(Topic ID: 183206)

American Pinball Houdini thread

By lllvjr

7 years ago


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#9051 4 years ago
Quoted from TomDK:

Hi all
I am owner of a Houdini for some weeks now. I bought it used. The first owner was tired of all the technical problems and sold his problems to me
So far I like the theme and the pin but I am also unhyppy with the technique.There is a new power supply in the game. Issues are the very bad flipperfingers. They are on highest setting but still feel week. But all shots are possible expect the ramp with the rigt flipper. The slingshots and bumpers feel slow and powerless. The right scoop is not able to pop the ball out after some hours. It needs 10 times until the ball get kicked out. I bend the scoop a little more open and it works a little better.
The new power supply is strange. It is very loud and noisy and if I open the coindoor it starts to become louder .. this makes no sense to me.
So , a very nice machine I like to play. But with the new Stern BK right next to it, it feels as the whole powerunit is not well calculated or planned.
That a knocker and a EOS (!!) is a extra to buy is a whole other story. Please stop that with all upcoming pinballmachines ....

The flippers definitely should not be weak, especially at the highest settings. The ramp from the right is tough but should be doable even without the flippers maxed out. The power supply sounds louder when you open the coin door just because you are removing a physical barrier to the sound traveling to you, that's very normal. A few questions:

1: How many games are on it and have you made sure the flipper don't just need a rebuild?

2: What pitch do you have the game setup to? It is designed for under 6.5 which would be the back levelers screwed all the way in. I have mine about 6.75 as I prefer that but all the shots are still easily makeable without flippers maxed out.

3: What is your line voltage at the game?

3: Not a question but thoroughly clean the switches for the pop bumpers then adjust the coil setting to make them hit a little harder, I've done this on mine and they are quite active.

4: For the scoop, have you tried turning down the power to see if it improves? Is the problem always with ejecting the ball or is it also / only the release of the locked ball in the scoop? There is a physical (height) and pulse length (electrical) adjustment for the lock release in the scoop.

5: Again, not a question but physical knockers have been removed from Stern games for a very long time (even CV didn't have an actual knocker) and Houdini was definitely not the first game to eliminate EOS switches, though I agree they should be included and I believe they now are at least on Oktoberfest.

Good luck getting it sorted out, I love the game even after a year of ownership and tweaks.

#9052 4 years ago
Quoted from TomDK:

Hi all
I am owner of a Houdini for some weeks now. I bought it used. The first owner was tired of all the technical problems and sold his problems to me
So far I like the theme and the pin but I am also unhyppy with the technique.There is a new power supply in the game. Issues are the very bad flipperfingers. They are on highest setting but still feel week. But all shots are possible expect the ramp with the rigt flipper. The slingshots and bumpers feel slow and powerless. The right scoop is not able to pop the ball out after some hours. It needs 10 times until the ball get kicked out. I bend the scoop a little more open and it works a little better.
The new power supply is strange. It is very loud and noisy and if I open the coindoor it starts to become louder .. this makes no sense to me.
So , a very nice machine I like to play. But with the new Stern BK right next to it, it feels as the whole powerunit is not well calculated or planned.
That a knocker and a EOS (!!) is a extra to buy is a whole other story. Please stop that with all upcoming pinballmachines ....

Check the output from the supplemental power supply. It may not be up to spec (and it can be adjusted with a potentiometer). Also, check the work of upgrading the power supply. The kit used wall nuts to gang the wiring together, and that item is not recommended for the gauge of wiring used. You might have a tenuous connection.

#9053 4 years ago

I hate those wall nuts. I used a molex connector with jumpers where I can add future loads

497C8F9E-0000-47D6-8A65-449C02F76B17 (resized).jpeg497C8F9E-0000-47D6-8A65-449C02F76B17 (resized).jpeg
#9054 4 years ago
Quoted from Platypus:

I hate those wall nuts. I used a molex connector with jumpers where I can add future loads[quoted image]

I agree, the wall nuts were crap. I wound up soldering the wires together and shrink wrapping them. Didn't want any issues with the main power to the game.

#9055 4 years ago
Quoted from GSones:

I agree, the wall nuts were crap. I wound up soldering the wires together and shrink wrapping them. Didn't want any issues with the main power to the game.

