Fuses are good, checked with meter. No loose connectors and flippers work in coil test. Flipper switch blades making physical contact;
Thanks for advice re. starting a ticket with PB, had no idea that was a thing.

yes they have documentaion on their support site as well.... very responsive.

Let us know what the problem turns out to be. There were some really poor crimps on mine if you check any connectors. Sounds like it might be a power issue if it's seeing the switches in test.

Hi Pinmeister, if you open up a ticket there customer support is fantastic. I was emailing them 10am-11am eastern and was getting responses back in 5 MINUTES! If I email Stern and ask a question I have to wait until 4:50pm until they respond. I have had the game since spring and never had an issue. A couple of weeks ago I turned the game on and all the right side coils seemed to be operating at 50%. The ball barely coughed up to the shooter lane but the coil to fire it on the playfield couldn't make it up the wireform. I removed the glass to test the game with the ball in play and realized instantly that all right side coils were weak. I turned them up 30 to 40% and played a few games. The next day I turned her on and had the same thing happen even though I had adjusted them in settings. I opened a ticket and jumped in the car to go to work. 5 minutes later I get a response. I was asked if I was comfortable soldering and when I replied yes he sent me 2 pics of the pc control board 0092 in the bottom of the control box. Once you remove all the connectors and remove the box from underside of the playfield, open the top of the box and disconnect the 4 interconnects. In the box on the bottom is the 0092 board.
I was asked to remove the 2 transistors circled and jumper them and then remove the board from the box and on the underside add a jumper wire to a cap. Here are the 2 pics I was sent. Once I made these alterations the coils all fired sufficiently. I dialed all back to normal except for the left flipper which I catch the ball on from the overpowered scoop. Please don't follow my advice though and open a ticket yourself to confirm. Good luck!!bLDLnTkYC4jElYSd_aPVZQhOKx1ierMuuQ (resized).jpgPaQ3brF1hbQPcc6cgLa05RPiU_sRYAiL7g (resized).jpg
I should have stated I couldn't get the transistors off with the soldering iron. I clipped the legs off of both then crushed the black body of the transistor until all that is left is the base. I then soldered the pins across both. Here's a pic of what I ended up with. Works great now but wont win any awards for presentation.20220817_115335 (resized).jpg

Forgive me if this has been already mentioned, but I couldn't find it.

I read earlier that the post below the upper right flipper takes abuse and could ruin the clear, and requires a beefier post + washer.

Which post exactly did you all purchase, and just any plastic washer? Did you put washers underneath the playfield and under the post on the playfield? Thanks in advance.

Well I officially pulled my ad. I'm keeping the game. I moved it into my gameroom and had a bunch of games where I experienced that magic world under glass feeling I haven't had from a pin in awhile. Been a rough journey but Im hoping OB comes thru on the code bugs because this game is too good not to share with people. In the meantime I'll rack up a ton of plays trying to beat it!!

Be sure to submit logs to PB any time you get a hang or crash in 2.8. It will help them to realize how widespread a particular issue is and hopefully prioritize it. I am currently aware of 1 hang and 1 crash/reset... so if those two are resolved, I think we're going to be in pretty good shape.

Yeah since owning it I’ve changed my tune on it. Played probably 40 or 50 games thus far and enjoying all the different modes and multiballs. Scores are getting progressively better too.

Are there instructions on how to pull the logs on the support site?

PB are great though the website needs work as it’s not easy to find.

https://pinballbrothers.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/80000821175-report-bug

The logs are a huge help to them. On several occasions, I have reported a problem with log and they had it fixed the next day.

We were talking about weak Drop Target reset earlier. Months ago, I put a zip tie on the coil to prevent it from turning and causing the lugs to short against the frame. I took my drop targets out again and examined and found that it is still possible for the lugs to intermittently touch the frame. I think this could cause an intermittent weak coil fire for sure. I put electrical tape over the lugs like you see in the picture and it has been working perfectly for 3 days. Since it is an intermittent issue, it is still too early to tell for sure... but so far so good.

My machine is one of the first 20, so I think Pinball Brothers probably already addressed this on any newer machine... but I'd recommend checking your drop target lugs and insulating them.

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Thanks for the pics, I’ll take a look.

Final update on the Apron Decals - got the sizing and layout adjusted to size.

Files are here for anyone who wants them: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoaN3QWnEIMIg_YN7xn4pTJnSyjVRg?e=oh28ZT

There is a GIMP image file that you can edit with your own graphics, and some easy-printable image files. -Just get some Glossy vinyl 8 1/2" x 11" Sticker paper, and print the image at 100% for easy results. (If the image doesn't print at the proper size, try opening and Printing it directly from GIMP.)

Cheers everyone and happy flipping!

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I did the ziptie on mine as well, will look into any potential chances to still short. My drops have been solid since I smoothed out the edge of the plate like Baggerman suggested and adjusted the plate to reduce slop.

Newer machines should already have the coil flipped over from the factory like in the service update. I might eventually get around to flipping mine if the problem comes back

I guess I missed that service bulletin! I will definitely flip the coil if that is the recommendation from PB. Thanks for making me aware of that!

Has anyone else paid in full for their LV over a month ago and keep getting jerked around by CoinTaker??? They have lived up to the name of taking money but miserably fail to deliver the product in a timely manner.

After months in wait mode, I have officially joined the club! My SV arrived yesterday and I set up today with the assistance of NStone. Thank you Nick!

I am very pleased to say that my game has been running flawlessly out of the box so far (came with 2.7 code). There were a few loose connections under the playfield but nothing not easily remedied.

One question I have for SV owners is what if anything have you done to lighten up the playfield area? I realize it is designed to be a darker game but I also have a Stranger Things premium (projector) and like to play my games with the lights off. When I did so, I found it pretty difficult to play Alien given how dark the game is.

Does anyone make a bright led strip or lsomething similar that would help light up the back area at least? Any suggestions are appreciated.

The problem with Alien is its not easy to add lighting. I ended up buying my first set of pin stadiums and they work very well (although pretty expensive for what u get)

I also purchased the Aussie alt translite from NStone. The pictures I've seen of this mod were a lot brighter and popped so I figured the mod likely came with lighting strips as well.

Can those that have this translite comment if it was supposed to come with lighting strips? If not, suggestions on how to make it light up? It is dark the way it came and given how dark the playfield area is as well, I need to do something to brighten it up.
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I am buying the apron and beacons mod. The apron should help with the lower half lighting but not the upper half. It is going to be a cool mod but isn't cheap either so not really wanting to buy pinstsdiums as well. Has anyone tried an led strip at the back? If so, did it help much?

I'm perfectly happy with the SV with Apron Mod with no additional lighting on the playfield. To me, it is the perfect ambience when all the lights are out. I wouldn't want any more or less light. Personally, I don't like the additional lighting on the LV at all, but I know that is extremely subjective.

The translite doesn't come with lighting strips, but Kurt sends you some decent instructions on what to buy and how to install them.

Actually as a quick test, I simply left the backbox lighting as it is (the led strip in the centre), then just plugged in a USB powered strip (into one of the PC USB slots) and stuck it around the edges of the backbox. It's probably not as bright, or as good as what Kurt suggests, but for me that worked just fine, so I left it like that, and it literally took about 5 minutes.

No strips you have to source these yourself. Once it is done, it rocks.

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LOVE the license plate!!

xeno was taken so next best thing.. LOL.

Ripley said “Get away from her you BITCH!” I didn’t listen… & would like to say that I just setup my LV and this game is absolutely beyond incredible!
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I used two Comet matrix strips on the apron and it brings out the details in the lower artwork. I also plugged in a USB light strip in the back of and also ran it down below to light up the back of the Playfield. They make a big difference to me but a lot of people on here like it dark so you can use whatever you like best to suit your taste. Comet does lighted flipper buttons too...they really set it off.

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I guess I didn't get the instructions because there weren't any in the box. Does anyone have specifics on what instructions were included and what you did?

To be honest, it isn't an inexpensive mod and I'm surprised those weren't included. Hoping it isn't too expensive or difficult to get it lighted. Any insight is appreciated.

I was hoping those were isolated incidents or exaggerations of poor customer service. I’ve been told “your machine will ship next week” for four consecutive weeks with a different random excuse each time. Starting to get concerned about them scamming me. Surprised that there hasn’t been more mention of this with there only being one distributor in the US.

It’s not a scam, it’s just poor communication. A friend said he paid a month ago and just got shipping info. I paid two weeks ago, no comms.

You won’t get scammed, just shit communication. I’ve sent 8 follow up emails after my game was supposed to ship and never got a response at all. It’s incredibly frustrating. I hope Dutch and Pinball Brothers open up to another distributor. It’s incredibly unfortunate that we are forced to buy through a single entity whose communication is horribly inadequate.
You are not alone. If you end up getting a Lebowski you will have the same aggravating experience unfortunately.

I do have a Lebowski/Queen on order from them as well. I’m not making the same mistake and paying final invoice again until they have a game in their hands to ship me. The extremely premature final invoice payment request, lack of communication and straight up lying on their behalf has made me lose interest in owning this machine.

I like the USB strip in the back idea. Are there open USB ports in the back box or elsewhere in the cabinet to connect? Where did you connect yours?

There is an option to change the LED brightness in the settings. Mine was at a 5 and it goes as high as 8. Once I did that the playfield was plenty bright for me.

You can also buy the apron mod. It has LEDs on it and will enhance the playfield when installed.

My buddy just received a LV. Xeno head works great and the game looks really nice. I think it needs an external sub for more bass.

One issue is that the ball launcher frequently fails to send the ball all the wire up the wire form and into play. It seems that the launcher fires with lower power at times, which results in the ball only making it half way up the wire form. Increasing the power setting didn’t help, so we reduced it back to normal. We also reduced trough power as it seems like the balls were being ejected into the launcher lane with too much force.

Looked at the wire form and it seemed slightly bent, so we added a washer to the right side post to correct this. Has helped but the coil still seems to sometimes fire at a lower power, bricking the launched ball. The coil does move slightly in its bracket, but I don’t see how this impacts launcher power. It is almost like the launcher plunger doesn’t fire all the way out. Anyone had similar issues? I did try to read through this entire thread but couldn’t find anything yet. Reseated the molex and checked the crimping on the coil.

It is frustrating as the launcher works about 80% of the time and sometimes goes games before bricking the ball.

Another issue is flipper power. The coils get really hot after a few plays, but I think two of the flippers were shipped too tight and there is “no play” between the bushing and the flipper.

Also got got random flipper locks/resets in ambush - almost like the game thought all the balls had drained. I think reducing trough power has helped with this.

All in all, a really nice game. The launcher problem is very annoying, but my new Stern Iron Maiden had similar issues and was a pain to fix.

As a huge fan of the movies, one thing I dislike is that “scream again” video when you are rescued from a left drain. Looks cheap and doesn’t fit the theme. Could have done something better, like Stern’s ST with its various rescue call outs. I can think of a number of pieces of video and dialogue they could use, or simply change “scream again” for something related to medbay or show them welding a door shut to defend themselves.

I'm in the same boat as you. Paid in full a month ago and I get a different story each time I speak with Cointaker. Seems to be a common experience. I'm sure it will arrive....eventually.

Did they say it was on the ship from Europe?

When I made my final payment (late July), they told me I would have mine in a week or two. When that came and went, I called to ask what happened and was told that, unfortunately, my game went to Canada. I thought that was strange, but whatever. So as of a week ago, it's supposedly "on the water," and I should have it within a few weeks.

There's only one thing to do then...

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Guessing Pinbrowser doesn't work with Alien's OS? There are some really cool things that could be used to upgrade some of this pins audio and clips if pinbrowser is/were compatible.

Thank you for the reply. I am buying the apron mod. That will help but probably not as much with the upper half of the game.

I have already upped the led setting to 8 but still find in pretty dark at night and I turn the lights off.

