Does anyone have problems with an inconsistent ball launcher, and does anyone know what to do to fix it? Mine is failing to shoot the ball from the shooter lane all the way up the wireform about 10-20% of the time. I tried a new coil sleeve and new plunger assy. It seemed to get better for a while but that may have been my imagination. It does look as though the plunger is striking the center of the ball as it sits in the shooter lane. This especially sucks when you get into MB. Any thoughts?

Definitely the most likely thing to check. Sometimes it'll look centered but still be striking the ball high or low.

AE 23-800 for the coil? I know... dumb question but I figured I would ask.

I will double check the coil. Funny that I just assumed it had the correct one in there.

I would check the plunger tip as well. Make sure it is not coming apart and causing inconsistent hits.

It's brand new.

Check the pinion gear condition. A broken ow worn gear will cause that. Or, the roll pin is missing.

The rack and pinion is available as as matched set:
http://www.casperselectronics.com/cart/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=945&search=pinion

I had a similar issue where it would stutter slowly in one direction. My fix ended up being a new flipper opto board even though it seemed fine. An easy way to test is to switch your flipper opto boards and see if it becomes slow in the other direction.

Had final battle lit but drained
Still a new GC

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Nice. Where did you get the speaker lights?

Just wanted to feedback and say I got it fixed. I did two things and not sure which one fixed it but it works 100% now. The solder connections to the coil looked a little sketchy so I cut, stripped, and re-soldered the wires to the coil. Also the plunger was striking the ball very slightly below center. The way I corrected this was to put a washer between the coil bracket and playfield at both of the two screw locations to raise the whole plunger assy up slightly. Works great now!

Thanks! I made em. Well, I bought em off eBay and wired them up to 12V.
Toughest part was finding ones the right size. They're 90mm and on eBay as "car halo angel eyes". People stick em in their headlights.

The newest rage is these COB (chip on board) ones, all integrated into the circuit board and much thinner.
ebay.com link: US 90mm 2PCS Red 105 COB LEDs for Angel Eyes Halo Ring Headlight Fog Light

Man, I've been trying for three years to get into this club, and missed two nice games. Well today, I'm in! Thanks to the new coolest guy on the planet, Nate, for this beauty of an example. Working perfectly and PF in super condition! I'm in pinball heaven right now.

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So, what's the usual bounce-out rate from the battlefield after the VUK fires? I'm finding about fifty percent of battlefield entries are bouncing out straight away and flying around the back half of the playfield.
Do I need to align my VUK wireform up a bit? Looks like it could be out, but it might be normal. I wouldn't know.

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Yes you'll want to adjust that. I don't think I've had any bounce outs. Is it hitting the yellow standup?

The wireform on my machine is virtually touching the battlefield. In fact, when I remove the stud to swing the battlefield up for maintenance, the wireform prevents it from lifting; I need to slightly bend it out of the way to lift the assembly completely.

No problems with the ball returning back to the VUK.

I'm not in front of my Shadow to check, but I believe there may be a washer under the wireform base under one of the nuts. You can try to put a washer under here and it should tilt the wireform forward. Don't go bending the wireforms, you should be able to fix everything at the base.

Thanks guys. I'll line it up.

In.

In the club as of last Thursday. Want to bronze coat Wire forms and gun. You think legs would also look good with bronze coating or is that gaudy?

Just to let everyone know I'm done with the prototype and am ready to order parts and get circuit boards screened.
I have a few questions for the group, how long of a delay on should there be? Right now I have it at 4 seconds. Also on the prototype I used a double throw relay and a second light wire so I can have one set of leds on all the time and when the relay activates the second set of leds turn on and first set turns off. My first set are dim UV bulbs for the mood and the second set turns on brighter white leds for better viewing. This adds to the cost @ 1.50 so what do you think? Lastly does it matter if this turns on with the left or right flipper button?

The lighting scheme sounds great to me. I would definitely pay the extra couple bucks for dual lighting. Could the VUK be the trigger to turn on the lights instead of a flipper? That seems to be the most predictable event.

What delay are you talking about, the lights turning off after falling off the battlefield? I would think shorter than 4 seconds. I would think the light should turn off about the time the bumper re-centers itself afterwards. I'd guess this is only a couple seconds.

The lights get triggered from the the paddle moving back and forth when you press the flipper button. The delay is for when you don't move the paddle for a period of time but still need the lights activated.

I would think that would work then. I always move the paddle before the ball actually gets up there. Four seconds might be a little long on the delay, but it shouldn't be a big deal if it's on slightly after losing the ball.

I'm in!

This is why I thought I would ask. I got you down for two seconds.

I also need to get an idea of how many I need to build so I can order parts. The more kits the better the discount on the parts will be which translates in a lower cost for everyone.

Put me on the list...cool project! I also think 4 seconds is a little long.

I'm in.

Plus 1. Pm sent

I'm in too! Thanks!

I had sold my Shadow (with Aurich translite) and have been hating myself ever since. I just purchased one in a container buy from Italy and while I know it is rough, I can start at the beginning and bring it back to glory. I have been getting parts together and reading this thread. Hope to post pics soon when the container arrives and as I start the restoration.

Wait, what's going on? Is this some sort of device that activates lights in the battlefield when the ball is up there? If so count me in.

Some of my most successful battlefields happen when I keep the paddle still and it bounces back and forth multiple times. Not sure if 4 seconds might not be a safer default. I'd hate to have to move the paddle to keep the lights on when keeping it still is working on the hit total.

It's tough to know for sure. But in any case, I'm interested as well.

Take a risk. Make 25-50. If you are confident that you have designed it well then you will sell them easily. They have infinite shelf life so if it takes a year to sell them then no problem. I find the price break on DigiKey at 50 lots is usually good enough to get going. Good luck. Great idea!
And if you don't, I will.
Kidding!

Why not incorporate a small pot instead of a fixed resister so you could adjust the delay to your liking. Might be worth the extra cost?

I'll be lucky if there are 25 commitments, but 50 would sure reduce some cost.

Sounds like you want to be a partner, maybe be the money front man.

Everything is going to be SMT to keep the size to a minimum. I also think we will come up with a number that everyone will like. Most likely 3 seconds.

I would also be keen on one.

Put me on the list Grumpy

I'm just nudging you to make 'em. I want one!

@grumpy, i am in!

If I wasn't explicit in my feedback, I definitely want this.

As to only getting 25 or 50 commits...if this is implemented well, I can't imagine what Shadow owner in their right mind WOULDN'T buy this. People have been looking for a good way to light the battlefield for years.

Just like to say that mine was a switch problem. Bought a new switch and all is now working again.

Please add me to the list for battlefield lights

Grumpy I'll take one too!

I'd like a Grumpy light.

I'd take one also but would want to see it in Action first.

I would be interested as well, what is the target price range for the completed mod?

I'm interested in the battlefield light mod for sure.