(Topic ID: 328734)

Rush Node Board 10 issues list and research

By Jamesays

1 year ago


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  • 152 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 days ago by Necro2112
  • Topic is favorited by 98 Pinsiders

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“Rush/Godzilla Node Board 10 issues and Non issues list”

  • Rush LE/Premium with issues 66 votes
    35%
  • Rush LE/Premium no issues 120 votes
    64%
  • 1 vote
    1%
  • 0 votes

(Multiple choice - 187 votes by 186 Pinsiders)

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Post #229 Node board #10 check Posted by Peak-Pin (1 year ago)

Post #231 Key posted, but no summary given Posted by Peak-Pin (1 year ago)


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#21 1 year ago

It might be helpful to include the software versions your machine is running. Although the root problem is hardware related, Stern has pushed several software fixes over the past 3-4 months to hopefully lessen the chance a failure will occur.

#35 1 year ago
Quoted from Ten31:

I thought having the drum clock disconnected was not recommended. Is this something Stern told you to try?

It's ok to unplug either/both motors and then power up the machine without them connected. The issue is having them become disconnected while the power is on. You get an inductive voltage spike (think spark plug in an engine) back through the chip if the connection opens up with the power on, which blows the driver chip.

1 week later
12
#99 1 year ago

The poll doesn't let you vote more than once. I'm a pinball repair tech (and a former electronics engineer with stepper motor experience) and I've been in contact with 4 Rush Premiums/LEs. One of those has blown 2 node boards, the other 3 are fine so far. 25% failure rate.

The LE machine that has blown 2 node boards didn't have cable ties that were overly tight. It had a build date of June 21, '22 and 1900 plays. It's a later build date than most listed here and maybe by that time they weren't over-tightening cable ties.

I did the best forensic analysis as I could on both the node boards and the machine, without a schematic for the node board. I've also reviewed the datasheet for the TMC5041 motor driver chip.

I believe the problem is related to either a disconnect of the motor while power is applied (as Stern suggests) or a static discharge. Either of these causes a voltage spike to enter the outputs of the driver chip. Internally, the chip shunts those spikes to the 24 volt supply (which is a separate area of the node board). The spike on the 24V supply then blows either/both the internal 5V regulator on the motor driver chip or the 24 volt regulator on the node board. After that the chip basically melts down. All of the heat/burning you're seeing in Pinsider's photos occurs AFTER the driver chip has blown. The chip is only rated at 26 volts. The node board is supplied with 48V. If the 24V regulator fails, then you potentially have 48V burning up the chip. A heatsink isn't going to solve anything.

As both JeffHecht and ChrisHibler have said, ultimately, the fault lies with Stern not designing the board with the recommended protection circuits made by the chip manufacturer. That protection would guard against both disconnection and static.

The only thing I found in the machine wiring that hasn't been discussed previously (I alerted Stern to this a couple of weeks ago) is that wires on the ramp motor are tinned with solder prior to crimping terminals on the wire for the in-line connector. While solder is great for melting onto wires for making connections, the surface of the solder doesn't make for a good electrical connection once it's cooled. This was only done to the ramp motor on the in-line connector (the connector closest to the motor). Tinning the wires reduces the surface area of the crimp connection and leaves flux residue. The drum motor wires are crimped normally.

IMG_0222 (resized).jpgIMG_0222 (resized).jpg

IMG_0223 (resized).jpgIMG_0223 (resized).jpg

The easiest way to fix this is to solder the wire to the terminal. But there are a couple of problems for Pinsiders. You need excellent soldering skills because it's so small and too much solder won't allow you to reinsert the pin into the white housing. The other problem is getting the pin out of the housing -- you need a special extraction tool. I don't know if this is the absolute correct one for this connector, but it works: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0011030044/210947?s=N4IgTCBcDaIAwEYFwMxzgFgyAugXyA

I don't have any evidence this is THE problem. It's only another red flag.

On the LE machine that has blown the node boards, I also added a ground wire from the ramp motor/frame to a ground pin on the node board. This would hopefully help with static electricity discharge. I don't have a photo of this.

Time will tell if any of this remediation will help.

If I owned a Rush machine, I would unplug both motors from Node 10 (while powered off) and mechanically prop the ramp into the raised position and wait a few months for more information to surface or for Stern to issue a service bulletin.

#101 1 year ago
Quoted from ian866:

Love to see what you did with the motor housing earthing and where you tied it in. Is it possible it's an external component creating a spike and leaching into the motor circuits ?

