RUSH Pinball Official Owners Club-“Straining the Limits of Machine and Man”

Quoted from CrashJT:
Andy, that's INSANE!!! Congrats. I doubt I'll ever get close! Btw, pete_d I am far from Andy and these other guys who've been posting billion point scores since like April! My game is set a lot easier than current factory. Before I believe it was update .86 the FC multiball had 3 balls, they neutered it to 2. I switched that back to the original settings and I also closed the outlines up. I am getting better but I suck. All day I was getting like 25m, 75m, etc. I installed that knocker, forgot to log into home team thought (this'll be short and then I'll log in)... then got the momma of all (my) games. I know about slap saves, but can't seem to even try. I lose a ton down the outlanes and sdtm. Any suggestions appreciated. Hey, I'll post the knocker install pics when I open it up and take a few!

I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only fair-to-middlin' player around here.

I don't have any secret sauce, not being one of the reliably good players. But I can tell you that my own scores have improved with these things I've worked on improving in my game:

* First, fixing the inner loop made a huge difference. Not only do I enjoy the game better, it opens up bonus multipliers and other scoring opportunities that just didn't exist when the shot was busted. There are at least three different options for dealing with this; I don't think it matters much which one you pick, just that if your machine doesn't register those inner loop shots, you need to fix it.

* Then, shots, shots, and shots. Learning just where to flip to get the ball to go where you want is key. This takes practice and focus, and paying attention when you miss, to where you missed, and then adjusting the next attempt accordingly. The next level to this achievement is then refining your knowledge according to ball speed as it passes the flipper, which slightly affects the direction it will go.

* I've worked on all the shots, but the two big ones are the inner loop and the spinner. For one, these two shots just seem really fun to me, especially now that the inner loop is working. But for another, this is the combo that gets you the bonus multiplier. Later in the game, as your bonus climbs into the eight-digit range, multiplying it helps a lot.

* Learning to anticipate where the ball is going is also key. One major epiphany for me was when I realized that most of the time when the ball comes flying out of the pop bumpers, especially after a clean loop, it's heading toward my right flipper, instead of the left as I'd assumed. There are a number of geometries on the playfield that are counter-intuitive to me, where the ball is more easily handled by the flipper opposite to where I thought it would go.

* Trapping the ball. This is something I am generally not good at on any machine, but I'm working at getting better. I've found that by trapping the ball, I can produce more repeatable results, because I take the ball speed out of the equation (see the "shots, shots, shots" point ).

* Learn the skill shot! Work hard to learn the inner-loop/upper-scoop combo, because that doesn't just give you points, it boosts the game. I find the extended timers to be an especially valuable benefit. They get extended a lot, which I really appreciate. The ball saver especially, but I think there are other timers, like instrument bonus and whatnot, that get extended as well, and this all leads to more successful games. For something that is just a few seconds of any game.

* Nail those combos. Okay, so this is actually something I only know theoretically. I have been unable to consistently do accomplish this, or even come close. But the song mode scoring is boosted if you shoot a bunch of combos before you start the mode. The best I usually see is a 70-80% bonus, and that's rare for me. 20-30% is more typical. But as I understand it, this can reach up near the 5X scoring level, if you do it right. For my own scoring potential, I see this as a huge area where I could improve and see immediate benefits. Similarly, take shots before collecting scores that will boost those scores. Most the modes have this opportunity, where there's one key shot for the mode, but even after you qualify the shot, you can hit other shots on the playfield first to increase the scoring a lot.

* Strategize. Learn how to get the ball where you want. There's a technique called a "post pass", which I barely can do, and on Rush I haven't really figured it out. Seems like the right-side post above the flipper is a little too close for the usual timing to work. But when you get it right, in conjunction with trapping the ball, you can just move the ball from one flipper to the other. In the meantime though, at least look for how the shots connect. For example, if you're trying to make the left ramp shot, one way to do that is shoot from the right flipper for a clean loop and then to that shot. But another is to hit the spinner with the left flipper to get there. Being able to identify ways to position the ball for any shot, from either flipper, gives you a lot more control over the order you hit things, and whether you hit things.

* And finally, never give up! For one, I've gotten a lot less timid about shoving the machine around a bit when it looks like the ball's going to just barely go the wrong way. Near an outlane? Nudge it. Heading down the middle, but maybe just a hair closer to one of the flippers? Nudge it. And while it's rare, I have even had the ball go past the flipper but then bounce back off the metal around the trough entrance and go back into play. Never assume the ball is lost!.

Okay, I'm sure a fully developed strategy guide would have even more stuff. But that's what I can think of at the moment that has made the most difference for me personally since getting this game. I have to admit, I've been technically collecting pins since I got my first one over 25 years ago, but there's been a big gap due to "various life issues". Rush is the game that has gotten me back to being excited about the hobby, which has inspired me to both start taking better care of the other machines I have, as well as to be more diligent about improving my ability to play. It's been a lot of fun!

#10355 1 year ago

RCP

SkyKing2301

Rocket City Pinball

8y 110K 2,661 1

Quoted from CrashJT:
Andy, that's INSANE!!! Congrats. I doubt I'll ever get close! I know about slap saves, but can't seem to even try. I lose a ton down the outlanes and sdtm. Any suggestions appreciated.

