cool. which digital level app? 6 degrees?

i've than forgotten that !?
that's ok

Thanks to all of you who replied. The responses are appreciated.
I'll try the mallet procedure on the scoop if I can't alter flight with a small placement of some very thin weatherstrip or a 3d printed scoop cover that I haven't invented yet.
r/
Mike

get some kind of digital angle gauge or torpedo level.

There are many to choose from:

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Angle-Finder-Woodworking-Electrical/dp/B0933H57TT/ref=sr_1_3_sspa

https://www.harborfreight.com/digital-angle-gauge-63615.html

My game is set at 6.15 degrees (average)

It is just called Bubble Level for IOS, but does have a digital readout below the bubble.

the cell phone apps arent really that accurate.

Getting a digital level or angle finder is cheap and easy.

The longer the length of the level, the more accurate it'll be. Plus, you can sometimes align the longer level with sling posts, playfield text or playfield inserts for side-to-side leveling accuracy.

Regarding the trunk slingshot I have a different problem where the ball hits the glass every time but goes in the trunk accurately 100% of the time. I have messed around with the mechanism and coil strength but to no avail. I have put up with this because the ball goes in but I would like to stop it hitting the glass and still go in accurately.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

I have no room to talk because I am still dialing mine in...but prob need more info.....which power supply? power upgrades? is your pitch 6.1 or close? coil setting at 27? what if you dial it down 1 or 2?

My trunk shot is dead center every single time but hits the front lip and bounces back 90% of time. I am 6.1 and set to 27 but this weekend I am adding new power supply and the coil upgrade kit from AP.

I have the upgraded power supply and am about 6.0. If I go up or down 1 on the coil it falls short or over shoots the trunk. I will try increasing the angle to 6.1 and see if it makes a difference.

Get the coil upgrade, capacitor board if you dont have it

Tbh that sounds pretty cool.

I love when the ball hits the glass on insanity falls in white water.

You sure you want to fix that?!

What’s the key to keeping your coin door lights working? I’m going through a ton of lights burning out a few times per week.

There 12v, not 5v. Check key posts, it's in there somewhere.

Can anyone verify my connection on my new power supply upgrade. This connector only goes one way so I know it’s correct
In the video he says black to black and the other colors don’t matter. I didn’t look at instructions in the box but I’ll double check when I get back home

On mine the black and black are opposite and don’t match up. Pic attached

I just got this the other day. If anyone can double check. Thx
10700099-64D3-4775-96F5-4FDABB57699C (resized).jpeg

I am at Pintastic New England, looking at some used Hot Wheels machines. Unlike the Houdinis, they don't seem to have ball dimples all over their playfields. Was dimpling unique to the Houdini playfields? Are the newer APs using harder surfaces?

I have 1 of the first run Houdini's and I see very little dimples on my playfield.

Not me. I too have an early first run. Mine has finally evened out, but it was looking like a copper cup for a Moscow Mule for a while. I heard they had two PF manufacturers. You could apparently tell by the lenses.

I mentioned this to David Fix, and he said the early Mirco fields had issues, but the Baden(sp?) were good, and that's what I have.

The mirco playfields did not have issues beyond us rejecting them at a higher rate and disagreements about some of rejects. But there are pros and cons to each, such as the Bader will dimple more, while Mirco can chip or crack. Ultimately we settled on Bader for a variety of reasons, including proximity which was more reliable for JIT manufacturing. Personally I prefer the frosted inserts on the Bader, so I was always pushing for that.

I ended up with a dimpled PF with the faceted inserts. The dimples are so ubiquitous that you don’t notice them, or at least i don’t, anymore. It freaked me out at first, but several years over it now.
Nice to see Josh on the post. Your game is still one of my all-time favorites!

Does anybody know if the scoop deflector that is now on the American Pinball store site is the one that was rumored to have a better curve to it than the original?

I cant answer this, but I can tell you they bend easily. So whatever radius it has can be adjusted in a few taps with a mallet before installation.

I have it.

LOL perhaps not, especially if it's too much mucking around. It doesn't hit the glass too hard and hasn't left any marks.

Looks to me like they wired the connector incorrectly, I wouldn't power it up that way. Call AP Support and they'll sort it out for you.

Thx I did. They said it’s fine. I’ll fire it up in a bit

That's one of the reasons I have Houdini and Oktoberfest, top notch customer service.