The machine belongs to a customer and so a photo won't be forthcoming very soon. It's just a wire; one end attached to one of the screws on the ramp motor bracket, the other end soldered to the power ground on the node board. To be thorough I probably should have added another from the drum motor but didn't think of it at the time. Just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Plus the driver chip datasheet suggests grounding the motors to PCB ground.

#102 1 year ago
Quoted from ian866:

The baffling issue is why is the board being fried when either the clock on it's own or the ramp on it's own is plugged in, removes the harness theory from the diagnosis ( makes it less relevant )??

I have not seen a post where only the drum was plugged in. In post #78 and #79 above, he states the ramp was disabled, but it's clearly still connected in the photo. A stepper motor is often powered constantly to keep it from moving. Based on posts in the Owner's thread, the ramp won't stay up on its own without power. You can't progress through the game if the ramp isn't raised. I am assuming that if you disable the ramp in software, it is still moved and held in the raised position which requires power to the motor. Someone correct me if I am wrong about the software setting. I don't have a machine here to look at.

#107 1 year ago
Quoted from MooButt:

Then wouldn’t the ramp lower when the game is powered off or unplugged if the motor is required to keep it up?

The ball hits the ramp and pushes the ramp down. During normal gameplay after the ramp is raised, a reduced amount of power is constantly running through the motor to hold it in position. The same is true for flippers. Full power is used to move the flipper, but when it reaches the up position, the power is reduced to hold the flipper up.

#108 1 year ago
Quoted from ian866:

So, just to keep this going along the ESD theory as the fault taking out the regulator, what are the opinions of what could be the generator for the spike voltage ?

This whole node 10 situation seems very similar to the Wizard of Oz version 1 lighting issue back in 2013. At the time static discharge was suspected for blowing the output drivers of the light boards. I believe there are static fields built up between the ball and the playfield or maybe the ball creates a static charge between the top and undersides of the playfield (the playfield acting as a capacitor). I'm definitely not an expert when it comes to static charge. I know how to protect against it when designing a circuit, but I don't understand how it's generated in a playfield. I remember talking to Frank, the JJP tech support back then, and he was suggesting that certain playfield waxes would solve the issue. Some machines had no problems, others had perpetual problems (same as Rush). It was very difficult to nail down. Over a couple of years JJP tried various design changes to the light boards and finally scrapped that lighting system and replaced it with the 2.0 system.

#118 1 year ago
Quoted from ChrisHibler:

Static buildup on the PF...that varies by the kind of wax used?
Someone was blowing smoke at you.
That isn't either science or engineering. It's baloney.
I can't review the entire circuit but the first thing I would look for is reverse EMP; same as when a coil's magnetic field collapses. Standard protection for that situation is a snubbing diode.
--
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

You're misinterpreting what I'm saying. The comment was just anecdotal and I took it as nothing more than that.

You can't use a snubbing diode on something that is essentially an AC circuit.

#120 1 year ago
Quoted from ChrisHibler:

True about the snubbing diode in an AC circuit. This motor drive is driving a DC circuit, isn’t it? I assumed so but might be wrong.

The 4-wire motors are bi-polar, meaning the coils have to have their polarity switched (basically AC performed by the chip). Unipolar motors (6-wire motors), such as used in Sega's Independence Day, can be driven like solenoids and could use snubber diodes.

Quoted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor#Bipolar_motors):
"Bipolar motors have a pair of single winding connections per phase. The current in a winding needs to be reversed in order to reverse a magnetic pole, so the driving circuit must be more complicated, typically with an H-bridge arrangement (however there are several off-the-shelf driver chips available to make this a simple affair). There are two leads per phase, none is common.

"A typical driving pattern for a two coil bipolar stepper motor would be: A+ B+ A− B−. I.e. drive coil A with positive current, then remove current from coil A; then drive coil B with positive current, then remove current from coil B; then drive coil A with negative current (flipping polarity by switching the wires e.g. with an H bridge), then remove current from coil A; then drive coil B with negative current (again flipping polarity same as coil A); the cycle is complete and begins anew. "

1 week later
38
#157 1 year ago
Quoted from Peak-Pin:

