Hi,

I finally got my T2 back up and running. The game plays fairly well now, but the one remaining mechanical issue is that the ball frequently plows right through the raised drop target. The drop target behaves fine mechanically. The switch registers fine, and it always pops up and locks into position when appropriate. However, when the ball hits the target it often drops before absorbing the momentum of the ball, so the ball just continues right past it into the VUK.

While this is only mildly annoying during normal gameplay (it just makes the game easier), it does cause a lot of problems with multiball. Getting > 1 ball into the skull lock forces you to drain the remaining ball and wait for the ball search to pop the ball into the gun, and then it gives you a free SJP shot which totally trivializes the game.

As such, I can't really ignore this issue. Does anyone have any suggestions to fix this? I have never had to deal with drop targets before since only one of my other games has them (and they have never malfunctioned).

Thanks.

It happens about 30% of the time the target was hit, so it's often enough that it's annoying.

I disassembled the entire unit, but it *seems* fine once out of the machine. the target takes a bit of force to dislodge from the catch, and there is nothing obviously broken or damaged. I'll try replacing the assembly anyway and see if the problem goes away.

I was also surprised to see that there is a mini coil on the assembly that can trigger the drop target to lower it. I have *never* seen this operate during normal gameplay. What is the point of this coil?

Hmm...

So, I just replaced the drop target assembly (replaced literally everything except the switch, coil, and mini knockdown coil). New bracket, new target, new plunger, coil sleeve, etc...

Well, now the problem is even worse! If I nail the target with a direct shot from the right flipper, it plows right through the target nearly 100% now. Indirect or weaker hits usually rebound off. If I roll the ball by hand with decent force, I can get it to go right past the drop target every single time.

Like I said, I wouldn't mind this so much (its almost a bonus for hitting it dead on) except that it basically ruins your multiball if you get a 2nd ball past the target.

I'm not really sure what to try. I adjusted the lower stop screw so the target is flush with the playfield when down (it used to be slightly lower, and could trap a slow rolling ball). I don't really see any other part of the mechanism that is adjustable. Like I said, I replaced all of the mechanical parts of the assembly and the few remaining original parts are things that really cant effect this particular behavior.

Has anyone ever tried putting some sort of material (very thin rubber or foam maybe) on the wood behind the drop target in the cutout? I'm trying to think of some way to delay the actual dropping of the target while the ball is in contact with it. Maybe some sort of surface to increase the friction as the target drops if its pressed backwards with significant force might help?