Lord of the Rings
Stern, 2003
Lord of the Rings Limited Edition
Stern, 2009You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider stoptap.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Hey chaps.
Could some kind soul please supply me with a hi-res scan (or high quality photo) of the area below the Shoot Again insert (below the flippers) ?
I have just bought a very nice LOTR but as it is a UK model it has the frickin' stupid 'skill' posts installed. I would like to remove the bottom one and make a better fitting plug with a decal to cover it.
Quoted from markmon:I think the user controlled posts are cool. If you're not going to use them maybe just disable the coil function in the menus or remove the power from the coil but leave them in case someone decides it might be cool to use them at a later date.
They are horrible. They are despised here in the UK. I will make any alterations reversible if a future owner wants to put them back in.
Quoted from Gorgar123:That looks fantastic. What strip did you use and how/where did you mount it?
I had to make a bracket because the light bleed up the left hand side of the POTD was horrible. I used RGB LED strip that you can cut with scissors every 3rd LED.
I will take a photo later of it with the POTD removed.
Quoted from Gorgar123:Thanks so much for the description and the photos. It looks great and I wish I had the skills to make a bracket like that. Did you make it from scratch or modify one you had lying around?
Also, is it tied into the GI so it is on all the time or is it only on when the POTD is active?
Thanks.
It's a really soft, thin metal sheet. It actually came out of an iPad case that was falling apart. I had to cut a couple of slots out where it mounts under the two hex posts. It was pretty easy to bend into shape.
I took the 12v from a spare connecter on the right hand side of the cab (near where the loom is for the coin mech). At the moment the LEDs mimic the GI but I may get them to turn on via a relay only when ball is on the Path Of The Dead.
I fiddled with the spinner today. I put a couple of small washers behind the switch to move it away from the bend in the spinner actuator a tad. I then bent the switch leaf so that the switch actuated with the minimum possible pressure. Finally I put a tiny drop of very light sewing machine oil on each pivot point of the spinner.
The difference is amazing. The spinner spins for ages after the ball is shot through it and the Ring shot is now a lot easier to hit.
Quoted from bonanza:I added a color DMD to my machine last night. It was a quick install, great instructions, easy mod for the mechanically challenged. I'd recommend it for anyone considering it.
I added one to mine. This game really demands one doesn't it ?
Quoted from lb1:530-5332-03 for left and right sides.
530-5012-02 for the rear one.
Better double check with pics and manual.
Thank you so much. I had it down to a couple of possibilities and you have sorted that out for me. Smashing.
Quoted from fathom:I've had mine for 6 months and really enjoy it. I just played a few games and wondered that before each new ball the display say "U K skill shot".
Is that normal and does it reference the UPPER KICKER? (not sure what that would be) or the country?
Disable the UK Skill post in the menus.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lotr-what-is-uk-skill-only-pinball
Quoted from multibrawlr:On mine the wood looks like it's doing that in the back a little, though you can't really see it from the player's perspective and the target blocks it anyway, so it doesn't bother me. I'll be sure to get the splint, though. No problem.
Anybody have Cliffy protectors installed on their LOTR? I bought them but I haven't installed them yet. My machine's a HUO and I try to clean and wax the playfield frequently. I did put a plastic protector from Pinbits on the Gimli saucer and the Shire VUK area.
They really do seem to be a pain to install -- at least for me because I haven't removed much off my playfield before (only unscrewed the ramp and the plastic shield above the left outlane to install the Arwen protector.
I have just taken the Cliffy out of my Orthanc Tower hole. Far too many rejected shots.
Quoted from multibrawlr:My thoughts are that some Cliffys are an absolute must on scoops with a lot of activity like AFM, RBION, XMEN and Tron. Lot of wear can easily build up on these particular ones.
But my LOTR hasn't seen really any wear yet, despite owning it for a few years now. Not a big fan of the metal protector covering a little bit of the artwork but they are effective, that's for sure, if not causing more rejected shots.
I agree. I would say that the clear plastic for the Sam hole is a must though.
Quoted from Buzz:Yes it is a slight magnetism of the balls. Thank you very much. Anybody know where to get some that won't magnatize?
Buy some new ones as listed above but in the meanwhile you could try dropping the balls onto a smooth concrete surface. I have never tried this but some say it works. Alternatively find a local engineering shop and ask them to demagnetise them for you.
Quoted from scottslash:Any ball drop into the left tower will VUK the ball into the POTD.
Also, the right return lane will "light the POTD." Meaning, the left orbit shot will get diverted into the tower and hence the POTD.
Does the right return lane light the POTD for a short period or does it stay lit until you shoot the left orbit ?
I installed the diverter in my LOTR but took it out. It inhibits how the game is supposed to play. I have since installed and Arwen plastic protector, a thick Shire decal and a Shire protector. That will do quite nicely for home use.
Just about the best mod you can install around the Shire is the brass rail guide mentioned earlier in this thread and made by ryan1234. It gets rid of the awful 'plastic shelf' and really tidies up the look of the game around the left inlane/outlane area.