The poll doesn't let you vote more than once. I'm a pinball repair tech (and a former electronics engineer with stepper motor experience) and I've been in contact with 4 Rush Premiums/LEs. One of those has blown 2 node boards, the other 3 are fine so far. 25% failure rate.
The LE machine that has blown 2 node boards didn't have cable ties that were overly tight. It had a build date of June 21, '22 and 1900 plays. It's a later build date than most listed here and maybe by that time they weren't over-tightening cable ties.
I did the best forensic analysis as I could on both the node boards and the machine, without a schematic for the node board. I've also reviewed the datasheet for the TMC5041 motor driver chip.
I believe the problem is related to either a disconnect of the motor while power is applied (as Stern suggests) or a static discharge. Either of these causes a voltage spike to enter the outputs of the driver chip. Internally, the chip shunts those spikes to the 24 volt supply (which is a separate area of the node board). The spike on the 24V supply then blows either/both the internal 5V regulator on the motor driver chip or the 24 volt regulator on the node board. After that the chip basically melts down. All of the heat/burning you're seeing in Pinsider's photos occurs AFTER the driver chip has blown. The chip is only rated at 26 volts. The node board is supplied with 48V. If the 24V regulator fails, then you potentially have 48V burning up the chip. A heatsink isn't going to solve anything.
As both JeffHecht and ChrisHibler have said, ultimately, the fault lies with Stern not designing the board with the recommended protection circuits made by the chip manufacturer. That protection would guard against both disconnection and static.
The only thing I found in the machine wiring that hasn't been discussed previously (I alerted Stern to this a couple of weeks ago) is that wires on the ramp motor are tinned with solder prior to crimping terminals on the wire for the in-line connector. While solder is great for melting onto wires for making connections, the surface of the solder doesn't make for a good electrical connection once it's cooled. This was only done to the ramp motor on the in-line connector (the connector closest to the motor). Tinning the wires reduces the surface area of the crimp connection and leaves flux residue. The drum motor wires are crimped normally.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
The easiest way to fix this is to solder the wire to the terminal. But there are a couple of problems for Pinsiders. You need excellent soldering skills because it's so small and too much solder won't allow you to reinsert the pin into the white housing. The other problem is getting the pin out of the housing -- you need a special extraction tool. I don't know if this is the absolute correct one for this connector, but it works: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0011030044/210947?s=N4IgTCBcDaIAwEYFwMxzgFgyAugXyA
I don't have any evidence this is THE problem. It's only another red flag.
On the LE machine that has blown the node boards, I also added a ground wire from the ramp motor/frame to a ground pin on the node board. This would hopefully help with static electricity discharge. I don't have a photo of this.
Time will tell if any of this remediation will help.
If I owned a Rush machine, I would unplug both motors from Node 10 (while powered off) and mechanically prop the ramp into the raised position and wait a few months for more information to surface or for Stern to issue a service bulletin.

I believe that I have found the basic problem. Stern is using the wrong sized crimp pins for the ramp motor connector. This is the in-line connector closest to the ramp motor. I've quoted my previous post above because the remedy is the same: either install the correct pins or solder the existing ones.

The ramp motor wires are 26 gauge. The connector pins they are using are spec'd for 18 to 24 gauge wire. (The larger the gauge number, the smaller the wire.) The ramp motor wires are too small for the pin. So someone decided to "tin" the wires with solder to make them a little larger prior to crimping. This is not a good thing to do. The correct crimp pin is spec'd for 22 to 28 gauge wire.

I advised Stern about this issue a week ago and the only response so far was they would forward the info to the engineering department.

The problem is limited to only the one connector on the ramp motor side. The wires between the in-line connector and the node board connector are larger 24 gauge, so it's not a problem. And the drum clock motor is not affected because it's a different type of connector to the node board (which is why Godzilla is not affected).

I think Stern is going to have to swap out ramp motors to remedy the problem. There is at least one post in the owner's thread where Stern sent a replacement ramp motor along with the replacement Node 10 board, and it blew again. But the ramp motor they sent likely still had the wrong pins crimped on the motor wires. Knowing how fast corporations move to fix issues, it's probably still going to be a number of weeks before Stern is prepared to address the issue. And Stern's new CEO doesn't seem to have manufacturing experience and may not be a priority for him. (https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2022/12/20/stern-management-changes/)

See my previous post for photos of the connector (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rush-node-board-10-issues-and-non-issues-list/page/2#post-7346100).
See my blog post for more details on identifying the connector pins: https://peakpinball.com/2023/01/17/rush-pinball-machine-stern-2022/

#162 1 year ago
Quoted from AUKraut:

Nice detective work! Soldering iron will be coming out before the next game on RUSH!!

Use only the smallest amount of solder or else the pin won't go back into the housing. I know this from personal experience.

#164 1 year ago
Quoted from swampfire:

I’m pretty comfortable making cables with 0.1” connectors. Wouldn’t it be best to make a whole new cable with 18 gauge wire? Then use LOOSE zip ties to secure it.
Great detective work, BTW!

The wires I'm referring to come directly out of the motor. They are installed by the motor manufacturer. These wires are not installed by Stern and is why the insulation (squishy) is not the same as the other Stern wires. All Stern did was install the crimp pins on the end of the motor wires and add a couple of cable ties. I don't recommend opening the motor and putting new wires on it.

