Alien (Ellen Ripley Version)
Pinball Brothers, 2023
Alien (Limited Version)
Pinball Brothers, 2021
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Pinball Brothers, 2020You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider Deez.
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Quoted from Drain-O:I took the plunge and emailed Melissa. She's out until Wednesday. Hopefully some news then.
I talked to her today and she's not back into the office till Weds. She did say that there is a ship they're waiting on to get into port. She said she didn't have additional details on my particular machine since she's not in the office.
Quoted from RussG:How did you talk to her if she's not in the office? lol
Cell phones are a thing.
So I've been following this thread and the frustration has finally hit me. I have a lot of patience for delays and it doesn't really bother me as I have other machines to play and understand the global supply chain constraints currently in full force.
What is bothering me is being told things that aren't true. I paid my invoice in Sept and was told the machine should arrive within 30 days and was shipped. I called once 30 days hit and was told it'd be there in the next 2 weeks and was in transit.
It has now been over 60 days and I'm wondering if I'm just being fed a line of continuous bullshit which is what upsets me. It also bothers me that I've paid in full with the commitment that the game has been shipped and at this point I'm not even confident it even has been built. I do not care for people holding onto my money and not providing clear communication.
This is my first experience dealing with Cointaker and at this point it will most likely be my last.
I'm just curious if anyone else is getting any clear line of sight with this and if not, if they are being fed a complete line of bullshit like I am?
Just to clarify. At no point did I think Cointaker is screwing me. I know I will receive a game eventually or CT will take care of me. I'm frustrated with the communication and expectations and false hope. I told all the people at my location an Alien is coming in the next few weeks which now I know isn't true. I hate letting my customers down.
Distributors definitely add value to the process. Before the shortage, you could just buy a nib machine off cointaker or other websites. Heck, you could even buy a game off Amazon sometimes. These are all options provided by distributors. Right now is a weird time because the distributors aren't getting as precise information as they used to. I think they're doing the best they can with what they have.
Also you have to acknowledge the distributors that haul games around the country to ensure local shows are a success and take active participation in helping promote the pinball scene and brand.
I definitely appreciate having a distributor.
Things always look easy when you're not the one doing it. Typical Dunning Kruger thought process.
Quoted from Crispin:Spoke with Melissa today. I paid Oct 22nd and she told me they expect to have more games arriving at CT by the 18th. So close...
. Wouldn't hold my breath. Heard this one many times before.
Quoted from Tsskinne:Yep I’m losing faith. Sold a game from my location to make space for Alien when I was told it was coming…two months ago. Getting pretty pissed about it at this point.
I was told that boat was in the harbor in November. All lies at this point. I don't get the end game. Just tell me the truth. I can handle it. I rather have true expectations than constant blue balls simmered in lies.
It makes me wonder if the boat did come in and they sold them to new buyers. How else could a boat of games disappear?
Quoted from Deez:. Wouldn't hold my breath. Heard this one many times before.
So I received a FedEx alert today and got excited that I was going to eat my words but false alarm. It was something else I ordered. Fingers crossed we get shipment alerts this week and I eat my words and all is right with the world!!
Quoted from Crispin:Spoke with Melissa today. I paid Oct 22nd and she told me they expect to have more games arriving at CT by the 18th. So close...
You get your shipment notice on the 18th like you were told?
Quoted from Crispin:Sadly no
That's sucks. We all know that feeling well by now. Par for the course. Hopefully just delays due to the snow storm.
Quoted from transprtr4u:its all over ....
Have a $150,000 truck sitting like a big paperweight because of a $300.00 computer board they make in China !
estimated time for the board 7-8 months !
It's my understanding from what she told me that the games are sitting in the port but she's at the mercy of the trucking company that brings it to their warehouse. I think the games are built they just need moved from the port that's backed up.
Quoted from brandonx76:Ok, so the SV folks are about 60 days out - but the units are state side no? That's at least coming close to delivery. I'm sure the wait will be worth it all. Hang in there.
That's the last we heard but we've been hearing that since November so take it for what it's worth.
Quoted from Baggerman:i am thinking it is BS.. Pbros shifted to building LVs with the December delivery to states.. the images online on Pbros socials have been all LV related. I am thinking the next container to USA is LV loaded. Svs will be built after LVS are in the wild. Speculation on my part totally no trucking company wants to pay storage for product sitting at a port, warehouse, etc. whos paying that?
I have no idea what can possibly be going on. It is beyond frustrating being told the games are here but they're not. It's starting to feel like a ponzi to me. I've reached out directly to PB to see if a shipment of games is actually stuck in the port like was claimed and will report back when/if I hear.
