Thank you

I am shipping you both 1/8" and 1/4" today to test out. Both already have adhesive backing just trim to the size you need with a razor or scissors. Good luck.

I asked the seller about these- look at the listing. The title says carbon, but the category in the description says chrome. Seller said these were chrome and they too, were out of stock on the carbon ones like many other peeps (pinball life comes to mind as I get most stuff from them)….

what a bait and switch scheme!

The biggest difference between the two appears to be that Mod Couple's Houdini figure is 2-D and Hooked on Pinball's is 3-D and has feet sticking out the top of the tank.

Is this an issue that was related to all Houdini games or just early production? Was there a fix done for it or was it left up to owners to fix the issue?

Get these:

ebay.com link: 25 1 1 16 Inch Mirror Finish Carbon Steel Replacement Pinball Machine Pinballs

The 100 I just bought are really nice.
Or these:

ebay.com link: 25 OEM 1 1 16 Mirror Finish Carbon Steel Pinball Machine Balls FRESH STOCK New

ebay.com link: 100 1 1 16 Inch Mirror Finish Carbon Steel Replacement Pinball Machine Balls

And these are good for machines with magnets?

a small percentage of owners had power issues, due to fluctuations in the power grid in their area or in their home. The upgrade power supply fixes this. Some owners who did not have the issue, still chose to do the upgrade. The upgrade is around $150, but when you get it, there is a coupon that gives you $150 towards most other items in our store. So some bought the power supply and then subsequently used the credit to get the shaker motor or knocker or plastics or some other item.

You can tell if it has the upgraded power supply by looking in the cabinet, were you will see a switching power supply near the main Toroid power supply.

Thanks Rosh, much appreciated

They are perfect!
And they weigh consistantly 80gm.

I used to store them in a coffee can of used motor oil.

Now I spray a little wd40 and vacuum bag them

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I also want to mention that the upgraded power supply is more consistant than wall power and has a lot more power available.

The game is more active or sprightly.

Since installing it, it's my only game not on a variac, and my wall power is truly terrible.

117v this morning and Houdini is playing perfectly.

Do you think these are the exact same product, just from different vendors?

Probably, there are millions of ball bearings used up daily in this country alone.
It's a huge market.

That's why I was shocked at the $2 or more prices I was seeing.

Carbon steel is one of the cheapest materials on earth.

But rolling out bearings is fairly slow and costs electricity more than anything else.

The bearings probably cost 15 cents each wholesale for a few thousand.

That's what I ordered, should arrive tomorrow.

If you look down on the listing under categories is says "chrome bearing balls"

All these ebay listings are from BC Precision.

I contacted them to ask which was it carbon or chrome and they said:

" They should be carbon steel if you ordered on this ad. If you
receive the balls and they have oil on them they are chromium (they should
not be but our guys packing get the ads confused sometime since there are
several both chrome and carbon).

Please let me know if you think you
received the incorrect item and we will correct the issue asap. "

Does anyone know any other ways of distinguishing carbon from chrome?

They both work just fine.
I have used chrome and found very little difference.
Magnetism seems not to be an issue even in my WOZ.

However the chrome balls dent up less but I change them frequently every 350 plays.

Put 100 plays on them and then put them on a flat surface like a countertop and see if they stick together.

Magnetized balls can be baked in the oven st 350 degrees for 30 mins to demagnetize them

According to my brother in law, who runs a ball bearing company, sorbothane is our best bet for dampening pinball energies. Amazon has adhesive pads from Isolate It that are 1/8th inch thick.

After 300 games, the whole playfield is saturated with these golf ball type dimples. This is supposed to be normal? I have not noticed this on older machines.

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Its normal they even out after awile.

Its the clear coat, not the wood.

Those are nothing compared to most of the new Sterns. They'd be much deeper.

Joining the club on Sunday, can't wait.

Does anyone have the topper from American Pinball directly if so I would love to see some additional pics.

Also can anyone share some good quality pics of of the mod couples water tank mod? Sadly their pics are small.

TIA

Not sure which topper you mean. I scrounged some pictures from Pinside.

LTG : )

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This one

https://store.american-pinball.com/products/houdini-open-trunk-topper

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I've got it. Just haven't installed it....yet. Still waiting on getting my last few Cliffys installed first.

How do you like it and I assume you got it from AP direct right?

I did. With the credit from the power supply, and some extra money. I haven't put it together yet, but I'll post when I do.

Which are missing? We still need the MM mode black screen fix also.

OK. I cant say I noticed any on IM and Deadpool, etc.

Very smart I should do the same. The one I am getting tomorrow doesn’t have the power fix and spending the credit on the topper would be great idea as I would like it as well. Thanks for the idea!

You're welcome! I'll at least take and post some photos this weekend of it as it came shipped. I know it has to be assembled, as looking in the box, so I'll at least show you what you're getting in that regard. Nirmal was really great to work with in handling the discount!

