(Topic ID: 257038)

Stern Stranger Things

By pinmister

4 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 7,154 posts
  • 647 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by Collin
  • Topic is favorited by 76 Pinsiders

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Topic poll

“Are you interested in a Stern Stranger Things pinball machine?”

  • Yes, I am interested if it plays well and has polished code 492 votes
    40%
  • No, I am not interested 439 votes
    36%
  • Maybe, not a huge fan of the franchise but maybe if it plays well 100 votes
    8%
  • I like pizza 202 votes
    16%

(1233 votes)

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Topic index (key posts)

13 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items. (Show topic index)

There are 7,154 posts in this topic. You are on page 106 of 144.
#5251 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that it's a known thing. A badge of honor.

No worries I know what you meant . Anyone who loves dogs is ok in my books . Gday Who -Dey .

#5252 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

No. I’m not a dick. I am new to this forum so I may not know too many people in here. I was just chiming one because I do own the game, have had it for almost a week now and I just misunderstood your post. I’m new to the hobby as well.

Well welcome to the forum and the hobby Trindawg. I just noticed that you’re from Lorain Ohio and if im not mistaken thats near Cleveland right? I will probably be Who Dey’ing you alot if your a Browns fan! Stranger Things isngoing to be a great game, just needs some tweaking but it will get it with through code updates soon. Is this your very first game or do you own other games as well?

Also dont listen to screaminr, that guy started shit with me like crazy after he came on this forum.

#5253 4 years ago
Quoted from screaminr:

No worries I know what you meant . Anyone who loves dogs is ok in my books . Gday Who -Dey .

I love all animals except snakes and a few others like that and i just try like hell to avoid them. Ive done things for animals though that i wouldn't even tell on here because people would laugh at me and think I'm crazy. Ive got a BIG BIG heart when it comes to animals. If i could help them all i would. The forest fires in your country right now breaks my heart because of all the animals that have died in them. That is super sad.

#5254 4 years ago
Quoted from Who-Dey:

Also dont listen to screaminr, that guy started shit with me like crazy after he came on this forum.

I think you're getting me mixed up with someone else , the only time we had a blue was a few years ago, and you're right it's terrible what's happened to all the animals over here but everyone's doing everything they can to help them

#5255 4 years ago
Quoted from screaminr:

I think you're getting me mixed up with someone else , the only time we had a blue was a few years ago, and you're right it's terrible what's happened to all the animals over here but everyone's doing everything they can to help them

What's a "blue" slang for?

#5256 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

What's a "blue" slang for?

Having an argument .

#5257 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

What's a "blue" slang for?

We need a good auto translator for all of you none Aussie guys to have half a chance of working out what we are saying.

#5258 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

I'm going to be honest with you, but I read many of your posts and saw you were new to the hobby. I saw your excitement about buying a NIB game. I told myself this guy is gonna be pissed when he needs to lift the playfield and fix things. I just felt it but didn't want to post it.
Dude please don't get disparaged about this. I've been there. Unfortunately this is a normal thing with NIB pinball machines. Even my Jersey Jack machines I've bought.
There's a silver lining in this I promise.
You'll get very aquainted with working and repairing your own machines. Tinkering with shit. Trust me it's part of the hobby! I literally tell everyone who comes to my house and plays pinball and wants to buy one after that they better be ok with fixing things from time to time. Lifting the playfield at times and taking the glass off and making adjustments.
It's literally part of this. It's actually one of the reasons I enjoy pinball. There's a ton of moving parts. It's amazing just how reliable all this shit is really. Sure there's problems. But man please use this as a positive experience to learn how to work on them.
One thing I've found is Stern has ALWAYS pulled through and delivered me the parts needed to fix my machine. Once I've fixed things they truly are very reliable considering all the crap that makes these things work. I promise you, you'll get it fixed and you will enjoy the machine for months or years to come and you'll have gained knowledge of how to work on them and gain the confidence to work on them when needed.
Playing and tinkering and fixing is all part of this hobby. Enjoy it brother !

Yeah, just know that a pinball machine is only "temporary not broken"/

#5259 4 years ago
Quoted from screaminr:

Having an argument .

Never heard of such a thing. That's interesting though.

#5260 4 years ago
Quoted from chuckwurt:

Please help us then. How do you fix a demo shot that misses high every single time? So far we’ve tried:
6,6.5,7.0,7.1-7.5 pitches
Flipper power everywhere from 170-255.
Nothing as helped.
Was hoping we wouldn’t have to take the mech apart to adjust but it seems like we may have to. Looks like that will be a royal pain too. Just looking to avoid that so we’re gonna have to wait possibly and hope someone finds an easier solution.