Has anyone received a game past in Dec 2021 or beyond?
Quoted from DoorCounty:Contact CT.
These type of gimmicks happened on TBL. I finally called DP and they said the shipments were being held to “fill the container” to save shipping costs. My comment to DP was let Cointaker know. They said they did!
I contacted CT - they said they are waiting on a trucking company at the port and have no control.
https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/CMA-CGM-LA-TRAVIATA-IMO-9299795-MMSI-228340900
The games are on this ship that was supposed to arrive yesterday. It's looking like we'll be getting games soon. 
Quoted from Tsskinne:Is that the ship from the October games we were promised, or a different ship? I've been told so many times I'd be getting my game now that I've lost track.
This is a ship of SV being delivered. PB said to contact CT to see if a particular machine is in the shipment.
Quoted from delt31:The same Haggis that took people's money and hasn't provided a meaningful update on why games still haven't been built yet? Yeah ok.
Guys - this is alien. As someone with experience, do not hold your breath on when you will get your game. You will not lose your money either with cointaker but you have to know this going in. I understand why that would bother some. Totally get that but if you try to matlock this and figure out the alien overseas shipping (especially with the current bottleneck), you're going to be disappointed.
I get this but CT has told us repeatedly the game is there and will be delivered the next week only for it not to come and another story told the next week. It's not about worrying about losing my money it's the frustration with setting false expectations. They already have my money just say you don't know what's going on if you don't know. Don't keep telling me the game will be here soon when you have no idea.
I think I'm throwing in the towel. I reread thru the whole email exchange I've had with CT and at this point I think it makes sense to cancel. I just feel like a fool hoping for something to come of this.
The whole idea there's just a container of games sitting in the port for a month because a truck can't reach them is ridiculous. I can't find a single shred of evidence saying it takes weeks to empty the port.
I'm trying for one last update with substance and then I'm requesting a refund.
My desire to have the game has obviously clouded my judgement because there is no way what we're being told is true. If someone else has further evidence to prove me wrong I would welcome it.
Something is happening and those of us that have paid in full are being kept in the dark and I'm ready to move on. Maybe somewhere down the line I'll have an opportunity to put up a used one.
Quoted from DoorCounty:Maybe if 2 or 3 people cancel CT may be more vocal.
Who knows. At this point I suspect something is going on like the games were damaged or the container was lost or they were sold. How else could they take so long to get here? The missed deadlines just feel like a series of excuses being thrown out to keep us calm. As time goes by the logic starts to look thinner and thinner and the story just doesn't make sense. I hope the LV buyers aren't going to go thru this but it's a cautionary tale to not believe any timeline given.
Quoted from Tsskinne:Yeah man I feel you. The only thing keeping me in is having previously owned an original I know I live the game already. Such a shitty situation. I just can’t believe there isn’t more information for us. Like they know how crazy pinball people are right. We would all drive to port to pick up if needed. Just let us know where the fuck the games are sitting.
This is how I felt also. Just zoom out a notch though and look at the story we're being told by cointaker and picture yourself listening to someone tell you that story and how the game is coming any day now. That's where I realized I'm being had. The story isn't " there are shipping delays we're not sure what's going on" the story is " games arrived in the port and are waiting on a truck" ..... For months now.
Quoted from javagrind888:I'm still not getting a response...
I actually support the position they're taking on this. It removes the incentive of flippers to buy up the inventory and inflate the price locking out others. I wish more distributors would actually do this. Same with LEs forcing someone to take delivery vs just flipping paper. It's good for the hobby. Thanks cointaker.
Wait in line like everyone else.
Quoted from Crile1:Not trying to stir the pot, just giving an update. I was frankly surprised they replied. Any news is good news. I hope these get to CT and that my game (paid in full September) is in that container.
This is what was odd to me also. PB told me the exact same thing and sent me the ship tracker. They never said anything about games being in New Jersey. I assumed it was another shipment and the previous one was sitting in NJ.
So my game won't boot. It goes to a Linux start up screen on the playfield display then just goes blank and nothing happens. Any help?
All the target led plugs are unplugged under the playfield. Is that common? Looks like it was done purposely.
Quoted from Sjoend:Do you get a black screen? If so, power off the machine and wait for 30 seconds and put it back on.
No. It boots to the pinball brothers logo on the backbox display. Next some Linux looking boot sequence comes up for about 2 screens on the playfield monitor and then the screens both just go black and nothing further occurs.
Quoted from Sjoend:Have you tried to power it off and wait for 30 sec before putting it back on? If that doesn’t work I suggest to contact PB.
