Will do. So far radio silence on my 9/19 email to Stern and my 9/21 follow-up. You're way ahead so far.

Anybody else having this issue with the left ramp?
Over the last 30-40 plays, balls shot up the left ramp toward the Super Jackpot were getting airborne, hitting the SJ light, even landing in the left orbit lane. Then I saw this:

A02843CC-FD0E-497C-8C5B-B8C65DD19B61 (resized).jpeg4B2DC625-2DD9-499F-92EA-8BC62256CE64 (resized).jpeg
It almost looks like an adhesive is used to hold that piece of thin sheet metal in place and it’s coming unglued. Or, repeated shots up the ramp have bent it out of shape. Maybe both.
Either way, I’m curious if this is happening to others and what’s the correct way to fix it.

It almost looks like that left (lower) screw could have backed out a tad. My ramp has certainly sent a few balls to the pops. Gonna have to see if mine is doing that, now. Pinball is fun and unpredictable for sure.

No - those spring steel flaps are not glued to the PF - they intentionally are flexible to handle the transition edge. The flap edge coming up that tiny amount is not really an issue.

Balls bouncing and hitting the Jackpot sign are an issue with the game period.

My inner loop “fix” is starting to cause the ball to get stuck. Has this happened to anyone else using the Ninjacamp inner loop assist?

BF40FFAA-F7D1-4CAF-A89B-9C0FAD2C7CED (resized).jpeg

Happens to me WITHOUT the fix - balls get hung up on that switch unless they're really moving. I'd bend the arm on the switch, but then it'll likely start registering poorly. Thinking I'll just move to the MRS.

These are actually getting stuck suspended above the switch and playfield.

Looks like you NC piece on the topside(per your pic), is installed too far forward. It should be back on the curve, and stop about where that switch starts.

Both pieces should not be across from each other, covering the switch, that’s your issue there.

http://mjf.me/Pinball/Rush_TPU_Loop_Assist_Installation.pdf

Great. I was hoping it was my error. I’ll move it and see how it goes. Thanks…

Have you tightened up the screws holding down the ramp?

When I first pressed my NC mod today (without looking at the photos) I put it basically where you have it. Luckily my teen that was helping me noticed that it was too far forward.

The "starting" point of the piece is back about mid-triangle arrow light and moves progressively toward the switch.

I just installed the loop set today, as well as the scoop protectors, and I've been hitting the inner loops shot without any misses or other issues.

As pointed out by SterlingRush, it looks like your fix has worked itself too far forward. Slide it back and tighten that nut down on the plastic if it isn't.

I have this happen from time to time and its very frustrating. Not sure what’s causing it but would love to find a solution

I've never seen this issue with the magnetic reed switch.

Stern replied today. Asked for me to remove my light board and send a pic. They didn't think any lights on the board would work without that SMD. I sent THEM this pic and let them know I'm happy the other lights still work. 20220922_185834 (resized).jpg

I can't get this to open. I was wondering if there were installation instructions. I haven't done my exit stage left sign yet and was hoping to have instructions first

Question, I was playing tonight, collecting records, I kept hitting the left orbit and the records wouldn't light on that shot. One time I held up the upper flipper and popped the ball into the scoop after the left flipper and I'm pretty sure the spinner record lit instead. Either way I've checked the rollover for the left orbit and it is working but it doesn't seem to be recording records at times. This happen to anyone else?

Also post update, the light on my drum clock doesn't show the hour after a game is over. Anyone else notice this? Maybe in not waiting long enough.

Try this link:
http://instructions.ninjacamp.com/

Thx that is exactly what I was looking for.

Which is the best strategy for higher scores - focus on combos and Cygnus-1, or focus on completing the various song modes? Lately I've been putting all of my effort into getting Cygnus just because it's so fun/cool but I've only cracked 1 Billion once.

I don't think there's a "one size fits all" answer to that. At the very least, it will depend on your skill level, and for the more skilled players, to some extent it's "player's choice" because of the wide range of scoring options. That said...