Quoted from EricHadley:I had my best ever game on LOTR today! Got to There and Back again! 185,000,000 Grand Champion
Good play. I haven't had my LOTR long and really struggle with playing to a settled strategy. There is just so much to shoot for I end up getting side tracked and inevitably lose balls. I've had TSPP the same amount of time and that is exactly the same. I really need to knuckle down and put some hours on each one.
Quoted from paynemic:What settings? This seems interesting!
Sorry about the delay.
You can change the settings that finely control the flipper timings.
http://www.sternpinball.com/upload/downloads/sb151.pdf
There are a few topics about LOTR flippers on Pinside. It has been well covered.
Quoted from paynemic:Yeah. Sounds like that is what I did. So, I thought I would do some really clever troubleshooting and take the wires from my left flipper and put them on the known working flipper. Rule some things out. Nope. They wouldn't fire the right flipper coil either. Then I put it all back.
Now neither flipper works. I suck. I suck bad. I just wanna play lotr!! So , what kind of board repair am I talking about?
It sounds like you need the kind of repair when somebody else does it for you. 
Quoted from paynemic:Yeah. Possibly. But I'm sick of being afraid of these type repairs. I've desoldered and socketed boards. I think I can get this done. I need a good basic 101 on my dmm because it never seems to read what I'm expecting. So give me a quick lesson on testing the transistors. The legs are the wires that connect it to the board. Right?
When testing components it is best to have a decent quality DMM. It doesn't have to be shit hot but less than $10 is a no-no.
Read this (the part about transistors).
Quoted from paynemic:For real! I'm gonna be on it. I'm a little in my own head on this one now though.
It seems weird that a fuse wouldn't blow before a transistor. Isn't that what fuses are for? Are the new transistors more robust?
The original transistors in LOTR were plenty good enough. Don't forget there is a lot of power going through the flipper circuits so lots of shit can happen before a fuse can blow.
Quoted from flynnibus:I recently updated my LOTR with titan rings and Cointaker LEDs. I document the BOM I use for others who wish to use similar. Full details are in this thread - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/led-and-rubber-maps-for-lord-of-the-rings
Here are some photos. LMK what you think!
Tastefully done. Are you going to use an LED OCD board ?
Quoted from paynemic:Can anyone tell me what makes the lamps (lanes) on the potd change/advance? I need to make every shot there count. Stupid rotk multiball kicks my a$$.
Also, a quick rundown on when the post back there should be active to deposit the ball into the tower?
Thanks in advance.
Choose War Of The Ents as your first mode. It will deposit all loop shots into the tower then onto the Path Of The Dead.
Shooting the left loop after the ball has come down the right inlane will bring up the post and drop the ball into the tower again.
Quoted from pipes:So I went into the menu and tried to run a ball clear and it wouldn’t let me. This is what I found. Switch 13 is not registering at all. I checked the connection where the trough connects to the harness with a multimeter and that seems okay. I’m guessing it might be where the harness connects to the board in the backbox? Any idea how i can figure out where exactly switch 13 runs from on the board?
The drive comes from CN5-P3 and returns on CN7-P5.
I’ve been idly toying with the idea of trading my LOTR. I played a game on it today and realised why that is a stupid idea. It’s just such a balanced, beautiful game. It is probably the best realisation of a theme ever in a pinball machine.
I think it is the only game I have owned where the score means nothing. I play to get further than the last time.
Quoted from pipes:Based on what I’ve read on this forum over the past year that I’ve been here, it seems that the vast majority of people that get rid of their LOTR end up regretting it. I hear that with this particular game more than any other. IMO, it’s a special game that was made at a special time. It doesn’t feel as though any corners were cut and I get the sense that every effort was made by Stern to produce a quality game. That’s something you can’t really say about most games. This one is a keeper.
You are right of course. It is probably Stern’s most complete game in terms of stuff in it, code and art.
Quoted from pipes:Pretty sure that setting is only to adjust the upkickers. I tried lowering the power on mine and noticed that the ball would not make it up to the POTD and even had trouble kicking up from the trough to the shooter lane. You're going to have to swap to the original coils or get the medium power ones from APB which I just installed in my game. Shoot an email over to Andrew @ APB and he'll hook you up.
[email protected]
This isn’t true. LOTR has specific adjustments for the flippers to try and keep the coil temperatures
under control.
Quoted from pipes:The adjustment I was referring to is the "coil pulse power". The adjustments you are referring to are basically to help prolong the strength of the flippers by keeping the STOCK coils from overheating so quickly but they do not allow you to adjust the strength at which the coil is firing. Those adjustments will do little to help you keep the ball from flinging off the ramps if you have the high powered coils installed. Rdoyle1978 has the "upgraded" coils installed.
He could try reducing the pulse time to the minimum and see how that effects the power.
You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider stoptap.
Click here to go back to viewing the entire thread.
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-lord-of-the-rings-journey-begins-members-club?tu=stoptap and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.
Leeds
Ronkonkoma, NY