Quoted from cooked71:
Holy ****! How are you guys getting these scores. Admittedly I have no idea the rules, but have plenty of longish games and never get even close to that. Can I have a cheat note version on how to score!

Here are some hints you might find helpful, from how I personally play this game:

- Remember you have six song modes to get through but also SIX multiball modes available. Try to set them up so they'll start at the same time, or at least have the multiball close to ready when you start a song. If you have a multiball lit & ready to start -- but song mode is NOT lit, then AVOID starting the multiball until you've hit enough records to light the song mode too. Remember: you can start them simultaneously, you can start a multiball while in a song, but you CAN'T start a song while in a multiball. Stacking the multiball atop a song mode will help increase your scores on the song mode itself and will help you progress through it more easily (especially 'everything is lit' ones like Working Man, Spirit of Radio, or Big Money).

- Don't ignore the combos -- make it a point to collect them, because the more albums you collect, the more Weapons you'll have available. But then -- use The Weapon strategically! Resist the urge to hit it the moment you hear the cue, because it might be wiser to save it.
----> Example 1: if The Weapon is lit green, it's add-a-ball for your current multiball mode -- save it until the moment you lose the last 'multi' ball, then hit it quick before it ends the mode -- now you're back in business and still going in the multiball mode.
----> Example 2: if The Weapon is lit blue, it's for your current song mode. (Hey Stern, it'd be neat if it lit up the color of the song mode you're in!) Generally it spots all lit shots. Let's say you're in Tom Sawyer, where you only have two shots lit in the first wave. If you use it now, you only get those two shots and then start the next wave of two shots. But later in the mode, the last wave is to hit ALL the shots -- so if you save The Weapon til now, you can knock out the whole set.

- Take advantage of the ramp diverter! Recall that hitting the action button changes which side the ball will exit. So plan ahead -- for example, if I know I'm trying to set up Freewill multiball, I'll set the diverter to exit on the right side so I can shoot for that off any ramp shot.

- Speaking of the diverter, plan ahead! (This is a good any-game concept.) Think about what your next shots are going to be, and plan how to get yourself set up for it. Use that diverter, or trap up, or post-pass (ok left-to-right, but not so easy right-to-left on Rush due to slingshot offset), or ski-pass, or dead-flip. This last one is a hard concept for those who haven't mastered it, and takes a lot of trust, but it's a REALLY important skill to help you when you know what your next shot needs to be. I need to shoot the ramp, but it's coming out of the pops torward my right flipper? No problem, just dead flip -- keep the right flipper down and let it bounce over to the left. Now I'm ready for the next shot I'd planned!

- It can take a lot of time machine shots to light the later multiball modes. For Prem/LE, shooting the time machine with the ramp down can sometimes be risky since it lets the ball roll close to SDTM ... so don't take unnecessary risks -- shoot the combos or play song modes that raise the ramp, THEN with the ramp RAISED it's a 'safe' shot to work toward multiball.

- Doing well during song & multiball modes really pays off in this game if you make it to the Cygnus modes. In Book I, the award values are based on the number of super jackpots you achieved during each multiball. In Book II, the award values are based on your total score in each song mode. As I mentioned above, I'd done particularly well in the song modes during this game, so I ended up scoring 1.2B during Book II mode alone.

- You mentioned outlane drains; while this isn't Rush-specific (i.e., this translates to all pinball games), get in the habit of nudging to get it out of that area. Don't take the risk of 'where will this settle, inlane or outlane' -- just nudge it out of there completely (off the top of the slingshot or off the pin between the lanes). And if it does try to settle and go down the outlane, nudge several times in quick succession -- this can get it bouncing between the two pins/rubbers there and bounce back out into play or at least into the inlane. It's a risky move depending on your tilt settings (this is generally when I tilt the most), but it's amazing when you can pull the ball from the jaws of outlane death this way. I recently impressed upon my daughter that nothing well help your scores more than simply KEEPING THE BALL ALIVE, since you'll have more general play, plus you'll increase your end of ball bonus (as I mentioned, in this 5B game above, I had two balls that ended with 460M and 400M bonus!). I taught her these outlane area nudges, and slap saves (I'm more of nudge/pull-saver myself, but she doesn't have the strength for that) and her scores have been skyrocketing ever since.

Hope these tips help.

Quoted from Xdetroit:
This is what pinball is all about! Congrats!

Hell yeah!

#10356 1 year ago

RCP

SkyKing2301

Rocket City Pinball

8y 110K 2,661 1

Quoted from CrashJT:
Here's the knocker install using the kit recommended locations. I bought from pinball life.
[quoted image][quoted image]

That's where I put my knocker too (I hate the 'Stern Squelch' and grew up on the sweet, sweet sound of the knocker). I put some foam tape on the face of the knocker plate to soften it up a little, because yeah it's SUPER loud. Scares the hell out of anyone who doesn't know what it is.

#10357 1 year ago

RCP

SkyKing2301

Rocket City Pinball

8y 110K 2,661 1

posted in error, meant to edit previous

#10358 1 year ago

MAD

nerbflong

Pinside+ Frequent

19y 96,300 773

Quoted from SkyKing2301:
That's where I put my knocker too (I hate the 'Stern Squelch' and grew up on the sweet, sweet sound of the knocker). I put some foam tape on the face of the knocker plate to soften it up a little, because yeah it's SUPER loud. Scares the hell out of anyone who doesn't know what it is.

