Check post 1871 and 1885. The switches from Stern ST are better than the "Y" switch. Mine has been working flawlessly in the Gimli hole for a long time.

your ball is getting hung on a switch that's right there if you tilt playfield all the way up you will see what switch I'm talking about.

Good to know. I should be all set now but hopefully this helps someone else

Okay, so trying again. I can't close out Destroy the Ring. Switches 47 and 48 work. spinner switch works. Magnet just doesn't work I guess, but it never lets me close it out. Any help would be nice. In STL and need an onsite guy I guess.

Are you sure switch 48 is working when you roll a ball through it?
It is really finicky. Test with a ball and playfield down. The only time this switch is used is for “destroy the ring”

This exactly. Switch 48 is what triggers DTR. Put the playfield down and roll a ball through and make sure it registers.

48 appears to be working!! could be magnet fuse or coil I suppose. the testing all shows it works...I would pay good $ in STL to just diagnose and fix.

Have you tried playing through DTR with the glass off to see if you can get it to go with good placement of the ball?

Like I said a week ago, set DTR to one ball until you can get it fixed. Without the magnet you can't destroy it without the magnet functioning.

I've done both of those. I guess I'm just confused.

Does the magnet work during normal play? It is used alot during normal play. It turns on and holds balls at the start of the individual modes. Very common to have the magnet fuse blow.

Thanks! It has not for a long time. Fuses being delivered Friday! Hopefully they helps.

Thanks to everyone!!!

Morhaus

Check the spinner, it activates the maginet. I was getting inconsistent magnet activations so I adjusted the wire form. Check the spinner switch for continuity.

Also my switch in back needed to be adjusted to register DTR. checked by manually passing a ball through.

Make sure you have the current rom chip as well. I think there is a corrections to the magnet hold during DTR.

Mine didn’t register DTR for a long time, until I troubleshooted it. It is satisfying to see the light show when you do.

Good luck!

Thanks, I don't know what a Rom chip is, but I'll figure that out too.

Software version.

Standard adjustments 45 - set quick boot 'off', and you can see the software version displayed on the DMD when you start up the pin.

It's most recent software. I've tried everything mentioned. Set to 1, switches all work, fuse is good, set to 1 ball for DTR, but it still keeps going ring hit after ring hit after I close the 4 shots needed to hit the last shot. Completely confused and frustrated. And no one in STL can fix it.

After the 4 shots, it should be 2 shots to the ring to destroy it.

You mentioned you changed the magnet fuse. Is the magnet working? When you start the game, the mode start light is lit, so when you the ring, the magnet should grab it while the mode start animation plays.

Got my best dtr time the other day.

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The magnet does not appear to be working, but I can't figure out why.

Is the spinner working??? It must work for the magnet to actuate.

I think it's working. It registers spinner ring points...

OK, does the opto switch in the ring itself work? If you go into the switch test in the service menu under Diagnostics, Switch Menu, then Switch test, when you stick your finger thru the ring itself does switch 47 go off??

Switch47 (resized).jpeg

switch works! I did find tonight that the 50V light is NOT on.....so fuse??

Check F20 on the Power Driver board, rated 4A SB. Specific fuse for the magnet only. If I remember right Stern did later recommend to upping this to a 5A SB.

Have a set being delivered Tuesday!! Wish I could find locally!!

Some Autoparts stores may have some.

Morhaus
Radio Shack has a great selection of low aperage fuses. I had to get some for my Stargate. The auto part stores didn’t have anything in the right range in my area.

edit: spelling

I’ve found a lot of fuses I needed in a pinch at the local mom & pop hardware store. HD doesn’t have jack

In my area I found low amperage fuses at ace hardware for very cheap

All fixed!!! It got the MDL fuses at Menards. Home depot and Lowe's didn't have!! Replaced the 4AMP with a 5AMP, and it's all good!! Of course, two chances at DTR and I drained before I got a chance, but the magnet is working!!

thank you to all!!! Novice fixer....but every little step is fun!!!

Has anyone experienced and fixed an issue in their game where the ring return wireform pops out of the sword ramp? I'm thinking about getting one of if those lock washers with the teeth that only allow movement one direction. The right bit pops out of the hole and wont let the balls freely roll down the sword

20171224_110945 (resized).jpg

You can adjust it at the other end of the wire form - maybe it’s binding on something on the other end

You are missing two small rubber rings to hold it in place, I believe they are 7/16" outer diameter rings. One per rail:

IMG_5851 (resized).JPG

Nice, thanks. The rubber should do it unless I get an airball that hits it.

Should be fine, they came from the factory that way. Yours was probably forgotten about after a shop job:

Wire Ramp Rubber (resized).jpeg

Tried to replace the fork switches with the Star Trek pro switches for durability. It was previously mentioned in this thread. They didn't work for me. The ST switches we're to short. I tried to stretch them out and it worked for a minute, but was inconsistent. I'll need to buy fork switches and abandon the ST.

When I used the ST switches they looked slightly long. Post 1657 has a picture of my switch. I bent it down a little bit to keep it away from the plunger. Has been working for a long time now. Sorry it did not work for you.

No problem, I think it could have worked if I straightened out the first bend before installing. I tried to straighten it after i already installed it and it snapped. So I'm just going to buy a fork switch.
I am happy that you documented this as an option, because I believe the fork switches are going to be discontinued. Hopefully they come out with a stronger replacement fork switch and not leave everyone hanging.

I also was able to use the Star Trek switch. A bit of trial and error. I ended up straightening the bent end out and used a cutoff wheel to get it to the right size. It’s 100% now. Hopefully forever.

I removed the whole assembly to put in the switch. It lined up perfect without cutting. Your bracket holes may be in different spots putting the switch back away from the vuk.

I think I have 4 Y switches that I will never use.

Funny, I just bought 4 yesterday.

I'm powder coating my LOTR tomorrow. I'm debating on the color shiny brass vs. red. Maybe a shiny brass with red in it. I haven't seen a red one yet. Does anyone have a pic? Other suggestions?

I got around to installing these this afternoon....

Verdict: Perfect! Just the right amount of strength, does not overpower the flippers as other suggested LOTR coils will do. Best of all was when I got to Destroy the Ring there was no noticeable loss in power like you have with the factory stock coil. Seriously a must have for any LOTR owner!

Thank you for posting this. I previously had the “upgraded” (read: more powerful) coils, and every time I flipped, the ball would rocket around the playfield!! The game came
With a plethora of broken plastics.. now I know why.

The APB coils are indeed perfect - they are smooth and just the right about of power. Fully FULLY recommend them. And it’s not even like they are expensive! You can make it to destroy the ring, and you minimise broken plastics. What’s not to love?

I changed the shire Y switch which was working 80% of the time with the pinball life ST one and it works perfectly now. I had to bend the tip though so it just clears the tip of the plunger home without touching the plunger. It’s straightforward.

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Nice work. My Shire Y has never been an issue but the Gimli was terrible. After replacing with 3 different Ys I finally used the ST. Been working ever since.

I feel like my journey has come to to an end, but LOTR is my wife's favorite pin in my collection. Maybe my fondness for the game will return in time. But now just feels like a chore to play.

Eh, you just need to not play it for a while. Then when you go back it is good again. OR make challenges for yourself, start x mode or only shoot y, etc. Spices things up.

This happened to me with GB...I went back the other day after about 5-6weeks of not playing it...jesus...loved it so much.

You would regret letting it go. Play the others. I usually play all my B/W pins and not the Stern and DE for a while. LOTR is still my favorite. I have more fun when I do get back to it.