Yeah, I hate those things too and did the same as you. I had a ceiling can light that was just installed in a newly remodeled home quit working recently, climbed up in the attic and when I opened up the back of the light the exact same type of shitty wall nut was used and the wire had popped out. I ended up replacing them in every single can light while I was up there.

#9056 4 years ago
Quoted from HOOKED:

Original tapped back strip light. Now there is a dedicated driver in the code to turn it on and off with game play.

Do I need to do anything to take advantage of this? Or is this in upcoming code?

#9057 4 years ago
Quoted from pinballinreno:

Start a game, dont launch the ball, press a flipper button.
Hold the flipper button.
Knock down a flipper manually.
It should come back up on own.
Do a real world test.

Yup, did all that. The flippers do not go back up until I release the flipper button and press it again.

#9058 4 years ago
Quoted from bobukcat:

Yeah, I hate those things too and did the same as you. I had a ceiling can light that was just installed in a newly remodeled home quit working recently, climbed up in the attic and when I opened up the back of the light the exact same type of shitty wall nut was used and the wire had popped out. I ended up replacing them in every single can light while I was up there.

Electrician tip for you here in case you don’t want to tromp around in the attic, or you need to get into recessed fixtures where there’s no access from above.....the junction box is accessed by removing the trim, then removing a few screws and pulling the guts of the light down.

#9059 4 years ago
Quoted from MattElder:

Electrician tip for you here in case you don’t want to tromp around in the attic, or you need to get into recessed fixtures where there’s no access from above.....the junction box is accessed by removing the trim, then removing a few screws and pulling the guts of the light down.

Normally yes, and that is what I expected here but I tried that and did not see anyway to access it from below. I'm not unfamiliar with these types of things and had a friend of mine that is even more familiar with me.

#9060 4 years ago
Quoted from PhantomO:

Yup, did all that. The flippers do not go back up until I release the flipper button and press it again.

You have it installed incorrectly.

Something is backwards.

If its correctly installed it must work.

#9061 4 years ago
Quoted from rosh:

It can, but various certifications are much, much tougher if you are running over 50V. It will also increase electronic damage in the case of a short.

But if its possible and the Power Driver 16 board accept DC power up to 80V why not give a try to more inputpower for the system. I found a powersupply with 60Vdc 20A 1200W. Why not give a try or is it not good for the coil, cause not the EOS "kill" the highpower?

Also found a "DC10-60V 30A 1500W To 12-90V Boost Converter Step Up Power Supply Module" and maybe it can be set up between the power supply and the PD16 board for increase perfomance.

Today I will setup the Voltage on the power supply to about 51V and intall new coils. Hope it works better then.

@TomDK: If i think it's the houdini i know, then the power supply is way to loud. Mine is very silent... I can't hear it if I open the door

#9062 4 years ago

Thanks so far, here some answers

Quoted from bobukcat:

The flippers definitely should not be weak, especially at the highest settings. The ramp from the right is tough but should be doable even without the flippers maxed out. The power supply sounds louder when you open the coin door just because you are removing a physical barrier to the sound traveling to you, that's very normal. A few questions:

The power supply sound louder due the fan is faster on open door ! Please see, or better hear, the video:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u3lgedxuz9dm0w6/houdini_power.MOV?dl=0

Quoted from bobukcat:

1: How many games are on it and have you made sure the flipper don't just need a rebuild?

Since 09/05/18 there are 301 games in home use on the machine, so I think there is no need to rebuild anything.

Quoted from bobukcat:

2: What pitch do you have the game setup to? It is designed for under 6.5 which would be the back levelers screwed all the way in. I have mine about 6.75 as I prefer that but all the shots are still easily makeable without flippers maxed out.

The game is on 6.3 , checked with the pinguy app for IOS. All shots are makeable expect ramp from the right.
Flipperfingers are on 28 from possible 29.

Quoted from bobukcat:

3: What is your line voltage at the game?
3: Not a question but thoroughly clean the switches for the pop bumpers then adjust the coil setting to make them hit a little harder, I've done this on mine and they are quite active.
4: For the scoop, have you tried turning down the power to see if it improves? Is the problem always with ejecting the ball or is it also / only the release of the locked ball in the scoop? There is a physical (height) and pulse length (electrical) adjustment for the lock release in the scoop.

