Quoted from gliebig:

My main issue is with the APC drop targets. Software constantly stops recognizing hits.

Quoted from Royale-W-Cheese:

and a topper for all your work.

Quoted from zacaj:

Software? Not a hardware issue?

Quoted from RussG:

I received a balance due (Pay Invoice) from Cointaker about 30 minutes ago on my SV.
I ordered mine Feb. 22 of this year so I am Qtr. 2 batch.
Can you good gents tell me now what to expect and do you think my unit is on a ship now or not yet?
How would I find all this information out without calling and bugging Melissa? I have an invoice number.
Fixes for my unit? You think this invoiced batch has all the fixes listed above?
Thanks all so much. You guys have been amazing on all of this and I am happy you are part of this great hobby.

Quoted from Yelobird:

You could just reply to the invoice email and ask ETA estimate.

Quoted from PunkPin:

Someone here also posted about the drop target coil shifting and transferring the power through the bracket because coil doesn't have a tab to hold it in place. Zip tied coil in place to prevent

Quoted from javagrind888:

I was told by her on the phone last week that the next shipment was delayed from August but should be received within a month.

Quoted from javagrind888:

I was told by her on the phone last week that the next shipment was delayed from August but should be received within a month.

Quoted from RussG:

I received a balance due (Pay Invoice) from Cointaker about 30 minutes ago on my SV.
I ordered mine Feb. 22 of this year so I am Qtr. 2 batch.
Can you good gents tell me now what to expect and do you think my unit is on a ship now or not yet?
How would I find all this information out without calling and bugging Melissa? I have an invoice number.
Fixes for my unit? You think this invoiced batch has all the fixes listed above?
Thanks all so much. You guys have been amazing on all of this and I am happy you are part of this great hobby.

Quoted from Zablon:

Anyone thought about one of those holo fan topper things for this? Backbox is low enough I'm considering it, but honestly haven't seen many people claim to have them. (the ones with the spinner LED that you can program with animations).

Quoted from RussG:

Send a link or picture what you are talking about please. Thanks!

Quoted from Zablon:

Someone sells them on here, but there are youtube videos for default animations for some games on youtube.

Quoted from Zablon:

Anyone thought about one of those holo fan topper things for this? Backbox is low enough I'm considering it, but honestly haven't seen many people claim to have them. (the ones with the spinner LED that you can program with animations).

Quoted from Zablon:

Someone sells them on here, but there are youtube videos for default animations for some games on youtube.

Quoted from Baggerman:

at this point we may have to get "beacon" animations for this for our toppers.. dont think SV owners will see beacon toppers aftermarket.

Quoted from Yelobird:

Absolutely will. One of the simplest low cost toppers out there. I am sure in short order many will offer them.

Quoted from Yelobird:

Absolutely will. One of the simplest low cost toppers out there. I am sure in short order many will offer them.

Quoted from Baggerman:

you know a good modder?

Quoted from Yelobird:

Pretty sure #Delt31 even provided a link to make your own for $15 in post #645. He does know his Alien stuff.

Quoted from javagrind888:

delt31 when you figure it out, please post a how to on connecting them.

Quoted from Drain-O:

Got my invoice today as well, and I was an August Q3 order. Must be a ton of these coming in.

Quoted from brado426:

Once again, you're just complaining.... If this was your first pinball machine or something, then I'd understand why you might be surprised or upset. You're complaining about not wanting to replace parts yourself? You're in the wrong hobby dude.... it is not for you.

Quoted from DreamTR:

I mean you are just a clown at this point. Failing to read the posts where I clearly said I put this out and 160+ other machines for FREE PLAY on location for people to enjoy.
I spent 9k on this machine. It needs to be working.
You sound like the people who were protecting Skit-B when I called them out about stuff at this point.

Quoted from DreamTR:

I mean you are just a clown at this point. Failing to read the posts where I clearly said I put this out and 160+ other machines for FREE PLAY on location for people to enjoy.
I spent 9k on this machine. It needs to be working.
You sound like the people who were protecting Skit-B when I called them out about stuff at this point.