"IT'S 3 INCHES!"

SmartSelect_20200120-103213_Chrome (resized).jpgSmartSelect_20200120-103213_Chrome (resized).jpg
#5261 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

I'm going to be honest with you, but I read many of your posts and saw you were new to the hobby. I saw your excitement about buying a NIB game. I told myself this guy is gonna be pissed when he needs to lift the playfield and fix things. I just felt it but didn't want to post it.
Dude please don't get disparaged about this. I've been there. Unfortunately this is a normal thing with NIB pinball machines. Even my Jersey Jack machines I've bought.
There's a silver lining in this I promise.
You'll get very aquainted with working and repairing your own machines. Tinkering with shit. Trust me it's part of the hobby! I literally tell everyone who comes to my house and plays pinball and wants to buy one after that they better be ok with fixing things from time to time. Lifting the playfield at times and taking the glass off and making adjustments.
It's literally part of this. It's actually one of the reasons I enjoy pinball. There's a ton of moving parts. It's amazing just how reliable all this shit is really. Sure there's problems. But man please use this as a positive experience to learn how to work on them.
One thing I've found is Stern has ALWAYS pulled through and delivered me the parts needed to fix my machine. Once I've fixed things they truly are very reliable considering all the crap that makes these things work. I promise you, you'll get it fixed and you will enjoy the machine for months or years to come and you'll have gained knowledge of how to work on them and gain the confidence to work on them when needed.
Playing and tinkering and fixing is all part of this hobby. Enjoy it brother !

This is actually one of my favorite parts of this... I love learning how to fix stuff and yeah I almost always have a machine I need to tweak something on but I see it as part of the hobby and a part that if you don't enjoy, this isn't for you... I've learned so much already, although I must admit I already knew how to solder so that's come in handy quite a bit.

Jeff

#5262 4 years ago
Quoted from fridgejam:

I'm just about to put a pro out on location and want to make sure I set it up properly to keep players happy. I've tried to scan this thread for tips on this but with 105 pages(so far) it's a little overwhelming.
Can anybody who's set up a pro either at home or on location summarize the key things I should look out for when setting this game up to ensure an optimum playing experience.

Just put the legs on and plug it in.

Mine has worked perfect since I got it. No special adjustments needed. Demo shot is very makeable from both flippers.

#5263 4 years ago
Quoted from dsmoke1986:

Just put the legs on and plug it in.
Mine has worked perfect since I got it. No special adjustments needed. Demo shot is very makeable from both flippers.

Curious if you leveled this based on the bubble? 6.5ish?

#5264 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

I'm going to be honest with you, but I read many of your posts and saw you were new to the hobby. I saw your excitement about buying a NIB game. I told myself this guy is gonna be pissed when he needs to lift the playfield and fix things. I just felt it but didn't want to post it.
Dude please don't get disparaged about this. I've been there. Unfortunately this is a normal thing with NIB pinball machines. Even my Jersey Jack machines I've bought.
There's a silver lining in this I promise.
You'll get very aquainted with working and repairing your own machines. Tinkering with shit. Trust me it's part of the hobby! I literally tell everyone who comes to my house and plays pinball and wants to buy one after that they better be ok with fixing things from time to time. Lifting the playfield at times and taking the glass off and making adjustments.
It's literally part of this. It's actually one of the reasons I enjoy pinball. There's a ton of moving parts. It's amazing just how reliable all this shit is really. Sure there's problems. But man please use this as a positive experience to learn how to work on them.
One thing I've found is Stern has ALWAYS pulled through and delivered me the parts needed to fix my machine. Once I've fixed things they truly are very reliable considering all the crap that makes these things work. I promise you, you'll get it fixed and you will enjoy the machine for months or years to come and you'll have gained knowledge of how to work on them and gain the confidence to work on them when needed.
Playing and tinkering and fixing is all part of this hobby. Enjoy it brother !

I wouldn’t agree with u. Yes I’m new to the hobby. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like tinkering with stuff. I have a SP machine that I’ve been doing stuff to here and there. So that’s kind of gotten me used to lifting playfield and doing stuff under the hood. No problem there. What I was upset about and surprised about was the fact that my particular machine was pretty much broke out of the box. That’s what I was pissed at. Now, hearing other people’s stories about their NIB machines being DOA, kind of opened my eyes on how the market is on these machines. It sounds like it’s just hit and miss. But. Whatever. I’m over that now. I’m having good customer service out of stern right now and they’re helping me out as much as they can.

