Houston we got a problem... LOTR rebooting randomly now :(

[paulohotline]

Okay, now I think I'm in trouble I can handle a flipper rebuild and coil repairs. But now since about 12 noon today, the LOTR has rebooted 7 times. I looked behind the glass and made sure all the ICs on the boards were pushed in and seated properly after the noon crash. I plugged and unplugged the ribbon cable. It played ok without reboots after that...

Then tonight when I fired it up 9:30, as I was about to hit 90MIL and go for DTR. It rebooted as I killed the Ballrog. BULLSHIT! After that game, I hit 25MIL and hit a replay with knocker and reboot again. It rebooted like 3 times in a row after with the DMD flickering and finally going off. I had to power down and it came back on.

All the fuses checked out fine. I know computers and nothing on the boards stood out. None of the ICs were hot to the touch. The PIN does have an after market plug but the ground plug is there so it is properly grounded. Oh no, I think I bought myself a lemon! No idea where to begin troubleshooting this, gonna hit the forums.

[paulohotline]

Oh yeah, just to be clear. I am calling Jerry tomorrow to report the latest issue considering the PIN has only had minimal play. This rebooting issue for me is a deal breaker.

The Playdium will take 100% ownership of all issues identified by me after receiving the PIN and repair them all to my 100% satisfaction at their cost or a refund in full will be issued and I will ship it back, drop it off at Polo Park, whatever they want. Hey NOW, no exceptions, no more MR nice guy. It's over Johnny. BTW Darryl never called, so not sure if Jerry even gave him the right number

[paulohotline]

Advice from PIN tech -> "It sounds like a problem with the power supply. Once the PIN heats up, you get uneven voltage to the boards and it causes it to reset. On the power supply board look for bulged caps or something burnt on the board or scorch marks, this usually tells the tale of a power supply with heat problems."

Board looks super clean:
Power Driver Board Rev G ($430)
https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/17/79/34/56/power_10.jpg

Stern Sound Board ($489)
https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/17/79/34/56/stern_10.jpg

Display Power Supply ($89)
https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/17/79/34/56/displa10.jpg

Not sure if its the power supply just yet...

[prock]

Hey man, sorry to hear about the problems. I had read somewhere that if a game is rebooting it could be a bad diod on one of the coils. Do you have a DMM (digital multimeter)? Set it to diod mode and check the diods on all your solenoids. Put the black lead (ground) on the side on the banded side of the diod. You should get a number in the 700-900 range.

Here is a good article that may be of some help.... it deals mostly with Williams/Bally but it might have some good info. http://www.actionpinball.com/tech/reset.htm

In any case I hope that Playdium gets it fixed for you so you.

[prock]

Oh and don't start testing things with it turned on or plugged in. I had to rebuild my power supply in my Checkpoint because I shorted something out while testing voltages.

[Malibu-ss]

Man.that sucks.........but I am not surprised.........sorry

Starburst/Playdium has to be the worst place to buy a machine.

I would try and reset all the connectors and see if that helps.

[paulohotline]

Hey Prock, excellent article thanks! I don't own a DMM yet, but I am not going to start troubleshooing hardcore this until I hear back from SB. Those boneheads did not test this PIN before shipping.

I have just done the basic stuff so far like checking the ribbon cables on the boards etc.

We shall see.

[paulohotline]

Here is another good article on game resets, its Williams as well:

http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Williams_WPC#Game_resets

The Stern wiki is still a work in progress:

http://www.pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Sega/Stern_White_Star_Repair#Game_Resets_with_DMD_Controller_Board_Connected

[prock]

Excellent pages! At least you have some good starting points.... if SB leaves you hanging that is.

[gms]

My Bone Busters does the random reset thing also. It will work fine for a month, then it won't boot, try it again and it works for 1/2 hour, starts booting agian, shut it off. Come back next day works fine. I've yet to find the loose connector but I really havent' got serious about it. I'll have to do some more reading.

[paulohotline]

As per Malibu I checked all connections from the power supply into the PIN and everything is tight and solid. I really think it is this issue and perhaps even the coil diode on flakey flipper:

Coil Diodes: If your reset problem occurs when a particular coil fires (bumper, kicker, flipper), check to see that the coil has a diode on it (if required). If the coil is supposed to have a diode on it, but it has fallen off from vibration, etc., then replace with a new diode. If diode(s) are present on the coil, you may consider clipping one leg of each diode and testing to be sure the diode is not open or shorted. If so, replace. Missing or failed diodes, especially on flipper coils, can cause reset problems in certain games, so always check for these if your reset problem is related to coil activity.