Line voltage is 224 Volts, the output on the powersupply is 47 Volts.
The Popbumper are working , so the switches are fine. Will set them higher this days !!
I bend the scoop a little, will see. Bought also a full set of Cliffys. As you can see in this slow-motion video .. the ball gets on the corner, cracks the coat and fells down again:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zktxe7niejfiytt/houdini_vuk.mp4?dl=0

Quoted from bobukcat:

5: Again, not a question but physical knockers have been removed from Stern games for a very long time (even CV didn't have an actual knocker) and Houdini was definitely not the first game to eliminate EOS switches, though I agree they should be included and I believe they now are at least on Oktoberfest.
Good luck getting it sorted out, I love the game even after a year of ownership and tweaks.

Thank you for all the hints !
I will work and tweak on my game. I own all Alvin G.s and a Alien .. so I know what it means to have exotic pinball machines. At least API is still on the market.

With the knocker ... yes they are no longer standart but a friend of mine has a knocker on his Houdini and told me that it knocks on "Catching bullet with teeth-mode". Therefor it is integrated in the game and should be installed from factory.
This friend has also changed the power supply and told me that my changed powersupply is not working correct with the noise. Will see.

My game is strange .. it is a very late game from Septembre 2018 but with a Mirco-playfield .. normally this playfields were IMHO in the first games and later on the supplier changed ?!

Also strange: When I picked up the game the shooterrod was horrible ... I changed with a new one. never saw a shooterrod like this after only 275 games like on the pictures.
IMG_3319 (resized).JPGIMG_3319 (resized).JPGIMG_3320 (resized).JPGIMG_3320 (resized).JPGIMG_3323 (resized).JPGIMG_3323 (resized).JPGIMG_3399 (resized).JPGIMG_3399 (resized).JPGIMG_3400 (resized).JPGIMG_3400 (resized).JPGIMG_3401 (resized).JPGIMG_3401 (resized).JPG

EDIT:
MightyGrave YES, its the famous machine you know. Still waiting on a new powersupply from the distribter but I have the bad feeling I have to buy a new one. maybe the one you are talking about ! Should be possible to use this and set in the gamesettings lower.

#9063 4 years ago

So i did following now:

Set new Power supply to 51V Output voltage.
Installed FL 11-629 coils and adjusted coil-settings.
Leveled pin at 6.2°

And boom works way better then before. Not perfect but better!!! During seance mb the flipper will not collapse and the ramp ist makeable. So will keep watching how it ist when the game get stressed.

TomDK maybe WE should Talk together for some Tips

Maybe it's possible and better to Bring the output Power voltage between 60 - 70v for much more constant coil power.

#9064 4 years ago
Quoted from MightyGrave:

So i did following now:
Set new Power supply to 51V Output voltage.
Installed FL 11-629 coils and adjusted coil-settings.
Leveled pin at 6.2°
And boom works way better then before. Not perfect but better!!! During seance mb the flipper will not collapse and the ramp ist makeable. So will keep watching how it ist when the game get stressed.
tomdk maybe WE should Talk together for some Tips
Maybe it's possible and better to Bring the output Power voltage between 60 - 70v for much more constant coil power.

I would say 60v would be about right at 6.5 pitch or lower. It's not over the top and very manageable.

Too much power and you get too many stage rejects.

The 48v is just too weak with all of the other things running, flippers collapse too often.

#9065 4 years ago
Quoted from pinballinreno:

I would say 60v would be about right at 6.5 pitch or lower. It's not over the top and very manageable.
Too much power and you get too many stage rejects.
The 48v is just too weak with all of the other things running, flippers collapse too often.

So Made 10 Games in a row and it's better but during the game the flipperpower is Not constant. They feeling mushy then super strong and so on.

My Input voltage was fixed at 226 - 227v.

It's better then before but it needs more improvements and tweaks to get constant strong Flippers.

Also i noticed the new powersupply (with the cheap China crappy Fan) is very loud with 51v and when i Play more then 3 Games in a row.

I will thirst try a step Up boost converter and Hope i can increase the Performance of the coils. But i think its better to Install a new Power supply with 60v, 20A and a better fan.

Also i hope rosh can tweak Something via Code (See previous Posts) and maybe AP Had an Idea for an daughter Board.