#5265 4 years ago

You have a good attitude Trindawg. Everything will work out with your game eventually.

#5266 4 years ago

Tinkering was fine on a sub $1k used/routed game. It is a bit different with a NiB $6k+ game. Dialing in isn't the same thing as 'broken after a few plays'. I think some of you have been in the hobby too long.

29
#5267 4 years ago

<begin soapbox rant>
I can't believe that some people here think that any company shipping any product that is DOA straight out of the box is acceptable. yes, I get that we as owners should know how to fix basic things (when they go wrong) to avoid costly repairs. however, that doesn't mean that we should have to play the role of technician straight out of the box.

if your brand new microwave, tv or videogame system were DOA straight out of the box, would you feel the need to break it open and start troubleshooting it on your own? I don't think so.

<insert cargument>
even if your $9,000+ base model car that you just drove off the lot died within 6 months, I'm guessing that you'd be right back at the dealer pitching a fit over the fact that there's no way that this should happen.

the fact that it has become acceptable to say "because it's pinball" has become synonymous with "you will need to adjust and fix things in order to enjoy your NEW purchase" is truly crazy. it's this type of mentality that has allowed [some] of the manufacturers to continue to get away with shipping games that "are a box of lights" at launch, take upwards of a year or more to get to v1.00 code (though still not complete) or remove a major feature via a code update rather than correct the physical issue just to name a few things that have occurred over the past 2 years.

and yet we (as a group) still continue to throw money at these companies for fear of missing out

#5268 4 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

<begin soapbox rant>
I can't believe that some people here think that any company shipping any product that is DOA straight out of the box is acceptable. yes, I get that we as owners should know how to fix basic things (when they go wrong) to avoid costly repairs. however, that doesn't mean that we should have to play the role of technician straight out of the box.
if your brand new microwave, tv or videogame system were DOA straight out of the box, would you feel the need to break it open and start troubleshooting it on your own? I don't think so.
<insert cargument>
even if your $9,000+ base model car that you just drove off the lot died within 6 months, I'm guessing that you'd be right back at the dealer pitching a fit over the fact that there's no way that this should happen.
the fact that it has become acceptable to say "because it's pinball" has become synonymous with "you will need to adjust and fix things in order to enjoy your NEW purchase" is truly crazy. it's this type of mentality that has allowed [some] of the manufacturers to continue to get away with shipping games that "are a box of lights" at launch, take upwards of a year or more to get to v1.00 code (though still not complete) or remove a major feature via a code update rather than correct the physical issue just to name a few things that have occurred over the past 2 years.
and yet we (as a group) still continue to throw money at these companies for fear of missing out

Wondering how long until lemon laws apply to pins.

#5269 4 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

<begin soapbox rant>
I can't believe that some people here think that any company shipping any product that is DOA straight out of the box is acceptable. yes, I get that we as owners should know how to fix basic things (when they go wrong) to avoid costly repairs. however, that doesn't mean that we should have to play the role of technician straight out of the box.
if your brand new microwave, tv or videogame system were DOA straight out of the box, would you feel the need to break it open and start troubleshooting it on your own? I don't think so.
<insert cargument>
even if your $9,000+ base model car that you just drove off the lot died within 6 months, I'm guessing that you'd be right back at the dealer pitching a fit over the fact that there's no way that this should happen.
the fact that it has become acceptable to say "because it's pinball" has become synonymous with "you will need to adjust and fix things in order to enjoy your NEW purchase" is truly crazy. it's this type of mentality that has allowed [some] of the manufacturers to continue to get away with shipping games that "are a box of lights" at launch, take upwards of a year or more to get to v1.00 code (though still not complete) or remove a major feature via a code update rather than correct the physical issue just to name a few things that have occurred over the past 2 years.
and yet we (as a group) still continue to throw money at these companies for fear of missing out

Exactly. As I've mentioned before, there's a % of acceptable duds from a factory, and as long as they do their best to fix it, so be it. It is up to that consumer to decide if they ever purchase another. That's business. However, there is an odd attitude around here that you should just be fine with broken things because its pinball and it should be expected. I really do disagree with that sentiment. I wouldn't accept it for any other product I buy. I wonder if it is actually a throwback to routes. They broke frequently due to the nature of the use.