Quoted from Dee-Bow:

Hey now! Be nice to the noob! he has No clue what skit -B is..or predator.. and most likely he has never heard of Andrew Heighway. He does like to believe that he's a co worker of Cato's tho

Quoted from brado426:

Yesterday, I fixed all the LEDs in my backbox. The bottom strip was completely out and the upper left strip had a faulty connection causing the LEDs after it to be dim or actually change color (pink). I found this article to be extremely valuable... it basically tells you how to power on and test the LED strips without powering on the motherboard. I had two bad LED strips and was easily able to identify which strips were bad by using this method. Don't forget there are two plastic washers behind each LED strip so be careful not to lose any.
https://pinballbrothers.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/80000937592--how-to-check-test-led-strip-in-screen-box
Also, there was talk about adding more light to the backbox. If I add additional light in the future, it looks like it will be pretty easy to patch into the AC input to the power supply (box at the bottom of the playfield on the right) and run new wires up to an LED AC light in the backbox. I think this would be much more reliable and reduce any chance of taking too much power from the game boards.
Another update.... I installed the IEC filter on my game (which should be there anyway), but it didn't make any real difference. Still have the balls getting stuck in the AIRLOCK/TROUGH (flipper hit frees them up every time) and still have periodic trough eject issues (rare, but annoying when it happens). I'm going to get serious about figuring out what is up with my trough issues soon. I suspect I have some issue there that other do not have.

Quoted from Baggerman:

Any thoughts on the faraday or shielding wraps sold online to eliminate the coil emi? do these things even work?

Quoted from brado426:

I'm not convinced the AIRLOCK and TROUGH issues I have are EMI related. PB is still looking into those. My gut feel is that it is software related... but since I didn't write the software, I don't know for sure.
I did have some interference with my L and V LEDs when hitting the right flipper. PB sent me a replacement wiring harness that appears to have thicker wire and new flipper coils that have big diodes on them. This completely eliminated that L and V interference.
Just a reminder that I had one of the first 20 machines made. I believe newer machines are already getting these fixes.

Quoted from Baggerman:

thank you for the reply.. while i wait for my machine to come (in usa on 11/11 i think), i have been hoarding fixes/mods, getting prepped for any issue that may arise and such.. I believe i am sitting pretty. PB emailed me yesterday and all items they have service fixes for in their support page are supposedly implemented on these to include the Gen 3 targets.
I am optimistic.

Quoted from brado426:

I'm not convinced the AIRLOCK and TROUGH issues I have are EMI related. PB is still looking into those. My gut feel is that it is software related... but since I didn't write the software, I don't know for sure.

Quoted from Mageek:

Cato informed me that they found the problem with the stuck balls and are testing a patch. I had updated to 2.2G but had a bunch of problems , going back to 2.2D solved most except the stuck in the airlock issue.

Quoted from s000m:

Hi all,
So I have been pretty much in the same camp as brado426 and we have exchanged DM's a few times on simular issues.
To help anyone else here, here is the full documented set of issues i've had with the machine. Bare in mind this was like Machine Number 6 so I refer it to as a prototype (yes i'm the guy from the Video stream Gonzo interviewed).
So here goes:
Issues hit:
- Chipped Playfield/Pooling Playfield.
Chipped Playfield:
This issue was caused by a post being too short and coming loose in shooting of a demonstration for the film which I wasn't part of. The damage from the post coming loose below the top right flipper can be seen below.
[quoted image]
Picture of the old and new post can also be seen attached.
[quoted image]
Pooling Playfield:
Had various area's with pooling. This seems to be down to the playfield not having what I would call cuts where posts and the like would pressure down into the playfield. Stern and other pinball machines I have do not do place playfield art work underneath these area's normally so the issue is avoided.
The machine was on demonstration at a Pinball Festival in the UK but when I arrived was already having issues. It unfortunately spent most of its time under maintenance. This coupled with the chip and pooling my distributor negotiated a playfield replacement as long as I was willing to fit it, the issues present would be supported by Pinball Brothers and resolved and so far so good they have stuck to their word and sent the replacement playfield and I have been sent many different parts for the various issues exhibited.
Note to existing owners:
The chipping on your playfield is a very real issue and one you shouldn't sit on. Ask Cato for the replacement post and fit it ASAP before it becomes loose and you end up with a crater in your playfield.
Flipper bats:
The original flipper bats had a manufacturing problem. I noticed when I got back the top right flipper was cracked and squeaking when being moved. I released the flipper from the flipper mech and the bat and rod came out seperately... see picture.
[quoted image]
Replacement bats were supplied for all four flippers which use the new designed flipper bat (these feature a PB logo on the top)
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
If any of the other early adopters still have the original flipper bats I would suggest raising a ticket to Cato to replace them.
Flipper Bushing:
This one was a royal PITA. All the bushings required sanding as they were rough and caused the flipper bat to sluggishly come back down or get stuck half way. EVERY flipper bat had this issue.
[quoted image]
To resolve the issue you need to remove the flipper mech from the playfield and sand down both ends of the bushing. Hurry up pinball has covered this on his YouTube channel and I recommend watching that for guidance.
LED's not working in the back box:
This issue can come in two conditions.
1. The lights on one side of the frame don't light at all.
2. The lights go pink and stay pink when they should be lit white.
This is being caused by a short in the PC case behind the back box.
You need to open the back box and remove the PC case from the mount.
Inside the machine you will find small LED PCBs mounted to the edges of the case. The short is being caused by solder protruding too close to the case. When the box is pushed back inside the mount the case compresses slightly and the solder touches the case causing the short.
Example of the non lit LED's.
[quoted image]
You need to get Electrical tape and position it infront of the solder points to stop them shorting like so:
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
Check your back box you may not even have noticed one side of the lights are out. This needs attention as god knows what its doing to the PC inside with a short going on like that.
Chaffed and exposed wiring:
My Ethernet cable running to the back box was cable tied it seems too short with not enough slack. As a result when the back box was recessed the cable would pinch and wear down.
See below.
[quoted image]
I had to run a new CAT5e cable back to the screen. Where possible you need to get triple shielded cables. This machine suffers A LOT from EM issues (more on this later).
Targets:
The targets are a problem for me and I'm still waiting on what is reffered to as Generation 3 targets to resolve my issue.
The machine has Gen 1's when I got it and over UK Pinball Festival the machine got hammered on use and the results of the target (see the one on the top) can be seen here. The new Targets Gen 2 have an improved design but still suffer from getting stuck. Generation 3 will hopefully resolve this.
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
Push for replacement to Generation 3 'skinny targets' and Gen 2 'Xeno' Targets. Your game (if not already) will need these!
Loose coils:
I believe a few already picked up on this...
Various coils are loose to the touch and can turn quite easily causing a potential issue with snagged wiring later on down the line. I ended up zip tieing all affected coils to stop this from happening.