#9066 4 years ago
Quoted from MightyGrave:

So Made 10 Games in a row and it's better but during the game the flipperpower is mit constant. They Feeling mushy then super strong and so on.
It's better then before but it needs more improvements and tweaks to get constant strong Flippers.
Also i noticed the new powersupply (with the cheap China crappy Fan) is very loud with 51v and when i Play more then 3 Games in a row.
I will thirst try a step Up boost converter and Hope i can increase the Performance of the coils. But i think its better to Install a new Power supply with 60v, 20A and a better fan.
Also i hope rosh can tweak Something via Code (See previous Posts) and maybe AP Had an Idea for an daughter Board.

I agree the replacement upgrade supply is still weak. It should have been 1200 watts or better. That would give us a better more even power at high loads. Or add big capacitors lol.

Other that getting another supply, it seems more efficient to patch in 12v 6a in series to the 48v circuit towards the flippers.

Power it from the service outlet.

Something like this:

https://www.12vadapters.com/adapter/power-supply/12v/6-amp-6a.html?_vsrefdom=googleads&gclid=CjwKEAjwue3nBRCCyrqY0c7bw2wSJACSlmGZjyxMQdHsRx2Zt_SVT4ZFBb9DRSqBQ75pRoZM89RXxBoCtivw_wcB

#9067 4 years ago
Quoted from MightyGrave:

Set new Power supply to 51V Output voltage.

The newer power supplies are adjustable to some degree, and taking it up into the low 50s will likely have benefit. At some point just having a longer pulse times will do nothing since the flipper will be fully extended in 30ms or less.

Keep in mind if you increase the power supply voltage, you will need to lower down some of the coils. This does not apply to the lock releases, which are really time adjustments not power adjustments. But VUKs, Scoop, slings, pops, catapults, etc. could end up being too strong after changing the voltage.

Quoted from MightyGrave:

Installed FL 11-629

Current flipper coils are equivalent. Keep in mind our coils have no lugs, which I think is safer in that there is less high voltage exposed under the playfield.

Quoted from TomDK:

My game is strange .. it is a very late game from Septembre 2018 but with a Mirco-playfield .. normally this playfields were IMHO in the first games and later on the supplier changed ?!

We used two playfield suppliers, while the early ones were all Mirco, after that they were a mix as we would get them in batches from each supplier. Towards the end of the run there were more of the Bader being used. There are pros and cons to each playfield version.

#9068 4 years ago
Quoted from rosh:

The newer power supplies are adjustable to some degree, and taking it up into the low 50s will likely have benefit. At some point just having a longer pulse times will do nothing since the flipper will be fully extended in 30ms or less.
Keep in mind if you increase the power supply voltage, you will need to lower down some of the coils. This does not apply to the lock releases, which are really time adjustments not power adjustments. But VUKs, Scoop, slings, pops, catapults, etc. could end up being too strong after changing the voltage.

Current flipper coils are equivalent. Keep in mind our coils have no lugs, which I think is safer in that there is less high voltage exposed under the playfield.

Thank you for your Input and explanation. And yes i Had to lower the coils. Also Yes your coils are safer and with the plugs its better. And yes you're right less High voltage is less dangerous. But something is responsible for the behavior of the mushy flippers.

STERN had a similar "problem" with LOTR coils and in the last Code ist was possible to change some Parameters of the coils:

The adjustments are described as follows:

53 FLIPPER ADJ 1: Set between 05 to 40. Default is 10. This adjustment sets the minimum fire time for a flipper coil in milliseconds.
54 FLIPPER ADJ 2: Set between 40 to 60. Default is 50. This adjustment sets the maximum fire time for a flipper coil in milliseconds.
55 FLIPPER ADJ 3: Set between 0 to 10. Default is 3. This adjustment sets the amount of time to fire the coil after the EOS switch is seen in milliseconds.

I only want to give some Input for new Things to Check and test cause i like this game so much and
I hope WE all find a solution together.

#9069 4 years ago

@mightygrave

Great work and input !
I am compeletly "with you". Same for me .. I like the game but the coils are a nightmare and no fun to play on this level. As I stated , the former owner sold it to me and was happy to have it out of the house due to the problems. He "lost" several hundred Euros in 6 month with the game.

