(Topic ID: 271489)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Club(Stern 2020): Cowabunga! It’s Pizza Time!

By Tuxedomask23

3 years ago


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  • 11,954 posts
  • 822 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 25 hours ago by Rampmaster
  • Topic is favorited by 334 Pinsiders

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Topic poll

“Which model are you going to purchase”

  • Pro 285 votes
    50%
  • Premium 166 votes
    29%
  • LE 119 votes
    21%

(570 votes)

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Topic index (key posts)

17 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items.

Display key post list sorted by: Post date | Keypost summary | User name

Post #1141 TMNT fresh out-of-the-box Issues and Fixes FAQ Posted by Stosel (3 years ago)

Post #1580 Lights rebooting on the back of the machine - FIX Posted by HookedonPinonics (3 years ago)

Post #2172 playfirlo colour differences Posted by Phatchit (3 years ago)

Post #2390 Left Outlane Fix Posted by NoQuarters (3 years ago)

Post #2457 DIY Krang Mod Instructions Posted by ABE_FLIPS (3 years ago)

Post #4037 Glider Servo DIY replacement Posted by PinHead50 (3 years ago)

Post #4120 Link to Amazon product page for replacement servo for glider Posted by PinHead50 (3 years ago)

Post #4327 Sloppy soldering at factory causing overvoltage error - fix Posted by Blackzarak (3 years ago)

Post #4374 Replacing bad glider servo with amazon better one Posted by arcadenerd925 (3 years ago)

Post #4698 Center Ramp non-registering opto fix Posted by spidey (3 years ago)


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#1102 3 years ago

I’m planning to buy a premium TMNT in the next six months or so. I need to do some home improvements before I have the space for it, though. On average, what are the production run lengths on these new Sterns? Does Stern give fair warning before they end production?

1 week later
#1437 3 years ago
Quoted from gawcol:

HELP! My lights are switched... Is this a software bug? Or did they switch my wires???
The bebop and left outline lights are switched with the michaelangelo pizza parlor lights... running code 1.1. It’s very annoying in gameplay.

It looks like those boards have different pinouts. Seems like the boards you circled got swapped.

3 weeks later
#2732 3 years ago
Quoted from acons017:

Got my premium today. Art is great. No flaws.
The spinning pizza is making a loud grinding noise. What oil do I need to but to fix this?

Stern recommended “3-in-1“ brand lubricant - or something similar to it.

3 weeks later
#3453 3 years ago

I’m on the waiting list for a TMNT premium. Where can I buy a TMNT Pro translite to replace the Premium one which I don’t like as much? I don’t see it in Stern’s online store.

1 week later
#3766 3 years ago
Quoted from arcadem:

When I bought my premium 2 weeks ago (8/12/20 build), at my request my distributor unboxed one first to inspect the play field; it was not good. He unboxed a second one and it was fine. Dodged a bullet there. A pre-purchase inspection would be a good idea.

Ugh, it definitely sounds like Stern's calculus is to send out all the bad playfields they (still!) have. Clearly, the cost of sending out new playfields to the those that complain is less than the cost of scrapping all the obviously bad playfields and reprinting new ones. They must have quite a few of these bad playfields if they are still shipping them through August.

This is purely profit motivated and they don't care about these quality issues affecting their brand/image, which is sad. I just paid for a Premium from Flipnout and if I do get a bad playfield, I will be one of the louder complainers so that it's replaced promptly. I can fix something mechanical but I can't fix a bad print job.

#3772 3 years ago
Quoted from remf:

They actually responded to mine and is sending a new playfield. Of course it’s unpopulated so who knows when I’ll get around to switching them out...

Can you share the gist of what you emailed them to get a new playfield in case anyone with a bad playfield (hopefully not me!) wants to know what gets results?

#3821 3 years ago
Quoted from Habermania:

Still Loving my Pro since the July 2nd delivery date. about 350-400 games. recently waxed and cleaned and began swapping out rubbers for titan pinball rings (GotD). Looks good and plays wicked fast.

What colors did you go with? Looks like you went with Glow in the Dark. I'm leaning towards clear for everything. Green for the flippers and slings.

#3929 3 years ago
Quoted from Jon9508:

So I made a rookie mistake last night. I was putting on new flipper rubbers and it slipped off. Causing me to break the Donatello plastics above the left sling. Should I contact stern and see if I can buy a new one or go through the distributor I got it from. (One of the worst experiences I had buying a new machine)

I am a rookie and will soon be replacing my flipper rubbers with Titans. Any tips for ensuring that I don't break anything?

#4027 3 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

Yeah, "analog" is an important part of that spec sheet to pay attention to. Other than the aforementioned "cheap" I have no idea why Stern didn't go with a digital servo.

As long as they both have the same power requirements, don’t they basically do the same thing? I would think they could be swapped digital for analog as long as the additional torque from the digital servo doesn’t cause the whole assembly to fly apart.

#4040 3 years ago
Quoted from PinHead50:

After looking at mine again and the diagram on sterns manual page it looks like there are no hard stops on the assembly, it just stops when the servo maxes out so leads me to believe just a bad servo

I think the bigger issue is if the machine is sending a pulse width that's near or beyond the furthest angle that the servo can achieve. 180 degree servos usually only have about 170 degrees or fewer of actual turning radius. Each servo is going to respond differently to the factory default 'center' pulse width, so I guess at the factory they're setting the center on a servo-by-servo, machine-by-machine basis? Can anyone confirm their 'center' setting matches anyone elses?

Just by looking at the range of motion, it looks like the glider is only turning through about 90 degrees from far left to far right - which shouldn't be an issue unless the servo is mounted in a way that the left or right extreme is near the outer range of the servo. When I've pushed servos to their limits, they tend to jitter quite a bit near their outer range.

For folks that see a jittery glider, does it only jitter when it's positioned to one side and not the other?

#4047 3 years ago
Quoted from StarWarsTurtles:

I have a Donatello Plastic that I will sell for $50. I also have the Raphael if anyone needs that as well. I went a different route with mods.
[quoted image]

I recommend saving these and storing them in the goodie bag inside your cabinet. Not having them may diminish your resale value far more than $50.

1 week later
#4189 3 years ago
Quoted from TheHoss:

I know we’ve been plagued with problems, but lord, let us not lose site of how beautiful and fun this game is. Zero buyers remorse.
[quoted image]

Which pinstadiums are you using here? Also what are you using for your flipper and sling rubbers? I went with Titans but I like the colors on yours better.

#4195 3 years ago
Quoted from TheHoss:

Pin stadiums are Neo Fusions, rubbers are Titan’s. Went green for flippers and post sleeves, glow in the dark for slings, yellow on April’s side, red on Lair side, and clear up towards the pops.

I really like having the yellow and red to match those areas. And I had not considered glow in the dark for the slings. I'm going to do the same. Thanks!!

#4271 3 years ago

I watched a Twitch streamer get very far in the final battle on a Pro in Competition Play (no extra balls?) and I think my ultimate takeaway from that was git gud.

In case anyone is interested, here's the stream starting from his ball two where he goes from two completed modes all the way to Final Battle after completing all episodes successfully:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/767598589?t=1h45m20s

Clearly he's a skilled player. That said, I think this proves that the game is fair. His final score was around 140 Million, which I've never seen before on this game. Not sure what code version, but even on old code, that score seems pretty high.

#4328 3 years ago
Quoted from Blackzarak:

I was getting a error message GI over-surge on board 9 here’s a pic of what was my issue Incase someone comes across the same problem I had to check every GI to shake out the problem. Not actual picture hope it helps.[quoted image]

Nice avatar! I used to work with the woman in this picture on a dumb tv show.

#4332 3 years ago
Quoted from Blackzarak:

Lol I love that show if it was G4 tv?? Yeah she’s not the best actress but I think she a cutie..

Yep! Attack of the Show. I was a producer on the show for many years. Tough job, lots of good memories. Met my wife there and now we have two G4 babies.

#4362 3 years ago
Quoted from Jakers:

My game is playable. I've been having a blast with it even though the glider is unplugged. So if I were to order that new servo, my only question is how do you know if the servo (the part that spins) is centered correctly before actually connecting it to the glider?

There are servo testing tools you can buy pretty cheaply to center a servo. They each function pretty similarly. You will have to input 5 volts DC to them (either with a bench power supply or you could rig up 3 or 4 AA batteries to power it).

https://www.amazon.com/s

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B8AKJDS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

For rigging up batteries in lieu of a proper bench power supply:
https://www.amazon.com/Ogrmar-Switch-Battery-Holder-Leads/dp/B075G8XZLM/ref=sr_1_2

How to center a servo:

#4410 3 years ago
Quoted from Jakers:

Does anyone have a download link for the previous PREMIUM game code? I want to go back to the version before 1.22 to see if my game still loads 4 balls into the turtle van. This problem is beyond annoying at this point. Almost every time playing my game, the turtle power multiball ends up loading 4 balls into the van. Then I have to wait for the ball search (on the 4th or 5th time) to release the van balls to continue play.

The older files are all there, you just have to change the linked URL on the Stern download page
https://f002.backblazeb2.com/file/gamecode/turtles_le-1_21_0.spk.zip

#4439 3 years ago

I just got word that the next batch of TMNT Premiums isn’t going into production until late November (was previously late October).

#4631 3 years ago
Quoted from Blackzarak:

Wow that topper was a big let down. Specially with the lighting effects. When I get home today I’m going to start on my own topper mod and hopefully spend less that $300 and would be better than this.

I'm doing the same. I have my TMNT on order (expecting it in December now) and it'll be a fun project to make a better topper than this. I have a small resin 3D printer, so I can do smaller parts that can be assembled.

I could use a Raspberry Pi for audio recognition for the character selection and the start of different modes (keying off of callouts) instead of trying to integrate with the system. Add in some Pi-controlled RGB LEDs and maybe even a servo if I really need an eyeball looking left and right -- I may even trace the Turtles artwork from the official topper in Illustrator for printing -- and I expect the BOM will be far less than $1000 -- probably closer to $100. I'll post any progress here.

#4687 3 years ago

I’m slowly putting together the components for a TMNT topper. Which of these sounds more appealing?
1. A mouser-centric topper that interacts with the mouser mode and otherwise has lights that match the current mode.
2. A large-ish turtle blimp with leds that correspond to the current mode
3. A communicator that matches the “team up” graphic with a working video screen.

I’m not sure how feasible any of this is until my machine arrives and I have a chance to analyze the data being sent to the topper.

#4714 3 years ago
Quoted from TaTa:

I never thought about doing that what a great option that we have now without having to permanently change the color to our armor. Like the guy before me how much does this cost?

Just a word of caution that, in my experience, peeling *old* vinyl off of metal - even glossy metal - is a HUGE pain in the ass. It does not come off in one go as you might expect. You will either be picking at it for hours/days in tiny fingernail-sized pieces or you will need a heat gun (and some earnest praying) to maybe soften it up to pull it off in slightly larger 1/4 inch pieces.

#4737 3 years ago

Y'all are freaking me out with this vinyl. If you leave it on there for more than 6 or 8 months, the vinyl loses its elasticity and peeling it off is nearly impossible. I just want to warn you that if you don't want that mod to be permanent, remove it after 6 months.

#4770 3 years ago
Quoted from Pinhead306:

Has anyone heard anything about when stern will be doing the next run of premiums?

Zach at Flip N Out told me late November. I placed an order for one in early September.

#4831 3 years ago
Quoted from TonLoc777:

Having a strange issue with the glider. It seems to be fidgeting back and forth when the game is in attract mode and while playing. Just lil quick movements back and forth...almost not even noticeable, but you can def hear and feel the lil servo trying to move even though nothing is triggering it. No alerts on the technician panel and the glider is perfectly centered on the test. Any other ideas what could be going on? It still works when using it in game, but appears to be locked out at certain times. I’m guessing this is rule related or should you be able to move the glider during modes like 123 foot or the weapon hurry up. Thanks for any advice

This is the result of Stern using a cheap, inferior servo in production. You can either seek a replacement through your distributor or search this thread for the recommended replacement. If you do choose to replace the servo yourself, you will need to reverse the servo’s direction.

Links to the replacement servo and installation notes are in this thread’s key topics.

#4925 3 years ago
Quoted from PinHead50:

Let’s put this thing In tonight. Same junk Chinese servo...
[quoted image]

It’s wild that they don’t just send you a new servo instead of the whole assembly.

#4931 3 years ago
Quoted from JackOfPots:

It's easier to install the whole assembly, so I'm glad that's what was sent to me

Ah, I didn't realize that there was less work in replacing the whole assembly.

#4979 3 years ago
Quoted from KLR2014:

Joined the club today

I see what you did 19'd there.

#4982 3 years ago
Quoted from acons017:

Posted this in another thread but didn’t get any replies.
Just got the topper. I noticed a weird glitch with it. Each turtle on the topper will light up as you toggle between them during Turtle Select. Mine has a weird bug when toggling to Leo in-game will light up Michelangelo on the topper, and toggling Michelangelo will light Leo. Both Raph and Don are appropriately lit during turtle select.
Anyone else encountering this issue? I’m running Code 1.21 which may be the problem, but wanted to run it by you guys first in case someone else is running into this. Hard letting go of 1.21 because Delt’s music mod is just too good.

Sounds like your topper was wired incorrectly. If I paid $1000+ for a piece of plastic with four LEDs that didn't function absolutely perfectly in every single way, I'd return it immediately and get a replacement.

#4999 3 years ago
Quoted from goofy1994:

Did a little PinGulp customizing today .
[quoted image]

Looks great! How did you make this? With a vinyl cutter?

#5034 3 years ago

I just got word that my Premium finally shipped if anyone is waiting on one here.

#5075 3 years ago
Quoted from durgee7:

Ok, just had my first freeze-up during gameplay on V1.23. I was in the middle of turtle multiball when the lcd froze and all went silent. Then, the machine rebooted and went back to normal. Please tell me I'm not the only one with this issue.

You definitely are not. I think I saw at least two recent posts in this thread with this exact same issue.

#5111 3 years ago

My TMNT Premium is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. As luck would have it, we're doing extensive landscaping work tomorrow which requires many strong men. I assume 5 or 6 large men, two or three on each side could lift the box pall-bearer style from the "truck this side" side and carry it up 6 stairs to my porch from the sidewalk? Anyone tried that technique yet? My fallback is to rent a Powermate stairclimbing dolly from Sunbelt rentals, but I'd prefer the 6 burly men approach since it's less work and cheaper for me. I'll probably give each of the guys a tenner for their help.

EDIT: Please tell me this is not an absolutely insane idea.

#5116 3 years ago
Quoted from arcadenerd925:

If it's just 6 stairs (not 6 flights, lol) any regular old dolly will do (or an appliance dolly with straps). it's not THAT heavy, two people on the bottom can help lift it up each step, top person can guide. I have another friend who has a few stairs up his porch, he just unboxes on the drive way and the two of us just carry it up the steps assembled with the head down.
Good luck and go slow!

Thanks. I’ve been dreading the logistics of actually getting the thing into the front door.

#5132 3 years ago

I have to remove my back box head to get my TMNT through a small door. Does anyone know what size nut socket fits on the hinge nuts? I have a socket set but the biggest socket is still too small.

I ended up ordering an SAE socket set from 3/8 up to 1 1/4", so I'm guessing one of those will do the job. I wish I could just remove the backbox head from the hinge, but the power supply is covering one of the nuts.

EDIT: Seems I can just use a wrench to get the one under the power supply when the head is folded down.

EDIT 2: Hmmm... that is a really tight spot under the head. I'm worried about the ease of reattaching the head. I think taking the hinges off will be easier even though it's counter-intuitive. Anyone done this?

EDIT 3: answering my own question here: The metal cover over the power supply area inside the backbox is easily removed, granting access to the nuts inside the backbox, so I'm going to keep the hinges on the machine and instead remove the four nuts from the inside bottom of the backbox to remove the head.

I have a house full of tools and yet very few open faced wrenches, so I can't play my new TMNT until at least Friday when my new open-faced wrench set arrives in the mail.

2 weeks later
#5338 3 years ago

I’m a new premium owner and I see in the back box there’s a black wire which is part of several wires routed together into the main board. It’s near the top. My concern is that it looks like a lot of tension is pulling this black wire vertically up. It looks like it’s intentional for strain relief from hanging the weight of the cable pulling on the connection to the main board. Can anyone confirm that this is normal or should there be some slack in it?

#5377 3 years ago
Quoted from Yobits:

I did change the knocker to low but it did not seem to make a difference,
I since changed free play to none
And match to 0%
And not heard it since
As for print, my order not shipping til October (dep paid in June)
It did cross my mind whether stern tried palming off the playfield to Asian Market, it does seem to have quite a few tiny dimples too in center like its seen some play beforehand.
At best it will be an 8 month wait for replacement. (same as new orders)

I can at least speak to the few dimples. Stern tests all the games in-house before they ship them, so the dimples are from the play testing at Stern. My NIB premium also arrived with quite a few dimples in the playfield.

