What Stern Pinball Hides From You!

[@chaddestroys]

I wouldn’t say Stern is “hiding” these things from anyone. The title is a bit misleading or clickbait-y. Either aftermarket or OEM upgrades are just that…upgrades.

[@JasonTremblay]

I have the Pinball Life headphone jack installed on three Stern machines, and I can confirm that they work great. No problems, easy installation.

[@bwaltzek]

Great video Ralph. Getting my first pin tomorrow. I’ll be looking at these accessories next.

[@colemangreen4191]

This is a good video man. I would say the best way to truly enjoy the sound of a machine is a good pair of open back headphones. The speakers just aren't far enough apart to get the stereo sound they actually code.The Pinnovators headphone kits are amazing - clean look, on/off switch for the speakers, volume control for both headphones and speakers.

[@jhendrix23]

A lot of these mods are a must for me as well. Once you start to do them on one pin, you have to do them on all... it becomes the standard. Nice job on the video...

[@joshbaldwin8838]

Very informative. I hope to get my first Stern next year so I will be saving this video. Thanks Ralph.

[@jlarsson1978]

Did they actually change to a quite fan? That's a freakin revolution for pinball. Halleluja!

[@RetroRalph]

They did!! I was like, no freaking way man but on Metallica Remastered they’re using a new Power supply and she purrs like a kitten. 🐱 hopefully that’s permanent moving forward. Thanks so much for watching man!

[@colemangreen4191]

Haha, I also feel a bit bad for Pinmonk/Pinball life. I bet they sold a lot of those fans!

[@therexershow]

Great vid , the problem is that every time I do a mod , like the glass, the fan, the headphone jack, I feel like every new game I get , I have to do it now. That’s why I don’t want to do the light expression kit. Lol. I’ll like it too much.

[@leodonnelly5427]

Thank you for the heads up on the happy sliders, I'm going to order some right now. I've been using furniture sliders for years.

[@RETROCENGO]

What an awesome and very informative video 😊

[@RetroRalph]

Thanks brother …. WAP baby!!!!

[@RETROCENGO]

@ was an absolute blast to have you on WAP brother. Dang it 1979 was a good year 😊

[@MortsGarage]

This makes me want to buy my first pinball machine

[@IndieArcadeWave]

Thanks for the info on upgrades. This is very helpful when thinking about buying pinballs.

[@psychosin13]

The node board that comes with the speaker light kit is sold separately at Pinball Life but it's $200 the same price as the speaker light kit itself.

[@slinger2112]

I think that's a version of the board used on the expression lighting on the sides, generally, but was also used stock in the LE games with speaker lighting (Jaws/Wick). There's another similar board used in the speaker light kits. It's $130 at Pinball Life, but more elsewhere, potentially. This board deleted a motor driver that would go to waste.

[@16BitBear]

Wow perfect timing. I emailed my local distributor last night with some questions before buying my first. Now I just need to decide between Foo Fighters and X-men pro.

[@slinger2112]

I'm a big Foo Fighters fan, so I'm super lucky the game turned out to be a perfect match for me. It's a good shooter and the rules are easy to follow and fun. Music plus aliens screams pinball :). Ralph would vote X-Men. Both Jack Danger games, so you can't lose. Good luck!

[@GlingusHaunts]

Foo Fighters all day for me, amazing layout with a skiller soundtrack.

[@16BitBear]

@ went for X-men! Just ordered and it comes in Wednesday!

[@GlingusHaunts]

@@16BitBear Good choice! X-men is a game that I haven't put much time on but the layout seems great, and that code is really only going to get better!

[@007bondson1]

I have both. Both are great

[@DeathSavePinballStreaming]

I just ordered the happy sliders. So tired of putting new felt on. Didn’t know these were a thing.

[@RetroRalph]

Awesome man, I love them, they make working on games so much easier and I love that they clip on ✊🏼 Thanks for watching brother!

[@mooncloud6563]

Now I just need money to buy a premium pinball machine.

[@kram2]

Great video. Never knew you could tone down the back box light

[@Mo_Ketchups]

Thank god I already bought all my Stern headphone kits this summer! 😮‍💨 I can’t get over in this house without those!

[@RetroRalph]

Dude totally, I honestly play with my headphones 🎧 75% of the time just so I’m not pissing off the entire house 🤣

[@Mo_Ketchups]

@ Ralphie Boy, YOU were responsible for TWO purchases: (1) You talked me into Zilla 70th, something I’ve never regretted a minute, and (2) those Stern headphone jacks! 😅 No joke. I have Jaws, Rush, & 70th (premiums) but cannot play Jaws or Rush because I can’t STOP playing Godzilla! Bought the smoked black mirrors and the white UFO’s. Your videos heighten my already gnarly enthusiasm. 😅✌️

[@codykehl]

I love your content man, always positive. If I can make a suggestion.. you need your own Retro Ralph hat!

