Ottawa, ON
Just got notified that mine is in that container, getting it a lot sooner than expected 
(Topic ID: 284032)
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Quoted from tk375:And all of a sudden I find myself in this forum.
I dont have the pin yet but I am already working in my APC. Both are work in progress in the painting department. white or green? ( I havent fully remove all the supports on the white one)
Files are free in thingiverse but I made some small modifications.
[quoted image][quoted image]
I like the wheels on the white ... thanks for sharing I’ll be printing that
Quoted from delt31:little do they know that lunatic pinball collectors are tracking their boat every step of the way! Love it.
I must say I’ve never stalked a cargo ship like this before 
2 weeks later
Quoted from Red_Devils:I just received a shipping confirmation email from Cointaker, woohoo!
Awesome , so they’re already at cointaker? Did you guys get an ETA?
Quoted from Mr_Outlane:Looks like several layers of MDF. Doubles as a mount for display and speakers. That would add some weight though.
MDF is the best material for speaker boxes, my assumption is that's why they chose that material and from what I understand it sounds great ...
Hopefully I will know soon, still waiting for tracking info ....
People should maybe check out some of the other owner threads, none of the other new machines have ANY problems …..
Quoted from joetechbob:Get a q2 run instead. Double edged sword with the first run--get it earlier, but also with more issues.
Meh, the Elvira I got a year ago had very few issues compared to the ones people are getting now.
Quoted from Mr_Outlane:Really?
That's interesting!
What changed?
Not entirely sure but my guess is rookies or just laziness on the assembly line, no QC at all, one guy’s game didn’t have half the 48v supply wires connected so couldn’t have been tested….. lots of issues. Ask Utesichiban he’s in this thread
Quoted from Averell:In my opinion it's a mechanical problem with to much tolerance between the sliding parts.
PB should replace the sliding parts with plastic, similar to what it used on the Heighway ALIEN, nothing jams and the material is very stable against wear an tear.
Is it possible to post a picture of the plastic parts you speak of? If need be I could possibly print them…
Quoted from Red_Devils:Hmmmm, brand new unopened bag of 50 balls from Ball Baron carbon, I will have to check that out later. Thanks!
FWIW I went in on a box of 100 of those with a couple people, they don’t work in my TOM , trough problems, the ones I took out work fine. Similar probs in my TAF, I Tried a couple sets, I think they get magnetized as soon as they touch a magnet. I won’t buy them again.
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:Just delivered!! What a start to a hopefully great weekend!! Got it downstairs and time to set it up. This game is actually pretty light for being a wide body.
[quoted image]
Curious if the legs were banging around in the top like some others have said?
Quoted from Mr_Outlane:Well, they delivered my ACNC with no box or legs/hardware, and not strapped down to the pallet and it tipped over and rolled around in the back of the truck. When he opened the door, there is was lying on the floor wrapped in shrink wrap and totaled! The driver tried to tell me it came from the factory this way! Of course I didn't sign for it. But, spooky got a new pin out to me right away. Pinball Star said they had never seen that before. Apparently somewhere along the way it got scavenged. I can't believe they delivered it to me like that!
Wow.
I unboxed it ,set it up updated the code. Only thing I had to fix was the trough VUK, played about 20 games and it works 100% so far . Looks great , sounds great, shots are smooth as butter. Game play is super immersive, for me it’s a 10. Love it! Now to figure out all the rules …
2BC461D7-C709-44C9-8DEC-9A76210294F2 (resized).jpeg5CF51BAF-6574-46D1-AB6F-F84E66AA0DA9 (resized).jpegDB09F6A3-26D6-402C-831B-71A5C89216C1 (resized).jpegIs anyone concerned about ball trails getting ground into the plastic ball guides? We don’t have any experience with such material that I know of so I went ahead and put mylar on the inlanes just in case. You can’t really see it but it’s there.
5E88E1F4-2852-4182-8047-ED00AA43E1BC (resized).jpegD282E0E4-ADF3-43F9-BE8B-E8823CA8343D (resized).jpeg
Quoted from Mr_Outlane:Yup! We've seen that too. It's cool! It doesn't happen too often, but occasionally.
It was happening all the time , could rack up 60M points or more if I didn’t shake it out. I went ahead and put a post in there which not only fixed it but also has the added bonus of the ball bouncing into the chestburster lane a lot more frequently.
Quoted from crwjumper:How many of you have gotten PB Aliens with absolutely no issues? I’m on the list for one and am curious. As with anything else, you only see people posting if they have issues. This makes it seem as though all of the pins have issues.
Please post if you have one of these awesome pins and are having no issues.
Thanks!
I think that’s a pipe dream , I haven’t seen too many NIB games from anyone with no issues. Having said that I haven’t had many problems, really only adjustments and a broken switch. A couple times it wouldn’t boot with a segmentation fault (Linux computer guys will know that error), PB says it happens very rarely but is in their fix list.
I have made the following adjustments:
Adjusted trough VUK , was sticking up per PB Bulletin
Adjusted mu/th/ur kicker to be more consistent per PB bulletin
Adjusted right orbit to deliver ball to right flipper instead of sling (moved rail out 1/4” and drilled new hole, plugged old one)
Adjusted spinner switches to allow for spinner to spin more freely
Flipper bushing fix per HurryUp Pinball
Adjusted switch in Xenomorph head
Adjusted magnet power in settings and raised the core up a CH or 1/32” ish
Ball would get stuck bouncing between lower pop and rubber ring until shaken out ( added a post that looks like was supposed to be there , opened a ticket ) , PB says that they made a change since playfield was produced and post is not missing, they suggested I make the bumper switch less sensitive but I like sensitive pops, I like my fix better.
What I haven’t fixed yet is hypersleep chamber sometimes doesn’t know there’s a ball in there , opto alignment, probably need to drill a bigger hole for beam to pass through as the mech is kinda sloppy
Quoted from Mr_Outlane:Could you post a pic of this post installation?
PB says that they made a change since playfield was produced and post is not missing, they suggested I make the bumper switch less sensitive but I like sensitive pops, and I like how it plays with the post.
2373F4AC-3C84-4C0D-B4B3-3E5B1B4CBDE0 (resized).jpegACD92DAD-3BD0-4BD8-ABF5-9927A62D88E4 (resized).jpegI also just happen to have these from a previous project, replaced the 2 broken ones , they came in very handy while waiting for the new switches from PB to arrive.
E5016BC0-F221-49CA-84F2-139754BED60E (resized).jpegQuoted from Crispin:Here's one of the reasons I plunked down a deposit, these playfields look impenetrable!
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=874644590025528
Ya that’s a good video, the clear is super nice but don’t expect it not to dimple…….
AECA5898-82C6-4ABA-8652-F273C35CB91B (resized).jpegQuoted from Lethal_Inc:All the pictures and videos show the apron having no cards. Who's gonna design some? Need some cool art, maybe 1 card art for each movie with instructions on one and credits on another? Maybe a cool Weyland Yutani one? Hoping someone makes some.
Bump. …. Anyone ? ralphwiggum maybe ?
Quoted from 27dnast:Aside from technical issues...
How do owners like the gameplay? Details!
Absolutely love it, EHOH has been my favourite in my collection for over a year but this is definitely giving it a run. So many shots, all four flippers have several possible shots each, game play is super smooth, ramps are super smooth, upper left ramp and loop are very rewarding shots. Ambush multiball can be so intense it gives me goose bumps when it really gets going, and stacked with sentry guns is wow. Modes are hard enough to complete , I’ve only completed a few so far. The rules are pretty complex especially when you throw in weapons use. The sound and theme integration is easily the best of any game I’ve played (but I’m not a music / band pinball fan). I have a real hard time walking away from it , can play it for hours.
Quoted from Royale-W-Cheese:We have some good news coming to all the new peeps enjoying this crazy ass cool PIN!!!!.
Quoted from zacaj:It moves smoothly by hand. I think it's just something with the way they're driving the motor. Esp since a code update was able to improve it somewhat.
I second this, it’s a stepper motor and it sound like they aren’t sending the right timing pulses to it or something during startup, my 3d printer steppers only make noise like that when something is wrong with the firmware or slicing file.
Quoted from Mr_Outlane:Have any of you owners tried reducing the flipper sensitivity yet? I would like to have this machine less sensitive as I'm not used to this. I was thinking possibly increasing the gap on the flipper leafs?
Sure, I adjust the gap on all of my pins
Quoted from gliebig:My replacement stand up targets shipped out today.
Mine as well but only version 2 I believe, version 3 aren’t available yet I understand. I have already replaced the little switches on 4 of them and sanded down the little boards to try to prevent them from sticking too much.
Quoted from Red_Devils:No, the way it works is it's tied in to the shooter lane switch, so when there's no ball in the shooter lane you see the Waylan-Yutani sign, when a ball is in the shooter lane it shows the Tracker screen with the LCD on the mod counting down distance in meters, it's pretty cool looking and it looks like it should have been in the machine from the factory, it's made that well.
I definitely need this , PMed him thanks for posting
1 week later
Quoted from Mr_Tantrum:I've designed some custom apron cards for Alien in green/green, blue/blue, and blue/green, and wanted to make them available to Alien owners. You can see the Alien cards (and some of the others I offer) in more detail here: http://aproncards.com/index.php/nggallery/pinball-apron-cards/alien
Price is $10 for a pair (includes US postage, $12 for outside US), and you can order by PM'ing me for payment info.[quoted image]
Got mine today as well, they look great! Thanks Mr_Tantrum I got both colors since I couldn’t decide…
7C51D4C0-0C37-4589-847F-300E3719F985 (resized).jpeg 2 weeks later
This is them, they are inductive switches that fit into recesses in the playfield. I had a broken right inlane switch NIB , they were going to send me a board but told them I could just replace the switch so they sent me some extras.
0336363D-385C-462B-BB6B-6D7296EC956B (resized).jpegC23D3478-E02E-4E1C-BD95-13F3A4D7E15E (resized).jpegED402D12-F339-4F65-9A6E-29B51066C910 (resized).jpegQuoted from BallyKISS1978:Shouldn’t that be MRS then?
I believe that Magnetic reed switches operate by a magnet passing close to them not a piece of steel. They (were) are used in things like security alarm door / window switches and were used extensively in electro-mechanical computers way back. They are certainly way cheaper $ than an inductive coil switch to make and would be used throughout pinball if they could be.
Quoted from PappyBoyington:On a more positive note. I like the Air Lock scoop protector that comes installed on the game.
Wait … What …. I just finished altering a Heighway Cliffy to fit …. Mine didn't have anything and was getting banged up , anyone else not get them?
Quoted from PappyBoyington:Could the board be mounted too far to the left under the playfield. Thus pulling the right revive eddy switch out of range?
The proximity switches fit very snuggly into the playfield recesses and can’t be moved. I can cause a switch failure by manually moving the ball tight to the post in either revive lane but it rarely fails to detect during game play.
