Both our Tron and Spiderman have had their EOS activators break off. Is there any long term issue with having the EOS not activating on these games? Or is it like the WPC games, where the CPU uses it but overall it doesn’t really matter.
Makes your pawls lighter 
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The only problem you’ll have is that a fast-traveling ball that hits an upheld flipper might knock it down. If this isn’t happening for you, no problem. But I feel like it happens pretty often when I’ve seen it.
This is more a problem with games that have Yagov kickers.
I’m looking at you, Game of Thrones. 
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Well our Spider-Man VE broke its on the lower right flipper in four months!
It makes your game look like a beater under the playfield. Like lifting the hood on a car you’re thinking about buying and finding leaking valve cover gaskets. Not a good look. New ones are only $5 each at marco. Don’t have to buy a complete rebuild kit.
If all four are broken off and the flippers have never been rebuilt, good chance one or both need rebuilding. Check the slop between the links and pawls. The link (hole) and screw definitely wear on Stern’s.
For the most part SAM and Whitestar games should be fine. LOTR being one of the outliers that relies on its EOS switches working properly. Not sure if there is a uniformity on SPIKE, I can say for sure that GoT relies on its EOS switches working properly. There is probably software compensation on GoT and I know there is on LOTR but I have still seen erratic flipper strength with failing or broken EOS switches/pawls.
Even through they are not needed on most SAM, when one broke on our Spiderman, I actually noticed a change in feel from the mechanical difference. The switch helps the return spring, or maybe i need to replace my springs.
One of the reasons I was down on GOT above is because I thought it didn’t even have EOS switches on it. I see they’re in the manual, so now I’m very confused as to why it’s collapsing from the dragon kicker, unless the ones on one of their former test games isn’t working.
Add “losing two balls due to flipper collapse from dragon kicker” to the “NOT LIKE THIS” list I guess.
My experience with stern flippers is that if the flipper is energized, with the flipper button held in, and the EOS loses any contact, the flipper will completely dis-engage and re-engage with a full flip. Which is crap.
Well, I’m not sure what else you can do unless you’re saying the flipper collapses 100%, which would seem unusual to me unless the EOSs are adjusted really horribly. Typical behavior is to apply full power until EOS is reached again (plus a few extra ms). On most games that have correctly setup EOSs, the reflip should happen within like 5-6ms (or even faster) which is really fast.
There is a limit on that, though, in case something is wrong or the switch is adjusted really badly or whatever. Typically after 3 collapses on the same button press, the game will not try a full flip again.
I haven’t noticed flipper collapse on the GoTs that I work on but then again I mostly try to have the right flipper lowered as quickly as possible after shooting the dragon
WWE (Spike) got dual wind coils. Don’t think any other Spike game has them. So they definitely made some adjustments along the way. Designer gets to pick flipper power but not dual wind coils I would think. Spike system adjustment rather than designer choice I’m guessing. I understand it’s way cheaper, but I’m curious why WWE was different. They had spare transistors on the driver board they needed to use/test?
Haven’t really noticed Stern flippers get weak since LOTR, but double wind coils are preferable to me. They should use double wound coils and not even program the second winding. Just for looks. Solder an extra wire on there too.
Damb you Stern for making EOS switches and dual wind coils useless! Those things used to mean something.
Kiss has them too. Agreed they feel much better after long play. At 82 we have a lot of problems with the single wind coils overheating and taking out the node boards on super busy nights.