[@theJohnnyPinball]

Stern did make a official hdmi capture device in 2018 but ended up recalling it, probably cause of licensing as you say

[@RetroRalph]

I’ve seen this before and asked around about it but it’s like it never existed. The men in black must have come and used the Neuralyzer on anyone that ever saw it. 🤣 Anyway, I hope they add it in the future but I’m sure it’s probably a license holder issue. It sure would make it a lot easier to stream if it just had HDMI out natively but oh well. Anyway, love your content man and very cool to see you here checking out the channel, means a lot.

[@theJohnnyPinball]

@@RetroRalph Thanks Ralph appreciate it. On the HDMI thing from Stern, Zach Meny was the source as he had ordered around 50 of them. Back on the TWIP podcast he said he was going to give them out to the flip n out streamers. Stern must have got a C&D from a licensor who listen to the podcast or watched the live streams? So they canned the project and recalled the devices.

[@combochuck]

Good list! HD Glass is a day 1 purchase with my pins. Fields look foggy to me without it now 😆. So another tip I've seen is to purchase a new wifi dongle, sense Sterns tend to go out pretty easy. But just in case that happens to someone, the free fix (as funny as it sounds) is to 1) turn the machine off, 2) ensure the wifi dongle is pushed all the way in, 3) pull it out just as tad, 4) turn the game back on. I've had to do it with all three of my Sterns whose wifi went out at different times.

[@combochuck]

Also, I've been told that if the video converter board is flaking out on you, to buy an AC powered HDMI splitter. Then run your HDMI cable through that (requiring another HDMI cable of course). You don't have to hook up the second HDMI after the split, just have that in between your video converter board and your streaming device. I haven't tried this yet, but just spreading the word in case it helps!

[@jasontacoma2494]

Cool video i have 8 sterns and never knew about the back box lighting thing very cool.

[@Gunloc360]

Ralph, don't forget about PinGulps! I consider them a necessity on all pins.

[@gettin_lit6594]

Upgrades are just part of the pinball life .. 👍👍

[@RetroRalph]

I see what you did there, nice!

[@Medic7000]

Thanks for your hard work!

[@ryrysonic9]

For my spooky pin I just bought a double aux extension piece & can use headphones that way,, plug it right in to the aux port on behind the screen & ran another extended aux through the wire organizer etc,,took me 2 mins, didn't have to buy a bunch of stuff like this, or get anything powder coated, spooky pinball is awesome 😎

[@cnelson1106]

Just subscribed. I have caught a few of your videos in the past but this one solidified my decision to "subscribe". I am new to pinball ownership; bought 3 Stern and 1 Spooky this year and the learning curve is high when you add in customization, tips and mods so thank you. I would ask you to please change the "title" to something more applicable as I almost didnt watch this vid based on current title (ex: Tips and Tricks - Dec 2024). The other thing is can you take input from the subscribers as to tips we would want to hear about? Anyway, phenomenal content and I look forward to your channel.

[@slinger2112]

Great into to many of the solid upgrades for your new machine, Ralph! I do have the Pinball Life headphone jack kit. It interfaces with the node board headers the same as the official accessory. It's electrically the same, its just it doesn't have the Stern logo. I'd happily recommend it. The Happy sliders are great too. The carpet ones allow me to slide my game around and have color options too! I have a list of other affordable 'protection/prevention' upgrades that can also add some color/customization to your game. Silicone rubbers are in my 'starter parts' list. They can be less 'dirty' than black rubbers (I hear white rubbers leave less to clean up). Silicone rubbers from Titan or PerfectPlay (PBL) can also add some color/customization to your game. Cabinet leg protectors are on the list to protect crinkles in the vinyl art. I could swear there are stock spacers that serve this purpose, but I should take a leg off to confirm. The metal protectors are about $15 if you want extra strength (might even hold things together a little better if you are an aggressive nudger...just guessing). I've added plastic protectors that go under the /inlane/outlane/slings and other art plastics. Some sets are non-clear and can throw a little color when backlit and take ball impacts and break before you need to buy a $200 plastic set to replace the one broken part. My game's set was $30, but prices can vary. The other protection one I like for Pro and older Premium games is replacement side rails that include metal that surrounds the flipper button. They're about $60 at PBL. They're a Stern official part and are likely also available at Flip N Out. I'm seeing newer Premium games come with these.

