My left flipper buzzes or hums when I hold it. Sounds like could be the coil. Any cause for concern?

You most likely need a new coil stop.

Check to see if the coil stop needs replacement and/or tighten flipper plate all the way around. You can also use rubber o-rings between the flipper plate and playfield to dampen the sound. It doesn't hurt anything, it's just annoying.

Just replaced the stop and sleeve. Ok as long as it's not gonna fry something.

Before or after the buzzing started?

Make sure the coil stop is holding the coil very secure.

I just went through this. As they said, make sure coil stop is tight, but also make sure the flipper is all the way down towards the playfield when you tighten. When I would try to tighten my stops, my flippers would tend to end up a little bit high and I still got the noise.

Ok thanks

Granted I think you still want about a credit card's width of vertical play re: being able to pull the flipper up.

Naptha and patience.

I can try that for the dirty wood, thanks!

I’m assuming canned air is probably the method of choice for mylar removal? Was trying to search around to see how removal had gone on comparable Whitestar machines and didn’t find much (did see on a Mustang thread there was thought that the way the mylar was applied from the factory might make it difficult to remove). So, figured I’d post and see if anyone had done their LOTR and how it went.

Yes all the way down in my case they aren’t and certainly shouldn’t touch the playfield.

Add a spring washer from marco.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/269-5002-00

Ok LOTR friends. I goofed and broke a prong on my (White Star) sound board trying to install Pinsound. It’s the microprocessor at U209. Are these available anywhere, or do I need a skilled person to repair it? The chip refused to come out after 19 years in place, and I bent a few prongs. After straightening they wouldn’t cooperate, and one got brittle and broke off. Ugh. No sound for me for awhile.

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Do you have a pic of the front with the part number? Is it 6809EP. There's some used ones on ebay.

EBAY has them.

ebay.com link: itm

The only thing to be wary of is fakes. Chip fakes are a thing on ebay. But that seller's feedback is 100% on over 1000 sales, so I think it's safe. Bonus is he's in your neck of the woods, so maybe 1-2 day shipping!

Thanks guys! I did order that one just in case, but after about 12 tries, I think I successfully soldered the prong back on. Fingers crossed I don’t fry the sound board. But I have hope. Here is the chip I think I fixed.

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PinSound is rockin on my LOTR! Now I just need my soldered prong to stay intact on that chip!

If you don't have to pull it again, it may last a very long time.

If you do have to pull it, hopefully the prong pulls out too!

That prong was a bit longer when soldered on, so it’s only about halfway plugged into the socket. Even if it snapped off, I could grab it with some needle nose pliers. I have a couple backup chips ordered, just in case.

Which Pinsound file for LOTR do most people feel is THE alternate package to have? How do I know which one it is? Thanks!

My ring is not working properly. It seems to hold the ball for a second and then releases. It did not register when I went to destroy ring. The ball went through three times and nothing happened. The spinner switch is working. The opto transmitter is lit (red). I replaced the opto receiver and the opto board. The fuse is good. Looking at the ring magnet test, opto switch 47 is solid.

Does the opto trigger in switch test mode when you interrupt it with your finger?

No.

Then that's where your problem is - the optos or the opto board they plug into.

While in switch test mode, try adjusting the alignment of the optos - they may just be shooting or receiving past each other so they can't make a beam. Does the switch test graphic have a solid square where that opto is on the switch test mode map (post a pic if you're not sure and I can look at it)? If so that means the opto is constantly triggered - beam "broken" which indicates misaligned optos, bad optos, or bad opto board. Start by checking alignment.

If you're in switch test mode and live-aligning the opto and can make it trigger while moving it, then it's likely just an alignment issue.

The opto board and opto receiver are new. I will do some testing now. Thanks.

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Go to the switch test mode, not magnet test. Take a picture of that screen.

Also, while in switch test mode, spin the spinner at the bottom of the ramp and note if the switch on the map registers a square on and off while it spins. If that switch isn't registering, it won't turn the magnet on (I don't believe, it's been a while...). That one may be as simple as bending the switch blade so it triggers the switch more reliably as the spinner turns.

The transmitter opto is always red. There is no way to change the alignment. I took out the receiver and moved it around. No change.
The spinner switch is working. The switch after the magnet is also working.

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So your 47 opto is not registering - it's stuck in beam broken. Let's see a nice pic of the opto board with the power on. When you changed the board, are you sure you didn't plug in the optos (send/receive) backwards into the board?
LOTR_SW_47 (resized).jpg

Also, take the fuse out at F20 and test it with a multimeter (don't do this while in the machine and powered on - turn it off, remove fuse, test). That's the ring magnet. Make sure it's 4A. Early ones were 3A and Stern changed the requirement to 4A later in the runs.

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I pluged them in the same as before. The receiver is marked on the board.

Can you do that board with the machine powered on and the door closed to make sure the LED at L1 is lit?

I guess I skipped over the part where I ask if you have a multimeter. Do you have a multimeter?

It is not lit with the door closed. Should it be red? I have a meter.

Close the coin door and do the switch test again with the switch test screen and interrupting with your finger. See if it changes.

Just be aware that with the coin door closed all the coils are live.

No change when interrupting.

Picture of board with door closed.

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There's a problem at the board, or maybe the photo lighting is too bright. The LED at L1 (by the big connector) should be brightly lit and then go dim when the switch is triggered. It's not lit at all it doesn't look like. Is that the case IRL?

It is not lit. The board is new today.

I have the original board.

I'm trying to find the power schematic for that board to make sure that large connector actually is powering the board or if the problem is before that board with the power. Is there any indicator printed on the circuit board on the other side of the connector not visible in the picture to indicate what the 4 pins are (12v, gnd, etc)?

I put the old board in and now it works! New board from Marco does not work.

I think the opto receiver was the only thing that needed to be replaced.

There you go then!

Double check your magnet fuse at F20 on the board in the backbox is good (continuity out of the machine, check with multimeter in continuity mode) and that it's 4A then play on!

Thanks for all your help! Sometimes I make things more complicated than they should be.

We've all been there at some point. It's why it's best to replace one component at a time, then test, simplest component to most complicated until you get the thing you're trying to address fixed. Doing multiple at once causes outcomes like this that just confusify when one of them turns out to be a problem in itself.

Enjoy the game!

LOTR is still my favorite. I am happy it is 100% again. Thanks again!

if I understand correctly you replaced your opto card and it does not work, when I see the reference of your opto card, it ends with 01 whereas on lord it must end with 00, the card you have is generally assigned at Ripley's bilive it or not.
one of the opto connectors is reversed between anode and cathode, either unsolder and invert the wires of the corresponding opto LED, or remove and return the plastic key to the opto card so that the tab is the other way round, it is the two-pin connector J2 which is concerned.

yes absolutely, I had this problem when I had to replace a defective card, I also have customers who had this problem with my fire ring mod, I did not see any sales site offering the card origin of the standard lord or even the gold version.
these two cards are also different with the direction of the two connectors

Thanks for the update. I noticed the reversed tab when I put the original board in. Would reversing the opto plug on the board work? Shouldn't the L1 light be on all the time?

Thanks to PinMonk, we got it working. Marco listed the board as the right part.

I ordered opto and board to be ready if either were needed. Only the receiver opto was not working.

in principle yes, but reverse the plastic of the connector otherwise you will break the tab and it will be badly connected.
I can't, there is no risk of damaging the card if you mishandle these peyit connectors

sellers are not experts in everything they sell.

Thanks for the info.

As stated earlier, we've all been there. I have learned the hard way to do only one mod at a time when I am making several changes, then test to make sure it's working, before moving on to the next.

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