching.

Another option is to use a few of the comet flame/fire LEDs for the rocket exhaust. It is a nice effect.

Looks like a nice machine! Meteor is a fun game. If the lights in the coin door shine up between the lockdown bar and playfield I have a fix for that. There is a post earlier in this thread that shows the new covers.

Can you pull the backglass and get a picture of the boards inside? It will help to know if you're running the original boards or have aftermarket replacements in there.

If you have the original boards is the battery still on the MPU board and did it leak? Battery damage is common.

You should also see a diagnostic LED on the MPU. When you turn the game on watch it and count the flashes.

If you have a Meteor with the original power cord could you get some clear pictures on how it is secured in the lower cabinet and attached to the filter box? Someone had done sort of a hack job and spliced in part of a yellow extension cord for power. I have the correct original replacement cord and would like to install that the way it was from the factory. Securing it in the proper locations with enough slack before it get soldered to the filter box. I didn't see any good photos that show the way it should be done. It may help others having good reference photos in this thread.

Thank You.

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Yes! I was able to get the new power cord installed and secured just like it would have been originally. Thank you.

That is a great point you bring up.

I have gotten into the habit of checking the voltage difference between all my machines. Just put the meter in AC and check across lockbars on each machine. Found one with a bad ground and nearly 60vac between the two games. Replaced the plug on the bad cord and back to 0 difference.

My Meteor was properly grounded. It just had a yellow extension cord as the power cord. Now it has the correct long flat cord secured just like it should be.

I have one in my Flight 2000 and it works great! No more battery.

Any other details on that? Is it something specific in the ROM code or maybe just a bad NVRAM module? My Flight 2000 has the same MPU-200 and it hasn't had any issues. The first time I powered up I had to clear settings and set all the adjustments, etc but nothing since.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/DT1477

I woul take out the whole assembly and test it on the bench. Maybe the gap on the switches is just a little too much.

I was able to work on and test the whole assembly on the bench. Just used a variable bench supply to work the coils.

It is important to check the switch with a ball to see if it registers with that. You could also try reseating the connector for the switch matrix at the MPU. I’ve had to rep in some of those due to weak and brittle pins.

May want to check the speaker too. I had to replace the one on my game. Helped a lot!

I have an Alltek in my Meteor and it runs and sounds fine. I think it is one of the later Alltek boards since it doesn’t have batteries. It was in the machine when I bought it.

I’ve since been able to get a hold of the correct MPU-200 and am going to get that back in the game. I’ll be able to use the updated code with that. Not an option for the Alltek. Just going to reserve that Alltek for testing.

Mine had an 8 ohm speaker. I've seen both 4 and 8 ohm speakers in games so I would double check. This is the one I installed and it sounds great.

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I've installed these with the original Lamp driver boards on both Meteor and Flight 2000 and they look great!

https://www.cometpinball.com/products/1flux-bulbs

Color matched the inserts for the controlled lights. Made a big difference on Meteor.

I also used a few of these in the backbox GI behind the rocket exhaust:

https://www.cometpinball.com/products/fire-bulbs

It is a very nice effect!

Backbox on Meteor still has lamps but I moved to frosted white (not Super Bright) on the Flight 2000 backglass and will probably do the same on Meteor. I don't try to color match backbox GI since that usually turns out bad.

Where did the new amp come from? Was it from ebay? There are fake parts out there and many just don't work.

Were those caps part of a cap kit? That board usually had axial capacitors. I've seen boards that had radials installed instead and I usually pull all those out and put axials back in.

If you can get the proper axial caps (there are several places that carry them) I would swap them out. With all the vibrations, etc of the machine it isn't good to have the large body of the cap just hanging free by the leads. If the board was meant for radial leads and the spacing matches then the are usually tight against the board and it isn't an issue.

You can try Great Plains Electronics, Big Daddy, Digikey, or Mouser and they all should have the right caps. First two may have cap kits.

Can you you post a picture on your Alltek MPU and a close up that shows what ROM version is in it? I have an Alltek in mine and it works ok. Plan on pulling it out and switching back to an MPU-200

Maybe you have an older ROM on your Alltek that just needs an upgrade.

I’ll see if I can get a picture of mine to compare tomorrow.

If the MPU doesn't have much ACID damage then I would rebuild it. There was a weird issue with the original Meteor code that didn't play nice with NVRAM but I believe the updated code slochar has done fixes that. You can run it on the original board or the Weebly. If you get an Alltek MPU your stuck with the original code.

