Shameless plug for Early bird pricing on my newest STNG target set. Entering production within 10 days. Pricing will remain at $20 until July 31st. Afterwards it goes up to $25. Kindly bump the dev thread if you end up purchasing a set.

THREAD:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/star-trek-next-generation-decal-set-in-development

STORE:
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1054-flashinstinct/09038-star-trek-next-generation-decal-set

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they are and I've purchased a couple for my roadshow machine, but the boards don't really fail(generally speaking)...the pot fails. So I'd like to replace just that. If someone has a good replacement pot that fits the hole spacing...post it please...

Big shout out to you DA for the help. STTNG running like new with a new 8 power driver board and a temporary tieback until your adapter arrives from the USA.

Please don‘t spam the group. Post an ad in the marketplace instead.

I've found lots of NOS "Piher" brand pots on eBay (the originals used on the eddy boards I've had to repair). You'll need to find one that matches the value of the pot originally installed on your board. Here's an example part number: Piher PT10LV10-103A2020-S; the resistance value is the number following the dash (2 digits, power of ten multiplier - 10,000 in this example).

thanks for the info...

In the 90's, one major component distributor here sent a newsletter to all its customers, saying they will stop selling "Piher" trimmers due to continuing malfunction reports.

Some months after that, a surplus distributor advertised they have a large batch of very sought after "Piher" trimmers for sale...

This was in 1990's however.

What I remember of those Pihers, was that the screwdriver hole was not suitable for any known driver size, and the white plastic was so soft it melted under any tool. A toothpick was found to be the best adjusting tool for Pihers. Anyway, after adjustment, they hold their setting quite nicely.

These pots are still being manufactured.
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Amphenol-Piher/PT10LV10-103A2020?qs=PZ1ub9NEDaWrX8IHli%2FVDQ%3D%3D
$0.57 each 18K in stock.

My STTNG keeps loading balls into the shooter lane continuously. What fuse did I blow?
I plugged in the old dmd connector not realizing what it was (has pin2dmd now) and got a spark. Was working 100% before that!
Thanks !!!
Richard

No fuse. A switch. Go into test switches mode and check there.

PRECISION FLIPPERS - Review!
Things to consider BEFORE reading this review.
If you haven't restored your machine (don't read)
If mods or enhancements break your budget (don't read)
If you believe somehow leaving your machine "original" makes it better or more valuable, (don't read)
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IF you want your machine to be IT'S BEST, continue please...
When properly installed, this product WILL drastically enhance the operation of your machine....period!
The combination of steel flipper bat, "keyed shaft", highly engineered steel bushing with copper interior, new linkage AND accurately (and easily) adjusted flipper positioning produces OUTSTANDING POWER and PERFORMANCE!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: This is not a cheap upgrade, however a VITAL one, considering it is enhancing every game you play.
Summery: If you are counting pennies until you can replace your old coil sleeves, this isn't for you. However if you've upgraded to PinSound, Color DMD, and leds, this is a MUST DO for your machine.
You want whole system, not just the flipper bats.
(btw -replace your flipper sleeves while doing this )

https://precisionpinballproducts.com/

Do you have some installed pics please. Very interested. Thanks

I have some too. I agree they make a tremendous difference.

Precision Flippers:
Here is the best video discussing the Precision Flipper installation and operation. The video doesn't really explain that the entire flipper assembly (including base) should be removed completely. Because there should be (3) nuts on the backside of the bushing screws. In the video, you will hear them fall off when he attempts to remove the bushing.
These nuts are backups, to the tapped screws.

YouTube

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These are very pretty and likely manufactured to tight specifications.

Anyone that doesn't know how tight the bolt should be that secures the flipper in place may benefit from the flat edge to keep it from spinning. When folks ask me how tight this should be tighten I always tell them to "tighten it until you think the bolt will snap if you tighten it anymore ... then go another 1/4 turn." This flat edge will also dictate where your flipper will align in your game which may or may not be the ideal alignment for your machine.

When I read this my immediate though was "If you fully restored your machine, you already know you don't need these."