#5425 3 years ago
Quoted from blairan213:

Some homemade "mods". Everything is attached using factory screws, may add some to the top right corner but trying not to go too crazy!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

These are outstanding! Wish I had this kind of talent. I adore that little Shredder. Stern needs to hire you.

#5475 3 years ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

Can anyone tell me what build date I need to look for to guarantee a solid PRO Playfield? If I went Premium, would it guarantee a good Playfield?

Purely anecdotal but my Premium had a build date of November 2020 and the playfield print looks really nice. I expect it's a crapshoot, since there have been Premiums reported in this thread with bad playfield print jobs.

1 week later
#5582 3 years ago

I'm 3D printing a custom topper using a Turtle Zeppelin that I had someone create for me on Fiverr. I still haven't set up my TMNT that I received last month since the space it's going to live in is still unfinished. I'll post here as I get closer to setting up my TMNT and actually printing the topper.
IMG_4613 2 (resized).jpgIMG_4613 2 (resized).jpg

#5585 3 years ago
Quoted from Jkaping:

I actually thought the blimp would be an amazing topper. Would you be able to make more than 1?

I will definitely make more if there's interest! Edit: My ambitious goal is an interactive topper that uses sound pattern recognition to light up the zeppelin to match the current mode. I have a proof of concept in the works with a Raspberry Pi and Neopixel Ring. My topper is farther along than my actual pinball machine!

#5592 3 years ago
Quoted from Norcalpin:

Interested in this as well!

Last night, I printed the Turtle Blimp on my one and only 3D printer which is an Anycubic Photon, a small-volume SLA printer. The print is toxic and sticky (SLA resin is nasty stuff), so I have to wait for it to cure and dry before I touch it with bare hands and take any pictures, but it looks really good.

Unfortunately, I do not have a large-bed filament printer, so I'll need to purchase one before I can make any that would qualify as a topper size. The SLA build volume is just too small. At its current size, it would make a nice Christmas Tree ornament or a playfield decoration for sure. Will post pictures later today of the print.

#5597 3 years ago

Here’s my still-sticky print. I think it’s much more accurate than the inflatable toy from the 90s. Since it’s so small, the finer details like the back wheel are translucent and the fan blades inside the lower engines disintegrated when I cleaned it. I just ordered a Prusa MINI to print a larger version - I’m planning on it being at least 12 inches from nose to tail. It will be a couple of months before my printer ships unfortunately.

B2675AEA-D8B8-44AD-AF7F-C4E89D94C199 (resized).jpegB2675AEA-D8B8-44AD-AF7F-C4E89D94C199 (resized).jpegEB79994E-B90B-492F-885C-C779C74A0F3E (resized).jpegEB79994E-B90B-492F-885C-C779C74A0F3E (resized).jpeg
#5602 3 years ago
Quoted from BrotherSir:

All of these weird issues don't feel like physical issues, but no one else seems to be having them. If I put the USB in with the same code version, can I just re-install it?

Do you have the correct software update version for your game version (Pro vs. Premium). Earlier in the thread someone was having multiple strange software issues and that was the culprit.

1 week later
#5667 3 years ago
Quoted from Pinash:

Those look pretty cool. I wonder if they would be better as pink/purple to match the pf ooze.

Pink would be a nice option. It does match the color and contour of the slime on the playfield directly underneath it, though.

#5700 3 years ago
Quoted from blairan213:

Some homemade "mods". Everything is attached using factory screws, may add some to the top right corner but trying not to go too crazy!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

I thought these were homemade when I was unable to find them online, but it turns out these were Target (US) exclusive. Ended up sourcing Krang android/baby shredder and Splinter/Baxter on eBay to use in nearly the exact same locations as this poster. Normally I’m not a fan of action figures in the playfield but these are so close to the cartoon and look like they should have been in there from the factory.

1FEC4A9F-7376-4DFF-8AEB-D7173F50EA60 (resized).png1FEC4A9F-7376-4DFF-8AEB-D7173F50EA60 (resized).png
1 week later
#5793 3 years ago
Quoted from BaxterStockman:

Was under the playfield this weekend and noticed this connector next to the green light up by the pop bumpers. Not sure if I need to learn to solder to get it back on there or if I can just tape it up with electrical tape.
Any tips?
[quoted image][quoted image]

You’ll need to solder those back on. Hold a soldering iron tip onto the terminal until the solder melts — any cheap soldering iron with a wide tip will do. Then, introduce the soldered tips of those two yellow wires while continuing to hold the iron on the terminal. The heat from the solder on the terminal will melt the little ball of solder on the yellow wires. The three will become one. Remove the soldering iron while holding the wires in place until the solder solidifies. Soldering isn’t hard. Just be careful as the tip is really hot and you don’t want to touch anything with it other than the thing you’re trying to solder.

Edit: while that is a fair amount of solder, it should_ stick to the terminal instead of dripping off. That said, be careful because it could drip hot solder which is mostly harmless to nearly everything except your hands and arms.

#5803 3 years ago
Quoted from Gogojohnnyquack:

Seeing as how you only own 1 game - a new Stern TMNT, and you have a single wire on a coil that needs to be soldered on, I recommend getting a standard soldering iron, sponge, some solder, and maybe a solder sucker. A simple kit will let you make your repair then easily stash it away for the next time. There are plenty of operators and bar/arcade techs that make it happen with this level of tool. It simply plugs into the service outlet of the game. The Hakko is a wonderful piece of kit (It's the one that I have) for bench/board work and would be THE one to get if you had a larger collection with some older games that require more frequent soldering and board work but it is overkill for what you need right now. The power supply for it is awkward to place inside the game so I also have a simple soldering iron like this that I use when working on the games directly. That's my 2 cents.
amazon.com link »

I agree with this. I have a nice Hakko with a base station, but using it inside a pinball machine is challenging because of the base station (which has some power conversion stuff in the base). Get one that plugs directly into an outlet or an extension unless you're doing fine/detail work on a bench or have the playfield on a rotisserie, this kind of cheap soldering iron will get you going.

Here's a series of videos (this link is only to part 1) that I watched when I started soldering about 10 years ago:

-- you can skip over much of each section and just watch for technique, but there's some good information in there that will make you more confident and give you all the basics before you begin soldering.

One more note: don't worry about the small amount of smoke that comes from soldering. It's not going to give you lead poisoning. Now, don't go huffing solder fumes, but it can be safely done indoors without wearing a mask. Maybe open a window if you're soldering much more than a few joints.

Once you get more confident (watch those videos!), you'll notice other bad solder joints underneath your playfield and you will proactively reflow those bad joints as preventative maintenance instead of waiting for them to fail, become disconnected and possibly create a short.

1 week later
#5941 3 years ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

Ok I think we have a winner for the topper base. This is a steel shelf inverted. Add a couple magnets a done. This won’t move. Actually I think 2 magnets is plenty.
Now the shelf is 8 inches deep, but that’s a good thing. It will allow airflow true the existing vents in the back box. We’ll just build up a spacer with some foam on the lower portion of the manhole. The plan is NOT to have to cut the manhole cover.
I prefer the shelf to be black so I may order another.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

You might want to put some thin padding on the bottom of each of those magnets so that the magnets don't scratch/crack the paint on the top of your back box.

#5954 3 years ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

Good point. This is all you need.
[quoted image]
Couldn’t resist a quick test. [quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

This is awesome. I'm a little jealous for sure. I'm making a TMNT Blimp topper as soon as my 3D printer arrives. I'll probably sell some prints to offset the cost of the printer and the model I had designed. Leave room for a blimp!

IMG_4622 (resized).jpgIMG_4622 (resized).jpg
1 week later
#6057 3 years ago
Quoted from BaxterStockman:

Nobody has really attempted Splinter as far as a statue. There is one from sideshow from the newer tmnt movies. which are an abomination.
Somebody made a custom figure quite a few years ago that looks really good. But I don't believe it's for sale.
http://loosecollector.blogspot.com/2015/10/master-splinter-tmnt.html
[quoted image]

Man I'm jealous. No Targets near me and that Baxter Stockman looks sooo awesome. All those NECA figures to be honest.

Someone much earlier in the thread integrated a bunch of these NECA figures into their playfield and it honestly looked like the game should have come that way from Stern. So much so that I paid a king's ransom for a bunch of sets on eBay just to replicate it (Baxter, Rocksteady, Bebop, Krang Droid, April).

I should note that these figures are very close to the style of the characters that Zombie Yeti did in the game. I assume he was working from the same character source materials from Viacom/Nickelodeon that the folks at NECA used.

#6058 3 years ago

I finally set up my TMNT Premium a couple days ago after spending 5 months cleaning & renovating the space it's in (a small closet through a tiny door inside my walk-in closet). Juuuust enough room for a desk and a pinball machine. There is also just enough room to remove the playfield glass and lift the playfield. I did have one small issue, my coin door doesn't completely push in the interlock switch when the coin door is shut. It's like a millimeter short. Has anyone run into that? I'm just going to stick a small bumper on the metal bracket that pushes the interlock so it can press it all the way in.

My in-laws were using this inner closet as storage and left it untouched for 40 years 50 years.

Before and After (needs last few feet of floor and ceiling/floor trim)

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#6060 3 years ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

That is a TREMENDOUS upgrade.

Thanks! We filled an entire 800-GOT-JUNK truck with what was in this room. It was packed floor to ceiling with boxes of papers, old clothes, TEN cinder blocks and heavy planks of wood which had been used for makeshift shelving, and crumbling insulation. It's a tight fit, but I'm enjoying having a real office space and one the best modern pinball machines ever made. I have barely played it because I want to install a playfield protector. I need to set aside some time to methodically dismantle the playfield and get it done.

#6062 3 years ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

Not trying to convince you NOT to install a playfield protector but I had a GOTG pinball with one and a really disliked the gameplay. My TMNT machine is pretty dimple free after plenty of plays. Nothing like Deadpool I had was.

Yeah, I'm not really excited to put the thing on either. I feel like if the game play doesn't feel right after I put it on, then I'll just snip it out and toss it. I do need to do a partial teardown anyway just to put on all the titan rubber replacements, cliffys and plastic protectors and NECA figures that I have waiting. And it'll give me a chance to clean the playfield. It came out of the box with a fine layer of dust under the ramps.

#6071 3 years ago
Quoted from northerndude:

Hey all, please be gentle as i've just started paying attention to Turtles as i've not been in the market for a pin lately.
Differences between Pro - Prem - gameplay - basically in a nutshell?
Van ball lock
pizza spins in two directions not one
plane divertor
No less or more ramps or shots between them then? Not talking art, trim or anything. This seems to be a great bang for your buck pro all day long?
Thx for info everyone. I've checked the matrix sheet. and this seems to be the main differences for gameplay.

There's also a ball lock in the Lair during pizza multiball which is enabled with the mushroom pizza topping. It's a small difference. The lair on the pro can't lock balls.

#6075 3 years ago
Quoted from JPloof:

Question for you all that have had concerns with the spinning pizza mech and grinding. Mine is grinding quite a bit so was going to apply some oil as indicated in prior posts, but realizing all I have on hand is some WD40. Anyone believe there would be any issues with a quick spritz on the shaft?

Definitely no WD40 anywhere near your machine unless there is, heaven forbid, rust somewhere. WD40 is a solvent not a lubricant. You'd be better off leaving the spinner off/disconnected until you have a proper lubricant.

#6077 3 years ago
Quoted from JPloof:

Thanks for the quick advice! Any recommendations for the best product to pick up for this maintenance?

3 in 1 Multipurpose oil (recommended by Stern for specifically oiling your pizza spinner): https://www.amazon.com/3-ONE-Multi-Purpose-Oil-24-Pack/dp/B0002JN5PG/ref=pd_lpo_328_t_1/132-3304396-0861902

Here's one that has Prime shipping so you don't have to wait more than a day or two: https://www.amazon.com/3-ONE-10038-Multi-Purpose-Pack/dp/B00065VGWK/ref=sr_1_3

#6079 3 years ago
Quoted from JPloof:

Ordered! Thank you very much.

My pleasure! Stern had some kind of update bulletin as a PDF with instructions for where to oil it. Let me see if I can dig that up... I may need it eventually!

#6081 3 years ago
Quoted from PinHead50:

I just put the play field upright and put some on the arrow and then some on the underside of the top piece right above that hole. Gravity helps a bit. Just rotate it as you oil. Easy peasy
[quoted image]

There's a PDF with this information on how to oil the pizza disc spinner with 3-in-1 oil, but all I can find is this post that has a screenshot of the PDF. In any event, that's where you put the oil. Good luck!

Edit: found images in another post with all the images from Stern with instructions for oiling the pizza spinner disc.. Maybe we should make this a key topic?

a (resized).pnga (resized).png b (resized).png b (resized).pngc (resized).pngc (resized).png

#6120 3 years ago

Has anyone here done a playfield swap or received a replacement playfield from Stern? Did Stern provide any instructions? I'm trying to install a playfield protector (I know it's not necessary, it's dumb, etc) and I'm replacing all my rubbers and that requires practically a full teardown anyway. I would love some instructions if anyone has them. I've gotten as far as the Dimension X ramp and the clear plastic ramps/technodrome/backboard area and some guidance as to item removal order would be nice.

#6122 3 years ago

In the Premium/LE, there's a long metal arm that goes into the van from below the playfield which opens and closes the door. It’s connected to a large linear actuator. To remove the van, this entire assembly apparently gets unscrewed from underneath and passed up through the playfield while still connected to the van. Wild.

Edit: the sheer ingenuity of the whole thing is pretty cool. Pretty much tearing down the top of an entire playfield felt scary, but seeing how everything fits together has made me less apprehensive about handling issues that arise and - gasp - doing it again in a few years to give it a good clean.

I’ll try to put up a video soon so that anyone else who needs to take off the ramps, van, backboard - or wants to replace all the rubber - has some reference.

1 week later
#6175 3 years ago
Quoted from BaxterStockman:

After seeing it recommended earlier in the thread. I replaced a few targets with the shapeways target brackets. https://www.shapeways.com/product/GRBNG4DQK/stern-target-bracket-v2-5deg2mm?productConfiguration=63971960&etId=198233717&utm_source=automated-contact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=order-shipped&utm_content=2
[quoted image]
Even after leveling the pizza spinner I was still getting a bunch of airballs. This has helped a ton!!

Thanks for linking this bracket. I tried bending mine forward after some wild airballs. One wound up going over the Van. Seems like this bracket is a better solution. I might just get two and call it done.

#6233 3 years ago

My only complaint right now is the shaker motor sequence at the start of Ninja Pizza Multiball. I would love for the lower shaker settings to make it less dramatic. Right now, even on “minimal” it’s full blast and really over the top. I’ve had to disable my shaker motor to avoid it.

#6257 3 years ago
Quoted from DaddyManD:

Agree with the updated settings, the team added minimal and moderate adjustments but there was no difference at all. I resorted to adjusting the weight int he shaker and its great now.

Can you describe how much you offset the one weight by? Would like to give that a go as I otherwise really like the shaker for everything else.

#6271 3 years ago

If anyone here has the NECA Krang from Target (US only I think), I designed and 3D printed a base/belt for the android’s upper body to match the one he comes with. This way, you can unclip his torso from the rest of the figure and display him with his belt. The belt/base covers a rectangular notch on his stomach where his suit clips in.

I can share the file here if anyone is interested. I’m happy to send a print out if you don’t have a printer. Just need you to cover shipping.
1229F62E-B376-483B-902F-D8BF67DC2708 (resized).jpeg1229F62E-B376-483B-902F-D8BF67DC2708 (resized).jpeg8FB6370C-180F-4319-B7BE-C76A14538A1E (resized).jpeg8FB6370C-180F-4319-B7BE-C76A14538A1E (resized).jpegAD7D914B-9C4D-414E-8848-624EFBAE9FC2 (resized).jpegAD7D914B-9C4D-414E-8848-624EFBAE9FC2 (resized).jpeg

Edit: I’m working on a base for the Target NECA April (I detached her legs) and currently am printing the first piece of a giant turtle blimp. The Blimp takes about 3 full days to print. I printed a small draft and it looks pretty sweet. Will update with progress on the first full-size version.

#6286 3 years ago
Quoted from billrz:

This has to be a bug, both switched in lair are functioning proper, during pp multiball with mushroom topping, if you put 2 balls in there,it just stops 3-4 ball searches later then they release (no ball save timer either, so pretty much ends multiball ) Any ideas,it’s not the switches (work proper in test anyway).
PS. I fixed auto plunger strength by turning it down from full and only ups like 5 notches above factory,it rips around now !!!

My second lair switch wasn’t registering because the switch wasn’t sticking up high enough to get activated by the ball. I had to bend the switch a bit to get it working. Make sure the switches are activated when a ball rolls over them. Easiest to do this with the glass off and manually sticking balls in the lair.