I really like the original Bally/Stern driver boards and have rebuilt a bunch. There are some updates to add a few jumpers on the back of the board but they are solid once gone through. I often have to replace the .100" headers as well as the main 5V cap.

If you are going to replace any boards then it will probably be the rectifier board as previously mentioned. Those tend to be fried and there are several good replacement boards out there.

Attached is a picture of an MPU-200 that I recently repaired. It was damaged by prior repair work. Someone had pulled up a trace and severed a couple others. The final repair is shown too. It also had a bad 5101 and 6821 chip. Have a few others in the queue but those had battery damage and more traces to rebuild.

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If you like drop targets you'll enjoy it. The game really grows on you. It's a keeper machine for me! If you have any issues with the boards I can help. I've rebuilt and updated a bunch and can verify them in the machine. I also have some shields for the coin door that fixes the issues with the LED's shinning up between the lockdown bar and playfield.

You can totally tell it is a used playfield. Wear around the inserts and you can see the circles where all the posts were installed.

Maybe that it why they didn't go the extra step to touch up the artwork, etc. The circles for the posts should be hidden when the posts are re-installed. If you are going to all that work to clear coat I don't know why someone would skip those other steps.

I typically use the white on all the games but went with Yellow (with blue on the slings) on Dr who and it looks awesome. When I refresh my Meteor I am leaning towards trying out colors. I think orange may look good (at least on the slings) and other colors that complement the playfield art.

While I think NVRAM is the best for running the alternate updated version of the code I think the question would be more toward what would be the best battery option to use so that any version (even original) will run on the board. For that I see a few options:

- Run NVRAM (limits use of original ROM's)
Great option for new code but if you want to start out with the original code or go back to original code then the NVRAM has to come out. (leave circuit as-is)

- Run the original style rechargeable battery. (not really an option and I wouldn't install one if asked...)
Just listed for completeness sake. Would leave the circuit as it.

- Use a remote AA battery pack with three AA Energizer lithium batteries. Plenty of capacity for long RAM retention.
Not a bad option but I would install a disconnect so the board could be easily removed if needed without a large battery pack dangling off. Board needs blocking diode added to prevent trying to charge the AA's.

The next two options are popular but the concern is that the MPU-200 has TWO 5101 RAM chips to twice the load. How much will that

- Use a large memory capacitor (easy to install, no other board changes needed)
A good option for some but I'm not a fan since I don't think it will hold settings and scores as long as I'd like and the extra drain with the 2nd RAM will decrease that further.

- Mount a coin cell holder for a CR2032 type battery.
I think this may be a good option since the batteries are easy to get, replace, and don't tend to leak. Have used them many times for people but just wondering on the current draw and life with two of the 5101 RAM chips. This also needs the blocking diode installed to prevent charging the coin cell. I would lean toward this option but would like to hear if anyone else is using a CR2032 on the MPU-200 and how long it lasts. If you're talking at least 6 months to a year then this would be fine.

Thanks for the feedback! I have several extra coin cell battery holders and can mount one right to the board and add the blocking diode. Just was concerned about it powering the extra RAM chip but it sounds like it shouldn’t be an issue.

The newer Li-On may be a lot better than the Nicad but I just don’t trust any type of soldered battery. Just fixed too many boards because of battery damage. Personal preference on my part. As long as you inspect regularly you’re probably fine.

Found this on a Stern Lamp driver board that just came in for Meteor. the one in my game doesn't have any mods like this nor any other lamp driver board that I've ever worked on. Going to strip this off and put it back to the way it was supposed to be and replace any bad SCR's, etc.

Have any of you seen something like this on a lamp driver board?

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On my Meteor I installed three Comet Flame/Fire LEDs behind the rocket/missile flames for the backglass. Attached is a picture where they were installed. I think it has a nice effect.

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http://www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com/

I'd still opt for the solder version. If you do use these no solder versions be sure to go back and occasionally re-tighten the screws on those terminals. They can loosen up. Those are used on a lot of 3D printers an some have melted down because of poor connections there. I always check and re-tighten them when doing maintenance on them.

Thanks for the clarification. I would avoid that version then. If I had to use it I'd still solder as originally intended. I wouldn't trust those push connections.

Having LEDs under each fuse is an excellent feature and I’ve done that on many of my own projects. That is a huge plus and a bonus for easy troubleshooting.