#5270 4 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

<begin soapbox rant>
I can't believe that some people here think that any company shipping any product that is DOA straight out of the box is acceptable. yes, I get that we as owners should know how to fix basic things (when they go wrong) to avoid costly repairs. however, that doesn't mean that we should have to play the role of technician straight out of the box.
if your brand new microwave, tv or videogame system were DOA straight out of the box, would you feel the need to break it open and start troubleshooting it on your own? I don't think so.
<insert cargument>
even if your $9,000+ base model car that you just drove off the lot died within 6 months, I'm guessing that you'd be right back at the dealer pitching a fit over the fact that there's no way that this should happen.
the fact that it has become acceptable to say "because it's pinball" has become synonymous with "you will need to adjust and fix things in order to enjoy your NEW purchase" is truly crazy. it's this type of mentality that has allowed [some] of the manufacturers to continue to get away with shipping games that "are a box of lights" at launch, take upwards of a year or more to get to v1.00 code (though still not complete) or remove a major feature via a code update rather than correct the physical issue just to name a few things that have occurred over the past 2 years.
and yet we (as a group) still continue to throw money at these companies for fear of missing out

Agree 100 on this one. Here’s the thing though. As long as people keep buying them, nothing is going to change. As far as tighter quality goes, I’m saying. We would all have to stop buying new machines to send manufacturers the message that we’re no longer accepting what they give us

#5271 4 years ago

People need to stop keeping quiet when it comes to naming bad distributors not standing behind what they sell. The only way distributors will have cause to do better is if they know they will get bad press when they screw someone over. It doesn't matter if they are one of the sacred cows here on Pinside. You will be doing your hobby a better service by helping others make good decisions on who they should spend their money with.

#5272 4 years ago
Quoted from jandrea95:

Curious if you leveled this based on the bubble? 6.5ish?

Yup, that’s exactly where mine is. It was actually a little steeper at first, and Demo shot was easily hit. I put it at 6.5 with PinGuy app and the demo shot is perfectly makeable.

#5273 4 years ago

Would a buyer be able to force a return of a lemon pin using a credit card that stands by their customers with purchase protection?

If so, that would seem to be how to purchase NIB from Stern at this point.

#5274 4 years ago
Quoted from PoMC:

Would a buyer be able to force a return of a lemon pin using a credit card that stands by their customers with purchase protection?
If so, that would seem to be how to purchase NIB from Stern at this point.

From what I just read, there are limits on such protection policies of $250-$500 per item, so that wouldn't help.

-3
#5275 4 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

<begin soapbox rant>
I can't believe that some people here think that any company shipping any product that is DOA straight out of the box is acceptable. yes, I get that we as owners should know how to fix basic things (when they go wrong) to avoid costly repairs. however, that doesn't mean that we should have to play the role of technician straight out of the box.
if your brand new microwave, tv or videogame system were DOA straight out of the box, would you feel the need to break it open and start troubleshooting it on your own? I don't think so.
<insert cargument>
even if your $9,000+ base model car that you just drove off the lot died within 6 months, I'm guessing that you'd be right back at the dealer pitching a fit over the fact that there's no way that this should happen.
the fact that it has become acceptable to say "because it's pinball" has become synonymous with "you will need to adjust and fix things in order to enjoy your NEW purchase" is truly crazy. it's this type of mentality that has allowed [some] of the manufacturers to continue to get away with shipping games that "are a box of lights" at launch, take upwards of a year or more to get to v1.00 code (though still not complete) or remove a major feature via a code update rather than correct the physical issue just to name a few things that have occurred over the past 2 years.
and yet we (as a group) still continue to throw money at these companies for fear of missing out

Spend your $$$ the way you want to

Same old tired F ing arguments

You don’t grow sales like they do by being
Shit producers.

Can any of them do better and offer more? Sure, that’s life

People are to buy OR not buy. It’s YOUR $$$ to decide for yourself or not. Sadly, too many geniuses think they should tell you how best to spend or blow your $$$

Fact: Stern has 4 of the top 10 pins of all time according to Pinside. 3 in the last two years

Here is a clue for the bewildered. THAT is why people buy with THEIR $$$

Different priorities

#5276 4 years ago
Quoted from iceman44:

Fact: Stern has 4 of the top 10 pins of all time according to Pinside. 3 in the last two years

5 out of the top 10.
Also 21 of the top 44 (your post made me checkout of curiosity)
Almost 50%. Not bad Stern. Not bad.

16
#5277 4 years ago

The only people I've seen telling people what to spend their money on is the 2 or 3 people consistently calling everyone who says anything negative dummies and idiots because they aren't 'looking at the whole picture'.