Yes I did this and it doesn't work. I opened a ticket with PB brothers.
Quoted from ezeltmann:maybe can't hurt to put a code update USB in and see if it boots after that process
I put a USB with the 2.4 delta code on it and it doesn't even recognize the stick from what I can see.
The game does start with some text on the playfield monitor that reads "Wrong EFI Kernal Signature" I wonder if that has something to do with it.
I'm wondering if something came loose in the computer in the back box. It looks like a standard PC so maybe something came loose?
Quoted from Lamoraldus:https://pinballbrothers.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/80000956738-alien-delta-game-update-2-4-
Edit: there’s only delta.
Slim targets (1/2) are not connected on SV, wide (1”) are.
Screen black: open the translite when the game is on. Try pulling the hdmi plug (leftmost under the screen) and reseating it. Display should come on now. If yes, rebooting should help, if not you do have a new problem, not the known one.
Both displays seem to boot as they both display some boot text. Then the game just freezes.
Quoted from Crile1:Glad you got yours working. Mine arrives Thursday and I was afraid of getting an 8k paperweight. What is your build date? Are these the October builds?
Dec 21 is what it says on the back. The build quality looks great. Everything looks tight. The connections were all solid. Nothing loose in the cab. Seems like it was just a software glitch. I'm impressed with the electronics. They look really well designed and integrated.
The game shoots really well so far. I did have a few times where the right flipper just cut out. I'm not sure what that's about.
Definitely going to need to put some time into this thing and let it burn in before it's ready to put on location but it's definitely promising.
Quoted from RussG:I'm getting mine delivered today, finally.
What exactly did you do? Boot from a stick? I see version 2.2. How come not Version 2.4?
Thanks!
Yeah I just reflashed the system via instructions provided by Cato and then updated to 2.4. working great now.
So the coin door has no power wiring for a bit validator. I came up with this solution that might also help people trying to power mods. It's cheap and easy and anyone can do it. Only caveat is the power doesn't turn off with the game switch. This is fine for me as I power my games thru power strips. Just an idea if you don't want to hack up your wiring.
I just bought a computer power cable splitter and then an adapter that converts the computer power supply end to a standard three prong plug. I'm going to power my bill validator and LED strips with this source.
I just installed the splitter where the main power comes into the power supply in the bottom of the cab and voila.
PXL_20220311_121403438.jpgPXL_20220311_121421226.jpgPXL_20220311_121449886.jpgUPS Server Y Splitter C14 to 2 x C13 Power Extension Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G1JMFZQ/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_FCE476ZHQVGVJPCRB26F
StarTech.com 1ft Standard Computer Power Adapter Cord (IEC 60320 C14 Male to NEMA 5-15R Female) - 10A - Black - Wall Power to PDU, Monitor & Computer AC Power Cable (PAC100) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00066HQ50/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_T9HGY4DS52TH5W50T2B0
Here are the two cables I purchased for reference. They also have three plug splitters if you need more but I'm fine with one plug for my purposes.
I just installed a mars bill validator on the coin door. The game won't sense all the pulses. Anyone solve this issue? I've got a mars AE 2411.
So my game just lost all coils on the right side of the game. All fuses are good and the green lights are lit on the playfield module. Can't see anything disconnected. Anyone have this issue? I submitted a ticket but have not received a response yet.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:I would pull the fuses and test them with a mm.
But the questions I have is, if it was a fuse? What caused the fuse to blow?
I am excited to get this game. Should I expect lots of tuning before it is playable?
I think the quality isn't there yet. I've had more issues than I'd like.
1. The game needed rebuilt fresh out of the box it wouldn't boot up.
2. First day on location the hyper sleep lock started jamming up.
3 Second day on location game locks up and won't boot and turns out the fuse was loose in the holder.
4 after game wouldn't boot now no coils on the right side of the game work but the fuses are good. I haven't had time to completely dig into it.
At this point I consider the machine a piece of shit if it can't last on location for a single day.
These aren't little nagging issues either. They break the machine and it's down completely. Prob fine for home use but I'd exercise caution for operators.
If it keeps up like this a lightly used Alien will soon be in the marketplace.
Why is everyone saying they're complicated? The xeno mech is a rod with a magnet and a jaw. The only other toy is the hyper sleep lock that rotates. Not sure what you mean by a complicated game. Stern has just as much if not more. This game shouldn't break like this. There is a reliability issue. You can bury your head in the sand or acknowledge an expensive game shouldn't break like this. Light tweaks out of the box yes but not multiple game breaking items within a few days on location.
Quoted from Tsskinne:On location going on week 3. Ours has luckily been reliable so far.