#6298 3 years ago

Turtle blimp update. My Prusa Mini finally arrived. I learned a lot from this first test print. Initially I preferred to keep the yellow PLA and just paint the green parts instead of primering the whole thing and painting it yellow. Probably would look 100% better to go the extra yard so that’s what I’ll do for the next version.

1. The hull is split in the wrong place and I messed up while gluing it up. I decided to create a seam with visual interest for v2 instead of trying to hide the hull seam
2. the landing gear was a total failure, needs to be more substantial and possibly printed via my SLA printer since it is so complex.
3. the fan blades on the gunner jets were printed too small so they’re missing here. I may print those via SLA for v2 as well since they are also a bit intricate
4. There’s an angle on the gunner seat dashboard that completely failed even with supports. May need to alter/simplify that angle

From tip to tail it’s about 13 inches. If I go bigger I have to split the hull into like 8 pieces so until I invest in a larger printer, I think 13 inches is going to be the size of the thing.

Each hull section takes about 27 hours to print at .20 mm layer height (which is fairly low quality). Each incremental quality improvement adds many hours to the print.

Any suggestions for improvements?

Once I clean up the files, I think I’ll offer them up here for free and ask for some totally optional, not required donations to offset the cost of the 3D file which was about $300.

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#6301 3 years ago

My Krang Android NECA mod is up on Thingiverse. I use the base that has the long tab in the back right-hand corner, but if you find you want to try a different position or face him another way, there are options with the multiple files. The Android's antenna has little-to-no clearance with the metal bar at the back of the playfield, but if you sit him forward enough, he's got just about a millimeter to spare.

If you want one but don't have a 3D printer, I'm happy to run you off a print. You'll have to cover shipping.

Thingiverse link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4795931

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#6303 3 years ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

That looks amazing!

Thanks! I'll keep you updated with my progress. I should have some time to paint the test blimp in the next few days. I'm also working on a mount for this NECA April. I'm hoping to fit her near the April target even though there's not a ton of clearance over there.

image0 (resized).jpegimage0 (resized).jpeg
#6333 3 years ago

I just finished installing the Swinks replacement stand up target brackets and I gotta say it's probably the best thing I've added to my game since I've owned it. I just played about ten fairly long games and not one airball. Before, I was averaging about one airball a game. Some insanely wild ones have jumped flippers, jumped onto habitrails and one launched up over the van and down that little hole they put in the pigeon roof for airballs. Nearly $80 to replace the four culprits, but 100% worth every penny:

  • two Dimension X targets
  • the thin pizza target at the van entrance
  • the red and black 2x playfield target

Link: https://www.shapeways.com/product/GRBNG4DQK/stern-target-bracket-v2-5deg2mm

#6367 2 years ago
Quoted from JayLar:

I am considering replacing the white flashers under the pizza with orange, yellow or red ones. It seems the Stern flasher is 5 VAC. Will a 13 VAC flasher work as my supplier only has that voltage for sale?

If you have the spec sheet for that 13 Volt LED, you can verify what the lowest voltage it requires in order to light up. I would guess that it probably accepts variable voltage. The LED will probably light, but it just won't be as bright as if you gave it the full 13 volts. If it ends up not working at all, it will not harm anything to try to light it with a lower voltage than it requires. I assume it's a cheap purchase and possibly worth the gamble?

1 week later
#6405 2 years ago

Yesterday, I noticed my auto plunger was getting weaker and weaker as I played. I increased the plunge power from 175 up to 200 in the settings. A few balls later, I had to increase it again. Finally, with the setting on auto plunge maxed out, the plunger was firing super weak and wouldn't even get the balls up the ramp.

I lifted the playfield to look under the apron for any obstructions and found none. I reseated the playfield, set the plunger back to factory default "200" and entered the coil test mode to repeatedly plunge balls to diagnose the issue. The auto plunge successfully plunged all 20 test balls perfectly up the ramp and into the van -- four go into the van then it ejects them when testing.

So, I put the glass back on and haven't had an issue since. Maybe it was me monkeying with the auto plunge mech while checking for obstructions fixed whatever was wrong with it? That is an odd mechanism that I hope doesn't come back to give me more trouble.

#6407 2 years ago
Quoted from BaxterStockman:

I swear I remember someone mentioning earlier in this thread about doing the opposite. And lowering the plunger power and it having the adverse affect and fixing the issue.

I had lowered it to 175 very early on thinking that lower is better as long as the ball was making it all the way around, but now I think I'll just keep it at the factory default as long as it's working.

1 week later
#6428 2 years ago
Quoted from billrz:

I’ve had the EXCACT same experience, unfortunately it does return, it might be the coil getting hot..it sucks . I wish I could figure out a fix, it does take several gages before it starts getting weaker, on the le the van has to reload during multiball,auto plunger doesn’t make it,it’s kind of unplayable. What’s the fix ? new coil maybe?

That's unfortunate. I did have the balls stack up in the shooter lane during multiball one other time since having this issue. I usually only play a few times per session, and have started plunging my balls instead of using the auto plunge for every ball, so maybe I'm not seeing it as often. I do see that the two metal forks that strike the ball are fairly straight. Maybe I should bend the forks inwards -- that seems to be the general wisdom. That and there is a fair amount of side-to-side play in the striking mechanism. So some folks have fitted some additional clips to minimize the amount of slop in the mech movement.

2 weeks later
#6486 2 years ago
Quoted from EasternTraveler:

Just received my premium a week ago. My son and I are having a blast with this machine. Question for everyone, Do you alter any of the settings such as flipper power and what not? I have never altered the factory settings and just wondering if this is something that is normal to do.

The only changes I made was to:
turn off "match" feature at the end of games so it just goes right to "game over"
turn on the ability to switch the "Battle Again" light with a flipper press
add the "lair save" timer so that if a ball drains out of the lair into the outlane, your ball is saved
decrease the ball trough eject to the lowest setting... then I think I bumped it up just a tiny bit since rarely it was not ejecting the ball on the first eject.

#6516 2 years ago

I made a fan adapter for the noisy power supply fan so I could connect a quieter fan that will prevent the noisy one from kicking on. I like to have my machine on during the day in my home office, so I can play a game whenever the mood hits me. But the fan is SO LOUD!!!

Anyway, I posted the adapter to thingiverse and you can get the fan on Amazon. Details are on thingiverse:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4844962

Let me know if you end up making this! If you want one but don't have a printer, I can print one for you. Just give me a PM with your mailing info. It'll probably be less than $5 to ship anywhere in the US.

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#6521 2 years ago
Quoted from dapperdan24:

Nice! What fan are you using with it? Thank you for doing the leg work on this-

Glad I could make something useful! I'm using the Noctua N F-A6x25:
https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A6x25-PWM-Premium-Quiet/dp/B00VXTANZ4

and this connector from Pinball Life. You can see where to tap the 12 Volts from in the product images.

You will need to strip the wires on the fan and the Pinball Life connector and connect Noctua 12V (red wire) to board 12V (Marked 12V) and Noctua Ground (black wire) to board Ground (Marked GND).

Edit: The primary benefit of this (besides preventing that loud fan noise) is not having to open your power supply case which voids your Stern warranty.

#6528 2 years ago
Quoted from EasternTraveler:

Question: I periodically have heard a grinding noise coming from the machine. I think it's the spinning pizza. I read previously that you should oil the motor. Exactly what am I oiling and what am using to do it?

Here’s an old post with all the info you need. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-club2020-cowabunga-its-pizza-time/page/122#post-6145087

I still feel like this should be a key topic in this thread. Mods?

#6558 2 years ago
Quoted from Aniraf:

I’ve been thinking about this solution as well…unfortunately I am not as good of a 3D modeler . Does it work simply by keeping the PSU cool enough that the stock fan never runs? I was wondering if you could do that for every pinball PSU. In theory you could use 120mm fans that are super quiet and just force so much air that the PSU would always be cool.

Yes, that’s exactly right. The original fan runs based on the PSU temperature. The larger add-on fan is so quiet that I can’t hear it once I close up the back box. It runs constantly and in a week of the game being on eight hours a day, the smaller stock fan has not spun up once. My office chair is a foot away from the plunger and I’m very sensitive to noise.

I would try to keep the add-on fan as small as possible or you will likely start seeing it as a darker area behind the translite since it will cast a shadow. The 60mm fan is not visible once the translite is in place.

#6571 2 years ago
Quoted from aingide:

Hi, everyone. I'm finally thinking about picking up a TMNT. I haven't been able to play one yet, so I'm wondering what the consensus is, if any, about the game a year on? I skimmed the thread and understand the basics, but there's a lot here! I'm wondering about a few things:
* Is the code in a complete and satisfying state now?
* What other modern Stern does this feel like, if any? Both in terms of software and the layout.
* Are all of the mechanical kinks worked out now? How fussy are the mechs?
* Pro or Premium/LE? I love good mechanical toys, is it worth it here? I almost always go Premium/LE.
My last two games were Deadpool and Stern Star Wars, so I'd like to get something that plays differently from those. I have a huge soft spot for TMNT, so modding in the cartoon clips seems like a no-brainer.
Any thoughts, or pointing me in the right direction, are appreciated. Thanks!

* Are all of the mechanical kinks worked out now? How fussy are the mechs?
The glider mech is iffy. Stern used a really cheap servo which can be replaced with a better one - some have just had the entire mech replaced, but it includes the same cheapo servo. That and the pizza spinner can make a grinding noise, which is remedied with a few drops of lubricant.

* Pro or Premium/LE?
I am glad I went with the Premium. Even though the glider has been problematic for some, I like being able to divert the ball and if it does give me issues in the future, I will just replace the servo with a quality one. There's also a glider value that you can build by shooting the left ramp continuously, then you can collect that value by hitting the right ramp.

The mechanical bouncing Krang makes me laugh - it's a silly toy that I would miss if it were gone. I know there are mods to put a decent looking static toy in that spot. It's not the same.

The turtle van releasing the balls for Turtle Power Multiball is a fun way to differentiate it from the Pizza Party multiball mode which spins the balls on the pizza disc.

My favorite shot is the Lair shot, so I love the Lair lock when that's enabled during multiball. It saves balls on a timed lock and helps to extend your multiballs. The multiballs can be hectic, so even when you're not intentionally trying to lock a ball in there, it's a surprise to see one in there.

I feel like the game is going to retain its value over time. If the price difference between Pro/Premium isn't a big stretch for you, I think it's worth the upgrade.

#6578 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

Is there any way to easily get at the optic sensor in the pizza parlor? It seems like I'd have to take quite a bit apart to check that out, but this is my first pin and it's MORE likely that I am just missing how to do this properly.

Do you have a pro or a premium/le? I have pictures of each step of my playfield tear down but I have a premium.

If you tell me where in this pic the optic sensor is, I can show you how I got there. This is after removing the backboard, the van and most the ramps. It’s fairly difficult to get at from above.

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#6585 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

I have a premium, although I am unsure where the optic sensor is. Thanks!

The three "upper lock" switches (46, 47, & 48) -- which I assume are optos (pardon my ignorance) are the thing that lets the game know there are balls in the parlor. I'm too lazy to look at the bottom of my playfield, but can you locate this area underneath your playfield and see if you can unscrew the sensor array and drop them from the bottom to inspect? If not, you'll have to approach it from above which will be about 3 or 4 hours of removing things (and taking pictures one by one of each thing you remove) to get access to that area unfortunately.

My process was: one picture per screw or part (point your finger in each picture to the thing you're about to remove). As you go, group items into numbered zip lock bags -- count up from 1 to contain the parts in small batches. The more bags the better. Some of my bags only had one or two screws in them. Then, when you need to put everything back together, grab the highest numbered bag and the most recent picture and work backwards through the pictures and bags.

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1 week later
#6647 2 years ago

Does anyone know what this black nylon spacer ring part is called? I somehow managed to lose it while replacing my rubber posts. Hope it’s not hidden on my playfield somewhere.

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#6658 2 years ago
Quoted from plasticbugs:

Does anyone know what this black nylon spacer ring part is called? I somehow managed to lose it while replacing my rubber posts. Hope it’s not hidden on my playfield somewhere.[quoted image]

Follow up to this post. I emailed Stern support and they've offered to send me out a couple of spares for my missing spacer. Glad that they are so responsive with smallish requests like that.

#6662 2 years ago
Quoted from pinballaddicted:

If you like the feel of standard black rubber try low bounce Titans (they are thinner). Normal Titans are meant to be the same as red Stern flipper rubber.
We had to take all the Titan Post sleeves out and put the standard Stern ones back in. The Titans were falling apart after less than 100 games.

I had the same experience. My Titan post rubbers in a few areas - especially the outer loop upper flipper shot - were completely shredded after about 300 games.

#6667 2 years ago
Quoted from dinot:

FWIW, I am a huge super-bands fan. I am used to them and don't like playing a pin with normal rubber now.
They tend to bounce slightly less. I am a middle of the road player. Not great, but not bad. On TMNT, I can hit that lair shot more often than I should be able to compared to the complaints I see from better players. My only guess is that the super-bands are causing the ball not to bounce out as hard. If I line it up with the right flipper, I can hit the lair about 50% of the time from that right flipper. This is without having to drop the left flipper to trap the ball.

Which size super bands are the correct ones for TMNT?

#6684 2 years ago
Quoted from jamieflowers:

Does anyone know what size screw that holds the Glider? Mine fell off and I am pretty sure it was eaten by the pinball gods. I REALLY would appreciate it if someone knows the size so I can go to Home Depot to get a new one!

I lost a small plastic spacer and emailed Stern support and they’re sending me out a new one free of charge. You should consider that instead of dealing with matching that exact screw. They just needed my serial number and mailing address. I can try to check tomorrow for you what thread gauge and the length. It’s the flat headed screw you’re talking about?

2 weeks later
#6823 2 years ago

I have a Premium and have never played a Pro. What makes the Premium more challenging? Is it that you can't plunge into the pops or is there something else?

#6825 2 years ago
Quoted from Thunderbird:

Personally after owning and playing both, think the LE/premium is far less challenging for the simple fact it has a lane diverter and the mushroom ball lock in the LAIR. Just to name two.

This was my thinking as well. If I have a mushroom topping, I would say I get a ball locked in the lair most games. That's a nice way to extend your multiball. My game is tough, but I am getting better at reaching Team Up on three balls. Yesterday I got my first 40M plus game. That's after 500 games and this is my first pinball machine in the home.

#6827 2 years ago
Quoted from Thunderbird:

I changed my flipper rubbers from Titans (difficult ball control) to Stern red flipper rubber (best ball control and lower bounce, with no ball spinning on rubber like Titans), which has a Stern 70 Duro rating (Stern black has a 100 Duro rating for comparison - harder) and my game now plays like a dream machine. Sooooo much easier than before, can’t believe the difference.

I'll definitely pick up the stern rubber for my flippers the next time I switch them out. Thanks!

#6849 2 years ago
Quoted from Pinman502:

Curious to see if anyone else is having the same bugs as me I have an LE and have been experiencing three glitches that I know of jack pot during turtle multi ball turns off and reset no music during final battle which I have heard of these two happening to others but the other one which is literally caused me to stop playing mine is it always wants to register six balls in the ball trough even though there is only supposed to be five and three in the turtle van so it will not load a ball in the shooter lane and constantly Dose ball searches but when I stick my finger in the ball through to trip the Opto it acts as if the ball drained and gives end of ball bonus then it will load another one as long as I keep the Opto tripped

This is going to sound stupid, but have you checked your balls for magnetism? It’s a common issue that seems to cause strangeness like this.

2 weeks later
#6921 2 years ago

Here's the for dummies guide that I wish I had the first time I needed to lift my playfield.

To eject the balls manually:
1. Before you lift the playfield, if you have a premium, you can open the van door manually from the front and the three balls inside the van will fall out and roll down into the trough. Either catch them as they come out or you can get them out (via step 5 below) after they roll into the trough.
2. lift the playfield up as in the video above just enough to grab the two metal rails attached to the underside of the playfield.
3. gently rest the playfield on its rails where the lock-bar was.
4. On the right side, where the balls eject into the shooter lane, you'll see the mechanism that does the ejecting, with one ball resting on it.
5. Give that ejector mechanism a quick flick/push from underneath to manually launch each ball - one-by-one into the shooter lane.
6. Since the playfield is now tilted back, you'll want to catch the balls before they make their way onto the playfield and roll to the back of the game
7. Once you have all 8 balls (6 if you have a Pro), then you can safely lift the playfield all the way up to the vertical position and rest it gently against the head box.
8. If by chance any of the balls did roll into the back of the playfield, gently lower the playfield back into place, catch the balls as they roll forward and you can now safely lift the playfield.