To the powersupply: Please listen to my video .. than you can hear that it is the powersupply fan working faster when the door is open .. this makes no sense ! The voltage is not changing with door open or closed , only the fans noise is changing.

If I can play the game with more fun I would be willing to buy an other powersupply. The "official" one in my machine is not labeled , looks like china stuff and I can not see a screw/potiometer to change the output.

Today i will bring in Cliffys to protect the playfield ...

#9070 4 years ago
Quoted from TomDK:

mightygrave
Great work and input !
I am compeletly "with you". Same for me .. I like the game but the coils are a nightmare and no fun to play on this level. As I stated , the former owner sold it to me and was happy to have it out of the house due to the problems. He "lost" several hundred Euros in 6 month with the game.
To the powersupply: Please listen to my video .. than you can hear that it is the powersupply fan working faster when the door is open .. this makes no sense ! The voltage is not changing with door open or closed , only the fans noise is changing.
If I can play the game with more fun I would be willing to buy an other powersupply. The "official" one in my machine is not labeled , looks like china stuff and I can not see a screw/potiometer to change the output.
Today i will bring in Cliffys to protect the playfield ...

I heard the noise your powersupply made. And its Not normal. I found a powersupply for about 75€ at Amazon. But its not really quite, maybe its possible to Change the Fans. I think it would be a good attemp.

But i'm Not shure If it will help.

It would be good to know how much ampere will needed on the "highvoltage Input" for coils and Magnets / powerconsumation is.

Also still interested why the coils Flip between beeing mushy and Strong during a one Ball game.

#9071 4 years ago

Hi everyone, new to Houdini ownership but having lots of fun. Took a while to dial in the game but I feel things are set up pretty well at this point.

A lingering issue relates to the plunger having quite a bit of friction when pulled back to launch ball into the playfield. Although I haven't played any other Houdini pins for comparison it seems very rough and I'd love to have a smoother feel.

Does this sound normal? Any advice?
Thanks!
Cullen

#9072 4 years ago
Quoted from CullenT:

Hi everyone, new to Houdini ownership but having lots of fun. Took a while to dial in the game but I feel things are set up pretty well at this point.
A lingering issue relates to the plunger having quite a bit of friction when pulled back to launch ball into the playfield. Although I haven't played any other Houdini pins for comparison it seems very rough and I'd love to have a smoother feel.
Does this sound normal? Any advice?
Thanks!
Cullen

Check to see if there is a washer installed on the rod to the inside of the game (between the shooter spring and inside of housing), if there is remove it and it should resolve your issue.

#9073 4 years ago

Ok thank you will try that for sure. Might be a week or so before I can check back as I can't get to the game before then.
Thanks!
-Cullen

#9074 4 years ago

Pull the plunger back and rub a little bit of wax on it.

#9075 4 years ago
Quoted from CullenT:

Hi everyone, new to Houdini ownership but having lots of fun. Took a while to dial in the game but I feel things are set up pretty well at this point.
A lingering issue relates to the plunger having quite a bit of friction when pulled back to launch ball into the playfield. Although I haven't played any other Houdini pins for comparison it seems very rough and I'd love to have a smoother feel.
Does this sound normal? Any advice?
Thanks!
Cullen

The washer on the plunger isn’t filed down as it should be. Either remove it, or pull it and file it down/replace it. Then yer good

#9076 4 years ago
Quoted from CullenT:

Hi everyone, new to Houdini ownership but having lots of fun. Took a while to dial in the game but I feel things are set up pretty well at this point.
A lingering issue relates to the plunger having quite a bit of friction when pulled back to launch ball into the playfield. Although I haven't played any other Houdini pins for comparison it seems very rough and I'd love to have a smoother feel.
Does this sound normal? Any advice?
Thanks!
Cullen

Had the same .. buy a new handle. The original is very cheap material and looks like galvanized. The one I got from Marcos is stainless stell, no galvanik I guess. Also change the nylon tube and your skillshots will fit !!

Right side the original after 250 games, left side the new one.

