Right now my game is very dialled in.

The only thing I want to do is make an adapter to get the scoop eject to be consistant and do something to minimize stage rejects.

I feel like I get over 50% bounce outs and maybe more currently as my flippers are feeling a little strong. I am lucky to get 3 or more stage illusions in one game. I try hard for stage alley as a means of entering the stage as it sticks a little easier. Recently when I was modifying the ball guide on the shooter lane as a skill shot fix, I also pulled the stage alley guide and opened it up a bit since it was hitting low. Much better with that adjustment.

What is the "coining"around the stage hole? I have never used the stage eject.

To anyone that has installed the plastic protectors, those go on top of the plastics, correct? I swear I'd read someone say they went under, to prevent balls cracking up from underneath, but all of these seem fit for on top of the factory plastics.

And to anyone that's installed the Cliffy Side Rail protector, do you simply screw those two screws into the soft wood of the black side rail? That's what I've seen in a few videos. And does that line up with the protector installed just below it, the one that goes under the rail?

One more question too.... Do you pull off the adhesive backing for the rollover protectors? The one video I watched, the guy didn't, then later one's, he did.

Don't know which ones you got, but generally speaking, they go under.

They go under. The balls don’t typically crash directly on top of the plastics. Damage comes from hitting the edge

I got the Little Shop ones, seen here.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1114-little-shop-of-games/01487-houdini-8-piece-set-easy-break-plastic-protectors-

I figured double set where the spotlights are, would go on top of that, there's two sets of plastics there. And I assumed the plastics, the long ones, near the side rails, would be on top as well, as there's no way a ball could hit underneath those plastics.....

Thanks for the advice! Definitely going to have to fiddle around some more.

Under. It's not so much about the ball getting underneath as impacting the edges of the printed plastics and cracking/chipping/breaking them.

I'd read that, but oddly these are the exact same size as the original plastics, there's no overlap for them...

Even at the same size it shores up the resistance to force flexing. I prefer the colored ones that stick out 1/8" or so, but both are way better than nothing.

Did you mod per AP or another way? I did the AP mod, and it's still a hit or miss shot. Part of it might be the shooter rod...those don't shoot as smooth as others (I also removed the washer per AP). It's somewhat irregular despite pulling the shooter rod the same distance. I played another Houdini, shoots entirely different towards the skill shot. Not sure of the angle they have it set at, I think mine is 6.5 degrees.

These are one of the few videos I've found, and they definitely stick out. The one's I got from Little Shop don't. Plus the plastics for Houdini, the lane returns, have double layers, so I'm not even sure which one is supposed to be protected.

No one on here has used these....or Cliffy's?

I bought the set form Little Shop because they seemed to have more pieces than the alternatives out there. I have yet to install them or my Cliffy's. Whatever I find out I will post...please do the same. I'm kind of bummed the LSOG protectors don't stick out as you say, should have went others I guess.

That is very strange that they are not larger than the actual plastics, as is typical. LSOG knows what they are doing, I wonder what’s up with this?

I haven't confirmed...just taking wesmans word on it. I will be checking this week

I did the AP skill shot fix. previously I couldn't hit the top letter, now I can. I do wish the shooter rod was a little smoother. I find super skill shoot really hard.

I installed the little shop protectors, all underneath, on the outlanes I removed the 1" plastic washers. the little shop protectors are not as nice as others I have used. while the registration is good the mounting holes are bigger than I believe they should be.

the LSOG protectors are slightly larger but not consistantly. The oversize mounting holes does allow for some positioning

Aha...

I figured the oversized holes were allowing the screws to be mounted on the top side of the inlanes. That's why I mounted those two on top. I figured they'd be there for airballs, considering there's two plastics, one above, one below.

Those two were the only ones I did so far, so I can't say yet if the other plastics extend a bit more.

I can take and post some photos late, late tonight, like after 11EST.

Hard to see firing the hand magnets having an impact on balls coming out of the stage.

Oktoberfest has player controlled magnets called MagNabs, that will actually grab the ball to either make he upper flipper shot easier, or to drop the ball into the top lanes where you increase playfield multiplier. It is certainly an 'advanced skill' that my guess is only owners and competitive players will learn to use effectively.

As far as exiting the stage from the front (which must be turned on in settings). The issue is not the coining per se, as much as the transition from the coined edge to the non coined edge. There is a little bit of a lip, that the ball can get stuck up on. What happens is the captive ball is raised up and moves to the ball to the back, then as the captive balls get partially lowered, the ball rolls around it, typically to the right side, and out. However, when it starts to roll, it hits that lip and sometimes will get stop and not roll over it. One solution is to file that down (typically just the right side is needed), however, at that point it will likely rust since it will no longer be coated. It is possible that raising the back of the stage slightly with a washer could help. It is also possible that even when the stage is calibrated correctly it is off just enough to not get the proper movement between the captive ball and the target ball. My stage at home does not eject cleanly, so I will take a closer look at this at some point soon and report back if I find a good solution. Obviously it is not a critical piece of functionality.