The picture in the image posted wasn’t clear on the terminal connection and they looked like the screw terminal version. Screw terminals are well known to cause issues in 3D printers, etc. While the spring variation may be better then the screw version it still isn’t one I’d prefer to use.

Did you also have pads to allow soldering so this could be universal and use either termination style? If not, why? Having both would cover those who really aren’t a fan of adding another connection point to eventually fail.

While those spring terminals make this an excellent test board and I think I may like one for myself just for testing. Unless it had a solder version it wouldn’t be one that I’d permanently install.

Actually just frosted white LEDS look best. If you want to dress it up a bit I added a few of the fire/flame LEDs. Just one under each rocket tail. Only color LEDs were color matched under the inserts

I used a few of the Comet Fire/Flame LED's and put one under each rocket exhaust. Pretty cool effect.

If there is a stencil set for the back of Meteor I'd be interested in one. Someone painted over the back and it's all black. Would be nice to restore that.

They do and ordered a set do to the back of the head!

How are you handling the sound? It mentions WAVtrigger but I didn't see any specific versions of that. It looks like there are a couple variations and would like to get the correct one to try.

Is that just installed parallel with the original sound board/speaker with a dedicated speaker for the WAV trigger? It seems that done like that you could easily switch between playing the completely original version and the new enhanced one easily.

Ordered all the parts (except the WAVtrigger) and can't wait to try this.

Will look for the notes on the new version. Should be able to update/modify the old carrier boards. Thank you for the update and explanation!

I thought someone in this thread made water slide decals to fix the missing numbers. If you're getting it cleared then you should be able to add them.

Have you tried to add credits? After changing the batteries I seem to recall I had to step through a lot of the setting and reset everything.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-mpu-200-how-to-clear-5101-ram

It’s something we do so infrequently that most of need to go back and look at the book.

You may be able to carefully round the upper outer corners on the two drops on the ends. That would provide the clearance you need. Practice on an old one to see if it will work and look good.

Looks like my upper flipper is acting up. It has started sticking in the up position. Going to see if it is just the sleeve or of there are any burrs on the plunger. Has anyone had those parts get magnetized before? Going to dig into that this afternoon.

I think instead of asking how to ground the rod it may be more appropriate to ask if it should be grounded. I don't think it has to be and haven't heard about anyone asking about it before. It's a good question though.

Does anyone actually have a grounded shooter rod on an early Stern like this? It's possible other games do if they have a metal mount and the springs/washers touch metal on metal

If you put in LEDS on the coin door I have custom light shields to prevent the coin door lamps from shining up between the lockdown bar and playfield.

Once setup and dialed in the drops on mine have been working great. I spent some time on it and most can be done on the bench with a stand alone power source for testing. Sometimes the small tab on the reset coil needs to be slightly adjusted too.

Surface mount parts like that and that large custom surface mount IC are reasons I would avoid that particular board. Original boards once serviced and have the jumper updates are solid. Or get boards with more traditional parts for easier service.

As far as heavier duty parts I would offer a word of caution. While it is true that other parts can handle more current instead of the part going bad it can end up vaporizing traces on the PCB. If there is some sort of short I'd prefer to replace a part than rebuild traces on the PCB. At times I'll use more robust parts but some where there is concern about board damage I'll re-install the original equivalent part.

I expect the fuses to act as the fuse. But since the TIP is one of the next in line I'd much rather see that pop than melted and vaporized traces. I don't install "weal" transistors. I match what was originally installed. They have to at least match what was there. I think that is practical and a good approach. I have been seeing boards come in where people had installed TIP102 which held but melted traces. So I will use them as appropriate. That TIP102 is an excellent part but there can be a downside.

If the trace can handle more current than the transistor on it then it wins. Weakest link becomes the fuse.

I'm not saying to install weaker transistors. Just at least what was there. But is you exceed the original capacity on some boards the traces seem to become the weakest link. I'm just going by what I've been seeing come across the bench. If a board originally came with 102's then that is what goes back in. If it originally had TIP122's then those go back in.

I seem to recall reading a thread where Vid noticed something similar and have seen it mentioned other places too. I'm sure many instances also have a larger fuse involved (since that should pop first) but in that scenario I would rather replace a TIP than rebuild traces.

I guess my experience has been different so far. I’m still going to put in parts that were originally specified whenever possible for a board unless it was known to be under rated (like the 100k resistors on Bally displays)

One thing we can probably agree on is that a lot of these issues are ultimately caused by someone overfusing a game somewhere else….