#168 1 year ago
Quoted from Paddy-o:

Can you show pictures to which wires you are referring?

See my original post. The first photo is of the motor wires and the connector. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rush-node-board-10-issues-and-non-issues-list/page/2#post-7346100

#180 1 year ago
Quoted from XQJ-37:

I decide to order the OEM motor from the manufacturer (Lin Engineering) with the "flying leads" option, and crimp my own pins onto it, and run it straight to the Node 10 board, ensuring that it remained untouched by the Stern zip-tie gorilla.

The motor is also available from Digikey: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/lin-engineering/WO-4118S-04S/11564463?s=N4IgTCBcDaICwEYEA4DOBaADHVIC6AvkA

The picture is not exactly correct, but the datasheet shows the correct size.

#188 1 year ago

It would be great if Rush owners would record their serial numbers and what actions they took, or whatever solutions Stern provides, to remedy the Node 10 issue. As machines change hands over the years, someone can look up to see if the Node 10 remedies have been applied or not. Use the IPSND (Internet Pinball Serial Number Database). I've already done it for a couple of machines. Just list in the comment section which remedies you've done (e.g. replaced cable ties and swapped ramp motor provided by Stern). Ideally also submit a photo of the serial number. Your location can be left blank for privacy. I think you can do it without creating an account.

Rush Premium:
https://www.ipsnd.net/view.aspx?id=6845

Rush LE:
https://www.ipsnd.net/view.aspx?id=6846

#189 1 year ago
Quoted from jonboy71:

Also, if this is a Stern problem, why are folks willingly paying a lot of money to fix the problem themselves? I should not be expected to buy a $340 crimping tool and/or a new 3rd party motor for starters. Stern needs to be held accountable.

I agree that Stern should, and eventually will, take care of these issues. But I think it's important for the remedy information to be "out there". Think 10-20 years down the road. Rottendog will be making aftermarket Node 10 boards and someone's going to want to know how to prevent it from blowing. Stern, as we know it, may not exist anymore. Just look how fast Bally/Williams declined from their peak in the early 1990's.

#192 1 year ago

Based on history, eventually Stern will publish a Service Bulletin on their website regarding the node board issues. (https://sternpinball.com/support/service-bulletins/) They will probably make a kit available with a new motor and you'll have to order it through your distributor. But the owner will have to take action to start this process. They aren't going to magically start shipping new motors with proper crimp pins to all owners of Premium/LEs. There are presently two service bulletins affecting Rush machines.

#215 1 year ago
Quoted from Skeets:

This has already been said in the other thread but needs to be stated again.
DO NOT UNPLUG THE RAMP MOTOR AND POWER UP YOUR MACHINE
Your node 10 will fry.

This is incorrect. You may unplug one or both motors WHILE THE POWER IS OFF. Powering up without the motors connected is not an issue. Just don't go unplugging while the power is on. The bad crimp pins have the same effect, disconnecting the motor while it is powered on.

12
#221 1 year ago

I need to say this because it's going to happen. If you can't do the repair/remedy correctly, with the proper tools, then DON'T DO IT and wait for Stern. I can see it now... someone's going to do some half-assed repair, and their node board is going to fry, and then I'll be blamed for it. A half-assed repair is not going to be any better than Stern's original job on the connector.

Use the correct extraction tool or you will damage the connector pin or the housing.

If you're buying pins and a crimping tool, get extra pins and practice on some scrap wire. Make sure your crimp tool is compatible with the crimp pins.

I'll post some step by step instructions with photos in the next few days.

(I repair pinball machines everyday. The number one problem I fix: previous repairs done incorrectly.)

#222 1 year ago
Quoted from DanQverymuch:

The wires sure aren't loose at least, I tugged on each one rather aggressively, so that's something, I suppose. Still concerned about eventual corrosion however, assuming the solder is there, as that is equivalent to four cold solder joints.

The wires won't be loose. The outer part of the crimp pin is holding the wire with the insulation securely. It's the inner part of the crimp pin that is expecting a larger bare wire. The inner part might be loose in there, but unless it's real bad you won't be able to see it. If it was really bad, it wouldn't have gotten out of the factory without the node blowing.

#228 1 year ago

There is also a setting that might affect gameplay. Perhaps someone can verify if it changes rules/scoring.

The setting is under Adjustments -> Rush -> Lift Ramp Disabled (#76). Check if gameplay differs between No and Yes.