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
Check your coils and if they are loose get them tied down!
APC drop targets ('C' or other targets not responding):
You may have an issue where the drop targets don't respond when being hit. It might be a specific letter like it was for me (C) or all of them. Whilst the issue can be mechanical mine was being caused by 'EM' issues. Go to my section on EM for the various re-wiring I needed to perform to stop this.
[quoted image]
Xenomorph Head:
So my Xenomorph wasn't a happy bunny when I got him back.
Two issues were being exhibited.
1. The alien tongue was never reseating properly and was getting stuck inside the head. Often I would hear the tongue rod bash against the back wood as it was going too far back.
Turns out my tongue switch isn't lined up right...
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
I'm being sent a replacement switch but its going to need soldering to sort.
Note to existing owners:
If you have alignment issues with your tongue. Check your switch. It may need replacing.
2. The Xenomorph Jaw kept making a buzzing noise sometimes when closing. This is being caused by the 'servo' underneath needing tweaking.
Its a real sod to get the mech out.
[quoted image]
Its pretty much an adjust and see what happens job. Real PITA....
Ramp not registering:
So my ramp stopped registering shots (yay another issue!).
Thankfully it was an easy fix. The opto had become loose and mis-aligned to the hole.
[quoted image]
I just had to re-adjust it and screw it down. Job done!
Plastics on too tight:
So my balls would keep getting caught in the Hypersleep pod (insert joke here).
The solution was actually quite simple. The plastics were just screwed on too tight. You may need to check this on yours so be sure to inspect its not on too tight.
[quoted image]
THE BIG ISSUES:
This one is the big one. So the machine was out of action during the UK show for A LOT of the weekend. It was down to two issues.
1. Ball Trough Issue:
The ball trough needs adjusting, otherwise balls can get caught inside the trough and not eject correctly.
The screws need to be adjusted to the lowest point. Again Hurry up Pinball has a video on this that saves me a write up. Check it out.
[quoted image]
The ball should rest like so once its been adjusted.
[quoted image]
2. EM ISSUES:
This is the big one. Its still not 100% for me. The issues were much worse at the start to the point where I was pretty much every other game hard resetting the machine as it would lock up. It seems to happen with the POP bumpers being used a lot as at first I saying to Cato it seemed to happen when I was in Ambush multiball along with Sentry Gun Multiball. I thought maybe it was a code error that couldn't handle the two multiballs at once as when I hit a ball into the Airlock or MUTHUR lock the ball would stay in there not eject and when ball search occured after draining all balls the machine continued to not respond and get stuck.
Other things also stopped working such as 3/4 of the targets on the playfield.
This issue would continue into a new game. The only solution was a hard reset.
We tried several revisions of code to resolve the issue WELL BEYOND 2.2D but no luck.
Finally the issue was indentified. Electrical interferance...
Basically the EM interferance from the coils was causing the machine to get 'bodged' and the only solution (which effectively discharged the EM) was to power cycle the machine.
To resolve the issue Cato guided me to re-wire and mount cables as far from the coils as I could. I used self adhesive cable tie mounts through the playfield and began re-wiring everything.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Unfortunately i'm missing a picture and can't source it but a major one is at the bottom of the playfield where a green cable hovers right over the coil. You need to tie this one away as well.
This stopped my issue with the machine hard locking. I sitll however get the same issue as brado426 where the machine still 'swallows' balls into the air lock or MUTHUR. Using the flippers releases the ball however where before the flippers had no effect. It could be a coding issue but also still could be an EM issue.
This isn't all the issues but I've hit but i'm worried that Pinside is going to loose everything I've written so I'll stop here. I find it SUPER dissapointing that we are not being offered toppers for our machines. Making it exclusive leaves existing owners who spent their time and effort fixing all these issues feel like a kick in the face. We've effectively been BETA (arguably ALPHA) testers for Pinball Brothers and whilst they have had great customer service from Cato I find supplying a machine in this state to an average user would not float.
I hope everyone who gets a new machine has none of the issues i've had and if you do, speak to me I basically feel like I can work on the production line with the knowledge I have on this pin now.