#5278 4 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

<begin soapbox rant>
I can't believe that some people here think that any company shipping any product that is DOA straight out of the box is acceptable. yes, I get that we as owners should know how to fix basic things (when they go wrong) to avoid costly repairs. however, that doesn't mean that we should have to play the role of technician straight out of the box.
if your brand new microwave, tv or videogame system were DOA straight out of the box, would you feel the need to break it open and start troubleshooting it on your own? I don't think so.
<insert cargument>
even if your $9,000+ base model car that you just drove off the lot died within 6 months, I'm guessing that you'd be right back at the dealer pitching a fit over the fact that there's no way that this should happen.
the fact that it has become acceptable to say "because it's pinball" has become synonymous with "you will need to adjust and fix things in order to enjoy your NEW purchase" is truly crazy. it's this type of mentality that has allowed [some] of the manufacturers to continue to get away with shipping games that "are a box of lights" at launch, take upwards of a year or more to get to v1.00 code (though still not complete) or remove a major feature via a code update rather than correct the physical issue just to name a few things that have occurred over the past 2 years.
and yet we (as a group) still continue to throw money at these companies for fear of missing out

Makes sense except a pinball machine is not a car or a microwave. Pins are sold as commercial equipment through distributors. Distributors are supposed to take care of any issues and offer some support. If your Chevy breaks down, you don't take it to the factory in Detroit. Part of the expectation of buying a pin is that they need a lot of maintenance and tweaking. That will never change. Code is what it is. If you are not happy with the code of a game, don't buy it. If you are not happy with the features, qc, or anything of a game don't buy it. You can rant all you want but if you keep buying games you are agreeing with Stern's terms.

#5279 4 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

<begin soapbox rant>
I can't believe that some people here think that any company shipping any product that is DOA straight out of the box is acceptable. yes, I get that we as owners should know how to fix basic things (when they go wrong) to avoid costly repairs. however, that doesn't mean that we should have to play the role of technician straight out of the box.
if your brand new microwave, tv or videogame system were DOA straight out of the box, would you feel the need to break it open and start troubleshooting it on your own? I don't think so.
<insert cargument>
even if your $9,000+ base model car that you just drove off the lot died within 6 months, I'm guessing that you'd be right back at the dealer pitching a fit over the fact that there's no way that this should happen.
the fact that it has become acceptable to say "because it's pinball" has become synonymous with "you will need to adjust and fix things in order to enjoy your NEW purchase" is truly crazy. it's this type of mentality that has allowed [some] of the manufacturers to continue to get away with shipping games that "are a box of lights" at launch, take upwards of a year or more to get to v1.00 code (though still not complete) or remove a major feature via a code update rather than correct the physical issue just to name a few things that have occurred over the past 2 years.
and yet we (as a group) still continue to throw money at these companies for fear of missing out

I was about to say be careful of what you say around these parts but iceman got to you first.

-2
#5280 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

I wouldn’t agree with u. Yes I’m new to the hobby. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like tinkering with stuff. I have a SP machine that I’ve been doing stuff to here and there. So that’s kind of gotten me used to lifting playfield and doing stuff under the hood. No problem there. What I was upset about and surprised about was the fact that my particular machine was pretty much broke out of the box. That’s what I was pissed at. Now, hearing other people’s stories about their NIB machines being DOA, kind of opened my eyes on how the market is on these machines. It sounds like it’s just hit and miss. But. Whatever. I’m over that now. I’m having good customer service out of stern right now and they’re helping me out as much as they can.

*EDIT* before you decide to downvote my post, keep reading and you'll see this post eventually leads to helping Trindawg discover that in fact modifying his machine with a Pinball Life shaker actually caused his issue and after disconnecting it, resolved the problems with his game.

ORIGINAL POST:

Just out of curiosity, you mentioned everything was fine out of the box and was working great.

Then I remember you saying you were going to install some mods, one of them being a speaker light kit, correct? And then you said you were having some trouble with it. Assuming you don't have much experience working on pinball machines, what kind of problems did you come across?

Then, after that, a node board dies... Then your replacement node board dies.

I may be wrong but haven't node boards failed in the past from power related issues from mods?

I'm not pointing any fingers here, but the game worked out of the box so it likely passed all tests at Stern before shipping and here you are lifting the playfield tinkering and things break and are now upset at Stern.

I think there's more to this story..

Edit: looked on the other thread just to put all this together and whaddya know?

