Quoted from JustAnotherYoyo:

So I have a had this game for a couple of months now, after waiting over a year to get it an LV...nothing but problems.
I have yet to play a single fully working (3 ball) game.
I have REALLY lost faith in this machine and company and am tempted to cancel my Queen LE (which was guaranteed to ship in 2022 but still hasn't).
I have been seeing a lot of Aliens for sale on the market over the past few months and am now wondering if it is due to the build quality (or lack thereof).
Unfortunately, this was the most anticipated pin I have ever bought and unquestionably, the biggest lemon.
If you are thinking of buying one, think twice.
A bunch of things have already been fixed, including replacing the main cpu motherboard, but I'm still stuck with issues.
At this point I'm trying to fix;
-the alien jaw
-the alien magnetic rod
-the non registering APC drop targets
-the Hypersleep ball lock
Since none of these have ever worked for me I don't even know what is supposed to happen in regards to the Hypersleep ball lock.
If I get a ball in the lock, it registers the ball, but nothing happens. The ball just sits there and after a while the machine starts searching for a ball, which it can not find and then it just counts it as a ball drain and starts the next ball…
I have asked Pinball Brothers support multiple times as to what is supposed to happen, but the guy refuses to tell me;
I even emailed this to him;
"WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!?!?
I have asked you this question 3 times now, could you please just answer it?
Should another ball be launched?
Is the ball supposed to be ejected back out of the lock?
Is the lock supposed to raise?"
So, could someone here possibly tell me what is supposed to happen before I take an axe to this thing and use it as firewood!?
So frustrated...

Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:

The jaw and rod issues are something that's been happening with the latest code update. I didn't have a single issue with code 2.6 and 0.57. When I upgraded, those things were problematic. I haven't downgraded yet as I keep waiting for an update to fix these issues, but I may downgrade soon.
The drops didn't register for me until I adjusted the switch.
Hypersleep: does the lock mechanism work? Can you get it to do anything in test mode? If it registers the ball and the mechanism works... I'm totally lost as to what that could be...

Quoted from JustAnotherYoyo:

Thanks for the info/ help.
Now that I know what is supposed to happen, it makes it easier to troubleshoot.
I don't think the opto's are the issue, as the game is registering the ball/ lock, (and displaying "Ball 1 Locked" etc) however the elevator is not working at all (although it works via the test menu) and another ball is not being launched in the shooter lane either.
It's almost like the mechanical parts are working individually, but the software is not communicating properly.
I have a call in with support, but I'm really starting to reach my patience limit on this game...

Quoted from Lethal_Inc:

Anyone with a LV, could you please take a few pics of the dual switch flipper switches and how they are mounted to the sides of the cabinet. I have a SV and PB sent me the dual switches to replace and they are not lining up.

Quoted from Mageek:

I have asked this several times as well and have given up, must be a secret.

Quoted from Mageek:

I have asked this several times as well and have given up, must be a secret.

Quoted from Mageek:

I have asked this several times as well and have given up, must be a secret.

Quoted from punkin:

There's photos just a few pages back with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.

Quoted from monkfe:I see what you did there punkin....and I like it....

Quoted from punkin:

There's photos just a few pages back with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one.

Quoted from brado426:

This is correct. I found that 3.0 with Firmeware .56 or .57 has been the most reliable and stable. Never had a single problem with it. 3.1 introduces several issues.... but the silent tongue will be a very nice feature once the bugs are worked out.

Quoted from Mageek:

Which one of you fine LV owners is gonna show us how the staged flippers are wired

Quoted from Mageek:

A picture of the switch and how it’s wired would be very helpful here.

Quoted from JustAnotherYoyo:

Thanks for the info/ help.
Now that I know what is supposed to happen, it makes it easier to troubleshoot.
I don't think the opto's are the issue, as the game is registering the ball/ lock, (and displaying "Ball 1 Locked" etc) however the elevator is not working at all (although it works via the test menu) and another ball is not being launched in the shooter lane either.
It's almost like the mechanical parts are working individually, but the software is not communicating properly.
I have a call in with support, but I'm really starting to reach my patience limit on this game...

Quoted from punkin:

Hey all searched the thread and found that the correct blades for this machine are Bally/Williams, but couldn't see if they need to be modified to fit with the LV side rail lighting?
haven't seen the LV in person yet, so don't know, but if someone has put standard B/W blades on an LV, did you have to modify them?

Quoted from AD72:

This ball jam has happened a number of times during multiball with 2 or 3 balls on the right inlane. Any thoughts on a fix or anyone else have this happen? I have a SV build #42.
[quoted image]

Quoted from paulbaptiste:

The entire side blade of the LV is lit, with an image underneath the plastic. You wouldn't want to cover that up with anything.

Quoted from AD72:

This ball jam has happened a number of times during multiball with 2 or 3 balls on the right inlane. Any thoughts on a fix or anyone else have this happen? I have a SV build #42.
[quoted image]

Quoted from teddyb73:

Would you be willing to share your older code and firmware?
Thanks,
Ted

Quoted from AD72:

This ball jam has happened a number of times during multiball with 2 or 3 balls on the right inlane. Any thoughts on a fix or anyone else have this happen? I have a SV build #42.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Zablon:

How have you been communicating with them all this time? Most everyone here has had some problem or multiple and have had decent experiences getting things resolved through support. Yes, some games are more problematic than others, but the way you talk they've been ignoring you. Many have had full on video calls with them showing them the issues and troubleshooting.

Quoted from conester:

Last I saw the older 3.0 software was still available on the pinball brothers site. I think it’s under support and poke around in there. It’s there and you can download it and save it to your computer.

Quoted from Audioenslaved:

When I’ve logged two tickets it’s taken 2-3 days PER response! Yes I understand I’m in Australia but seriously there should be no reason to not have a response within 12 hours. I once responded 5 minutes after their message to me to wait 3 days for a response.

Quoted from paulbaptiste:

There are several photos posted in this thread. It's no secret. We need to do better at marking key posts like this one.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-brothers-alien-remake-owners-club/page/240#post-7312073[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from JustAnotherYoyo:

After another 3+ hours of tech support with Pinball Brothers (Shawn) and a couple more hours of fixing stuff (as per Shawn's instructions), I am happy (and relieved) to have played my FIRST fully working game of Alien about 5 minutes ago.
I feel like an absolute, complete idiot as 2 of the problems were not Pinball Brothers fault at all. It seems 2 Mezel Mods that I had bought and installed were interfering with the game mechanics.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL HYPER SLEEP CHAMBER- I very carefully installed this, however it seemed that a TINY piece of overhang from the front piece was catching on the top of the rear (larger) piece of the mod, thereby not allowing the lift to fully lower (like a 1-2mm difference) and was screwing up the opto's in regards to the lock being up or down. The front piece can not be mounted straight as per Mezel's instructions. 100% "my" fault.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL APC TARGET ILLUMINATION- I had installed this mod without a second thought (as I have installed illuminated clear drop targets on a few other (Stern/ Spooky) machines with no problems). Guess what. Absolutely incompatible with the optos on the Alien machine. The optos simply cannot sense the clear drop targets at all. Once I switched them back to stock, they worked first time. They also work with the Illumination aspect still operating. Again, 100% "my" fault.
We even got the Alien head 90+% working, in that the jaw is properly opening and closing and the magnetic rod is now expanding and retracting to grab the ball, however, it did have difficulty releasing it. But it eventually did and I could continue playing and finishing a game.
Considering I publicly criticized Pinball Brothers on this thread yesterday, I feel morally obligated, to publicly admit my fault in this and publicly apologize to them. Shawn's patience in helping me was amazing and once we realized that it was a mod, he didn't even get angry or express anything but understanding. To say that I was embarrassed (and angry at myself) would be an understatement.
I also want to thank the members here who help out and am REALLY looking forward to finally getting to play this game properly.
I will also be notifying Mezel Mods regarding the incompatibility with the mods, so hopefully nobody else has to experience these issues.