I believe theoretically the best strategy is to take advantage of all the various score multiplier options. Most of the modes (all? I'm not sure if I've overlooked one) give bigger payoffs for the key shots if you wind the game up first by completing more than the minimum number of qualifying shots. And of course there's the bonus multiplier, which you increase by shooting the spinner some number of times (increasing with each interval, starting with 100 and then increasing by 100 for each subsequent increment) and then hitting the inner loop shot.

But as a counter-example to that theoretical reality, consider my own experience. My highest score is only 1.4 B, and I made that score before I had spent enough time with the game to learn all the rules and practice the shots. It did include reaching The Voyage, but that only added a few hundred thousand, if I recall correctly. More to the point, in that game my primary focus was just keeping the ball in play and since then I have been trying harder now to make specific shots and work my way through all the different modes more intentionally. And my scores have been much lower, because I'm just not that good at the shots yet. I am making lots more shots than I used to because of the practice, but I feel like I'm actually getting more drains, because more often now I'll just barely miss a shot, and the return causes the ball to roll out of reach, whether out an outlane or STDM.

I'm getting better, and can more consistently score in the 200-300M range now, but I suspect that if I went back to just focusing on keeping the ball in play and starting modes as soon as I can, that at least for now I'd score even higher on average.

I'd say that if you're still working on getting better at making the specific shots at will, if your main goal is a higher score, then just getting through the modes as quickly as possible and focusing on keeping the ball in play is probably better than taking advantage of all the multiplier opportunities. The modes have much higher scoring opportunities than the base play, and often you get at least some multiplication just through the natural progression of the mode. Plus, if you can make it to the Cygnus X-1 modes, they both offer high scoring opportunities, and The Voyage isn't even that hard IMHO (Hemispheres, now that's a different story...it broke my brain when I tried it standalone; but then I haven't tried swapping my actual hands yet, so maybe that "soft cheat" is a good strategy).

I feel like The Voyage is easier to get to too, at least on my machine; three of the multiball modes just involve bashing the Time Machine, and I don't have much trouble with shots to the TM coming back down the middle. The other three are harder, but Headlong Flight is just a matter of staying alive long enough (and now it's even easier to get to), while the other two are eventually going to happen as well, if you can just keep the ball going. And since you only have to start the modes, that alone makes The Voyage much easier to get to than Hemispheres, where you have to actually complete all the record modes.

Not being a more-skilled player, I can't speak authoritatively for what the actual optimal strategy is, but I suspect that it involves setting up the multipliers as much as possible before starting modes, and getting a mode going before starting a multiball mode. Naturally, this will also include collecting as many albums as possible too, as The Weapon can significantly boost scores during modes when used judiciously (e.g. it's a great way to start out Limelight, or to finish up the third wave of Tom Sawyer).

I look forward to hearing what the actual strategy for the more-skilled players is, from those who are scoring in the 4-8B range.

Just got my Rush so haven't seen the history on this board. What are the best mods. Share pictures. Thanks!!

I just started the modding process. I recommend gameroom mods deluxe lights and green dice lights. I also put on the sling protectors. I think it's worth the 10 bucks for them.
Ninja camp inner loop and shooter lane fix, I also got the scoop but haven't installed yet.
The answer depends on if you want essential mods or how deep the rabbit hole you want to go.

My opinions:

Pinmonk colored mode gels. #1

Ninja camp Exit stage left indicators for the hidden inner loop lights # 2

Everything else is as needed.

I Love this game so much. even with all the poor assembly problems. It's just so good.

About half the time after launching a ball and during the ball save time, the machine launches another ball with a callout telling me I can have it back or that I’m going to need this - resulting in 2 balls in play. For some reason, it thinks I’ve drained a ball when I haven’t. Oddly, it doesn’t get off track when I drain one of the two balls in play (i.e., it doesn’t react to the first drain at all…and the 2nd drain is handled normally - going from ball 1 to ball 2, etc).

This occurred before and after recent code updates. I thought it might be code glitch until it happened w/ the 1.0 release this week.

Any ideas to diagnose/treat this issue? Still under warranty, but would like to fix myself if simple.

