Nivelles
I wonder if anyone has an insight on the electronics used for the short-lived "The Pin" platform.
It is even not listed on the Stern website anymore.
Anyone got a schematics and/or manual of that thing ?
(Topic ID: 106146)
Linked Games
Avengers The Pin
Stern, 2012-
Transformers The Pin
Stern, 2012
Topic Gallery
I'd like to know how many "The Pin's" were actually sold? This might just be one of the rarest games ever made. Only 1 Pinsider shows as being an owner and I never see or hear about them.
Quoted from frolic:Every year more are spotted in the factory, so they keep making them. Just not for us.
Yes, it is one of the big mysteries of the pinball universe. Supposedly demand is strong enough for Stern to dedicate an assembly line to them at their new facility.
However, the only owner I know of to post having one on Pinside quickly returned theirs.
Who is buying these on a regular basis? A mystery indeed 
Honestly, I have been waiting patiently for more people to chime in with detailed hardware and gameplay reviews, but so far I have read nothing. Its like these are all sent to locations where pinheads are barred from entering.
Frederick, MD
Was just discussing this the other day 
Never seen one, they weren't on Amazon for long, I have no idea if there were other sales channels it was sold through (I've never seen any), and there seems to be no one in the pinball community who bought it.
Maybe some weird market in a foreign country is buying them all or something..lol.
I think Gary mentioned last year that the entire inventory was sold to a pool table company, but I don't recall their name.
I saw one at Combined Pool and Spa here in Sioux falls. It said "sold" on it but you could play it any ways. I think it was listed for $3499. I gave it a few plays.. yuck.
Quoted from frolic:I think Gary mentioned last year that the entire inventory was sold to a pool table company, but I don't recall their name.
This Avengers "the pin" has been posted and reposted and reposted and reposted for months and months on the OC CL.
orangecounty.craigslist.org link
1 year later
Ask and ye shall receive even though its over a year later. I own one and its a great machine for a small apartment.
1 year later
Leeds
Quoted from stoptap:Isn't it an early version of Spike ?
Yep. I had one for about 10 days in late 2012. Returned it (via Amazon) because the drop targets malfunctioned. No way to open it up to fix.
It got me into pinball though.
7 months later
Still no insight into schematics and board layout? Has anyone ever contacted Stern to see if they have any to share? They have to exist somewhere. I am picking up a non-working Transformers The Pin today and I can't find anything on the internet in the way of help to troubleshoot issues.
Quoted from FiatsRUs:Still no insight into schematics and board layout? Has anyone ever contacted Stern to see if they have any to share? They have to exist somewhere. I am picking up a non-working Transformers The Pin today and I can't find anything on the internet in the way of help to troubleshoot issues.
Wow, hopefully it is a simple fix. Congrats on the find!
I got The Pin working so it plays great (bad Cat 5 cable connection from the MPU to the node board resulting in an "I/O Error" message at boot-up), but I had no GI lights. That was due to no 6 vdc at the node board (there is only one on this machine). As nearly as I can tell, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for an enthusiast to repair the boards as there are no available schematics and the components are surface-mounted. From what I can gather, the Spike system power supply transforms and rectifies 120 vac into 48 vdc which is then sent to the mpu and the node board(s) to be further transformed and regulated to the necessary dc voltages (24, 12 and 6, I believe). With my node board, the 6 vdc for the GI didn't work.
I checked Marco, Pinballlife and Stern. Nobody has the board I need (520-5321-00 Rev C). Stern said they have committed orders from distributors which I take to mean they may or may not have more made. It seems that they really want the whole "The Pin Thing" to go away. Stern also told me that they have no schematics for the node boards (Bullshot! How did they design the boards to subsequently have them produced by a third party?).
In the end, I did a hack for the GI (which is completely on one circuit) wherein I wired a PC power supply to the on/off switch, modified it to start when the a/c voltage was present, and connected the 5 vdc output to the GI circuit. I mounted and firmly attached the ps box to the wooden crossmember at the bottom center on the inside of the cabinet. If you didn't know about the hack, you wouldn't know the game isn't functioning as it should from the factory. It boots normally, the GI lights immediately and it plays great. All will be good until the node board eventually shoots craps completely after which time The Pin will be a 150 lb paperweight due to a lack of a replacement board. What a shame.
BTW, the game is actually very fun. I have had 50 or so other commercial machines, and this one certainly plays better than the early SS games and many of the late 80s games. It doesn't have any ramps or habitrails, but instead has a variety of lanes to shoot and a 3-ball multi-ball. Not a bad pin if you can pick one up for $1500 or less, with the wild assumption that you will be able to keep it running! In my opinion, it was a good idea killed by a bad retail price point, poor execution and a total lack of support.
P.S. The game can be serviced from underneath by removing six screws and a piece of hardboard to gain access. The PF doesn't lift to allow access while standing (presumably, it was to be so reliable that it would never need service?). The whole process is akin to lying underneath a car while alternatively swearing and drinking beer; and occasionally turning a wrench.