Stage bounce backs are often due to flippers being a touch too strong. I suggest going down 1 notch. I have not tried the foam, so curious to see if anyone has success with that. Certainly a rubber pad will not help.

Was around 40 new posts, so might have missed other questions, etc. if so, let me know

I waxed my shooter rod (heh). Before, it was kind of creaky. The "C" target for my game is a guaranteed 95% power plunge. Can't reliably hit the E/S targets. Maybe E is a little easier. I only take C when I really want that reward (5X bonus, milkcan multiplier, extra ball). Otherwise I go for the super skill shot. Hitting it off the plunge is very tricky 'cause often you just don't get enough power to activate the target even when yer on th' money. When it's super close I nudge the target into the ball. Otherwise I try for a soft plunge and hope I can trap it clean on the right flipper without accidentally hitting an inlane or something.
....

I've found that the default flipper strength just seemed to be getting more powerful than it used to be. I had to crank it down 2 notches 'cause I was getting tons of airballs. The plastic with the stage and keylane stuff was taking a real beating. Had a ball stuck on top of the left pop near the wireform. Scoop has way less rejects now too. I have the power supply upgrade but still am intimidated by the installation and don't really wanna mess with my game when it doesn't really seem like I have major issues. Don't want to let any of that magic smoke out. Like, I've never had flipper weakness during multiballs. I've had my left flipper get knocked down by super fast bricks off the seance targets. That has to do with the EOS switch stuff right? I have that upgrade as well but really don't know what the hell I'm doing regarding that area. My major problems are things coming loose (trunk spotlight, ribbon cable on mini monitor). When I first got it I needed to bend that little switch in the catapult by a c-hair. Could someone do a video on the power supply upgrade?

On the return lanes, did you put them under the lower plastic, as seen here?
Screenshot_20190204-174553_Chrome (resized).jpg

Yeah, I'd be up for a power supply upgrade video too! Seems simple enough, but I'm worried about incorrect wire placement, and drilling into the baseboard.

Yes Please!!!

The power supply upgrade is pretty simple, but I do stuff like this as a day job. The AP instructions are very good and clear. wiring is simple color to color and double or triple check. The holes you drill are very tiny and only part way through. noticing the fans in the power supply and seeing another comment or two about additional noise I chose to install some rubber grommets under the 4 attachments, for some vibration isolation. This also adds some more air space for cooling, probably not needed. I hate those spring action walnut connectors so I fashioned a molex connector set for the 48volt side.

I have not done a video before but could at least take pictures next week when I am in hooking up my sub woofer which I started building today.

Pics would help...if you end up posting, can you also post how you hooked up your sub? Thanks man, I would appreciate it!

I did think the instructions were really well written. Just...the more info and firsthand knowledge, always the better. Especially with folks much less experienced.

Did you drill holes with a specific drill bit size?

The power supply upgrade wasn't too hard to do except that the API supplied connector (wall nut) was crap.

I stripped the wire insulation back just as instructed but the stranded wire kept bunching up and not going properly into the connector (the wire gauge is too small - the wall nut would have worked great for heavier gauge wire). When I did get the wires into the wall nut, they didn't grip well and would easily come out with just a little bit of pulling. Not great for the main power supply for the game. I wound up soldering the leads together and then shrink-wrapping the bundle.

BTW, if you are going to install the knocker do it at the same time as the power supply upgrade as this is where the knocker gets its power. I didn't realize this until after I got the power supply wiring all buttoned up. I then had to remove the shrink-wrap and solder the knocker lead to the bundle. If the wall nut had worked out this would have been easy but such is pinball...

For what it's worth, the knocker has proven to be a great addition so it was ultimately worth the effort.

Here's a good start of what's involved (From AP's web site): http://s4.american-pinball.com/img/support/2018-10/Power-Supply-Kit-Installation.pdf

It's not hard. Wires are color coded. 2 things gave me some grief tho.

1) My new supply wouldn't sit flush on the wood due to the small wood brace at the edge of the cabinet, so I took the brackets on the right side off for now (which helped), and just screwed it in on the left side. Someday (if I remember) I'll just make or buy a bracket the comes out the front and secure the right side. It's home use, so it's not like it's getting much of a work out.

2) The included screws weren't wood screws. Someone posted the correct wood screw and I just made a trip to the hardware store and bought a bag of them. Here's a tip: Before drilling, place a small piece of painters tape on the drill bit, the length of the screw threads (don't include the screw head). That way, you know when to stop before going thru the cabinet. Recheck the tape before drilling the next hole in case it moved. Easy peasy.

pasted_image (resized).png

Oh man, that's a really smart idea with the drill bit! I definitely need to install mine, as the VUK takes a few fires to pump the ball up. And I'd imagine that's a sign I need this power supply.

So does the old power supply entirely sit there unused afterwards or does it work in tandem with the new? I'm assuming the former, from what I read of the instructions.

Did you install Cliffy's too?

They still use the remaining original power supply's outputs, just not the 48V. The 48V is only what moved over to the new, regulated supply.

I almost think I could have swung the new supply around 180 degrees, and mounted flush. But I just installed 'by the book'.

