I do think Stern has taken cost cutting too far, but I like Spike. It eliminates a mile of wiring, dozens of connectors, unneeded transformers, diodes everywhere, fluorescent tube light, etc. Simpler is better. Lighter is better too. Sure there will be some growing pains. When Sam came out Stern had to replace every single CPU board in the first game six months after production (WPT). We also remember the growing pains JJP had with their networked LED boards. That was a disaster way worse than any SPIKE problems.

Funny how people who don't really understand the SPIKE system are so fast pile on and bash it. Mob rules and bashing Stern is in style. Systems like SPIKE are inevitable progress, just like an LCD display and the DMD before it. Stern is using automotive technology and we all know how much more reliable cars are now than they were 20 years ago. They will get it right, because it will cost them money if they don't!

Yep the Pro playfield pegs suck, but on the other hand I prefer the video game style lock bar latches.

Tens of thousands of WPC era machines resetting due to poor design says you are wrong.

That wasn't available until 20 years later.

How does this detract from the fact that thousands of Williams Bally machines failed early due to poor design? I can fix them too, but that's not the point.

Loaded games like TZ failed early and very few other games have not had this failure eventually as the expected norm. And to point out yet again this was not a failure caused by normal usage. It is a failure caused on thousands of games due to poor design on both the cpu and the power supply.

People with reliable working WPC and System 11 games have them because over the years people repaired, replaced and upgraded numerous faulty components just like I have personally done to all of the games I've owned. I love those old games, but that doesn't mean there weren't design flaws. Not to mention they were designed to last three years and then be put in a dumpster.

Yes, now that would be a great theme for a pin! Thunderbirds is better than Dialed In at least.

Or someone pointing out the obvious bias and ignorance of the OP.

JJP had huge problems with WOZ LED node boards due to terrible design that eventually got replaced with a more robust design way after the fact. The SPIKE issues are tiny by comparison.

ST was the only game with the allen screw. They learned and replaced it with a mini leg bolt. To me this is the best solution (as shown on the IMVE above). One tool to take off the legs and lower the head. I prefer the metal head to the old ones for other reasons too. Having the DMD/LCD panel angled toward the players head makes sense and also cuts way down on the glare.

Actually SPIKE removes a ton of connectors from the game along with a half a mile of wiring. With all of the bulbs replaced by LEDs, there is very little power going through so repinning definitely not a concern. You must be thinking of System 11 interface board? Or the WPC GI connectors?