Quoted from Paddy-o:Didn't get one, either. I just installed my Cliffy for the scoop. Sadly, the measurements were off, so I had to make it fit! Talked to Cliff, and hope to get him measurements from the PB version. There are a few of the protectors that aren't correct.
Yes same here, I got the scoop Cliffy in but had to alter it, and will have to again as the ball gets stuck on it when slowly entering from the back. The Muthur needs altering slightly as well.
Quoted from Red_Devils:I agree, I like them too
Agree they’re awesome I love how they change colour depending whats going on, Pink for double scoring , orange for Find Jonesy ….
Quoted from Red_Devils:I firmly believe the issue isn't the magnet strength that dri keeps saying. I'm positive it's a "timing" issue. The time you hit and register the switch to when the magnet is activated is off by milliseconds, you can tell when you hit the last xeno hit and the ball bounces back the magnet hasn't been activated because the trajectory of the ball doesn't change as it goes over the magnet. Now if it wasn't strong enough and the timing was right you would see some kind of change in direction of the ball or at least it slowing down. But neither of those things happen. Like I said we're talking milliseconds here, the times I have got it to catch have been slower hits to the switch, the harder the ball is hit the faster it's going and the magnet doesn't activate quick enough. If you're quick enough and send the ball back to the Xeno the magnet then holds the ball and the tongue catches it. I have even gone as far as adding a piece of foam behind the targets to try and deaden the impact and make it a little slower but it still doesn't catch it regularly but it did improve it a little. I have reported all of this to Cato and he is looking in to it, he was the one who told me to try adding foam but he did tell me that it will take a harder hit to activate the switch when you add the foam. Maybe I didn't add a big enough piece of foam behind the target because I still get some air balls when hitting a hard shot there. Anyway that's my .02c
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I agree timing is an issue in this case, the magnet is as strong as any other I have in a game. I also think that there is too much space around the magnet for the ball to escape whereas other games trap the ball in a confined area.
Don’t know if anyone else has noticed but there is a slot under the plastic on the right and one under the plastic far to the left of the magnet for Opto boards. There are connectors on the PCB for “Ball Caught Opto”. That would suggest the game would know to stick the Xeno tongue out or not. I asked Cato if they abandoned this idea , he replied they have not abandoned it but they were working more on the timing to make it catch more reliable at this point. Personally I think it would be cool if it only stuck the tongue out when it knew the ball was there.
1 week later
Quoted from ezeltmann:Nope , no truck yet ... maybe if i look out the window every 10 minutes it will arrive faster?
[quoted image][quoted image]
Dolly ready and in position? … Check
1 week later
Quoted from kciaccio:I have been playing with all the different power settings and then it occasionally does not have enough power to eject out strong enough..lol
Damned if I do damned if I don't. lol
I had the same problem so I 3D printed this thing to help keep the ball from bouncing back into the trough. Original is on the right
3D8B54E3-9AB1-4DB1-9537-0B50E7043A66 (resized).jpegF83F922F-0315-4DAB-807A-53037FEB1D44 (resized).jpegQuoted from Optimiser:In my honest opinion for a machine that costs this much I think these short comings with the build quality are inexcusable! Do they do any tesitng at all or really care at all
?
I think it's utter BS that so many new owners have forked out all this money and had these issues! Broken flippers (WTF), broken plastic parts, having to re do weak playfield parts, code issues, drop down target failures, shooting lane issues (where you have to put in a bit of soft plastic yourself), xenomorph tongue ball pickup issues, having to sand down flipper parts to get flippers to return properly, wires getting shorted on solenoids because they move around, etc, etc.
Are we paying all this money to be their field testers? Why the fk should we have to act as their quality contol? Not good enough PB!
You may argue "oh it's a new machine" and "bugs need to be sorted". Well fine, give us a discount for the lack of inhouse testing. It's not right for the end paying user to cop this lack of build/test quality. If you let the manufacturer(s) get away with this they will walk all over you.
Sometimes I think you guys are so keen for these machines that you allow the manufacturer to get away with it. Not good practice.
If you let manufactures of anything get away with this then we all pay more and get less. It's on the manufacturer to sort these things out before their product goes to market. Not us the customer!
Not happy!
Do you actually own one? If not I guess you’ll be spending your money elsewhere. See ya
Quoted from EricHadley:Mikey want this game. Mikey want bad. Mikey hope Melissa email Mikey good news soon. Mikey want Alien
Mikey will be very happy when he get. My pinball buddies who all have 20 plus pins including Elvira, JP, AIQ, LZ, Mando, DP etc are banging down my door to play my Alien. Elvira has been my fav for awhile but she has been getting lonely lately.
Quoted from Hazoff:What?
Time to leave. I shouldn't be posting here anyway as its an owners thread and seems to be full of real geniuses.
Yes it is, now go over to the Elvira thread which you also don’t own and throw down some more useful opinions…
I spent way more time fixing Elvira than Alien and it still has problems with a simple mech like a VUK, it also cost $2000 CAD more
Quoted from Dee-Bow:Wait, so you're saying this ISN'T a public forum where communities come to discus both sides of selected topics. Someone should change the title of this thread to something more appropriate to warn others! Only people with lil brown stains on their noses are allowed to post in here!
Correct this is a public forum so go open a thread to “warn others” and call it WTF you like instead of providing useless drivel in the owners thread
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:. Looks like I need to reach out to Cato and get me some of those Xeno targets as my magnet does not grab the ball probably 50% of the time.
You say you’re at 2.2c? You definitely want 2.2D which is available on the web site, this version helps tremendously with the magnet grab.
Quoted from PunkPin:Did everyone get a confirmation email when they signed up for the fresh desk? I'm trying to submit a ticket but can't get logged on
I couldn’t either so I just sign in with Google
Quoted from gliebig:My backglass is so tight, that I have to use my fingers in the speaker holes.
I assumed that’s what the holes are there for …
Quoted from Zablon:That was a nice thing to find out right before I went to update. Much more convenient. Don't have to remove the bg, or the glass. I'm on 2.2D now. Honestly 2.2 hadn't given me any issues after 3 or so hours of play. I had 1 stuck ball behind the right ramp so far. On 2.2D code, the Xeno magnet performs MUCH better. Only missed once out of 6 or so times.
I do think the BG needs some extra light. I didn't look to deep but the egg glow just isn't that bright out of the box.
For those on the fence, this is probably the most recent built machine (that's been delivered so far) and build wise it seems pretty solid. I did a bit of research, and it came with v2 targets. I will be honest...I'm not really clear why these were 'cleared' to be used. That being said, as I mentioned above, before I ever turned the game on I fiddled with them and got them to click as best as they would, and so far no issues, shots seem to be registering fine. I am sure over time they will need re-adjusted. I noticed on the PB forums that v3 are on hold
So far, I'm happy. Nothing majorly annoying preventing play in the first 6 hours or so. One thing I wonder is why the callouts/sounds for slings and APC hits isn't a bit more dramatic. They are barely audible and lackluster. Seems like whatever sound is being given to them needs changed.
Yes I think I’ll add a light strip in the backbox , it needs it. The switch design is really bad , they get beaten to hell from all directions which makes them move around and get stuck. Cato said the V3s were waiting for spring steel to come in. I rebuilt mine using regular leaf switches and 3d printed an adapter so that they can’t move around in the playfield hole, so far so good.
Oh extra points were being awarded all the time by hitting the flippers, happened on almost all the switches.
Quoted from Zablon:2. ball bounced back into trough and the ball search never tried to push another ball out.
I don’t think it would be wise for a ball search to activate the trough kicker or you would end up with multiple balls on the playfield whenever a search is performed
Quoted from kciaccio:It should recognize right away with the trough switch that the ball isn't there and bounced back in and should eject again..That's pretty standard in pinball machines and this one does not do it.
Hate to disagree but mine certainly does . That has nothing to do with a ball search.
Quoted from Zablon:Can you tell me which post you ordered? (the one by the upper right flipper)
I used this one (bally 02-4003) Removed the T-Nut and used Nylon locknut and washer, just fits under the flipper housing.
Quoted from kciaccio:This should be fun today.
Playfield protector, 15 plastic protectors, new switches and pinstadiums.
[quoted image]
I'd be curious how the Pinstadiums connect up since they usually hook up to flashers and GIs via alligator clips, don't really have any connection points like that on this game
Quoted from kciaccio:So I accidentally pulled the wire tgat cones out of the lid screen that is on the playfield. It comes through the playfield along with the HDMI cable.
Anybody knows where it plugs into under the playfield?
There are a bunch of open 3 pin connectors down there. [quoted image][quoted image]
Right in the very back corner of the playfield. I had it out a couple times found it easiest to put in by reaching from the top side of the playfield.
Quoted from Chosen_S:I’ll buy a set of protectors if some some sells them
Me too
Quoted from Chosen_S:Are they green Fluorescent?
No they are clear $70 they told me they would make colored for $110
Quoted from s000m:Hi all,
Apologies for the delay in getting back about the plastics. Had a hectic week...
So I have spoken to Colywobbles who some of you may already know and he will accept orders from the US but its probably best to avoid getting the ramps done as they are large and will add significant cost to the postage.
I still need to send out some additional plastics to complete the set. Specifically around the top of the playfield. Budget just isn't permitting me at this time.
Here is an image of the completed plastics thus far.[quoted image]
By ramps do you mean the ramp return lanes? They’re what I like best.
Quoted from Zablon:The topper is 'on-off'. That's not that big of a deal to figure out how to make your own work - probably exactly how they implement it.
Ya we should be able to figure something out. I’ve ordered these from Amazon and will be eager to see what I can come up with.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07PQVG9JH/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_Y1WD2S5KNZ262CJVF0E6
Quoted from Baggerman:Hold off on buying voodoo for the alien pin.. others have stated that their SV glass has a tint and is low reflectivity. It may have a HD component we are not aware of. If true, you just saved 300 bucks.
I agree you should try it first, I play mine in a dimly lit room in keeping with the whole film production atmosphere and the glass is a non issue.
Quoted from Zablon:There are multiple ways to make this work - even if the code/ power port is locked out via firmware. All we need to know is when they are turned on/off. Regardless of power requirements all you need is a 'activation' lead like on a car stereo amp that tells them to come on. Some ways to make it work will be prettier than others, but it's not like these are being moved around constantly.
Yes I tend to use external power sources for any mods requiring significant power, usually using opto isolators to provide the necessary signal input and isolate from the game logic. (See my partially finished Elvira topper vid below) Or if you’re so inclined you could go the arduino route.
Quoted from Averell:Could be, it's a long time that I checked this... but Loader Battle should be implemented, too.
Come on now…… to me most obvious would be Self Destruct it has to be meant for that no? Certainly where I would do it
Quoted from Royale-W-Cheese:Damn, maybe I need to go back to bed...
I volunteer to be a Queen Beta tester , it’s really the only music pin I’ve ever wanted
Quoted from brado426:Remove the cable circled in the below picture. It is zip-tied to all the coil wires, so cut the zip-ties to get it out. Also remove the RJ45 (for mine it is a black cable) that goes from the box to the right side of the playfield.
[quoted image]
Run both of those cables plus the green board inter-connects through one of these wire guides and screw it to the very back of the playfield as shown in the below pictures.
[quoted image]
This seems to have completely eliminated the intermittent issues I was seeing.
Additionally, let me share my current COIL settings.... Anything not listed here is set to FACTORY DEFAULT:
DROP RESET: 25% Stronger
LEFT EJECT: 50% Weaker
CENTRE MAGNET: 25% Stronger
That's it... Be sure to zip-tie everything back up. Give it a try and let us know if it helps you.
Hi Brado, thanks for posting this. I may need some clarification , in my case I have a white RJ45 as pictured , however it goes to the backbox computer and is already too tight to be re-routed when the backbox is down it's very tight. The black one which is right below it goes to the right side of the playfield and is grouped with the coil wires. Is that the cable we're talking about?
Quoted from Zablon:That's why the real winners just do it, and ask forgiveness later
ya that worked out great for Predator 
Quoted from Baggerman:better stock up on rubbers for that post to right of target by xeno.. i see you replacing that one alot. Image 4.
I have had to replace that one
Quoted from Baggerman:ok.. i think it was called out as #19 a sleeve, which it is not. I think i am going to order one and cut it to fit with rubber. I can just imagine how mangled this rubber will be after a few good direct hits.
I didn’t have to change it until 700+ games however…
1 week later
Quoted from TinyBlackDog:The switches still seem to rotate slightly when hit on the edge - this happens especially to the two by the airlock scoop. I think I’ll apply a drop of loctite to the assembly screws and tighten them down harder.
.
I tried loctite and new lockwashers but they still moved so I 3d printed these little do dads to keep the switches from moving sideways, they now stay perfectly straight and look better that way too. You could make them out of anything I guess , wood would be easy. (Yes I did change them to leaf switches also)
F66616D0-2321-4722-A741-94C5F2A328B1 (resized).jpeg4686FE44-01AE-4AD2-9D1E-4BFE69CA8F10 (resized).jpeg0E49F75B-1E6A-4AD2-A5E7-6E4586BE800F (resized).jpegQuoted from Zablon:Have they stated if they are sending v3 out or do people need to reach out to get them?
Also, is anyone adding any mylar or anything around the magnet areas?
Cato told me that everyone will get the switches, no ticket required
I had a cliffy around the magnet but it got all mushroomed so replaced with just mylar.
Quoted from TinyBlackDog:Awesome solution! Does this also work for the larger Xeno/chestburster targets? Would you be willing to share the STL file? This might be the final excuse to buy a 3d printer
I haven't had any trouble with the large targets moving around so didn't do any for those.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4989264 , If you decide to get a printer you won't regret it, although your time management might take a hit... 
Quoted from Baggerman:anyone with a 3d printer want ot make these for me for a fee?
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:I’d be interested in some as well.
PM me your address and I’ll send you some
1 week later
Quoted from Zablon:I think a solution would be to create a 'cliffy' style curved lip(with maybe a bit of rubber on the lane side), bump the trough power up, then if the ball bounces off the wall the lip should either prevent it from reentering or roll it back into the lane. I also wonder if a one way gate wouldn't resolve it, or if it would cause more issues.
You mean like this https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-brothers-alien-remake-owners-club/page/47#post-6478204
Quoted from Redferne:Nice. Care to share the .stl?
Quoted from Baggerman:Greetigns.. can you link the Thingyverse file so i can contract a printer for this please?
Quoted from DreamTR:More like third machine.
Wow I musta been away for awhile or something, what are the other 2 Games Pinball Brothers made again ?
Quoted from Baggerman:Are we only seeing the vocal few here with issues with PB Alien? Are there fully functioning working machines in the wild? Love to hear a positive experience to give hope to those waiting for their dream pin.
There are some QC problems for sure , there are some software problems which they are continuously improving on, maybe even some poor design choices but they do provide excellent support. They are providing software updates Yes I have had to fix a number of things but You will never be sorry you bought this pin , trust me when you have it dialed in it’s pure joy.
Quoted from Happy81724:Is there any cliffys for this pin? It’s going to start wearing on the out hole. I might put Mylar if there isn’t
Yes ask Cato to send you a protector for the airlock.
Quoted from SDpinballer:I’m not sure if the airlock protector is the same as was on the OG LE, but if it’s the same that came from highway, it was crap and basically got destroyed after a few months of light play. Cliffy had a set for the OG Alien and his airlock protector was far superior! I’ll definitely purchase from Cliff if the one Cato sends is an OG part.
It is not the same as the OG , I already made that mistake. He may be making them for PB Alien now not sure
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.
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.
1 week later
Quoted from brado426:Here's my first attempt at a design of this "Beacon Annunciator PCB." This is the simplest design I could come up with my limited electronics knowledge.
It should solve all my issues:
1. It will support beacons that consume up to 5 amps and 80V (safely)
2. It will automatically switch the beacons into "rotate" mode on every power-up (Optional if Beacons Need it)
3. Beacons can be switched on with only 2 - 4 mA of current
4. Beacons can be powered with an external power supply (no need to use any power from game itself)
I still need to test the beacon mode switching, but I'm pretty confident it will work. I'll probably breadboard this thing and then send it off for fabrication.
If anyone who has more experience than I do with this stuff would like to offer suggestions to help make this better (or for that matter, redesign it completey), please contact me via PM or just post your design.
[quoted image]
Thanks for posting. Very similar to what I was looking at, the biggest problem is where to get “trigger from game”. Myself I would only want it to come on @ Self Destruct, Loader battle and all out war. I have a light activated circuit that that can sense when those LEDs are lit in combination with some sort of timer circuit may do the job (I see you have a 555 timer in your circuit). My beacons only draw max 100ma each @12v so plugging into the 12 volts on the power supply box on the bottom is not an issue. I’ll take this to PM.
Quoted from Zablon:Curious what your thought behind the ball shooter-lane switch as a trigger? What about limiting it to multiballs if nothing else via the trough, rather than either completely on or off?
The motion detector mod from Vimtoman is triggered by the shooter lane switch.
Quoted from Mageek:The motion detector mod from Vimtoman is triggered by the shooter lane switch so could be used.
brado426 I see you have that mod as well and it is awesome
Quoted from Drain-O:Sold! Got one on the way. Thank you!
I too have this coming , looks to be the perfect size , thanks skyknight320
Quoted from brado426:Make sure you are doing a System Update and not a Firmware Update. There is no firmware update as of yet (as far as I know.)
I have a firmware update .55 > .56, but it introduced a problem so I assume he didn’t release it to the community.
Quoted from kciaccio:Went back to 2.2d and playing reliable again. 2.3 really threw my game. I sent PB my log.
One thing that bothers me that that when I am in eggs nest mode for both Alien or Aliens it does not stop the orbit shot and drop ball into the pop bumpers….I hit orbit shots to complete the mode but blow right past the pops. Other times diverted out orbits into pops..Frustrating.
Quoted from Zablon:You know that it doesn't always do that right? They are popping up for me, but I will check if they do it in those modes.
What he said…they don’t come up every time, there is a sequence involved. I’m not entirely sure but I believe you need left ramp right orbit or right ramp left orbit to activate them wether you’re in those modes or not, It may also have something to do with if the orbit is flashing blue or green during those modes. Might be a good question for Cato.
Re: v2.3 upgrade from 2.2D, my experience after 20 or so games is
1. The need to hit the flippers to make the ball eject from any mech is more pronounced , even happens in the trough which it didn’t previously
2. The trough plunger still needs to be increased to +10 % or more to be consistent
3. The muthur hole now ejects properly at “normal” setting
4. The Xeno magnet is quite a lot better at grabbing the ball
5. The Video Screen seems brighter / sharper
Quoted from Redferne:I remixed agima2000's excellent HyperSleep Chamber Mod for HWs Alien. It now fits Pinball Brothers Alien in two parts.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5128702
Enjoy!
Awesome thanks Redferne I need to make that next! Here are a Chestburster and a Space Jockey from Thingaverse that I’ve made. And also the great toy that
skyknight320 posted , it is really nice
24DCFBCE-3239-467A-A90F-6425AED30C87 (resized).jpeg96F2482A-3135-4C0A-B146-C64727B730B7 (resized).jpegF79F75C6-C9B0-4F80-89AC-D8274AA4551C (resized).jpeg
Quoted from Redferne:Yeah. I was hoping to prime the printer before hitting the sack. Mageek give us the goods
//<![CDATA[
window.__mirage2 = {petok:"8e8c2e434315bdb2236c1f16650b2ec5ed7c0e3f-1636666778-1800"};
//]]>
Here ya go
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1814720 Chestburster
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2245317 Derelict Ship
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:383200 Jockey
Hopefully you won’t have to wait on pallets while they sit in Cointakers warehouse like some of us did 
Quoted from Baggerman:Does that really say "fly the unfreindly skies" on the playfield?
Never noticed that.
Yes it does but I like the quote beside it even better --- Bug Stomper "We Endanger Species"
Quoted from Zablon:The most painful for me was losing the high scores.
That was the best part, losing my buddies high scores
HyperSleep chamber complete, thanks for the model Redferne ! I changed up the pod a bit, the picture is not very accurate as to color or saturation
8ECDF483-009A-4889-BB6A-3D8D134112F3 (resized).jpegI’d certainly have to see what they can come up with before getting excited. To me it would be difficult to keep the dark theme of the game with a video screen back there where it is intentionally dark. Keep in mind it’s unlikely any Alien(s) assets will be able to be used.
Quoted from SevenEightyRacer:From my understanding (Could be wrong) WPC ones fit.
I have WPC in mine, they fit perfectly
Quoted from AD72:What are your thoughts about game play? Most post here have been about bling and waiting for the game. I am tempted to start another thread but here goes.
It is a brutal game but everyone dies in the alien franchise so it is fitting. It has been a brick-fest for me with shots ricocheting of of the post bumper that surround the ramps but I am getting better. I have some muscle memory now dialed in for the ramps to light the right and left inlanes to start the mode and advance the bonus. The upper ramp for the hypersleep is difficult to hit. The upper flipper seems real punchy and the angles are tight. Again brick fest.
I am not a fan of the upper eject trough. The way the ball comes down and hits the flippers and bounces around the posts is random. I have gotten use to it and mostly start with the left flipper up to catch the ball and then pass it to the right flipper if I am in APC mode. My TZ eject is way more predictable. I guess because it is closer to the flippers. I also lowered the power on that coil.