I love the knocker so much better than the factory!!

#10359 1 year ago

JEZ

zebpin61

Pinside+ Frequent

2y 70,550 508

Next week will mark 5 months that I've been waiting for replacement boards 8 & 8b (lower center and the 3 bank LED boards). I've followed up with Stern half a dozen times without results. Pablo of Tech Support was great in the first week or so but once the matter was handed off to warranty parts order area it's been zip. When I read on this forum how some node 10 boards are replaced in a couple of weeks, it has me thinking that my request is being ignored. Any recommendations from fellow RUSH owners? 5 months simply sucks!

#10360 1 year ago

SSG

hiker2099

Pinside+ Frequent

Crestview, FL

2y 76,300 1,114 5 23 1

This is going to sound sad but my fix for the inner loop was the cover over the top and a small piece of scotch tape wrapped arount the switch wire. Works brilliantly and it's hidden from plain site. lol

#10361 1 year ago

PMD

pete_d

Inactive member

Quoted from hiker2099:
This is going to sound sad but my fix for the inner loop was the cover over the top and a small piece of scotch tape wrapped arount the switch wire. Works brilliantly and it's hidden from plain site. lol

I don't get how the Scotch tape helps, but hey...if it works for you, that's great. I don't find it sad at all! The important thing is to get something there so the inner loop works right.

#10362 1 year ago

???

ian866

Pinside+ Frequent

Preston

2y 34,400 332

Quoted from zebpin61:
Next week will mark 5 months that I've been waiting for replacement boards 8 & 8b (lower center and the 3 bank LED boards). I've followed up with Stern half a dozen times without results. Pablo of Tech Support was great in the first week or so but once the matter was handed off to warranty parts order area it's been zip. When I read on this forum how some node 10 boards are replaced in a couple of weeks, it has me thinking that my request is being ignored. Any recommendations from fellow RUSH owners? 5 months simply sucks!

I feel your pain, coming up on nearly five months waiting for replacement drum clock parts here.

#10363 1 year ago

RSH

Bill2112Rush

Pinside member

Quoted from SkyKing2301:
Here are some hints you might find helpful, from how I personally play this game:
- Remember you have six song modes to get through but also SIX multiball modes available. Try to set them up so they'll start at the same time, or at least have the multiball close to ready when you start a song. If you have a multiball lit & ready to start -- but song mode is NOT lit, then AVOID starting the multiball until you've hit enough records to light the song mode too. Remember: you can start them simultaneously, you can start a multiball while in a song, but you CAN'T start a song while in a multiball. Stacking the multiball atop a song mode will help increase your scores on the song mode itself and will help you progress through it more easily (especially 'everything is lit' ones like Working Man, Spirit of Radio, or Big Money).
- Don't ignore the combos -- make it a point to collect them, because the more albums you collect, the more Weapons you'll have available. But then -- use The Weapon strategically! Resist the urge to hit it the moment you hear the cue, because it might be wiser to save it.
----> Example 1: if The Weapon is lit green, it's add-a-ball for your current multiball mode -- save it until the moment you lose the last 'multi' ball, then hit it quick before it ends the mode -- now you're back in business and still going in the multiball mode.
----> Example 2: if The Weapon is lit blue, it's for your current song mode. (Hey Stern, it'd be neat if it lit up the color of the song mode you're in!) Generally it spots all lit shots. Let's say you're in Tom Sawyer, where you only have two shots lit in the first wave. If you use it now, you only get those two shots and then start the next wave of two shots. But later in the mode, the last wave is to hit ALL the shots -- so if you save The Weapon til now, you can knock out the whole set.
- Take advantage of the ramp diverter! Recall that hitting the action button changes which side the ball will exit. So plan ahead -- for example, if I know I'm trying to set up Freewill multiball, I'll set the diverter to exit on the right side so I can shoot for that off any ramp shot.
- Speaking of the diverter, plan ahead! (This is a good any-game concept.) Think about what your next shots are going to be, and plan how to get yourself set up for it. Use that diverter, or trap up, or post-pass (ok left-to-right, but not so easy right-to-left on Rush due to slingshot offset), or ski-pass, or dead-flip. This last one is a hard concept for those who haven't mastered it, and takes a lot of trust, but it's a REALLY important skill to help you when you know what your next shot needs to be. I need to shoot the ramp, but it's coming out of the pops torward my right flipper? No problem, just dead flip -- keep the right flipper down and let it bounce over to the left. Now I'm ready for the next shot I'd planned!
- It can take a lot of time machine shots to light the later multiball modes. For Prem/LE, shooting the time machine with the ramp down can sometimes be risky since it lets the ball roll close to SDTM ... so don't take unnecessary risks -- shoot the combos or play song modes that raise the ramp, THEN with the ramp RAISED it's a 'safe' shot to work toward multiball.
- Doing well during song & multiball modes really pays off in this game if you make it to the Cygnus modes. In Book I, the award values are based on the number of super jackpots you achieved during each multiball. In Book II, the award values are based on your total score in each song mode. As I mentioned above, I'd done particularly well in the song modes during this game, so I ended up scoring 1.2B during Book II mode alone.
- You mentioned outlane drains; while this isn't Rush-specific (i.e., this translates to all pinball games), get in the habit of nudging to get it out of that area. Don't take the risk of 'where will this settle, inlane or outlane' -- just nudge it out of there completely (off the top of the slingshot or off the pin between the lanes). And if it does try to settle and go down the outlane, nudge several times in quick succession -- this can get it bouncing between the two pins/rubbers there and bounce back out into play or at least into the inlane. It's a risky move depending on your tilt settings (this is generally when I tilt the most), but it's amazing when you can pull the ball from the jaws of outlane death this way. I recently impressed upon my daughter that nothing well help your scores more than simply KEEPING THE BALL ALIVE, since you'll have more general play, plus you'll increase your end of ball bonus (as I mentioned, in this 5B game above, I had two balls that ended with 460M and 400M bonus!). I taught her these outlane area nudges, and slap saves (I'm more of nudge/pull-saver myself, but she doesn't have the strength for that) and her scores have been skyrocketing ever since.
Hope these tips help.