I think mine might be a lemon.
Quoted from Zablon:You clearly had issues. Did they get fixed or are they still trying to figure it out?
Not yet - game is 20 miles away. Going to check it out today. PB said it's probably a power issue.
Just wanted to update. Pinball Brothers tech support is too notch. They are sending me a replacement control board and will provide assistance to try to help me repair the original. Such a breath of fresh air to have good support. Once they get the bugs worked out I'm confident these games will be rock solid.
Well the new I/O board I was sent released the magic smoke. I can't find any obvious shorts in my game. Anyone else have ongoing issues like this? I was also having these odd switch errors when it was first plugged in and it looked like the coindoor switches were shorting out.
PXL_20220326_150048269 (resized).jpgPXL_20220326_151442330 (resized).jpgPXL_20220326_151442330 (resized).jpgQuoted from Pin_Fandango:Yikes.
I am contemplating cancelling my order really.
Lots of problems being reported and software issues and, lol, no eos switches, flipper issues, and a long list of problems.
Never had buyers remorse before but it might be better to just wait this one out???
I have a buddy who has one and it's been perfect. I might just have a lemon. I'm not sure why I'm having such bad luck with this machine. This is the first machine in 25 years of wrenching on pins Ive had so many problems with.
Quoted from TwilightZone:Honestly, the problems being reported are no worse than I'm seeing with other manufactures.
This is completely false. The volume of issues with this machine compared to the total population is massive. I want to give them a chance to make it right since these are the issues all new companies probably go thru but to say it's similar to other companies is complete bullshit.
Does anyone know what the warranty is on these machines? I still have not been able to get my machine working. I am beyond frustrated and I'm not sure what options I have. I have never dealt with a machine of such poor quality. I suspect there are some major design flaws in the electronics that are going to be popping up for people.
Quoted from megaladon:Congrats for the new users hopefully you don’t have the trouble I’ve been having with my machine. Basically it’s an expensive coffee table at this point. Traced back all the USB connectors as recommended by customer service and they are all in the correct place. Other than waiting for a new USB connector Basically can’t do anything. On a positive note at least it gives me a chance to go out and enjoy the beautiful nature oh wait what is this?
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I'll be following this. I believe there are major issues with the electronics on this game. Here's the total plays my game received before becoming an expensive brick as well. Unfortunately I think it's a matter of time before many others are in this same boat.
PXL_20220406_023207226.jpgQuoted from transprtr4u:Not sure about the warranty , but why would you not reach out to PB .. if anything in this thread it's proven they are very strong with customer support.
I have reached out to PB and created a ticket. I have spent hours troubleshooting a brand new machine that should be earning on location. They sent me a replacement IO board that had a bunch of switch errors when plugged in and then burned up. They had me strip the whole harness out and test all the coils and diodes to which I found no issues. They sent me a video on how to alter my original IO board to try and repair it. The repair they sent me did not work. I have followed the directions if PB support and provided timely answers and they don't respond for 2 to 3 days on my active ticket.
What leads me to believe there's an issues with the electronics:
1. Original IO board lost the 48v rail. PB said they have a new revision without the Q44 transistor that causes this.
2. Replacement IO board has the Q44 transistor jumpered out and the component removed which is fine but it exhibited a series of switch errors when plugged in even after triple checking all connections. The board then proceeded to burn up after I was finally able to start a game.
3. PB support says they thought my game had a short in the coil harness which is very concerning if the board design would allow for a short in the harness to cause the IO board to fry without proper circuit protection.
4. After stripping the harness and checking all coils and diodes I reinstalled the original IO board and the game booted fine except it exhibited the same original problem of no 48V rail on the right side of the machine.
Quoted from transprtr4u:Currently you cannot get Stern Node boards , Williams has not been in business for decades yet parts and people's willingness are keeping them alive have kept those working.
This has nothing to do with Pinball Bros. This is a brand new machine that was faulty out of the box. Stern node board availability and hobbiest willing to keep Williams games running doesn't relate to this scenario at all.
Maybe you have different expectations when purchasing a machine but having to spend hours troubleshooting and repairing a new game is unacceptable to me. All pinball breaks and a lot of them need tweaked out of the box. This situation is beyond that.
The idea that I should just accept I should have a non working machine out of the box for 8k is laughable.
Quoted from Mageek:I have over 1000 extremely entertaining plays on mine, no such thing as a pinball machine that can’t be fixed !
This is good to hear. I agree there isn't a machine out there that can't be fixed and having worked on them for 25 years I haven't found one that's stumped me to this point. My concern is if there is an overall design flaw in the electronics that will lead to ongoing problems. Quality of construction looks good and the machine looks solid. It will just be hard to operate a machine commercially with flawed electronics.
