Just got my Pingraffix halographic pinblades. Any tips to easily install these? No instructions.

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Those look amazing!
I don't think those are the ones that plug in and light up, so I would imagine that you would install them much like any other side blade. I usually prefer the wet method.

I remove the red bulbs Stern puts in some games and replace them with white ones. (Except Mando. The red works well)

I use RapidTac to make install easier. Some people use water plus a bit of dish soap (don't recall the ratio). Both allows for easier repositioning the decal if needed. I usually have the wifey help. Another set of hands isn't mandatory, but makes it easier.

https://rapidtac.com/

There's some youtube videos out there too you can watch.

Stern now published schematics on their website.

Adding to Tranquilize's post: https://sternpinball.com/support/ (scroll down)

That's awesome, I'm sure someone will step up and offer a service of repairing them as they get older and more start dying. Getting parts sounds like it's going to be the challenge though.

I get the water or rapidtac to help position the decals but should the playfield be all the way up and resting on the head or just sitting on the service rails? Maybe start with the playfield on the service rails to position the back part and then raise the playfield to get the front?

Parts won't be an issue at all, and the solder work is actually pretty easy in most cases. The issue is the proprietary data on the some of the chips. If a chip goes bad, you'll have to buy a board instead of replacing the chip.

I have the PF up in the service position. One thing I keep a sharp eye on is the gap between the top of the decal and bottom of the plastic that supports the glass. That's sort of my 'reference' line. Been awhile since I installed some decals, but I sort of recall leaving about a 1/16" to 1/8" gap.

With the PF up in the air, it gets a little tricky around where the PF is sticking up, but the RapidTac or soap/water really helps. Install the front half, then very gently pull on the back half to take out the slack and lightly press in place, keeping that reference line straight. The biggest issue would be an air bubble that you just can't work out, but again - the RapidTac lets you lift some of the decal off and reposition. You can use a clean credit card to chase out the bubbles. You can get small squeegees at Dollar Tree that might work great (haven't done that yet, but I will on the next decal install - looks to be the perfect size). Lower the PF some from vertical and check the area that was inaccessible when the PF was lifted. One final going over w/microfiber and you're done.

The decals I've installed were from TiltGraphics - and those I had to trim off excess at the back of the cabinet. No biggie since that area is usually hard to see anyways. And there's no hole cutout for the backbox hinge. One thing I always to is do a test fit, holding the decal in place with the painters tape.

Almost forgot - get a set of art blade protectors so you don't damage the decals when raising/lowering the PF.

Others might install differently, this is just sort of the routine I use. Sometimes I'm 'once and done', other times I might have to tinker with it 3-4 times.
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Great thanks for the tips!

My guardian Diverter stops working today. Also in test modes it didn’t move.

I did some test. The voltage for the motor at serial motor driver board is missing at cn3 (in test mode) at cn2 I get it and the motor for the lock is working

Do I need a new serial motor board?

An update on the new coil for the autoplunge. It seems to be better but it's still not 100%. I'd say it went from 1/5 missing to 1/20 missing which is a pretty good improvement.

I felt like the table was a little uneven based on the way the ball was rolling sometimes so maybe if I re-level it will be even better.

have you tried my method?
over shoot by changing the angle of the ball guide on the shooter lane, get it to touch the upper left flipper, then adjust with power setting from the menu.

It has worked perfectly for me. I am over 700 games, and I think I have put over 200 hundred games or more since this adjustment and it has been flawless.

My table is perfectly levelled, and at 7 degrees.

Maybe I should try again with the new coil but I actually can't get mine to hit the upper flipper. I have the shooter lane guide pushed up as far as I could and I put a little shim wedge in there to try and avoid it flexing and it still never hits the upper flipper. The misses are all hitting the lower post.

The floor I have it on is terrible though, it's a concrete floor in the basement that's not very even. Makes me wonder if I've never had my game quite level left to right.

Have you removed the guide completely to reshape the angle?

It makes a huge difference to do this, day and night.

If you are simply “pushing” it up and screwing it down, that is not gonna cut it.

I have dealt with mich worse ball guides needing adjusting than this, and take my word, you need to take it off to work the angle. The angle starts much sooner than just the tip, you need to stretch the curve out (sort of flatten it), just a hair.

This is all you need to do.