You happened to start getting all of these problems the same day you installed and said u had issues installing the lighting kit.. and no less then 6 posts later, you start complaining of problems including power issues.

Hmmm
Screenshot_20200120-180343_Chrome (resized).jpgScreenshot_20200120-180343_Chrome (resized).jpgScreenshot_20200120-180402_Chrome (resized).jpgScreenshot_20200120-180402_Chrome (resized).jpg

#5281 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

Just out of curiosity, you mentioned everything was fine out of the box and was working great.
Then I remember you saying you were going to install some mods, one of them being a speaker light kit, correct? And then you said you were having some trouble with it. Assuming you don't have much experience working on pinball machines, what kind of problems did you come across?
Then, after that, a node board dies... Then your replacement node board dies.
I may be wrong but haven't node boards failed in the past from power related issues from mods?
I'm not pointing any fingers here, but the game worked out of the box so it likely passed all tests at Stern before shipping and here you are lifting the playfield tinkering and things break and are now upset at Stern.
I think there's more to this story..
Edit: looked on the other thread just to put all this together and whaddya know?
You happened to start getting all of these problems the same day you installed and said u had issues installing the lighting kit.. and no less then 6 posts later, you start complaining of problems including power issues.
Hmmm
[quoted image][quoted image]

This is a new low for the Stern defense force, did you call Stern to try and tattle tale. You may have thought you were outing him but it’s just creepy and sad.

#5282 4 years ago

We need a popcorn emoji.

#5283 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

Just out of curiosity, you mentioned everything was fine out of the box and was working great.
Then I remember you saying you were going to install some mods, one of them being a speaker light kit, correct? And then you said you were having some trouble with it. Assuming you don't have much experience working on pinball machines, what kind of problems did you come across?
Then, after that, a node board dies... Then your replacement node board dies.
I may be wrong but haven't node boards failed in the past from power related issues from mods?
I'm not pointing any fingers here, but the game worked out of the box so it likely passed all tests at Stern before shipping and here you are lifting the playfield tinkering and things break and are now upset at Stern.
I think there's more to this story..
Edit: looked on the other thread just to put all this together and whaddya know?
You happened to start getting all of these problems the same day you installed and said u had issues installing the lighting kit.. and no less then 6 posts later, you start complaining of problems including power issues.
Hmmm
[quoted image][quoted image]

No node boards have failed due to my mod.

Not a good assumption to jump to and one that greatly upsets me. The light kit in question uses a separate 100 - 240V power supply that plugs into the games Bill Validator connection. It is not powered or connected to the games boards at all. You don't even lift the playfield to install it.

The"issue" he was having with the light kit had nothing to do with it's power or electronics. The shaker plugs into the games boards...if you want to throw blame at a mod throw it in that direction. Shaker motors have been know to blow node boards (though I don't think it was a cause either, but it would be a far more likely culprit than my light kit).

1000s of my light kits sold since 2012 (1000+ in SPIKE 2 games)....if they were causing issues, I'm sure something would have been reported by now.

Doug (SpeakerLightKits.com)

#5284 4 years ago
Quoted from Zablon:

Macho podcasts are all you need to know about this pin.

OHHHHHH YEAH!!!!

#5285 4 years ago
Quoted from DugFreez:

No node boards have failed due to my mod.
Not a good assumption to jump to and one that greatly upsets me. The light kit in question uses a separate 100 - 240V power supply that plugs into the games Bill Validator connection. It is not powered or connected to the games boards at all. You don't even lift the playfield to install it.
The"issue" he was having with the light kit had nothing to do with it's power or electronics. The shaker plugs into the games boards...if you want to throw blame at a mod throw it in that direction. Shaker motors have been know to blow node boards (though I don't think it was a cause either, but it would be a far more likely culprit than my light kit).
1000s of my light kits sold since 2012 (1000+ in SPIKE 2 games)....if they were causing issues, I'm sure something would have been reported by now.
Doug (SpeakerLightKits.com)

Hey Doug, never blamed your kit. I've bought quite a few from you and they've been great.

I was referring the the "operator error" that he had mentioned when installing them - that was my point- what is he referring to as "operator error"? We don't know what that is. Maybe it was from the shaker who knows?

All I was doing was pointing out the coincidence here, not necessarily defending Stern either.. my entire history for years has been calling out Stern lol.

Just let's think about it. New guy to pinball buys new machine. Guy says he plays it for hours no problem. Guy then installs shaker and light kit he said he had a problem installing, and then literally 6 posts down the thread he's having 48V power errors and issues with his game.