If you also want to check that you got the right screw length - just check at the switch opening - there's the cabinet thickness.

I guess I should also add it was somewhat of a PIA reaching into the back of the cabinet...and I'm +6'!

I installed a the scoop Cliffy's and the plunger lane just the other day. I was going to do a write up and send to Cliffy. I suggested he should have a section on his web page for people to submit their installs so people know what's involved. Seems like a good idea.

Oh thanks for the tips! Yeah, I'm 6'1", so I imagine that'll be a hard swing for me too. I'm not sure what you mean, by mounting it flush...

Flat, on the cabinet floor. Right side barely sits on wood brace, raising it just a hair. Lousy picture below. It would be way up if the brackets were on. You can see what the bracket looks like on the left side. Original supply way over on the left.

Also get some blade protectors so you don't scratch the upper PF sides!! Not much clearance between the PF and cabinet sides.

pasted_image (resized).png

Going from memory here, but I think it was the rear left bracket that forced the new supply to the right. I guess could have removed that one and kept the right side brackets.

Thanks for the shot! Yeah, that's really close to the side of the cabinet... So you'd have rather placed it where, in relation to the existing one?

I've got some blade protectors, left side scrunched up on me first time I tried tj use them.....then the playfield fell off the rails. That was a wicked day.... Has the left one ever scrunched on you? It doesn't seem to sit will into the cabinet.

Here's a bad pic but I moved the new power supply a little forward and rotated it slightly. This allowed me to get three brackets screwed to the bottom of the cabinet (circled in red in the pic). Not the prettiest install but it's solid.

To get access to the back of the cabinet I stacked boxes in front of the coin door and pulled the playfield as far as it would go to rest the yellow stands on the boxes. This gave me just enough room to work.

IMG_20190204_182706 (resized).jpg

Total side question, will Sparkle be fine to use to remove wax, before applying Cliffy's?

Or would these wipes be more effective?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lens-Wipes-by-ZEISS-100-Glass-Cleaning-Wipes/132327176

Ingredients:
Ingredients: Water, isopropyl alcohol, proprietary detergents and preservatives

Ammonia free.

For the metal ones? I didn't do anything. It was freshly waxed. Or are you referring to the ones w/tape (I didn't install those yet)? The ones that look like graphite... I just don't see that they would protect much, so I left them off. If anything, I'd do the static cling Mylar.

Maybe PinBallinReno can chime in, I think he did the full install.

Good idea!

Oh I meant to the playfield, I already waxed it.

I don't think I'll approach the catapult ones yet....

Are you going to use the adhesive for the metal ones?

Did the scoop one just slide in basically? Did you have to remove any parts to access it?

Ah...so you're the one that posted about the PF falling. I forgot about that, but no doubt more than one person cringed reading that. LOL! One of my worst nightmares! After reading some of the posts, I waited until I had the protectors. Better safe than sorry. No issues w/mine.

I did tie a strap around the PF and backbox when I installed the new PS, just in case I did something stupid.

That was a pretty horrific night. Thing weighs a ton when it's in a weird vertical position, and man it got wedged in like a mutha. I can imagine using a tie strap would be a good idea. If there's one thing I don't like mechanically about this game, it's that unhinged playfield. I really hope they shift design on Octoberfest.

Speaking of, are there any updates as of late....?

Back to what we were discussing, did you screw in the two screws for the Cliffy side rail protector?

Screws, yep. I have pictures from the write up I started. I just started it, so not done. PM if you want it.

I'd use straight up rubbing alcohol, 90% plus variety (stores sell 70% version, too). Stick it on a cotton ball and rub away.

Just got home from work.

Rats. I don't have any, but these are the wipes Cliffy included, and I think he mentioned they wipe away wax too.

15493400447467221797894650116081 (resized).jpg

70% alcohol in those. It will work, just don't dally as it will evaporate pretty quickly.

After reading discussion of skill shots, I'm not clear on what constitutes the SUPER skill shot. Is it something other than E-S-C?

Yes the left Magic target that will flash green. It awards you each of the normal skill shots + points.

As kdecgp mentioned above, hitting that magic target off the plunge isn't enough to activate the switch. the best is to catch the ball in the right flipper and hit the target from there before hitting anything else. I often practice my super skillshot when the other three options aren't that great.

I followed his advice on waxing my rod. it was an improvement. When I told my wife it helps me perform better she just rolled her eyes.

The shooter rod washers that come in the game look like they were stored at the bottom of a lake from ancient Greece. They are not even round inside...ugh.

Replace them and the shooter rod sleeve with proper ones from marcospecialties.com

Use teflon dry lube on the shooter rod.

Are you sure that those washers were not part of the old steampunk styling?

My preowned machine came with the faucet shooter rod mod. the washers look good, I have spare sleeves, I might try replacing that, who knows how much rust or grit might be embedded?

I have used teflon on shooters in the past but the wax worked well this time.

My old Space Station had cronic shooter problems until I realized that the housing was cocked and not hitting the ball on center. the remedy was a simple shim between that and cabinet. I have an assortment of spare parts.