So I'm still at somewhat of an impasse on this. So far I've tried the following:

- disconnecting each led node extension board along the chain from node board 8 (8e first, then d, c, and b) and powering up
- using the chaining cable from 8b to 8c and replacing 8 to 8b with that one (lights on node 8b did not come on), so I can eliminate problems with the CN3 connector plug on the cable
- swapping node board 8 and 9 and re-setting dip switches

Still no lower playfield lights!

Am I looking at maybe a bad LED board (I'm only guessing 8b because that's the first one in the chain from node board 8, and the only one that can't be eliminated from the board tests)?

I would:
Use a multimeter at the connector where power breaks, it can be broken solder joints or simply a bad board.

If no dc power at the connector then remove the boars and inspect the connector, does it wiggle? If it does wiggle, add flux and with a tinned iron tip reflow the pins (no need to add solder).

If the connector is firm, and there is no power, then the board is bad, chech continuity (put the board up against a light and follow the traces to check continuity with your dmm).

If the board has continuity, maybe the problem is not at the board but the node?

Tested continuity across the connector pins from node board 8 to 8b - all good.

Same test on the input connector to output connector on 8b itself, 2 pins are not registering anything. So looks like a problem on 8b?

Edit: Hmmm apparently not, my distro said those 2 pins are for clock/serial data so won't show continuity anyway. Back to the search...

I need some pinside magic here. Spent about two hours and no luck.

I know the plunger issues (manual and auto) are well documented here but I can't seem to find the solution. My Pro has been perfect on both until I recently changed the armor. I ended up removing the plunger frame (to replace black to to red) but now the manual and automatic plunger don't work.

The ball hits that middle post (right before the upper loop) almost every time. Occasionally it will work for some reason.

I have tried to loosen the bolts and move it around but no luck. The ball is being struck clean and right in the center. If I life the game and make it much more flat (like 2 degrees), it works every time.

Any thoughts?

Video below. I also installed the old plate and no luck.

Looks like your ball guide is out of adjustment, it must have happen during the disassembly of the different parts.

I would focus on this solely as you have clearly shown that manual plunge does not work either.
If manual plunging fails, the issue is 100% the ball guide.

You can experiment by unscrewing the adjustment nut by the flipper and see if opening up the angle works, BUT, as suggested no more than 2 posts ago, for definitive results you must remove the ball guide and adjust the ball guide fully by hand.

To be more precise, if you want the adjustment to withstand the natural vibration of the game before it comes loose and out of adjustment again, the ball guide must be at the perfect angle - if you ignored 90% of this message, just pay attention to the following…
the angle must be perfect at rest.

What do I mean by this… I mean the screw is not there to force the adjustment, it is the to support and anchor.

If you are using force to bend, and then screwing it down to maintain the adjustment, the natural spring tension of the guide will slowly take it off adjustment over time. Also, the angle might still be wrong. Just by taking off and slightly adjusting the guide the angle changes dramatically.

Yours is clearly wrong and needs adjusting.

The only way is to remove the guide, bend - very slightly - by hand, create the need angle that AT REST makes the ball work well. The trick is to maintain alignment of the screw hole as you work the angle.
Take your time here. Make a drawing of the current angle to keep track of your progress.

I did more experimenting with this and documented it here, and other games that were clunk fests. You must remove the guide fully if you want this to work well.

I am really not going to keep reposting the same info over and over, which I just did, but for future reference. I will not be explaining this again, please refer to this post and my previous ones if you are curious.

I am 720 games and I have had this issue before. No more issues in over 300 games.

I understand why people give up, it is not a very intuitive problem to solve.
It all lies on the ball guide. Do you have the new version of the guide or old? New one is missing an anchoring point to allow for more adjustment (barely noticeable).

Why so much detail in my response you might ask?
Because this games sucks when the plunger fails and want to see happy players.

Good luck.

Thanks. So you think it has nothing to do with the plunger location but the ball guide? Interesting Bc I have no idea on how replacing the armor clips impact that but I’m sure you’re right NC I’ve tried everything with the plunger

Did you check for a small lip at the end the ball guide? I had one, almost didn't even feel it. Took a small flat file (Walmart) and made a quick couple of passes thinking it wouldn't help, but wouldn't hurt anything either - been 100% good on launches since. Honestly thought it wouldn't make any difference, but like others experienced - problem solved. No kidding, haven't had a single bad launch (manual or auto) since.

Might not be the problem, but so simple to do, might as well give it a try.
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Totally agree with this as I had the exact same experience and now 100% accuracy and have to measure my plunge for super secret skill shot or it just flies past and around the loop.