Hell yeah!

I racked up a 900 million game a couple weeks back, but I have no CLUE how I did it. It gets a bit mind numbing:
“Collect records then start a song mode and lock the album to activate the Weapon that lives in the house that Jack built”

Most of my games go something like this
ME: Wait…is that regular flash, Fast flash or strobe flash? Crap! There’s a flashin—
GL: “YOU’VE GOT TWO!”
Huh? But I just hit th—
“QUICK! SHOOT THE RIGHT RAMP!”
I’m trying!!
“LOCK A BALL IN THE TOP SCOOP!”
Woo Hoo! One ball loc—oops that was the bottom scoop
“FIVE…FOUR…”
Come on come on!!
“THREE…”
Gimme the ball! Gimme the ball!!!
“TWO”
ball kicks out
“ONE”
Ball drains.
I suck.
*sigh*

#10364 1 year ago

PMD

pete_d

Inactive member

Quoted from Bill2112Rush:
I racked up a 900 million game a couple weeks back, but I have no CLUE how I did it. It gets a bit mind numbing:
“Collect records then start a song mode and lock the album to activate the Weapon that lives in the house that Jack built”
Most of my games go something like this
ME: Wait…is that regular flash, Fast flash or strobe flash? Crap! There’s a flashin—
GL: “YOU’VE GOT TWO!”
Huh? But I just hit th—
“QUICK! SHOOT THE RIGHT RAMP!”
I’m trying!!
“LOCK A BALL IN THE TOP SCOOP!”
Woo Hoo! One ball loc—oops that was the bottom scoop
“FIVE…FOUR…”
Come on come on!!
“THREE…”
Gimme the ball! Gimme the ball!!!
“TWO”
ball kicks out
“ONE”
Ball drains.
I suck.
*sigh*

lol. Boy, can I relate. To all of it.

On the topic of Bastille Day, I did mention some time ago, I do think that the hurry up rules need fixing. The countdown should pause any time the ball is being held or is hitting switches not in the lower third of the playfield. They can temporarily suspend that rule during multiball if they like.

That would make the hurry up more fair, and consistent with hurry up rules on other games.

This business of hearing the countdown while the ball is stuck in the scoop is annoying!

#10365 1 year ago

YYZ

SterlingRush

Pinside+ Addict

Bremen, GA

11y 75,550 801 3 6

Quoted from zebpin61:
Next week will mark 5 months that I've been waiting for replacement boards 8 & 8b (lower center and the 3 bank LED boards). I've followed up with Stern half a dozen times without results. Pablo of Tech Support was great in the first week or so but once the matter was handed off to warranty parts order area it's been zip. When I read on this forum how some node 10 boards are replaced in a couple of weeks, it has me thinking that my request is being ignored. Any recommendations from fellow RUSH owners? 5 months simply sucks!

Not only Stern, but make sure your distributor is on that email, if that’s how you’re doing it. Requests have to go through distributors in form of a work order. Anything but, you’ll get extreme runaround from Stern.

It took one month to get my spinner target replacement, then almost another month to get the two decals for it......

#10366 1 year ago

RSH

Bill2112Rush

Pinside member

Quoted from pete_d:
lol. Boy, can I relate. To all of it.
On the topic of Bastille Day, This business of hearing the countdown while the ball is stuck in the scoop is annoying!

LOL I agree!
My wife says when she hears me “arguing” with the game, she knows I’m about to come upstairs.
(she could help me out and yell “YOUR TIME IS UP, HOSER”)

Post last edited 1 year ago: “Spelling”

#10367 1 year ago

PMD

pete_d

Inactive member

Quoted from Bill2112Rush:
LOL I agree!
My wife says when she hears me “arguing” with the game, she knows I’m about to come upstairs.
(she could help me out and yell “YOU’RE TIME IS UP, HOSER”)

Yeah, but could she yell it with the same smirky laugh that Alex does? He gets just the right touch of condescension when he says that. (Actually, if I recall correctly, Alex leaves out the "hoser" and Geddy doesn't laugh...but they both did that callout.)