They just confirmed they have stock today and will be shipping mine out. Hopefully they do the same for you. Since this is something that has happened to both of us, there are probably more out there with the same issue. Mine worked for a couple hundred games before it failed. Might be something people want to inspect while they are still under warranty.

That seems to have been the cause (or at least, the cause of the metal flap sticking up). There was a tiny amount of slop in the left screw. That and repeated shots up the ramp put a small kink in the flap.
So I unscrewed the plastic ramp (along with the nut holding the wire form ramp a couple nuts further up the plastic ramp) and lifted up the entire ramp assembly a little. I gently bent the metal flap down on the left edge to try and get it back into shape, then put it all back making sure those two screws were good and snug.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a lot better than it was.
Before:
2D67515D-F340-4308-905A-53E10BB7D308 (resized).jpeg

After:FA9C95A2-8130-429E-8687-D8D5F8E903A6 (resized).jpeg

As far as the ball getting airborne, maybe this is part of the cause. I noticed the metal edge protector on the left wasn’t flush to the bottom and not crimped as tightly as the right protector (pic is pre-flap-fix)
182D176B-171C-4073-97F8-FB1F0944DDB1 (resized).jpeg

Maybe reseat all connections to the trough. Or remove all balls, put in switch test mode, replace balls one by one. Make sure all trough switches work.

Top of this thread, “Topic Gallery”, will show you all of the pics posted in this thread. A good majority covering what you’re looking for.

Finally joining this club next week with a NOB LE. Can’t wait.

"New Outside Box"?

Hmmm...you might want to check with your distributor. Those games are supposed to come in the box, not outside of them. Seems like they might have gotten the packing backwards.

That's awesome news!!! They told me they'd order me the replacement this AM. Haven't seen an official parts order email yet.

If you like the music, the best mod:
PINWOOFER Super Spike 2 kit.
(If you don't have LE I think the 5.25" surrounds make it look and sound much better)
Pinball Life coin door headphone/vol

If you like RUSH:
Rocket City Pinball: Signals, Presto, Red Barchetta
John_I Vaccum Tubes for Time Machine
WilliPinball Mods Roll The Bones - Dice flashers, Gefilter magnet, steampunk gear flasher mods
Diddy's pinball mods. Henhouse, Dryer
Dice on scoops (diy if you have amazon, drill and superglue)
Hold Your Fire

Gameplay mods/ fixes:
Pinmonk flipper fans, mode insert fix (color planets)
Sonic magnetic reed switch for inner loop
Ninjacamp shooter lane wobble fix
If you have Premium/LE make sure you have Stern scoop switch fix.
I like Stem scoop fix but others like NC
Ninjacamp spinner, VUK and inlane switch protectors
Lermods Ice Blue Trough Lighting
Shaker Motor
Pingulp 3.0

Amazing looks:
Stern Expression lighting (Led Zep if you're impatient)
NC / Outpost K - Expressive Lighting

Anal Retentive looks:
Rocket City Pinball Bronze hardware kit (with skinny posts)

Unique laserengraving - Copper Steampunk Flipper Bat topper mods

Probably missing a few. Sorry if I forgot a few.

20220923_171934 (resized).jpg20220923_171937 (resized).jpg

I think he put the box inside the game. Isn’t that how it works?

Where do I buy the printed scoop protectors?

On Pinside from Ninja Camp. Do yourself a favor and get the awesome switch protectors, spinner protector, vuk. Protector while you're at it.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1326-ninjacamp-mods

For those still having trouble with their inner loop (aka "side loop") not registering the ball, I now have another option to offer. I designed a guide to fit on top of the metal wall that forces the ball back down onto the playfield to make sure the switch is triggered.

I've only played with it installed for a couple of hours so far, amounting to probably 70-100 shots around the loop, but the part is working perfectly. I went from almost never registering the loop, to registering it literally 100% of the time, zero failures.

Rendered model for Rush inner loop guide part

Note that this is along the same lines as the product that NinjaCamp offers. However, it's a completely different, from scratch design. It's lower-profile; I printed it in black and hardly notice it on the loop (see photo at either site where it's published), and it'll never get in the way of slow balls coming the wrong way.

