I also just picked one up. I got it from a local game distributor who took it on trade from an arcade. It is in decent shape for being on location with obvious wear around the flippers, but surprisingly next to none around the start button. The garage door needs the stronger coil and the roms need to be updated, but all in all I think it is in good shape. The boards are very clean as well as under the playfield.

I was going to wait and start slowly putting items into it, but I put some left over LEDs i had around into it and now i can't wait. I ordered color coded LEDs, NVRam, the updated roms, and the stronger coil. I probably will wait on the color DMD do to the price.

The pictures where the machine is shut off is from the distributor. The one picture with it on is after I installed a few random LEDs. So far I love this machine and honestly think I got a great deal.

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Just getting started. I have to spread it out a little bit.

So I have been able to play my new to me TSPP a few times now and have some questions/concerns.

1. When I get the I&S shot, sometimes when the ball is release I shoot it right back to the hole before the drop targets reset. This puts the ball behind the drop targets forcing the VUK to shoot the ball into the back of the drop targets. I updated the roms yesterday to v5 hoping it would solve this issue, but it did not. Does this happen to anyone else and if so is there a fix? Does it have something to do with the drop targets not getting the signal to lower before the ball is ejected?

2. When I get the couch multi-ball and then get the I&S multi-ball the machine only kicks out 4 total balls. I thought with both multi-balls activated there should be 5 total balls in play. This is not a huge deal as I can barely manage 4 at a time, but I would like the machine to work as it should.

Thanks in advance for any input you TSPP veterans can give me.

By code I assume you mean the update roms, correct? I installed 5.0 for both the display and the cpu yesterday. Did not change the problem.

Yes that is exactly what is happening. The machine did a factory reset when switching out the roms, but I will try it again now that it is actually in place along with the NVRam. It ejects to my left flipper and my instincts tell me to hit the flipper button immediately as the ball is flying toward the flipper. I am working on not being so reactionary and this problem rarely occurs if I just let the ball bounce off the flipper. Thanks for the input.

Ill have to check on the I&S and Couch mb to make sure it is actually only kicking 4 out. It might be 5 I have a hard time counting them all with so much going on. Ill have to do it by hand with the glass off.

I believe this is exactly what is happening with mine.

I tested it by hand last night after I did the 5.0 update. I don't think I let it sit there long enough for the ball find to happen. I will try that tonight, thanks for the idea.

Very helpful. Thank you.

I feel like maybe the amount of balls is determined on which mb is achieved first. Is possible if you get the couch mb then the I&S mb it only adds one additional ball to the playfield, as is typical with a I&S mb, making it 4 totals balls. If I&S mb is achieved first then the couch mb it put 5 total balls into place. Ill have to test all these tonight and report back as to what mine is doing.

Yes and that's whats happening in mine. Did your drop targets lower so the ball could be ejected in that case? What version of code was in your machine.

I pulled the 3 release mechanism from each target and cleaned between the mechanism and the metal piece on top. Cleaned each drop target and where it sits in the bracket. I used simple green to clean everything. I tested the drop targets with placing the ball behind the drop targets and they now function as they should by dropping before the ball is shot from the hole. I only tried it a couple of times, but it worked ever time. I think I'll order the release mechanisms just in case they are going weak and replace them when I need too. Thank you very much to ab3. You saved me a lot of time and ass ache.

Definitely the middle one

Does anyone know what the garage door coil should test at in a MM. I replaced the failing weaker coil with the upgraded higher strength coil (24-940) and last night the garage door started to fail again. It is reading around 5.5 ohms where all my other coils are around 10 ohms. If indeed my new coil is dead already, what could cause this? Transistor or poor soldering? I'm sure my solder job is not the best.

Well the game was just played for about an hour and the garage door worked perfect every time. My guess is it's the solder not make a good contact with the coil.

Congratulations. That machine looks really nice.

Just to give a solution to my problem in case anyone else ever has the same issue. It turns out the solder is fine although poorly done. The problem was the nylon plunger was striking the cross bar and hanging up. I looked at the coil and realized it was loose in the bracket. After further evaluation I noticed there was nothing holding the coil sturdy in the lower bracket. Long story slightly shorter, I had the wrong coil sleeve without the small section theat fits down into the bracket. I found the original sleeve and installed it on the new coil and now she's good to go. Sorry for hijacking the thread with my issues, I will start a new thread next time I have an issue.

What has everyone found to be a good compliment game to TSPP? I have room for two games and right now it's TSPP and TMNT. I actually like TMNT, but am looking for a bit of an upgrade. The price range is around the $2,000 and my first thought is a T2. What have you all found to be a good sidekick game for TSPP in that price range?