Yes.
You can either bend your existing bracket:

Or get one with the increased curve: https://store.american-pinball.com/products/snubber-braket-radius?_pos=1&_psq=Scoo&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Thanks for this, Dave. I'd much rather try this replacement over messing/hammering original equipment. Awesome. ORDERED.
r/Mike

Received my scoop today from AP and installed it. Ball kicks out much better now. It's definitely much different than the original. Thanks AP!
It was shipped same day I ordered and I got updates from AP the whole way, even "out for delivery" and "delivered." It was very well packaged. Not once did I have to track it myself.
Here's some photos in case anyone is wondering if the scoop is different than the original.

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Ditto! Best $9.95 I’ve spent in a long time. For the price of a gallon of premium gas in California, it’s not just the same bracket bent differently - this is a longer bracket with a different angle. Works like a charm now.

Do you have a link to the scoop bracket?

https://store.american-pinball.com/products/snubber-braket-radius

LTG : )

Never knew this scoop radius thing was an issue, but for $14 I went ahead and ordered on from the API store. Could someone explain what the issue is with the original scoop bracket radius? Does the ball not kick out every time or what? Now that I think about it, I seem to recall the game sometimes fails to kick the ball out and has to retry. Is that it?

E57482F2-869D-40E4-BAB0-F35FA93CE20A (resized).png

Affirmative. It would hit the top of the scoop and return to the hole due to it being just a bit too sharp of a radius.

Houdini upgrades completed. Trunk shot was always just short.

Bought new PS. Used coupon on EOS, Coil upgrade kit and knocker. (Wish I added the scoop for $10 since I forgot coupon is 1 use)

All installed: Trunk shot is dead center every time!.

What was the coupon?

The power supply $150. One use coupon. On their site

Greetings. I've been thinking quite a while about joining this "club". The game looks and sounds like it was made for me, although I have not played it yet. Are there NIB units available at this time from distributors? If so, can someone recommend one they've had a good experience with? It appears some are still accepting reserve deposits. Any input or advice would be appreciated.

Call Joe at pinballstar.
I will say, these come up on the used market often. Perhaps a better deal, unless you want NIB.

Thanks for the referral. I'm on the fence used vs NIB. Warranty is nice -- I'm impressed with AP customer service comments. But I'm concerned NIB may not have all the design updates/improvements posters talk about here: I'm having difficulty keeping track of them all. Then there's the question of what a used one will need. I get the sense from this thread that Houdini has a bit more issues than average, both new and used?

Since Fall of last year any Houdini made has had all the upgrades.

I've had zero issues other than upgrading the scoop to the wider radius one that AP sells only because I didn't want to modify the original. Mine is a newer run with the upgrades.
Chose to buy NIB because I wanted to support this company and it's employees. Literally the primary reason.
The head of the company even responded to me on a Sunday when I sent some emails regarding my build/upcoming build dates.
If you choose NIB, ask the distributor (if it is in their possession) to tell/show you the build date. Shop around and get the deal you are comfortable with. All deals and costs are not the same from distributor to distributor. It pays to do some leg work.
Best of luck.
r/
Mike

Mike, this is great advice. Thanks for the guidance, especially about what questions to ask. I bought my first NIB (Stern SW) in March from Coin Taker and didn't know to ask about the build date. Big rookie error. It's sensible you ordered yours from a distributor but went to AP direct for build dates -- eliminates second-hand info. One technical question I have: checking the AP website for Houdini parts, they offer a $150 power supply upgrade but it doesn't note what years or builds it covers. I must admit, that they offer store credit with this buy speaks volumes about AP's integrity and commitment to customer service.

I'm sorry I cannot answer your PS upgrade question but I bet one of the awesome AP pinsiders (Michael, Dave, Joe and of course Josh) will see this thread and respond within 24 hours. My build date was Dec 2021 and everything is upgraded.
I wish you the best of luck.
r/
Mike

Regardless of build date when looking at any used Houdini you'll want to ask for a picture of the power supplies so you know exactly what you're getting.

I’m

Any upgrades you’d need to make (in the off chance your used game needs it) are simple to implement. I wouldn’t sweat it

Thinking of putting a deposit down. Anyone know when the next run is expected to start?

Shortly after they finish the current Oktoberfest run.

Most likely a few weeks to a month or so.