The new motors just have wires that are long enough to go straight to node 10, and bypass the "extension harness". Stern is sending the motors with the new wires to prevent more node 10 blowups.

Okay, so after reading about how the original motors used connectors that were out of spec for the gauge of wire they used, I did a deep dive into part numbers on the connector and wires of the motor I received. The wires are still 26 AWG, with 1.83mm jacket diameter; the connector used is in spec for 22-28 AWG wires with that insulation thickness.

So I am very sure that what I was sent is a fix for the Node 10 board blowing, not just a random extra motor. Contact your distributors and keep an eye open for them to be sent out, and definitely replace the motor!

Glad to see them sending motors out like this and not just to those that have blown boards - seems like it's just a matter of time otherwise. It would have saved me the effort of doing this to mine - never lost my node 10, but better safe than sorry.

Note how close my patch goes to the motor - the zip tie closest to the motor was by far the most over-tightened one, so I took no chances and chopped everything downstream from that off.

motor-wiring.jpeg

This is the motor I received, along with the instruction cover sheet with revision/date info. They instruct you to plug this into the main harness.

FWIW, the markings on the connector are “5559” on one side of its top, and “MXN 15” on another

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IMG_6668 (resized).jpeg

This is an old revision and will still eventually blow your board. I went through that one, and it blew my new node 10 in under a week. Ask for the newest Rev 2.0 kit.

That's the older design - version 1.1 per the document. The new version removes the inline connector (plugs directly into the node board) and is version 2.0 per the previous post. You may want to inquire with your distributor about getting the 2.0 one...

Beat me by 10 seconds lapean111

Well, that’s disappointing to hear that bad fixes are still being sent out. Thanks for the heads up, I’ll definitely be giving my distro a buzz tomorrow

I agree. I’ve been trying to get some options from the distributor but he just never responds.

I posted earlier about our ramp and clock acting crazy after installing the new board and newest motor fix. I was able to get the clock working properly but the ramp was still not working correctly. Finally the node board blew. Got the replacement board yesterday and after installing, the ramp works just fine now. So it must have been a bad node board right from the box. Stern suggested leaving the drum clock unplugged for a couple of weeks to see if the new ramp motor and board work properly. If so and we plug in the drum clock and the board blows, then we’ll know it’s the drum clock and not the ramp.

If you want to get attention, google your state's lemon laws and also google your state's consumer protection laws. Often, there's a very basic form you can fill out and if the distributor/manufacturer don't respond in 30 days, you're entitled to treble damages if you win -- 3 pinball machines!!

In MA it's the consumer protection 30 day demand letter but I'd imagine many states have similar concepts.

It seems like a race to the bottom between Rush & Scooby issues unfortunately.

So, I worked with Stern support, and honestly they were awesome. Very helpful and understanding. New Node 10 board and Motor fixed it!
I did video what my ramp was doing. Pretty crazy... Here's the videos I sent for your enjoyment.

Ramp Dance
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a01J6ntnJ9LRuE6zKT3p-D-5nc861ZWr/view?usp=sharing

Up is Down / Down is up!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mNkC_kQQgQHiLWZZvRzUYkNWC6xyE2N4/view?usp=sharing

Sadly I didn't take a pic, but it is the 2.0 version. They sent me the node board, and the motor together. Motor had the long connector to bypass the harness, and I did notice the part number on the motor is different than the old motor.

That is exactly what mine was doing too. Didn’t change the motor but replaced the board. My ramp is still acting screwy.
So do the people in tech support share info between each other? The guy I have been emailing just throws new node boards at mine.

Here is what my ramp is doing now. Works fine but then doesn’t come up all the way and drops a few steps. You can see in the video the 3rd time the ramp comes up (around 1:30)it’s lower than the hole and drops when hit. Can’t physically push it down. Then next ball it’s fine.

Your ball hit the front of the ramp and knocked it down a little bit. Sometimes happens.

This is different though. The ramp isn’t coming all the way up even before it gets knocked down a little. Like 1/2” below where it should. Enough that when a ball goes up the ramp, it hits the bottom of the hole and ricochets back up into the glass hard.

I received the rev 2.0 kit with board and motor last week. I'm having the same issue with inconsistent ramp height, it also sometimes reverses (thinks up is down). In contact with Stern, they're thinking it might be related to a switch that senses the ramp height. They've requested a video but I've not been able to capture it yet, happens every few games and then clears up. Playing with the bias settings sometimes clears it up but eventually it reverts.

Careful… this seems to be inevitable.
Had ramp working for a couple of games after playing with bias.
On to the 8th board maybe?