#6934 2 years ago
Quoted from Scott8806:

About to trade my Mando pro for tmnt anything I should look for it has low plays one owner

There are a couple of common out of the box issues with early TMNTs: One was poor print quality on the playfield (like a inkjet printer running in draft mode). The other is the glider servo craps out on some machines. Fix for the servo has been to either replace the servo yourself with a better one or get a new glider assembly from Stern (with the same crappy servo). I can't think of anything else.

I would say the print quality issue is going to make reselling the thing harder, so best to avoid it I think.

You won't be disappointed. It's a ton of fun and very challenging/punishing. After many months, I'm finally able to reliably progress to the mini-wizard mode at the halfway point in the game.

1 week later
#7009 2 years ago
Quoted from Kinglaserface:

Total newbie here and in the pinball community overall. I have been a lurker and joined just recently after finally convincing the wife to let me get my first pinball machine, the Premium turtles.
To those who installed a playfield protector, did you get it from playfield-protectors.com? Any one have a step by step guide/tutorial out to help out a first time pinball owner in installing one? I also have a question about the spinning pizza disc with a PF installed. Are there any issues? I would thing it was cause a problem with the circle cutout being lower than the PF but not quite sure. Any help would be most appreciated, thank you in advance!

TMNT premium is my first and only machine and I installed a protector after hearing the pros and cons. After considering the huge investment and my desire to protect the resale value, I ultimately purchased and installed the protector. I played three balls on it before putting the protector on.

I figured I would just cut it off if it made the game play poorly or I felt like it was a net negative.

I don’t notice any effect the protector has on the gameplay since I haven’t really played the thing without one. The game is tough and I’m making great progress after about 500 games.

I have taken many pictures of the installation and would be happy to jump on a call to talk about the install and provide some pointers that may help you get it done. PM me and we can set up a call.

It was difficult to install but I’m really happy with the protector. It’s invisible and I forget that it’s even there.

The pizza spinner is hard to level perfectly back to front and side to side. There’s a tiny bit of play in it even when completely tightened. So the leveling of the thing isn’t ever going to be perfect as far as I can tell - protector or no protector. I was able to raise it like .25 mm and it’s flush towards the front and off by a hair at the back. Doesn’t affect gameplay as far as I can tell.

#7012 2 years ago
Quoted from nicoy3k:

You aren’t protecting your resale value. Blowing out your playfield in a home environment is impossible. All you are doing is hurting your playing experience. It’s your game and do whatever you want with it though.

Hypothetically, I have two identical TMNT LEs each at the exact same price: $8000 (a steal!). They each have 1000 plays on them. And I'm listing them both at the exact same price. They're both in very nice condition inside and out. One shows minor wear with the expected amount of dimpling for a game with 1000 plays but nothing major -it's been cleaned and waxed every 200 plays. The other one has had a playfield protector on it from day one. It also has been cleaned every 200 days. It doesn't appear to have any playfield wear at all underneath the protector.

The protector is thin enough to cut off with a pair of scissors as soon as you get it home. Which of these two games are you going to buy?

#7014 2 years ago
Quoted from Thomas3184:

You hypothetically just did nothing to protect resale value.
They both sell at same price to different people.

Which of these two pinball machines would you buy? If you said the one without the protector, I suspect you're not telling the truth.

Now, let's say there's a $500 dollar difference in price. Are you telling me you'd buy a useless and overpriced $1000 topper at the drop of a hat, but you're not going to spend an extra $500 to get a nearly pristine playfield? If the answer is yes to this, I again suspect you're not being honest.

#7016 2 years ago
Quoted from bossk4hire:

I've always been wary of a game with a protector. Afraid it will play weird. But a buddy jsut got a star wars prem with on and seems to play great. I do wonder if you had one with out next to ifnit if would be that different in play but heck don't all play a bit different?
I'd personally never try to put one on as I'm sure I'd end up with "extra" pieces and it would never work right hahaha.

This is my one big argument against it. It's an enormous pain in the ass to install and it's possible you'll break something if not done carefully. I wouldn't do it again if you paid me, but I'm glad it's on there and I'm not removing it unless it clouds over or turns yellow.

2 weeks later
#7087 2 years ago

I finally got around to publishing the TMNT Blimp 3D file that I had commissioned. I had to do a bunch of fixes to make it 3D printable. Here is a link to the blimp. If you print it large enough, I think it would make for an awesome topper. It's just not currently very easy to print. If you have any luck with it, please post here. I was able to print a decent small one, which my toddler broke. If you don't have a large printer, I think it would be awesome as a playfield decoration. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4918827

Screen Shot 2021-07-27 at 10.27.01 PM (resized).jpgScreen Shot 2021-07-27 at 10.27.01 PM (resized).jpg
2 weeks later
#7165 2 years ago
Quoted from chubtoad13:

Picking up a pro. Ive been told this game probably needs washers(like many new games) to prevent damage from rails digging into the playfield.
Can someone tell me where the problem areas are, and if there’s any other spots I should protect?
Thanks!

I haven't needed any washers. For the most part, artwork on later TMNTs has been pulled away from posts and rails to prevent artwork damage. Mine is from late 2020.

There is a short diagonal rail just behind the upper flipper that I think I remember some folks from the first batch of games had that rail dug into the playfield. Mine still looks fine there. I have about 500 plays on my machine without needing a washer anywhere.

I have a playfield protector, so that line in the attached picture is where my protector's edge is.

Edit: One thing to watch out for though is grainy playfield artwork. They were still shipping games with grainy playfield art into late last year (looks like a inkjet print set in draft mode). If you can, inspect the playfield art before accepting the game. I was fortunate to get a game with nicely printed art.

IMG_5981 (resized).pngIMG_5981 (resized).png

#7180 2 years ago
Quoted from RikeIsland:

This happens to me every couple of months. I usually replace the balls and it’s back to normal. I assume it’s due to them being some what magnetized.

Holy cow. I had this issue too. I did a complete rubber and ball replacement after 500 games and didn’t associate the problem magically disappearing with replacing my balls.

1 week later
#7250 2 years ago

Do any of you let the episode timer run down instead of trying to complete the episode to get progress? I was thinking if I just cradle the ball and let the episode timer run, I'd probably have much better odds of getting to team up and maybe even to the final episode (albeit with zero perks).

1 week later
#7294 2 years ago
Quoted from Walk:

Hey guys! My TMNT arrived today and its totally awesome. It's all set up and I also installed a shaker motor.
One issue I'm having though:
Usually during multiball, but I'm fairly sure at least once NOT during multiball, the flippers die, the lights kinda go out, and then it comes back to life. The game continues, its just the flippers and lights briefly. I've only played for maybe 30 minutes. My assumption is something is lose and the vibration from the shaker motor is amplifying it.
Thoughts? Has anyone experienced this? Potential code issue? I've not updated the code or anything but I'd assume it's current if its fresh from the factory.
Thanks in advance!

If you update the firmware, make sure you used the correct firmware - pro and premium have different firmware. If you mix them up, the game will mostly function, but weird stuff like what you described happens. Might want to try to download the latest firmware and update or reflash to shake out the bad juju.

#7310 2 years ago
Quoted from Walk:

So I've played with this a bunch and still no success. Is there a cable I should double check or reseat?

To pin down the issue, open your coin door, take your lock bar off and enter the Service Menu (black button)
Hit black button again to enter menu
Hit black button on DIAG selection
Hit black button on SW selection
Hit black button on TEST selection
Close the coin door
Press down the little white nubbin where the action button was
If the Lockdown button doesn't show on the screen, then there is a wiring issue
If it does show, then the leaf switch under the white nubbin needs to be adjusted so that the switch closes when the action button is pressed.

#7337 2 years ago
Quoted from Walk:

My pizza wheel suddenly sounds like it’s grinding. Is this just in need of a lil bit of oil to fix?

Here’s a link to the spinner oiling info
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-club2020-cowabunga-its-pizza-time/page/122#post-6145087

#7348 2 years ago
Quoted from Walk:

Do you guys replace the factory fans with something quieter? Also, do you guys keep the game running for hours or just turn it on and off every time you play?

If you have a 3D printer, you can mount a fan on top of your existing fan (without voiding your warranty). I designed this print and the fan I use is whisper quiet.
A DIY $13 $18 solution. If you don’t have a printer, I can print an adapter for you for the cost of shipping — around $3 anywhere in the US.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4844962

The pinmonk kit is probably going to be a hair cheaper and less DIY, but you will have to open up the power supply box to install it.

1 week later
#7382 2 years ago
Quoted from KingVidiot:

Hey everyone,
Love my turtles premium, but I’ve had this odd problem since I got it a few months ago and I’ve searched fora solution but no luck.
When selecting a turtle at the start of the game, the action button will launch the ball, but not select the turtle. The game will be going, but the LCD and game are still waiting for you to select your turtle. Eventually it picks whatever random character.
Plunging the ball works, but I usually prefer the action button to start, unless I’m looking to short plunge.
And the really odd thing is that this bug only happens sometimes. Like, if it gets in this pissy mode, it’ll do a bunch of failed selections back to back.... other times, it functions normally with the action button.
I’m stating to think it’s a software issue, and should maybe get a new set card and download the latest code (pretty sure I’m on the latest)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

There’s a switch halfway up the ramp that locks in the selected turtle when the ball rolls over it. With the glass off, can you test that switch manually. It sounds like it may need to be adjusted.

Switch 14 in the attached pic.

DA8CB6DE-73E3-43CE-9CD5-6538B20C3C00 (resized).pngDA8CB6DE-73E3-43CE-9CD5-6538B20C3C00 (resized).png
1 week later
#7407 2 years ago
Quoted from Grayont:

I just got my pro the other day and it's my first spike 2 game. When it's in attract mode there's a periodic whirring/humming noise coming from what seems to be the power supply fan. Is this normal? I've never heard of this happening before.

I made a 3d printed part and instructions if you want to DIY by mounting a small fan above the fan vent (does not require opening up the power supply housing), otherwise the pinmonk kit is a good option (does require opening the power supply housing).

Happy to send you a print for the cost of shipping (just about $3 if you're in the US).

3d print and instructions here:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4844962
featured_preview_IMG_5403 (resized).jpgfeatured_preview_IMG_5403 (resized).jpg

#7423 2 years ago
Quoted from FNwoz:

Great works on this! I need to print one. Anything else I should know?

Nope! Just follow the instructions on that Thingiverse page. It'll make things easier if you get the same fan. I used a connector from Pinball Life (linked in the description on Thingiverse) to connect to the 12 Volt supply on the board near the mounted fan. It did require some soldering of the wires to each other. You could probably get away with twisting the wires and using electrical tape, but soldering them and covering them with some heat shrink tubing is a safer, more permanent solution.

The stock fan never comes on. The mounted fan runs continuously but is very quiet. You can make it even quieter by using one of the included "low noise adapter" connectors that comes with the fan. The connectors reduce the RPMs of the fan.

#7464 2 years ago
Quoted from Scandell:

I am embarrassed to admit I modeled the wrong communicator for April. Haha.
Hair is still temporary
[quoted image]

This is beautiful work. Seeing yours and the one we have is night and day!

Quoted from BaxterStockman:

I don't mind the ball locked animations. Yeah they are a bit boring, but it's leading up to them sitting at the booth and then having the foot soldier bring them the pizza.
Others definitely need an update for sure tho.
And don't hesitate posting in here. I look forward to every update you've posted.

What might be a good compromise is having Scandell 's improved April at the news desk, and the footage in the news graphic area is the turtle pizza shop clips for the ball lock callouts. I don't want to get greedy, but it would be an awesome upgrade to get better animations in April-adjacent places.
news_desk (resized).pngnews_desk (resized).png

#7465 2 years ago

whoops... double post

#7475 2 years ago
Quoted from NoSkills:

I’ve wondered before, how noisy is noisy for the pizza? I can hear it with the glass on and volume low but it doesn’t sound super loud

It’ll sound a bit like it’s grinding. It definitely is loud even when oiled when it’s spinning and the glass is off. But it shouldn’t sound like it’s grinding. If you hear grinding, apply oil. I’ve had to do it once so far after about 500 games.

#7481 2 years ago
Quoted from Scandell:

Mockup for "Ball One Locked" I have to watch out for the text layouts and the outer framing of the score and pizza toppings and modes completed and all that.
[quoted image]

Fantastic! Love the giant pinball. Super cute.

#7530 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

This same thing just happened to me. I read through various suggestions of where to order, but it looks like there are various sizes of replacement rubbers. This is my first pin and first busted rubber, so I'll ask a very noobish question: is there a list so you know which size to get for which part? Do I just measure it with a ruler? Are you better off ordering a full "set"? (Do they even do that?)
If it's a sling, do you replace both slings at the same time so they are consistent?
Anything else I should keep in mind?

The manual has a list of all the rubber and their sizes. See page 37 in this PDF.

I think there was one discrepancy with one of the post rubbers and what size it should be. I'm not recalling exactly which. But if you order a full set, plus one extra for each spot, you should be good to go. Titan Pinball has a database of user-created rubber kits which are fairly trustworthy. You should cross-check the kit with the info in the manual to make sure you're getting all the necessary rubber.

This is the kit I'm using. The colors match the location so the rubbers don't stand out.

If you've played 1000 games, I'd say you might as well do a full rubber replacement. I'm guessing it's not just the sling rubber that is worn. It will require removing a surprising number of things (habitrails, glider) to get to them, but if you take your time and take pictures at each step and of each item removed in order, you should not have any issues replacing the things you removed to get the rubbers on.

Be careful, work slowly and do not try to stretch rubbers around things like plastics. Most plastics must be removed to gain access. Some can be gently lifted/bent a bit after being unscrewed to slide a rubber underneath and onto a post (like the APRIL "6" plastic, once the habitrail and the easy to access screws have been removed).

#7548 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

This was an amazingly helpful post, thank you. One question: the manual shows needing a 2" rubber for the slings (id number five), but none of the kits you linked to have ones that size. They do have 2.25", but it seems strange there would be that disconnect. Am I reading something wrong?

You're definitely not wrong there. The manual does say 2 inches. I do have the 2 1/4 inch sling rubbers from Titan and they are already a tight fit - not easy at all to stretch onto the posts and certainly not floppy. I think if you got 2" it would be a fair bit tighter. If I bought them again, I'd do 2 1/4 again since I'd rather they not be so tight that I'll have to muscle them onto the posts even more than I had done.

#7575 2 years ago

My Premium has only crashed once in about 500 games - running the latest Stern firmware. I don't think it was TPMB related. Do you folks with lots of crashes have any third party mods installed? Maybe there's a common thread there?

#7578 2 years ago
Quoted from Rum-Z:

I have zero mods other than plastic and Cliffy protectors. I'm not a mod guy.

That sounds really frustrating. I'm sorry you all are dealing with this. I'd be playing every game expecting it to happen at any moment. I wonder if the first run of games is more prone to this? I got a Premium from the second run from late last year.

#7590 2 years ago

Scandell If you have something like a patreon or a tip jar, you should share it here. I'd contribute!

2 weeks later
#7679 2 years ago
Quoted from JWE:

I was playing the other day and it also locked up during Turtle power multiball. Was having a great game too.

The Shredder dialogue that's missing in the final battle should have been fixed ages ago. Seems like they're waiting to bundle it up with other changes.

#7685 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

In reading the forum, these brackets were recommended for reducing airballs coming off the left ramp: https://www.shapeways.com/product/GRBNG4DQK/stern-target-bracket-5deg2mm
That being said, there are multiple options for the material. Can someone that already ordered them let me know what they picked? I'd like to ensure this look as good as possible.
Thanks!

I bought the ones you linked from swinks after dealing with really wild airballs. They worked perfectly for the past 7 months, with maybe one airball every 100 games. But about a week or two ago, I'm back to getting crazy airballs from the right target that bounce back into the left outlane or hop onto the wireform. I haven't lifted my playfield yet to see what the situation is. I doubt the target has been bent out of shape. I assume the target just needs to be tightened down again?

So, yes. I highly recommend it if you want to stop wild airballs. Since it's really strong, thick metal, I expect my airballs are back because I need to make an adjustment somewhere. I'll report back when I diagnose why my airballs are back.

#7687 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

Which of the finish options did you pick, and would you recommend it?

I got the "Polished Bronzed-Silver Steel" ones. I lifted my playfield just now and nothing obvious was loose, but I gave the bolts there a little bit of muscle to tighten everything down. I may need to get my Starretts out to see if they've been bent back to a more upright angle if the airballs continue. I can't imagine that they have been bent by the constant hits from the ball, but have no other leads since I have a playfield protector on and that rules out any imperfection in the play surface.

#7689 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

Which of the finish options did you pick, and would you recommend it?