I sure do love the callouts in this game. So many, so much fun. I don't even mind when they are being mean to me.

#10368 1 year ago

???

Jesterpester

Pinside member

Can anyone tell me how to remove the ramp motor? I can’t tell from looking at it the best way to do so.

#10369 1 year ago

MJW

DakotaMike

Mike's Pinball Repair

Clermont, FL

4y 95,550 2,111 1 26

Quoted from Cheatham2492:
Any body hear any news about the node 10 boards? I haven’t herd anything from my local distributor Game Exchange. I have been waiting for one for months….:-/
TIA
Dan

Been about two weeks since I got confirmation that would send me a new one. Crickets since then.

#10370 1 year ago

RSH

Bill2112Rush

Pinside member

Quoted from pete_d:
Yeah, but could she yell it with the same smirky laugh that Alex does? He gets just the right touch of condescension when he says that. (Actually, if I recall correctly, Alex leaves out the "hoser" and Geddy doesn't laugh...but they both did that callout.)
I sure do love the callouts in this game. So many, so much fun. I don't even mind when they are being mean to me.

Absolutely! They really are killer.
Here’s a fun thing John Borg mentioned about the call outs and the recording sessions:
Ed Robertson was in the studio to kinda coached them through the process. He said both guys did a good job but Alex REALLY got into it. He laid down what was required but also strayed from the scripted stuff and ad-libbed a ton of it.
Certain lines sound stiff and clearly scripted “Oh…you need this.” Or “You can have it back, ok?”
I’ve been trying to spot some of those ad-libbed lines…Alex being ALEX.
I’m pretty sure one example is where he says that “Bombastica” line. Also, the “Is this voice friendly enough for you?” from The Spirit of Radio mode is clearly him responding to Ed’s instruction as opposed to a line of script.

#10371 1 year ago

RSH

Bill2112Rush

Pinside member

Quoted from Jesterpester:
Can anyone tell me how to remove the ramp motor? I can’t tell from looking at it the best way to do so.

You probably want to remove the entire ramp first, then the motor. Does this help:
http://mjf.me/Pinball/Rush_TPU_Ramp_Guard_Installation.pdf

#10372 1 year ago

???

Jesterpester

Pinside member

Quoted from Bill2112Rush:
You probably want to remove the entire ramp first, then the motor. Does this help:
http://mjf.me/Pinball/Rush_TPU_Ramp_Guard_Installation.pdf

It does help. I’ll try that. Thanks!

#10373 1 year ago

KGM

kmad

Pinside member

2y 25,900 90 1

Wish I was on here more talking about how fun this machine is but mine has had nothing but problems since day 1. You guys have been great in pointing me in the right direction and as a first time owner I've need al the help I an get. I was playing last night and on the third game, in the middle of what was a good game for me (574,000,000), on the third ball the flippers stopped working and the ball drained. The way the flippers stopped seemed exactly like what usually happens when a ball drains where they are turned off until the next ball is launched. From that point forward I had issues . The machine would kick two balls at a time into the shooters lane, and then in the middle of play, the flippers would just stop as they do on the final drain of a game. I turned the machine on and off several times to try and reset but those problems continued. Then there was a period where it would not let me start a game. I could hold the left flipper to add my name or add it with the QR code, but when I hit the start button nothing would happen. Went into diagnostics and ran some checks and couldn't find anything wrong, but I'm a first time owner who's not super knowledgeable and may not have checked everything. Lifted the playfield and opened the backbox to inspect, but again didn't see anything unusual. Turned it back on and it worked fine. Played two games without incident. Tonight went in and everything started up fine. On the third game, second ball at around 250 million the flippers stopped again and the ball drained. Unlike last night, the machine loaded the third ball (only one like it was supposed to, not two like last night) and I completed the game without further issues. I have played three more shorter games with no issues. Any ideas what may be going on or what to check/do? Love this game but seems like I spend more time figuring out how to fix things and repairing than I do playing.

#10374 1 year ago

AAM

aamauzy

Pinside+ Frequent

St. Louis, MO

2y 65,300 499 8 1

Noticed this evening that "Topper Mystery" is in the Roll The Bones mystery when it's scrolling through the various potential payouts. Seems like they wouldn't have that in RtB unless we were relatively close to a topper release! Before anyone says "bUt MaNdO JuSt NOw gOt onE!" - RELATIVELY, people

#10375 1 year ago

???

robm

Pinside member

Townsville City

12y 45,050 625

Quoted from kmad:
Wish I was on here more talking about how fun this machine is but mine has had nothing but problems since day 1. You guys have been great in pointing me in the right direction and as a first time owner I've need al the help I an get. I was playing last night and on the third game, in the middle of what was a good game for me (574,000,000), on the third ball the flippers stopped working and the ball drained. The way the flippers stopped seemed exactly like what usually happens when a ball drains where they are turned off until the next ball is launched. From that point forward I had issues . The machine would kick two balls at a time into the shooters lane, and then in the middle of play, the flippers would just stop as they do on the final drain of a game. I turned the machine on and off several times to try and reset but those problems continued. Then there was a period where it would not let me start a game. I could hold the left flipper to add my name or add it with the QR code, but when I hit the start button nothing would happen. Went into diagnostics and ran some checks and couldn't find anything wrong, but I'm a first time owner who's not super knowledgeable and may not have checked everything. Lifted the playfield and opened the backbox to inspect, but again didn't see anything unusual. Turned it back on and it worked fine. Played two games without incident. Tonight went in and everything started up fine. On the third game, second ball at around 250 million the flippers stopped again and the ball drained. Unlike last night, the machine loaded the third ball (only one like it was supposed to, not two like last night) and I completed the game without further issues. I have played three more shorter games with no issues. Any ideas what may be going on or what to check/do? Love this game but seems like I spend more time figuring out how to fix things and repairing than I do playing.