Hi All, I received my SV 2 weeks ago. Here are some details of that experience. I placed deposit in Jan. In March CT said it would be about 30 days. In May I was told itd be shipped in a few weeks. In July I was told it was on the way on ship and was sent an invoice. I didnt like the idea of paying before they actually had it, as I was already given inaccurate shipping estimates so I initially didnt pay and was going to wait until they had it. Seems scammy. Then I thought, "What if they ship them to those who paid first and dont go by deposit list?", so I paid about 2 weeks later. Ive read similar posts and its seems a lot are frustrated w/ CTs communication. The model should be simple, you have a deposit list, once you receive pin, send out invoice. Im not sure what theyre looking at.

Fed ex brought from driveway to front of house. My help couldnt be there so I tipped driver 50$ and he helped me hand truck it up 6 steps and inside. No damage to box.

I have narrow basement stairs w/ 90 degree landing that was too small for pin. I built a bigger landing and was able to hand truck it down. Once on landing(w/ only 1in of space available) tilt forward, slide out hand truck, rotate it on moving blanket, put front legs on and lower it. Then Harbor freight table lift did the rest. As this is my only pin, I did the simple HF mod and just put the handle underneath and steered w/ pin.
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I had to remove backbox before moving. Its easy, just remove glass, lower it, label/disconnect about 8 cables and unscrew 1 screw from each side.

After checking connections, I updated to 2.7 and fired it up. Its incredible. I do love it but its having issues w/ the ball not launching all the way up the ramp sometimes. Maybe 4-5 times in a row then itll be fine. It has failed kickout attempts and sometimes kickouts 2 or 3 balls. Probably 3x it has ended up trying/failing to launch 2 or 3 balls at a time and I have to turn off and remove glass each time. I opened ticket and their solution was to increase auto launch which I tried. This didnt help. Does this seem like software or hardware issue?
2nd solution was to adjust wire ramp entry angle. I never got that far. Yesterday the wire ramp broke in 2 places. Just sent PB follow up email to ticket. I believe some others have seen this.
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Best topper so far!
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This is what's crazy. I made deposit in December and still don't have my sv. Other people that paid before me don't have theirs either. I don't mind d the wait but why doesn't cointaker go in order of when you make your deposit. It's a head scratcher.
As I said no rush and I know my game is coming soon.

Got invoice for final payment 7-25 and paid the remaining amount 7-26.

There has to be a better way. I’m not falling for this trap ever again. If they don’t have a machine in their hands ready to ship, I’m not paying the final invoice. Whatever complications that may arise in transit are none of my concern. When I received my final invoice it would be reasonable to assume there will be a machine on the way to my house in the near future. I don’t care if the boat sinks or the captain decides to use my machine as an anchor. I’m not loaning Cointaker large sums of money for indefinite periods of time for any reason ever again.

Sounds like the ball is losing power at the entrance of the wireform - I had to bend the wires at the entrance out, make more room for the ball to pass through. The other thing I had to adjust was the rubber bumper at the top of the launch ramp, had to bend it out a bit to stop the ball bouncing back down.

Got recommended the USB strip method from Zablon so I purchased these from Amazon tonight.

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I have used 7 USB light strips. 2 on apron, 1 facing down on pathway from hypersleep, 1 above rear art work, 1 facing down and 1 facing forward on frame above Xeno head and 1 behind backglass.

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Has anyone else seen a problem where the Xeno JAW stays open after Ambush mode is initiated? I'm seeing it happen approximately 1 in 10 times after Xeno ball grab at the beginning of Ambush mode. I have never seen the problem happen at any other time (including test mode). After the game is over or the next time the JAW is supposed to close, it does close fine. I hooked up a PWM monitor, and I can see that the system is sending a JAW open command the entire time the JAW is stuck open... so I'm still unclear if this is a problem with my hardware, or some software glitch that is happening on machines other than mine. I'm already working with Pinball Brothers on this, but just wanted to see if anyone else is having the issue for troubleshooting purposes.

This is an SV on System Update 2.8 with Firmware 0.56.