So wish my kids enjoyed pinball (6,11,13). But they start a game and won't even play three balls. Just totally uninterested.

I'm happy to report that my building rattle appears to be resolved. I do have questions though.

Aside from the initial troubleshooting I did, which didn't get rid of the problem, I didn't really do anything. The problem just went away. I'm wondering if the building mech just needed some breaking in. That, or possibly something in the code update.

I will say I think I may have accidentally changed the building settings in the software where the building adjustment setting is, but I don't know for sure. Does anyone happen to have the default settings for the building mech and could post them? I checked the manual and it's not in there.

Thanks for the tip. The skill
Shot switch was indeed stuck on causing the magnet to let go. It was the MRS mod recently installed. Apparently a flakey switch. Anyone else see this or I just got a bum switch?

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My MRS works perfect, also the magnet action.

I rarely have issues with my shooter lane as well and I have 2000 games played on my Premium.

With that said, I went ahead and made my own version of the Abe-Flips fix just because I like to tinker and add game play improvement mods and appreciate the time Abe spent on this and that he shared it with the community.

I may have noticed a slight improvement in repeatability, but like I said, my machine didn't seem to have the issue except once in a great while for whatever reason.

Following up on this. I finally had some time to dig into it, and I believe the issue has finally been solved.

I checked everything about this flipper. The coil stop, the gap with the bushing, the EOS switch, the sleeve, the linkage, etc.. Everything was fine. But the left flipper was still sticking in the up position often. I knew it wasn't the coil, because I could cut the power and it would stay up. And the slightest vibration would drop the flipper, like if I smacked the cabinet or even just activated the right flipper. So whatever the issue, it was just barely causing the plunger to stick.

A couple months before this started happening, I replaced all three coil stops (and sleeves) with the ones from Pinball Life. When installing the new stops, I left in all the spring washers. Today, after I checked everything else again, I removed the spring washer from the left flipper because I couldn't think of anything else to try. No more sticking. Just to make sure I wasn't crazy, or I somehow accidentally fixed some other issue when removing the washer, I reinstalled and uninstalled the washer several times. Every time the washer was in, the flipper kept getting stuck. Every time the washer was out, the flipper never got stuck.

I'm not exactly sure what is happening with the left flipper and that washer. It looks exactly like the washer for the right flipper, which is still installed and that flipper has never had any issues. So who really knows what was going on, but I'm glad I can finally play the game without flipper issues now.

the offending washer

That sucks. I have been taking them to an arcade near me that has 30 or so. They all have favorites. But they play at home too. They're pretty happy. It's pretty awesome during holidays and stuff. Lots of kids playing, cousins, etc. I guess I'm lucky.

Very likely a small burr on either the coil sleeve or coil plunger. The spring was forcing the coil (and sleeve) just a bit harder against the plunger, and some burr/defect was catching just enough to keep it from releasing. Always a good idea to replace the sleeve when troubleshooting flipper issues, and carefully looking at the plunger for scratches, dents, etc. and replace if needed.

The other possibility was a slight misalignment between coil and stop. Loosen your coil stop slightly, settle the coil by moving the flipper and releasing a few times, then retighten. As you installed the flat spring a couple times and saw repeat behavior, this cause is less likely in my opinion as your reinstallation was unlikely to consistenly get misalignment.

Dude, I had just installed an MRS switch in past month also!
Maybe that’s my issue

Hmmm is this a common issue with these MRS replacement switches? Or these are just big time one offs? I was about to order one myself lol.

You're not alone. My 9- and 11-year-olds are the same. And they're actually fans of the themes, too. But pinball? Not a hint of interest.

I cannot speak to the GZ issue (I don't own the pin) but I have one on my EATPM and it's so good, much better than the original switch.

Are you sure you have the correct sleeves, and it’s not installed backwards on that side?

You can check it in switch test. It should be off by default and only come on when the ball passes under.

I also have an MRS installed in that position which works perfectly, however, it's the 2nd MRS I've had in there. The 1st MRS was magnetically holding a stuck ball to it on occasion, but when I emailed Matt, at M&M CREATIONS, to explain the problem, he sent me a replacement which works w/o any problems (for at least the last month or so). From my experience, contact M&M CREATIONS with any problems with their products and you will receive advice, or a replacement.

I also had 2 mrs switches installed in my Godzilla. One of them was the most time closed. They told me it came from the subwoofer that is installed in the le and that I need MCF5 shield. I bought that for big money, but didn’t really help. I went back to the original switch. That said , it seems that not every switch from them works perfect.

Yes and yes. Before I installed the new sleeves I made sure they were exactly like the old ones. And I don't think they could even be installed backwards since the end of the sleeve sticks out of the bracket on the side of the linkage. The lip on the other end of the sleeve would prevent it from doing that, and the brackets would not fit correctly.

I also checked the new sleeves for any burrs or debris or whatever that would catch the plunger, they were perfectly smooth.

I figured it was something like this too, but I couldn't feel any burrs on either. Doesn't mean there aren't any I suppose, I don't exactly have super delicate fingers.

I made sure everything could move smoothly before tightening the stop down. My only guess at this point is that the washer was somehow causing the coil to get out of parallel with the travel of the plunger just barely enough for it to stick at the very end of the stroke.

With the washer installed, this is what the left coil looked like:

left flipper coil

And the right:

right flipper coil

The gap at the bottom on the right flipper is much more consistent than the one on the left. The left coil is touching the bracket on one side.

Start my son at 2 years. He is 27 and has been kicking my ass for almost 20 years. Be careful what you ask for.

Right on, I just took my kid to his first tournament, and he started when he was 2 also, and it took a playoff for me just to catch him! I have built him to destroy you..lol! Amazing to share with family!