.

If you don't want to hear any more of my opinions (don't read)
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Okay then ...

The video starts with a GNR shot from the left ramp and into the lock without even needing the upper flipper and is touted as amazing power ... the problem is that this is exactly how the GNR played right out of the box when I first set one up on location.

Anyone that doesn't know how tight the bolt should be that secures the flipper in place may benefit from the flat edge to keep it from spinning. When folks ask me how tight this should be tighten I always tell them to tighten until you think the bolt will snap if you tighten it anymore ... then go another 1/4 turn. You do this you dont have to worry about flipper moving because its too loose.

The video continued to talk about "MORE POWER" and I just stopped watching. Well of course you will have more power, you will be rebuilding your entire flipper assembly so you should have more power, likely the same power you would have if you pulled the entire assembly and replaced just the coil stops, sleeves, bushing and plunger assembly with a normal rebuild kit. This is why I mentioned above that if you restored your machine (not shopped) you already know you don't need this.

So what don't I like ... metal on metal contact, yes its a copper sleeve in the bushing, yes its a soft metal, yes ALL metal on metal contact should be lubricated to reduce wear and friction. I personally don't want fine metal particles in the bottom of my cabinet.

None of the parts that actually break are replaced with the slight possibility of the flipper bat itself, although I've never actually seen one break, I likely have not seen one with 500K+ flips on it either.

Just my thoughts on the item.

Quite a few owners have noted significant improvement in shot power. I think it might go beyond what a rebuild would offer. Perhaps the structure of the metal bushing, or the material plays some factor in this... Or more likely perhaps a combination of that and just a better flipper adjustment since it is easier to mount the shaft to the correct depth, and then be able to dial in the flipper angle top side.. Who knows. Would like to see how they hold up over time..(I'm with you on being a bit leery about the bushing) One of these days I might order some or hopefully try them out somewhere.

The biggest contribution to the added power is the flipper bat. It has no flex unlike the plastic ones. There’s some slow-mo shots of plastic flipper flex and it’s significant enough to make a difference when you switch to aluminium. That’s with or without the all metal bushing. I’ve tried both.

I believe the no-flex also helps with precision. I hit my delta ramp on STTNG way easier and consistently with the aluminium flippers.

Hey guys!

Anyone have experience with a mirrored backglass from CPR for this pin?

Thanks!
Richard

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Be aware - it says "new 2021 Digital Version" which I read to mean the "mirror" isn't true mirror - but silver paint.
Be very wary.

I would really try to have a look at one in person first. I know there were problems with the colors being over saturated at one point but that was some time ago. A decent translite looks nicer than a bad backless.

Would it be amazing if you tried them Mike? They are smooth, accurate, stronger, and are elegant in there design.
My flippers DIDN'T need rebuilt, so the comparison was new flippers, coils, sleeves and switches COMPARED to replacing the specific items with Precision Flipper parts. Drastic improvement on something which was already working well. Just my thoughts...

Did you keep the stock coils ? I ask because it seems the Sterns need the coil power reduced, as I have read about.

Actually no, I kept the coils the same. However it may not be a bad suggestion if you have those coils around. I would try the current ones you have installed first. Certainly keep the stronger coil in place for the upper right flipper.

I picked up a CPR backglass about a week ago. I love it! Huge improvement over the translight. The colors are more vibrant. Mirroring looks great, looks like a real mirror to me. I highly recommend it.

Know anyone that can get me one ?

Interesting, wouldn't this make it more difficult to perform a live catch on the ball and not have it bounce away?

If you don't know what this is please take a look at this video:

Isn't there a dedicated thread for the Precision Flipper system? I greatly appreciate the contributions from everyone here but I'm not sure we need to re-hash what's been going on over there.

Can anyone share a photo of their delta ramp switch? It looks like mine flexes a bit too much to always register the ball making the ramp. The screws look like regular (pointy) wood screws. Should these be machine screws with nuts on the other end or something else to minimize flex?

