Hi everyone I have a new in box Star Wars premium about a month old, HUO.

I've been talking to stern and my distributor about a problem I've been having but I just want to see if anyone else has had this happen on spike2 machines

It started occasionally but has progressed worse and worse over time. I'm getting a service menu node board 8 overcurrent protection... The lower left playfield GI blue lighting goes out and also the flippers die for a split second. I can usually power off and do a couple tests to reset the overcurrent protection but the minute I start a game and touch a flipper now all the LEDs flash and the overcurrent protection triggers again and the blue lights go out. No power mods on the game

Pat from Stern has been great ..we've been trying to figure out where the short is... I pulled all the #187 blue bulbs that are affected on the string but the problem still happens when no bulbs are installed.

I'm away from home until Sunday and I can't really troubleshoot away on the road so I'm just thinking out loud here... Pat also thought it maybe the flipper panel over the GI light possibly causing a short...

The more I search and read on pinside it seems like this may be beyond a short though and may point to node 8 board failure of some sort.

Thanks for hearing me out I'm sure we'll get it solved Pat from Stern and Kurt and Mark from hemispheres Amusements have been all over this and very supportive since i let them know what happened (amazing customer support from hemispheres)... I'm just searching out any experience out there to see if maybe we can come up with a possible solution

Thanks all!!!

Also, how would I test for a shorted socket? Thanks in advance (new to the hobby but I can learn fast )

No mods, I’ll check that thread, thanks..

I do need to try and start a game without moving the left flipper (usually select Han or r2 first) to see if that may be where it’s shorting by the flipper plate and GI location...I can see some wires for the socket bulb going under that plate and I hope that is where the problem lies ....can’t wait to get back home and troubleshoot this

I guess this is pinball ownership...cherish the time playing and the time wishing to get back to playing when things go down the drain

No I didn't

Yeah, if I chase the shorts all over and find nothing, hopefully I can get a swap to show something...I'm still in the 2 month warranty period for PCB, so fingers crossed I can find the issue

That's a good idea, will have to keep that in my back pocket after I'm done trying to hunt this short down (if that's what it is)...btw you're talking about joystix correct?

Solved the issue! Looks like at the Stern factory, they screwed an anchor socket
, and nicked the wire. They backed out and made a new hole but the damage was done... Found a slightly burnt, frayed wire, underneath the left flipper plate! Cut the bad stuff, soldered, reapplied fish paper, readjusted the flippers and wallah!

Thanks to everyone on here for the help and Pat at Stern for guiding me to the problem.

Got to do my first pretty big repair job as a new owner and seeing it working again is pure magic!

Learned:

Testing for shorts and continuity

Guts of the service menu overcurrent and how lights and shorts register

How to remove and replace flippers and readjust them...

All in all, a pretty good success!!!

Yes, I am now addicted to this hobby!!!

Cheers all
20190714_201112 (resized).jpg20190714_203338 (resized).jpg

Sure thing!

Thank you very much, I was having withdrawals and being out of town with it broken was killing me!