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Update on my adjusting the hanging gate and the spinner as I described, after tweaking to make these more easily triggered, play has been perfect! No missed imposters or skill shots. Feels so much better.

Update on my adjusting the hanging gate and the spinner as I described, after tweaking to make these more easily triggered, play has been perfect! No missed imposters or skill shots. Feels so much better.</blockquote

A while back, I tried out adjusting the spinner switch as you show. I found that since the metal part of the switch was pushing up against the spinner wire, it slowed down the spinner and I wasn't getting as many revolutions per hit. Have you noticed that?

I haven't noticed that (yet), but I also added lube to both spinner rod ends AND the top of the flat metal switch lever. Eberron went from being extremely hard to complete to being very doable, for me. I would imagine there's a happy medium here, too; I think many spinners have an air gap there; I imagine many could stand to tighten the gap without pressing too much on the metal part, and improve sensitivity while not having excess friction.
I'd also suggest that the way you bend the metal part of switch may also determine how much upward pressure is being applied*. I initially thought to simply widen the angle of the metal part of switch (red line in picture), but then thought that an angle in the middle (green line) might allow for more sensitivity when triggered, while not pushing so strongly upward.

*Disclaimer: I have no idea if this logic makes physics sense at all!
example (resized).png

Exactly Gordon - we've found that no two pins are alike (for God knows what reasons) and sometimes owners do strange things during install, and sometimes a switch can be bad.. the list goes on....mods can be a problem, you just never know - so that's why we have our names, email and personal phone numbers in the public domain - and I think all will attest - that I am always available - I've held many calls in to the wee hours of the night, we also support the legacy MRS' for the 90's so folks don't have to buy new ones...in the end - we resolve 100% of issues, problems, concerns - but it's a 2-way street - can't help if you don't call - if we don't troubleshoot....if I can't get information....all someone has to do is pick up the phone....and shockingly that is not an easy thing for folks...but I'm here!

Matt

I just have to say this game is fantastic. When it was first announced, I thought it was too much of a departure from the original 1954 movie that I watched many times as a kid. But I got to see & play one for the first time at a recent pinball expo and I was absolutely thrilled with it. So much so, that I bought one.

And here are a couple of obligatory pics of a couple of mods I put in already....

Ghidora (resized).jpg

Godzilla (resized).jpg

Where did you get the train from for your Godzilla? Looks great.

I’ve had my premium for 2 days and already have 150 plays lmao So happy I upgraded over a pro the bride and building are too too cool …

Wow this game is actually kinda hard for me at first I’m liking the difficulty….

Any tips on hitting that scoop? Is it possible to regularly backhand that with the right flipper or is it mostly a left flipper shot

I haven’t defeated a single monster yet !!!

I cannot stop playing for the life of me that one more game pull is ridiculous

you can backhand (backflip) it from a rolling ball, but it needs some practice.
Repeat the forehand alot, so you get the timing right. Its on the tip of the flipper which makes the shot quite hard, since the ball accelerates as it rolls down the flipper. Watch my youtube tutorial on aiming, it might help.

Omg dude I just found you on YouTube!!! Thank you so much for all this it’s great !

.. always looking to learn !

Ok I’m glad you said the scoop is a hard shot cause I was literally spending practice games just scooping over and over

Well it’s great that your flipper is working better but it’s probably not fixed for the long term, something isn’t right in that system with the description you gave.

Have had a new Godzilla for a month and my bridge has never collapsed, even though it registers completely destroyed. The plastic bridge pieces are a little chewed up and one of the screws was never completely tightened. Loosened screws and slid pieces away, but bridge still does not collapse. Maybe it's a solenoid or switch?

Curiosity here: Is that washer that you removed magnetized? It happens, rare but it happens

Didn't know this but you can stack Saucer Attack Multi-ball with a running Kaiju Battle.

How are people doing with the 1.03 software update. I saw a bunch of messages a few days ago about reboots, etc. Still on 1.01 and thinking of waiting if there are issues.

Thanks

The Doc

1.03 is stable
Only 1.02 had the reboots and freezes.

Anyone have a Gz Pro for sale in NY/NJ area? Send me a PM.

little stolen artwork for my custom apron card...

IMG_4705 3.JPG

Newest mod. Whenever it's on-screen my kids go bonkers. So I figured I'd add it without telling them.

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Hah. I don’t like most playfield doo-dads, but that’s pretty good. All the better it’s kind of hidden like the Easter egg itself.

Yep, i love the hidden goat idea!

Nice! Which goat is that, the ModFather one? I need to order one of those for my JP LE

RoadQueen. It's a quality job, I must say.

For me, the scoop is nothing compared to the left spinner and Maser cannon...aiiiiiiieeeeeeee!!

May I ask if anything happens when you do a coil test on that coil?

Ha! I made the goats for JP originally, didn’t occur to me to place them in GZ but it looks great too. I make these in small badges upon request for anyone interested. Here’s a link to the thread I started a while back.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jurassic-park-goat-mod

Wow the stock stern balls are looking terrible at only 200 plays I plan to replace them immediately does anyone know if the game holds 5 or 6 balls? I won’t be near it until late tmmrw if anyone can help would appreciate it ;

Trying to order new balls online now

6 balls

Godzilla eats balls out of the box. I went through 3 sets in the first few hundred plays. I then realized what was causing it. All of the ball guides in the upper shots. I loosened then from under the playfield and then tucked them in tight and retightened. Not only were there less rejects from the left ramp and center spinner everything just flowed better and no more eaten balls! I have had the fourth set of balls in the game for many hundreds of plays. Now they are wearing "normally".

I feel like I don't have a good sense for when to replace balls. I'm pretty sure I've done several 100s of plays on the current set..

If they get all scratched up, pitted or dull, replace. I replace probably every 500-1000 plays.