This is quite a common issue with many sterns. My Iron Maiden does it. Its a very simple fix. The connectors going to the ball trough are not making 100% connection, therefore the game will think that a ball has drained, hence the flippers dying.

Open the coin door, and there are 2 plugs front and back of the ball trough - pull them down slightly, then push back in firmly. thats reseating the connector - and should fix your issue. It may need to be redone from time to time - for some reason these seem to be problematic on a few different machines.

#10376 1 year ago

CLY

Yesh23

Pinside+ Frequent

Indian Land, SC

9y 129K 2,519 10 32 3

Curious what color people are power coating their Pro machines? I'm trying to get a few ideas.

#10377 1 year ago

KGM

kmad

Pinside member

2y 25,900 90 1

Quoted from Bill2112Rush:
I racked up a 900 million game a couple weeks back, but I have no CLUE how I did it. It gets a bit mind numbing:
“Collect records then start a song mode and lock the album to activate the Weapon that lives in the house that Jack built”
Most of my games go something like this
ME: Wait…is that regular flash, Fast flash or strobe flash? Crap! There’s a flashin—
GL: “YOU’VE GOT TWO!”
Huh? But I just hit th—
“QUICK! SHOOT THE RIGHT RAMP!”
I’m trying!!
“LOCK A BALL IN THE TOP SCOOP!”
Woo Hoo! One ball loc—oops that was the bottom scoop
“FIVE…FOUR…”
Come on come on!!
“THREE…”
Gimme the ball! Gimme the ball!!!
“TWO”
ball kicks out
“ONE”
Ball drains.
I suck.
*sigh*

Quoted from robm:
This is quite a common issue with many sterns. My Iron Maiden does it. Its a very simple fix. The connectors going to the ball trough are not making 100% connection, therefore the game will think that a ball has drained, hence the flippers dying.
Open the coin door, and there are 2 plugs front and back of the ball trough - pull them down slightly, then push back in firmly. thats reseating the connector - and should fix your issue. It may need to be redone from time to time - for some reason these seem to be problematic on a few different machines.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll try that tomorrow. Crazy how many things I’ve had to fix but I’ve learned an incredible amount about the pin as i’ve worked thru all this. Hopefully this will take care if it.

#10378 1 year ago

JCB

JonCBrand

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 73,300 1,013 1

Quoted from Yesh23:
Curious what color people are power coating their Pro machines? I'm trying to get a few ideas.

Same here. My Pro is ready for powder.

#10379 1 year ago

CLY

Yesh23

Pinside+ Frequent

Indian Land, SC

9y 129K 2,519 10 32 3

Quoted from JonCBrand:
Same here. My Pro is ready for powder.

Yeah there’s a lot of ways to go on this one

#10380 1 year ago

ALX

donjagra

Pinside member

14y 72,100 3,402 10 34

Quoted from pete_d:
First, fixing the inner loop made a huge difference. Not only do I enjoy the game better, it opens up bonus multipliers and other scoring opportunities that just didn't exist when the shot was busted. There are at least three different options for dealing with this; I don't think it matters much which one you pick, just that if your machine doesn't register those inner loop shots, you need to fix it.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

#10381 1 year ago

MOT

Ceckitti

Pinside+ Frequent

Columbus, OH

4y 101K 1,085 13 70

New software bug......? Anyone else having this issue?

So.... ever since I updated to 1.01, when I first power up the game after being off for a while (the night before up to a day or so) the game will not let me go into the "Home Team" screen from the left flipper button.
I have to power the game down, power back up, and then once its fully booted..... it goes straight to the Insider connect screen on its own. Then i hold the left button and all is normal.

Also the last time it wouldn't let me log in, I went into the service menu and checked my Insider connects connection and it said unavailable and would not let me do a connection test.

Anyone else? This has happened at least 4 times now since updating.