I like the way the left outlane was done so you can nudge and save the ball with the lit hypersleep lane. The right outlane is just brutal. I will be having a great game and then it will just go down the toilet with that one. It is soul-crusher. One thing I learned is you can do a ball save if you have one alien left to start multiball and then you hit the weapon button before the ball goes in the trough you kill the last alien and can launch the multiball.
The ambush, sentry gun and hypersleep locks are the most satisfying part of the game I have found so far. Again the hypersleep lock has been tough for me to get in but when it happens it is magic. I have the shot to start sentry gun into the mu/th/ur eject hole dialed in with a flip of the right flipper on a slow roll to the very end of the flipper. The eject hole coil strength is now perfect. People complain about missing the screen in the playfield in this model but when in ambush and sentry gun I don't look at the screen at all. It is just a shoot for the orbit fest and some end up in the airlock and alien targets anyway. I need to focus on the upper flipper orbit shot as well.
I think the right flipper should really be a two stage button so you could just activate the lower flipper without the upper flipper getting in the way. That would be nice to be able to hit the weapons targets with the right flipper. Currently the upper right flipper denies it like rejected slam dunk shot.
It seems like the stops for the Derelict ship and Queen's nest mode are working better for me with the 2.4 rev. Shoot for orbit with the blue arrow and it will stop the ball and let it drop into the eggs.
It is definitely making me a better player but it is annoying to keep on seeing you failed when a mode ends without successfully completing it.
Whats your thoughts?
Oh yeah after the 2.4 update things have been working great. I have the v3 targets on the way in a care package. It will be nice when those are more reliable. They have take a serious beating. Loctite is your friend with the hardware. I never had an issue with the trough eject or the ball launch. Had the game since the first week of September. Cheers.
I don’t consider this game to be “brutal” , I find it super smooth with great flow. The shots aren’t narrow like say Houdini.
The right reverso ramp can be hit with 3 flippers so staging would give you a fourth option if it was staged , the scoop can be hit with 3 flippers. The loops can even be backhanded. The Muthur hole is pretty easy off the tip of the lower right flipper.
The hypersleep ramp is difficult but it’s pretty much the same shot as my STTNG upper left ramp shot. After all it is a lock and I’m glad it’s difficult. I don’t think adjusting the upper right flipper anything other than directly in line with the post would be the way to go. That has the possibility of putting the post in play when it shouldn’t be.
The chestburster shot from the upper left flipper is also fairly difficult but also very rewarding.
The right outlane has an adjustable star post so you can make it more likely that it will come back through the gate to the inlane if adjusted.
My scoop always fires to the left flipper so I have no issue in that at all.
I did have to move my right loop ball guide out so that the ball would deliver to the right flipper as out of the box it would hit the right sling and ruin the flow.
For me the biggest part of this game is the theme and music integration especially when you're in a mode and running out of time, Combat Drop (and others) really gets the blood flowing.
To be accurate the “Shotgun” gives you 2 xeno hits, so you can start Ambush with 2 hits remaining while you’re draining. All of the weapons are important and it is key to know when to use each
5471B6AD-F7C9-4B28-8982-66792C0A602F (resized).jpeg
Quoted from Lamberger:Bold statement here but I think this is truly the best game I ever played. number 1. Just amazing, so glad I got this game. Cheers!
I said that about Elvira’s HOH and didn’t expect Alien to be close but it beat expectations by a large margin and now it’s a toss up between the 2 of them. You guys that are waiting for yours , especially if you’ve never played it, are going to be real happy you pulled the trigger.
BTW, V2.4 of the code is rock solid for me. +30% on the centre magnet and +30% trough works best on mine.
Quoted from RussG:Thanks for this!
For us mere mortals who still are awaiting the arrival of our game can there be a general posting of settings we should apply out of the gate on our games that works best? I guess updated code doesn't always auto change the magnet strengths, etc., on the game?
I know there were some changes implemented at the factory that were brought to their attention so it's hard to say what will work best on any given machine. I think they have dialed in the coil strengths pretty well in V2.4. Just the trough seems a bit weak and I always turn up the xeno to get more action on the ball and better chance of it grabbing it.
Quoted from Dee-Bow:Nice to hear that ! Have either of you played the Heighway version & if so, what is your opinions on the comparisons of each?! Thanks
Only played the Heighway for a short time in Allentown 5 years ago and it wasn't working properly. There are folks on here that have / had both that would be in a better position to comment
Quoted from Redferne:Gorgeous! Care to share the .stl?
Sure here you go ....
Quoted from Redferne:Mageek Can you check the link? Did you publish the thingy?
The link works for me at the moment but the site is a little flaky for sure
Quoted from cpr9999:I don’t see these red long rectangles (circled in yellow in the picture) in the models above. Are these on the game already?[quoted image]
I didn’t include those since they are simple cubes and you can put whatever in those spaces. I intend(ed) them to be side lights more like the picture below but liked the red
3EB4FC18-CEBE-453A-A974-D5CD037ED888 (resized).jpeg
Quoted from freebeer:Needless widgets, lol, you have 9 of them in your collection. 3D printers are fun AF. The model for the airlock might need a resin printer with it's fine detail. I noticed that the model has some errors too. It might print fine or need some patching.
They are fun AF , and while you’re waiting for your print you can play pinball.
I did print the mechanical looking parts on a resin printer. I put them in place in 3D builder software just for sizing and ended up saving it that way merged into one piece.
Quoted from Lamberger:Anyone selling these? This mod made me realize what's there now is pretty shitty to look at. lol
PM me will see what I can do.
Quoted from RussG:Thoughts on mirror blades for Alien?
I know there has been discussion on this. Do you think it takes away from the game or adds to it?
Thanks.
I have them and like them a lot , I play in a mostly dark room and they definitely do not take away from the game
Why do so many think this is supposed to be an easy shot ? It's not supposed to be an easy shot .....
Quoted from SevenEightyRacer:Not to argue. But for clarity, I would argue this is……...
sorry , had to
Quoted from joetechbob:Could anyone confirm this for me? Mine is angled away from the player, but I'm assuming it should be angled towards. What are you seeing on yours?
Wow It’s definitely backwards, musta been a rookie on the line
Quoted from joetechbob:Wasn't seeing this in the stickies...So before I dig in, what are you all doing to address weak flippers? I cranked mine up in settings, but they still feel super weak.
Mine have always been real strong but they were binding mechanically originally, check to make sure they move freely by hand and that there is a small amount of up and down movement. There is also a video from Hurry Up Pinball in the thread about binding.
Quoted from joetechbob:So I have my hyperlock issue (tentatively) solved.
There were two main issues:
1) Ball wasn't coming far enough forward to reliably be seen by the opto. I.e., the opto would read as "Inactive" unless I manually shifted the mech around.
2) Shaking of the game caused the ball to rattle around and cause opto noise (rapidly toggling between active/inactive). The issue here is that there is a LOT of slop in the mechanism. It almost feels like a bushing or some other part is missing.
For (1), I did two things:
i) Bent the prongs that the ball rests against slightly forward
ii) Fiddled w/ alignment of the rest of the mech as best I could.
For (2), I did two things:
i) Added a piece of weather stripping of the appropriate thickness, to help keep the ball centered in the mechanism.
ii) Bent the front guides on the sliding piece in towards eachother/middle, such that the amount of slop was much more limited, but still moved freely.
If I shake the living hell out of the machine I can still get an Active/Inactive toggle, but normal gameplay type nudging/shaking didn't show any switch toggles with these changes.
I've added some pics to help clarify the changes I made.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Cato sent me a new mechanism with larger opto holes. Perhaps they are still putting the old one in at the factory?
Quoted from Baggerman:I think there was a post early on about some coils missing the "key" that keeps them centered on the coils stop and the coil was "rotating" in the coils stop and shorting?? maybe this is issue?
This is not the case for the flipper coils only the other coils. The drop target reset is the main one that was shorting, this was supposed to be addressed at the factory , would be interested to know if they actually did.
Quoted from kciaccio:Braided wire. Super thin. The wire seem to break at where the solder starts/ends on the wire.
Sometimes the break is hidden in the black sleeve they cover the wire/solder.
I had 2 coils with broken wires as well as a proximity switch broken in half. I think the factory just has a large box full of parts and the workers dig through and grab what they need or something ridiculous like that.
Quoted from brado426:I've had about 8 coil wires come off over the past 6 months. it is definitely a problem. I have reported this to PB at least a couple times... and I know others have, so they should know that they need to do a better job at soldering those wires to coils.
The coils twisting back and forth when energizing won't help much either. To address that and the shorting issue, I made some 2mm x 38mm x38mm spacers and placed them as shown. This prevents them from twisting, I also oriented the coils as shown to prevent shorting. Only did this for Slings and Drop Reset.
Quoted from Zablon:I'm going to use the old fashioned electrical tape fix - and maybe a rubberband for good measure.
You're so last year man 
Quoted from Zablon:So..I looked at this, and mine has this too (past the flap) but ball has no issues making the ramp...the question becomes is this really the issue.
Mine as well , never noticed until I looked last night but I’ve never had an issue with the ball making it when on the correct trajectory. It does rattle around when not on the correct trajectory. So does my STTNG and Dial In.
Quoted from Baggerman:FYI Cato is investigating on my machine that the hypersleep ramp is over bent from factory... this may be an issue for a few machines out there. There is a very pronounced, hard, bend at the very start of the ramp that saps ball energy preventing momentum from carrying the ball up the ramp to the chamber. This may be reason for the need to "overdrive" the upper right flipper coil to even have a shot at making the ramp. More to come.
Have you taken a slow motion video to capture this? Might help diagnose.
Quoted from Baggerman:Need to validate a switch edge test please.. can someone confirm the shooter lane switch records 2 edges tests... 1 when you depress the switch, another when you release? THank you.
Yes mine behaves this way
Quoted from Baggerman:Noticing a strange one on 2.4 and i do have a ticket open for this. Maybe 1 out of every 6 times the Xeno tongue does not release the ball into the drop in the alien head and holds the ball. After i drain all balls in Ambush, the machine with perform a ball search then drops the ball as it shoudl have originally. Anyone have this issue, or maybe even resolved it?
Yes I have had this quite a few times. I haven't fully investigated but it seems like the Xeno tongue switch is being triggered prematurely or thinks it has. I intend to check the switch adjustment or even replace it. (I did experience this prior to 2.4)
Quoted from KJS:Thanks Manny for link above.
Next Question! Are the coin doors Stern JJp or DE style, single or double chute ( or maybe different here in Australia?)
Standard coin door , looks like this, The Nostromo plaque came from Etsy ...
IMG_7073 (resized).jpgQuoted from monkfe:Got a link for that plaque?...I like it
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/513061270/custom-alien-nostromo-cm-88b
Looks to be sold out at the moment
Quoted from Baggerman:what is that angled plastic thingy at the head? is that a glare filter?? where did you get?