IMG_0407 (resized).jpgIMG_0407 (resized).jpg
18
#229 1 year ago

Procedure for checking over-tight cable ties (aka zip ties)

  1. Make sure the power to the pinball machine is turned off.
  2. Remove balls or put a rag or foam piece in the shooter lane to keep balls from falling out.
  3. Lift playfield and lean against backbox.
  4. Under the ramp, locate the ramp motor with four wires coming out of it (red, blue, green and black). They have white plastic cable ties around them.
  5. Orange arrows showing cable tiesOrange arrows showing cable ties

  6. The white plastic cable ties should be snug, but still able to slide side-to-side along the wire. If you can’t slide the cable tie along the wire, then using some fine tipped cutters, remove it. Be extremely careful not to cut any of the wires. I find it is easier to cut the cable tie right at the point where it changes size from the narrow section that wraps around the wires to the thicker locking section.
  7. Cutting a cable tieCutting a cable tie

  8. Replace the cable tie with either another cable tie, or a small piece of tape wrapped around the bundle. If using cable ties, install them in a different nearby location along the wire than the original ones.
  9. IMG_0404 (resized).jpgIMG_0404 (resized).jpg

  10. Locate the Node 10 board. It’s on the left of the playfield, just below center. (Good photo above in post #224)
  11. Follow the wires (red, blue, green, black bundle) to the Drum/Clock from CN1 (lower left connector on Node 10) until they go through a hole in the playfield.
  12. Check the cable ties as in steps 5 and 6 above.
  13. If your cable ties haven't been over-tight so far, you can probably skip the the following steps.

  14. Lower the playfield with the supports resting on the lockbar.
  15. Behind the Drum/Clock near the left edge of the playfield is a narrow triangular piece of clear plastic. It is held into place with two flat-head phillips screws. (green arrows)
  16. IMG_0248 (resized).jpgIMG_0248 (resized).jpg

  17. Remove the screws. It’s probably easiest with a magnetic screw driver.
  18. Remove the plastic.
  19. The metal base of the Drum/Clock is attached to the playfield with 3 pan-head philips screws. Two are located on the left side of the drum and one is located on the right, under the wire ramp. Remove these 3 screws. (red arrows)
  20. IMG_0247 (resized).jpgIMG_0247 (resized).jpg
    IMG_0246 (resized).jpgIMG_0246 (resized).jpg

  21. Carefully lift and rotate the Drum/Clock motor to the right to reveal the wires coming out of the bottom of it.
  22. IMG_0244 (resized).jpgIMG_0244 (resized).jpg

  23. Locate the bundle of red, green, blue and black wires. They have white plastic cable ties around them. There should be two cable ties visible before the wires disappear under the playfield.
  24. Check the cable ties as in steps 5 and 6 above.
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#231 1 year ago

Procedure for crimping the correct connector pins onto the ramp motor
Note: this is not required for the Drum/Clock motor since it uses a different connector

Read this post for background on the issue: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rush-node-board-10-issues-and-non-issues-list/page/4#post-7366041

Since this post may be read years from now, there might be a mix of correct and incorrect connector pins being used. Here is a way you can check if the correct pins are attached to the motor. You can do this without taking anything apart or needing any tools.

  1. Make sure the power to the pinball machine is turned off.
  2. Remove the playfield glass.
  3. Remove balls or put a rag or foam piece in the shooter lane to keep balls from falling out.
  4. Lift playfield and lean against backbox.
  5. Under the ramp, locate the ramp motor with four wires coming out of it (red, blue, green and black).
  6. Look into the end of the connector where the motor wires go. In the photo below I have replaced the crimp pin on the green wire and reinserted it into the housing. The green wire has the correct crimp pin (green arrow), the black wire has the incorrect pin (red arrow). The correct pin is wrapped around the insulation. The incorrect pin has curled metal pushing down against the insulation.
  7. IMG_0399 (resized).jpgIMG_0399 (resized).jpg
    Here is a view with two pins extracted from the housing to give you a better idea of what you’re looking for.
    IMG_0401 (resized).jpgIMG_0401 (resized).jpg
    If your pins have the curls on the end, then you should get a replacement motor from Stern with the correct pins installed.

    If you want to do it yourself, then here is a procedure.