#10382 1 year ago

ALX

donjagra

Pinside member

14y 72,100 3,402 10 34

Quoted from kmad:Wish I was on here more talking about how fun this machine is but mine has had nothing but problems since day 1. You guys have been great in pointing me in the right direction and as a first time owner I've need al the help I an get. I was playing last night and on the third game, in the middle of what was a good game for me (574,000,000), on the third ball the flippers stopped working and the ball drained. The way the flippers stopped seemed exactly like what usually happens when a ball drains where they are turned off until the next ball is launched. From that point forward I had issues . The machine would kick two balls at a time into the shooters lane, and then in the middle of play, the flippers would just stop as they do on the final drain of a game. I turned the machine on and off several times to try and reset but those problems continued. Then there was a period where it would not let me start a game. I could hold the left flipper to add my name or add it with the QR code, but when I hit the start button nothing would happen. Went into diagnostics and ran some checks and couldn't find anything wrong, but I'm a first time owner who's not super knowledgeable and may not have checked everything. Lifted the playfield and opened the backbox to inspect, but again didn't see anything unusual. Turned it back on and it worked fine. Played two games without incident. Tonight went in and everything started up fine. On the third game, second ball at around 250 million the flippers stopped again and the ball drained. Unlike last night, the machine loaded the third ball (only one like it was supposed to, not two like last night) and I completed the game without further issues. I have played three more shorter games with no issues. Any ideas what may be going on or what to check/do? Love this game but seems like I spend more time figuring out how to fix things and repairing than I do playing.

Are any of the GI bulbs flickering? For some strange reason if any of the GI bulbs are flickering, they can cause the flippers to lose power. Why the two systems are running on the same control board isn't clear to me, but replacing flickering bulbs and making sure the ears on the socket are not touching will fix the issue.

#10383 1 year ago

RCC

RC_like_the_cola

Pinside+ Frequent

Sellersburg, IN

12y 91,800 5,659 26 2

Quoted from Ceckitti:
New software bug......? Anyone else having this issue?
So.... ever since I updated to 1.01, when I first power up the game after being off for a while (the night before up to a day or so) the game will not let me go into the "Home Team" screen from the left flipper button.
I have to power the game down, power back up, and then once its fully booted..... it goes straight to the Insider connect screen on its own. Then i hold the left button and all is normal.
Also the last time it wouldn't let me log in, I went into the service menu and checked my Insider connects connection and it said unavailable and would not let me do a connection test.
Anyone else? This has happened at least 4 times now since updating.

No issue like that on my pro. Boots up and after a few seconds for the game to connect, the home team works fine. No direct boot to insider, either.

#10384 1 year ago

CRA

CrashJT

Pinside member

2y 62,300 377

Quoted from Ceckitti:
New software bug......? Anyone else having this issue?
So.... ever since I updated to 1.01, when I first power up the game after being off for a while (the night before up to a day or so) the game will not let me go into the "Home Team" screen from the left flipper button.
I have to power the game down, power back up, and then once its fully booted..... it goes straight to the Insider connect screen on its own. Then i hold the left button and all is normal.
Also the last time it wouldn't let me log in, I went into the service menu and checked my Insider connects connection and it said unavailable and would not let me do a connection test.
Anyone else? This has happened at least 4 times now since updating.

Mine seems to be working ok (Premium updated on ic first day)

#10385 1 year ago

JID

jid

Pinside+ Frequent

Dunwoody, GA

11y 52,300 363 3 14

Quoted from Ceckitti:
New software bug......? Anyone else having this issue?
So.... ever since I updated to 1.01, when I first power up the game after being off for a while (the night before up to a day or so) the game will not let me go into the "Home Team" screen from the left flipper button.
I have to power the game down, power back up, and then once its fully booted..... it goes straight to the Insider connect screen on its own. Then i hold the left button and all is normal.
Also the last time it wouldn't let me log in, I went into the service menu and checked my Insider connects connection and it said unavailable and would not let me do a connection test.
Anyone else? This has happened at least 4 times now since updating.

I have always found that I have to wait a few seconds (10ish) for the wifi to connect so that home team OR the QR scanner will work. If you scan a QR right away it says ‘not online’ yet. But if I wait a moment it will come online.

#10386 1 year ago

MOT

Ceckitti

Pinside+ Frequent

Columbus, OH

4y 101K 1,085 13 70

Quoted from jid:
I have always found that I have to wait a few seconds (10ish) for the wifi to connect so that home team OR the QR scanner will work. If you scan a QR right away it says ‘not online’ yet. But if I wait a moment it will come online.

My issue is happening still even 20-30 minutes after i booted up the game.

#10387 1 year ago

ALX

donjagra

Pinside member

14y 72,100 3,402 10 34

Quoted from Ceckitti:
My issue is happening still even 20-30 minutes after i booted up the game.

Sounds like a dongle issue more than anything else. The dongles that ship from Stern aren't great and there are tons of threads about dongle problems.

Personally, I get a little embarrassed talking about my dongle problems....

#10388 1 year ago

???

Jesterpester

Pinside member

I think (and hope) I figured out our Node 10 issue. After the first time it burned, we checked over everything and saw no loose connections or anything. Got the replacement which burned again shortly after. Again not finding any connection issues. But noticed this wire tie right off the ramp motor was super tight and pinching the wires. Now we are just waiting for a new board and now a new motor and fingers crossed that stupid little wire tie was the initial issue and we don’t blow another board.

5B454190-7E42-476F-9E2C-B481025DAC3E (resized).jpeg

D8CC311B-734B-4447-BD4D-02C11830F71F (resized).jpeg

#10389 1 year ago

SSG

hiker2099

Pinside+ Frequent

Crestview, FL

2y 76,300 1,114 5 23 1

Quoted from Ceckitti:
New software bug......? Anyone else having this issue?
So.... ever since I updated to 1.01, when I first power up the game after being off for a while (the night before up to a day or so) the game will not let me go into the "Home Team" screen from the left flipper button.
I have to power the game down, power back up, and then once its fully booted..... it goes straight to the Insider connect screen on its own. Then i hold the left button and all is normal.
Also the last time it wouldn't let me log in, I went into the service menu and checked my Insider connects connection and it said unavailable and would not let me do a connection test.
Anyone else? This has happened at least 4 times now since updating.