I think the options there on shapeways all have the same hardness, just different finishes. And since it's under the playfield, I just went with the cheapest option. swinks would know better. If mine did bend back from the constant abuse, I may just pick up a few sets from swinks and consider it a consumable that I'll need to replace once in a while. So yes, I do recommend them. They're not cheap, but they eliminated my airballs and if they bend because they get hit a lot, I'll buy them again because they did work great for a long time. Would recommend 100%

(I will measure their current angle later and will report back)

#7733 2 years ago
Quoted from billrz:

Can someone please post a link to the servo needed to replace the diverter? Mind finally broke after 3500 games . I really hope it’s an easy swap, it doesn’t look
Like it will be tho Thanks for the help in advance. Or the part number at least

Should be relatively easy, but it looks like the one Stern uses is wired backwards, so you have to wire your replacement backwards as well:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-club2020-cowabunga-its-pizza-time/page/88#post-5933171

Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Hitec-32645S-HS-645MG-Torque-Metal/dp/B003T6RSVQ/ref=sr_1_1

This post says if you get the linked servo on servocity instead of on Amazon, you can ask for the reverse rotation:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-club2020-cowabunga-its-pizza-time/page/83#post-5902494

Personally, I would just do the wire swap, but if you're not comfortable doing some soldering, go the servocity route.

#7735 2 years ago
Quoted from Initiative:

or spend a bit more and buy one thats programmable and know that it'll outlast the machine itself. (HiTec HS-7955TG)

I didn’t know this was an option. Thanks! I was just going off the key topic posts. I feel like this servo should probably be added.

#7783 2 years ago
Quoted from DaveTheTrain:

It's not aligned to the hole. But even so a slow mo video doesn't show the ball making contact with it.
I tried to re align the flipper but my 5/32 allen key won't move it at all, even feels like I'm stripping the head of the bolt.
[quoted image]

I removed nearly everything from the surface of my TMNT playfield and the only thing that made me question the entire operation was removing the flipper bats. I felt like I was going to snap my hex key in two. They did eventually give. The other thing you need to know is that to reinstall them, you’ll need to really crank on the bolt to secure it or it will loosen up during play. So there is a reason those bolts are super-tight.

1 week later
#7819 2 years ago
Quoted from Dustwel:

Just got my TMNT Premium updated. Chose express install, verify. All finished and no issues, although haven't played a game yet. Was surprised to see all of my scores and settings were preserved.
Random question - I'm looking to swap out the balls in my machine in the next month or two. Some have a hard time making it all the way up the ramp with the autoplunger (some are fine). I read it may have to do with magnetism building up from the pizza spinner, being around 600 plays in. I can get to the five balls up front just fine, but anyone know how to get to the three stored in the turtle van? Last time I had to lift the playfield I couldn't find anything on it and ended up just lifting it with the balls in the van, no issues.

After you remove the glass, gently pull the door of the van open with your finger and let the balls roll out onto the playfield. Do this before lifting the playfield up to remove the balls from the trough.

#7821 2 years ago
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:

GZ is getting a lot of play but the IC feature is old news already. I’ve even stopped loading my account when I play.

It sounded like the location could use real-world rewards with insider connected (free pizza, prizes, etc). I don't see achievements as worthwhile enough to bother taking out my phone to scan a QR code, but I'd totally do it on location for redemption prizes/free pizza. The turtle training thing where you can play a new game with a fully leveled up turtle does sound appealing.

#7887 2 years ago
Quoted from Glockshots:

I’m on my 2nd topper. 1st one the leds crapped out after 2 weeks.. sent back for a replacement got the new one and after the update noticed the left side is having a led flickering dimming problem now.. I’m working with stern to see what’s going on..
[quoted image]

This has been reported by at least two others in the thread after the 1.50 update. So it’s not just you.

#7900 2 years ago
Quoted from Glockshots:

So stern got back to me about my topper led flickering and dimming. They want me to flash a new SD card with a 1.41 raw file. I’m using a Mac and can’t figure it out. The instructions they gave me isn’t the same for a Mac.. can anyone help a brother out? I don’t wanna bro k my machine in the process.
Hi Ray,
Here’s a link for the 1.41 SD card image.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q1U6Jkjznp-7NNmu6NWSraGw6be4zz_K/view?usp=sharing
Here is a guide on how to create a new SD card
https://sternpinball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/How-to-Create-a-SD-Card-for-a-SPIKE-System-Pinball-Machine.pdf
Please follow up afterwards.

This should help: https://osxdaily.com/2018/01/11/write-img-to-sd-card-mac-etcher/

If you're still unsure and want to do a quick video call/screen share, I can help walk you through those steps. Feel free to send me a PM if the latter, and I'll set up a Google chat with you.

#7902 2 years ago
Quoted from Glockshots:

My problem is more of getting the right files out of the zipped folder. On Mac after I download it I’m having trouble pulling out the correct files to flash.. usually I can just open the folder and take the 2 files and drag to the usb stick for a regular code update. This is just confusing me with the windows instructions they gave me.

I see this file when I extract that zip:

turtles_le-1_41_0.Release.8G.sdcard.raw

Take that .raw file and use it to image your SD Card. Are you seeing that .raw file when you double click the .zip file to expand it? It has a "December 23, 2020" last modified date. If your files are sorted by date, it may not be at the top of the list as you might expect it to be.

The downgrade process appears to be quite different than the upgrade process where you're just dragging files onto a thumb drive and inserting it into one of those USB slots. You need to use an SD Card with the already-installed image to downgrade your game.

There is no way to downgrade via the thumb drive process. I would also expect the downgrade process to erase your high scores (though I could be mistaken here)

#7904 2 years ago
Quoted from Glockshots:

This is what i got after i downloaded.
turtles_le-1_41_0.Release.8G.sdcard.raw 7.86 GB
after i compress it turns into this
turtles_le-1_41_0.Release.8G.sdcard.raw.zip 2.51 GB
If i double click the zip it expands it back to 7.86 GB
that's where I'm at lol

The .raw file is what you need to create the SD Card image. Only unzip the zip file. Don’t try to unzip or recompress the raw file.

That raw file needs to be used to create an image onto the SD Card. You can’t just copy that .raw file onto the SD Card via drag and drop.

#7950 2 years ago
Quoted from Papa_J:

Should the plunger send the ball around the top loop like the auto launch or just past the wire gate and on to the field.
I took the rod off and everything seems ok.
Seems like it should have a lot more power but I don't know how it is supposed to be.
Thanks!

It should go all the way around and feed the left flipper. Can you take some pictures of the plunger from a few angles so we can compare to a working plunger?

#7980 2 years ago
Quoted from GorillaBiscuits:

Yeah. Super lame. Like paid power ups on a 99 cent mobile game lame.

Quoted from Rum-Z:

Can't you just permanently level up Raphael with his multipliers and slay the high score tables?

This stuff screams 'only meant for location play' to me. I would enjoy the whole leveling up thing over the course of many visits to a location and having it pay off with cool perks. But for home use, grinding out the levels so that I could permanently play with all perks from ball one (forever and ever amen) seems like a bad experience.

#7987 2 years ago
Quoted from TonLoc777:

Quick ? Updated to the newest code last night and now I’m getting all sorts of weird issues. Pizza spinner not working, krang barely moving up and down when taunting player with audio, glider will not move, and ball trough is spitting out 2 balls at a time. This is a premium and was working perfectly ok before the update. No technician alerts and ball trough test works fine with no errors. Node board test showing no errors and all of the lights and flashers are functioning. I changed a handful of settings that I always do such as lowering ball trough eject and lowering some of the flipper power. I did notice they took out the way to test the glider in the technician area. When I go to test the pizza spinner krang barely moves instead. Kinda strange bc with the older code I think you could test all 3 individually ( spinner, glider, krang) any ideas what is going on with my game? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Based on previous posts like this one, this sort of sounds like you may have flashed your premium game with a pro firmware update. I suggest downloading the premium update again and running it.

#7989 2 years ago
Quoted from NoSkills:

First I’d try and download and apply the code again using verified option. Also make sure you didn’t get the pro code? I’ve not read anyone else having an issue so far so that seems the sensible first thing to do

giphy (resized).pnggiphy (resized).png
1 week later
#8014 2 years ago

Neca is doing a presale of mousers and foot soldiers today in the cartoon style. Get ‘em before they stop selling them. Limit 2 per customer. https://thenecastore.com/collections/brands

88468CFD-39BE-415B-BC97-E461106D2346 (resized).jpeg88468CFD-39BE-415B-BC97-E461106D2346 (resized).jpeg
2 weeks later
#8087 2 years ago

I’m back to getting wild air balls again from the right side target next to the left ramp, I pulled the problem target and the Swinks bracket mod is still at the correct 5 degree angle.

I am seeing that the tall metal piece that rises vertically behind the target has a slight backwards bend. I assume this is supposed to be perfectly straight right? With both ends on a flat surface, there is light coming through underneath.

I have a vice. Should I give it some hammer whacks to try to bend it more straight or even pitch it a tiny bit forward?

EDIT:
swinks Have you seen this kind of bending from users on other games like Ghostbusters? Also, wondering the best way to bend this metal back into shape. Any suggestions?

Answering my own question here... I clamped down on the end of the part with a table-mounted vice and gave it a few sharp whacks with a hammer to bend it in the opposite direction.

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#8089 2 years ago
Quoted from swinks:

No I have not heard about this before, but that bracket should be straight.
With having that slight bend backwards - does show that the target is taking some powerful shots but also explain re-introduction of airballs as well. If you could straighten it that would solve the issue, just don't bend too much the otherway 1-2 degrees should be ok. Also remember the swinks bracket also lifts the target up by 2mm keeping the ball impact below the target rivet as that is part of the airball issue as well.

Awesome. Thanks swinks ! I did bend that part back straight and then about another two degrees more (I got greedy), which was too much. The extra forward angle prevented the target from activating. So I bent it back about a half - splitting the distance and keeping a very slight pitch forward. After that, I still had to adjust the target's leaf switch ever so slightly to compensate and ensure it fires with even a light hit.

That target now has taken some hard direct hits in the last two games and airballs which were nearly 100% certain for the past couple months are gone again. I hope I don't need to mess with it again for a while. Without the swinks angled bracket, I'm pretty sure no amount of angling my bent part would fix my airballs.

#8114 2 years ago
Quoted from ag83:

Am I supposed to be putting oil between the pizza disc and the taped area? If so, what did you all do to get the oil in to such a narrow gap without dripping it all over the part?
The grinding noise is definitely coming from when the pizza does not spin freely and instead is rattling around. I can even notice the difference visually when it is rattling vs. when it is freely moving. It seems like oil will eventually fix it but my 3 attempts to oil so far haven't been enough.

If it's still grinding after oiling directly in these two specific spots, I would send a support email to Stern and ask for advice on next steps.

EDIT: I fixed my picture after seeing the post below...

where_to_oil (resized).pngwhere_to_oil (resized).png
#8116 2 years ago
Quoted from BaxterStockman:

Just have some paper towels in had so it doesn't drop all the way through and onto other stuff.
Here is another picture and I believe it shows an extra place to oil that the above image. [quoted image]

Oops. You're right. My left green line is in the wrong place. :/

I fixed my picture... but really, just use the picture that's posted above where the red arrows point.

2 weeks later
#8215 2 years ago
Quoted from billrz:

So many issues with my LE . Was gonna try n switch out my broken diverter, but bailed cause it doesn’t look easy.. and then my lights starting doing this weird cycle during gameplay. My auto plunger doesn’t always make it into the van leasing to basically endless multiballs. Anyway,anybody know why the lights are doing this ? Node board ?

"My auto plunger doesn’t always make it into the van leasing to basically endless multiballs. "

This happened to me and the issue was that my balls were magnetized and I didn't realize it. They didn't seem to stick to each other, but they were not launching up the ramp reliably. For this specific problem, I recommend replacing all your balls with something like these:
https://www.titanpinball.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=57&product_id=69

#8235 2 years ago
Quoted from Vermont:

Does anyone recommend any specific cleaning solution/method for the plastic ramps? I have the playfield looking pretty awesome but I'm not sure what to do with the ramps. Thanks!

I think Novus 1 or any non abrasive acrylic cleaner should work well. I have a brand here called Brillianize that I use to clean my playfield protector and ramps. I use either a soft terry cloth towel or a microfiber towel. Usually, the microfiber to apply the solution and then the terry cloth towel to dry/polish.

1 week later
#8295 2 years ago
Quoted from CypherPinball:

The game just started having a boot up problem, over the last couple of weeks. It will say initializing with stern logo. Go to turtles logo. May or may not do startup light show. Then goes back to initializing, rinse and repeat 2-3 times. Then it will finally boot. Though there have been a couple times it didn't boot at all and had to cut power and turn back on. Any thoughts?

I'd consider switching out the SD card with a new, name brand one. You can grab an image for your game from the Stern website. You need a utility like balena etcher to write the image to the SD card. The SD Card Stern includes from the factory is really bottom-of-the-barrel quality. I think a 16 GB SanDisk (class 10) might be a good option and can be had for about $10 US.

The SD Card is in the board behind the translite. The same one you plug a thumb drive into to update the game.

This is the one I recently got to install the Scandell April mod onto. Has been working perfectly for me.

SanDisk 16GB Extreme SDHC UHS-I Memory Card - 90MB/s, C10, U3, V30, 4K UHD, SD Card
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013CP3JDO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

(Edit) Link to SD Card images on the Stern website:
https://sternpinball.com/support/sd-cards/

Just to clear up a misconception some folks have with the SD Card image: This is not installed like an update with a thumb drive. You must use an image-writing utility to write the SD Card image to the SD Card. You can't just drag and drop the file onto the SD Card.

1 week later
#8334 2 years ago

Apologies in advance for my physics ignorance. I have never been able to backhand the left ramp. To make it backhandable without increasing the flipper power, I need to make the playfield less steep right? What trade offs come with a less-steep playfield?

#8341 2 years ago

I can tell you that even though I still can't backhand that left ramp, adjusting the pitch has definitely made the game easier. I'm going to get out my digital level after lunch to see what the heck the pitch is even at. When I got it, I just leveled it side to side and made sure the bubble in the shooter lane was in the middle between the two marks.

Edit:
Just as a guess, I was probably at about 6.9. Front legs were not raised at all. After adjusting a little, my first measurement was at 6.7. Then with the help of my digital level, I'm now at exactly 6.5. Still can't backhand that damn left ramp as far as I can tell. But the shots seem much more forgiving. Not sure why I played it so long like that.

#8345 2 years ago
Quoted from daveyvandy:

Also note that as the flipper coils heat up over time, you get flipper fade and the flippers will not be as powerful as when you first turn on the machine. So, I'm able to back in the left ramp pretty easily at the start of turning on the machine, but after 30-45 minutes it's almost impossible. You could possibly remedy it with flipper cooling fans.

Thanks. I’ll keep tweaking. Are people backhanding that left ramp from a dead stop or do you need to flip it backwards up the inlane a little to get some momentum?

2 weeks later
#8379 2 years ago
Quoted from Papa_J:

Can some one tell me what goes here? Is it just a screw? On the bottom left of the April ramp.
[quoted image]

You're missing a washer under that metal post. It should look just like the the other one from the top: screw/washer/plastic/post/washer/plastic.

I could be mistaken, but I expect there would be a screw also coming up through that bottom blue plastic for the metal post to screw onto? It's tough to see without taking stuff apart.

Edit: Yep, a screw...
Screen Shot 2022-03-03 at 2.09.38 PM (resized).pngScreen Shot 2022-03-03 at 2.09.38 PM (resized).png

I would bet you that screw came loose, fell out the bottom and then the washer got free. You can almost certainly expect to find the washer and the screw somewhere on the playfield or at the bottom of your cabinet.

#8380 2 years ago

quote != edit

#8382 2 years ago
Quoted from Papa_J:

Yep, the washer and screw are MIA. Thanks, now I know what I am looking for!

If you email Stern support with the part numbers of the missing screw and washer and your serial number, I bet they send you out replacements free of charge. That was my experience when a spacer went missing.

If I were you, I'd lift the playfield and remove that pizza slice target from the bottom (disconnect it -- label the wires, then unscrew it and pull it carefully down out of the playfield) to get access to the bottom of that plastic. Getting that plastic off from the top to deal with it looks like it'll be difficult with those ramps in the way. Very tight spot there.

#8385 2 years ago
Quoted from Dustwel:

One of my favorite shots to make on my Prem Edition is launching from plunger all the way around and them smacking the ball immediately from the left flipper up the right ramp. Great way to get that first episode light. However - I find when I do this sometimes there’s just too much momentum and the ball just smashes into the fixture over the ramp and falls back down. I even knocked the metal bar/wire out of place once. Anyone have advice for remediating this issue? Flipper power set to stock.

ABE_FLIPS many posts ago put Mylar over the ramp entrance to prevent the ball from hitting that fixture:

BFA44F51-BC60-4E47-A23A-F30CFB9AEB4B (resized).jpegBFA44F51-BC60-4E47-A23A-F30CFB9AEB4B (resized).jpeg

#8389 2 years ago
Quoted from Dustwel:

Thank you! Is that piece sold anywhere or custom?