Quoted from JustAnotherYoyo:

After another 3+ hours of tech support with Pinball Brothers (Shawn) and a couple more hours of fixing stuff (as per Shawn's instructions), I am happy (and relieved) to have played my FIRST fully working game of Alien about 5 minutes ago.
I feel like an absolute, complete idiot as 2 of the problems were not Pinball Brothers fault at all. It seems 2 Mezel Mods that I had bought and installed were interfering with the game mechanics.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL HYPER SLEEP CHAMBER- I very carefully installed this, however it seemed that a TINY piece of overhang from the front piece was catching on the top of the rear (larger) piece of the mod, thereby not allowing the lift to fully lower (like a 1-2mm difference) and was screwing up the opto's in regards to the lock being up or down. The front piece can not be mounted straight as per Mezel's instructions. 100% "my" fault.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL APC TARGET ILLUMINATION- I had installed this mod without a second thought (as I have installed illuminated clear drop targets on a few other (Stern/ Spooky) machines with no problems). Guess what. Absolutely incompatible with the optos on the Alien machine. The optos simply cannot sense the clear drop targets at all. Once I switched them back to stock, they worked first time. They also work with the Illumination aspect still operating. Again, 100% "my" fault.
We even got the Alien head 90+% working, in that the jaw is properly opening and closing and the magnetic rod is now expanding and retracting to grab the ball, however, it did have difficulty releasing it. But it eventually did and I could continue playing and finishing a game.
Considering I publicly criticized Pinball Brothers on this thread yesterday, I feel morally obligated, to publicly admit my fault in this and publicly apologize to them. Shawn's patience in helping me was amazing and once we realized that it was a mod, he didn't even get angry or express anything but understanding. To say that I was embarrassed (and angry at myself) would be an understatement.
I also want to thank the members here who help out and am REALLY looking forward to finally getting to play this game properly.
I will also be notifying Mezel Mods regarding the incompatibility with the mods, so hopefully nobody else has to experience these issues.

Quoted from Lamoraldus:

I have read that people painted the little fins on the transparent drop targets black to make them work.
So you are not the first one to experience this.

Quoted from Optimiser:

I painted those Mezel Mods drop target fins with a black Sharpie but it still didn't work. I then cut out and put black tape on them and that fixed it.

Quoted from JustAnotherYoyo:

After another 3+ hours of tech support with Pinball Brothers (Shawn) and a couple more hours of fixing stuff (as per Shawn's instructions), I am happy (and relieved) to have played my FIRST fully working game of Alien about 5 minutes ago.
I feel like an absolute, complete idiot as 2 of the problems were not Pinball Brothers fault at all. It seems 2 Mezel Mods that I had bought and installed were interfering with the game mechanics.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL HYPER SLEEP CHAMBER- I very carefully installed this, however it seemed that a TINY piece of overhang from the front piece was catching on the top of the rear (larger) piece of the mod, thereby not allowing the lift to fully lower (like a 1-2mm difference) and was screwing up the opto's in regards to the lock being up or down. The front piece can not be mounted straight as per Mezel's instructions. 100% "my" fault.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL APC TARGET ILLUMINATION- I had installed this mod without a second thought (as I have installed illuminated clear drop targets on a few other (Stern/ Spooky) machines with no problems). Guess what. Absolutely incompatible with the optos on the Alien machine. The optos simply cannot sense the clear drop targets at all. Once I switched them back to stock, they worked first time. They also work with the Illumination aspect still operating. Again, 100% "my" fault.
We even got the Alien head 90+% working, in that the jaw is properly opening and closing and the magnetic rod is now expanding and retracting to grab the ball, however, it did have difficulty releasing it. But it eventually did and I could continue playing and finishing a game.
Considering I publicly criticized Pinball Brothers on this thread yesterday, I feel morally obligated, to publicly admit my fault in this and publicly apologize to them. Shawn's patience in helping me was amazing and once we realized that it was a mod, he didn't even get angry or express anything but understanding. To say that I was embarrassed (and angry at myself) would be an understatement.
I also want to thank the members here who help out and am REALLY looking forward to finally getting to play this game properly.
I will also be notifying Mezel Mods regarding the incompatibility with the mods, so hopefully nobody else has to experience these issues.

