So I want to use ninja pinballs for this game. I had them for my stranger things game and I just loved them. How shiny they were. But, this being a game that uses magnets, should I not use the ninjas ? Is there another shiny ball type that I can use that’s just as shiny as the ninjas?

My understanding is that the process of making the balls shiny is what makes the balls more likely to become magnetized.

No, but you can still use Ninjas - just be prepared to replace them (or de magnetize them somehow) after a few months. Houdini uses the magnets a LOT.

To demagnetize:

Clean the balls thoughoughly with naptha or brake cleaner so they are completely oil free.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 mins.

Let cool naturally.

Clean them again or tumble them in a polisher.

The expansion and contraction of the steel will depolarize it.

To make them black bake at higher temperatures like 500 degtees for an hour or more, or use gun metal bluing then wax them.

Super shiney balls are just tumbled in a polisher with flitz and walnut media for 3 or 4 days.

If you have a lot of games, it pays to process them a couple times before replacing the balls.

Anyone out there have cliffy protectors for their machines? I’m getting a Houdini next week, it has around 100 plays on it, but I want to protect the PF. Are the protectors advisable ? Also thinking of getting the knocker kit.

I have the kit, but actually haven’t installed yet. The playfield has some dimples (I’ve had mine for 2 years) but it’s still in great shape. Looks better than both my POTC and my EHOH.

Get the shaker!!!’

Lol. I just ordered one. Really can’t wait to get this in my basement

Not sure what you are telling me with the photos, is there still an issue?

Just installed the coil steroid kit. I wasn’t thinking I was really lacking much oomph, but I must say that I saw immediate improvement. I had to notch down the trunk, pops, and flippers, but not anything else. Now the ramp shot is more consistent. There is no stutter with the scoop, it’s out first time every time. The trunk shot is consistent during seance. Finally, the occasional mushy flipper during seance stacked with trunk multiball is completely gone. No weirdness, no flipper collapse, nothing but improvement.
Install is pretty easy, but I did have to clip free the onboard black/brown plug from its wire bundle to facilitate the plug reaching the kit. I also had to remove the middle key block obscuring the middle hole of that plug, flip around the “legs” on the new capacitor, and nitty little stuff like that. I also think the instructions could have been a bit better at identifying the correct board. Pretty obvious when you ponder it, but still, something a bit more on the nose would be helpful.
I recommend getting this kit. (And yes, everyone should have both the knocker and the shaker - very awesome)

Install the knocker! Its really a lot of fun, totally changes the game.

Just make sure you have an extra 5x20mm fuse for the add on board as the kit might not include one.

It only took about 20 mins to install.

I had the exact same result.

But I recommend cutting off the pin on the board instead of removing the pin blocking key.

Its just better practice, down the road, as the connector is polarized.

Curious about that, and don’t know if it’s worth my rambling on, but I thought about it, and didn’t see how it mattered.
It’s three pins, so eliminating the middle pin does nothing to prevent putting it in backwards. The architecture of the plug would/should stop one from flipping it inadvertently and reversing it. Maybe it prevents putting it on one pin to the left or right and ending up with no connection. Regardless, I had a close call with a Data East game where I had flipped a two prong plug (it was easy to do because the clip is way less obvious on it), but I caught it on my final inspection. It apparently would have exploded my MPU.
So you’d think I’d cut the pin, but on this I was lazy and opted to just poke out the plug with the Allen wrench in my hand rather than waking a whole ten feet and getting a snip.
So, yeah, cut the pin.

The knocker is a must for this game. AP did a great job in coding the game to use the knocker for more then just winning a free game.

Also, anyone who hasn't added a sub-woofer I really liked one on this machine as well!

No, I have had the knocker since I bought it. Just haven’t installed the Cliffy kit.

I put in the scoop protector. A pain to install, and be careful with it. Glad I did it ultimately given the damage to unprotected PFs I’ve seen some post. Just remove the VUK completely and it will go easier.

