lol jeepers guys.
I was going in completely bind to this ball eject issue. So to gather information I asked a question and thought maybe spike 2's had a common issue with this. As we know older generations of board sets have "common" issues. I have maintained a few spike 2's on route, they've rarely had issue except a coil stop or pf opto break. So I asked the question to see what info I could gather before showing up at the location. I probably didn't word the original post very well as I was in a hurry. Otherwise I knew I would do a switch test and visually inspect the trough...but man I did NOT want it to be a node board on a brand new game on route.
I booted the game up, went to switch test active, and a handful of switches were active as per usual, however they have cryptic names on them...Unhelpful unless you pull a manual out maybe? Not sure if the manual deciefers those names.
I went into single switch test where you can poke a switch to see if it activates, nothing.
Went back into active switch test and tried the shooter lane switch, nothing...
Visually was looking at the shooter lane switch, looked good, went to the trough pcb's....finally saw the 3 position plug just hanging.....went dang....I hope that is the issue. Powered game off, plugged in plug, powered game on and the trough worked. I want to say I went back into switch test and it was still acting like before...so I tested a game and it played normal..
Quoted from CrazyLevi:OK, well a few tips.
1. BITCH BE COOL. Little issues will happen. If something weird happens, don't automatically assume the game is a lemon, the entire system is screwed, and you've lost 2 or 3 node boards. Don't start freaking out, It's probably not a big deal. Like in this case, where you were worried your game was about to explode and take you with it, and it just turned out to be a loose connector.
2. You need to learn the menu system, and how the tests work. If you are having a little trouble doing this, don't just assume the menu system is a disaster, doesn't work, and will never work. You just need to learn how all this shit works. People have been using these tools for about 50 years to diagnose issues on digital machines; they work.
3. If you have questions, you can always reach out to the helpful folks at Stern. They aren't trying to screw you, they didn't purposely sell you a piece of shit, and they are used to dealing with noobs, especially over the past couple of years. Email them and you'll hear back within a day or so. Pinside isn't the only place to get help with your pinball machine; it is a good place to get tons of good and bad advice that often conflicts.
4. Have fun! It's only pinball.
Good luck!
Hey this isn't crazynorthvibe, it's crazylevi. I'm all good with issues, but when its a nib and the location only has 2 games at the moment, the protector issue, then this issue and you were just over there...things add up and if it was a node board...ugh. game is down for how long.
Seriously...the menu itself is great and its just like whitestar but it doesn't tell you what switch is what when activated...all their old games do......
Stern isn't going to get back to me same day after hours when I go on site...