IMG_3322 (resized).JPGIMG_3322 (resized).JPGIMG_3323 (resized).JPGIMG_3323 (resized).JPG
#9077 4 years ago

The Hooked on Pinball water torture mod now runs factory programming from Josh. I posted a video of this. According to TWIP, this is the first after-market pinball mod to receive custom programming from the manufacturer. Watch how on Magician's Choice, the GI lighting turns dark and dramatically shows the blue tank illumination flashing when the water torture stage mode is showing or selected. The mod flashes again on completing the mode. When you get the mode without Magicians Choice, the mod flashes for the first shot and on completion. All other times it is lit solid.


20190610_195950 (resized).jpg20190610_195950 (resized).jpg

#9078 4 years ago
Quoted from pinballinreno:

You have it installed incorrectly.
Something is backwards.
If its correctly installed it must work.

Maybe I misunderstand something. When I push the button, the two eos blades are pressed together, making contact. I then force the flipper back to a resting position, while still pressing button. Doing so causes the eos blades to break contact. So why would the coil fire again and raise the flipper on its own, with the blades not in contact? If I manually press the blades together so the make contact again, then the coil fires and the flipper pops back up - left flipper does this faster than right flipper, for whatever reason. So based on this, what is not working right? I double checked the wiring and the left vs right, etc. Looks fine.

#9079 4 years ago
Quoted from PhantomO:

The Hooked on Pinball water torture mod now runs factory programming from Josh. I posted a video of this. According to TWIP, this is the first after-market pinball mod to receive custom programming from the manufacturer. Watch how on Magician's Choice, the GI lighting turns dark and dramatically shows the blue tank illumination flashing when the water torture stage mode is showing or selected. The mod flashes again on completing the mode. When you get the mode without Magicians Choice, the mod flashes for the first shot and on completion. All other times it is lit solid.

[quoted image]

Very cool! Is this in the upcoming code update?

#9080 4 years ago
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:

Very cool! Is this in the upcoming code update?

It is in the current version, and can be turned on or off. It is last on the features setting list. I didn't look yet at what happens when it is turned off. Probably just stays lit.

#9081 4 years ago
Quoted from PhantomO:

Maybe I misunderstand something. When I push the button, the two eos blades are pressed together, making contact. I then force the flipper back to a resting position, while still pressing button. Doing so causes the eos blades to break contact. So why would the coil fire again and raise the flipper on its own, with the blades not in contact? If I manually press the blades together so the make contact again, then the coil fires and the flipper pops back up - left flipper does this faster than right flipper, for whatever reason. So based on this, what is not working right? I double checked the wiring and the left vs right, etc. Looks fine.

It's my understanding that if you are cradling a ball and the flipper bat gets knocked down the EOS sw opens and signals the coil to fire and return the bat to the erect position. This is a software thing not electrical connection. yours seems to work opposite, strange.

#9082 4 years ago
Quoted from PhantomO:

Maybe I misunderstand something. When I push the button, the two eos blades are pressed together, making contact. I then force the flipper back to a resting position, while still pressing button. Doing so causes the eos blades to break contact. So why would the coil fire again and raise the flipper on its own, with the blades not in contact? If I manually press the blades together so the make contact again, then the coil fires and the flipper pops back up - left flipper does this faster than right flipper, for whatever reason. So based on this, what is not working right? I double checked the wiring and the left vs right, etc. Looks fine.

A normally open EOS switch should be checked by the software and if flipper button is pushed in but the EOS is not closed the system should send another long pulse to raise the flipper. That's the whole point of them.

On my game if you really force the flipper down with the button held it will stay down but if you just kind of slap it down like a ball most likely would it snaps back up. I assume (Josh can confirm or deny if willing) that this is because it only sends one long pulse after it sees the EOS break and then goes back to the hold pulses, most likely to protect the game in case the EOS fails.

#9083 4 years ago
Quoted from TomDK:

Had the same .. buy a new handle. The original is very cheap material and looks like galvanized. The one I got from Marcos is stainless stell, no galvanik I guess. Also change the nylon tube and your skillshots will fit !!
Right side the original after 250 games, left side the new one.[quoted image][quoted image]

Ok wow thanks for sharing your experience and for the pics. Very good to know. I'll look at making this upgrade.
Thanks!
Cullen

#9084 4 years ago

Does anybody else get rejects from their milkcan chute? I swear that 70% of my shots get completely into the chute and hit the guide at the 10:00 position and then kick out. I am about to reshape that guide but I wonder if there is any wiggle room. I might elongate the screw holes on the middle mount.

