STERN releases Wi Fi & NEW Boardset for 2015 called SPIKETM

[oldskool1969]

and look at the flipper coils, 2 windings  not a single winding

surely not! have they realised finally?
man your eyes are firkin good 

[Caveoftreasures]

I once took my ACDC Pro to a one day tournament. It ran non stop for a 8 hour period with the flippers and every other part on the machine copping an extra flogging.
I quickly cleaned the balls and gave the playfield a clean each hour. Nothing ever got hot and nothing ever played up.
The existing hardware works perfectly. Any improvements over this are a bonus. Prob got a whole years worth of my home playing in only one day. They are built well. Even in current form. Just some feedback.

[oldskool1969]

I once took my ACDC Pro to a one day tournament. It ran non stop for a 8 hour period with the flippers and every other part on the machine copping an extra flogging.
I quickly cleaned the balls and gave the playfield a clean each hour. Nothing ever got hot and nothing ever played up.
The existing hardware works perfectly. Any improvements over this are a bonus. Prob got a whole years worth of my home playing in only one day. They are built well. Even in current form. Just some feedback.

Just don't hold the flippers too long then, you'll see!

[Homepin]

I once took my ACDC Pro to a one day tournament. It ran non stop for a 8 hour period with the flippers and every other part on the machine copping an extra flogging.
I quickly cleaned the balls and gave the playfield a clean each hour. Nothing ever got hot and nothing ever played up.
The existing hardware works perfectly. Any improvements over this are a bonus. Prob got a whole years worth of my home playing in only one day. They are built well. Even in current form. Just some feedback.

Just don't hold the flippers too long then, you'll see!

+ LIKE

[Strangeways]

Sterns labour cost just halved with little wires only to solder and cat 5 cables to simply plug in.
Easy easy easy.
Now things will get exciting.

And three times the floor space at the new factory to run 3 production lines at once if required.
Pump up the volume and manufacturing costs and time per machine reduced significantly. Excellent.

Will Vault editions switch to this system.
Can Star Trek n Mustang n ACDC etc etc go to the new technology ? Will Future TWDead orders go new tech SPIKE TM ?
Email time to Borgy.

Will this 50% reduction in manufacturing costs be passed on to customers ?

There is no way Stern or AMD can hide behind the AUS$ if this game does not have a serious price drop to reflect their manufacturing costs being halved.

Not 100% sure on this - But the license for AC/DC has expired. They would have to sign up a new agreement - which would be the smart thing to do. Stern would not waste their time with Mustang, as distributors can't move this lemon. TWD Premiums might have missed the boat on this new tech ?

[Cursed]

I once took my ACDC Pro to a one day tournament. It ran non stop for a 8 hour period with the flippers and every other part on the machine copping an extra flogging.
I quickly cleaned the balls and gave the playfield a clean each hour. Nothing ever got hot and nothing ever played up.
The existing hardware works perfectly. Any improvements over this are a bonus. Prob got a whole years worth of my home playing in only one day. They are built well. Even in current form. Just some feedback.

Just don't hold the flippers too long then, you'll see!

Yep, the missus popped a transistor on my Tron holding the flipper for to long while she joined a mate an I in a conversation. She may have been a little intoxicated at the time, so I cut her some slack......

Definitely don't hold the flipper for extended periods of time.

[pinball god]

I once took my ACDC Pro to a one day tournament. It ran non stop for a 8 hour period with the flippers and every other part on the machine copping an extra flogging.
I quickly cleaned the balls and gave the playfield a clean each hour. Nothing ever got hot and nothing ever played up.
The existing hardware works perfectly. Any improvements over this are a bonus. Prob got a whole years worth of my home playing in only one day. They are built well. Even in current form. Just some feedback.

Just don't hold the flippers too long then, you'll see!

Yep, the missus popped a transistor on my Tron holding the flipper for to long while she joined a mate an I in a conversation. She may have been a little intoxicated at the time, so I cut her some slack......

Definitely don't hold the flipper for extended periods of time.

stern's are definitely not made for women. Still haven't met one who doesn't take 10 minutes to say something that would take a guy about four words.

I'm guessing you would never see a current stern having coding like on a tz where you can put it in 'pause mode' with the flipper up.

[Caveoftreasures]

What about Sterns research and development costs ? They can't just instantly drop prices dramatically. It's not realistic. They also have to pay for a new factory which is three times the size. Someone has to bear the cost of the millions upon millions it's all going to cost. All these new staff for the design and manufacturing team aren't going to be cheap either.
Also, I have played the Mustang Pinny and it is far from a lemon. It's a excellent Playfield and a very enjoyable game. Not every game is going to sell like ACDC did. Mustang is an outstanding player.

[guyricho]

Looks like it is a custom board running an embedded controller with Linux as the OS?

Time will reveal more but FAR more promising than using a cheap $50 PC part that's for sure.

Seeing the big stink you made about anything even remotely pc related?
you even scoffed at the idea of Linux or windows based pinball's now you see even stern moving in that direction and you have changed your tune

having your cake and eating it too it seems?

But I will agree with you here, it is good to see they are moving on with Technology in a pinball, seems you arnt against the technology it seems you are more against other companies you dont like using it.

This is stern playing catch up right here as far as technology
but still better late than never 

Maybe you better start looking at Linux or windows based games your self, thats JJP and Stern with networkable machines,
there is plenty of potential in game play for both those new machines that have network ability dont you think?

Regards Rich

[Homepin]

Looks like it is a custom board running an embedded controller with Linux as the OS?