I agree with those first couple of games, but if I had that kind of funding I would pick up a Metallica Pro immediately. I will have to look into the others. I have not seen a Shadow for sale in my area in a long time.

I played a sopranos the other day and liked it, but it's not quite kid friendly enough for my 5 and under boys. I did try to buy a RBION before I bought the TSPP (how greatful I was that the seller did not take my offer), but I don't think it is fast and flowing enough to be next to TSPP. I'm surprised you dislike Metallica that much. To be honest I haven't even played it yet so comments like that cool my fire a little. Thanks.

No I haven't, but I will now. It obviously comes down to what comes up for sale locally as I don't want to tackle the shipping aspect of the deal, but now I can keep my eyes open for more games that will go with my Simpsons. NF would be a good one. I like the theme and it is definitely fast enough.

I'm looking for a quick game that I obviously enjoy playing, but can play while I'm waiting for a commercial break to end or just dont have a lot of time and want to get a game or two in. That's why I actually enjoy my TMNT game, I just want a little better game than TMNT. Thanks for all the ideas. What does SM or IM go for now?

I used cool white for all my GI and color matched the inserts. I mixed in some blue with the cool white for the back board. I think it turned out nice. I would assume cool white is the same as natural white, but I have no idea if that's true. Good luck and show us how it turns out.

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Thanks for the breakdown in modes. I have activated Nuclear Disaster a few times, but get to excited to actually follow what I'm supposed to do in this mode (it has always said I fail). Can someone explain what the objective is in Nuclear Disaster and some of the other Treehouse of Horror modes?

This is exactly what I had going yesterday. I hit the tree house ramp to activate it then activated couch mb. I know the bumpers were hit a fair amount, but when I lost the last ball I had failed Nuclear Disaster. Maybe I just need to hit the bumpers more.

Found this link in another Pinside thread it is very helpful and yes apparently I need to hit the bumpers more.

http://tiltforums.com/t/school-me-on-the-simpsons-pinball-party/832/30

Either one looks good to me. I think the game is great and with LEDs every aspect of the game looks great.

It is difficult for me to get to and I would consider myself about as average a player as they come. When I shoot specifically for that I will get it maybe once out of ten games at best.

This brings up a good point. I had my machine setup at around 6.5 to 7 but the bubble was not close to in the middle. It bothered me to see the bubble off so I adjusted so the it was within the lines but still not evenly between the lines. This moved the game to more around 8.5. It made the game much more difficult. What are the normal degrees when the bubble is between the lines for everyone else?

Mystery spot is achieved by hitting the Otto loop when the "Otto's Bus Tours" insert is lit. Each time you hit the Otto loop, while that insert is lit, 1 of 9, 2x scoring inserts will light. After you have lit all of the 2x scoring inserts, they will all fad in and out. Hit the Otto loop one more time to activate mystery spot mb. In order to relight the Otto loop you must hit the "light Otto" by hitting the standup target on the closest cooling tower or it can be lit through the garage "Clean the Garage" award.

As far as leveling the machine, I have a digital level which is how I know what degrees my machine is set at. I was just curious what others were at when the bubble was between the lines.

Completing all of the hurry ups will activate Secret Stash.

My I&S is set for two saucer hits, but the targets reset after each saucer hit whether all the targets are down or not. The first mb can activate without hitting all the targets down as long as you hit the saucer twice. Every mb after the first, I have to hit all the saucers down to advance to the next stage (light mb or activate mb).

It depends on what your settings are set at. It is only 10 Otto shots if you have it set to extra easy and the Otto bus tour is always lit. On the factory setting which I believe is set to easy. You have to hit light Otto between each Otto bus tour hit. This makes it much more difficult.

Is there a fourth ball cradled on the upper playfield? If so that's impressive.

Very nice looking machine. I love this game. I recently adjusted the settings to make it really easy (TV mode ex easy and Otto Bus Tour ex easy) and I think it changed the game. It's nice to change the difficulty every once in a while to change the way the game plays. Congrats.

I also ordered and received my rom update from him. I had no issues with him. Give him a little bit, something may have come up.

Congratulations. This is a list of things I did in order of importance to me. Non of it is needed, but the top three are recommended. The bottom three are more preference:

NVRAM: Certainly not a must, but is well worth it and could save you a lot in the future.
Couch Weld Fix: This is a small bracket that supports the coil stop for the couch release. The factory one will bend over time and release all the balls at once rather than releasing the balls with a few seconds gap.
Updated Garage Coil: Keep an eye out for a sagging garage door. If it does not open and stay open then change out the coil to the updated one. I don't know the number off the top of my head, put its posted here somewhere
Cliffy's: Full set on all ramps, shooter lane, and I&S hole. More piece of mind than anything else
LEDs: Color coded inserts and white GI.
OCDLED: A must if you LED. Couldn't believe the difference once I did it.

