Sometimes after I hit the itchy and scratchy hole, the ball kicks out, only to bounce back in before the targets have reset. The ball then repeatedly gets ejected into the back of the targets and won't come out, and eventually the game gives up trying and I get a coil error message.

This seemed like a simple software fix to check if the drop down targets were down before a kickout, and when I checked the release notes, it did seem to be addressed in v 5.0

"- Itchy and Scratchy eject now double-checks to make sure the targets are
actually down before trying to eject the ball. It also waits until any
drop target reset process is complete before kicking."

So I upgraded my roms today successfully to v5.0, figuring it would solve the issue, but it unfortunately persists. Anyone have the same problem, or is there some setting I need to change to have the targets drop down before an eject is attempted? Thanks for any ideas!

Ok when I run single coil test #30 with all targets up, the first fire drops down the closest target. When I fire the coil two or three more times, the middle and upper targets fall (sometimes as a pair, sometimes one by one). Are all three targets supposed to fall simultaneously with this test? If so, any ideas on a fix? Thanks.

Would you mind describing where the single coil is? At the top of the target set (but still under the playfield), I see what appear to be three mini white coils (each with two wires and a diode), one for each target. I don't see the typical coild sleeve, but rather when I run test 30, only the closet target gets nudged by a little metal flap, causing it to fall.

Yes, I'm a bit slow but I do know what a coil looks like. :-)I see that coil that pops the targets up, but that is not what is firing to drop the targets back down. There appears to be a separate, small white cylinder without a typical sleeve (two wires and a diode) that nudge a metal plate that drop the targets down.

Yes springs pull the targets down, but when I run test 30, something fires a small metal plate that pushes the target enough to the side to allow the targets to fall (without a typical ball hit).

There is a separate coil test, one to pop up, and the second one I'm talking about that drops them down. Coil test 30 drops them down for me.

No prob, at least I know I'm not crazy! So on my tspp, only the first mini coil seems to be firing then. Does this suggest the other two coils need replacing, or perhaps the diode? Thanks for your time.

And should test 30 fire all three mini coils at once?

Yes, usually only one trips when it tries to reset on its own. When I look underneath and run the coil test, it appears that only one of the three mini coils is firing. And thanks for any help whenever you get a chance, I really do appreciate your time.

Just wanted to update my progress and see if there are any other thoughts. The problem seems about 67% solved! I disassembled each of the three mini coils from the drop down targets, and confirmed continuity and that each coil magnetized enough to pull down the metal see-saw that triggers to targets to drop. I then thoroughly cleaned each coil and see saw mechanism, removing a lot of black carbon dust in the process. The black carbon must have been inhibiting the magnetic force upon the see saw, as the second and third targets now regularly drop down during coil test 30.

Having two out of three targets regularly drop before the ball is kicked out of the itchy and scratchy hole seems good enough to prevent the problem of the ball constantly being stuck behind the drops. However, I'd like all three drops to fall as they should!

I can't find a mechanical reason that the first drop won't fall, as a light touch on the seesaw causes it to drop (as does a regular ball hit). And it's not that it won't drop at all during coil test 30, but I'd say it only drops about 10% of the time (while the second and third drop 99% of the time for now). The weird thing is that before cleaning, the first drop was the one that regularly fell during the coil test and 2 and 3 stayed up, and now the situation is reversed.

Any other ideas? Thanks!