Not in the club but working on a friend's LV (delt31)

I was able to remove the old apron by loosening the screws inside the apron holding the the trough metal bracket to the playfield. I used a right angle screwdriver (harbor freight). Useful tool for working on pinball games and only like 3 bucks.

I inserted the connectors into aux board 8 based on the port I removed them from (J13 etc). Labels on aux board 8 corresponded with those connections in and out.

The new apron is held in place with the left tab at the bottom front close to the flippers as well as screws on each side holding it to the playfield hangers. I had to remove the post below the ball eject going to the shooter lane for clearance. I'm thinking of adding a 3-4" bolt through top of apron to bottom of playfield at this site as well. I could use two post rubbers stacked over the bolt for improved cosmetic outcome and to protect it from pinballs in shooter lane. Removing this post also let me install the new stainless piece around the trough ball eject without cutting or grinding on a LV machine.

right angle (resized).jpeg

Please add me to the list!

Please add me to the list! Merry Christmas!

Finally finished with my apron install yesterday, happy to report everything working out of the box.

Only some minor gripes:

* Would've liked to see some zip ties on those 8+ foot cables to keep them more manageable during install.
* Would've liked the power splitter for Playfield Board 8 to be a little longer. Even after installing it at the location shown in the instructions, the cable was just barely long enough to connect.
* RJ45 jacks on Aux Boards 1 and 8 have plastic posts to align them on the PCB, but it doesn't look like the part has metal grounding tabs at the 4 corners, although the PCBs have through holes for them. Only a little concerned the jacks might fail over time due to vibration since they pulled up and away from the PCB pretty easily during install, so the only thing keeping them in place is the 8 small through hole pins.
* Would've liked the beacons to be a little more plug and play; the wires that came on my lights were too short to reach down into the cabinet where the Beacon PCB is located, so I desoldered them and ran my own wires. I ended up removing the magnet on the bottom, running the wires through the hole, and mounted the beacons in the original location using 1 1/2" wood screws through the plastic for a more permanent mounting solution.

Other than that, and dremeling the trough area, pretty easy install and looks great!

Lastly, for M1 Mac folks: the annunciator config tool works in Windows 11 ARM64 via passthrough, but you will need to download a Serial RS232 driver from http://www.wch-ic.com/downloads/CH341SER_ZIP.html in order for it to work.

I mounted my beacon board on the bottom of the cabinet right at the back and used the stock cable.

Yeah there was no way I was going to be able to reach all the way in the back of the cabinet, even with my 2.5 ft long arms lol. I managed to mount it behind the power supply as noted in the video, and had enough cable to follow the original cable management and enough slack that I can easily lower the backbox.

Great summary. I also installed mine without a problem and my feedback mirrors yours exactly. Thanks for writing it up.

Apron made the list of Twipy Write in Nominees....https://www.thisweekinpinball.com/2022-twipys-write-ins/?fbclid=IwAR3ypW25QZwm6byV1gC-kVT7DaiWWdJGGxNjwHydG81GpYrot_1eNF0gI8Q

Best of luck to the team! Hope you win it as it is an amazing mod for sure!

Can I get on the list for the apron mod please?
Also do you sell the beacons for the top I have an SV.

Thanks,
Ted

Gee this looks familiar (maybe already been mentioned but looking at new Queen pics and yeh…).

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Does anyone know if this purple wire coming from Aux board 8 is supposed to connect to this kicker switch ?

B9EE6EF8-FC23-4627-8533-0750C3DB0DA3 (resized).jpeg

EF8CE382-C313-4A6C-94F7-3A041F2822C2 (resized).jpeg

It’s the single pin that connects to that board .I’m trying to find the install instructions in my email but cannot find it .

Install instructions are on the website.

https://evolutionmodsllc.com

I have an LV and have the apron with beacons mod coming soon. Has anyone replaced the LV beacons with the ones included in the Apron mod package? Is it easy to replace them?
Thanks!

Yes. Just did this - pretty straightforward to remove the small ones on the LV - just unscrew them and unplug them in the cabinet.

For the new ones the only challenge is figuring out where to place the board they plug into as indicated ins one posts above. I ended up with my beacon board on the back of cabinet Vs the bottom of the cabinet.

