Help! Alien LV issue (blowing fuses?) - FIXED(?)

[Den - aka Wolfgang]

Hi all, thought it best to post here rather than in the owners thread.
PB bros are helping me out after I raised a ticket (super quick coming back to me), but thought I'd ask here too whilst I wait for the next email incase anyone else had experienced this problem.

I'd only had the machine for like a day (PB bros Alien SV - think I'm atleast the 3rd owner maybe) and the left side flippers went dead. Looked inside and made sure the wires from the left flipper button was seated o.k and problem solved.

Then, last night after getting round to adjusting the leg levellers (set to about 6.7/8 degrees) and having a game (awesome with the steeper angle than I had before), during Abmush military ball I hit a ball in to the Mu-th-er mystery saucer, the left side flippers went dead and the ball didn't kick out from the saucer.
Once the other balls had drained I waited for a ball search, but it didn't kickout the ball and still dead left side flippers.

Upon rebooting, 2 error messages; TIlt stuck closed (checked- tilt bob swinging freely) and cabinet SW disabled. Start button and coin lights out and coin door service buttons do nothing.

Contacted PB bros - came back to me in like 15 minutes ; ver impressive.

Recommended swapping round the 3 fuses in the controller box (1 in to 2, 2 in to 3 etc) and repeating connections.

I swapped all the fuses over as suggested (all three seemed o.k*) and then when switching the machine on nothing really happened. I then noticed that the green light where the left fuse is was out (with the middle and right green lights on)
I don't know if this was just because I hadn't pushed the left fuse in properly, but I swapped it out with one of the fuses which were in the bag which came with the machine (those fuses look a bit different; in the pic I've attached the fuse on the left is the type in the bag which came with the machine)
* looking at it now, the fuse on the right which I removed does have a gap in the middle) - powered on and all back to normal; left side flippers working and no errors (before lifting the playfield I manually activated the coil to kick out the ball left in the mu-th-ur saucer) - this ofcourse suggests that the fuse on the right/no.3 had blown/gone.

I then started a game however the same thing happened; during Ambush multiball I shot one of the balls in to the mu-th-ur scoop - then the left flippers went dead and the ball didn't kick out of the saucer. Other balls drained and ball search didn't kick the ball out of the saucer:-(

Before starting Ambush, the mystery saucer gives awards and kicks out the ball no problem.

Any ideas what's going on?; this has me pretty fed up to say the least, as after leveling nicely the game is fantastic (did find it a bit tough to get the ball up the hypersleep lock ramp though; unless it's dead on, ball rolls back down)

I'm a bit of a technical newb, but I'm thinking that if balls are being kicked out/added during ambush at the same time the saucer wants to kick out and the left side flippers are being activated, it's all too much ans a fuse blows?

 

[Spandangler]

Hi mate.
I see you’re having a mare with this machine.
I can hand on heart say none of these issues were encountered when it was with me. Honestly. I’d have said. That’s how i roll.
When we got it the drop targets on the right didn’t work but that was mechanical. They’d got mangled up and needed dismantling and rebuilding which i did and they were faultless ever since.
The xenomorph would sometimes drop the ball just inside its mouth and require a ball search after the multi ball ended but that’s just par for the course with these. Finickity bugger.
And on 2 occasions the left flippers died which was a simple connector on the button leaf switch. Never had it happen again after reseating the connector.

That’s it. Played flawlessly.

It’s not my machine but when I sell I always do a proof of life video before it leaves and i think we did one of these for this.
The unfortunate simple fact is. Pinball machines are ****s. Move them a foot and they can stop working.
I remember selling a Flash Gordon and when it arrived the displays didn’t work. Luckily the buyer was cool and knew they worked before it left but they don’t like bouncing around in a van unfortunately.

I feel your pain mate. Hope you get it sorted. Just wanted to reassure you these problems never existed when I had it and I’d be 100% upfront with you if they had.

 

[Den - aka Wolfgang]

Hi mate, many thanks for your post - hopefully my post didn't come across like I thought I'd been stitched up. In case anyone thinks that; for the record, I was send a vid of the machine playing without this issue before it was sent - I think I've just been unlucky; things can happen during shipping (moving/temperature fluctuations and such).

I'm sure I'll get it sorted soon, and the fact PB Bros are so keen to help has made me feel comfortable (hopefully if it needs a new part somewhere, even though I'm not the original owner they'll send me a replacement or something?)

Hopefully I get it back up and running soon, as was looking forward to playing over Xmas when I have a good bit of time off work.

 

[Spandangler]

No not at all mate you didn’t come across like that. It’s always awful when something leaves you fine and arrives with faults. I just wanted to you to be assured it was ok. Hopefully the PB’s sort it out for you in a timely manner.

 

[Den - aka Wolfgang]

So an update incase it helps someone else down the line.
Got home this evening and as requested by pb bros, I checked that it was the same fuse that'd gone (it was - number 3/one on the right), so I though f' it and replaced fuses in slots 2 and 3 (fuse in slot 1 I'd already changed last night, which was the fuse which had blown in slot 3)
Switched back on, system messages have disappeared again - tested for about half an hour or so* and no issues! Tried ambush and other multiballs a fee time and shot the mu-th-ur saucer; kicks out find and no dead flippers.
*issues had happened during 1st game after switching on, so don't think it was something which happened after extended play etc.

I'm still going to see if pb bros can figure out why this happened ; why did the fuse only go in slot 3? - could the fuses have been damaged by condensation or something during transit?..... who knows. Just happy I can play again and keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't happen again.