    Read these posts first for information on parts and tools:

    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rush-node-board-10-issues-and-non-issues-list/page/4#post-7366761

    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rush-node-board-10-issues-and-non-issues-list/page/4#post-7367768

  8. Unplug the connector by pressing down on the latch and pulling it apart. Look into the pin-side (haha) of the connector, with the locking tab/bump (green arrow) at the top. You will see two slots on either side of the pin (red arrows). This is where the pin extraction tool is inserted.
  9. IMG_0392 (resized).jpgIMG_0392 (resized).jpg

  10. Insert the tool on one side while gently pushing the corresponding wire towards the extractor on the other side. You might feel a little click once the extractor is all of the way inserted. Now pull the wire and pin easily out of the housing.
  11. IMG_0393 (resized).jpgIMG_0393 (resized).jpg

  12. Cut the wire off of the pin about an 1/8” (3mm) from the pin.
  13. Strip about 1/8” (3mm) of insulation from the wire.
  14. Insert a new pin into your crimp tool. Usually the non-crimping end is on the right side of it. If the crimp tool is a ratcheting type, squeeze the handle one or two clicks to hold the pin in place. Most crimp tools have multiple slots for pins based on size. You're going to be crimping a 26 gauge (AWG) wire so place the pin in the appropriate slot.
  15. IMG_0394 (resized).jpgIMG_0394 (resized).jpg

  16. Insert the wire on the opposite side of the crimping tool.
  17. IMG_0400 (resized).jpgIMG_0400 (resized).jpg
    The most critical part of this operation is how far you insert the wire. Here is a photo of a wire beside a crimp pin. This is how far the wire should be inserted into the crimp. You want the insulation to be grabbed by the outer crimp and the bare wire to be grabbed by the inner crimp.
    IMG_0409 (resized).jpgIMG_0409 (resized).jpg

  18. Squeeze the crimping tool firmly. If using a ratchet type, it won’t release until you’ve squeezed it all of the way.
  19. Here is a photo of a good crimping job. The insulation is under the lower section and you can see the end of the insulation and the bare wire before going into up into the next section. The end of the wire shouldn’t go beyond the ears on the left and right, or else you won’t be able to get the pin back into the housing. This one is barely past the ear but I was still able to insert it into the housing.
    IMG_0397 (resized).jpgIMG_0397 (resized).jpg

    Also, this applies if you’re soldering the old pins instead of replacing them. Don’t allow any solder to go beyond the ears and into the “U” channel.

    Here are two bad crimps that I intentionally did on a practice wire. On the upper pin, the wire didn’t get inserted far enough and the insulation is not being held by the pin. Plus, there is not enough wire in the next section to make a good connection. On the lower pin, the wire was inserted too far. The insulation got smashed by the second section where the wire should be bare. The insulation is keeping it from making a good connection.
    IMG_0411 (resized).jpgIMG_0411 (resized).jpg

    If things don't look good (use a magnifying glass or your phone camera), cut the pin off of the wire and start over.

  20. Once you’ve got a good looking crimp, insert the pin into the housing. The top of the “U” of the faces the locking tab.
  21. It is best to change one pin at a time so the pins don’t get reinserted into the housing in the wrong order. Repeat the above steps for the other 3 wires.
  22. When finished, join the connector back together and make sure that red is going to red, and green is going to green, etc.

Good luck!

#241 1 year ago
Quoted from Enchantress:

Killer tutorial, thanks for the effort!! can you post a better pic of extraction tool?!

Looks like I left my extraction tool in my friend's Rush machine. But there is a picture of it here: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0011030044/210947?s=N4IgTCBcDaIIxwLQAYDMLkBZMgLoF8g

#250 1 year ago
Quoted from schudel5:

The wires off the motor side are so thin, it's no wonder why they probably didn't get crimped very well.

I just answered a PM and thought I would clarify the wire size. The question was that the wires on both sides of the connector looked like the same size. The wire size is based on the bare metal conductor and not the overall size including insulation. Under the insulation the motor wires are smaller than the wires running to the node board. It becomes apparent when the wires are stripped.

#252 1 year ago
Quoted from OSUBuckeye98:

I just spent sometime removing the ramp motor connector and removing the crushed drum wires. Everything felt snug but it looks like all of the pins were the wrong size. I just bypassed the connector altogether.. put everything back together and going to roll the bones and see if the node 10 board I bought holds up.. [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Wow! All of those crimps are bad. The insulation is crimped under where the bare wire is supposed to be.

Interesting that Stern didn't tin those wires first like I've seen on the other Rush machines.

#291 1 year ago

From my armchair quarterback position, I think it's going to be April before Stern resolves this. I think they are going to redesign the node board with the protection circuits, which is a 2-3 month turnaround. Maybe they started that process late last year. But I'd be measuring the time-frame in months instead of days or weeks.

#296 1 year ago
Quoted from MRG:

Maybe they build a dongle that connects between the ramp harness and node 10 that contains the protection circuit, like a surge protector. Much cheaper and faster than a whole board redesign.

