(Topic ID: 63525)

AC/DC Pro Auto launch -- is it always a random strength?

By bub2010

10 years ago


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  • 15 posts
  • 4 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 10 years ago by bub2010
  • Topic is favorited by 3 Pinsiders

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#1 10 years ago

Just wondering, but is AC/DC's auto launch randomly wimpy or strong? Just wondering because the more I've played it I've noticed that sometimes it launches all the way to the Jukebox and other times it barely launches past the end of the shooter lane. I am pretty sure you can turn off auto launch, but just wondering if this is normal? It does it with auto launch or when launching from the "fire" button equally and it does not seem to matter how long you hold the fire button for either. Any help would be apreciated.

#2 10 years ago

The problem is the plastic bushings on the auto-plunger are sloppy. I had the exact same problem on my game and fixed it by making new brass bushings. It is working fantastic now!

See this thread for specs on the bushings I made:
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/acdc-auto-plunger-is-starting-to-get-weak

#3 10 years ago

Cool... I will have to check that out. Thanks.

#4 10 years ago

this is good to know, i'll take a look at mine.

#5 10 years ago

I have played a couple hundred games since I put the brass bushing in there and it is still working fantastically. It still misses the juke box once in a great while, but it is rare. Probably well over 99% of the time it makes it perfectly.

#6 10 years ago

I actually don't want it full strength all the time, but don't want it dribbling barely off the end of the shooter lane. Actually if I could have a medium power launch all the time it would be perfect...that way I have a chance to get the jet bumper lights lit. Too strong and too weak messes that up.

#7 10 years ago

Alot of stern games have an issue where the auto launcher forks get wedged against the shooter tip of the manual plunger. You have to adust the PF's side to side positioning to fix that. Happened to me in the past and didn't see it mentioned here.

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#8 10 years ago
Quoted from bub2010:

I actually don't want it full strength all the time, but don't want it dribbling barely off the end of the shooter lane. Actually if I could have a medium power launch all the time it would be perfect...that way I have a chance to get the jet bumper lights lit. Too strong and too weak messes that up.

Not sure what you mean? The auto-plunger should launch the ball straight into the juke box hole everytime. If you want to shoot it softer than that, that is what the manual plunger is for.

#9 10 years ago

My point was that manual plunging you can launch any hardness... from full into the jukebox to just barely making the first lane or if desired just barely going out of the shooter lane. Autolaunch to the jukebox everytime sort of sucks because it rarely ever falls through the A and X lanes...almost always it goes through the E. After all.. the goal is to light all 3 up and if it is too strong it makes it a lot harder to get them lit.

#10 10 years ago
Quoted from bub2010:

My point was that manual plunging you can launch any hardness... from full into the jukebox to just barely making the first lane or if desired just barely going out of the shooter lane. Autolaunch to the jukebox everytime sort of sucks because it rarely ever falls through the A and X lanes...almost always it goes through the E. After all.. the goal is to light all 3 up and if it is too strong it makes it a lot harder to get them lit.

You change those lanes with your flipper buttons. Super easy to light them.

#11 10 years ago

My point is that you can always use the manual plunger if you want to shoot the ball with less power (such as keeping it short of the lanes to roll down the right side loop lane and collect a lit free ball for instance). When you normally want to start a ball, you want to (and the auto-plunger should) always make it into the juke box saucer. That gives you a shot at the VIP pass, or as I prefer, the Super VIP pass. When the auto-plunger misses the juke box, it causes a mad scramble to light the correct lane and collect the VIP pass and totally eliminates your chance for a Super VIP pass.

As treborlicec pointed out - you do know the lanes change with flipper buttons right. You can light all three lanes even if the ball never goes down any lane but the E lane.

#12 10 years ago

Capital D'OH nope.. I never knew you could change the lane that was lit with the flipper buttons. Being that I never have to use them on any pin until the ball gets past the bumpers I never hit them until I need to... or at least any flipper activity before then I never noticed that they move.. once again D'OH. I thought that was the whole point of the "skill shot" to hit the one that was lit... didn't know you could move it based on where it looks like it is gonna fall. I didn't sit and watch the pros play much at PAPA.. heh.. might have noticed if I had.

Back on track here though... I found what the problem was. The left side of the fork (as you stand behind it) was too close to the shooter rod. I got a pretty good pic of it. As you can see it is darn near resting on it which I could easily see causing it to not get a full even strike. If you notice you can see a small bit of rubber hanging off on the top side.... that was after I twisted the plunger rod to rotate it up. It WAS right there against the left fork. So.. I rotated that, ripped off that hanging piece and with my hands just forced the forks a bit further apart with emphasis on getting the left one further out. The result seems to have fixed it. I've just played about 5 games and seen it launching nice and strong now. It does not always make it fully to the jukebox, but thus far has seemed to made it up to the bumper level every time. I've been watching directly down when launching it and can't see it touching at all either anymore. I would not be surprised if a lot of folks may have this issue. Sloppy bushings could cause it too, but more just because the fork can be mis-aligned if too sloppy or broken. I think that either will fix this issue.. (fork split or bushing) Ultimately if there is too much drag or slop it won't be a fast launch. Here is the pic.

DSCN0618.JPGDSCN0618.JPG

#13 10 years ago

Did you check to see how much slop was in the auto-plunger fork? Mine had a good 1/8" of play side to side measured at the area next to the manual plunger. With the brass bushing is has about 1/32" or less. Also, if you place a ball resting against the fork, does it match up to both fork tips evenly? Mine did not until I put in the bushing.

#14 10 years ago

I wasn't measuring it, but it moved around some for sure. Ultimately slop or not plunger tip contact trumps it all making for a less than desired kick and just naturally sitting there the fork was resting on it. I'll have to see with more games what does or or does not happen.

3 months later
#15 10 years ago

Ultimately the tip wasn't necessairily the whole issue.. Anyone with this problem read up on this thread here:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tech-help-please-acdc-autofire-plunger-getting-weaker-and-weaker

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