I though that shorts in spike games were dealt with internally. That is, a short occurs, the node board shuts down until the short is cleared. I’ve never had a short in a spike game I’ve owned (sw, Gb, maiden) and I do a lot of moddding.

I asked George Gomez at pintastic yesterday about schematics for spike so we can fix our games. He indicated they are coming along with tutorials and online training sessions. He seemed very appreciative that many of us like fixing as much as we like playing.

This is what I heard too. If a short is detected, the board shuts down. Once the short is cleared it comes back on. I don't think shorts are the issue, though. Im not an EE, but what exactly causes a node board to fail? Is it a power surge, weak components, corruption of files, etc?

Thanks for posting, some points are valid and I have my own concerns about the spike system related to ability to diagnose and fix, cost of repair parts and short warranty, but some claims aren’t so valid or are half truths.

For example, he claims the internet is awash with claims of failing spike components, more than other manufacturers. I’d like to see the data on that. The fact is that stern makes multiples of any other manufacturer so of course they will have more reported problems. The true data showing stern has a higher percentage of problems is what’s needed to support that claim. I have owned many games over the years and found spike games to be no less reliable.

He says jjp makes a higher quality game , but I’m not sure that is entirely true. It’s true jjp puts more into their games and some things are better (power supply, for example), but jjp games have many issues too, just look at the potc and woz threads.

Schematics are available, contrary to his claim, though maybe only partially.

Onboard diagnostics do need to be improved. Node board X not found is not helpful.
Warranty is too short, would be great to have something along the lines what CGC has.

Resale value of a new spike game vs a bw game is not relevant. Games still being produced will not climb in value compared to games that are becoming rarer, ridiculous point. Spike games have held their value, but supply is a factor.

Laptop parts cost vs pinball parts cost, not valid. Laptops components are produced by the millions, stern parts by the thousands. economies of scale needs to be considered. That said, it is concerning that node boards are not compatible across games and the cost of the node boards is pretty high, including the CPU.

Personally, I do think stern cares about issues with their games, just like any other manufacturer., and would take steps to correct any that were widespread...how could they not. They have good people working there, but they are running a business and need to do things that makes them money and allows them to grow. Some things do need to be improved.

Woz light boards have had plenty of issues, but that’s now been addressed in newer games. But you are generally correct on central hardware electronics, pretty reliable. Stern too, they had some node issues on earlier games, more reliable now.

To be perfectly honest, the fan noise does not bother me and I’d suspect it’s the same for many others. I would, however, like to see a beefier power supply.

I’m not convinced a shaker causes board issues. How many components have failed on Roadshow or Earthshaker specifically due to a shaker motor?

I’m not defending stern, hardly as I’m pretty averse to the spike system for reasons mentioned, just trying to understand what’s really an issue and what’s not. Price increases are likely happening because input prices are rising, but demand is also very strong.

That’s true, I was referring to things like eddy sensor or motor boards, but point noted. Agree on the grommets.