Time will reveal more but FAR more promising than using a cheap $50 PC part that's for sure.

Seeing the big stink you made about anything even remotely pc related?
you even scoffed at the idea of Linux or windows based pinball's now you see even stern moving in that direction and you have changed your tune

having your cake and eating it too it seems?

But I will agree with you here, it is good to see they are moving on with Technology in a pinball, seems you arnt against the technology it seems you are more against other companies you dont like using it.

This is stern playing catch up right here as far as technology
but still better late than never 

Maybe you better start looking at Linux or windows based games your self, thats JJP and Stern with networkable machines,
there is plenty of potential in game play for both those new machines that have network ability dont you think?

Regards Rich

First - how about you refrain from attempting to "say what I think"

Second this boardset (from what has been shown so far) IS NOT PC RELATED AT ALL, do you get that?

It appears to be an embedded processor running linux (from reports) so this would make it very similar to many smartphones, more specifically Android smartphones (80% of the smartphone market despite the hype from Apple).

I don't give a toss about what other companies are doing or using, I'm just not that interested and I am certainly not bothered. If you think I am then you are deluding yourself.

I am running my own race and doing my own things the way I think they should be done that best suits MY business. I assume the others are also doing what they consider to be the best for their respective businesses.

Let me make it so clear that you cannot possibly misunderstand what I am saying -

I do not care what others use, I DO care if they use what I and many other technical people consider to be a dumb setup (using $50 PC motherboards) and thus deceiving the public into thinking they are getting something special when they are not. PC motherboards DO NOT make an industrial or commercial machine and this has been proven time and time again. Many who have been in the amusement industry for as long as I have, have seen the fallout from this but some others choose to ignore it.

Clear enough?

[pinball god]

I have been out of the industry for 10 years now, but in my last year or two saw the boutique cnc machine tool builders enter the market and was that a nightmare. They used pc based stuff and it was like being part of the r&d dept everytime things went wrong. Parts replacements were the same. Get a replacement lcd and find they changed supplier and the plugs are arse about. Not very professional at all. That's what is worrying me about the new guys. I love moving forward but would feel more comfortable if a big player did it. In my example people like fanuc or mazak, or in pinball, stern or williams. It would give me a little more confidence that these guys had the dollar backing to maybe look after me in the future......but no guarantee of course......you still take a risk with pc tech forever leaping forward


Btw I'm not a ipad 1 or holden mark 1or dos 3.00 kinda a guy. More ipad2 holden mark3 or dos 3.1 or 3.2. At least you hope most of the bugs are sorted etc

[swinks]

from what I have read it is the Spike TM system is the same one that was used in The PIN with linux on a particular chip in that board. It then links to 4-5 other small computer boards under the playfield to then control all the functions.

like what Rob said while Stern are going strong there will be spares to keep machines going.

I am more concerned about games that run lcd's like JJP and Heighway, what happens when the lcd dies in a few years time and you can't get that model anymore or if the company closes then all lcd stock will dry up then you will have a game that loses alot of it's features and scoring. I still like my dmd, symbolic of the era.

I like where Fast Pinball is going with having a dedicated circuit board with a socket for a beagle bone black or a plug for a Raspberry PI to cable connect. Then the code and dmd art is stored in the mini computer and runs via python via Mission Pinballs Framework. If you get a game with this unit in it, you can simply buy 1-2 spare beagles or PI's and store in the pinball spare parts box for $50 each.

[pinball god]

Just to use a small example of pin2000 and its no biggy if you are savvy, but my rfm has a different monitor manufacturer to my swep1. To put my replacement new WG brand monitor into the rfm, I need to reconfigure the plugs. Not so for the swep1as it has an old WG but both games involve structural mounting mods to get the new crt in. So I think this illustrates how even Williams changed their minds on pc hardware that didn't make the rfm spare plug and play and that was in one year.

[guyricho]

It appears to be an embedded processor running linux (from reports) so this would make it very similar to many smartphones, more specifically Android smartphones (80% of the smartphone market despite the hype from Apple).

Yer and smart phones and tablets are so much more reliable than a PC.
you wanna talk about throw away tech? talk about Smart phones and Tablets.



Your Rant was about how hard it is to repair main boards for the regular guy.
 the regular guy doesn't fix tablets or Smartphone boards do they?
And those boards on Smart phones and tabs are so easy for the regular punter to fix, because they fix them by opening the lid of the bin

What data is out there to say Sterns new boards are more reliable than a PC board anyways?

Its easier to fix a Pc than a smart phone, eg loss of sound  on a pc board then you can replace a sound card.
if sound is lost on a board that has everything built into it whats the fix?  A full board?

Video dies on a Pc, well you replace the video card you could even upgrade the video card at the same time
WHat do you have do to fix dead video on a board that has everything embedded into it like this? buy a full new board?

Everything you used as an argument on your rant is a problem on this board and even more so because it is all embedded onto one board.

[beaky]

i just had to repair a stern white star board with an intermittent sound fault, the fix was 1 SMD chip bought from stern via amd. the cost of 1 chip was $120
if i had got mt fault finding wrong i would have been out of pocket $120.
give me a through hole board with eproms any day over an smd board with smd dedicated I.C.s
even intermittent faults on the SAM cpu board are a nightmare
so what happens when stern decide they are no longer going to sell the I.C's for the whitestar boards or they become unavailable
there is one regulator on the white star board that doesn't even have a stern part number according to the manual and i cant find a replacement anywhere (yet)