That's just a regular bent plastic
Quoted from cpr9999:Cool video. Looks awesome. Like it better than SV.
Just need to see the Apron.
The apron can be seen when they pull back at the end of the video, it’s the same as the SV
B2B48897-81FF-4D75-B399-C14156B77730 (resized).pngQuoted from KJS:Stern style mirror blades are def a better fit. I have green, gold, black , blue and silver here on hand...prob will go black.
Really ? Better fit than what? I know the BWs fit perfectly on mine so not sure how the Stern ones fit better unless there’s no difference?
Quoted from KJS:I sell blades here and have both cuts in various colours.
The stern ones have a fuller back end and not stepped so looks much nicer in the back corners imo.
But either will fit. Just deciding on black or green mirror now...
Ya now that I look closer you’re right I see the step I didn’t notice it before. They’re also a little short. Now I can’t unsee that and will have to change them , your fault 
Would love to see them in both green and black versions
Quoted from Optimiser:Bottom right flipper has started to die. It works intermittently and also "flickers" intermittently (not it's whole stroke). Have checked flipper button leaf switch contact(s) which seem fine.
Any ideas?
Make sure your APC target bank reset coil isn’t shorting to coil stop.
Also check the flipper wires aren’t broken inside the heat shrink
Quoted from Mageek:Make sure your APC target bank reset coil isn’t shorting to coil stop.
Also check the flipper wires aren’t broken inside the heat shrink
Quoted from swenny:Anyone else have problems with their game acting as if the ball has drained even though it's still in play? Or alternatively adding extra balls when it clearly shouldn't? I have updated to 2.4 and still have the problem. Doesn't happen every single game, but often enough to be very frustrating. Contacted Cato about this several days ago but have yet to hear back from him.
0E99A915-5C9A-47CC-B82D-7897A0FA153F (resized).pngQuoted from Baggerman:Is Cointaker servicing Canada? I thought they had a different vendor for Canada, if true could that be the root issue, no jursidiction?
I got mine through Nitro who got it from CoinTaker, it was shipped directly from ConTaker to me.
Super exclusive ad from the Pinside Marketplace!
Reno, NV
Quoted from RussG:Just curious when did you originally order?
Also what quarter and invoice#?
Thanks.
I don’t want to upset anyone but I put my deposit down May 23 had my machine June 30. I can only surmise that Nitro had a certain allotment assigned to them and I was lucky enough to get one of them. I didn’t have a cointaker invoice # since it was purchased through Nitro.
Quoted from Manny65:From looking at other posts, that's what is used
Thanks, Certainly the first one is so not just me, Some have much larger M4 Torx bolt heads that don't fit my airlock mod it seems.
1 week later
Quoted from Slapfighter:Did this to my apron
[quoted image]
Me Too 
C2DC5593-7972-455D-81FC-F648C31CF267 (resized).jpegQuoted from moat-pin:Great to hear! Have you played Hobbit/POTC or IJ/TZ/90s wide bodies and is that experience different than what you describe with PB Alien? Or just saying more that wide bodies feel different than normal cabs, and the game is immersive etc?
I have TZ / STTNG and have had IJ, buddy has POTC and they feel like wide bodies, this doesn’t really feel like any of those wide bodies to me, I think it may be that it’s quite a bit lighter than any of those mentioned.
1 week later
Quoted from gliebig:Before and after. Screwed it into the new location so it doesn't move back.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Since the post rubber is less exposed will that not lessen the probability of saving a ball from draining down the outlane?
Thanks Slapfighter Your Machine is looking Great!.
Everyone, Don't forget about Mr_Tantrum Apron Cards.... I hate the ones that come with.
Quoted from calprog:The topper is so badass!!! Where did you find the base? Good job!
Thanks! I made the base from scratch based on some pics. The grate is printed in 3 sections, the base in 2 + the little add on tanks and such with vinyl lettering cutout using a Cameo. The Xeno is from Thingaverse printed in pieces at 145%.
1 week later
Quoted from megaladon:Will the LV come with a cliffy on the airlock? Also what do people think about using the magnet protector cliffy?
I had the magnet cliffy on but it got all bent up after about a month, chestburster magnet cliffy is fine
1 week later
Quoted from Dee-Bow:Any more updates?!
Sooo when are you expecting yours?
1 week later
Quoted from Manbearpig:So I may have missed it... why is the insert on the playfield for Muthur spelled like your Mom. Mother... what did I miss?
Also where can I get mirror blades and shaker motor for this bad boy?
[quoted image]
Quoted from chubtoad13:I wish you never pointed this out
An October 1979 issue of Fantastic Films magazine, as well as the back of the 1980 Fox videodisk of the film, explain that "Mother" is an abbreviation for "MU/TH/UR 6000", the model of the computer. The chapter list for Alien in the 2003 Alien Quadrilogy DVD set also lists it as "MU/TH/UR".
Quoted from Dee-Bow:Where else would you suggest people talk about this?
Shhhh this is an Owners thread
Quoted from brandonx76:Ok talked to Cointaker - Initial batch of LVs are expected to ship 2/28 - earlier estimates are still intact - I'm number 36 so likely won't see until march / april. Most are going by sea, some may go by air
Yes Cato indicated to me that Pedretti has been having trouble getting containers but good to go 2/28
Quoted from RussG:What's the build date on the back of your machine? Mine was 11/2021.
Someone else asked but what code are you running?
I am experiencing a few issues too. My ball when launched gets to the top then rolls back down into the shooter lane. It does this about 30-50% of the time.
My right spinner doesn't seem to be registering or making any sounds when the ball passes through it. I need to check to see what the problem is.
My orbits go into the pops when needed but a lot of times the ball passes through the pops without any action.
I am going through it little by little.
Check that the shooter coil isn’t loose before turning up the power on it, mine was almost falling out
You will need to adjust the spinner switches , I think just about everyone has.
1 week later
Quoted from cmdestin:The issue is I can’t even get the service mode screen up to select the “factory reset” option. Or maybe I don’t understand what or how to “reflash”[quoted image]
I think you should try a complete install as shown here
Quoted from Tsskinne:Haven’t done it yet but pretty sure you can just use an HDMI splitter
I wish … The HDMI in the back box is only for the small screen not the main. The main screen I believe is connected internally to the PC mainboard behind it.
1 week later
Quoted from mbrave77:thanks for reminding us of that video. I cant understand why they went that direction with the flippers. Catching the ball is going to be really different with no EOS switch. Is there something they can do code wise to keep a flipper engaged even when the ball hits it?
Sidenote. I thought I would have my SV about a month ago or so but Im in the same boat as many of you. Cant wait to get it
There is absolutely no problems with the flippers , they are every bit as robust as any other game in my collection. Let’s not fixate on end of stroke , there is different technology in use here. For one thing these are single wound coils so theres no coil to disengage through the use of a EOS switch.
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:Yes, mine is one of the earlier models. I had my share of issues but got em all taken care of thanks to Cato and the care packages. I’ll have to note my current coil settings and upgrade to 2.4. Maybe the trough issue will go away, wishful thinking.
The coil strengths is one of the things that changed in 2.4 so it would be better to start from scratch rather than setting them as they were before. I did increase the xeno magnet +30 and UR flipper +15 I believe.
Quoted from brado426:The problem I was experiencing was with Board 6 Rev. A. When your trough starts experiencing problems, take notice if the "ROUNDS" LEDs and all the LEDs at the bottom of the playfield stop working or start changing to weird colors. In my case, the trough would eject multiple balls into the shooter lane or just plain stop working. If that is the case, you need a new board 6 Rev. D and should contact PB. I believe the problem has something to do with the JST connector hub boards that the pop bumpers and facehugger bumpers plug into, because Board 6 Rev D eliminates those hubs. To eliminate the hubs, PB may have you replace a couple other boards (board 4 and one other board.. can't remember the number). In summary, PB is aware of this issue and knows how to solve it... so open a ticket if you experience this.
Notice that boards 1 and 4 connect to board 6... so what was happening in my case is board 6 suddenly fails to send the proper signals to boards 1 and 4. Replacing board 6 COMPLETELY resolved my lockup issues. It was really hard to troubleshoot because it was so intermittent. PB took care of me though. Really appreciate their support! Cato #1!
I had the same issue, Cato knew right away when he saw the weird insert colors. New board 6 Rev D fixed it.
Went ahead and updated to V2.5 , same problems as Baggerman and others with Xeno grab not working. I noticed that Adjustment # 42) Magnet Capture time in V2.4 has a range of 0-99 in V2.5 has only a range of 0-9. Not sure if someone missed a digit when coding or not, Y2K all over again
Also part of the LED strip under and beside the display changes color to pink and back to white every few seconds. At any rate I opened a ticket. One thing about this game is it's super quick and easy to change S/W Versions.
Quoted from brado426:Did you reset to factory defaults? Some of these updates require that. I haven't tried 2.5 yet but I will soon.
No I didn’t reset. Please let us know your results and please check for the Pink leds on the backglass around the display.
Quoted from brado426:I ended up reverting to 2.4 and it resolved my center magnet issue. I got word that it is possible that the forthcoming firmware update may actually be a requirement. For now, I'm going to stick with 2.4... it has been stable for me. It is pretty nice that you can easily downgrade/upgrade. No real risk in trying new updates.
I think you’re correct that the firmware update will be a prerequisite for the V2.5 update. I only have pink leds in V2.5 and backbox animation is part of the update as Baggerman noted
Quoted from Zablon:A little late on this, but I too am still seeing the Xeno magnet not grab long enough. It stops the ball, then a second later it lets go, long before the tongue is out. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is still there in 2.4, when I initially opened a ticket on it I was on 2.2d
If you have a lot of failed Xeno grabs in V2.4 try setting Adjustments > Coils> Adjustment 20 > Center Magnet +30
AND Adjustments > Alien(s) > Adjustment 42 > Magnet Capture Time 10 or higher , I have mine at 13
There is also a bug -- Note from V2.5 update: Fixed bug when Ambush multiball was started on skill shot. The ball grab did not initiate in this case.
Quoted from Baggerman:YES>. thats the one.. cut it to fit.. leave space for rubber. Had my machine months and have yet to change it
I have replaced it twice now, next time a sleeve it is....
Quoted from Sunsfan23:Do these slingshot coils look like they are facing the right direction?
[quoted image]
no you should flip them so they can’t short
Quoted from Baggerman:3d printers really are a marvel of todays age huh? very nice.. did you notice the size of the holes on the black spacers in regard to the switch itself? Switch size is smaller. This causes some shift in the switch and it falls off center on button. Cato is aware possible new switches coming? I think this is also the case on the weapons and xeno targets. I am going to look later.. this can cause the twisting we see between metal back plate and circut board with switch and LED, etc.