[@nikkiz4727]

The sliders were my first investment to move the machines on carpet!

[@fursphere2]

This feels like it should be on the QVC shopping channel.

[@rowbear5862]

Agree 100% great video Ralph. I always like your takes on the world of pinball.

[@ZackAirth]

I need to do the glass upgrade for shiz.

[@dragongamer2670]

That they use cheap parts??? 😂 again this is what my pinball friends say all the time. If you want a real good pinball machine going to have to do some real upgrades with better parts. Again like older Arcade machines just better to buy old or upgrade these machines. Which sadly brings that to around $12k.

[@RetroRalph]

As for the pinball machine itself, my stern machines have been fairly rock solid. I’m not sure what parts your friends are talking about. And I play them daily 🤷🏻‍♂️ I’ve have a few issues but nothing I would say makes me question core components that make the game work.

[@slinger2112]

Overall, my game has been pretty solid. However, Stern does make a couple puzzling sourcing decisions... The WiFi dongle they use for Insider Connected has a couple $15-20 aftermarket options that are vastly more reliable. A more reliable (recognizable brand name?) SD card might avoid a few customer service interactions. The noisy power supply fan is a Meanwell issue in the off-the-shelf supply. I'm not sure Stern buys enough volume to make customizations. I'm glad to hear the higher amp supply addresses this. The coil stops, flipper bushings, and stock balls have a history, but recent part revs are improved. Stern seems to be listening to customer feedback.

[@psteady6726]

Coil stop ends are dross; otherwise new Sterns and anything SAM era onwards are rock solid- especially compared to your cheapo AtGames and A1UP crap

[@slinger2112]

@@psteady6726 Yeah. I got a warranty replacement from Stern for a coil stop. Side by side, it was a much closer build to the quality aftermarket replacements. I had 3 of the originals failing. Is this their source for all new games? Maybe, maybe not, but a sign they have at least one improved source. I agree, until they earn a better reputation, the stock coil stops deserve scrutiny. I also tried the newer tighter tolerance flipper bushings (supposedly starting after a recent Stranger Things run). Less slop should allow more efficiency, so I’m getting up the right ramp on Foo Fighters more consistently. New ones have a duller (matte finish?) plastic, it seems. Good luck!

[@robertmachen4364]

Non glare glass and snap-on happy sliders. You're life will be changed forever.

[@TiltingT]

So what is our grand total cost after all of these mods are completed?

[@theJohnnyPinball]

Premiums should come with the larger speakers… 9700 and they use the cheap pro ones

[@RetroRalph]

I couldn’t agree more man, thanks so much for watching by the way! 🤘🏻

[@mosquitos777]

Ralph are you still happy with the Jaws machine ?

[@ThatVideoGuyTom]

I gotta find a way to get George Gomez from Stern to autograph something

[@Pinballgeek49]

It’s like customizing a classic car lol 😂

[@ScottParisi]

Great video. I believe in Invisiglass for all. If I'm not getting a Stern LE, I always have a sheet on order. It's in place on my Twilight Zone, Jack*Bot and Cactus Canyon LE. What's up with Zach (presumably) providing pinball b reel with Pulp Fiction LE? My deposit is 21 months old and counting. Congrats on the Metallica and my fingers are crossed King Kong is real and there will be fewer than 1,000 made. Happy holidays to the Retro family.

[@bryanlevine4250]

Hey RR - I'm building a game room. What are the chances I can have you come out and help me design it? I promise it will be worth your while!

[@tikibirdarcade6647]

Why I rather just buy used, and then get old the mods and upgrades

[@dtubolinojr]

Ralph…just sold me on the sliders. SOOO tired of the furniture movers. They are ugly!! Thanks!!

[@purdue98]

Good job Ralph

[@PatsArcade]

What about buying a Spooky game or JJP and not having to do any of those lol #truestory

[@johneldridge1345]

You missed discussing the single most important part of a pinball machine... the playfield. Stern have been gradually cutting corners and consequently producing poorer quality playfields over the past several years. Most importantly moving from a printed playfiled to the ridiculous decal under the clearcoat which is now painfully thin. The quality of the newer playfields coming out of stern are embarrassingly bad. We will see how these playfields stand up to wear as current games begin to age. My prediction is the playfields in a lot of these newer games will be in pieces.

[@mikethompson7436]

If you want a good pinball buy pre2015 sterns spike system sucks and a big cash cow for stern they're basically cheap china junk

[@raysalas4258]

I just find it funny that when you started doing pinball content all the other clowns started doing it too.( The cool toys of the world) Who was the wolf in sheeps clothing dammit!?