Quoted from s000m:

Hi all,
So I have been pretty much in the same camp as brado426 and we have exchanged DM's a few times on simular issues.
To help anyone else here, here is the full documented set of issues i've had with the machine. Bare in mind this was like Machine Number 6 so I refer it to as a prototype (yes i'm the guy from the Video stream Gonzo interviewed).
So here goes:
Issues hit:
- Chipped Playfield/Pooling Playfield.
Chipped Playfield:
This issue was caused by a post being too short and coming loose in shooting of a demonstration for the film which I wasn't part of. The damage from the post coming loose below the top right flipper can be seen below.
[quoted image]
Picture of the old and new post can also be seen attached.
[quoted image]
Pooling Playfield:
Had various area's with pooling. This seems to be down to the playfield not having what I would call cuts where posts and the like would pressure down into the playfield. Stern and other pinball machines I have do not do place playfield art work underneath these area's normally so the issue is avoided.
The machine was on demonstration at a Pinball Festival in the UK but when I arrived was already having issues. It unfortunately spent most of its time under maintenance. This coupled with the chip and pooling my distributor negotiated a playfield replacement as long as I was willing to fit it, the issues present would be supported by Pinball Brothers and resolved and so far so good they have stuck to their word and sent the replacement playfield and I have been sent many different parts for the various issues exhibited.
Note to existing owners:
The chipping on your playfield is a very real issue and one you shouldn't sit on. Ask Cato for the replacement post and fit it ASAP before it becomes loose and you end up with a crater in your playfield.
Flipper bats:
The original flipper bats had a manufacturing problem. I noticed when I got back the top right flipper was cracked and squeaking when being moved. I released the flipper from the flipper mech and the bat and rod came out seperately... see picture.
[quoted image]
Replacement bats were supplied for all four flippers which use the new designed flipper bat (these feature a PB logo on the top)
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
If any of the other early adopters still have the original flipper bats I would suggest raising a ticket to Cato to replace them.
Flipper Bushing:
This one was a royal PITA. All the bushings required sanding as they were rough and caused the flipper bat to sluggishly come back down or get stuck half way. EVERY flipper bat had this issue.
[quoted image]
To resolve the issue you need to remove the flipper mech from the playfield and sand down both ends of the bushing. Hurry up pinball has covered this on his YouTube channel and I recommend watching that for guidance.
LED's not working in the back box:
This issue can come in two conditions.
1. The lights on one side of the frame don't light at all.
2. The lights go pink and stay pink when they should be lit white.
This is being caused by a short in the PC case behind the back box.
You need to open the back box and remove the PC case from the mount.
Inside the machine you will find small LED PCBs mounted to the edges of the case. The short is being caused by solder protruding too close to the case. When the box is pushed back inside the mount the case compresses slightly and the solder touches the case causing the short.
Example of the non lit LED's.
[quoted image]
You need to get Electrical tape and position it infront of the solder points to stop them shorting like so:
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
Check your back box you may not even have noticed one side of the lights are out. This needs attention as god knows what its doing to the PC inside with a short going on like that.
Chaffed and exposed wiring:
My Ethernet cable running to the back box was cable tied it seems too short with not enough slack. As a result when the back box was recessed the cable would pinch and wear down.
See below.
[quoted image]
I had to run a new CAT5e cable back to the screen. Where possible you need to get triple shielded cables. This machine suffers A LOT from EM issues (more on this later).
Targets:
The targets are a problem for me and I'm still waiting on what is reffered to as Generation 3 targets to resolve my issue.
The machine has Gen 1's when I got it and over UK Pinball Festival the machine got hammered on use and the results of the target (see the one on the top) can be seen here. The new Targets Gen 2 have an improved design but still suffer from getting stuck. Generation 3 will hopefully resolve this.
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
Push for replacement to Generation 3 'skinny targets' and Gen 2 'Xeno' Targets. Your game (if not already) will need these!
Loose coils:
I believe a few already picked up on this...
Various coils are loose to the touch and can turn quite easily causing a potential issue with snagged wiring later on down the line. I ended up zip tieing all affected coils to stop this from happening.