It was a DIY fix. Maybe ABE_FLIPS might swing by with a template for this? It looks like they removed the triangular plastic above the blue plastic piece to install their fix.

#8397 2 years ago
Quoted from shaub:

I bought a Pro and have only played half a dozen games on an LE, but I am 100% behind the Pro as the way to go. The added features just don't sell me. The two way disc is cool but ultimately I feel like the both versions could do without the disc entirely. I believe Dwight (could have been Borg) mentioned on a podcast that, for the Pro, they had the choice between the spinning disc or the diverter and decided to go with the disc. Also, the Turtle Power ball release is kind of cool but ultimately doesn't change much as far as gameplay goes. The moving Krang is pretty cool too but it's mostly re-creatable as a mod.

I agree and I own a Premium. Since I only have room for one game, I went with the premium. If it were replaced with a pro tomorrow the only things I would miss are the Lair lock and the balls coming out of the van (since it makes the two multi ball modes feel distinctly different). I like Krang, but in addition to the popular mod, there's also some really great NECA TMNT toys that you could put in its place.

I'll plug my mod while I'm at it. You can get the printable belt here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4795931

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#8411 2 years ago
Quoted from Happy81724:

Does the topper add any modes like the toppers do on JP and AIQ?

No additional modes yet. I feel like for a cool G, it should do more than move side to side. I don't own one, but if I did, I'd be seriously underwhelmed.

#8420 2 years ago
Quoted from LDP84:

Happy to join the club, my first post on pinside. Totally new to the hobby. Have been lurking on this forum for a while and tried to soak up all the info.
I have a TMNT premium for a year now and currently trying to install a few mods/protective elements. I was able to install plastic protectors at the slingshots and the outlanes. Pretty stoked about the results.
Furthermore, trying to switch the standard rubber with Titan. So far so good, but I am stuck at the post sleeves. Not totally sure how to approach those. Have been looking for videos or posts, but was unable to find what I was looking for. Any tips and tricks that you can give me?
[quoted image]

For some, you can just remove a screw or two and carefully bend the plastic away just enough to slip the post sleeve off and on. Some require a non-trivial amount of playfield removal to access unfortunately. I did a playfield protector and did all the rubber at the same time. There are a few rubbers near the ramp entrances and in the pops that are annoying to access.

2 weeks later
#8535 1 year ago

What about co-op mode? Can three players each get to level two and qualify NPP? That’s three levels.

#8548 1 year ago
Quoted from Mando:

I feel the game is already Impossible
Speaking of which fellow turtle owners what can I do to make this game a little easier ? Outlanes still kill me ! Any settings that help ? I like to go stock but man I can't get anywhere lol .

Mine are:
- flippers change Battle Again lit lane
- flippers to factory default. I had originally dialed these back per suggestions here, but last month I changed to factory default and shots have been SO much easier - your mileage may vary
- some have put a little rubber bumper at the top of the left outlane to stop excessive drains there. I don't feel it's unfair or excessive, so I haven't added it.
- There's also a lair save timer that's off by default. Enable that if it's not and set it to somewhere between 3-5 seconds. That'll keep you from losing the ball if the lair drops your ball into the outlane.
- And there's always making extra balls easier - (replay award, light after two episodes, I think there's another?)

#8627 1 year ago
Quoted from Doozer:

This is disappointing to me. My favorite part of the pizza multiball is when the balls all spin around together on the pizza before they get released.

This is an option in the settings and not the default. You'll still get a physical lock in the pizza parlor if you don't adjust the setting. I assume it's for competition and helps to keep the games quick?

1 week later
#8648 1 year ago

I'm having a weird issue where the Pizza Parlor ball eject solenoid will fire while in attract mode. It'll do it like one time every few hours. Scares the hell out of me because the machine sits next to me while I write code for my job.

This morning, it fired in-game when there was no ball to eject. Has anyone else had this issue or know how to start diagnosing it? This is on a Premium.

#8650 1 year ago
Quoted from RVApinballer:

If I had to guess it’d be the machine thinks there’s a ball in there. Meaning, the switch is probably false triggering once in a while and the game thinks it needs to clear the ball(even in attract mode).

Looks like one of three optos then. Do I check for a loose connection on those or do you think it's an alignment thing?

#8653 1 year ago
Quoted from PanzerFreak:

So I’m having an issue that may or may not be related to the latest code. During at least pizza multiball if a second or third ball goes into the lair the balls don’t eject out of that area.
Could this be a bug or is possibly due to magnetized balls? I’ve had magnetized balls in the game before and that’s most noticeable by the van lock not releasing balls, that’s not happening as of yet on my game with the latest code. When the balls in the lair get stuck there’s a lair lock icon on the screen. So far I’ve only noticed this with the latest code, second time it’s occurred.
Thank you
[quoted image]
[quoted image]

Show off!

Are you hearing the solenoid fire? It should only ever have one ball in there. Whenever it gets two, it's supposed to release one. I would suspect magnetized balls if the solenoid fired to release the ball after the second one got in there.

#8667 1 year ago
Quoted from ag83:

Considering a shaker motor for my Premium but I don't think I'd like the hard shaking at the beginning of ninja pizza multiball. For anyone running the new 1.51 code, has that changed at all? I would probably put the shaker setting at "Moderate Use".

Even for the moderate setting, the thing still shakes like a total bastard at the start of Ninja Pizza Multiball. If I could disable the shaker just for that one event and leave it at max otherwise, I'd be much happier.

#8671 1 year ago
Quoted from bicyclenut:

I had a weird thing happen today with my game. The game boots up, when you hit start and the playfield goes black and reboots. Everything was working as it should until yesterday. I noticed on startup when it finishes booting up, it would play the theme song as if I was turning up the volume. I didnt think much of it and continued. Today it would do the same thing but not start a game. I noticed it randomly rebooted. When I hit the start button, the playfield goes dark and the game would reboot.
Here is my setup and what I did to fix it:
I have a premium with shaker motor, Stern volume controls on the front door, Stern topper, Flipper Fidelity 5.25" speakers with Speaker Led kit. Im also running the custom 1.51 April code on a new SD card. About a week ago I added the LED speaker kit. It plugs into the the bill validator power in the power supply.
I put the original SD card back in the game with v1.50 and had no issue. I also burned another SD card with the custom 1.51 April code on it and im having no issues. I put the problem SD card back in the game and a USB stick to back up all the setting. I then put my newly made SD card back in the back and restored only the high scores. Still no problems.
Just as another note..I did have the my game go dark during Turtle multi-ball
Anyways, all seems good now. Just want to let everyone know in case someone runs into the same issue. Hope this helps.

Going by other posts in the thread, this sounds exactly like what happens when you put Pro code on a Premium machine. Is there a chance you burned the Pro April code accidentally to your SD card?

#8673 1 year ago
Quoted from bicyclenut:

No. I only download the premium/LE file. Plus, all other premium features are working, turtle van, bouncing Krang, diverter etc...

Dang, I wish it had a simple explanation. I hope you don't run into this again!

2 weeks later
#8781 1 year ago

You all can wear that TPMB crash as a badge of honor. I'm sure the reason that I haven't seen that crash more than once is because I'm just not very good. Unless I play as Donatello, I maybe see TPMB in like 1 in 20 games.

#8792 1 year ago
Quoted from shaub:

I know it's been discussed before but I'm not sure how to search the thread for it. A buddy of mine has a Premium machine that is starting to have difficulties on the auto-plunge. I checked the coil bracket and every thing seems to be adjusted properly and moving freely, the metal striker piece was making pretty good contact with the ball but I adjusted that as well to make more consistent contact but no change. He also has the Sword shooter rod and I notice that while it does still make it all the way up the ramp, it's pretty close to not making it quite often. Is there something about that steep shooter lane ramp that causes problems and, if so, what's the fix?
Also, there is a setting to "Disable Van" but that doesn't appear to do anything. Has anyone used that before? I thought the idea was that you could set "Disable Van" to yes, remove the 2 extra balls (for a total of 6) and then it would act like the Pro but it didn't seem to make any change.

Auto plunge issues for me were a side effect of magnetized balls. Get new balls and I bet it clears up that issue.

1 week later
#8829 1 year ago
Quoted from TheBeefSupreme:

My auto plunge is very weak. Doesn’t make it around the ramp sometimes which really messes up the van feed. Any general trouble shooting? I tried messing with the launch strength and will check the coil sleeves.

This is almost always magnetized balls -- even if they're not obviously sticking to each other. It happened this way for me. Switched to new balls and auto-plunge is solid as a rock. Hopefully that's your easy fix and not something mechanical.

1 week later
#8871 1 year ago

For any new people, if you don't have Scandell 's April mod you are seriously missing out. It's the number one reason to be on the 1.50/1.51 code.

#8874 1 year ago
Quoted from Purdue:

does it work with insider?

Yep, it does. I'm not sure if there's a setting, but you don't want it to update over wifi once you've got it installed otherwise future updates will overwrite the mod and you'll have to wait for an update from the creator to get the mod back.

2 weeks later
#8967 1 year ago
Quoted from RhettDR:

Hey ya'll - The topic is so full of this stuff and it's hard to search through it all... But I am getting lock-ups on TPMB. Usually happens when I have a mode running / completed and Starting the TPMB. Seems odd... No clue Assume code related. Only happened after the newest update.

This is a bug that lots of folks have reported. We’re pretty sure it’s been around since before the last update. I have only had it happen twice but I expect it happens more often to better players or folks playing as Donatello regularly.

#8972 1 year ago
Quoted from maffewl:

Curious if anyone has the Michelangelo and Donatello plastics by the flippers that they want to sell?

I would have to go pretty far back but there was definitely someone in this thread who removed theirs to install a mod and then asked if anyone was interested in buying them.

#8978 1 year ago
Quoted from maffewl:

Thanks. Looks like they posted a year ago in Post 4046. They were wanting $50 per piece which is way out of my price range. Appreciate the heads up though. If anyone else has them and looking to sell, let me know.

You could email Stern support and ask for replacements. I would hope they only charge you their cost for the part. My experience is that Stern support is very responsive and friendly. Free of charge, they sent me out a tiny plastic spacer that went awol after installing a playfield protector.

#8981 1 year ago
Quoted from System-J:

This screams of crappy QC. I bet this drives guys like Borg nuts. You spend tons of time play testing and crap like this shows up on ...well it sounds like the majority of machines. It's so obvious too once the plastics are off. Can't wait to try a game after I fix this. It's going to make more of a difference on the enjoyment of this game than any mod.

Just a heads up to Premium owners: accessing this area of the playfield is an ENORMOUS pain in the ass.

#8999 1 year ago

These little guys finally arrived! I will be working on designing some 3D printed mounts so they can be installed without ugly cable ties, adhesives or glue. There’s 6 mousers total and a bunch of tiny accessories, broken mouser parts, and rats. I’m probably going to add two to three.

Lemon for scale.

04379738-D0D5-447B-A29B-2D1677F88997 (resized).jpeg04379738-D0D5-447B-A29B-2D1677F88997 (resized).jpeg

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1 week later
#9019 1 year ago

Whoever posted that game trailer that they used to mod their game. I ripped the highest quality version of it from YT: https://www.file.io/zeg4/download/z9uydKAGnMvK

It's 1080p. If you end up using it, let me know if it looks better than what you had. Yours looked a little low res and artifacty.

#9049 1 year ago
Quoted from ticktockman:

How difficult is it to get the servo out? I ordered the HS-422 servo off Amazon and plan on swapping the positive and negative to reverse direction. Is there a way to get the servo out without removing any wireframes?

You need to remove both wireframes to get the glider out - which is actually not too bad considering how hard it is to get at some posts to replace the rubbers. Let's not even talk how hard it is to get at the rubbers in the pops or to remove the van. Once those wireframes are removed, it's fairly simple.

Just go screw by screw and take pictures of each screw and element before you remove them. Place the screws/plastics/whatever in numbered bags. Start at one and use as many bags with numbers as you have pictures. I use a bunch of small zip loc bags and paper tape with permanent marker whenever I'm taking more than one thing off the playfield.

#9052 1 year ago
Quoted from ticktockman:

Thanks for the advice.
What about the plug for the servo itself? Any trick in unplugging it from the bottom of the playfield?

Nope. I think it’s a molex connector with a little plastic nub that you can lift with your fingernail to unlatch it while you pull. Just label both ends with paper tape so you know where it reconnects when you put it back in.

Don’t pull the wires as they’re fragile, just the plastic connectors to separate the ends.

#9055 1 year ago

Yep, I also added a five second "Lair Save" timer in the game settings. It only happens once in a while for me, but it's really frustrating if you don't have the ball save option enabled in the settings.

#9058 1 year ago
Quoted from Jerickso77:

1 or 2 seconds are all you really need but it is a must.

Whoops. You're right and mine is set at 2 not 5. Five would be a bit overly generous and would probably give you a fair drain back.

#9079 1 year ago
Quoted from JakePG:

Has anybody ever turned the game on and it doesn't boot? Had to turn power off and then back on for it to start up.

Yep, this used to happen to me once in a while. Hasn't happened for months now either because of a code update or me switching out the crappy Stern SD card with a name brand one.

1 week later
#9121 1 year ago
Quoted from Driz1847:

I'm renting a turtles at the moment and have a couple issues and looking for suggestions.
Sometimes the van shot will award itself for no reason. Seems like a phantom switch activation, but is very annoying. In my video you can see this happen at the 6 minute mark. All three ball locks are awarded and multi-ball starts. Shortly after starting Turtle Power multi-ball, in the same video, at 8:18, you can see the game resets.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1523648421?t=00h05m55s

The Turtle Power Multiball crash bug is widely reported and Stern is aware of it. No resolution on that yet.

As for the Van lock, I would lift the playfield and check for any loose connections around the van area. I think I also saw you collect an April Hurry Up in there without shooting the right ramp (light A-P-R-I-L and then shoot the right ramp). Seems like that's another separate issue?

3 weeks later
#9183 1 year ago
Quoted from Cyb3rPunk:

Just brought a preowned TMNT Pro home this past weekend for a good deal. Cleaned, waxed, and ready to go - I love the fast and challenging shots on this table. I wish there were still some good mods available. If anyone knows where to get some or has some available let me know. Glad to be part of the TMNT pin club!

Scandell 's April mod is my favorite and imho one of best pinball mods ever created. There's a separate thread for requesting the download link.

3 weeks later
#9270 1 year ago
Quoted from System-J:

I'm having some intermittent problems with a coil firing too on my Pro. One of the 2 back posts. It's always held on too long periodically (from the right ramp) but I thought that was a software issue. But now I've had some random firing. It even fired off once with the game in attract. I did a switch test and didn't find anything. Need to wait for it to happen again to see if I can diagnose. Feels like it's a switch issue. Maybe just something adjusted too tight ...but I'm a newbie with new sterns.

This is happening to me as well. One time it fired in attract mode and sometimes very infrequently during gameplay - maybe it happens once an hour. It's the post at the back is popping up that's used to prevent the ball from going all the way around the orbit from the left when the center ramp is lit.

#9287 1 year ago
Quoted from mpdpvdpin:

Are you sure your balls aren’t magnetized? That really messed with my lock until I replaced with carbon non magnetizing balls.

This is what I’m thinking too. I just got another set of carbon replacements for mine since the balls have started sticking to the auto launch and sometimes not making it all the way up and around the launch ramp.

#9319 1 year ago
Quoted from kell:

Feel the same way - have an LE as well. Want to love it so bad, but I just can't get into it. I think I'm a decent player, but can't break 44M on this one. Some games I'm hitting shots only to look up and see that I haven't broken 3-4M yet. Maybe I just don't know the rules well enough to score well, but it's been the most frustrating pinball ownership experience for me and I like tough games.
Just got JP prem and it's gotten me back into loving playing again. It has that "one more game" vibe and I know if I hit my shots I can have a decent scoring game.
Any chance we will get a code update on TMNT, or is it viewed as done?

TMNT is my only pin, but I've played tons of others for many years (I'm an old) so take this with a grain of salt:
I totally understand this sentiment around scoring. If you're playing for points instead of progress, then this game can be an odd one.

When I drain my last ball, I know exactly how many episodes I finished. It's rare that I look at or care how many points I've scored.

2 weeks later
#9454 1 year ago
Quoted from System-J:

Thanks plasticbugs if you're still around. I've been meaning to try this since I got the machine and it worked amazing. The pizza disk is almost silent now.
I highly recommend it if anyone has a noisy pizza motor. It wasn't that hard either.
[quoted image]

I'm here! Yep, and since posting that I've had to oil my pizza spinner only once. That post came in quite handy when it was time for me to finally oil mine. Glad yours isn't grinding any more!