I installed the complete cliffy kit at the time.

The scoop protector had to have the wooden siderail lifted. Yes a real PITA!

The current one has the corner cut off. Its way easier to install now.

After almost 2 years of ownership, tonight was the first night I heard the "Houdini" chant (I think that's what was being said). What a neat sound effect. Had one more letter to get to Master Magician by the time I was done, but didn't happen. Close, but no cigar.

Anyone else ever hear this? I don't recall any comments about it prior. Subtle surprise. Took a quick video if anyone is interested.

You have to make it to the stage.

Its an incredible event!

Josh had done amazing coding on this game!

Yes now A is out but all fuse stay good. I ask the guy took take pics along the way like I was asked to. Thats what I got.

So the status now

ALL coil ohm 3.8
No nicks on wires after searching multiple times.
No lost screw laying in there
B SIDE still down but fuse hold
A side is now not working

We did find the lower right spot light was out after further investigation on of the wire to the sock was loose but didn't look like it was arcing.
Also the last time the power was turned on there was an electrical smell coming out of machine.
It was shut down immediately. Lifted play field and it smelled strongest by the coil driver board.

Does the knocker come with the add on board?

The add on board is already installed by the factory.

Curiously it has 2 fuse holders but only one fuse!

You have to add a fuse for the knocker.

I think they should include the fuse in the knocker kit.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SN7CQK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_eZ5NotroIAidB

Obviously a smell is never a good thing. First thing is to see if a board got damaged. Inspect the board to see if there is any indication of damage.

If you can’t find any, then with high power off, boot the game and see which LEDs on the two driver boards are lit. Take photos or video as needed. If smell or smoke, power down

Josh,
Any closer with the update ?

A AND B BANK disconnected. I have alot of other dont want to slam page.

A BANK (resized).jpg

A BANK-2 (resized).jpg

A BANK (resized).jpg

A BANK-2 (resized).jpg

Screenshot_20200830-185222_Gallery (resized).jpg

B BANK 2 (resized).jpg

B BANK (resized).jpg

Damn it doubled up

High power disconnected would mean, everything plugged in and coin door open?

Door interlock not pulled out?

The coin door was closed.

Screenshot_20200830-225312_Gallery (resized).jpg

Opening the coin door disables hi-power to the coils.

Yes but door is closed

It might be easier for us to help you with this if you refer to the color of the bank of coils rather than A or B. Also your pictures are pretty hard to decipher as they are all either dark, blurry or both. I know it can be tough to get good pictures but they can really help. It appears that you have the entire Blue bank dead, this would be the Trunk Diverter, Upper VUK, right lock release, scoop, all three magnets and the right sling, correct? Also at this point with the large molex that goes to all these coils removed the fuse for the blue bank does not blow but it also doesn't look like the high power LED (near the brown / black inputs on the side) is on for that bank - again, it's hard to tell for sure in those pictures, is that correct?

Ok. Im going to try and do it from the laptop. The reason I used A and b was that is what the schematic calls those. I figured it would be easier to tell the difference. So for color I will use the color of the wire coming from the bank? I will make another post when I get to my laptop. Im taking screen shots of the video for most because it makes inspecting playfield over again for difference in the test i was ask to do.
. This machine is 4 months old and going on almost 2 months of being furniture.

Thanks for the help . I will try and get what you need

I understand why you used A and B but since there are two PD-16s the colors of the main wire for each bank can help make it clear with bank of which PD-16 you're talking about. If you look at the lists of all coils in the manual this is also detailed with there being Brown, Red, Blue and Yellow common wires for each coil / light being driven by that bank of the PD-16.

Very hard to see anything in this image.

Keep high power off for now, e.g. keep coin door open and don't engage the interlock, until we know things are wired back correctly, since you were smelling smoke and hopefully nothing is damaged.