I did notice that and hence the little block that I also printed to replace those spacers. Let’s call it what it is, those are standard $4 sling switches which really never should have been used for flippers but Maybe thats all they could get they’re hands on. The screws are a bigger metric size than are meant for those holes for sure.
Quoted from JDub03:Anyone still selling the airlock mod and the hypersleep mod? Would love to add some details to this beast.
I am, Airlock $65 shipped , Hypersleep Chamber $125 shipped, $170 for both, PM me if interested.
Please note that I cannot provide lighting due to the complexity of making it plug and play.
Quoted from Mageek:Instead of replacing the flipper switches I made some “stiffeners”. Flippers feel beefy now
[quoted image][quoted image]
I put the STL file on Thingaverse for anyone that wants to print them.
Quoted from Baggerman:i use smart outlets and no issue
I have a smart outlet as well and opened a ticket to ask if it would be a problem and Cato said no...
Quoted from moat-pin:Also for context I’ve never had any issue with xeno tongue. It worked right out of box (no it doesn’t catch a bunch, but it’s been functional movement wise)</blockquote
Great reading about the activity in Dallas and thanks for posting updates. Wish I was there.
So was mid game last night and all the sudden massive grinding sound and for some reason the tongue was trying to come out but mouth didn’t open. Tongue was caught on the bottom inside of xeno lip. I had played Ambush few minutes before so wasn’t for that mode- no idea why was trying to come out. I quickly killed the power because worried was going to kill motor.
I’m going to take off glass
Shortly, and make sure it’s not obstructed then power on. Hopefully not ruined.
I’ve read every post in this thread over past year plus and don’t recall this happening to anyone (lots of loud grinding sounds but not the tongue ramming into lower gums of xeno). If any advice I’m listening! Thanks all
i have had that happen but didn’t cause any damage. You can Try Tests> Xenomorph> Calibrate and the other tests in there to see if it’s working properly Your tongue switch maybe loose or need adjusting. Just loosen the screw on each side of the head and remove it to get to the switch.
If you are running v2.4 software you should get a good percentage of xeno grabs , if not try setting Adjustments > Coils > Centre Magnet to +30
Quoted from Crile1:My Xeno magnet hasn’t had a successful grab since update to 2.5. Anyone else?
My Xeno grab doesn't work at all with V2.5, I opened a ticket and went back to V2.4, they are looking into it.
Quoted from precisionk:When I bought which was 30 min after day 1 show opening, 1 LV sold already, 2 SV's and my LV remained.
I would be very interested to know where the beacons wire into the game if you have it open at some point.
Quoted from bcd:Make sure that your center magnet coil strength adjustment is set to NORMAL; this should fix it.
2.5 increased the default magnet strength used to grab the ball. If you adjust it to pull even stronger, this will trip some coil protection logic in the controller board firmware and shut off the magnet sooner.
A future code update will handle this automatically, but for now just change the adjustment and you should be good.
Thanks for the explanation , I had it at +30 , that fixed it.
Quoted from mettle64:Usually this means the balls (or the trough) are magnetized, but if they're brand new balls I'd be surprised. Might be worth trying another set. You can get around this in the trough with this kind of accessory.
https://littleshopofgames.com/shop/playfield-plastics/playfield-plastics-single-plastics/trough-anti-magnetic-shim-williams-bally-pinball-machine-upgrade/
I was having this issue as well, had a trough liner but found balls were actually sticking to the end of the trough so stuck a piece of velcro there it solved it. I do use high carbon balls but who knows what you’re getting these days.
1023FB0C-ABD4-47F1-96EB-7BC933D77FC6 (resized).jpegWhat is the result when you put in the USB and go to do a system software update?
Have you tried another USB slot? I use the ones in the bottom of the cabinet.
Quoted from Zablon:To clarify it isn't pushing multiple balls into the shooter lane. It's a timing issue that can occur during multiball when multiple balls drain within a small timeframe.
1st ball gets pushed into the lane and shot, the next ball gets pushed into the lane because the switch is open (no ball there) while the first ball fails to make the ramp and falls back into the lane. Then the plunger fires for the next ball, clears the switch and another ball is pushed into the lane.
Not saying what you state isn't the issue - it may be as I have an early game. This is a common issue with games that have ramps on launch with auto-launchers.
Good chance brado426 is correct, I had that issue several times and board 6 Rev D fixed it. If any of the inserts changed to weird colors , that’s a dead give away for board 6.
Quoted from brado426:I'd recommend anyone who has a Rev A of Board 6 to talk to PB about it, because it caused me so many intermittent issues. All resolved after replacing it. Next time it happens, take special note of those ROUNDS LEDs. As I recall, the multiple balls in the shooter lane usually did happen when in multi-ball mode. I don't think it is a timing issue... I think it is the CPU losing communication with the trough momentarily.. because those signals need to go through board 6. It took forever to notice this and I only really confirmed it after Cato provided me more info and a replacement board 6. I suspect it is more likely to happen when in multi-ball mode because you have a lot of pop-bumper activity then.
-The airlock should send the ball to the left flipper, if not try changing the coil strength, or tweaking the top of the scoop.
-Ambush is a multiball not a mode so it’s different.
-Does that happen all the time? I definitely hear that call out, but I have also seen it not audible, may have something to do with speach / audio priorities
Quoted from precisionk:Couple of bugs I have found which may not be bugs -
- Air lock modes - this is a drain monster and some modes have the ball save SDTM and some don't, their a rhyme or reason?
- Ambush - Feels like there should be a proper ending once you are down to one ball, every other mode has a "you failed", surprised they didn't put a scene or ending on this one as it feels the easiest to do
- Combat Drop - Apone when he yells at Hudson to get over here, no voice call out, he mouths it though
Quoted from Deez: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.
[quoted image]
I have over 1000 extremely entertaining plays on mine, no such thing as a pinball machine that can’t be fixed !
Quoted from brado426:Right now, I'm suspecting the problem is the firmware/system update mismatch. Not confirmed though. It doesn't seem to be a problem on the LV, I'm guessing because of the firmware difference.
I noticed that megaladon in this post https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-brothers-alien-remake-owners-club/page/133#post-6863758 shows that he has firmware v.57, I believe that all SVs are at v.56 , wonder if that will be released fot the SV
Quoted from Optimiser:So far 2.6 is running fine on my SV including the centre magnet which I've upped to +40 (as I had on 2.4) and no issues releasing too early for tongue to grab. With 2.5 I had to have the centre magnet on default or it would release the ball before tongue could grab it. I'm on firmware .56.
Ditto so far so good on 2.6
Quoted from DVDA:anyone seen this message before? the game comes on but can’t get into the settings from the coin box. All of the usb are plugged in but the one that makes me wonder is under the playfield. it’s plugged in but you can move the usb are very easy. I already opened a ticket but maybe someone else had the same issue
[quoted image]
Check this https://pinballbrothers.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/80000608819-cabinet-i-o-not-found
Quoted from megaladon:I am however still having the power drain no matter what I set my auto shooter power to, sometimes especially on multi ball it takes three attempts for it to shoot up the ramp into the Playfield. I submitted a ticket wondering if I have a faulty coil because it doesn’t seem to matter what setting I put the coil.
Also check that the wireform itself is straight, buddies looked like coil wasn’t strong enough but on closer inspection it was bent causing the ball trajectory to be restricted
Quoted from megaladon:Yeah I’ve tried adjusting the nuts on the bottom and nothing. Even cranking up to 50% stronger it’s hit or miss with it making up the ramp. I think it’s a coil I’m not sure what’s going?
Try taking a slow mo video of the ball in action to see if it’s just weak or is hitting something. On my buddies the bottom wire form was spread too wide and it was actually hitting the plastic below. A simple squeeze of the wire form fixed it.
Quoted from brandonx76:Ok it Board 6, revision D.
I did find a disconnected cable...I connected it, and hoped this was the problem with the two eggs/ pop bumper, but no go. Opening a ticket for both with PB Bro's now..[quoted image]
For your pop bumpers, check that the spoons are centered over the actuator and test the switches in test mode. Check the switch gaps as well. Some others have had difficulty with the spoons but likely adjustment is all they need.
Quoted from frankmac:Do any other lockdown bars fit this pin? I would lick to upgrade mine.
I have only seen Stern use that system and they don’t make a wide body
Quoted from Drain-O:So... I notice that on this game, unlike a lot of other pinball games, there is no easy/medium/hard post holes on the outlanes. Mine is an HUO and I feel like those damn outlanes are too greedy for me, and I want to modify -- anyone have any recommendations?
There is a movable outlane post on the right side, it’s difficult to see but it’s there. You also have a chance to save the ball via the gate on the right side. On the left side just keeping hitting the hypersleep chamber ramp and your revive lights will always be lit
Quoted from KJS:Predator would be special! Queen not for me.
please see this post https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-brothers-alien-remake-owners-club/page/141#post-6886973
Quoted from brandonx76:Thanks man - yeah there is something going there - I made an adjustment which fixed the issue, but it reverts back after 20 minutes or a few multi balls...
Here's a video explaining what I did -I'm not sure how to get the alignment to stay.
Make sure the bracket is right tight and flat against the coil. Loosen the bracket , push tight against the coil then tighten the screws , use Loctite if they are loosening. You can remove the assembly and do this in a work area and then reinstall.
Capture (resized).PNGQuoted from Pin_Fandango:Similar issue in Elvira house of horrors and it is fixed the same way. Elvira’s problems here might vary though and are not exactly limited to just the bend but all that to say, the bend does affect the ball trajectory and so does the plunger.
For my Elvira, I actually drilled the tip slightly so it follows the contour of the ball, it worked really well and I would do the same here if the plunger tip is plastic.
A drill bit of about 3/8 works here in lieu of a dremel.
Don’t bother with this ! It did absolutely nothing for my Elvira! The same fix worked there as here, bend the scoop slightly and adjust the coil strength
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:I would certainly ask for a brand new drop target board is it was reworked, I would not accept a board from the seconds pile in a brand new game.
Your screw on the left needs to come up too to match the left (this is not an issue, just pointing it out - but I figure you know)
Perhaps if you had one you would notice that most boards if not all have some hand soldering and some are a little sloppy, so there is no validity in your statement that the board was reworked.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:ok, find that that strange. You have one of the earlier runs, no? could that be why? or is it the same in newer runs?
Yes I have an early run and there is work done on almost every board , I guess I could demand a set of all new boards but it's not practical for them to replace everyone's board set with the latest. I also suspect that that the current REV D is not the end of revisions. FWIW my drop target board looks identical to the OPs, as well they sent me a new one and it is the same. Looks like maybe they had a shortage of U optos and had to hand solder after production.
Quoted from Dee-Bow:Are you suggesting all these issues are new to them and that they haven't previously tried addressing these faulty boards on pins they've already shipped out?! Pretty obvious that there is a known issue with the reliability of the boards. The misaligned & damaged cabinets are disappointing to see but that broken screw had that has been glued into place is 100% cringe.. As much as I desire an Alien these issues have me pumping the brakes until something is resolved.