None of the pins on CN1 or CN3 have a ground connection and the protection circuit needs a ground. I looked into making a dongle a few weeks ago.

#297 1 year ago
Quoted from zebpin61:

Removed the ramp motor connector, soldered and insulated the 4 permanent connections based on the excellent investigative work on this thread. Having just installed a warranty replacement Node8 board after a 9 month wait, I was going to take no chances that a node10 board issue might suddenly surface and destroy my now totally functioning RUSH Premium. As of today, a whopping 370 lifetime plays on the 4/25/22 build.
[quoted image]

Nice touch putting the clear vinyl tubing under the cable ties.

#301 1 year ago
Quoted from MRG:

I'm no electrical engineer but could you do a dongle with a ground wire pig tail coming off it. Then plug/connect into a ground near by?

At some point you're adding more points of failure which cancel out any improvements over the original failure. Revising Node 10 circuit board is really the best way forward. Just like this board being used in Godzilla, I'm sure Stern would like to have a reliable stepper motor controller board in their arsenal for future titles.

#334 1 year ago

Longevity dates:

The first customer where I soldered the crimp pins was on 12/23, but we had to wait until 1/11 for the new node board. He and his son have put a lot of plays on it since then and no problems. Prior to me soldering the pins, he had blown two node boards.

Two other customers, one on 12/28 and the other on 1/6, I preemptively soldered their crimp pins. Neither had blown a node board and there haven't been any problems since. Two additional customers are scheduled in the next few weeks.

I contacted Stern twice, on 12/24 sharing my opinion of tinning (putting solder on) the wires prior to crimping the pins, and on 1/17 informing them that they are using the wrong sized crimp pins.

Gomez acknowledges pin issue on 2/2.

#335 1 year ago
Quoted from DanQverymuch:

Can you tell the difference without extracting the pins? They look suspect on mine, right? Top crimp doesn’t touch insulation? Has solder sucked up under the insulation and made it bulge? I think I even see some solder on the black wire's pin.
Looks like surgery time tonight, one connectorectomy coming right up!
[quoted image]

Photos of the difference in pins (without extracting them) is at the top of post #231. I have yet to see the correct pins being used in person or on any Pinside photo. I think all machines were made with the wrong pins.

Yes, perform connectorectomy.

#348 1 year ago

I don't think the fixes are fiction. They are definitely addressing proven problems. It doesn't mean there can't be a third problem for some people. And the elephant in the room is a lack of protection circuits on the node board.

Too bad MJK-911 is not in Colorado. I'd come over right now and look at it. But as flynnibus says, removing cable ties won't fix a broken wire. And one of the other connectors could have a poorly crimped pin. You don't need an extraction tool to look at the connector pins that connect to the node board. Just a sharp object, like a tip of an exacto knife. There are slots in the side of the connector housings and you gently push the sharp object down on the barb of the pin that holds it in, and pull out the pin.

#362 1 year ago
Quoted from MJK-911:

Maybe I should bring the game to TPF, see if someone can fix it TPF ?

I will be at TPF Friday and Saturday. Leaving Sunday morning.

#363 1 year ago
Quoted from pinballplusMN:

If a node board is failing after the fix has been done would it be possible that the node was spiked or weakened under the previous faulty condition?

Not likely. Semiconductors usually don't get weak. They're good until they aren't. The problem is going to be a bad crimp connection somewhere else in the chain, probably at CN1/CN3 or maybe a bad connection inside the motor. I haven't taken apart one of the motors to see how the electrical connections are being handled in there.

21
#373 1 year ago

Please treat the people in the support department at Stern with respect. They are just "the messenger". Those folks didn't build your pinball machine and they don't work in the engineering department. They already know people want node board 10 answers. I doubt at this point, after 10 months (?) that anyone is keeping count how many people contact them regarding this issue. If I worked in support, I'd copy and paste the same replies, too, because that's the current answer.

#379 1 year ago
Quoted from bigguybbr:

Just got mine. Definitely over tightened zip ties. Wrapped them in a bit of electrical tape since I don’t have a pin extractor for this type of connector.
[quoted image][quoted image]

What was the manufacturing date of your machine? The pattern I'm seeing is that the over-tight wire-ties occurred before June, 2022. The machines that I've seen after that don't have this problem. I'm guessing maybe all of the LE's have this problem since they were made before the Premiums.

#389 1 year ago

I guess we can't tie anything to the manufacturing date on the back of the cabinet. The motors and connectors were assembled separately on different dates (or maybe different people on the same date) and then pulled from a pile and installed in the machines on another date. I've worked on two premium machines from June 21st and July 6th which didn't have cable tie issues. Yet two people here have bad cable ties from July 1st which is in between those dates. The two LE machines I've worked on recently had cable tie issues. I don't know their dates but they were on the line prior to the premiums.

