Hey there, can I ask you guys whether you had to remove the whole drop target assembly to insert the washers under the screws, or were you able to do the fix with the assembly in place? It sort of looks like if I can get the right angle with a screw driver, I might be able to loosen the screw and slip a washer behind it. But, I figured I would ask how others did it before giving it a try myself. Thanks!

Thanks. For some reason, it looked more complicated than that. Good to know that it is fairly simple.

It does. Thanks!

Do you remember if you had to disconnect the electronics when you removed the assembly? If so, were they just plugs?

Thanks. All of my prior experience was with an old Bally. Nothing was easy with that.

The Stern bulletin says 1/16". I still have to try this myself. My drop target is getting worse by the day. My after Thanksgiving project . . . .

Just fixed the issue with mine by putting the washers in place. Worked like a charm. I'm always amazed when I successfully fix something on my pins (especially without breaking something else).

Well, I spoke too soon. I eliminated the problem with phantom, repeated hits. But, I created a problem where every once in a while, hitting the target wouldn't register a hit. May theory is that the 1/16" washers may have been a tad too thick. I found a thinner pair of washers lying around the house -- call them 1/32" but I don't really know. Anyway, for now, that seems to have worked. (Of course, I thought I had this fixed yesterday, so I need a bunch more games on the machine to tell for sure.)

Maybe that was the problem, but what do you mean? There seemed to be only one position to put it back in -- I just aligned the holes and put the screws back in the assembly to mount it.

I'm still getting the occasional hit that is failing to register, though it seems less frequent with the thinner washers. Maybe I need to try just one thin washer on one side. There's probably a sweet spot that is a bit machine dependent. Kind of frustrating.

I feel stupid, but I'm just not getting this. My target seems centered in the slot. If it wasn't clearing the playfield, I don't think it would work 98% of the time like it is doing.

Aurich, I'm still having this problem of an occasional hard hit not registering. Can you tell me how you bent it? Just with your hands? Also, in what direction? I think to get the target to lean forward more, you need to bend the assembly from a right angle to a slightly obtuse one, correct? Thanks!

My shelf just broke as well -- it is cracked but still functions for the moment. I emailed Stern. Amazing that in this day and age, a simple drop target is giving people so much trouble.

Thanks. What a pain in the neck!

Mine is visibly broken but still operable. I ordered a couple of more from pinball life just to have on hand, but I'll replace it when I need to do so. Perhaps instead of washers, a 1/32" thick strip of metal in the right shape would work better to even out the load.