I agree things were likely pushed out prematurely and there are definitely issues (less than when I got mine) but I believe if they didn't do it that way they likely would have failed. People can make their own decisions on what they buy. Mine has been fault free for months, I would much rather have it than not have it. And by the way, a little flux left around a solder joint does not make it defective.
Quoted from FtrMech:For those that are interested...or for what it's worth, I received an e-mail from Coin-taker this morning (unsolicited) telling me that my LV order would be an additional 90 to 120 days before delivery. I placed my order on 4 November 2021. I let them know that I appreciated the head's up.
I do know that shipping has become a major issue , for example the Funhouse 2.0 also is made by Pedretti and they ended up air freighting them due to long waits for maritime shipping.
Quoted from kciaccio:How about this? These guys were at TPF in March. And no this isn't TPF, this is his game room in his house. Pretty Epic.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Quoted from Zablon:Also, what is on the end of your tongue on the magnet? Is it painted or taped or something?
A friend locally got a later SV than ours and it has that rubber around the magnet as well. Mine and probably your magnet has a bit of chipping on it so I put a couple wraps of electrical tape on mine, tried heat shrink but it wouldn’t stay.
Quoted from underlord:A machine rebuild? Wtf?
It is simply re installing the base code and doing a delta update to current. takes like 15 minutes
When going to 2.6 you must factory reset all coil settings since they tweaked all of the default coil strength's.
Sometimes I can hit hypersleep all night long , some nights not at all, I believe it has to do wth the lunar phases
1 week later
2 weeks later
Quoted from chubtoad13:What are some good scoring strategies for this game? Seems like the only way for me to get high scores is if I get hyper sleep MB and sentry guns going
Queens Nest scores big points in the pops
1 week later
Quoted from AD72:The Xeno ball grab has worked flawless from day 1 on my SV machine from the 2nd shipment received September 2021. I was running 2.4. Now when I updated to 2.7 the magnet releases the ball too early. Is there a setting for magnet hold duration? I may go back to 2.4
Yes there is a setting for that “Centre Magnet” in "Adjustments:" > "Coils" > "Centre Magnet" if it is too high it will drop the ball
Quoted from AD72:I didn't need to adjust the strength under coils. It catches the ball just fine. The issue was with the hand off to the tongue magnet was too short. The setting was under the Alien game settings. I will go back and look at what adjustment number it is.
It is a combination , for example if the strength is too high say +40 it will drop after a second or two no matter how long the time is set to, if the strength is too low you won’t get many grabs, but it will hold longer. I believe it is all about the duty cycle of the magnet (time x power). The algorithm they are using seems to change from version to version.
Quoted from brado426:I've tried all sorts of strengths and times and I may get a couple good ball grabs on first power-on, but soon after, it goes back to the center magnet not holding the ball long enough.
The only thing that consistently fixes this problem is reverting to 2.4. I've provided all this information plus this video to PB and I'm waiting for suggestions.
Ya I think you have a specific problem mine works well on all SW versions
Quoted from Chopper36:I am running ver.2.5 with no issues. Can I update to 2.7 without updating to 2.6 first?
Yes
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:I like this option as well. I was thinking, you know how you did those ramp bumpers for Elvira?
Would you be able to make something like that, but mimicking these targets instead?
I know nothing about 3d printing but wondering if there is a way of printing a target just like the factory one, but made of a material that can absorb the impact without breaking while being somewhat translucent at the same time....
Same material as the Elvira bumpers, 3D printed TPU wedge shaped switch covers, just White. I used red TPU on Elvira and have hundreds of games on those Nubs , they don't even get dirty, this is tough stuff. I may change the colors of the switch covers that don't have light behind them to green/blue.
Quoted from jdlang11:Looks great. Can you please provide a link to purchase?? Thanks.
I'm not selling them at least not now.
Technically it's Thermoplastic Polyurethane , a type of very tough rubber like 3D printing material, somewhat difficult to print with, but looks great.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:Is this the same stuff that fixed the scoop issue in rush?
yes
Lookey what I got from jolly old England today .. Thanks Colywobbles
IMG_7929 (resized).jpgQuoted from jdlang11:Dude..those look awesome. Does he sell them?
Quoted from digitaldocc:Can you show us what they look like installed?
Will do
Quoted from digitaldocc:Can you show us what they look like installed?
Here they are installed, they look great!
03A71600-607B-4948-8350-EE083D879CC7 (resized).jpegQuoted from RPZ:I like the hypersleep mod. Mind me asking where you got that from?
I made it
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:Would you be interested in making more for sale?
Ya sure I’ve sold some, send me a PM.
Quoted from AttilaK:Hi Guys, I recently purchased a Alien LV shipped to me and running into all sort of issues. Frustrating of course, but as I am waiting for support to confirm this maybe someone here can be quicker to respond. The attached is a few pics of boards I noticed connections are off... I have a hard time believing that this would all come lose in shipping - but never know. I am reluctant on connecting as it maybe un-used. The following are problems that may of course stem from these connections become lose and no longer connected ...
1. The "air lock" VUK is super weak and unable to launch balls back into play; tech support suggested to increase coil strength in adjustments. I did that but same thing.
2. the beacon on top of backbox not working in test mode.
3. small display on playfield is dead - nothing; tech support keeps asking to check connections, which I have done multiple times but seems all good. I was going to remove the small display to check connection underneath unit.
4. game seems to lose track of balls in trough - ends game early, or doesn't launch balls into play when it should.
Any suggestions would be appreciated - or at minimum confirm if on your game these connection in the pics are connected.
Thanks![quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
1. I would make sure there is a solid solder connection on the coil lugs, often these coils are not well soldered and / or may be broken under the heat shrink
2. Can you show pics of the beacon connections?
3. Yes you should remove the display and check the connectors.
4. Make sure the trough connections are solid. You should see an led on the board for each ball in the trough,+ ball jamb, wiggle the connection to make sure the leds don’t change state. Also make sure balls are not magnetized and sticking to the trough. In general make sure all connections are tight
Has anyone received information from PB on how to stage the flippers and / or have successfully implemented?
Quoted from ticktockman:What does everyone set their magnet strength to?
Mine is 25% stronger coil strength and works great , at 30% it drops the ball sometimes
Quoted from Slapfighter:Are you running 2.7 ?
Yes
Quoted from AttilaK:Technical help needed ... I opened up a case with PB but I figure I post here in case someone had similar issues.
Issue 1: the beacon on the top of the backbox is not working when I go into the test in menu. I am not sure when the beacons come on during game play but have not seen it come on ever. I did purchase this game second hand so cannot confirm if they ever worked. PB support telling me to check connections, which I have done and seems fine (I attached pics as well).
Thanks.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Off top of my head not sure adjustment number but there is “Amode beacons - on” will have the beacons go on every few minutes in attract mode ie: While machine is idle. The beacons should come on in Queens nest, Self Destruct, Loader Battle ,All out war and briefly in Sentry guns.
Quoted from Chalkey:Is the switch below the right orbit supposed to act as a ball deflector on the way back down or is my shit out of alignment?
Out of alignment, ball should go to right flipper, otherwise game doesn’t flow. Move the switch as far to the right as possible and make sure it isn’t sticking out. Move the orbit ball guide out as much as you can by loosening the screw. In my case I had to drill a new hole but well worth it game plays like butter.
Quoted from mitchzizzle:For what its worth my ball always gets knocked out to the Left flipper, never really bothered me or struck me as wrong, just got used to t he fact that no matter which way you shoot the orbit it returns to Left flipper.
I prefer all my games to play as intended by the designer. If it comes to left flipper you can’t loop the left orbit or hit mother.
Quoted from Zablon:I just double checked and mine comes right to the right flipper smoothly. I would say make sure your right rail isn't sticking out
From the ones I’ve seen like this, the right rail is not out far enough and ball hits side of Target 5 and rebounds to left flipper
Quoted from PtownPin:I'm confused as well....Cointaker told me to order the BW/CGC mirrors...wondering if they both work and do both holes line up with the bolts for the back box?
They do work however the Stern blades are a better fit. B/W have a step cut out at the back end of them which isn’t correct for Alien
Quoted from PtownPin:Thanks .... did you purchase yours through coin taker as well?
Yes
Quoted from ectobar:Thanks for the info. As it's not my game, I haven't been in this thread much and the owner isn't even on Pinside. It definitely wasn't just one connection though. It was 4 or 5 all on different boards under the playfield that I connected. I'll get a hold of the owner today though and see how things are going.
Did PB say what would happen? The couple games I played, the weapons lights seemed to be working as well as actually using the weapons during a game.
It’s not going to hurt anything, just the one that does light up will look a little weird. There is 5 of them.
Just to clarify those connections are for LEDs inside the switches themselves not for the lights in the playfield. They just didn’t code them to come on.
Quoted from ticktockman:Does increasing flipper strength help with the Hypersleep lock?
I have my upper right at +25% helps me, pretty good at hitting it now.
Quoted from BeeGeeMtl:Most importantly, I wasn't told by Cointaker that any such issues would be forthcoming. Had I known, I obviously would have gone with NITRO but the problem with that is that they're completely on the West Coast (BC), while I'm on the East Coast (Quebec) so Cointaker was just "closer" to me (East Coast). Again, I had no idea that I would be dealing with brokers myself. No Quebec distributors were touching Pinball Bros. But my issue isn't even that, as much as the fact that my ALIEN LV was apparently "at the NY port" and nobody even bothered to tell me about it, until I emailed them. And even then, very little info. Just wondering if that's par for the course for CT? I operate my own business and always treat customers as I'd like to be treated, so I was quite surprised by this lack of attention to my $10k shipment -- to note, they did cash my payment real fast though!
Just FYI , although Nitro is in the west coast my Alien was shipped directly to Ottawa from Cointaker in PA.
Quoted from gumnut01:Thanks. Removed the spinner and it did go around easier. Have a digilevel. It’s 6.5. I bent the leaf switch in the spinner and it is going around easier now. They are pretty clunky in their design. Stern ones definitely better. These brackets are too thick and the bends of the spinner are too close to the bracket causing excess friction. Shame there’s no opto version!
Also the up posts seem to Rob a bit as well. But better so thank you. Will leave the flippers. Don’t think I would get an improvement be changing alignment.
Edit: actually both spinners are leaning back, so the bottom edge is hitting the ball. 6.5 pitch. Are these spinners weighted incorrectly? All my stern ones point straight down to the playfield. Or is it because the switches are bent to provide less resistance they’re now not pushing up on the spinner as much therefore the spinners are not vertical?
[quoted image]
Just work on bending / tweaking the bracket and switch actuator until the spinners sit straight up and down. This is a must for this game to flow nicely. They shouldn’t be terribly clunky when done. You’re right that it would be great if they had opto or mrs type spinners
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:what do you mean by vertical to playfield?