More to the point, this is for people who just need that one fix and who either have their own 3D printer or want to outsource the printing to a third party. I am not offering to print this for people, so please don't ask. I'm just sharing my design with the community because I had decided to make it anyway, and now there's another option available to fix the issue.

I've published the design on Thingiverse and Printables.com.

Feel free to comment at either site if you have questions specific about the part or its design.

If you don't have a 3D printer but still want to try this part, you can check out print services like Xometry or Shapeways. It looks like you can get this part printed and shipped for around $10-15 at either of those places, depending on process. FDM or SLS being the most economical...I don't know how materials other than PETG or TPU, both of which I believe should work fine, will fare but I'd guess nylon at the very least would be fine, probably PLA too, and Shapeways does have a TPU option if you just want to play it safe.

Turns out, UPS stores are starting to add 3D printing services too, if you don't want to wait for shipping. I don't know anything about them, but they say they've got almost 100 locations already.

I am not connected,when I got to Cygnus 1 it appears now as an available song on my jukebox.Am I missing it as a game play choice ?

I'm glad that there are so many options to fix the inner-loop issue, and many props to the ingenuity and effort that's gone into the various solutions, but honestly it feels like we're coming up with fixes for a problem that has all ready been solved.

Just use the gameroom mods clear acrylic solution. The actual problem with the inner loop is that, due to the pf and flipper geometry on Rush, the ball gets airborne and doesn't trigger the loop switch. And the best way to keep a ball from getting airborne is to use an air ball preventer.

0826b0dc2aa73713ba2b5f113b5154ef144af02e (resized).jpg

It's the simplest of all the solutions, and I haven't heard of anyone having a single registration problem once installed. It's just an air ball preventer that keeps the ball down low enough to always trigger the switch. No need to lift the pf and swap the factory switch, and no need to ever adjust it once installed. It's invisible from the playing position, and it doesn't seem to slow the ball down at all.

Installation is dead simple and doesn't require removing anything except 2 lock nuts. It couldn't be simpler, doesn't require any messing around, and it's only $15 shipped in the US. It's a no brainer.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1167-gameroom-mods/07010-rush-upper-orbit-ball-retention-plastic

It just seems like the simplest and best solution to me.

------

That being said, mrs switches in general are really cool and have other advantages such as no ball hang-ups ever. And ninjacamp makes a lot of other great mods for Rush, anyway. I am using the ninjacamp shooter-lane rattle-fix, and their Exit Stage Left mod. I've had the ESL mod installed for over 2 months and 1000+ plays, and it's still working perfectly. Can't imagine the game without it now.

Look more I for one (and others) have found the air ball protector method insufficient. It's still possible for the ball to go through without triggering enough of the switch.. which requires adjusting the switch up more.. which in turn exaggerates the ball hang up issue with slow rollbacks.

Seconded. Best solution IMHO
99% of shots register for me since installation.
Easy simple install.

You're welcome to your opinion. I'm puzzled though, why you're so invested in it that you felt a need to post that dissertation. Especially when you know (or at least should know) it's not an opinion shared by all.

Everyone has their own reasons to judge each available solution according to their own needs and preferences. What's right for you is not necessarily right for everyone else. Why do you feel a need to act otherwise?

For my own part, I probably could've accepted the option of installing acrylic over the lane (your preferred solution). But on my game, there's at least a full millimeter of distance between the top of the ball and the top of the lane, so I have less confidence that covering the lane like that is a complete solution. If it is for other people, great. But that doesn't obviate the other options for me and others.

Furthermore, while I do have a friend with a laser cutter and I could take a sheet of acrylic over there to make that kind of part, I own a 3D printer, I know how to design 3D parts, and would prefer to do everything in-house if I can. I don't begrudge others making a profit on Stern's mistakes, but I'd rather do things myself if I can. I'm happy with the way my part works, just like other people are happy with the acrylic (and PETG) sheet options, as well as the NinjaCamp option. What's wrong with options?