Quoted from Zablon:You are making assumptions though. I don't think there is any inherent flaw in the electronics. YOUR machine has an issue clearly, as do some others, but many peoples games are working just fine. Yours is probably related to just your machine based on bad parts and/or being wired incorrectly. I completely get your frustration as every day it is not working is lost money. Hopefully they get you fixed up soon. Almost think they need a support person in the states to deal with issues such as yours. I doubt they are just going to ship you a whole new game...but who knows.
You are 100% correct here. I am pissed and am venting. PB is trying to take care of me. I am frustrated because I don't enjoy repairing pins anymore and this is just extra work for me I don't feel like doing. I am also very concerned about having two failed IO boards. What are the chances?
I am also being very vocal about the issues as I think it's a disservice to future buyers to bury our heads in the sand vs acknowledge the risks up front.
I think it's a fair assessment that operators should think long and hard about this machine without proper long term reliability data. Hopefully I can be the one to provide more positive reports once my issues get resolved.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:I get your frustration. Try to take a breather, it sometimes helps to look at the issues again with fresh eyes.
Here is my suggestion, once you get instructions from PB I am willing to get on the phone with you/video chat and see if we can diagonose together.
Full disclosure, I have zero knowledge of the platform as of yet, but happy to learn anything you might already have.
I have an LV on order so what I learn now will help me in the near future.
Contact me by PM, if other current owners are interested on the project “help fattdirk” we can all jump together on a videocall.
Either way, I am happy to give it a whirl
Just a thought.
I appreciate the offer. I know what is wrong with the machine. It's a bad IO board. Thanks for offering to help.
Quoted from Zablon:I vote fattdirk !
I'll load that shit up. Only half my coils work but what the hell.
Quoted from rockrand:I have a friend with a game that had trouble and Cato sent him all new everything under the playfield,boards,harnesses,,computer,cables,everything except the power supply after I help him swap everything games works great now!
This is what they're doing for me as well. They're sending me the whole right coil loom, magnets, IO board and I believe one of the white boards. All were burned in for 16H for reliability. Luckily the harness is already stripped out so shouldn't be a bad swap. I've got my fingers crossed this solves my problems and I get this baby back out on the town. If this doesn't solve it my head might explode 
.
Quoted from kciaccio:Finally ran into a problem that I can't overcome without direction from PB.
During game play I lost power left flipper or flippers. I though maybe it was just another coil wire broken off first but I re-booted machine and it would just reboot and then go to blue Volume screen twitching at first after awhile it would clear and then go to regular attract mode. The start and launch buttons are not lit and don't work, the menu adjust buttons don't work.
Obviously can't start a game or go into menu to test. All the things out including the flippers plug into the controller box at the bottom of the cabinet. I think the controller might not being getting power or controller is bad.
I checked the fuses on the controller box under the playfield and they are good. Put Ticket in Monday morning and have not heard anything yet.
You probably have a faulty IO board. This is what mine did and then I got it going for a minute and the IO board fried.
PB will send you a new one.
So the saga continues.
I received a large box from pinball bros and it contained:
1. Replacement I/O Board
2. New right side coil power harness
3. USB, HDMI and power harness that goes from the backbox to the I/O board
4. a Box with all coils and magnets to replace the entire right side
5. All new white PCBs for mounting underneath the machine
I decided to take a phased approach because holy shit that's a lot of work on a new machine to replace all of that.
I started by installing the new I/O board provided and then just unplugged the right side coil power harness just to remove the possibility of a short.
Of course the new I/O board will not detect in my game. The old I/O board with the bad right side was booting up fine and that's what I had removed.
I then installed the new USB, HDMI and power harness from the backbox to the I/O board. I used my meter and checked continuity and labeled all the connections to make sure they were all plugged in correctly and the damn thing still doesn't recognize in my game.
I updated my code to 2.6 thinking maybe the I/O board is like a node board and it might have to have some matching firmware to work. That didn't do anything except the machine is now updated to the latest code
I updated my ticket back to PB to see what the next steps are. They told me this I/O board was burned in for 16 hours before they sent it to me.
I really don't like this shotgun approach to fixing this thing.
Good news. Game is officially fixed. The IO board was the problem. I opened it up and the USB cable inside it had come loose probably in shipping.
Quoted from Spacemanratso09:Dumb question
Went to 2.6 and having small issues would like to go back to 2.4
Anyone have a link for 2.4? Having trouble finding it
What kind of issues are you having. My game seems to be playing great with 2.6 except I've been leaving it on to let the new electronics burn in and I found it locked up once. Other than that it seems to be working great.