I'm curious if anyone else has this experience.

#9085 4 years ago
Quoted from Platypus:

Does anybody else get rejects from their milkcan chute? I swear that 70% of my shots get completely into the chute and hit the guide at the 10:00 position and then kick out. I am about to reshape that guide but I wonder if there is any wiggle room. I might elongate the screw holes on the middle mount.
I'm curious if anyone else has this experience.

Oh Ya, its normal. Im a year plus into my game. Id figure i would get to this fix to. However, its part of the challenge. Soft milk can shot is the key.

#9086 4 years ago
Quoted from Platypus:

Does anybody else get rejects from their milkcan chute? I swear that 70% of my shots get completely into the chute and hit the guide at the 10:00 position and then kick out. I am about to reshape that guide but I wonder if there is any wiggle room. I might elongate the screw holes on the middle mount.
I'm curious if anyone else has this experience.

I drooped my flippers to angle down 1/8" from the factory setting.

Milkcan shot is much easier.

#9087 4 years ago

I bent the rail a bit and used some velcrostuff, also dropped the flippers like pinballnero. Now the shot is buttersmooth with zero rejects.

#9088 4 years ago
Quoted from pinballinreno:

I drooped my flippers to angle down 1/8" from the factory setting.
Milkcan shot is much easier.

I did this some time ago. I can hit the hole just get lots of kickouts.

Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

Oh Ya, its normal. Im a year plus into my game. Id figure i would get to this fix to. However, its part of the challenge. Soft milk can shot is the key.

soft shot is easier said than done, especially at the end of the bat.

Quoted from MightyGrave:

I bent the rail a bit and used some velcrostuff, also dropped the flippers like pinballnero. Now the shot is buttersmooth with zero rejects.

That's what I am talking about, will give it a try. My wife just left the house, good time to fiddle on the machine, she prefers that I do domestic tasks....

#9089 4 years ago
Quoted from MightyGrave:

I bent the rail a bit and used some velcrostuff, also dropped the flippers like pinballnero. Now the shot is buttersmooth with zero rejects.

You may have posted this before, but do you have any pictures that would show what you did? Thanks...

#9090 4 years ago
Quoted from MightyGrave:

I bent the rail a bit and used some velcrostuff, also dropped the flippers like pinballnero. Now the shot is buttersmooth with zero rejects.

Pinbits Foam works well too

#9091 4 years ago
Quoted from zahner:

You may have posted this before, but do you have any pictures that would show what you did? Thanks...

Quoted from Rdoyle1978:

Pinbits Foam works well too

Several pages back. Think vireland mentioned just some black sticky felt from any craft store. Line turnaround with felt after cutting to fit.

#9092 4 years ago
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

Several pages back. Think vireland mentioned just some black sticky felt from any craft store. Line turnaround with felt after cutting to fit.

There you go!

#9093 4 years ago
Quoted from zahner:

You may have posted this before, but do you have any pictures that would show what you did? Thanks...

Sorry Didn't make any pictures cause it was a easy 10 minutes job. You have to unscrew the milkcanrail (one Nut). For the Long plastic you have to unsrew both nuts and two screws from the plastic with the stand offs and both screws where the plastic sits in the woodrail.

I bent the "feets" on the laneguide a bit up. So that the laneguide is leaning backwards a bit. Fits perfect.

Also ordered a new 60V 20a 1200W powersupply from Amazon today. Want to test how it works. Will give a Feedback ob friday.

#9094 4 years ago

REALLY BIG shout out to API customer support and Barry!
15 month owner of game and the customer support is amazing. Contacted Barry and he was able to help me out very quickly.
Top Notch service as always and a very dedicated team at that factory!
Over on the oktoberfest thread I see the same dedication and looking forward to many, many years of American pinball unique games.

#9095 4 years ago
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

REALLY BIG shout out to API customer support and Barry!
15 month owner of game and the customer support is amazing. Contacted Barry and he was able to help me out very quickly.
Top Notch service as always and a very dedicated team at that factory!
Over on the oktoberfest thread I see the same dedication and looking forward to many, many years of American pinball unique games.