Looks like machine screws with a plate

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Thanks for sending. How about this screw?

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That screw is correct. All the screws in the STNG ramps are those machine screws to hold down plastics or switches. They didn't use any bolts/nuts. But you certainly could change to those if you wish.

Interesting...

Any suggestions on making that switch a little more reliable? The flex between the metal switch housing and the ramp means it doesn't always trigger...

Defective / worn switch?
Have you replaced it with a new one?
I've had to replace 6 or so microswitch from this era on my RFM.

If you want part numbers…

01-8240
4002-01105-08 or 4002-01105-07
01-8600

Glad to be a new member of the club. I noticed last night that in one of the modes my left cannon was lit up but the balls weren't feeding into the cannon. Is there an opto or diverter I should be looking into?

I have also noticed that I cant select left in the video mode or scroll to the left when inputting initials for high scores.

Any ideas welcome, thanks!

Yes, there is a diverter and a ton of optos! Start with the switch level test with all the balls out of the game and make sure none are in the incorrect state.

Your left upper flipper opto isn't working. Could be a bad opto, could be a bad diverter or a loose wire, etc. If it's not obvious you can try swapping the flipper opto boards.

Yep replaced the switch since the old one was broken, but there is a bit of flex between the plastic ramp and the metal switch housing that spans the ramp, so the ball doesnt always push hard enough on the little metal bar to trigger the microswitch button. Switch triggers fine manually in switch test.

Does anyone know if a harness buildup guide exists, or a hook up chart? I'll be the first to admit I've been spoiled by aviation manuals, it would be nice if something existed that tells me "Connector Jxxx-x to Connector Jxxx-x), you get me idea.

The closest you'll get is the information in section 3 of the manual; most of the PC board diagrams have annotations for each pin of each connector showing the wire color code and destination.

The back of the manual will have a board by board, connection by connection pinout and color code of every single wire. This is a must have book

Are you building harnesses? Most of us go from the schematic, and make a color-coded label representing each connector, then lay those out on the playfield and build up the harness around them. I think we all learned this from Wally. Just watch out for errors in the manuals.

My dmd died last night. Some poking around and I found the obvious, missing high voltages.

I pulled the board and can see some shitty previous work, grrrrr. I tried to clean it up but I think this board is beyond salvageable.

I’m not about to pay for a colordmd. Guess I’ll try and find a reasonably priced replacement board. Any suggestions? I’d love to find an original board, but guess most aren’t much better than mine….

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I’ve fixed worse. Now that the parts are off start by washing the board. Get all the old flux and dirt off so you can see what you have to work with.

The old flux won’t come off. I’ve scrubbed it with alcohol over, and over, and over.

I’ll try to save the board, but for sure there are some missing traces.

This frickin game… moved it across the room and now it’s spitting out extra balls. So touchy.

There are different types of fluxes. Try using the AWESOME cleaner in the spray bottles from dollar tree with an old toothbrush. It is sort of a yellow liquid. Works better than alcohol on some boards.

Missing traces happens. I use solid telephone wire to bend up and make new traces. Sometimes have to replace pads as well.

take a closer look, that burnt board in a couple spots, not flux. Robot is right though, that totally doable. only see a couple thru holes that are sketchy. keep the new parts off the board a bit and solder on both sides if you need to.

totally worth the colordmd though.

I cleaned the board up a bit more with a magic eraser last night. A lot of the damage appears to be from the flux. It stripped the green right off the board around the through holes.

I do think I can fix it. One trace is missing, maybe more. But the pics on pinwiki show a decent layout of the board traces, so I’ll tone things out to make sure it’s good after repopulating it.

Board work is frustrating and fun all at the same time.

Got most of the board re-stuffed. Then I noticed that the 4.7k 5W resistor in my kit is a 1/4W resistor. Grrrr, thanks Marco. The kit is at least 5 years old, so no real recourse. I ordered a 5W, so hopefully it’ll come this week and I can finish up the board.

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Thought I would share again, a cool Cannon Mod created by Mick's Pinball,

check it out: