Anyone know, are those the same switches that the HWY version used, or were they an 'update'?

This is what I used, sling switch, target foam, piece of the original pcb with connector and soldered the switch lugs to the existing connector. Played hundreds of games with no switch issues. They’ll likely never code the light in them anyway.

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Looks pretty similar but not exact.

https://www.free-play.se/en/electronics/circuit-boards/alien-full-throttle-target-switch-board-w-led.html

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I think these would work better as the top of the is wider than the top section so it can’t get stuck

I'm trying to adjust my airlock scoop as the ball is consistently fired towards the very end of the left flipper, and often I will drain as a result, as it's just not possible to control the ball. The PB support article mentions bending the scoop a little, but I'm giving it quite a bit of effort - it's not bending, and honestly, I feel like I'm gonna break it. Is this definitely the way to go about it? Are there any other things people have done?

Check that the inside plunger "nub" is level as well.. sometimes they have a little nipple in the middle.. if so, sand that sucker flat.

Just be careful it's what works

It does work. Took a shit ton of force to really rotate the scoop clockwise but 100% necessary to enjoy the game. It took me maybe 4 or 5 tries before I got it bent enough to avoid SDTM returns.

Before bending the metal on the scoop, loosen all the screws a little, push the entire mech as far as it will go in the desired direction and retighten. Sometimes there's enough slop in the screw holes to be able to make a difference. If it's not enough, then start bending (or fill / make new screw holes).

I recently found this to be true. I had to take the scoop bracket off so I could get at one of the Xeno bolt. Then when I put it back on again, I had it tilted too far to the left causing it to hit the left side of the left flipper. Once I loosened the bolts, positioned the bracket, and re-tightened, everything was good again.

Also turn the scoop power down.

What makes you think it's not the hardware issues? Only ask because they seem to have been shipping lots of replacement parts

"But why male models?"

Pretty much all of the things I wrote in my post, and the examples others have posted.

I would also recommend you set the power to the scoop at a reduced level. It will help, there is no need to fire that thing out at 100 miles an hour.

MUTHUR coil especially needs reducing so you can hit the shots.

I have been using incorrect terminology, when I was suggesting a Factory Reset, I didn’t mean using the menu item of that name, I meant a “system rebuild” from the PB website here. This has fixed things for me on more than one occasion including the 2.8 update.

https://pinballbrothers.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/80000843825--how-to-rebuild-machine-alien-2-2

Is there anyway to save High Scores when doing this, or is everything lost?

Fellows with the playfield issues - sorry youre having the same issues I had!

Before you go changing posts, drilling wider holes etc, I would suggest just Loctite and flexible lexan washers underneath all the posts with cracks / pooling.
The cracks start when posts come loose and hit the sides of the holes, you need to keep these posts TIGHT, so use some blue loctite to make sure they dont loosen from repeated hits.
You also want to avoid any hard surfaces touching the PF surface, the lexan washers provide protection to the clear without providing a new hard edge to push into the clear (I tried metal washers and the soft plastic are far superior).
Also I recommend using two rubber rings on the posts, provides a little more bounceback to the ball meaning momentum is not being transferred through the post to the playfield, causing damage

Lastly - anybody with PF issues I recommend contacting PBros and purchasing a spare playfield to store - for a reasonable price shipped you get peace of mind to not worry so much if your game starts to show battle wear.

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One thing that would really help this forum - if somebody had a google doc that listed the issues talked about in this forum is a sensible way (has anybody seen the forum for CCr?! It looks so efficient!)

So many issues on this forum have been listed more than once, it would make troubleshooting so much more efficient for everyone if we could look up common issues without relying on the buggy forum search tool.

Has anybody started a spreadhseet or anything like that so far, to get us started? Maybe a user with a post on the first page would be able to edit one of their posts and we can start to add some user 'FAQ' for all of our benefit??

Everything is lost, but I’m sure you remember your high score

Mine gets here in about two weeks. I wanted to ask all of you, is there anything I should get in advance? Any standard part or upgrade everyone ends up getting?

New balls, mylar rings and plastic washers, flipper fans

I would immediately throw out the balls that come with the game. Mine lasted 3 days before they magnetized.

Hindsight being 20/20, I would definitely preemptively put a mylar ring and plastic washer underneath the post below the upper right flipper. Just do it.

Also watch for any areas that the plastics are cutting into the clear (look for pooling). If you find any I'd put something underneath those areas (mylar ring and plastic washer) to keep it from expanding outward.

I also purchased flipper fans from the pinside shop here and highly recommend them. I felt my flippers getting weaker pretty quickly from day 1 of ownership.

You may not have Metric but drivers.

Second on coil fans.

Someone should post some really good pics of the later build flipper mechs. I'm curious is something changed.

Also, still using stock balls. Nothing wrong with them.

Coincidentally, I have a ton of Ninja Pinballs I just bought! Do you have links to the other parts you'd suggest? Thank you for the help!

Still using stock balls here from June, 2021... Nothing wrong with them.

Just received LV 123. Have only played a few games on it and so far so good. Only things I had to address out of the box were coin door bolts all rolling around along with some other screws. Just went through and double checked all bolts and screws.

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Mine had little scratches all over them but I tossed them in the tumbler for 6 hours with some polish and they turned out fine - also dont forget the balls will scratch alot in the first few weeks (those metal ramps!!) so not a bad idea to change them once or twice in the first month anyways...

Can you guys show me where exactly you tapped into to supply power to the led strip in the back box for the translite mod.

Thanks

What kind of issues did rebuilding it fix in the latest code? Is PB recommending to do this?

Hey McDoom - I tapped in at the AC-in on the main power supply, after the power switch on the bottom, so the power supply is switched on/off with the game. If you unsrew the power supply box on the bottom of the game and flip it over, you will easily see that its a pretty generic power supply, not hard to piggy back onto

Nothing has changed to anyone's knowledge. Post photos of yours and other people can look at their games. Coils heat up and lose power, other people have scientifically documented this occurrence.

So, you take that to mean I don't think they do?

But to clarify, lots of hardware changes have happened on this machine over its run. We know this. And to clarify further, no ones flippers should be fading in the first 30 minutes unless you have maybe the power turned way up or your house is hot af. If some people are seeing flipper issues quickly (not talking after hours and hours of play) then there is probably an issue somewhere.

For anyone who is experiencing some rare resets and hangs in 2.8, there is hope....

I am aware of one hang and one reset issue in 2.8. The hang issue usually happens after the machine has been on for hours. The reset issue could happen at any time... most recently, I saw it happen after 5 minutes of turning on the machine, but it is super rare. I think I've only seen it happen twice.

Sounds like PB has identified the cause of the reset issue from the logs I provided and that should be fixed in System Update 2.9. The hang issue, I think they're still looking into.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1391-ravspec/07046-extended-play-coil-coolers-pinball-brothers-alien

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1170-pin-monk/02469-star-and-slim-post-clear-mylar-ring-set

**I make my own with a circle punch and a hole punch. I use 3/4” most often

Then get some rubber washers and plastic washers assortments from Amazon or elsewhere.

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Ordered! Thank you for the suggestion!

Thanks again, Your kit is all packed up and ready to ship first thing in the morning.

Mike
-RavSpec:PlayLonger-

I have plenty of kits in stock and ready ship if anyone else is interested.

There are some decent pics of the flipper mechs in my shop listing for my cooler kits. If something looks different than what you have post them up and ill take some more detailed pictures as well. Coyohtay on here has a very early game and has mentioned experiencing flipper fade on their game as well.

I need to get me one of those!!!!

Ha, missed that mistype.

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Having appropriate tools is important! But don't make the mistake this guy made.

I'll never understand why some games get flipper fade and others don't when it's the same game. I've only needed a cooling kit on my GnR. Godzilla, Alien, Avengers...I've had 8 hour parties with the games going pretty much non stop and little to no fade on any of them. On the 7th to 8th hour I'll get a little bit on Iron Maiden.

The only one I've needed one on is R&M (of newer games). Some of it is related to flipper mechs, some related to power driving those mechs, some related to code, some related to the type of game play style (or even the play style of a specific player), some related to ambient temps....

What seems to be fairly common from my observations is that the newer style PC driven games seem to have a tougher time keeping heat down for whatever reason.

I don't think most games are going to see much fade in a normal persons play time, which is why I kind of push back against the 'must have' crowd for coolers. Play your game first, see how it acts, then decide. Testing against 1 machine isn't a level set, and with this game I would err on the side of 'there's a hardware issue' with a specific game before I'd say it needs coolers for normal game times. If you are constantly playing an hour or more then it probably does, but most people don't do that beyond the first few weeks of ownership.

LV-113 arrived yesterday - game is working perfectly out of the box so far.

I did have to contact PB as there is a gouge on the backglass that somehow penetrated the protective sheet that they placed over it - they responded this morning and are going to ship me a new backglass. Great customer service!

I have had a few issues with the ball getting stuck in various places - most notably this gap behind the xenomorph head which can juuuuuust hold a ball, and which was a pain in the ass to actually retrieve it from. Factory settings have been totally fine for me to hit the typical shots so far, but we'll see if I develop a more nuanced opinion after a few weeks.

I don't find the lighting to be an issue at all - seems plenty bright to me. I need to start looking at the mods y'all are doing to see what would be the best fit for me.

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Expect this to be on the slow boat so it could be some time before you get it. I have found in my experience anything larger then a board, they will ship it with the machines.

Yeah - they implied it would be late September, so that makes sense. At least it's just cosmetic rather than functional; I can live with it until then...

Pic of the gouge in case anyone is curious.

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Intruder alert

LE 72 arrived about 2 weeks ago. Finally got it set up. Right side flippers don't work, bad pixels on display. Stickers on apron coming off. Cointaker tech support is useless, and there is little documentation. No mention of warranty work or support. I guess it is pretty much buyer beware for PB games.

Open a ticket here https://pinballbrothers.freshdesk.com/support/login

Check the fuses in the playfield control box if right side coils aren’t working.

Yes, open a ticket. My game had a board failure and a replacement was in my hands 3 days later. Top notch customer service!