It seems like Stern is using multiple suppliers. Some machines or even specific RUNS of machines have soft playfields, but others are not bad at all. But in general, you'll have the best chance of getting a playfield that gets deep divots from modern Stern.

The ones I'm seeing are on location, and since it's a route I help maintain, I see almost all the new pins at one time or another. Stern definitely has a problem compared to JJP and to a lesser extent AP, but you can get some Sterns that are very hard and don't have the deep divots that other recent Sterns get. They HAVE to be using at least two playfield suppliers, maybe more, and ONE of them is good and the other(s) suck.

Yet another tool I have to drag around now before I buy a new game...

https://www.amazon.com/0-100HD-Hardness-Durometer-Digital-Flooring/dp/B0788DXX5Y/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_79_bs_lp_t_1

Here is the tank installed. The big opto obscures his face, unfortunately. You can still see the shadow of Nosferatu on the blade art. The lights work with GI and also flash when the stage light flashes. During Chinese water torture mode, the figure twists and squirms in the tank. Or maybe I am just sleep deprived and imagining that.

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I have to agree that the Sorbothane looks great on paper.

But I ran a 3/16" thick piece for a couple days. It worked a bit, but not as amazing as I thought it would.
Gel filled pads would probably the best if one could get them.
Possibly gel filled Sorbothane squares.

What I think is needed is a small sandbag type of material that would stop a ball in its tracks even at a fairly fast speed.

Non newtonian polymeric gel or putty in a sorbothane enclosure, or something similar would be really good.

Does anyone know how to raise this rail to place this scoop protector?

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I hope I don't need to raise this black side rail.....again.

I loosened the rail with the wood screws holding it underneath the play field.
I didn’t take them all the way out, just enough to sneak that Cliffy in there

You also have to unscrew the VUK mechanism under the playfield. The big thing under the PF that shoots the ball out of the scoop. It’s a fairly independent hunk of hardware held in with four screws.

So, step 1. loosen the metal guide rail (not the wood one, but the metal thing in your photo that’s to the left) so you can get lots of clearance to avoid scratching the PF, and

Step 2. for me, I just completely unscrewed the VUK and let it dangle. Once I did that, it was easy. I think most people had luck just loosening the VUK to the point of it being almost off. However, start by loosening the metal guide rail, then see if just loosening the VUK will work. As you’ll see, the CLIFFY won’t be able to get under the PF unless you do that. Use a magnetized nut driver (best) or socket wrench with a long extension, use a strong light so you can see what you doing, be mellow and calm, and it’s not that bad if you go through the process of adequately loosening and removing stuff to clear the way. When you tighten the screws, don’t gorilla them - firm and snug is my preference.

Others who have done this have thoughts??

I have the Mod Couple version. Not as fancy - not a 3D Houdini and just a GI bulb hookup - but still very nice. The opto is equally in a bad spot

Ditto on Zahner's comments above. I took the screws out that hold the VUK to the PF, and secured it so it wouldn't just be hanging. Even with loosening up screws on the metal rail, it was still a tight fit. When I installed the Cliffy's by the wooden rails, the wood would flex a bit, making it easier to install. Can't do that very much w/the metal rail.

Wes - Does your scoop protector have the side cut so it doesn't have to slip under the wooden rail? The early Cliffy's didn't have that.

I have had one customer place the tank next to the trunk . As long as it does not create a ball trap the placement it limited only to wire length.

Unfortunately it didn't...Cliffy told me I got his first designed set. So yeah, I had to reloosen five screws this time, and that was my last resort after going in, and removing the metal rails....the one against the black side rail, as well as the actual guide rail.

I ending up having the VUK dangle, did you secure yours? I wanted to try and remove the power coupling white clasp, but that wasn't popping out to well. Is there an easy way to do that?

Man....the nuts supporting the VUK are a hassle to remove, but far worse to get back in with standard size non magnetic nut drivers. I spent an hour dancing with two that would fall, then my hunt for them, drop them again, etc.

I found the source of my chipped playfield, I'd hoped it was just a loose flake from manufacturing, as I found it just after I raised the game for the first time months back, and with less than 50 plays. Is there anyway to repair this or should I put mylar over it to prevent more damage?

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Also... are these types of cracks normal for when nuts or screws were placed from manufacturing? When I removed these parts, first time I had, I was surprised to see marks like this on the playfield.

Thanks again for everyone's tips up above! This took me from before midnight till near five to get everything back together as it was, but at least I'm near the finish line, and feel comfortable playing now with the major Cliffy protectors and plastic protectors installed! Just wish this was all done when all games are made.

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Homedepot sells a rubber coated 'hanger' (not the clothes kind). It's like a bendable wire, but soft on the outside - great for hanging/holding things temporarily w/o scratching them.

Look up vid1900 here about the playfield, he seems to be one of the PF restoration gurus.