If you like quiet, you should also look into modding the fan in the backbox that sounds like a helicopter taking off. I created a 3D print for mounting a quiet Noctua fan to the top of your power supply. Mine is whisper quiet and the built-in internal fan never kicks on because air is constantly moving.
https://www.printables.com/model/155763-stern-pinball-machine-spike-2-fan-adapter-40mm-to-

fan_mod (resized).pngfan_mod (resized).png
#9455 1 year ago
Quoted from plasticbugs:

I'm here! Yep, and since posting that I've had to oil my pizza spinner only once. That post came in quite handy when it was time for me to finally oil mine. Glad yours isn't grinding any more!
If you like quiet, you should also look into modding the fan in the backbox that sounds like a helicopter taking off. I created a 3D print for mounting a quiet Noctua fan to the top of your power supply. Mine is whisper quiet and the built-in internal fan never kicks on because air is constantly moving.
https://www.printables.com/model/155763-stern-pinball-machine-spike-2-fan-adapter-40mm-to-[quoted image]

edit: and I'm happy to print you - or anyone else in this thread - a fan adapter in any color you'd like and send it to you for the cost of shipping (usually only 2 or 3 dollars if you're in the US).

#9456 1 year ago

Quote !== edit.... omg, I did it TWICE...

#9467 1 year ago
Quoted from NoSkills:

yep new code, NPP my favourite change! Thanks Dwight!
PRO V1.53 - SEPTEMBER 12, 2022
==============================
**** FIXED ****
- Fixed the Achievement "A Team of Heroes". It will now give the achievement
after completing 4 episodes using all four shots.
- Fixed the Achievement "Team April". It will now award correctly if you
complete an April Hurry-Up during the Team-Up wizard mode.
- Fixed The Cooperative Achievement "Team Work Silver". In a three or four
player cooperative game, if a player completes the 3rd consecutive Weapon
Hurry-Up they will now collect this achievement correctly.
**** TWEAKED ****
- Changed how many times you need to train to enable Neutrino Pizza Party from
three to one.
- Doubled all the scores from Episodes.
- Reduced how fast Ninja Pizza Frenzy growes per switch and reduced the cap
from 10K to 8K per switch.
**** MOVED TO SYSTEM 3.22 ****
Corrected potential game reset issue.

So what now exactly do we need to do to qualify NPP? I do not have IC, but I assume that doesn’t matter here still?

I want to keep the April mod, so I’m staying on 1.51 for now. But might do a second SD card with 1.53.

#9479 1 year ago
Quoted from shaub:

Complete one Training Level, I believe, is all it takes now.

Wow! I didn't expect it to be that easy. I'm excited to finally experience it! I'm hoping that Scandell can figure out a way to sneak those April animations into the latest updates.

#9510 1 year ago
Quoted from Collin:

daveyvandy has updated the 1987 Code for the Pro (and PRE/LE as well) now!
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tmnt-stern-the-1987-code

Does anyone know if the April mod can benefit from whatever the 1987 mod is doing to be compatible with newer TMNT releases or is the April code doing things differently from the 1987 code that's causing issues?

Edit: seems like the 1987 code has an error message (every time it boots, maybe?) and IC doesn't work? I don't have IC, so I don't care terribly much about that, but I'm not a huge fan of an error message every time the game boots.

#9512 1 year ago
Quoted from daveyvandy:

Working on removing the error message visual... Not much can be done with getting IC to work with it though.

That's great news! Thanks for the work you do. Hope you and Scandell can get your killer mods working 100% again on the new and future code updates.

#9518 1 year ago
Quoted from big-c66:

I’ve never had any problems with my tmnt n I’m on 1.52. Should I update to 1.53 Is it alot better on scoreing cause that’s my biggest complaint if not much different than I will leave it alone.

It makes the Neutrino Pizza Party actually attainable by mere mortals and doubles the episode scoring. I think it's worth the trouble of taking off the back glass and doing the quick update.

1 week later
#9565 1 year ago
Quoted from qbass187:

Hey guys,
Just got my TMNT last week and I'm having an issue with some weird behaviour.
It's happened a few times so it's not a fluke; when the game goes into TP multiball and is played for any length of time and all the balls are drained the game acts like there is still one ball in play even though there isn't. after a bit it goes into ballsearch and dumps out the 3 captive balls in the van and launches new balls into the van. I can play the balls that are dumped from the van but it continues to think there is 1 more ball than is actually there so every time all the balls drain the turn won't end (Because it thinks there's a ball stuck somewhere or still in play) and the whole thing starts again.
Has anyone else experienced this? I assume it's either a switch or an opto that isn't registering but I'm not sure where to start looking.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

This is sometimes a symptom of magnetized balls causing them to stick together in the trough and not registering. Could be an opto, but may be as simple as replacing the balls.

#9603 1 year ago

Today I got to Final Battle after two years of ownership - 98M as Raphael. It was also my GC. I also almost finished Team Up for the first time (didn't make the final shot). This was on three balls with lots of luck and the MOST generous settings enabled for extra balls and episode/MB ball save timers.

I have extra ball enabled after two episodes, for special, for some number of pizza slices, for 10M or 15M points I think, maybe more settings - it definitely lights or rewards EB from the pops once every few games. I had around 5 extra balls where I usually only get one or two per game, but I like that better than front-loading each game with 5 balls for some reason.

What a great game! So exciting and so rewarding once you dial in the shots.

#9685 1 year ago
Quoted from HighProtein:

I have soooooo many airballs these days on my heavy play TMNT on route......

If your problem is the targets near the dimension X ramp:
swinks sells a modified stand-up target brace with a slight 5 degree angle. Though I’ve found even those eventually begin airballing for me and need periodic adjustments to maintain the slight angle. A quick trip to the vice with a hammer and something to measure angles with will get it sorted. You want a very slight forward pitch on them so they’re angled down.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/GRBNG4DQK/stern-target-bracket-5deg2mm

#9691 1 year ago

I was at Target this weekend and spotted these ridiculous overpriced ($75 USD!!) NECA Neutrino figures. I have the NECA Krang Android on another mount I designed at the back of the machine. Even though they're bigger than I expected, once I started figuring out where to put them, they do fit pretty nicely near the ramp used to qualify their mode. There are three neutrinos in the box. I used two I liked best.

I created a 3d printed mount for their hoverboards so that they can be angled in any direction.

Link to the STL here if anyone is interested. The mount makes the washer under the screws unnecessary, so I've saved the washers in a small baggie and taped them inside the cabinet with a note. Gotta keep my machine complete.

The mounts can pretty much go anywhere that you can fit these little guys. Might be a reason to pick some up, as overpriced as they are! I can drop by my local Target for you - just cover the cost of the Neutrinos plus shipping, if you don't have any at your Target.

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#9698 1 year ago
Quoted from wisefwumyogwave:

Dude, that look crowded as hell. No offense but it looks terrible. Remove for a better looking TMNT pinball.

Yep! I agree. I took out one of them this morning. Left the other one in, though. I like him there for now. Might take him out eventually once I finish making a similar mount for my NECA mousers.

#9706 1 year ago
Quoted from gumnut01:

Think the one on the left looks great! That one doesn’t get in the way of anything. Nailed the angle.

Thanks for the kind words! That's the one I kept in there (for now at least!). I'm working on a mount to put a NECA mouser in somewhere. I'll probably put the mouser in the Neutrino's spot if I find the Neutrino distracting. He's not over the outer loop lane, so he's not obstructing the view at least.

#9709 1 year ago
Quoted from gumnut01:

It’s gotta feel right. Here’s my oversized addition to turtles….
[quoted image]
I am of course referring to the large Shredder in the top right corner.

Nice (shredder, not the cat)! I opted for the NECA Krang android at the back of my game. Honestly, it's the one mod I've made that I would be convinced came from the factory because it fits so well. The Neutrino, not so much. But I think one or two tastefully placed Mousers would be nice especially since they're so small and more iconic than the Neutrinos.

krang (resized).jpegkrang (resized).jpeg
#9713 1 year ago
Quoted from DNHansen:

I really like this addition. Thinking of doing this myself. Does the toy come apart like that or did you cut his bottom half off?

Yes! He comes apart at the waist so it works perfectly for this use. This was not my original idea btw. Another very creative person in this thread did this and then I designed and 3D printed his belt mount so he’s not sitting up there beltless and without some kind of restraint. He’s screwed down to the plastic at the back of the game and is secured in the belt mount by little nubs in the belt that match the indents on his upper body.

Here’s the link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4795931

If you do decide to do this and don’t have a 3D printer, I’m happy to print a yellow belt for you and send it off free of charge.

12
#9733 1 year ago

For folks wondering if this is a game worth owning, I can say that TMNT has made me a better and more patient player.

TMNT is my first and only owned pinball machine. I played for years in arcades as a kid in the 90s but I never considered my play decent and I never really learned any game's ruleset -- honestly not even sure I realized there was a ruleset. I was a flipper with questionable reflexes and lousy ball control.

This game will eat you alive if you do not practice solid ball control - live catches, trapping the ball, passing the ball between flippers, etc. I’m now getting into cradling multiple balls and handling cradle separation (needs improvement!). I still have much to learn but have improved as a player these last two years and I would think those skills translate to other games - Covid and two small children has made it hard to get out there and play games on location.

I can now get to Team Up mini wizard mode like one out of every four games. In the first year and a half of owning TMNT I only saw Team Up once during a lucky game. So just in the last 8 months or so I’ve focused on core skills and it has paid off immeasurably. Last week I got to Final Battle for the first time and it felt huge .

TMNT is tons of fun, rewarding, plus it’s a theme I’ll never get tired of. I'm enjoying tricking my game out with some tastefully placed NECA figures and am looking forward to my kids being old enough to enjoy it and we can use the multiplayer co-op mode (another huge selling point).

#9751 1 year ago
Quoted from DaddyManD:

Thanks. replaced my servo but still some weird behavior. when glider goes from left to right it works fine but when it goes right to left it doesnt go as far and not back to center. seems like a mechanical issue. i am working with Pablo at Stern support because its just beyond me now and super frustrating. are people’s Prem/LE gliders working consistently? for ball staging at end of modes etc? seems so unreliable right now.

My glider is a little pokey when stopping the ball on the left wireform after mode completion/skill shot etc. Sometimes it stops the ball and sometimes it's not fast enough to catch the ball, so the ball gets through and play continues without the intended brief pause in action.

Edit: I should also say that I do like the ability to move the glider to feed either the left or the right flipper at will depending on the next shot I want to make. I would miss it if it were removed.

#9755 1 year ago
Quoted from rockrand:

I just replaced my sevro with a high quality one ,swapped the wires and have had no other issues,love have the ability to change direction!

Which servo did you end up getting?

#9774 1 year ago
Quoted from ticktockman:

Any suggestions for settings that woild allow my kids progress farther (while still keeping the game at three balls)?

Each episode has easy, medium, hard as options in the game settings. Set those all on easy.

Also, make extra balls and replays (which you’ll turn into extra balls) very generous. I think there’s like five or six extra ball/replay settings - off the top of my head there’s:
- Number of pizza slices for EB can be set lower
- Qualify EB after starting “two” episodes
-Extra game/replay award at I think 10 or 15 mil points is the lowest point value you can set
- Then, set “replay awards extra ball”
- Special awards: “Extra ball” instead of points or replay
- there’s a setting for maximum extra balls allowed. Turn that off
- I think there’s a setting to make the pops award a Special more often. Not sure.
- there’s probably more that I’m not remembering

In a VERY good game, I can usually earn about four or five extra balls.

This does mean you won’t see the “Replay” technodrome animation anymore (accompanied by your knocker if you have one). Not a huge loss, but something to consider.

As others suggested, definitely crank up multiball, lair, episode and mode ball save timers to max.

#9782 1 year ago
Quoted from DaddyManD:

Team need some advice on shooter lane auto-launch on my LE. When game starts or I auto-launch from ball start it launches up the shooter lane right ramp fine. But during game play including MBs and especially when re-loading into the van, the balls don't make it all the way up the shooter lane ramp. I have increased auto-launch power to max and same issue. Seems almost like there is less power to the launch coil when the game is going. Any advice? Including PinMonk in case his holiness has any advice as he's always super helpful!
Thanks!

This may just be magnetized balls. Any time this starts happening to me, I switch out my balls with new ones and the problem is solved.

#9797 1 year ago
Quoted from konghusker:

So question on the premium diverter since it sounds like a problematic mech. If servo goes out, do you even need to replace it, or would it then just act like the pro stopper at that point without ability to change lanes?

If the servo stops working, you would have to manually center the glider and turn it off in the settings. It would no longer allow switching lanes or stopping the ball for events like skill shot or episode completed.

Game would still be very playable but you’d be missing one of the primary reasons for owning the premium instead of the pro.

#9798 1 year ago

I'm glad this is the only game I own or I'd just spend all day designing mounts for toys inside of games. Here's my NECA Mouser mount, designed to look like a small puddle of ooze that the Mouser has stepped in. https://www.printables.com/model/303034-neca-mouser-ooze-mount-for-stern-tmnt-pinball-mach

The NECA Mousers come 5 or 6ish (in various states of destruction) to a box, and I'll probably only be sticking one in my machine... maaaaybe two?

I made two different "splat" shapes for variation if you want to put two into your game.

I haven't yet decided where to put mine. I just threw a mouser in there in an obvious spot for the picture. I haven't yet printed the version that puts the screw in front of the mouser. I just uploaded all the versions on Printables.com this evening. If you do end up printing one and using it, let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement.

Of course, you'll need one or more NECA Mousers and a 3D printer.

If you don't have a 3D printer, I'm happy to print off a bunch of options for folks in whatever color you like. I have neon green and neon pink to match the ooze in the artwork.

Just message me here on Pinside and let me know what color (pink or green) and your mailing address. I'll send them free since it's really only some pennies to print and mail them. Just donate a few bucks to your favorite charity is all I ask.

IMG_8261 (resized).JPEGIMG_8261 (resized).JPEGIMG_8262 (resized).JPEGIMG_8262 (resized).JPEGIMG_8263 (resized).JPEGIMG_8263 (resized).JPEGIMG_8264 (resized).JPEGIMG_8264 (resized).JPEGIMG_8265 (resized).JPEGIMG_8265 (resized).JPEGIMG_8266 (resized).JPEGIMG_8266 (resized).JPEG

#9878 1 year ago
Quoted from hiker2099:

Well I did it. I learned how to paint and did a thing. Feels good to personalize my favorite pin. My wife picked out the paint. I still have to do the back legs and the T molding
[quoted image]

Nice! This looks professional. Is it powder coated?

#9881 1 year ago
Quoted from drinklime:

Spent a few weeks finding the right figures and touching them up, all the turtles and shredder line up with their inserts. The only problem is now I can't stop and want to add more
[quoted image]

The NECA TMNT line from the past couple of years closely matches the ZY artwork in the game. Not recommended if you’re looking to save any money, but I’ve had fun fitting them in where they make sense. When done right, you’d think the game shipped with them - my favorite is the Krang Android.

CFFCC768-FC42-4D9F-BA53-575DABC622CC (resized).jpegCFFCC768-FC42-4D9F-BA53-575DABC622CC (resized).jpegD1BE0A72-DB2E-4272-8EF5-CAB65738B2C9 (resized).jpegD1BE0A72-DB2E-4272-8EF5-CAB65738B2C9 (resized).jpeg
#9885 1 year ago

Nostalgia is a helluva drug.

Screen Shot 2022-11-01 at 9.36.43 AM (resized).pngScreen Shot 2022-11-01 at 9.36.43 AM (resized).pngScreen Shot 2022-11-01 at 9.37.04 AM (resized).pngScreen Shot 2022-11-01 at 9.37.04 AM (resized).png

Edit: the original toys are WAY off model these day - tbf they were way off model in 1989, but they're the ones we grew up with, and that counts for quite a bit.

#9886 1 year ago
Quoted from plasticbugs:

Nostalgia is a helluva drug.
[quoted image][quoted image]

quote != edit

#9917 1 year ago

Does anyone have suggestions for preventing wild airballs off the Dimension X target (right one is the culprit on my game)? I'm using the Swinks angled target bracket and have seen it lose its ability to prevent airballs slowly over the course of a few months. I took a hammer to it to bend it back to 5 degrees. That wasn't enough bending apparently, so I went to 6.5 degrees. Still at that angle, I'm still getting consistent airballs that jump the wireforms and drain directly into the left outlane. I'm almost tempted to bend it somewhere between 0 and 5 to see if there's a sweet spot there?

It's been very frustrating to deal with in a game that otherwise works perfectly. Anyone else have suggestions? I'm getting to the point where I might just replace the whole target and see if that shakes out the bad juju.