Put all of the wiring back on the boards, so we can see that it is wried correctly. We just want to disconnect the higher power for now by keeping coin door open.

Try to take photos of the driver boards, with special note to the one that was not working before you smelled smoke. Try to take photos vs a screen grab of a video, since those are too blurry.

Note that with the coin door open, the bank for the spotlights, which uses 12 volt, would still work and should show the power indicator LED by that bank.

I received my coil performance improvement kit over the weekend and plan to install it soon. The four stand offs in the corners look to me to be installed backwards. They project out the top of the board not the back side in order to protect the solder connections. A picture on a post 40 or 50 posts ago appear wrong too. The picture on the APB web store looks right.

It is an easy fix to pop them out and flip them around, but that should be done to take any stress off of the solder connections. Anybody with an understanding of standoffs should catch this and fix it. Those of us less mecanically inclined should double check. The picture is the way I suspect it should be.

IMG_4498 (resized).JPG

Yes that was my pic. I got sidetracked and didn't install yet, but I agree the standoff's should be on the bottom.

I will make another post with more detail. When I an ask to disconnect one by one and take pictures. That what was done. I agree the pictures are a bit dark. I'm just having a hard time with the instruction you guys are telling. I will try one more time.

The one image was to show coin door closed. It was from a video. Did it was suppose to be open.

I didnt get any standoffs in my kit.

I got f#cked...lol

What was intended, was to unhook the other end, the connectors by the coils, on the bank that was blowing the fuse by putting them back on one at a time. I don't recall anyone saying take the connectors off for photos. But now you are saying you smelled smoke, so, regardless, put all the wires back on the driver boards, and let's confirm they are correct, before you power the machine. Good photos will also help see if something is damaged on the board.

Man, just don’t screw it in without them or you’ll have nice pointy bumps on Houdini’s face!

Hi I just picked up a Houdini in pretty good shape but the software version was at 18.5.4 from memory I think, so I tried updating to the latest from the American Pinball site and with multiple usb drives downloaded from multiple computers, I cannot get it to update.

I plug in the usb drive, the screen cycles and says Updating Code and immediately jumps to Audits Copied, etc.

Here was the log.txt that got generated on the usb drive. I also tried updating to the 18.12 version on the AP site but had the same result.

https://pastebin.com/c9HyJiFg

They sent tiny #6 screws as a beta tester...

They worked...

Rename the file?

Ah, I am a very smart software developer with years of experience...I don't need to read the instructions....

I'll give that a try, thanks!

Wait, maybe i did get standoffs...

Ive been into the kirkland scotch a bit...lol

Ha! A worthy pastime when not playing pin.

Thanks for the heads up on this. I received my coil improvement kit yesterday and just checked the standoffs. They were backwards but easy enough to swap around. I probably wouldn't have noticed otherwise so, yet again, pinsiders have kept me on the right path. Thanks to everyone for their diligence .

Installed the coil performance improvement kit. Had to reverse the screw stand offs and move the coil kit closer to the wire connection in order to connect it. Flippers are "back to normal" and flip great. Also enjoy the added power for the pop bumpers, however now the lower catapult either overshoots the trunk at setting 25 or undershoots at setting 24. Feel that 24.5 would be perfect, but no such setting. Any suggestions?

The coil performance improvement kit is a MUST!! Now the flippers have power during multi-ball. Prior to the kit it was like playing Dialed In when a power attack happens and you loose power to the flippers.

Finally, with the cap kit, my game is playing properly.

Its a whole new game!

And the knocker is glorious!

What a fun, amazing game it has turned out to be.

Now, with just a few more code tweaks, we will have the world class game it was destined to be.

I love Houdini !

I agree. For certain settings (catapult, right scoop) more setting steps would be really helpful. My catapult makes it 95% of the time but on its current setting it just clips the top edge of the trunk but one higher bounces it off the lid and onto the playfield. Curious to see how the coil upgrade kit effects this.