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
Check your coils and if they are loose get them tied down!
APC drop targets ('C' or other targets not responding):
You may have an issue where the drop targets don't respond when being hit. It might be a specific letter like it was for me (C) or all of them. Whilst the issue can be mechanical mine was being caused by 'EM' issues. Go to my section on EM for the various re-wiring I needed to perform to stop this.
[quoted image]
Xenomorph Head:
So my Xenomorph wasn't a happy bunny when I got him back.
Two issues were being exhibited.
1. The alien tongue was never reseating properly and was getting stuck inside the head. Often I would hear the tongue rod bash against the back wood as it was going too far back.
Turns out my tongue switch isn't lined up right...
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
I'm being sent a replacement switch but its going to need soldering to sort.
Note to existing owners:
If you have alignment issues with your tongue. Check your switch. It may need replacing.
2. The Xenomorph Jaw kept making a buzzing noise sometimes when closing. This is being caused by the 'servo' underneath needing tweaking.
Its a real sod to get the mech out.
[quoted image]
Its pretty much an adjust and see what happens job. Real PITA....
Ramp not registering:
So my ramp stopped registering shots (yay another issue!).
Thankfully it was an easy fix. The opto had become loose and mis-aligned to the hole.
[quoted image]
I just had to re-adjust it and screw it down. Job done!
Plastics on too tight:
So my balls would keep getting caught in the Hypersleep pod (insert joke here).
The solution was actually quite simple. The plastics were just screwed on too tight. You may need to check this on yours so be sure to inspect its not on too tight.
[quoted image]
THE BIG ISSUES:
This one is the big one. So the machine was out of action during the UK show for A LOT of the weekend. It was down to two issues.
1. Ball Trough Issue:
The ball trough needs adjusting, otherwise balls can get caught inside the trough and not eject correctly.
The screws need to be adjusted to the lowest point. Again Hurry up Pinball has a video on this that saves me a write up. Check it out.
[quoted image]
The ball should rest like so once its been adjusted.
[quoted image]
2. EM ISSUES:
This is the big one. Its still not 100% for me. The issues were much worse at the start to the point where I was pretty much every other game hard resetting the machine as it would lock up. It seems to happen with the POP bumpers being used a lot as at first I saying to Cato it seemed to happen when I was in Ambush multiball along with Sentry Gun Multiball. I thought maybe it was a code error that couldn't handle the two multiballs at once as when I hit a ball into the Airlock or MUTHUR lock the ball would stay in there not eject and when ball search occured after draining all balls the machine continued to not respond and get stuck.
Other things also stopped working such as 3/4 of the targets on the playfield.
This issue would continue into a new game. The only solution was a hard reset.
We tried several revisions of code to resolve the issue WELL BEYOND 2.2D but no luck.
Finally the issue was indentified. Electrical interferance...
Basically the EM interferance from the coils was causing the machine to get 'bodged' and the only solution (which effectively discharged the EM) was to power cycle the machine.
To resolve the issue Cato guided me to re-wire and mount cables as far from the coils as I could. I used self adhesive cable tie mounts through the playfield and began re-wiring everything.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Unfortunately i'm missing a picture and can't source it but a major one is at the bottom of the playfield where a green cable hovers right over the coil. You need to tie this one away as well.
This stopped my issue with the machine hard locking. I sitll however get the same issue as brado426 where the machine still 'swallows' balls into the air lock or MUTHUR. Using the flippers releases the ball however where before the flippers had no effect. It could be a coding issue but also still could be an EM issue.
This isn't all the issues but I've hit but i'm worried that Pinside is going to loose everything I've written so I'll stop here. I find it SUPER dissapointing that we are not being offered toppers for our machines. Making it exclusive leaves existing owners who spent their time and effort fixing all these issues feel like a kick in the face. We've effectively been BETA (arguably ALPHA) testers for Pinball Brothers and whilst they have had great customer service from Cato I find supplying a machine in this state to an average user would not float.
I hope everyone who gets a new machine has none of the issues i've had and if you do, speak to me I basically feel like I can work on the production line with the knowledge I have on this pin now.

