Stern cabinet flipper buttons, same 'quality' as the coil stops?

So I managed to slapsave my Iron Maiden's right flipper button completely out of the cabinet last night (only one warning with legit tilt so I didn't hit it that_ hard). This impromptu disassembly cost me ball 3 in a billion point game and I'd rather it not happen again. I haven't had a chance to look closely at the remnants (at work now) but it looked like just plastic bump in the shaft keeps it in place?

Are these buttons basically crap like Stern's coil stops, or did I get unlucky? The root question is: do I need to replace just this button, or are all modern Stern cabinet buttons garbage and need preemptive replacement?

#2 2 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

Kinda. I put eclips on all of them when i get a new game.

#3 2 years ago

MOO

metallik

Pinside member

You remember what size ?

#4 2 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

OP
Quoted from metallik:
You remember what size ?

I have a box of like 100 different sizes from Amazon. I’ll have to look later.

#5 2 years ago

MOO

metallik

Pinside member

Its no biggie, I can take the remnant part to HD and test fit there

#6 2 years ago

PGL

northvibe

Pinside+ Frequent

12y 121K 13,929

Quoted from chuckwurt:
I have a box of like 100 different sizes from Amazon. I’ll have to look later.

that would be sweet!

#7 2 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

Quoted from northvibe:
that would be sweet!

Looks like 1/4” works.

#8 2 years ago

CWG

Chrizg

dsmpinball

Des Moines, IA

12y 93,550 2,084 5

5/16 E Clips. They are on all my games including the lock down bar buttons

#9 2 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt

It is pretty hard to press on the 1/4” ones. So 5/16” sounds better. Thanks for helping!

#10 2 years ago

LMS

Tranquilize

Pinside member

9y 84,550 3,782 35

An even easier fix:

1. Take the button portion that popped out and place it on a flat surface, button side down. You'll see a hollow tube that goes into the machine.
2. Take a philips screwdriver and press it into the hole to widen it. Rotate the screwdriver and repeat. Don't overdo it. Just make it about 1/2mm bigger.
3. Smack it back into the machine. It'll never come out again.

#11 2 years ago

ORJ

Jenk540i

Pinside+ Frequent

Arden, NC

9y 70,300 1,235 12 12

I’ve had the same thing happen with JJP pins. Also fixed it using an E clip.

#12 2 years ago

jake35

Pinside member

7y 114K 2,552 25 9 5

OP
Quoted from metallik:
So I managed to slapsave my Iron Maiden's right flipper button completely out of the cabinet last night (only one warning with legit tilt so I didn't hit it that_ hard). This impromptu disassembly cost me ball 3 in a billion point game and I'd rather it not happen again. I haven't had a chance to look closely at the remnants (at work now) but it looked like just plastic bump in the shaft keeps it in place?
Are these buttons basically crap like Stern's coil stops, or did I get unlucky? The root question is: do I need to replace just this button, or are all modern Stern cabinet buttons garbage and need preemptive replacement?

Damn. I'm guessing a few choice words were spoken when the flipper button popped loose?

#13 2 years ago

DOG

RatShack

Pinside member

7y 57,650 783

Yes they are crap, they're press fit.

Get an aftermarket button, then you can have something other than red.

#14 2 years ago

MOO

metallik

Pinside member

Quoted from jake35:
Damn. I'm guessing a few choice words were spoken when the flipper button popped loose?

Just shitshitshit as I tried finger in the hole (yea baby) which didn't work, was opening the coindoor as it drained down the right inlane. Coindoor ballsaver was not enabled... d'oh. Realized a few seconds later I could have entered the service menu to pause the game and deal with the button. Double d'oh.

OTOH I'd just gotten out of Cyborg and still had a mode to qualify and do before 2MTM and wasn't close to any multiballs, so no guarantee I get much more than I already had.

#15 2 years ago

TCB

Multiballmaniac1

Pinside member

6y 97,800 3,389 2 15

Stern and quality in the same sentence.

#16 2 years ago

KRH

thirdedition

What The Flip

9y 62,300 950 25

Quoted from RatShack:
Yes they are crap, they're press fit.
Get an aftermarket button, then you can have something other than red.

I've had more problems with aftermarket buttons than I've ever had with Stern buttons.

The clear ones in particular I've noticed have poor overall quality. Maybe new batches are better.

#17 2 years ago

LEV

CrazyLevi

Crazy Levi's Pinball

New York, NY

10y 148K 33,560

OP
Quoted from metallik:
So I managed to slapsave my Iron Maiden's right flipper button completely out of the cabinet last night (only one warning with legit tilt so I didn't hit it that_ hard). This impromptu disassembly cost me ball 3 in a billion point game and I'd rather it not happen again. I haven't had a chance to look closely at the remnants (at work now) but it looked like just plastic bump in the shaft keeps it in place?
Are these buttons basically crap like Stern's coil stops, or did I get unlucky? The root question is: do I need to replace just this button, or are all modern Stern cabinet buttons garbage and need preemptive replacement?

There seemed to be a few years where they were terrible and exploding left and right, I’m thinking like Star Trek thorough Ghostbusters. They were really bad and it seemed to happen all the time on new games.

#18 2 years ago

ERW

chuckwurt