Are you referring to the bracket orientation to the player/bottom of the cabinet?
That would be perhaps more like a parallel orientation to the bottom/top or perpendicular to the side?, and square to the playfield.
If someone can post a pic that would be great.
nothing fancy it's just a spinner
Quoted from moat-pin:Hey All- 2 Qs.
1- is my left flipper in correct “base” position? Never thought about it much but it’s 3/4 inch from post which seems odd, maybe I’m over thinking it. plus I’m trying to get better at this game and hitting chest buster plus setting up upper flipper shots are so critical…so wondering if the geometry makes sense (because the lower left flipper to Host shot seems like a prayer- the angle doesn’t make sense).
2- I feel like “2”- thé far right reverse back orbit to right flipper doesn’t always register. Is is coded to only register if the left muthur flipper shoots it? Ie a random entry into that hadleys hope track doesn’t count? Or do I just have a bad opto or whatever it supposed to register hits to the “2” blue triangle shot.
Thanks for your thoughts/help.
[quoted image]
1) setup that flipper so that the ball will roll off of it and down the left inlane. This gives you a choice of shooting with that flipper or letting it go through the inlane and light Weyland if not already lit and shoot with lower left flipper.
2) that should always register if not go into switch test and verify. It is a proximity sensor so you would likely need to replace the board if not working
Quoted from Baggerman:Wouldit be unwise to polish the ramps back up then cover in mylar to prevent repolishing or is this just silly talk?
I put mylar on mine early on , still look good
Quoted from Waxx:So my hyper sleep was nearly impossible. I took apart the ramp and found it is actually impossible. The ball can not physically make it around and gets stuck in the narrowest point. Was this an issue at one point?
I ask because I got a ramp in a box from a previous owner and that one was smooth as butter. So whoever has owned my game was playing on hard mode. Baffling…
Edit:
The ball is stuck in the photo, will not move.
[quoted image]
Some people had that issue , simply bend it open more.
Quoted from applejuice:I just got told on my support ticket that the magnet grab for the upper right flipper and the chest burster lane is only supposed to work 50% of the time?? WTF... How can that be right. I just don't agree. How are you supposed to know when its going to grab the ball and when its not. There is no light or screen alert or anything asfaik.
I still think the board on my game was screwed in the wrong place meaning there is too much of a gap on the lhs and the ball can sneak past the inductor and not register. I posted about this before but am here again as its doing my nut in!! This is bit of a road block for getting save newt currently and also when locking balls for hyper sleep lock.
I'm gonna end up having to take the board off, fill the holes in the underside playfield and reposition the board at this rate, as there is zero adjustment on these boards just screw holes no slots for anything
For anyone interested here is what happens. Yellow arrow is where the ball misses the switch, red arrow is where it works ok. purple circle is the switch position currently where the board was screwed in
10K and i'm having to reposition boards..
[quoted image]
Why do you think you should be warned when the magnet is going to come on? It simply isn’t coded that way.
Test the proximity switch in test mode.
You would not be able to move the board as the proximity switch on the board penetrates most of the way through the playfield. Which also means the board could not possibly be in the wrong place.
Set your chestburster lane to easy as stated by the man that wrote the code Ferret https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-brothers-alien-remake-owners-club/page/150#post-6923922
Quoted from mbrave77:dunno but you then need to pray the ball gets to the upper right flipper and you can hit the hypersleep shot heh
Quoted from SlapDrain:Anyone know if the only way to light extra ball is by lighting it with the mystery award?
Depends on your settings based on # of lifecycles completed lights extra ball, I set mine to 2 to make it a bit easier but maybe too easy may change it back to 3
Quoted from applejuice:Thanks for the reply. What you mention makes total sense and is logical. I believe i need to move my board slightly to get the switch in a better position where it will not miss the ball in any situation. Its just a shame the boards don't have any adjustment built in. They are just screwed in place which means human error can align them alittle bit off.
Quoted from Pin_Fandango:If would reach to PB before messing around with relocating boards. That said filling holes is very easy with the right tools and knowledge but why would you if you dont have to.
Make sure first.
This is as easy as sending some pics to PB bros.
You can also invent some temporary 3d printed bracket that uses existing holes to troubleshoot as you relocate without drilling anything
The whole idea of moving the switch is completely ludicrous. Short of removing the playfield and putting it on a drill press with a forstner bit you’d need some pretty serious skills to drill a hole perfectly plumb 90% through a playfield without going through it.
These are the switches we’re talking about
D1393F5B-D038-49AE-8554-AF1464FB241D (resized).jpegQuoted from AD72:Replaced the tongue with a new version. The screw loosened and magnet came off. I found it had jammed in the mechanism. Old version on left new on right. My SV is #42 if you have an earlier version make sure to loctite the screw.
[quoted image]
Oh , I have a very early one , how do you access the screw? Is the cover over it glued on or did you ever find it?
Quoted from Zablon:I've noticed mine is starting to chip around the edges from ball hits.
Mine is too so I put a wrap of black tape around it. I tried heat shrink but it kept coming off
Quoted from calprog:Quick question. Having a few issues with my Alien LV. My launch on the game is clicking and going on a off quite a bit. No ball is kicking out? It’s annoying. The trough also appears off as during some multiballs only one ball plays one ball??? Weird. If more than one play ball is in play during multiball and one ball drains the game ends?? Any idea what is causing this. PB already send me a new main board and no changes. Any ideas?
Is it possible it thinks there's a ball in the shooter lane ? Check the shooter lane switch in switch test. Also look at the lights on the board in the trough. With all balls in there should only be the 2 far right lights on. The other 6 lights should be off for each ball in the trough, on if the ball is not detected. Wiggle the connector on the trough board to see if any of the lights change
Quoted from Optimiser:It's a plastic insert that covers the screw that is tapered to match the tapered countersunk screw hole. I took it out by fiddling around with it. I then unscrewed my (chipped) magnet, filed the front of the magnet down about 1mm or so, screwed it back on, did not put plastic screw covering insert back (or put a protective cover around the magnet) and have never had the magnet/ball catches (and dropping ball once in mouth) so reliable.
Thanks !
I always thought it was just epoxied on
Quoted from mitchzizzle:Hey there - I have had both of these problems, I bet $100 both are caused by balls magnetically sticking in the trough, even if it just causes them to roll down too slowly it can confuse the ball count. You probably need to cut a plastic trough shim. I bet if you lean over and look down the drain while a ball is being served you will see them sticking up in there
Quoted from paulbaptiste:New issue on my game. After picking up the ball in Ambush multiball, the tongue will not release it. It just sits inside the mouth until ball search at which point it will re-extend itself and then let go of the ball before closing again. Anyone else experience similar issues and if so how did you fix it?
I did have that, first try a xeno calibration, if not that try removing the head and adjusting the tongue switch. There’s lots of posts about that.
Quoted from Ceemunkey:Yeah the clasp thing is super annoying! Especially since you have to screw the playfield back down! I always forget, then put the lockdown bar back on and.... DAMMIT!
Huh I don’t screw the playfield down since I got it over a year ago, I assume those are for shipping
Quoted from hollyw00d:So LV#99 reporting in. .
2) My pop bumpers get stuck sometimes so the bumper action isn't great. Is this due to spoons needing replacing as someone mentioned before? (See Images)
They likely won’t need to be replaced, You can tell from the picture the spoon is not centred on the actuator. Loosen the switch and move it so that the actuator is in the centre of the spoon. Also check the switch gap and adjust , the closer the more sensitive the pops will be
Quoted from PtownPin:My guess is he purchased two beacons, hooked them up to an external power supply, and they are always on? It doesn't appear that they are triggered by the game, but I might be wrong?
Quoted from Flash71:What is the voltage requirement for those beacons ? Mine came with the pin when I bought it from my friend.
12v , I found they spun too fast for my liking so stuck in a resistor to slow them down a bit.
Quoted from mbrave77:what is that for a topper and where can I buy it? the alien that is.
I made it, took days to print. The xeno is on thingaverse somewhere
I cannot say but Hoping it will be released via official channels soon
Quoted from Flash71:Any insight as to what you tied them into?
Quoted from brado426:That has nothing to do with the Apron mod... that is some other thing. The Apron mod uses multi-mode LED beacons that don't actually rotate, but simulate rotation by animating the LEDs... similar to how the LV beacons work.
I much prefer the rotating old school beacons as being more representative of whats in the movie
Quoted from PtownPin:Totally agree....It looks awesome...are u gonna sell this package? If so I'd be interested
No definitely not selling anything, perhaps a read through the release notes may be helpful.
Simply because people want step by step instructions and I don’t want anything to do with people damaging their games. It requires hardware and Firmware. When / if released by PB then you’ll have support.
Quoted from cleland:How about a link to the beacons and resistor you used?
I got them off Amazon a year ago, but appear to be no longer there. There are other options on Amazon and Aliexpress, need to be 12 Volt. Can't remember resistor value I used but was low like 22O Ohms 1/4 watt . The beacons draw very little power, since I did replace the incandescent light with an orange LED
Quoted from PtownPin:Adding mods always comes at a risk ... possibly he's beta testing new firmware for PB or he installed the LV firmware on his SV (can u do this?) I know on many Stern games the LE and Premium software is basically the same
I managed to get my hands on the LV hardware / Firmware , I was asked not to share the firmware at this time so this is why I am being a bit elusive. Only the beacons themselves are not PB stock product. I also have the shaker. Hopefully PB will open up sales on those components since they have been eluding to it since SW Version 2.5
Screenshot 2022-08-08 134711 (resized).pngQuoted from Royale-W-Cheese:I had it on casters to organize my room. It actually did move...HAHA
Definitely needs to be fixed , scares the shit out of everybody on bootup.
Quoted from FtrMech:I was called by Melissa yesterday...LV #82 arrives tomorrow. That will fill the last spot in my collection, after that, someone needs to move out.
i’m sure she won’t mind living with her parents.
Interesting thing about the pop bumper mechs is they appear to be identical to the ones I have out of my 1980 Stern Electronics Cheetah restoration in progress.
Quoted from Baggerman:Ok new one for those of you more tech savvy then myself.. Anyone know hwere i can purchase the button switches on the target/xeno switch assemblies? I had broken 2 switches from really hard ball hits and at 20 bucks a pop with shipping, maybe i could solder in a new switch and save some loot?
anyway.. thanks if you have anything for me.-BAG
Check aliexpress, I have a bag of 50 of the switches they used on the early ones but now the version 3 switches have a longer stem
Quoted from PBlank:Sorry for this stupid question, I'm still new to pinball... Any advice on the perfect leveling for this game? I guess front and back bottom of cab to floor measurements?
The best is to use a digital level on the playfield. Should be 6.5° front to back and obviously level side to side.
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