Quoted from Royale-W-Cheese:

You so deserve compensation for this from PB. I am blown away.

Quoted from s000m:

Hi all,
So I have been pretty much in the same camp as brado426 and we have exchanged DM's a few times on simular issues.
To help anyone else here, here is the full documented set of issues i've had with the machine. Bare in mind this was like Machine Number 6 so I refer it to as a prototype (yes i'm the guy from the Video stream Gonzo interviewed).
So here goes:
Issues hit:
- Chipped Playfield/Pooling Playfield.
Chipped Playfield:
This issue was caused by a post being too short and coming loose in shooting of a demonstration for the film which I wasn't part of. The damage from the post coming loose below the top right flipper can be seen below.
[quoted image]
Picture of the old and new post can also be seen attached.
[quoted image]
Pooling Playfield:
Had various area's with pooling. This seems to be down to the playfield not having what I would call cuts where posts and the like would pressure down into the playfield. Stern and other pinball machines I have do not do place playfield art work underneath these area's normally so the issue is avoided.
The machine was on demonstration at a Pinball Festival in the UK but when I arrived was already having issues. It unfortunately spent most of its time under maintenance. This coupled with the chip and pooling my distributor negotiated a playfield replacement as long as I was willing to fit it, the issues present would be supported by Pinball Brothers and resolved and so far so good they have stuck to their word and sent the replacement playfield and I have been sent many different parts for the various issues exhibited.
Note to existing owners:
The chipping on your playfield is a very real issue and one you shouldn't sit on. Ask Cato for the replacement post and fit it ASAP before it becomes loose and you end up with a crater in your playfield.
Flipper bats:
The original flipper bats had a manufacturing problem. I noticed when I got back the top right flipper was cracked and squeaking when being moved. I released the flipper from the flipper mech and the bat and rod came out seperately... see picture.
[quoted image]
Replacement bats were supplied for all four flippers which use the new designed flipper bat (these feature a PB logo on the top)
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
If any of the other early adopters still have the original flipper bats I would suggest raising a ticket to Cato to replace them.
Flipper Bushing:
This one was a royal PITA. All the bushings required sanding as they were rough and caused the flipper bat to sluggishly come back down or get stuck half way. EVERY flipper bat had this issue.
[quoted image]
To resolve the issue you need to remove the flipper mech from the playfield and sand down both ends of the bushing. Hurry up pinball has covered this on his YouTube channel and I recommend watching that for guidance.
LED's not working in the back box:
This issue can come in two conditions.
1. The lights on one side of the frame don't light at all.
2. The lights go pink and stay pink when they should be lit white.
This is being caused by a short in the PC case behind the back box.
You need to open the back box and remove the PC case from the mount.
Inside the machine you will find small LED PCBs mounted to the edges of the case. The short is being caused by solder protruding too close to the case. When the box is pushed back inside the mount the case compresses slightly and the solder touches the case causing the short.
Example of the non lit LED's.
[quoted image]
You need to get Electrical tape and position it infront of the solder points to stop them shorting like so:
[quoted image]
Note to existing owners:
Check your back box you may not even have noticed one side of the lights are out. This needs attention as god knows what its doing to the PC inside with a short going on like that.
Chaffed and exposed wiring:
My Ethernet cable running to the back box was cable tied it seems too short with not enough slack. As a result when the back box was recessed the cable would pinch and wear down.
See below.
[quoted image]
I had to run a new CAT5e cable back to the screen. Where possible you need to get triple shielded cables. This machine suffers A LOT from EM issues (more on this later).
Targets:
The targets are a problem for me and I'm still waiting on what is reffered to as Generation 3 targets to resolve my issue.
The machine has Gen 1's when I got it and over UK Pinball Festival the machine got hammered on use and the results of the target (see the one on the top) can be seen here. The new Targets Gen 2 have an improved design but still suffer from getting stuck. Generation 3 will hopefully resolve this.
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Note to existing owners:
Push for replacement to Generation 3 'skinny targets' and Gen 2 'Xeno' Targets. Your game (if not already) will need these!
Loose coils:
I believe a few already picked up on this...
Various coils are loose to the touch and can turn quite easily causing a potential issue with snagged wiring later on down the line. I ended up zip tieing all affected coils to stop this from happening.
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Note to existing owners:
Check your coils and if they are loose get them tied down!
APC drop targets ('C' or other targets not responding):
