(Topic ID: 291062)

Stern Early SS Drop Target Issue

By spandol

2 years ago


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  • Stars Stern Electronics, 1978

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#1 2 years ago

I've been having issues with my Stern Stars after restoration. For some reason, some of the drop targets won't fall completely down to trip the switch. I have gotten it to work as well as possible, but is there a way to pull the targets down to the bottom? It would surely help. I figured I purchased the correct springs, but are there stronger springs I should be using? I can't raise the switch more to meet the bottom of the target. The target doesn't seem to be stuck by anything in the assembly. Here's a video of what I'm describing.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CtKvtsOL9KLSUynd025WgrQyUcjFpdy9/view?usp=sharing

#3 2 years ago
Quoted from isJ:

Getting an error on the video. Can you clip the spring and curl the end to make it shorter?

I’ve done that before, but it hasn’t worked. Basically it falls, but I can still push it down a good 1/4” or so. Something is making it spring back up, but can’t figure it out.

#5 2 years ago
Quoted from ibis:

That doesn't look to be the issue. Something may be bent, like the rod the goes through all the drops at the bottom. They should drop to the lowest point and not have any spring upwards, even if the spring is weak. A weak spring would just make it struggle to drop all together.

Appreciate the info! Don’t remember anything being bent, but I’ll check it out.

#10 2 years ago
Quoted from frenchmarky:

Here's a pic of a Stern unit where the springs attach to the arms like yours (instead of the other version where they attach to a rod) vs. your unit. Your springs look WAY overstretched and have a lot less windings, something don't look right. Like maybe you have the much shorter springs meant for the 'rod' version of the unit.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]

Great pictures, thanks. What are the correct springs? I searched Marco but there are a few.

#12 2 years ago

Thanks! I’ll order some. Hopefully that will be the solution. Appreciate everyone’s help. I’ll report back.

#17 2 years ago
Quoted from frobozz:

Well OK, less likely to be the culprit in that case, but still worth checking, to make sure the target isn't just sitting on a switch nub that's holding it up off the bottom of its potential throw.

Thanks for this. When the target drops, it barely touches the nub, which is some of the issue, I've had to gap the switch to almost touching for it to work, but it hasn't been reliable.

1 week later
#18 2 years ago

Ok, so, the new springs didn't work to solve the issue. I remember when I took off my drop assemblies to look at them, they seemed to work perfectly when the mech wasn't on the playfield. I'll look at that some more. Wondering if it has anything to do with the reproduction drop targets or that I had the pieces of the assembly plated.

Just a side question: According to the parts catalog, this is on correctly, but is it? I didn't understand what the shelf was for and if this possibly has something to do with my issue.
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#20 2 years ago

It seemed to be perfect, but I’ll investigate more. Thanks.

#22 2 years ago

They all can be pushed down with my finger, then when I release, they spring up slightly. It's not because of the switch, though. Really, the only issue is the middle target on the right assembly. On the rest, I've adjusted the switches close enough to where it works. The middle switch I have gapped with barley any space though, so it gives me phantom hits at times. But I have to gap the switch that close because the target isn't dropping far enough. Hope that all makes sense.

#23 2 years ago

I'm going to take the assembly off and see if I can find what's causing the target not to drop. Will report back.

#26 2 years ago

I think I may have found the issue. So, in the photo you see that the rod hole is higher than the hole in the drop target legs. With it up like this, I should be able to still come down where the leg connects with the drop target. Problem is, it can’t. I don’t think the reproduction targets are different than the original in this area, as I look at my old photos, but is it? If I take the rod out, the targets drop all the way down like they should. The rod doesn’t seem bent. The photos show the target hitting the bottom without the rod, then raised up with the rod. Any ideas?

Thanks for the help!

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#28 2 years ago
Quoted from frenchmarky:

If the targets are a little different than original, perhaps the top of the far end of the arms is actually jamming against the top of the slot in the target? Or the opposite and bottom of arm is jamming against bottom edge of the slot in back? I could see where that would cause a 'sprung upward' effect. And since they drop all the way with the rod removed when the arms are not being cranked up higher. Or could be jamming inside the slots like that but where you can't quite see it. You see any diff if you try one of the old targets vs. a new one? *IF* that's where the jamming is I guess you could just scrape off a little bit of the plastic in the top/bottom edge of the target slots or file or grind a smidge off the top or bottom of those ends of the arms.
[quoted image]

Yeah, the arm gets hung up I’m the area you circled. I don’t have the old targets any longer, I’m afraid. Maybe I’ll try filing a little off the target. The arms don’t seem to be hanging in the slots, so I don’t think that’s it, but I’ll look again to be sure. Thanks!

#30 2 years ago

frenchmarky That was the ticket! I filed just a slight bit off the front top of the target arm slot and the back bottom. Now all targets work perfectly, dropping all the way down, and I can adjust the switches accordingly.

Thanks French for your help as well as everyone in the thread. If you buy reproduction drop targets, you may have to slightly alter them to work.

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