The best suggestion I have is play the hell out of it. Mess around with the setting to fit your liking as different setting make for much different game play. Enjoy a great game.

I'm absolutely not an expert at all, but the first thing I would do is check the switches in the trough to see if they are all registering properly.

I had this problem with mine when purchased, as many others have as well. As stated above the coil is the fix. I changed out the original coil for the new upgraded coil and have had no problems since. It is a relatively easy fix from under the playfield.

I believe this is what you need for the fix:
Nut driver (to remove bracket)
Soldering Iron & solder
New coil
Wire cutter
Possibly phillips head screw driver (for smaller bracket attached to larger bracket)

I had never soldered anything before this fix and I did it just fine.

The ball seems to go to that area every game, but the flipper knocks it loose. As stated above, check the spring.

Congrats. I like this game more and more as I adjust the settings and get to know all of the rules. It is a really good game.

Definitely this. I didn't think this would work and struggled through reverse flippers without reversing my arms the first few times. Once I reversed my arms I couldn't believe how much easier it was.

Are the high scores at the default level or are they higher than 50 million? What is the average score you get?

As far as game play, I can have a few games were I only get 4-10 million and the game just doesn't click. I never have control of the ball and something is just off. Then the next game I can hit Otto loop a few times to start 2x scoring and stack 3 or so modes. Then you start couch mb and maybe even I&S mb. All of a sudden the score will jump significantly into the 20-30 million range. Then finish out the Otto loop for reverse flipper mb (the name is escaping me right now). This is not the easiest thing to achieve, so if you cant get there change your settings to keep the otto loop lit without hitting the light otto target. Play with your settings, but lighting 2x scoring then starting mb and hitting jackpots will increase your score greatly. I had one of those games the other day and after my first ball (and an extra ball) I was over 100 million. That being said I crapped out on my second ball and finished the game around 120 million. I hope you find your way to play it, because it only gets better for me as I keep learning the game. Good luck.

There is a coil behind the TV which stops and releases the ball at the appropriate time. There are no gears or motors so I do not believe it is a grinding of any kind. The noise I believe you are hearing is the vibration when the coil is activated. This noise is normal and the only way I can describe it is the sound you hear when a jail cell door is unlock (not that I know from first hand experience ). It is more of a buzz. If this is the noise you are hearing it has been discussed in here with some people just tightening the mechanism and others using a foam of some sort to help with the vibration. I didn't do much of anything with mine and sometimes it is noticeably loud and other times it's very quite. I just wanted to let you know if it is the buzz I'm describing, it is a normal sound that can also sometimes come from the flippers or any other coil. The one behind the TV is just louder because it is on top of the playfield and not underneath it. Hope this helps.

Not a problem. Congratulations on the purchase and enjoy the game

I don't have flipper fidelity speakers for my TSPP but I do have the LEDOCD. So it's not a must have for me. I do have an external sub for my Met that I may try out with the TSPP, but won't buy it specifically for the Simpsons.

I can't remember what exactly I have done to mine, but I prefer much of the stock look. Leds with OCD, cliffys, and the other fixes (couch weld, upgraded garage door coil).

Used regular LEDs in mine and they ghosted as well. Installed the LED OCD mainly for the fade effect and everything looks really good. It is way easier to install and probably slightly more expensive then buying all new non-ghosting LEDs.

The Otto lane switch is really important as it starts 2x scoring for various switches. Once all the 2x scoring inserts are lit, hit the Otto lane switch again to start Mystery Multiball. The Otto lane switch can really drive up the points if you get a couple of 2x inserts running and start Couch Multiball.

Mine was also worn down, but I changed the coil to the upgraded one. I can't remember the coil number right now, but it is in this sea of a thread. Very easy to do and it works strong every time now. I'll try to find the coil number for you.

Edit: I believe the new coil is 24-940. Double check that with the Stern Tech Notice that went out for this issue, but that's what I wrote in this thread when I replaced mine.

That sounds about right.

This. You night have pinched a wire were the DMD sits in the head. It's a tight space.

I think that happened with mine. I wouldn't notice it until after alien invasion was over and I could tell the volume dropped significantly.

I really liked this game, but what you are explaining is part of the reason I sold mine. I couldn’t do the one more game thing because a good game took to long. Once sold I bought GoT.

Look up games like T2 and see how the pinsound board is used. For T2 you can replace the early 90's music with the music from the movie. I don't see an advantage using it on TSPP. I did look into it when I owned a T2, but decided it was to much money even for a good upgrade to that game.

trk12fire, I have never seen anything like that before (not that I have a ton of experience). I would probably start a new thread to ask that question. There are a lot of smart people out there that probably don't frequent this thread often.