Quoted from punkin:

Ace, thank you. But i assume they'll fit my SV as standard?

Quoted from Mageek:

If you are talking mirror blades for the SV you would want the Stern ones, even they are a little short. The Ballys have a step cut out at the back end of them that is visible. The Sterns are cut straight.

Quoted from JustAnotherYoyo:

After another 3+ hours of tech support with Pinball Brothers (Shawn) and a couple more hours of fixing stuff (as per Shawn's instructions), I am happy (and relieved) to have played my FIRST fully working game of Alien about 5 minutes ago.
I feel like an absolute, complete idiot as 2 of the problems were not Pinball Brothers fault at all. It seems 2 Mezel Mods that I had bought and installed were interfering with the game mechanics.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL HYPER SLEEP CHAMBER- I very carefully installed this, however it seemed that a TINY piece of overhang from the front piece was catching on the top of the rear (larger) piece of the mod, thereby not allowing the lift to fully lower (like a 1-2mm difference) and was screwing up the opto's in regards to the lock being up or down. The front piece can not be mounted straight as per Mezel's instructions. 100% "my" fault.
Mezel Mods: ALIEN PINBALL APC TARGET ILLUMINATION- I had installed this mod without a second thought (as I have installed illuminated clear drop targets on a few other (Stern/ Spooky) machines with no problems). Guess what. Absolutely incompatible with the optos on the Alien machine. The optos simply cannot sense the clear drop targets at all. Once I switched them back to stock, they worked first time. They also work with the Illumination aspect still operating. Again, 100% "my" fault.
We even got the Alien head 90+% working, in that the jaw is properly opening and closing and the magnetic rod is now expanding and retracting to grab the ball, however, it did have difficulty releasing it. But it eventually did and I could continue playing and finishing a game.
Considering I publicly criticized Pinball Brothers on this thread yesterday, I feel morally obligated, to publicly admit my fault in this and publicly apologize to them. Shawn's patience in helping me was amazing and once we realized that it was a mod, he didn't even get angry or express anything but understanding. To say that I was embarrassed (and angry at myself) would be an understatement.
I also want to thank the members here who help out and am REALLY looking forward to finally getting to play this game properly.
I will also be notifying Mezel Mods regarding the incompatibility with the mods, so hopefully nobody else has to experience these issues.

Quoted from KING-HENRY:

one more mod (almost) complete..just have to sand a few edges..but I really like the airlock with no decals..really makes the screen pop..if anything, I'll put that Purina dogfood' decal on it, but not much if anything else.
[quoted image]

Quoted from PeterG:

Catching some facehuggers

Quoted from Zablon:

To each their own, but...no that looks so unfinished lol. Maybe age it a bit if nothing else.

Quoted from KING-HENRY:well, that's certainly the truth..but it actually looks and plays a lot better, in person..kinda have to be there on that. I will ultimately put a few quality decals on it, but not overload it like the stock version

Quoted from punkin:

The screen bezel makes it play better?
RightThenPunkin

Quoted from KING-HENRY:

one more mod (almost) complete..just have to sand a few edges..but I really like the airlock with no decals..really makes the screen pop..if anything, I'll put that Purina dogfood' decal on it, but not much if anything else.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Baggerman:

Hit it with some black wash to toughen it up a bit...[quoted image]

Quoted from driph:

Nope, tongue is still stuck here as well, so I'm assuming its a software issue. Also, I ran the xeno calibration and immediately afterwards the lighting on my game went screwy. This is what the first shot lighting looks like now (everything flashing), and it continues after the skill shot phase. Gonna dig into it some this weekend, maybe try a factory reset, and will submit a bug ticket if I can't get it resolved.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Jarbyjibbo:

Updated software and firmware and loving the play so far. I was at 2.7 and now at 3.1. The only issue is the AP(C) single drop target isn't registering now at all which I never had issues with before. The A & P work fine. Any idea what may have caused this before I bother PB with a ticket?