[prock]

Did you re-seat all the connections? On my Checkpoint I had a switch not working in the coin door... the connections were all tight but when I un-plugged and plugged the connection back in it started working. There might be some connectors near your transformer... try disconnecting them and re-connecting them. Takes a minute so it's definitely worth a try.

[paulohotline]

Hey Prock, I did not re-set all the connecitons, just made sure they were tight and properly connected. I will give that shot later today.

SB UPDATE: Darryl called me this AM to let me know he was going to come by and fix the flipper issue and troubleshoot the reboot issue - YES! I guess my email to Jerry this AM worked Will post here what Darryl finds. He seemed like a real down to earth guy on the phone and he lives like 10 minutes away from me, sounds promising.

[Malibu-ss]

awesome news man!!
Darryl is a great guy,and knows his stuff

[paulohotline]

Hey now, Darryl has the magic touch. The flipper needed a cleaning and the sleeve replaced. He filed down the plunger a bit and replaced the bushing. That's appears to have fixed the issue. He also gave the other flipper a once over and showed me how to clean it etc. One of the VUK`s had the wrong sleeve in it and the spring was toast. SB had also greased it (a no no) and it was gummed up and on the way out. He replaced the spring and put in the proper sleeve.

He also changed the Starter for the Fluorescent lamp as the one installed was made in Costa Rica and did not have a condenser. (That was news to me)

He also checked all the diodes and did a voltage check on the boards. He checked all connections, pulled on this, pulled on that. So far after 2.5 hours of playing steady, no reboots!

He knows all you pinheads and says hi! He said the playfield was in amazing shape and that I got a pretty good deal on the LTOR. Great experience seeing him in action learned a bit too! Crossing fingers and knocking on wood that the reboot issue is fixed.

[Malibu-ss]

that is awesome!!
I knew Darryl would get it running 100%

now enjoy your game!!

[paulohotline]

Thanks Malibu. I sure will. This AM I got to the very last shot to destroy the ring and blew it. Finished with my highest score ever with 133MIL and a 28X multiplier.
Finished only half the modes before the end.

This game is a bitch, but it will be tamed. Hey now!

[paulohotline]

Hey Malibu, throwing the challenge out there, first to achieve Valinor gets bragging rights!

Got this from a dude who wrote the rule requirements:

1) Complete FOTR MB (All eight members+Gandalf Balrog Strike),
achieve Super Jackpots for an Elf Gift at minimum
2) Complete TTT MB (Survive the Assault to the end, new level every 5
jackpots achieved), achieve Super Jackpots for an Elf Gift at minimum
3) Complete ROTK MB (All Seven Levels), achieve Super Jackpots for an
Elf Gift at minimum
4) Play all 6 Rings Modes (Completion not required)
5) Play There and Back Again (Completion not required)
6) Collect all six Elf Gifts (not sure if this a requirement, but I
did, with modes and MB Gifts) (ed: yes this is a requirement)
7) Destroy the Ring (2X Required, or ONCE if you are SUPER SUPER HOT!)

"Based on what I have seen, Valinor is near impossible to achieve
without playing each of the Movie MBs at least twice, because you have
to completed all the above requirements, and destroy the ring, before
Valinor will start immediately following. I did not complete FOTR
Ring MB, the first time, before Destroying the Ring, so I cannot
confirm."

[prock]

sweet a challenge.. I definitely need a LOTR now. I gotta get a part time job to feed my growing pin habbit... lol.

[prock]

Paulo, ever think about going down to PAPA to compete?

[paulohotline]

Hey Prock, I am no Lyman Sheets, watch Special When Lit to see what I mean. I would like to play in a local tourney first, but I am sure my skillz are lacking to compete at the PAPA level. I don't even nudge the pin when I play for petes sake

We have way better players on this board for sure. I just like a friendly challenge for motivation purposes and to get excited about achieving a goal.

[prock]

I'm all for friendly competition but I'm not sure there are any local tournaments. I'd totally host one myself but only have 2 pins. I know that High Speed is used extensively at PAPA as a tournament pin so it would be a great pin for that sort of thing but it would be nice to have a few more machines to choose from.

[Bay78]

Nice! I'm glad you got it working paulohotline. LOTR is a FANTASTIC game and the more you learn the rules the more you like it and do better.

[paulohotline]

Thanks dude, so glad I upgraded to this PIN from Freddy. Wish I had done my research and known about this forum before buying my 1st PIN. Oh well, you live and you learn.

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