There was another that was active a few months ago...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tube-shooters-club

Ummm... Don't ya think having two club threads about the same game defeats the purpose of having club threads? I'm looking for consolidated information, not who can come up with the catchiest thread title. Just saying...

I had a similar problem with my game. Different games seem to have different causes and solutions. My solution and documentation are at the bottom of this page...

http://www.jeff-z.com/pinball/xenon/repair/repair.html

Exit Chamber Side Saucer Glitch...

Here's yet another Xenon odyssey that was driving me insane. I thought I'd elaborate and maybe save someone else some pain. Sometimes when the ball would land in the Exit Chamber side saucer it would just stay there. There's no ball search technology here. Once the ball was stuck, it was stuck. I'd have to pull the glass or restart the machine. The problem was maddeningly intermittent. It was frequent enough that the game was no fun to play, but not frequent enough to reliably reproduce under test. This is another problem that dragged on for years before I finally figured it out.

There were two scenarios where I might see the malfunction...

1) Lock is not lit. There are two distinct sound effects associated with the Exit Chamber side saucer. First there's a sound effect associated with the exit chamber lamps as they score and advance. The ball is held during this process. Next there's a sound effect associated with the ball actually being ejected. When the game malfunctioned, I'd get the first sound effect, but not the second sound effect and the ball would not eject. That led me to believe that it wasn't a simple issue with the side saucer switch (switch 33). The game knew the ball was there because I'd get the first sound effect and the lamp advance. But I also didn't think it was a simple issue with the side saucer solenoid (solenoid 04) because I didn't get the associated eject sound effect that goes with the firing of the side saucer solenoid (solenoid 04).

2) Lock is lit ("Try tube shot"). There are two distinct sound effects associated with the Exit Chamber side saucer. First there's a sound effect associated with the exit chamber lamps as they score and advance. Next there's a sound effect associated with the second ball being served to the shooter lane ("Ahhh"). When the game malfunctioned, I'd get the first sound effect, but not the second sound effect and the second ball would not be served to the shooter lane. That led me to believe that it wasn't a simple issue with the side saucer switch (switch 33). The game knew the ball was there because I'd get the first sound effect and lamp advance. But I also didn't think it was a simple issue with the ball release solenoid (solenoid 03) because I didn't get the associated sound effect that goes with the second ball being served.

I had not observed that two balls ever jam up at the side saucer after one ball is already locked. The game always ejects the first ball before the second ball takes its place. And I didn't recall that the game ever malfunctioned during multiball. The problem only seemed to occur during single ball play before lock was lit or as ball one was locked.

There is one normal in-game scenario that sort of mimicked the malfunction. That is when one ball is locked, but before multiball is started. When the second ball is shot through the tube, the first ball is ejected as soon as the second ball hits the exit chamber rollover switch (switch 01). When the second ball hits the saucer switch (switch 33), the exit chamber award is scored and advanced, but the second ball is not ejected. The second ball merely replaces the first ball as the locked ball. This is the only normal scenario where a ball would be held at the side saucer without a secondary sound effect, without the side saucer solenoid (solenoid 04) firing or without the ball release solenoid (solenoid 03) firing.

This turned out to be the critical clue. The problem had nothing to do with the side saucer and everything to do with the faulty ball release rollover switch (switch 02). This is the rollover switch on the right side of the ball trough adjacent to the ball release mechanism (solenoid 03). Once I figured this out, the problem was easily simulated by removing the second ball from the ball trough. If the ball release rollover switch (switch 02) is open, the game seems to assume that there are two (non-multiball) balls in play. Accordingly, the game holds one ball at the Exit Chamber side saucer. After the ball release rollover switch (switch 02) was cleaned and adjusted, I was back in business.

Cleaning the ball release rollover switch (switch 02) was easier said than done. Usually I swipe the contacts a few times with a piece of heavy paper. That wasn't working in this case which had me continuing to question my diagnosis. I re-soldered the switch terminals just for fun. I replaced the switch diode even though the old one tested good. Finally I removed the switch and scrubbed the contacts from several different angles. That did the trick. So I had a tenacious speck of dirt or tarnish in exactly the wrong place. Or the contacts are worn out. Time will tell. But at least I now know where to look.

Note that closing the ball release rollover switch (switch 02) after a ball is stuck in the side saucer does not clear the problem. In other words, it only takes a momentary glitch of the ball release rollover switch (switch 02) and you could be screwed. So, for example, pounding on the game to vibrate the switch contacts won't help. The ball release rollover switch (switch 02) must function cleanly and consistently.

Also note that the ball release rollover switch (switch 02) must be closed in order for the game to complete the start-up sequence. For reasons I can't explain, this was never a problem. The game always started reliably.

Any of you Xenon troubleshooters want to take a crack at this one? Enter Xenon...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/xenon-interminent-coil-pulsing

Replace white posts with short blue posts and double rings.

shop-21 (resized).jpg

The Suzanne Ciani website has been modernized and all the old Xenon content appears to be gone. All the old links are dead...

https://www.sevwave.com/early_ciani/ciani_xenon.html

https://www.sevwave.com/early_ciani/ciani_xenon2.html

https://www.sevwave.com/early_ciani/ciani_xenon/xfiles/xenonQA.html

The content can still be viewed on the Wayback Machine.

If I understand the questions, I believe I've addressed these issues on my repair page at...

http://www.jeff-z.com/pinball/xenon/repair/repair.html

An extra ring above the Exit Chamber slows the ball so it doesn't skip the saucer...

posts-03 (resized).jpg

Blue posts and double rings prevent hang ups at the drops...

shop-21 (resized).jpg

My playfield slope is adjusted pretty shallow and nothing gets stuck.

That's interesting. I looked long and hard at that part and couldn't figure out what it was for. My game has a completely different metal shield over the trough. But it looks like the playfields were dimpled for either option. I'm curious to hear what others have in their games.

My Xenon serial number with metal cover = 7188

I too replaced that post with something chunkier that I found in my scrap box.

shop-02 (resized).jpg

I don't like using incorrect parts, but I also don't much like the washer look. The chunkier post covered the existing hole damage without a washer. The metal post to the left of the tube ramp was even worse. The hole was so blown out that a previous owner had switched to a plastic post. The playfield was worn to the point of no going back so I stuck with it.

shop-05 (resized).jpg

I forget the exact circumstances, but yeah, mine also clicks at some specific point during play.

A lot of people just disable the lock out coil, but I still coin my games and I enjoy seeing (and hearing) all that stuff still work.

http://www.jeff-z.com/pinball/xenon/rules/rules.html

Add an extra 7/16" ring...

posts-03 (resized).jpg