I'm on code 2.6 and during ambush the lights all stopped working and the xeno froze with the ball stuck to it. I ended up finishing the game with no playfield lights. Displays were working fine as well as switches. Is this the same thing you guys are seeing? I'm wondering if this is another hardware issue for me or the code.
The light boards all locked up last night as well with it just in attract mode.
A reset seemed to fix it each time but I can't have that happen on route.
Quoted from bcd:Is this on the LV or SV?
What firmware version is installed?
SV fw .57
Quoted from Baggerman:I thought only LV's had firmware .57. SV is on .56 until the .70 update is available. Could this be the issue? You opened a ticket with Pbros?
I still have a ticket open with them with all the issues I've been having with the game.
Maybe the .57 FW came with the replacement I/O board I was sent? The game is working better now but it still locks up in attract mode if I leave it on for a few hours. I will leave it on then come down and all the playfield lights are locked on blue. It happened twice yesterday.
I did run the burn in mode for about 3 hours with no issues but there's still something wrong with the game.
I'm hoping I can just get rid of the machine at this point. It is fun and nice to look at but just isn't reliable enough to put on route at this time. Great home player for sure.
Just listed my game in the marketplace if someone is looking for one and wants it now vs waiting.
Quoted from brado426:I think a ticket needs to be open for that attract mode lockup issue. I've seen it once recently when I left my machine on all day. I rarely ever leave it on for more than a couple hours, which is probably why I've only seen it happen once. Maybe a memory leak of some kind. We probably need some more people confirming this to convince someone at PB that it is a widespread problem. Anyone else who has seen lockups in attract mode, let's hear from you. I never saw the machines at TPF lock up, but they were constantly being played... never in attract mode for more than a few seconds.
I can ask Adreas if I need to create a different ticket. I definitely think it's a software bug as the lights were locked on as blue both times which could be a coincidence. I have the machine on currently and will see if it happens again.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:after all you went through and the effort put in by PB support and yourself, I feel you are throwing the towel just right before this is a 100% reliable unit.
I feel you are close and you are losing your shirt here at that price.
Maybe just wait for their response before selling?
I can't have a machine that locks up all the time on route. I just think this machine isn't ready for location use which is what I purchased it for. I'm cutting my losses. If PB resolves the issues before the machine sells then I will put it back on route. I'm just burned out with the whole experience. I appreciate your positivity.
Well I'm happy to report I left the game on all night and it didn't lock up. Still plays great. I've decided I'm going to roll the dice and put her back out in location. Wish me luck.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:have you made any other changes since the last time you reported this? Just curious and for future reference.
And good luck!
I performed a factory reset but I thought I had done that before so I'm not 100% sure. The game is on and running still with no issues.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:did you hear back from PB support about this. Curious to know what they say.
No they never replied
I just can't get any luck here. I was playing just now and was having a great game hit the three shots in tunnel hunt and was about to shoot the airlock and the game just completely rebooted.
Is anyone else having those lockup and reset issues? Everything in the game is brand new at the point yet I'm still having issues with it.
Quoted from P1nhead:Enjoy it and hope your clear coat doesn't start cracking.[quoted image]
Oooffff
My earnings have been disappointing. Under what any new Stern pro would bring in. Hopefully there will be an uptick but with everything I went thru with this I wouldn't recommend one for route over a standard Stern pro at this time. Juice doesn't equal the squeeze. You win some and you lose some. I'll prob give it another month then get rid of it.
Just put my standard up for trade. Looking for a Godzilla premium for anyone trying to get this game earlier.
I'm giving up on Alien. If someone is looking for one that's dialed in hit me up. All the lock ups and random freezes means the machine is constantly off on location and just isn't suitable for commercial use until these issues get ironed out. It's sad because the game itself is so amazing when it works. I just gave it my all and now need to put something more reliable out.
Quoted from brado426:Seems like a reasonable price for someone, that's for sure. If I needed one, I'd snap it up.
I recently saw mine lock up again, even with System Update 2.8.... so I would agree with fatdirk... it probably isn't going to fare well on location until PB can get that sorted out. I had my game on all day last week, so I was optimistic, but I think there is still some pesky bug that is causing attract mode to freeze. When it happens, my flipper buttons are responsive, but the coin door buttons, start game, and launch buttons are unresponsive. After a restart, everything works fine again. I reported this lockup... I'm not clear if taking a log after a power-up would even be helpful for troubleshooting this issue, but I guess I'll do that if it happens again.One really good thing is I haven't seen it lockup during a game any time recently... So that is pretty nice.
