Nine Ball Club... (all welcome)

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Just wanted to make a brief comment even though I don't own one. Great game. Steve Kirk design at top form. Very unusual and very hard. Cool background sounds and I dig the the wizard art, though it does seem a little out of place for a pool themed table but...they were thinking outside the box. Would definitely pick up a project one for the right price.

My guess is those are 455 flashers.

They just go in the GI. Many older games had them in the backglass or pop bumpers.

The "artist" that painted the backglass was just an ordinary dude that worked at the print shop that printed Sterns backglasses. True story.

Great to see a nine ball thread, it's one of my favourite solid state machines.

I've got a 9 ball and a set of PBR targets but haven't installed them yet. I don't understand what you mean when you say 'add a shim to the bottom of the bank'. What's a shim?

I've heard that the code on Nine Ball was very problematic. If I have a long multiball with 3 balls, one that lasts for a couple of minutes or more, when the 2nd ball drains and I have one ball left in play the ball ends and the game starts counting the bonus. Has anyone else experience this?

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I believe this is another myth. The code was problematic when switches were missed or switches were hit and others were at the same time. i.e. pop bumper and drop target almost simultaneously. The pop bumper does not fire. Also balls in the kick out hold if switches are missed.

A few years ago a gent from RGP sent me a code revision that he wrote.

It fixed the drop target lock up nonsense and the bonus problems.

It introduced some other bug that a few of us testers reported, and he said he would fix it.

So it is not impossible to fix the crappy software in the game, it's just going to take some dedication.

I have had a Nineball for 15years. I have had no code issues. My game is 100% functional. So I do believe some of this is just non-working error code issues with switches that don't make close or i.e. error out.

So neither of these problems occur on your game (from clays site http://www.pinrepair.com/bally/9ball.htm ), and you never have the occasional problem where the bonus keeps adding up at the end of the 3rd ball forever? The pin knows the game is over, so it can't be some dirty switch..... :

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The problem occurs after the numbered drop targets are hit (in order.) After the 5th ball drop target is hit (in order), and the ball is locked in the left side multi-ball lane, a new ball will be delivered to the shooter lane. If the shooter lane switch is not seen (because the switch is dirty or mis-adjusted or the player is holding the plunger, preventing the ball from closing the shooter lane switch), the game will continually kick balls to the shooter lane (causing an impromptu multi-ball.) This is weird because the player could have long sent the ball to the playfield, with the game scoring, yet a few seconds later, another ball is delivered to the shooter lane. Essentially the game gets "lost" and usually won't fix itself without draining all balls or doing a power cycle.

Another problem happens if say the #1 drop target is down, and as ball goes into the left multi-ball lane, it hits the #2 drop target (easy to do since the #2 target is at the lane entrance.) At this point the game should auto-drop the #2 target (a function of the left multiball trough lane), but the ball dropped the #2 target before going into the left side trough. Now the game will continually try and drop that #2 target over and over, looking for the target to drop (but it's already down!) There's no fixing this problem without a power cycle (or but sliding the glass back, lifting the #2 target, and letting the game drop it.)

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Never heard of this one, but the problem doesn't surprise me. Meteor has the same issue with the occasional 255 bonus count cycles.

No....it's all good...

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I've had my NB for many years and have not had any code issues. It was also used at a MGC tourney a few years ago and nothing was reported to me then either.

No again these are from dirty or mis adjusted switches. Especially the first one. Never... I have played and people have play literally 1000's of games on my nineball and never seen number 2. Does the switch on the #2 target have to be mis adjusted or the 1st switch on the 3 ball lock not registering ?

I can generate all kinds of problems if the game has switch issues. That is the weakness in the software is error recovery. Then you have to power cycle.

Would like to know if the upper left gate , has a wire or not.

Ordered on marco different gate brackets, but it was every time the bad size

Had never been able to find this model A-471 somewhere

Any info please

Thanks
Lionel

That's the genius of the Stern design team

It is not a bad idea

Get a 3 LED strip from Comet, plug it into the socket (after reversing the leads) and lay it half way up to the corner. That corner looks a little dark anyway.

Looking for the large, upper left corner to center plastic if any one has a decent extra one. Mine is broken. Thanks.

Actually it is an awesome game for tourney's. Had mine in the TPF tourney a few years ago. Everyone loved it.

7 digit, and I've never seen it rolled/clocked. My highest score is 4M (3 ball no extra balls)

Just joined the 9-ball club!
Picked up this one:
http://michiganpinball.com/mikegames/9ball/index.html

Yeah, the cabinet is pretty harsh, and there is some playfield wear, but it plays great.
Loving it so far!

Just got my PF back from HSA

Wow they did amazing work!

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I also just recently joined the club. Once I get my reset issue fixed I may actually have a game that lasts more than a few seconds.

Very nice. Do you have a 'before' image?

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One question I have in gameplay is if no balls are locked after the 5 is hit sometimes and I can't recall when this happens cause the game is so freekin fast, while hitting the ball around the bank of targets start dropping like a ball was locked and another is kicked into the shooter lane. Could the lock switch gap be too close? Also happens when the shoot again light is flashing.

Any chance you could scan the playfield before you populate it? I could really use a scan. The cluster of balls above the flippers is, well, a cluster, on mine.

Mac