Those optos already sit well off the playfield so I don't think a washer will help. Maybe a voltage induction issue? Check to see if the motor wiring is running near or bundled with the opto wiring.

I have also heard certain El Wire / Fiber Optic inverters create "electrical noise" and mess with opto's e.t.c.

When did this start? Have you done any similar mods like the ones I just mentioned?

There have been a few times where my game has exhibited phantom disc hits. I've thought that it could be from the plethora of mod's I've added to my LE that something is causing "electric noise" as Fattrain has stated. However it has came and gone and there is no rhyme or reason to why it has happened. Doesn't happen all the time...just once in a blue moon.

On a side note. There is a TRON Pro on location that I've played and recently when we were holding a tournament on that game, it was exhibiting the same issue with phantom disc opto switch hits/

....hmmm?

My phantom hits came from the IDC connector to the amplifier board. Yanked that out for a nice molex connector with crimped trifurcon pins and the phantom hits went away! It's a solution I don't read much about so don't rule it out, and my symptoms were much like yours where I was only getting hits when the disc was spinning.

It was his connector not the board. The optos work being always on. A break in the beam causes the switch to trigger. Therefore the switch can trigger if the connector os loose or if the pins inside the connector are not making good contact. The optos are powered switches so anything that causes power instability can cause flaky optos.

Don't know if this additional piece of info will help, but during that tourney that hassell's referring to, the phantom disc hits were coupled with periods of the disc not registering any hits. I've seen the same happen to the Tron Pro on route in Austin, too.

No flipper opto boards in Sterns. Probably vibration messing with that suspect connector.

I just checked and the game will register the disc opto even when the 3 bank is up and the motor is not running. Not saying it is not a connector issue but if it was a vibration issue, as he is now mentioning with the flipper, would it not show up all of the time?

Ok, well then that takes the original problem in a different direction since the motor is now out of the equation. All go with Troz that the connectors seem likely at this point. Try reseating the connectors and see if it goes away for a time period. If it does then repin it.

I only replaced the connector, not the pins on the board. If it didn't solve the problem then the pins on the board were next, followed by the actual 2-pin opto connectors. Stern's opto design and wiring SUCKS! With that out of the way...

This pic shows the connector I replaced. It's a 5-pin connector but I only had 6-pin connectors on hand so please ignore that, and yes, I did place a key in the 6th position. It'll be a 5-pin connector after I make my next GPE order. The wires are looped through the IDC connector so you'll need to double them up on the trifurcon pins. This solved my disc opto issue 100% and put weeks of frustration to rest. Hope it helps!

TronAmpConnector.jpg

Your 2 pin connectors don't look right. There were two different types used on the male and female side. Looks like yours are opposites.

Typically, when they go bad, they give out dozens of switch hits all at once. They're usually intermittent too. Wiggle the connectors and they're fine a for a week, then they act up again. This doesn't sound like your problem.

I would suggest you put the game in switch test, then raise the playfield and wiggle the big connector on the board. No switch hits? Then flick the wires going to the two pin connectors. My guess is that you have a problem with those connectors.

I wasn't suggesting that they were reversed. Those connectors are edge connectors. They can easily become loose. Very easy to test.

I missed this part. Hard to imagine that big connector only has problems when the disk is spinning. Let us know how it works out.

i don't get phantom hits, but i do experience periods where it will stop registering , once the ball is drained it works again on the next ball... do you guys think it's same problem/solution ? I will try and get under it tonight after work.

Get some rubber cement and reseat that female connector to the amp board underneath.