And, I might suggest like many have also noted that you test the apron for before doing any of the wiring. I had to dremel out the stainless steel piece over the ball eject to fit (easily taken off as attached with double-sided tape). Not a big deal and easy install once complete.

It looks amazing when done. Good luck!

yeah.... lets hope they change it!!

That is not the right link.

This was a Xmas present so I didn't even attempt to install mine until recently and just catching up on this thread.

So, will those who have a different trough be getting a new metal piece so it will fit correctly? I don't own a dremel since ours broke recently (was my grandfather's), so that's not an option for me until I purchase one. Frankly, though, I shouldn't have to; so I'm wondering what the status is there.

Hey I just heard about this.... Just got my machine too. :/. Are these still available?

https://www.evolutionmodsllc.com/gallery

Will those who have a different trough be getting a new metal piece so it will fit correctly?

I thought you guys just used Fausts design of the apron & then added your own software and possibly made some changes to fit PB's cabinet.

Faust is still involved with the project.

Well (IMO) then it seems fair of the Twippys to give him & vimtoman the designer credit and a bit of an overstatement on red devils part to claim your mod is a far superior design. Also, i believe there was already another apron mod for Alien designed before their's ever came out. I do agree that your mod looks better than the original design! I can't believe how little effort goes into the factory aprons.

I wouldn't worry about anyone not getting credit for their work. Everyone who worked on this is compensated fairly and well aware of the Twippys situation. Vintoman is not involved. Thanks for caring though.

All good brando! Maybe not directly tied into your software version but i believe Vimtoman designed the software on the version you copied. Many similarities in the modes/effects as well.

I am pumped to get my Apron! hopefully it will be coming soon- looks amazing!

Your comments make it clear that you have no idea what you're talking about because nothing was copied. Someone did give me some basic specifications that I followed, so I guess it was done in the same way that AMD managed to create Intel compatible CPUs. Heh heh heh

RedDevilz is right though... You don't even own any of this stuff.... So cut the trolling.

How are people securing the new beacons?

I think most people just set them on top. That's what I did. The beacons have a magnet, but I'm thinking Velcro or some custom mount would be needed to permanently mount them. I'm also curious what people have done who want to make them more permanent.

I just used double sided tape on mine. Non damaging - does the job.

Soooo...I'm the only one who superglued them?

kidding

1 1/2" woodscrews, the plastic is soft enough you can drill a pilot hole through with a hand drill in a few seconds. You don't need to crank them down so there's no worrying the beacon bases will crack, and if you remove the magnet at the bottom you can run your wires through the hole and into the backbox using the original beacon holes.

Makes for a pretty clean and permanent install.

actually now that i remember, I used double sided tape

Fuck it, I'll weld it!!

Thanks guys!

Agree 100%. Amazing mod that makes the game that much better. A lot of amazing mods that are nice to have; this is a must have. Can’t imagine owning the game without it.

Agreed. Everyone involved thank you for this. (yeah yeah, we threw you cash) but it still takes time and effort. Certainly more skill than I have. This is something this machine was missing from day one. I don't care who came up with what first, this is the one that was made available for PB's version and it is great!

Now someone get to work on the motion activated facehugger topper

Woooohoooo can't wait to make my game complete!

Let me know if any of those crackers don't respond to you. I definitely want one.

Thanks

Is this The reason why people had to cut the plate? I’ve been messing with this for far too long and dont see a fix outside of modding this mod.

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No, I don’t think so, but I have that issue as well. I had to cut (like a few others) the metal piece that sits over the ball eject.

I am however experiencing the same as you. I tried to bend the metal a bit, but clearly have failed this far as I still have to hit the right flipper to let the ball drain.

Damnit. I bent it as much as I can as well but it stops the ball completely. Not really usable as is. I’m not fond of having to modify a mod to make it work. That makes me pessimistic if you’re still having the problem. Looking at the fit, my flat post that goes into the playfield to secure the new apron has maybe 1/16” to move back, which doesn’t look like it will address the issue even after cutting.

Do any others still have this obstacle after modifying the plate?

I had to manually bend mine back quite a bit, put it on the floor, grab a towel and some pliers and have at it.

**note that is not the part that people are talking about cutting. You don't want to cut that.

What should have happened is like the original apron and had a bend in before it went to the pf rather than straight down, but it should manage once you get it.