2 weeks later
#10066 1 year ago
Quoted from Thor_Odinson:

My TMNT Pro is an airball machine. It mostly happens when I brick my shots on the left ramp (which I do almost every attempt) and hit the dimension x targets. Does anybody else have issues with the balls flying in the air from the dimension x targets?
What I've done so far...
1) Turned down the power on my left and right flippers to 200.
2) Put 4 (2 on each side) anti airball wedges under the dimension x targets (https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1377-pinball-haven/05733-anti-airball-target-bracket-wedge)
The game already has a lot of dimples on it, probably from all the air the balls are getting. I'm new to pinball so any advice would be helpful?

I'm dealing with this too. I've replaced the target brackets with the ones from swinks . And it has made airballs less common, but after much abuse by being struck by a heavy metal ball, the bracket eventually gets bent back closer to 90 degrees.

The bracket angle can be adjusted with a vice and several whacks with a hammer. Ultimately it's a recurring issue requiring a bit of trial and error to get it to a point where the airballs are minimized... somewhere between a 5 and 7 degree bend seems to work best. But then the abuse (because I'm ALWAYS bricking that ramp shot) makes it bend back and the airballs get worse again.

So I can't say they're gone after I tweak the target, but they do get better for a couple months and then I have to get out the hammer again. Make sure you use something like a protractor to measure the angle of the bracket so you know you've not gone too far with the hammer.

tldr: get the swinks bracket. https://www.shapeways.com/product/GRBNG4DQK/stern-target-bracket-5deg2mm

edit: Seems like the wedges you're using should in theory work just like the angled swinks bracket, but I wonder if a 3D printed piece of plastic would also flex and compress a bit when hit and ultimately not be as effective as a stiff metal bracket?

I have played around with lowering the right side flipper's strength, which helped a little, but this made the game less fun because it made it impossible to backhand the right ramp. And since it didn't eliminate the airballs off that one dimension x target (the one on the right), I cranked it back up.

edit 2; Thinking out loud here, but I wonder if a thick rubber or dense foam face on the target might dampen the hit and prevent airballs by absorbing some of the impact? Clearly the little foam pad directly behind the target ain't cutting it.

2 months later
#10387 1 year ago
Quoted from Eskaybee:

New owner reporting in. I played turtles about 10 months ago and it impressed the heck out of me; even more so than GZ, AIQ, and Mando. Happy to finally be in the club and picked up a HUO premium with roughly 600 plays. It was an older model so no insider connect; in fact, the game was out of date by 5 updates lol.
I have a few initial questions:
1. Should I install insider connect: it sounds like it’s a must for this game?
2. How’s shaker integration? Must have? So far the game is so fast I could care less for a shaker.
3. If you hold the upper flipper up when the ball whips around, is it supposed to hit the pizza toppings target by design or no?
Initial impressions, this game is wild and crazy fun!

I don't have insider connect, but it does store your turtles' training levels so it would be nice to have all their perks from the start of the game to make scoring and progress a bit easier. I avoided it because it doesn't (yet!) play nice with Scandell 's April mod, so I've put off getting one - even after upgrading to the 1.54 code which removes the April mod, I still want that April mod back and will only get the insider connect if it causes 0 issues with the 1.54 April (and now Baxter!!) mod that is currently in the works.

April Mod link: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-april-o-neill-animation-mod-for-stern-s-tmnt-ninja-turtles-
NOT YET COMPATIBLE WITH 1.54, but seems to be very close - they're squashing a bug they discovered.

As for the shaker integration. It is awesome except for one complaint that the intensity for the Ninja Pizza Multiball is just way too much for inside of a home. It violently shakes the whole machine, loosens screws over time. I've adjusted my shaker weights to minimize this, but it's still super intense and even on the lowest shaker setting, it's still the same amount of shaking for that event. A while back, I did disable the shaker, but the feedback you get from hitting targets, completing modes, etc. is more than worth the pain of that one ridiculous sustained shaking even from the multiball. So I have turned "full" shaking back on and live with the earthquake the thing causes.

I don't usually hold that upper flipper up on my premium when the ball goes around, I'm usually flipping to hit that center ramp to more safely feed my flippers. If it hits the pizza target, I'm guessing that's a bit of a nice-to-have especially if you've qualified the Neutrino Pizza Party by training or you want to change the multiball toppings.

#10441 1 year ago
Quoted from dboeren:

What setting(s) do I need to adjust to make the light show a little less dazzling? There seem to be multiple brightness related config options.
It's a cool show, I just don't want to lose track of the ball due to being blinded

This happens to me when I get the April Hurry Up. I'm guessing you would need something like a frosted flasher cover? Pinsiders in another thread are recommending covering it up with a cut out part of a milk jug. :shrug:

3 weeks later
#10553 1 year ago
Quoted from Habermania:

- my 2020 playfield sadness.
So I bought a initial run Pro where the artwork was not pulled back from the metal posts/rails and I had a number of spots where there where bad clearcoat issues. I opened a support case in 2020. They agreed there was an issue and marked that I would receive a unpopulated playfield.
I messaged them every 3 to 6 months about a status update. Unfortunately, my ticket got lost in the mix with the loss of one of their support staff, and then, after reactivating the case,
I have continued the status checks.
It’s 2023 and TMNT is off the line. I guess I’m SOL ? What day you?

I think there's more than one person in this thread who had a bad print job on their playfield, requested a new one and then never actually installed the thing, so it's sitting in a box somewhere. Maybe you could buy one off of one of them. Sucks to actually have to spend money to fix something Stern should have taken care of free of charge, though.

1 week later
#10610 1 year ago
Quoted from Eskaybee:

I’ve found a lot of posts in this thread regarding the auto plunger failing (getting weak), but haven’t been able to find any real resolution. I’m starting to see this on my TMNT more often now that I’m 4-6 weeks into ownership.
What I’ve found in this thread is that the culprit could be either:
• magnetized balls (I use titans which never had a problem in the past with, but will try swapping them out this weekend if I have others).
Or
• replace auto plunger coil with an upgraded coil.
Looking for owner experience and thoughts. Thanks!

I've been told to take a slow-motion video of the launch with your mobile phone to see if it's an issue with the ball hitting the sides during launch. Some have said it's because the plunger rubber needs to stick out more? For me, every time it begins to happen, I replace all of my balls and it resolves itself. I also use Titan's standard balls. They magnetize usually after about 6 months or so for me.

fwiw, if magnetism is the issue, cranking the launch power to max does nothing to make it better. Once you fix the issue, you should dial back the launch power to where you had it previously.

1 month later
#10819 10 months ago
Quoted from fstfish66:

Can anyone tell me where to get a mod I seen for TMNT ,pizza factory or oven,goes in far right back corner,wife seen it on a game in the wild needs to have it , thanks in advance

Someone’s working on a pro mod with a pizza shop that legit looks like a pizza shop right where the ball lock is. It’s a bunch of pages back. I’d hold out for that one instead. Looks like it actually belongs in the game and is in the pizza shop location too. I’d buy one in a heartbeat if I didn’t have a Premium.

Edit: found it! https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/wolffcub-s-tmnt-pizza-shop-and-channel-6-building#post-7482279

2 weeks later
#10843 10 months ago
Quoted from gunstarhero:

Hi folks! Just picked up a Turtles Premium from a local pin bro! Pretty stoked!
Anyone know where I can get either the code with the Pretty April or the Cartoon code?

The April code is linked at the bottom of this post.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-april-o-neill-animation-mod-for-stern-s-tmnt-ninja-turtles-#post-6687218

You want the 1_54_5 version. Not the one with 6 in the title. Make sure you download the premium/le version.

#10854 9 months ago
Quoted from pixelpete:

1 roll from Amazon (link in my post with pic) is enough for the 2 rails and lock bar. I had enough left over to do a test on 1 leg. Note, vinyl can stretch alot, and works best on convex surfaces, like if you are wrapping the outside of an egg, but concave surfaces (inside of an egg) can have trouble sometime. Like on the left, the vinyl stuck pretty well, ,but there are parts that did not stick down, wherever there is a "valley". Rails and lock bar work great! Be sure to remove the button on the lock bar when wrapping and cut "pizza slice" cuts (no TMNT pun intended) where the vinyl covers the action button hole so the button can be re-installed.

You can also use a hair dryer or heat gun sparingly while applying the vinyl to get it to form itself to odd shapes & convex areas. A word of warning from someone who has applied and removed vinyl for vehicle wraps: Once the vinyl has aged quite a bit (a few years down the line) it becomes brittle when stress is applied to it -- like stress from pulling it off. Removing the vinyl will be unbelievably frustrating. The vinyl will not come off as easily as it went on. Once it's on, you should consider it permanent for your sanity.

3 weeks later
#10912 9 months ago
Quoted from Domes:

My diverter / glider recently crapped out. The issue is the servo motor so just waiting for the new one to arrive. Are there any good step by step or visuals that are out there to ensure I don't screw up the replacement? I'm a little hazy on what to do with the wires that connect to the servo. I will be taking pictures and documenting along the way. Thanks all[quoted image]

Are you getting the replacement from Stern or are you ordering the suggested replacement from a while back in the thread? https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-club2020-cowabunga-its-pizza-time/page/88#post-5933171

Either way, most of the steps are documented in the post above - don't reverse the polarity on your servo if you're using a Stern replacement.

1 week later
#10951 8 months ago
Quoted from Domes:

I took it apart again. Attempted to do the tests with the glass off and the pieces moving freely. If it is a stern junk motor then I cannot tell. It appears to be moving in both directions and after I put it back together it did work again. Is there a way to play without the glider on a premium? I am not sure if I can simply unplug it and just have it be decoration or there were be an overcurrent alert or warning tripped by the computer.

You can disconnect and set it to one side or the other and play but the game will obviously not stop the ball with the glider for events. And the other issue you’ll have is that the final battle mode stops the ball with the glider during an event and deactivates the flippers so you will 100% drain on final battle of you make it that far.

It sounds like you may need to recenter that junky Stern servo. Consider upgrading to the better one linked a few posts above after you disconnect your glider. I have the original stern one and it’s definitely not aging well. It’s slowing down and sometimes not fast enough to catch the ball during events.

#10978 8 months ago
Quoted from DBHashman93:

Hey all, I thought I saw reference to this in the past but cannot find it in the key post list. Anybody have a fix for airballs coming off the target to the right of the left ramp? This has been getting progressively worse, with balls flying into the rail, up and over into the right outlane, etc. the pizza is flush with the playfield, so I don’t think balls are getting air heading into the target. Seems more like the target has bent back. Any ideas for a fix are welcome!

There is a bracket from swinks on Shapeways that temporarily fixes this. On my game, repeated hits eventually bend the swinks bracket back.

You’ll need to either stick it in a vice as I do, using hammer taps and measuring with a protractor to get the thing back into leaning forward by 5 or 6 degrees. Or you’ll have to just buy a new swinks bracket and treat them as a somewhat pricey consumable.

Even after the swinks bracket, I still have the occasional air ball, but it is less frequent.

Link to swinks bracket https://www.shapeways.com/product/GRBNG4DQK/stern-pinball-target-bracket-5deg2mm

The material is mostly irrelevant, so I go with the cheapest version which I think is $35 currently.

1 month later
#11136 6 months ago
Quoted from Thor_Odinson:

Any modders that you guys know of that could take this mini TMNT arcade that runs on battery and mod it so that it runs off of the pinball machine? I think it would look cool in the game if it was always running.
[quoted image]

That is super cool! This mini arcade is up for preorder at BigBadToystore. Though at nearly 18 inches (and the price is a bit eye watering!), I don’t think it would fit anywhere on the playfield. Might be a good topper option though?

IMG_1525 (resized).jpegIMG_1525 (resized).jpeg
3 months later
#11489 3 months ago

cabal Can you use https://www.dafont.com/turtles.font?text=TURTLE+SAVED&psize=l

Of course Stern's just using the most obvious free Turtle font.

Ah, I assumed the text was baked into the animation? But they're actually using a font file in the game and generating the text?

#11490 3 months ago

As for why they didn't use the TMNT font in the game, this explains it better than I could:
https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/91624

"consider the Coca Cola word-mark. Would Coca Cola write body text in that style? No."

It's likely the designers avoided doing that for this reason. I would bet you won't see that "Turtle" font anywhere on any officially licensed products. You'd only see it in the TMNT logo.

#11492 3 months ago

Personally, I really like the comic-book style font they used for things like "EXTRA BALL" and "TURTLE SAVED". Are you able to keep it as is? With the added benefit of it matching the rest of the text in the game.

... This one

IMG_1797 (resized).jpgIMG_1797 (resized).jpg
#11498 3 months ago
Quoted from Jblock22:

Hey guys! So, first pinball machine and still learning things, and also have had my turtles for about 3 weeks now. Can't be 100% sure when this started but just started noticing it a couple days ago. Probably put about 150 games on it so far.
For pre-context it's a Turtles Premium with approximated 550 plays on it (bought it with 400 plays).
**** The issue I've noticed, and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this, is that the auto plunger mechanism seems to lose power after the first or second ball launch. Using the regular plunger makes its way around the loop just fine, but after the first or second auto plunge it majorly loses steam and balls either exit through the ramp exit or even that lower exit halfway up the shooter lane, about 80+% of the time.
Ball saves are effected but less of an issue. Where you really notice and see this is multiballs when it's constantly loading and launching balls and almost none of them are making it around the upper loop over to that top-left flipper.
This was not an issue when I first got it a few weeks ago. I can't be 100% on when it started but it MAY be linked to when I propped the machine up on a stool to remove the front leg to put a drink cup holder on it. I didn't recheck level afterwards since I figured it wouldn't need a full relevel after just attaching a drink holder and setting it back down but I do plan on doing that when I get a minute.
A little internet sleuthing lead me to threads of people complaining about this issue with modern sterns and about 50 possible solutions from velcro to shims to leveling to coils to... so I thought I'd pop in here and see if this is something else TMNT owners in specificity have had an issue with that perhaps is more common with this machine that could lead me in the right direction so I don't have to test 100 different solutions.
FYI: I don't have a shooter lane protector in the machine but it's on order for christmas since I can see the shooter lane is already getting chewed up (ball eject strength turned as long as I can for now).
Thanks Turtle crew!

Replace the balls. I would bet they’re magnetized from the pizza spinner. If they’re not new balls, then that’s almost certainly the issue. If not, take a slow motion video of the shooter lane to see if the balls are either not being struck on center or something is causing them to rattle from side to side in the lane. But I bet it’s the balls.

#11502 3 months ago
Quoted from Jblock22:

Makes sense, I've heard about that with games with magnets. The guy I bought the machine from said he had just put 8 new balls in the machine before the sale... do you think it likely for them to get magnetized within 150 or so games? Also, if it's magnetization why would the auto launcher seemingly work well for the first 1 or 2 plunges and then not afterwards?
But regardless it sounds like a worthwhile purchase as even if it's not it, it will probably be something I need in the future. Thanks!
EDIT: Also, do you think something smaller such as https://www.amazon.com/Screwdriver-Mechanical-Electrical-Demagnetise-Demagnetizer/dp/B07H9YC4DJ/ref=sr_1_2 would do the trick or do I need something bigger like the one you linked?

For me around 200 games is about when I started noticing the balls not making it around once in a while. Then it just gradually gets worse to the point where multiple balls will back up in the shooter lane.

EDIT: It's probably more about how often you are getting TPMB and less about number of plays. So, if you're not getting that multiball mode very often, then it's less an issue which is a perk for not starting that mode. Play for just raising your training levels, Neutrino multiball and glider points (avoid the pizza parlor) and you can extend the life of your eight expensive metal balls!

1 month later
#11717 55 days ago
Quoted from Jblock22:

Haven't had much time to play lately due to family stuff but doesn't stop me from lurking, hahah.
Question: Can anyone shed any light on the tilt debounce setting in the adjustments menu? I know tilt debounce is how much time can go between subsequent tilt warnings, but I dont understand the numeric value the machine is set at. Factory tilt debounce is set at "1000". Does making the number higher equate to long time between warnings? Or shorter? Vice versa?
As it is I have my tilt bobber set about as low as it can go and sometimes with a decent rattle i'll get 2 tilt warnings in a row... I'd like to make that so that I only get one and then get a few seconds before it gives me another... any thoughts on where I should set that number to achieve that?

The debounce setting is the number of milliseconds that the sensor will wait before triggering another tilt warning. After that time passes, the tilt bob is able to trigger another warning. Stern recommends 750ms for tournaments. I guess 1000 is factory default. If you want more time to let the tilt bob settle, increase the number value for that setting.

#11720 55 days ago
Quoted from Thunderbird:

Glad to know this, as I too have always wondered about that. So if I increase the debounce setting to 2,000, it will allow my tilt bob double time to settle down before it does it again?

Exactly what you said. If a tilt warning is triggered, the game starts a timer and will not trigger another tilt until that timer finishes. They're using milliseconds, so 1000 would be 1 second, 2000 is 2 seconds, etc.

It's interesting that they use the term "debounce", which is a programming term for a function that waits a set time before it will call some other internal function. Seems like a more user friendly menu name for this would be better.

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