(The green painter's tape in the pics is to hold the translite in place until the on-order tempered glass is done. It was broken by the previous owner.)
3 weeks later
Quoted from FiatsRUs:In the end, I did a hack for the GI..... The green painter's tape in the pics is to hold the translite in place until the on-order tempered glass is done. It was broken by the previous owner.
A fellow Pinsider sold me a spare node board that he had. I installed it and everything works perfectly. All hacks have been removed and the translite now has a new piece of tempered glass holding it in place. It plays great and is a fun game. Top 100? Clearly not, but still an entertaining pin and a very unique addition to a collection.
I am going to redo some of the factory lighting as there is way too much red. The center area near the pop bumpers should be purple along with the two lights on either side of Megatron. Also, Megatron would be cool with a purple spotlight to highlight it and the lower PF could use a couple of spotlights for additional illumination. A very neat bargain game (purchased used, not new!).
I added a cabinet speaker to my Transformers The Pin. I used an 8 inch speaker from my X-Men (I put in a woofer with a crossover in that one) and wired it to the right channel on the MPU in the backbox. I placed connectors in both the head unit (to allow for future removal) and in the cabinet (to allow for removal of the access panel for servicing). Note that the left and right channel connections on the mpu had output, but there was none for the center channel. I think a next step would be an L-pad on the back-box speaker to better balance the sound (more is needed in the cabinet). Additionally, a crossover on the 8-incher might be a nice addition to get it to really rumble.
To service these pins, you have to tip it up on its back and remove a one-piece hardboard panel to get at the underside of the playfield. I cut the panel in half to allow for easier removal and I replaced the wood screws used at the center mounting location (there is a wood crossmember in center of the cabinet) and replaced them with #6 machine screws and t-nuts.
That looks really great. I sure wish Stern would commit more time and resources to these smaller home models, they really are a blast to play and have a great deal of potential.
Neat work!
Too bad re: the support you received from Stern, congrats on being able to get help from a fellow enthusiast! That's great.
7 months later
1 year later
Well, it has been a year and I just picked one of these up that has power, but does not come on. I have 48 v coming out of the PSU and the node board has lights on it... But that's it. Nothing makes anything light up or come on.
So, did anyone ever acquire schematics?
Quoted from RandyW:So, did anyone ever acquire schematics?
Not that I know of.
Your problem might be a corrupt SD card on the cpu board. You'd have to contact Stern and see if they can provide reloading of the game code.
Upon further inspection, the 5v rail is dead. So I have sent the board off to a mate who can do smd repair. I don't have the gear, eyes or steady hands...
Also, after speaking with Tech support, there are no schematics. So no one is ever going to find or get them. They went to make a run of these boards, years ago and realized that engineering files did not exist. They were just... gone.
Quoted from Rickwh:Here buy this product that we made for a target audience with no pin maintenance exp... lets make it impossible to work on and then lets throw away any docs we might have had to help when they need it. Amazing
Yup, that sounds like Stern's entire home pinball machine line. "Buy this and when it breaks you're shit out of luck".
3 years later
I have been working with Stern and have some good news! They sent me email last week stating "We currently have 520-5321-00 rev C on order with our vendor so it's on backorder for the next few weeks". I called to confirm and this is indeed the node board for the Transformer the Pin and Avengers the Pin ELG home pinball machines. These 2 games basically are pre Spike 1 and are sometimes called Spike 0 or Spike 0.5 because they are the precursor to Spike 1.
They said to I can go ahead and put an order in, so I ordered 2.
thats awesome! i've got an avengers and the 24v led doesn't light up when i power up. not sure what to make of that. i do get some playfield lights on and thats it. cpu led flashes
Quoted from HDBrian:I have been working with Stern and have some good news! They sent me email last week stating "We currently have 520-5321-00 rev C on order with our vendor so it's on backorder for the next few weeks". I called to confirm and this is indeed the node board for the Transformer the Pin and Avengers the Pin ELG home pinball machines. These 2 games basically are pre Spike 1 and are sometimes called Spike 0 or Spike 0.5 because they are the precursor to Spike 1.
They said to I can go ahead and put an order in, so I ordered 2.
20230411_194930 (resized).jpg20230412_161829 (resized).jpg20230412_161837 (resized).jpgQuoted from choda:thats awesome! i've got an avengers and the 24v led doesn't light up when i power up. not sure what to make of that. i do get some playfield lights on and thats it. cpu led flashes
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Check that your power supply is outputting the 24 volts.
Off topic, but you don't by any chance have the rule sheet for your Avengers The Pin do you?
3 weeks later
thanks i'll check the 24v
no sorry i don't have the rulesheet. bought it from a non pin guy who got it at auction and it doesn't even have the backglass, but that doesnt bother me. i can make one
Quoted from HDBrian:Check that your power supply is outputting the 24 volts.
Off topic, but you don't by any chance have the rule sheet for your Avengers The Pin do you?