Yeah definitely worth checking all the simple stuff first.

I'm sure it's come up before but for all the different tweaks I've made to the ball guide or shooter assembly, when I've occasionally had problems nothing has been more effective than cleaning and waxing the playfield. It doesn't take much drag or spin on the ball to make a mess of things on that shot. The slightest bump can send it all over the place. Even if the rest of the playfield isn't due for a full wax, it only takes a few minutes to wipe things down and wax the lane itself.

So good news. I fixed it by just pushing up on the exit of that ball guide with a grip tool and that was just enough to have both auto and manual work .

Really appreciate all the additional detail - good to have for the future

This was why I had an issue in the first place although I think it was worth it as I like the red!

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is it just me or is the shaker obsurdly powerful in this game? Even on minimal the shaker is crazy to me. Shakes the whole damn game often. Just had to turn it off. And this is the pinball life one that I vastly prefer over Sterns. Is it just that powerful on all settings in this game? I didnt notice it much when I first got the game but after playing godzilla and others for a bit and coming back to it I feel like its going to break my game!

Perhaps I'm wrong but I thought you could manually tune those to your own specifications by rotating the weight?

Aftermarket shakers are louder than originals.
I prefer Stern’s version.

I do not think I would recommend this approach, a grip tool has no business working this kink out or pretty much anything in a pinball machine.

By removing 2 nuts, a ramp and 2 screws you can properly adjust by hand without risking damaging anything else.

If it barely makes it, your guide is still off.
Adjust by hand by removing the guide next time. Any other way you risk bending posts, or scratching the art on the PF. You are most likely to do the work a 2nd time.

Anything that needs bending should be removed and taken off the PF.
Ball guides are easily bent once off the pf, no tools needed.

I've adjusted guides on dozens of games without removing them. Your way is awesome but 100% not necessary. If a guide needs a (little) tweak to get the ball where intended, I just do it then try a few balls. Sometimes ill remove one screw to adjust something and replace it. The guide in AIQ up in the pops/captain America area is a great example. I wouldn't have wanted to remove that one for a small bend.
Also, I'm pretty sure when these were mostly location games that operators would use pliers or a hammer and call it a day lol

Yeah it really wasn’t much force if any. Barely really but I also did do a little flat filing as recommended on that edge. Could have been the combination but I def didn’t bend the rail

I hear ya. I had my snickers bar now and feel better lol.

I agree not always necessary. In this case seemed to at least for me.

Merry christmas everyone!

As long as were talking about bending things, I recommend checking out some of the pliers, pinchers and forceps made for working on jewelry,microelectronics and healthcare. There available in all shapes and sizes, but the best part is they are available without teeth like normal pliers, so they don't tear up whatever you are working on with gouges and nicks.

Great for bending guides & wireforms or manipulating bolts, rubbers and lightbulbs through small openings without needing to remove half the stuff on the playfield. Some styles have a rubber coating or a cover made out of the same type of hard nylon/plastic used in the up post under the bullseye. Or just get bare metal ones and you can wrap the the tips in whatever rubber you have lying around without the teeth cut through.

I'm starting to get a little frustrated with this game lol... I'm really new to pinball and I'm at the point where my skills have clearly improved from when I first started but I still can't seem to beat the scores I got when I was just randomly shooting and not really understanding the code.

My high score is 350mil but I haven't even scored 300mil in probably a month. I also haven't gotten any of the other ego awards in ages either. I score 100-200mil on a game or single ball way more often than I did at the start, but I just can't put it together for more.

I know I have an issue with center drains, I tend to freeze up when it's just floating in the middle of the playfield and stare as it drains. That I can improve, but it's the left outlane that is killing my buzz every time. I have the pegs set to the easiest setting and yet the ball seems to fly straight in with no chance of nudging out on a very regular basis.
I checked the audits and there have been about 900 right outlane drains and almost 1400 left lane drains.

Is the left lane as bad for you guys as it is for me? Most often it's coming off the left slingshot into the right sling or the right rubber below the shooter lane and directly into the left outlane. Does this mean I should be nudging any time the ball is hitting the slings to avoid this pattern?

So first, I've been there. After progressivley getting better in the first month or two, my high scores have been infuriatingly intact for awhile while I regressed into one bad game after another, but it feels like the regression has reversed again in the last few days and my last few games have been within spitting distance of my GC score.