Unfortunately it is hard to mail anything for $3 these days. Postage alone is usually more than that and the people have to get a padded mailer unless they reuse an old one. Often it ends up priority mail and you’re at around $9 to ship so best to pack flat rate shipping materials as full as possible. Unless it is small enough to slide through as a letter shipping can be more than the item.

There doesn’t seem to be a good way to inexpensively ship items.

It is frustrating to see I can get .99 items with free shipping sent to me from China and it would cost many times more than that just to take the unopened package to mail to my next door neighbor.

Can you look in then end of the connectors that plug onto the MPU for the displays. I’ve seen some pins that were weak and others that had brittle contacts that were broken. May just need to rep in those.

I put in color matched Comet Optix LEDS in my Meteor with the original lamp board and no flicker. They look awesome in the game. Expensive but worth it. Also used frosted (not super bright) LEDs in the back box and three fire LEDs under the missile rockets. Highly recommended. Worked well with original code and the new Meteor 2021 code. Just a fantastic game. Have it right next to a Firepower which is another example of a game that doesn’t need to be overly complex to be fun.

Good to know. I have to replace all of the ones on mine and bought blue ones since I thought they would look good on the game.

Standard .100" molex crimp pins on the boards. The larger pins on the driver and rectifier are .156"

I am using the Comit OPTIX LED's color matched to all the inserts and think they look great. I have the original Lamp driver and I don't see any flicker. I'd also recommend a few of their fire/flame LED's to put in the GI in the back glass under the rocket tails. I used frosted white for the rest of the backglass GI. No color bombing.

I have no idea how they look side by side. They are bright but not too bright. I ended up doing all the inserts. Just start with small groups of the same color to see how you light them.

Did you re-pin the .100" connectors going to the MPU? If not check the pins in the housing for the switch matrix. Some of the pins can be brittle and I had several break on a Stern Flight 2000 causing weird switch issues.

Start start with that rectifier board and the connectors going to it. Have any of the connector housings turned brown?

In order to get mine right I did it on the bench and used my bench power supply. Many will work by hand but not always when powered.

Unless that Alltek MPU has the ROM code for 7 digit you will probably need to go with another MPU.

Another option is to get the Meteor 2021 upgrade which will plug into that Alltek board.

Before you buy a replacement MPU you may want to look at the YouTube Video for Meteor 2021. It is done by plugging in a small daughter board and adding a WAVtrigger for enhanced sound. I seem to recall it can support 6 and 7 digit displays.

Definitely will still need the extra wire but the code was setup for both and if I'm not mistaken could display 7 digit scores on 6 digit displays. Which can keep the old displays. Just mentioning options to explore before buying boards.

I just used a mini/micro toggle switch and installed it in the mesh screen under the left side of the head. Just ran the wires to ah connector that plugs in the upgrade board. I'll have to see if I can get pictures.

You would still need the WAVtrigger for the new sound pack.

If the Arduino you bought is soldered to the J5 adapter board then you are better off buying another plain Arduino board to put on the Weebly board instead of unsoldering it.

It isn’t hard to install the code onto the Arduino. Getting things setup to do it the first time involve a few steps on the computer. You need to download and install the Arduino tools on your computer. Then download the BSOS base code and the Meteor 2021 game specific code. In the Arduino tool select the version of the Arduino you have. If using the Nano there are a couple different variations so if one hangs sending the code to it pick the other version with different boot loader. You can program the Arduino with a USB directly without it being in the pinball machine.

Additional things you need to check and may need to alter. In the code itself that you download there are some configuration settings you may need to change. One is for the revision of the adapter on how it plugs in which is 1, 2, 3, or 4. No idea what version the Weebly board supports. The other setting has to do with the WAVtrigger and the version of firmware on that

I’ve been using the Comet Optix LEDs in mine with the original boards. Color matched the inserts.

Sounds like the bridge board in the cabinet. Definitely start there and verify you have all the proper voltages. Then troubleshoot from there. You’ll find some great information in the early Bally/Stern section of pinwiki.com

I would not recommend any solderless board for the rectifier board. Also avoid the home pin version since they use slightly smaller import size fuses. Regular fuses won’t fit.

I just clamped mine in the drill press. Used fine sandpaper, the scotch bright pads, then novis to polish the handle. Used novis to polish the rod. Not perfect but a lot better. The handle looks like chrome now. Do that part on all my shooter rods.