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Maybe adjusting the bias isn't such a good idea. What's wrong with the default settings?

Because they don’t stay where they are set. And adjusting the bias shouldn’t blow the node board.

Wonder if there is an issue with the clock motor too?

( also how are you on that many boards, I just got them to replace the one replacement at this point so I’m on #3. It’s been a slog dealing with the service)

It’s not the clock motor on ours because it isn’t hooked up to this board as requested by support to try and isolate the issue. And we’ve been replacing boards since the machine arrived in August.

I contacted my distributor about the motor update kit - he has them and is waiting for people to contact him ask ask for them. If you haven't already - might be worth contacting your distributor and asking for the motor kit.

Is there a part number?

Doesn’t it make sense to put a fuse into the wire of the motor to protect the node board?

It is not overcurrent that breaks the node board, but voltage spike due to motor coil inductance, that happens if motor connection breaks while running. A fuse would not help, but maybe MOV resistors or zener diodes could be added to board.

It is not overcurrent that breaks the node board, but voltage spike due to motor coil inductance, that happens if motor connection breaks while running. A fuse would not help, but maybe MOV resistors or zener diodes could be added to board.</blockquote

Ok thanks for the information, maybe someone can make a how do for this ?

2 months ago I asked Stern if there was any protection on the board from back EMF from the motor and this was the response I got.

“Technically it's the chip (U1) that's getting blown from the feedback, which is the motor drive chip. It is sensitive to that stuff, and one of the things we did try was adding in some extra protective circuitry to see if it would help. It did not, those boards blew just as fast as the rest. I'm not sure if the node 10 boards have that extra protection added in since it didn't help in testing, but I think the next revision will have it anyways since it also didn't affect performance of the board and should technically help against EMF.”

ok, i remove the connectors and solder the wires. Hope that will save my nodeboard for a long time. Thanks for sharing here !

one other question, when i open the coindoor while the ramp is moving will that also destroy the nodeboard and is that the same for the clock ?

i had a ball hang up, and i thought is it a good idea to open the coindoor and remove the glas?. Maybe the machine start the ball search during that time and voila my board is killed ? i leave it ...

i think if thats the case people must have that in mind

I think cutting the power via coindoor does not cause the EMF spike, but I am not familiar with Spike2 technology, so probably it is best to only open coin door or shut down power when motors are not running.

Removing connectors and soldering the wires sure is a good thing. Also check for over-tightened zip ties on the motor cables.

the same when the clock is running. that happens everytime when the machine starts up. so i think it can happen easily

so maybe the best to remove the interlock or as you said shutdown the power.

I doubt you can’t damage the board this way.

I think what kills the chip is removing one of the leads to one of the stepper coils which creates an imbalanced EMF induced surge through the remaining connected coil lead. Removing power to the chip will result in a balanced EMF surge through both coil leads that the chip can handle.

ok good to know, thanks.

Opening the coin door disables the playfield power, including the stepper motors - so that shouldn't cause any issues. As mentioned, surges caused by unexpected/intermittent stepper motor wiring disconnects is the most likely reason for node 10 failures.

Grab the stuck ball and drop it in the shooter lane, get the glass back on, put the lockdown bar back on, and close the coin door as the last thing and you can continue play.

The nodeboard is not available here in Germany so I had to be careful

I contacted Stern to see if they were sending out node boards and updated motors to everyone. Their response was, no. They are only sending out parts to those that have or have had issues.

I sure would like to have a spare just in case something happens in the future. I guess I'll have to find out where to purchase them from.

A local fellow dropped off two blown node 10 boards yesterday.
Each of them had blown the same chip, but in different ways.
Why? I have no idea.

I was able to remove the chip from one of the boards cleanly. Clearly a trace was blown when the chip blew. This one should be fairly easy to fix.

The other board is probably another story. The chip looks to have gotten so hot that it might have welded itself to the PCB. I'll give it a go, but hopes are not high on that one.
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.ChrisHiblerPinball.com/Contact
https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisHiblerPinball
http://www.PinWiki.com - The Place to go for Pinball Repair Info

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Wow...that looks "toasty"

Should we possibly consider a heat sink for this chip as a preventative measure? Or would that level of protection be too little too late?

Maybe a lightning rod.

How many here are still sitting on machines with blown node boards waiting for replacement from Stern? Just curious.

A heat sink wouldn't be enough to prevent this kind of failure. The part was subjected to power that it wasn't designed to handle. KaBoom.
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.ChrisHiblerPinball.com/Contact
https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisHiblerPinball - My YT Channel
http://www.PinWiki.com - The Place to go for Pinball Repair Info