The rules are straightforward but skillswise Maiden is generally a "hard" game. The rules aren't as deep as AIQ, but it's fast as hell and the outlanes are brutal. Go scour some older pinball sites and you'll find interviews with Elwin before he worked for stern lambasting them for their easy outlanes. When he eventually got hired there he came at it with fury compared to existing sterns and even compared most newer sterns from other designers even today.

It's got a wide gap but it's more than that its the height of the separtors. Find a place that has IM and Mando and look at the separators between the inlanes and outlanes and you'll notice that on Mando it extends up noticably higher than the tip of the slingshots while IM/AIQ it's lower. This makes a crazy difference.

When the ball rolls or flies just over over the tip of the sling on mando it hits the separator and usually falls down the inlane or otherwise gives you plenty of margin for nudging while IM it rolls right over the separator, hits the wall and falls into the void. You have a split second there to do an upward nudge and maybe bat it out, but really the time to save it is one or two bounces earlier when it's nowhere near the lanes.

Elwin isn't the only designer who does this or who makes hard games, he's just known for unforgiving layouts.

You got yours a little after I got mine. Have you been to a location recently or just pounding away on your Maiden? If not, go to a location with lots of games and spend a few hours there and you'll notice two things:

The first is however good or bad you were before, you're going to be comically better now. Even if its a game where you don't know the rules and you're just following the callouts, you're gonna be ripping them up compared to whatever you're used to from before. A lot of that would come from having any pinball machine to bang away on for a few months, but maiden has been being a dick to you the whole time. The shot precision and nudges you've developed that just barely work and half the time just kill you 3 seconds later on maiden will feel like you've developed telekinesis on some other games.

The second thing you'll notice will be later that day or the next day on your maiden you'll have some great games. Practice is good, but you've surely got some bad habits specific to maiden and it's layout you've been reinforcing too not even realizing it, etc. A few hours playing other games with different timings and angles breaks up some of the ruts in your muscle memory and subconscious reactions. Don't just run home and start banging away. Go out, have fun and then afterwards let it percolate a bit while your mind and body recover a bit. You're next few games that night might even be your worst ever, but over the next few days you'll see the difference, whether in higher scores or just approaches you hadn't tried before it'll feel fresh again.

Thanks this seems like good advice, I really do need to play more machines.

Maybe I just needed a pep talk though because I just played 5 really great games back to back and got a new mummy ball high score. It wasn't great but I almost got the second added ball which I've never come close to.

Nudging any time it's around the slings seems to help settle it down so I'm just going crazy with the nudging when it's floating around the bottom.

I've had a Pro for well over a year...I've never even hit the 350 mil you've gotten! LOL No biggie, I tend to learn the rules as I go along. I tried to watch some of the YouTube videos on the IMDN rules - but good heaven, some are hours long. My eyes roll back in my eye sockets after about 20 min.

Best advice is to change it up and play a diff game.
You will see that if you do this your game will improve.
As per the down the middle drain, watch ‘abe’s flip’ video on nudging. He makes awesome content.

I often nudge IM when I hit the sarcophagus just to change the trajectory of the ball.

It's normal for your scores to take a bit of a hit when you get to know the game and begin strategising. You'll go for riskier shots in order to get the pay-off, and you'll also do things like delay starting multiballs for maximum effect etc. You almost remove a lot of the luck from the equation, but you need the skill to pull off the strategy - which probably comes a bit later (or not at all in my case LOL).

I'm going to give it a good waxing and leveling today and see if I can put up a new high score for christmas.

Had this one last night too, 3 ball multiball, can you spot the last ball?
I had some crazy air balls last night too, one came off the pop bumpers up the left ramp and flew out into the center ramp.

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Red looks amazing on the game. I may be a bit biased though (here’s a pic of mine).

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I like it!

This is all very good advice, and although I can do nearly all of the skills I've found that even those improved after watching the Abe Flips videos.

This is ultra-nerdy, but if I need a bit more juice I always sit down and watch Karl DeAngelo play IMDN. His Run to the Hills video gave me insight into how to play a few of the modes more effectively. Plus his flipper skills are off the chart.

Do you happen to have a link to that one? I can't seem to find it.

First, here's the Abe Flips channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcX-RTccjyvQS2k3ozBKW8Q

And then the Karl video:

@Anony...You might find that dialing down the power on your slings will help lower the outlane drains.

Heh, awesome. There's the Christmas card cover I should have used this year! LOL