It's such a bummer because I love the game. I might just end up holding onto it with the hopes the code gets ironed out. I can't wrap my head around how PB can't get these lock ups under control. No operator is going to want to touch their games at this rate.
Quoted from Slapfighter:So guys.....went back from 2.8 to 2.7 and everything is working fine again.
No more issues back on 2.7 on my SV
How do you go back?
Quoted from play_pinball:Yes but thank god it’s not a Stern or JJP where support would be nonexistent and I’d have to buy a several hundred dollar node board that may or may not even be available.
But stern games don't constantly break like this. I've owned a ton of sterns and they've had issues but nothing to the magnitude of issues like alien. Especially on the code front being so buggy.
There's no comparison. Stern is superior in every way except for uniqueness.
Quoted from brado426:hahahaha.... Not 10 minutes after I posted this, I played a game and experienced the exact same lockup in the middle of a game. It was the same thing because flipper buttons were responsive, but coin door buttons were not responsive. The good news is I have a nice log to provide to PB now. Hopefully they can get to the bottom of this.... it seems like this is the last lockup issue causing problems. It looks like this has nothing to do with attract mode... it could happen during a game also.
I just don't understand how they keep releasing code with repeatable bugs. I'm thankful you're providing logs but why do we need to beta test this stuff?
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!!
Quoted from brado426: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.
Are there instructions on how to pull the logs on the support site?
Quoted from EDUB919: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.
Well I had a few random lock ups and the screen blank issue last night. Game is such a blast to play. Fingers crossed 2.9 solves all these major issues.
Quoted from AD72:The coils on the right side are not working. I found the bulletin about checking the center fuse. No luck. I replaced the fuses and even swapped around the fuse holders. I did notice when i go into coil test and activate a coil there is a slight bit of movement when a coil is activated. So there is some power going to the coil but not enough power to energize it. Thoughts? I submitted a ticket.
Check your fuse holders on the IO board. Maybe swap the piece that holds the fuse. They are junk quality.
If you have an older revision there are transistors that switch the coil voltage that they removed in the later design that apparently cause problems.
Quoted from SMP14:I've been contemplating buying an Alien. My ONLY concern after reading this thread is parts breaking immediately because the code breaks the game, or a board blows up and I have to wait a long time to get the parts. Should i just trust my gut and get 1?
Get one if you love being frustrated. Game has major issues yet to be sorted out. Software has random resets and lockups. It can be rage inducing.
Quoted from EDUB919:To anyone waiting for their machine to arrive that has already paid in full. As of today I’m told directly from Melissa there is a full container of 60 machines stuck in port. Allegedly they are air freighting 60 more to fill some orders while that ship waits. Supposedly there is another port between the port it’s stuck at and the port where the container is destined. **** Key words: Allegedly and Supposedly.
Same exact bullshit story she told me for months. Good luck.
You guys are such a tease Everytime I see a bunch of posts in this thread I think I means 3.0 was released.
Well so far I've had no boot issues nor lock ups. I'm so happy I kept this game now. All I wanted was it to function properly.
Quoted from OutpostKodelia:Upgraded to 3.0 today. Due to events in the house, I couldn't play it for an hour or so after the upgrade. When I came back, the attract light show had frozen and it wouldn't take any inputs from the start button. A restart cleared this up, but disappointing to have a lock up so soon. Hasn't happened in the last hour though. On the plus side, the screens have come up successfully three boots in a row, so... maybe that's better. Time will tell.
Fuuuuuucccccckkkkk. I hope this is just a fluke.
Quoted from PersonX99:I think (and hope) Alien will gain some popularity as more of them go out on location and the masses get a chance to play it.
Alien suffering from horrible reliability issues even if they have been resolved now will limit the amount of games on location. I know after my experience trying to keep it running I'd never attempt it again.
That's going to seriously hinder the exposure for the machine compared to a top tier title like GZ which is not only super reliable, but in locations all over the place earning tons of coin for operators.
Going to be hard to compete with that with Alien that has code that can't run for more than a few hours without locking up and being shut off.
Quoted from brado426:That may have been true at one time, but that is no longer the case. I've not had a single problem with my machine on V3.0 in a month now. That is unprecedented. If someone is still having some lockup issues, it is likely not the code that is the problem.
I've had lockups with 3.0 still.
Another issue with location reliability is the poor design of the targets. I was constantly resoldering those SMD microswitches onto the boards. It's cool to see the innovation but it definitely needs to be more robust for production use.