How about instead of jumping on the "it's Stern's fault" maybe we can help the guy out and see if what he did wrong that could be blowing the node boards.. one was replaced, and the replacement blows too. Coincidence? maybe.... Could be a short ? I'm not defending Stern here but let's put 2 and 2 together on this one.

#5286 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

Hey Doug, never blamed your kit. I've bought quite a few from you and they've been great.
I was referring the the "operator error" that he had mentioned when installing them - that was my point- what is he referring to as "operator error"? We don't know what that is. Maybe it was from the shaker who knows?
All I was doing was pointing out the coincidence here, not necessarily defending Stern either.. my entire history for years has been calling out Stern lol.
Just let's think about it. New guy to pinball buys new machine. Guy says he plays it for hours no problem. Guy then installs shaker and light kit he said he had a problem installing, and then literally 6 posts down the thread he's having 48V power errors and issues with his game.
How about jumping on the "it's Stern's fault" maybe we can help the guy out and see if what he did wrong that could be blowing the node boards.. one was replaced, and the replacement blows too. Could be a short ? I'm not defending Stern here but let's put 2 and 2 together on this one.

The issue I was having had to to with the speaker panel and nothing to do with electronics. I misunderstood a step in the directions and it caused the speaker panel to not to close correctly. I emailed Doug and he stepped me through everything I did wrong. It was more of a fit issue then anything else. If you had investigated a little bit more, you would have read that tech support deduced that a bad motor was killing the board , so that’s why the replacement board failed again. Because of the motor. So stern is sending me out a replacement motor AND board to see if this fixes the problem. I wondered myself if the speaker mod could have been the culprit; but I also deduced that it
Couldn’t have been because like Doug said, it’s isolated and draws power from the bill validator. So I never mentioned it. And as far as the “48 volt power error “ thing I mentioned. That message shows up on every boot of this machine. I asked another owner about it and he said his machine says the same thing when it boots up.

#5287 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

Couldn’t have been because like Doug said, it’s isolated and draws power from the bill validator. So I never mentioned it. And as far as the “48 volt power error “ thing I mentioned. That message shows up on every boot of this machine. I asked another owner about it and he said his machine says the same thing when it boots up.

That's not a normal Spike 2 error. Don't ignore it. Literally none of the Spike 2 machines we've had ever did that once.

#5288 4 years ago

It was a fair assessment though. And your right. Nothing started happening until I installed the shaker motor and then later, the speaker mod kit. Although like I said, I don’t think it’s the speaker kit. I’m totally comfortable tinkering with electronics. I used to build custom computers for a living. So that stuff doesn’t scare me. I bought my shaker motor from pinball life. However, I didn’t buy sterns shaker motor. I bought pinball life’s brand. So that may be an issue. I don’t know. I could disconnect it and see how my machine reacts. I didn’t tell you guys that the ramp has been working although not consistently. So. I don’t know what else to say. But please don’t peg me as and idiot that doesn’t know what I’m doing. You should have investigated a little further because you never mentioned the motor being a culprit.

#5289 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

The issue I was having had to to with the speaker panel and nothing to do with electronics. I misunderstood a step in the directions and it caused the speaker panel to not to close correctly. I emailed Doug and he stepped me through everything I did wrong. It was more of a fit issue then anything else. If you had investigated a little bit more, you would have read that tech support deduced that a bad motor was killing the board , so that’s why the replacement board failed again. Because of the motor. So stern is sending me out a replacement motor AND board to see if this fixes the problem. I wondered myself if the speaker mod could have been the culprit; but I also deduced that it
Couldn’t have been because like Doug said, it’s isolated and draws power from the bill validator. So I never mentioned it. And as far as the “48 volt power error “ thing I mentioned. That message shows up on every boot of this machine. I asked another owner about it and he said his machine says the same thing when it boots up.

Never heard of any machines saying they have a 48v power issue when booting it up, none of my machines have ever done that? Anyone else's machine having that problem??

Look I may be totally wrong, but sometimes tinkering with stuff can have unintended consequences. It's easy to jack things up because of all the little connectors and how sensitive they are power wise.

Are you using an after market shaker? If so what brand?

Either way I hope it gets fixed, but you shouldn't have a 48v error message. For all you know there is an underlying power problem that damaged the motor and that resulted in the damaged board. What did Stern say about that error?

#5290 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

That's not a normal Spike 2 error. Don't ignore it. Literally none of the Spike 2 machines we've had ever did that once.