Quoted from choda:thanks i'll check the 24v
no sorry i don't have the rulesheet. bought it from a non pin guy who got it at auction and it doesn't even have the backglass, but that doesnt bother me. i can make one
I'm sure you can get a transformers translite through a distributor.
1 week later
Quoted from HDBrian:Stern could not repair my 520-5321-00 Rev C node board. They said the highlighted components are all blown, and they can not get those components anymore. Anyone know where I can find outdated ICs?
[quoted image]
I don't know if these are the correct package sizes for your node board, but the part families are certainly not outdated.
U14 - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/monolithic-power-systems-inc/MP2494DN-LF-Z/5292099
D25 - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bourns-inc/SMBJ48CA/2254740
D23 - https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/comchip-technology/CDBC560-G/1558970
You can sub in just about any 1/8 watt resistor (>= 200 ohms) for R66 assuming it's the same package size as the existing part. All it's driving is the LED on D27.
6 months later
MY TRANSFORMERS THE PIN ELG HOME PINBALL LIVES!!!
Stern has had 20 new 520-5321-00C node boards made and I received my order yesterday. I installed it and connected everything to it one at a time (powering off each time) out of fear that something else in the game may have been defective and caused the damage to the node board, but eventually I had everything connected and it still booted up fine.
You should be able to buy one from Marco's, Pinball Life, or any other Stern distributor, but have them make sure it's REV C! REV F is an entirely different board and does not work.
They only made 20 and will not be making any more.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/520-5321-00C
20231219_014212 (resized).jpgIf you are looking for a parts distributor to buy the newly re-made 520-5321-00 REV C node board, here is a link to a distributor that has a few in stock. Remember, Stern only made 20 more of these and are not going to make any more when they sell out.
https://www.sandiegoamusements.com/product-page/node-board-1-stern-home-systems
2 months later
Marco Specialties now has in stock the newly re-made 520-5321-00 REV C node board 8 for the Transformers and Avengers "The Pin" games, for $169.99.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/520-5321-00C
Quoted from HDBrian:MY TRANSFORMERS THE PIN ELG HOME PINBALL LIVES!!!
Stern has had 20 new 520-5321-00C node boards made and I received my order yesterday. I installed it and connected everything to it one at a time (powering off each time) out of fear that something else in the game may have been defective and caused the damage to the node board, but eventually I had everything connected and it still booted up fine.
You should be able to buy one from Marco's, Pinball Life, or any other Stern distributor, but have them make sure it's REV C! REV F is an entirely different board and does not work.
They only made 20 and will not be making any more.
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/520-5321-00C
[quoted image]
The company I work for used to sell these. I brought the demo home that we had on the floor, since it had the I/O Error and was going to be thrown out.
I replaced the CAT5e from the mother board and tested it to make sure the signal was reliable from the mother board to the node. I replaced the node bode with Rev C this past week and replaced the node board 520-6789-00, which is the only other part still available for sale. I'm still getting the I/O error. What should I test next? It sounds like it may be a power issue reading through the posts. I'm new to working on these things but am familiar with building computers and arcade cabinets. Thanks!
3 weeks later
Quoted from GPinside:The company I work for used to sell these. I brought the demo home that we had on the floor, since it had the I/O Error and was going to be thrown out.
I replaced the CAT5e from the mother board and tested it to make sure the signal was reliable from the mother board to the node. I replaced the node bode with Rev C this past week and replaced the node board 520-6789-00, which is the only other part still available for sale. I'm still getting the I/O error. What should I test next? It sounds like it may be a power issue reading through the posts. I'm new to working on these things but am familiar with building computers and arcade cabinets. Thanks!
Can you take a picture of the main node board behind the backglass? There are 4 LEDs for the power, 5V, 8V, 24V, and 48V. If one of those is not lit, the game will not boot correctly. Usually the IO error is caused by the 8V being out. If that is the case, you can get with Stern tech support and send the main node 0 board in for them to repair the 8 volt circuit. Someone here like Chris Hibler could probably fix it for less than Stern support would charge you.
Quoted from HDBrian:Can you take a picture of the main node board behind the backglass? There are 4 LEDs for the power, 5V, 8V, 24V, and 48V. If one of those is not lit, the game will not boot correctly. Usually the IO error is caused by the 8V being out. If that is the case, you can get with Stern tech support and send the main node 0 board in for them to repair the 8 volt circuit. Someone here like Chris Hibler could probably fix it for less than Stern support would charge you.
Sorry for the delay. I didn't get a notification you had responded.
I tried to get some decent pictures without the LEDs causing too much of a glare. It looks like the 8V circuit is out.
I found out our account at work with Stern can't be reactivated, so I can't set up a support ticket to send the CPU in for them to take a look.
From talking with Nashville Pinball, local Stern authorized support, and from your post, it sounds like that part needs to be repaired or replaced. However, Stern parts confirmed with their purchasing department that they are not getting any replacement Avengers/Transformers "The Pin" boards.
Since taking the picture, the 5V light has gone out and now nothing is powering up.
1 week later
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