Mine does this when the internet is running slow or I am currently downloading an update on another pin. It happens on all my machines. As soon as internet is back up or the download on the other machine is done, holding the left flipper button works again.

#10390 1 year ago

KGM

kmad

Pinside member

2y 25,900 90 1

Quoted from donjagra:
Are any of the GI bulbs flickering? For some strange reason if any of the GI bulbs are flickering, they can cause the flippers to lose power. Why the two systems are running on the same control board isn't clear to me, but replacing flickering bulbs and making sure the ears on the socket are not touching will fix the issue.

None are flickering but one is a little more faint than the rest. I’ll. check that out. Thanks!

#10391 1 year ago

RSH

Bill2112Rush

Pinside member

Quoted from Jesterpester:
I think (and hope) I figured out our Node 10 issue. After the first time it burned, we checked over everything and saw no loose connections or anything. Got the replacement which burned again shortly after. Again not finding any connection issues. But noticed this wire tie right off the ramp motor was super tight and pinching the wires. Now we are just waiting for a new board and now a new motor and fingers crossed that stupid little wire tie was the initial issue and we don’t blow another board.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Good catch! Could you see any breaks in the insulation on those wires?

#10392 1 year ago

PMD

pete_d

Inactive member

Quoted from Jesterpester:
I think (and hope) I figured out our Node 10 issue. After the first time it burned, we checked over everything and saw no loose connections or anything. Got the replacement which burned again shortly after. Again not finding any connection issues. But noticed this wire tie right off the ramp motor was super tight and pinching the wires. Now we are just waiting for a new board and now a new motor and fingers crossed that stupid little wire tie was the initial issue and we don’t blow another board.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Nice find. That wire tie did look way too tight.

But have you replaced the wires too? From your photos, it does not look like the wire insulation was compromised in a way that would've caused a short. So the only way the tie being too tight would be a problem is if it damaged the conductors in the wire itself, causing an intermittent disconnect. Disconnecting components while they are powered being, of course, a known way to quickly blow up node boards.

Given the apparent damage to the wires, I wouldn't trust those. Stern should send you replacement connections for that (which may involve sending a whole new motor, given the way they are connected), along with the node board. And probably a good idea to go through the rest of the wiring closely to see if you find any other places where the person on the factory floor put the tie on too tight.

#10393 1 year ago

STK

flynnibus

Pinside+ Frequent

11y 134K 13,242

Quoted from Jesterpester:
I think (and hope) I figured out our Node 10 issue. After the first time it burned, we checked over everything and saw no loose connections or anything. Got the replacement which burned again shortly after. Again not finding any connection issues. But noticed this wire tie right off the ramp motor was super tight and pinching the wires. Now we are just waiting for a new board and now a new motor and fingers crossed that stupid little wire tie was the initial issue and we don’t blow another board.
[quoted image][quoted image]

Good eye... there is a enough there that the conductors are likely compromised and given Stern has already said intermitent connection can cause the board to fail this is a very high probability of your root cause.. and something that others can easily check.

The zip tie guns are calibrated to a certain strength. If the tool isn't setup right or the operators are doing something off pattern... this can happen to a lot of games until someone catches it.

#10394 1 year ago

STK

flynnibus

Pinside+ Frequent

11y 134K 13,242

Quoted from Bill2112Rush:
Good catch! Could you see any breaks in the insulation on those wires?

Doesn't matter... if the conductors are broken or insufficient for the load it's problem enough.

#10395 1 year ago

???

Jesterpester

Pinside member

Quoted from Bill2112Rush:
Good catch! Could you see any breaks in the insulation on those wires?

No breaks but they are pinched so flat I can’t imagine there is no damage underneath.

Quoted from pete_d:
Nice find. That wire tie did look way too tight.
But have you replaced the wires too? From your photos, it does not look like the wire insulation was compromised in a way that would've caused a short. So the only way the tie being too tight would be a problem is if it damaged the conductors in the wire itself, causing an intermittent disconnect. Disconnecting components while they are powered being, of course, a known way to quickly blow up node boards.
Given the apparent damage to the wires, I wouldn't trust those. Stern should send you replacement connections for that (which may involve sending a whole new motor, given the way they are connected), along with the node board. And probably a good idea to go through the rest of the wiring closely to see if you find any other places where the person on the factory floor put the tie on too tight.

Yes, Stern is sending a new motor too.

Quoted from flynnibus:
Good eye... there is a enough there that the conductors are likely compromised and given Stern has already said intermitent connection can cause the board to fail this is a very high probability of your root cause.. and something that others can easily check.
The zip tie guns are calibrated to a certain strength. If the tool isn't setup right or the operators are doing something off pattern... this can happen to a lot of games until someone catches it.

I hope this is the cause of the issue and hopefully helps anyone else who has been having issues too.

#10396 1 year ago

RSH

Bill2112Rush

Pinside member