Ok. That’s good to know. Thank you. But the machine has said that since day one out of the box even before I installed any mods. So I will call stern in the morning and get their take on it and report back to you and let you all know what they say about it.

#5291 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

That's not a normal Spike 2 error. Don't ignore it. Literally none of the Spike 2 machines we've had ever did that once.

Mine does every boot. Only lasts a moment, others with this game are seeing the same.

#5292 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

Never heard of any machines saying they have a 48v power issue when booting it up, none of my machines have ever done that? Anyone else's machine having that problem??
Look I may be totally wrong, but sometimes tinkering with stuff can have unintended consequences. It's easy to jack things up because of all the little connectors and how sensitive they are power wise.
Are you using an after market shaker? If so what brand?
Either way I hope it gets fixed, but you shouldn't have a 48v error message. For all you know there is an underlying power problem that damaged the motor and that resulted in the damaged board. What did Stern say about that error?

I never brought it up to stern because I asked that question here and someone else said their spike 2 system said the same thing and it didn’t mean anything ? My Machine said that since day one , out of the box. I’m going to call stern tomorrow morning and let the tech know what it’s saying. I’ll report back what he says.

#5293 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

It was a fair assessment though. And your right. Nothing started happening until I installed the shaker motor and then later, the speaker mod kit. Although like I said, I don’t think it’s the speaker kit. I’m totally comfortable tinkering with electronics. I used to build custom computers for a living. So that stuff doesn’t scare me. I bought my shaker motor from pinball life. However, I didn’t buy sterns shaker motor. I bought pinball life’s brand. So that may be an issue. I don’t know. I could disconnect it and see how my machine reacts. I didn’t tell you guys that the ramp has been working although not consistently. So. I don’t know what else to say. But please don’t peg me as and idiot that doesn’t know what I’m doing. You should have investigated a little further because you never mentioned the motor being a culprit.

Hey dude I may have came off wrong but I'm not trying to "out" you as someone said earlier. I'd rather try and help then call someone out.

Try disconnecting the shaker motor completely and see how your machine reacts and definitely talk to Stern about that 48v issue. That would suck to get a new motor and node board, just to see it get fried again because of another problem.

#5294 4 years ago
Quoted from jandrea95:

Mine does every boot. Only lasts a moment, others with this game are seeing the same.

The error is there for a reason. So, not normal, even the handful of people you know with one has it. I'd check the 48v output from the power supply and see if Stern got a batch of them with the 48v slightly low (which would draw the error when everything powers on at once at boot). If the 48v is dead on 48v or a hair below, you can bump it a half a volt with the pot.

#5295 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

The error is there for a reason. I'd check the 48v output from the power supply and see if Stern got a batch of them with the 48v slightly low (which would draw the error when everything powers on at once at boot).

I’ll for sure do that.

#5296 4 years ago
Quoted from jandrea95:

I’ll for sure do that.

Is Stranger Things pro using the 300w power supply with the giant fan on the front or the 500w power supply with the small fan facing up? There's hardly anything on the pro, so I would ASSUME it's the 300w one, but I haven't seen one IRL to know yet.

#5297 4 years ago
Quoted from jandrea95:

I’ll for sure do that.

Quoted from PinMonk:

The error is there for a reason. I'd check the 48v output from the power supply and see if Stern got a batch of them with the 48v slightly low (which would draw the error when everything powers on at once at boot).

Quoted from PinMonk:

The error is there for a reason. I'd check the 48v output from the power supply and see if Stern got a batch of them with the 48v slightly low (which would draw the error when everything powers on at once at boot).

And how would I go about checking that. Would I need a special voltmeter for that ?? Or is there something I can check in the menus ?

#5298 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

And how would I go about checking that. Would I need a special voltmeter for that ?? Or is there something I can check in the menus ?

Given your other issues with the machine, I would not recommend you check it. Let others with the 48v message issue and more experience check it out. You CAN make it worse if you don't know what you're doing.

#5299 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

Given your other issues with the machine, I would not recommend you check it. Let others with the problem and more experience check it out. You CAN make it worse if you don't know what you're doing.

But your saying I should definitely let stern know about this though ? Cuz like I said earlier, that message has been popping up since day one. With NO mods installed. Period.

#5300 4 years ago

Plus I don’t have the proper equipment to check voltages. I just don’t. But maybe the tech will just send out a new power supply to eliminate that one off the list as well. Idk. I’ll have to contact stern first thing in the morning. I always thought that error message didn’t look right from
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