You may have an issue where the drop targets don't respond when being hit. It might be a specific letter like it was for me (C) or all of them. Whilst the issue can be mechanical mine was being caused by 'EM' issues. Go to my section on EM for the various re-wiring I needed to perform to stop this.
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Xenomorph Head:
So my Xenomorph wasn't a happy bunny when I got him back.
Two issues were being exhibited.
1. The alien tongue was never reseating properly and was getting stuck inside the head. Often I would hear the tongue rod bash against the back wood as it was going too far back.
Turns out my tongue switch isn't lined up right...
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I'm being sent a replacement switch but its going to need soldering to sort.
Note to existing owners:
If you have alignment issues with your tongue. Check your switch. It may need replacing.
2. The Xenomorph Jaw kept making a buzzing noise sometimes when closing. This is being caused by the 'servo' underneath needing tweaking.
Its a real sod to get the mech out.
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Its pretty much an adjust and see what happens job. Real PITA....
Ramp not registering:
So my ramp stopped registering shots (yay another issue!).
Thankfully it was an easy fix. The opto had become loose and mis-aligned to the hole.
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I just had to re-adjust it and screw it down. Job done!
Plastics on too tight:
So my balls would keep getting caught in the Hypersleep pod (insert joke here).
The solution was actually quite simple. The plastics were just screwed on too tight. You may need to check this on yours so be sure to inspect its not on too tight.
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THE BIG ISSUES:
This one is the big one. So the machine was out of action during the UK show for A LOT of the weekend. It was down to two issues.
1. Ball Trough Issue:
The ball trough needs adjusting, otherwise balls can get caught inside the trough and not eject correctly.
The screws need to be adjusted to the lowest point. Again Hurry up Pinball has a video on this that saves me a write up. Check it out.
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The ball should rest like so once its been adjusted.
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2. EM ISSUES:
This is the big one. Its still not 100% for me. The issues were much worse at the start to the point where I was pretty much every other game hard resetting the machine as it would lock up. It seems to happen with the POP bumpers being used a lot as at first I saying to Cato it seemed to happen when I was in Ambush multiball along with Sentry Gun Multiball. I thought maybe it was a code error that couldn't handle the two multiballs at once as when I hit a ball into the Airlock or MUTHUR lock the ball would stay in there not eject and when ball search occured after draining all balls the machine continued to not respond and get stuck.
Other things also stopped working such as 3/4 of the targets on the playfield.
This issue would continue into a new game. The only solution was a hard reset.
We tried several revisions of code to resolve the issue WELL BEYOND 2.2D but no luck.
Finally the issue was indentified. Electrical interferance...
Basically the EM interferance from the coils was causing the machine to get 'bodged' and the only solution (which effectively discharged the EM) was to power cycle the machine.
To resolve the issue Cato guided me to re-wire and mount cables as far from the coils as I could. I used self adhesive cable tie mounts through the playfield and began re-wiring everything.
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Unfortunately i'm missing a picture and can't source it but a major one is at the bottom of the playfield where a green cable hovers right over the coil. You need to tie this one away as well.
This stopped my issue with the machine hard locking. I sitll however get the same issue as brado426 where the machine still 'swallows' balls into the air lock or MUTHUR. Using the flippers releases the ball however where before the flippers had no effect. It could be a coding issue but also still could be an EM issue.
This isn't all the issues but I've hit but i'm worried that Pinside is going to loose everything I've written so I'll stop here. I find it SUPER dissapointing that we are not being offered toppers for our machines. Making it exclusive leaves existing owners who spent their time and effort fixing all these issues feel like a kick in the face. We've effectively been BETA (arguably ALPHA) testers for Pinball Brothers and whilst they have had great customer service from Cato I find supplying a machine in this state to an average user would not float.
I hope everyone who gets a new machine has none of the issues i've had and if you do, speak to me I basically feel like I can work on the production line with the knowledge I have on this pin now.

Quoted from s000m:

here is the full documented set of issues i've had with the machine.

Quoted from zacaj:

Most of the symptoms you attribute to EMI are ones I also had, but were fixed by replacing some of the playfield boards. Cato has never instructed me to change any of the wiring on my game, although I'll probably give it a shot still since I have the Ambush+Guns stack issue in the muther scoop. I don't think that's an EMI issue though, since the switches and coils still work fine in test, which implies a code bug to me