On the last 3 machines I've looked at, I've extracted every pin at every motor connector (CN1, CN3 and both sides of the inline connector) and each seems to have at least one pin that wasn't crimped correctly -- the wire inserted too far and the center crimp area going down on part of the insulation instead of the bare wire. It's crap. Doesn't anybody working on Stern's production line know how to crimp a pin on a wire?! Perhaps they have an outside vendor doing this?

My customer who's blown two node boards is still going strong after a month after I re-did his connectors (soldered the crimps). He didn't have cable tie issues.

I'm sorry that the in-line connector issues I've mentioned is not solving the problem for you guys. It's gotta be one of the other crimp connections or over-tight cable ties. Obviously, there are different things affecting different machines.

The bottom line is to redesign the node board with protection, which is probably why it's taking a long time to resolve the issue. In an earlier post, I think I guessed April.

#390 1 year ago
Quoted from benime:

I suspect the motors come with their wires pre-tinned (a lot of parts manufacturers do this) and instead of cutting, stripping, and crimping, Stern cut corners.

The drum/clock motor is the same motor as used on the ramp and its wires are not pre-tinned.

#392 1 year ago

DanQverymuch If your Node 10 is still good (check if the status light on the node board is blinking with coin door closed and playfield raised up a bit), then maybe the motor wires themselves are the issue... maybe the wires are truly broken. You can check using an ohm meter. With power off and motor unplugged from node board, you should measure 9.2 ohms between the red and blue wires and 9.2 ohms between the black and green.

#394 1 year ago
Quoted from bigguybbr:

I saw the links on here for the proper pins, but does anyone have a link to the right molex housing? I figure it will be cheaper to snip off the old and recrimp the connector than buying the right pin extractor to only use it once.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0039013043/1118561

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/molex/0039012040/61376

1 week later
#432 1 year ago
Quoted from Hayfarmer:

But is this a true fix? I thought the wires were too small diameter ?

The true fix is to add the protection circuitry to the node board. I'm hopeful that will come eventually.

Quoted from ian866:

To stop this from shorting probably
[quoted image]

I never noticed that. It's something I'd definitely fix.

#435 1 year ago
Quoted from Ten31:

What about the node side of the connector? On mine, both sides of the connector have rolled pins. Unless both sides are the correct pins, then the problem persists.[quoted image]

The wire on the node side is 24 gauge, so those pins are okay for that (the motor has 26 gauge). I'd still extract the pins and make sure the insulation is not crimped under the center part of the pin. I'd also extract the pins at CN1 and CN3 and do the same. I've found insulation under the center part on at least one of each connector across 4 or 5 Rush machines.

1 week later
10
#458 1 year ago

Over the weekend, I worked on a Rush LE to apply the connector remedies before the node board blew. The appointment had been scheduled for over a month. Unfortunately the node 10 board blew less than 24 hours before I arrived. A real bummer I didn't get there in time to prevent it.

1100 plays.

I extracted the ramp motor pins from the in-line connector and there was no question what caused the board to blow. The insulation was crimped under the center part of the pin where the bare wire should be.

The first two photos are of the bad crimps. The second two photos are what they should look like after I crimped on new pins.

Bad Crimp!Bad Crimp!

Bad Crimp!Bad Crimp!

Good CrimpGood Crimp

Good CrimpGood Crimp

1 week later
#540 1 year ago
Quoted from swampfire:

My Rush just turned a year old, with 1266 plays. It hasn’t blown any node boards, so I’m tempted to leave it alone. If I do the connectorectomy and my node 10 goes, that’s on me. I’m skilled at soldering and splicing wires, but the motor wire gauge does scare me.

Definitely remove overly-tight cable ties. They will eventually break the wires.

#541 1 year ago
Quoted from swampfire:

I posted a picture of one of my pins. I think they just crimped them correctly in that first batch of games. That may be the only difference.

This. There are 16 crimp pins associated with the motors. Four of those pins are the wrong ones. Of the Rush machines I've worked on, they've all had more crimp problems than just having the wrong pins. All of the badly crimped pins have had the wire inserted too far and the insulation crimped where the bare wire should be. Like the ones I posted in #478. I'm surprised the motor ever worked at all. Really bad quality issues.

Cable ties are the other thing. Some machines are fine, others are horrible and I've had to splice the wires.

The overriding issue is the lack of protection circuits on the node board.

10 months later
#1189 51 days ago

Has anybody in Colorado experienced a Node 10 failure after replacing the motors? PM me.

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