And I think that those options should include viable DIY options. It's a shame no one has released an SVG or similar for the lane cover. Actually, I guess if there's interest it wouldn't be hard for me to make one, since I had to go to the trouble to digitize the lane already for the part I made. But at least for those who have 3D printers, now there's a way for people to print their own part (which costs pennies to do, if you've already got the printer and the materials), instead of being beholden to the folks selling their own solutions.

Who knows? Maybe there's someone out there with a 3D printer, but no access to a laser printer, and who would rather fabricate their own part than buy it from someone else, and so while they might even prefer the lane cover if all else were equal, the situation leads them to choose a 3D printed piece instead.

And for those who are stuck buying a ready made solution, why shouldn't they have options? I can't speak for any of them, but maybe some prefer to have easier access to the lane (e.g. if a ball gets stuck or something), or are already buying other NinjaCamp stuff so it's easier for them to use their part than to get the lane cover. Or whatever. I don't see any need to spend effort trying to make them feel bad about their personal preference about which option they prefer.

Just added the Axe Heaven Gibson ES-355 and the Tour Edition Fender Jazz Bass to my Premium. Really happy with the look. I imagine it may not be others' cup of tea, but as Rush is the main catalyst for me picking up guitar/bass 40 odd years ago, I feel all 3 members instruments should be represented. What do you all think?

Rush Premium (resized).jpg

All the songs are in the jukebox. It's just not a selection when scrolling through the songs to select. I'm assuming you need to be connected if you get to either one of the two lesser wizard modes in order for the song to appear as part of the game play selection. If I start having an epic game, I'll trap up and scan my QR code...just in case.

Hi all for those who have this issue with your left ramp flap, here is a simple méthode to eliminate it and get your 100% left ramp shoot.
Remove your center ramp, Unscrew in A, follow the yellow arrow in 1 to remove the ramp and to have access to the flap.
Then use your thumb and bend it really gently by following the red arrow and the red line in 2 one time and verify, if the result suits you, if not repeat it until you arrive à this result, see the pictures below. Beware, do not force, go little by little.
0372892E-A08F-4CFC-8968-24B7277FDAAB (resized).jpeg46A7E181-0261-45E1-A24B-5D5DC720CEA4 (resized).jpeg97AC0FDF-43D2-418F-8F0E-4A45EFBE866A (resized).jpeg

Nice, but Bass should be on the right and Gibson on the left....

I do get what you are saying as far as lining up with the character portraits, but being as the 355 is so bulky it would have been too much overhang placing it on the left side and not to symmetrical at least to my eye. Now if Axe Heaven ever releases Alex's Les Paul Axcess in Crimson Red (Which will be much closer in width to the Fender Jazz), then I will certainly be looking to swap them around to the configuration as you suggest.

Thanks for the observation/comment.

where did u get the guitars from

You can get them from Axe Heaven directly or off of ebay as they model a LOT of different guitars. They average around 45-50 bucks each. If you have a Guitar Center near you they have some of them on hand usually. There are a couple others as well such as the Gibson doubleneck he used (Although is too wide to use in this application IMO). I just epoxied a strong round magnet to the back of the headstock and it sticks to the screw head underneath and then measured and drilled 2 holes in the backs of the guitars and place screws to "hold" onto the sides of the plastic railing. They came out super stable even with shaker motor action neither of them move at all while playing. Yet taking them out is just as easy as lift the headstock to break the magnetic field and slide it up a little and lift out. There is no alteration to the game itself at all.

Ah, the irony in complaining about my so-called dissertation and then writing an even longer one of your own!

You should probably re-read what I wrote, as it's clear you missed a few points. Such as my opening sentence, where I state that I'm glad we have so many options.

Hey Flynn, I stand corrected. I forgot that you still had problems with your switch even after mounting the airguard. I can't remember, did you try mounting it under the plastics? I mounted mine under the plastics, so that it would be dropped just that few mm lower. With the airguard under the plastics, there's barely room for the ball, so I'm surprised the switch still wouldn't register.

Also, never had a ball hangup on the loop switch myself. Guess I'm lucky?

It's not just lining up with character portraits, but it is how they performed on stage their whole career. The audience facing the stage saw Alex on the left, Geddy on the right.