Quoted from brado426:If you have Gen 3 targets, it shouldn't be a problem if they are the same Gen 3 targets I have. I did follow the instructions I've posted several times in here to reinforce the large targets and bulletproof the smaller ones. I never have to touch them now... and they ALL light up. It's the little things that get me all excited.
They have surface mounted microswitches on the circuit board that fall off from ball impacts. Is there a design that doesn't have those microswitches? I'll dig thru my phone and see if I can find a picture. I've had to resolder them multiple times.
Quoted from brado426:Have you followed these instructions?
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nAbEz6VHpTw8Kl0FMe9Gfh8GaA52Q2-uChS36ffJNn4/edit?usp=sharing
Since I did this, I have had zero problems with targets.
How would that prevent the microswitch from falling off the circuit board?
Screenshot_20221108-073942.pngQuoted from brado426:Without bending that bracket, the target can bend way further back. This causes additional stress on that switch. The targets should only bend back far enough to activate the switch. That being said, I did have switches fall off on the Gen. 2 targets, but never on the Gen 3 targets, even before I followed those instructions... and I've had them for over a year now. I don't know why you're having trouble with Gen 3 targets.
I see. That makes sense that it limits the impact. Let.me try this.
Quoted from Optimiser:Damn this buggy game! Vsn 3.0
During a multiball session after a playing a number of games the sound went off and the machine stopped responding during the game. Very annoying as this was a good and high scoring game (for me).
I have sent PB the debug file.
My sound keeps cutting out as well on 3.0 as well as lock ups mid game.
Game was running just with no display. Playfield display was working fine as well as lighting and sounds. Just the main display was black. I'm not sure if it came up when it was booting as I turned the game on and walked away for a bit.
Quoted from PeterG:That's what I expect happens with these black screens. Wonder if a better hdmi cable would solve this issue?
I'm curious about this as well. I might just buy a nice cable just to see.
I had the game boot with a black screen 3 times in a row today. I haven't kept up with this thread but is a code update in the works to resolve this?
Quoted from javagrind888:That's what PB told me.
That's great news. Did they say when it's targeted for release?
Quoted from fsumassey:Where do you all buy replacement stand up targets? The button on one of my has completely fallen off. Looks like their site is sold out.
Find the button in the cab and resolder it to the board. It's pretty easy. This has happened to me a few times. Putting some extra solder on the connections has made them stronger for me.
Quoted from Manny65:Was this on power up, during game play or while the machine was left running in attract mode?
The black main monitor during power up is a common intermittent issue, although I've not seen the PB lamp stuck on red before.
I turned the machine on and had walked away and the main screen was off when I came back. The playfield lights were fine and cycling in attract mode as normal. I thought 3.2 fixed the screen issue.
Quoted from monkfe:I had a blank main screen upon startup as well...advised Andrea...not sure it its been reported prior to my contacting her on it...
Has me worried this is actually a hardware problem. The 3.2 version of the software said it added code to resolve this. Must be a tough nut to crack if it's been this long with no resolution. Hopefully it's actually solvable thru software.
Quoted from Mudflaps:I’m afraid to say this out loud, but Alien has been the most trouble-free NIB experience I’ve ever had. Zero issues out of the box. 60 games in and the only snag was a weird boot screen. Power recycle fixed it right away. I’m super happy with it so far.
#368
Glad to hear this. Sounds like the quality is getting better.
Quoted from MrDark:Is there anyone in here with an SV that ordered one of the new translites? If so do you want to sell the SV translite?
Where can you order a new translite? I've got the 3d one but didn't know there were others.
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:Hello pinheads. I have a first run SV and want to know if other newer SV owners have weapons targets that light up? Not the inserts below the targets but the actual targets, do they light up or is this a LV upgrade? Thanks!
I have a SV and the targets light up. I did need a cable to be sent to me if I recall correctly.
Alien is officially my new favorite game of all time. I just can't get enough of it. The new code with Ripley just brings the game over the top. I didn't realize how much content was missing with the old clips by trying to just not have her in there. It's like a whole new game.
I can't stop playing it. Definitely glad I stuck if out after all the issues I had early on. Game seems rock solid now. Thanks PB Bros!
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I really want to love this game! But I am not having the same experience as you. It's just 'brick--> DRAIN!' every time I touch a flipper button. Would love to fix that. My game is like the antidote to flow.
I have games like that but as soon as I dialed in the left and right ramp shots it's like butter. It's going to be a tough game because it's a wide body. Just keep playing..
Quoted from cookpins:My distro said the games are stateside and going through customs as of today.
If this info was from cointaker it prob is an exaggeration. Just a heads up that they've got a history of just telling people what they want to hear.
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