Ditto - AP Support is TOP NOTCH! Hope they will produce more fun games over the next years. And one game per year is a perfect turn

#9096 4 years ago

I made my milkcan lane adjustment yesterday. I pulled the lane guide and bent the curve to be a little deeper. Tolerances are tight here and I enlarged the mounting holes slightly to get it to fit back in.
I searched my shop for some Velcro stuff, couldn’t find it although I know I have some. I found some adhesive backed felt but they were small dots for use on cabinet doors. I also have some felt strips but much too thick.
Then I came across some thin textured rubber material, a 3M product intended for adding to stair treads. It’s very grippy and works great almost stopping the ball in the chute followed by a slow drop to the inlane.
After several shots into the milkcan chute I didn’t have a single reject. Now I just have to master the ramp.
76D310FA-B4FF-445D-A2C7-72079D3D0041 (resized).jpeg76D310FA-B4FF-445D-A2C7-72079D3D0041 (resized).jpeg

#9097 4 years ago

Sometime back I set out to make a subwoofer for my Houdini. This lead me to reading up on speaker design which was much more involved than I wish.
I decided upon an 8” speaker which I ordered along with other parts from parts express for around $35.

The driver specs recommend a box volume of 1 cu ft. I built the box out of some scrap particle board I have laying around.

#9098 4 years ago

Sometime back I set out to make a subwoofer for my Houdini. This lead me to reading up on speaker design which was much more involved than I wish.
I decided upon an 8” speaker which I ordered along with other parts from parts express for around $35.
CC3DB6D6-AA49-4724-AB8B-D77281CCCCA5 (resized).jpegCC3DB6D6-AA49-4724-AB8B-D77281CCCCA5 (resized).jpeg

The driver specs recommend a box volume of 1 cu ft. I built the box out of some scrap particle board I have laying around. Cabinet design calls for internal bracing which I made sure to include. I didn't like the grill mounts they shipped so I made my own.

They also recommend adding some dampening material inside the box, poly fiber like pillow stuffing is common but I just used some ugly stocking caps that I don't wear anymore. winter was over anyway.
AE4B6A20-66B3-43D1-9153-D52309786FCA (resized).jpegAE4B6A20-66B3-43D1-9153-D52309786FCA (resized).jpegBDE9FFF9-7E24-4C7A-BC83-A6C3D3CB09FA (resized).jpegBDE9FFF9-7E24-4C7A-BC83-A6C3D3CB09FA (resized).jpegE57F0AA8-106F-4F60-AE79-60F1182195DF (resized).jpegE57F0AA8-106F-4F60-AE79-60F1182195DF (resized).jpeg

Instead of having the speaker wire dangling out the the machine I installed a phono plug on the bottom of the cabinet with internal wiring going to the amplifier in the back box. The plug is recessed so as not to catch on anything.
45443B9F-45C0-4C56-B809-37648FD7FF51 (resized).jpeg45443B9F-45C0-4C56-B809-37648FD7FF51 (resized).jpeg8603B3EF-8B1B-4CF5-9412-8530446D86A8 (resized).jpeg8603B3EF-8B1B-4CF5-9412-8530446D86A8 (resized).jpeg

#9099 4 years ago
Quoted from Platypus:

Instead of having the speaker wire hanging out the the machine I installed a phono plug on the bottom of the machine with internal wireing going to the amplifier in the back box.

Nicely Done!! The whole project, speaker and mount inside cabinet for wire.
Brings me back to an idea I've toyed with for a Year.....
Start drilling holes in my cabinet??!!

#9100 4 years ago

Let me clarify some things on EOS and how you need to test it to see if it is working.

If the Flipper button is held in, when the EOS switch opens, the game will re-fire the main power on the flipper coil. The best way to test that this is working is go into game play, hold in the flipper button and then throw the ball at the tip of the flipper and see if it fires back off. It will be pretty clear that it is not just a bounce off, but has some power behind it.

If you use your hands to push the flipper down, it is NOT going to fire back up. The re-fire is taking place after the flipper comes down just a little bit, but your hand pushing on it is going to be so much stronger, you will not even feel the re-fire. It will only attempt the re-fire the one time that the EOS opens (with flipper button depressed), so once it is pushed past the EOS and the re-fire happens it is not going to attempt it again.

If you just try to flick it down with a couple of fingers, you might be able to test it, but using the ball is the best way to do it.

You can only test the EOS re-fire is working, when in game play, not when in the service mode.

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