Beatles Gold Edition drop target issue

luke9511

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
1,174
Reaction score
63
Location
Tennessee
hey all, i have an issue with a Stern Beatles Pinball gold edition and the issue with it is the left side drop targets that say FAB, those drop targets were sticking and not popping up when they were supposed too

I took them off and checked them out and found that the previous owner had put some kind of lube on them that had turned sticky and was causing them to not pop back up, I cleaned them off real good and put them back in and when I tested it, the playfield was standing up but it was working perfectly!

but when I laid the playfield down it was still sticking, could this be a bad or starting to go bad solenoid? the plunger was recently but it was still doing it.

any help or advice would be great
 
I use Windex first and then Novus #2 to clean the drop target plastics. Earthshaker and Pinbot at work years ago used to have game-breaking sticky drop targets and they're still good 6+ years later. I would try that first and see if it improves. otherwise you'll need to inspect the plunger (is it mushroomed?) and sleeve.
 
Is this the brand new run of beatles, or the original?
not sure i am guessing 2018 maybbe
I use Windex first and then Novus #2 to clean the drop target plastics. Earthshaker and Pinbot at work years ago used to have game-breaking sticky drop targets and they're still good 6+ years later. I would try that first and see if it improves. otherwise you'll need to inspect the plunger (is it mushroomed?) and sleeve.
the targets are cleaned and work fine but its when the playfield is laying down is when the issue is there as for the plunger i am not sure, next time i am near it i will give the plunger a look and get some pictures
 
Last edited:
most of the games where I work are on free play, you'd be amazed at the mechanical torture they experience. we have a Beatles in the pay area, when I initially saw your thread I was hoping it was something dumb like the drop target optos weren't reading. you can fix most related issues on Stern games by unplugging and plugging the plugs back in lol otherwise other issues will be a broken daisy chain wire somewhere.

worst case scenario you could just take the whole thing apart and put it back together but it sounds like you've done that.
 
most of the games where I work are on free play, you'd be amazed at the mechanical torture they experience. we have a Beatles in the pay area, when I initially saw your thread I was hoping it was something dumb like the drop target optos weren't reading. you can fix most related issues on Stern games by unplugging and plugging the plugs back in lol otherwise other issues will be a broken daisy chain wire somewhere.

worst case scenario you could just take the whole thing apart and put it back together but it sounds like you've done that.
just want to say i am very new to working on pinball machines, but yeah when i took the drop targets out and moved them manually with my hand they were very sticky and you could tell someone put some lube on them and once cleaned they moved much more freely and smoothly bbut the solenoid and plunger would only work perfectly with the whole playfield standing up but once put back down the solenoid and plunger act like they are stuck its very strange, also if i am mixing up parts or terms for parts i do apologize
 
Back
Top Bottom