There is a leaf switch behind the lid, only visible when the playfield is slid back. It probably has a broken wire. Sort of common. My understanding is the game will play fine without the switch working. I think it was planned for it to be coded in for something, but never made it in. If anything it helps determine the catapult accuracy. Still...I resoldered mine. The error drove me crazy.

My understanding of the trunk lid switch was that there was some initial concern about the ball being launched while the lid was closed so the switch was added to prevent this. In practice, it turned out to not be an issue but the switch was already there.

Thank you! Ordered a new cable and a new ground lop isolator. Will swap both out this weekend once I receive the parts from AP

This is pretty on target. The trunk switch is not used, but obviously still registers if not triggered in 30 games. If I was still at AP I would remove that from throwing the error/warning. Balcer put the switch in thinking we would not want to throw if the trunk was not open, but even if the trunk was not open, not like there is a lot we could do about it once the ball is on the catapult other than a soft throw, which is not really any better. In addition, I don't open the trunk until the ball is on the way which has a couple of advantages, including more consistent throws, so the code does not even look at the switch, other than the code that looks for switches not activated in 30 games.

Hopefully that gets you squared away. For future reference, you would be able to get better/cheaper/faster elsewhere. Just need to be sure you have the right connector/gender combinations.

Ok thank you. Whats odd is trunk opens and closes fine. this is the trunk at the top left that the catapult shoots into right?

Got all green lights in test menu now thank you. Hey should there always be a ball in this little lock spot? I used to always have one there and now I updated my game and it went away.

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One or two will eventually, randomly get locked there, nothing to be concerned about right now.

No, a ball doesn't always need to be there.

Do the new deluxe Houdini’s come with the topper?

What’s a fair price for a nice 2018 build date Houdini? Stock with art blades only. No shaker, no power supply upgrade or flipper coil upgrade. I see the power supply upgrade is sold out.

It’s listed for $6700 and to me that’s a bit much. The power supply can be bought for over $200. But I see when AP released the upgrade, it came with a harness. Did the harness replace the stock one?

Thanks for any help.

What is the best email to order parts? I sent two emails and received no response... Dave Brennan is gone? Who is the best contact?

It may be easier to order parts from the online store instead of via email -- here's the link to the Houdini parts store:

https://store.american-pinball.com/collections/houdini?p=1

If you're still having issues and need email support, try [email protected]

HI All, just joined the club this weekend. The game is amazing and underrated, couldn't stop playing it...btw, wife is really digging it too.

Question for the club, is the shaker worth it and during game play when is it incorporated?

Thanks

Yes, shaker is worth it. Great integration

I can't really help you with what a fair price is for it but yes, the p.s. upgrade came with a new A/C harness that splits into to two outputs, one for each power supply. I also came with some basic wires with spade crimp connectors and some really lousy wirenuts that were oversized and shouldn't be used. Splitting the A/C connector would be the hardest thing to cook up your own version of but they are all readily-available connector types you could source from the usual suspects.

The part wasnt available online and no one responds to me at [email protected]

I went through the website, created a help ticket and received email within 15 minutes suggesting things to look at. Back and forth email 3 times within 3 hours and I'm 100% up and running. Couldn't ask for much more out of them other than a phone call. Maybe try hitting them up via the website or call directly. Good luck

Seems like quite a few people are complaining American's communication these days. Definitely not a good sign... they used to be prompt and super helpful.

I bought and fell in love with Houdini; for me, it's a keeper.

I bought an Oktoberfest afterward and let's just say that experience was less than optimal. I parted way with the game and will likely not entertain another from AP.

Right now GTF seems to be a mess. Sorry but Fix needs to go. AP had a chance and GTF seems to be a real step backwards. Definitely does not look like a good sign.

Oktoberfest is one of my favorites. So many mode combos with great programming. Too bad it wasn't for you. Houdini is a gem as well. Can't wait for GTF.

Oh I loved the game, just hated the experience. A few key discoveries turned me off and I couldn't get the game out of my house fast enough, despite it breaking my heart.

I heard Houdini run near the end of the year after GTF and something else is ran again (Oct/HW?).

Curious how discontinued games work with AP...... since they haven't stopped a game yet, will they do a last call when the time comes?
I hope they do, planning on getting a Houdini this time around (assuming they don't strip it down at all).

I hope they announce the next game near the end of the year too..... I think if they can get two out the door in a year, that'll go a long way to catching up and passing JJP. Stern..... no one's going to catch Stern at this point.

I'd expect Hot Wheels to stop relatively soon just because it's an actual license they'd have to renew, the other games don't have that issue and they presumably could keep building them as long as there's demand. Two games a year is a pipe-dream for A.P. at this point though.

I don't know..... as large as their staff is, and since they are just putting orders in the que....... do it again!!

If they had a stable of six to eight games, it'd ensure their two lines are always pumping at 100% - that should make them profitable.
Two games a year would let them say they've beat JJP to the punch, and get some notice.
Then they can focus on getting their production numbers up, which appear to be quite lackluster (but it's not like they are selling tons of games anyway). Orders in que, that's almost as good as a regular sale...... presell all your production.

There's no way Dennis can't get another game out this year.... unless they bet the farm on GTF.

Nord-man is just one piece of the puzzle, he's the designer but he's not a mechanical or electrical engineer nor does he do code - those roles (and others) are vital for getting games from design / concept to production. Stern has a stable full of these people and their games are often released with primative code and major mechanical issues.

David Fix recently said they renewed the HW license.

I still think Sherlock Holmes, H.P Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe or Nikola Tesla would be decent themes for AP.

In the club today. Cool game!

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Houdini is an incredible adventure! So much to see and do, IMHO its become a world class game.

I bought it today without much research. Always liked the theme and wanted to try it. Saw a post at a good price and jumped.
So far it’s very fun and just as satisfying as all “the best” pins. I’ve tried most and they’re all fun.

Did a silly little thing with 2 different Hoyle card decks. One represents Houdini's birth year (1874; on the back box in blue to fit the color scheme, next to the water torture mod) and the other on the ramp representing Houdini's death year (1926, on the lamp plastic in red, as if you are making a shot at the ramp, flirting with death)

I’ve been playing it more than foo fighters so far. Lol

It is the best value in pinball right now IMO, other than Oktoberfest.

On another note: Guests are always impressed by how beautiful it is. The reversed/inverted flipper mode, pop bumper chains, catapult and magnet integration always elicit a "wow!" from new players. We've been told on quite a few occasions that the back glass is beautiful and the overall presentation of the game is amazing.

In the current market I would say $6,000-$6,300 tops. Make sure you analyze the scoop on the right hand side for chipping; some people have the power set to a point where the ball clips the edge of the play field. A Cliffy for the scoop is highly recommended.

I agree. This has been an unexpected like on my part. I always like the theme and just saw the for sale ad not too far away and jumped. It’s a very cool pin.

This is obviously an obtuse as hell statement but IMO it feels like a "JJP game on a budget". This isn't meant as an insult, quite the contrary. I have not had a single mechanical issue with the game, the catapult has missed one time by the smallest of margins . A simple adjustment and it's been 100% accurate ever since. I believe my build date was 2016.

That’s great to hear. I have GTF on order too.

That's awesome. I'd have to put time in on that game to consider a purchase. We have set limit for pins in our home (space issue) which is currently 11 games. We are at 8 and I promised myself that none of the remaining 3 would be what I would consider "filler games". Got to take these last 3 spots as serious as all heck, haha. Rotating our Lethal Weapon 3 out for an Elvira House of Horrors here shortly. I keep finding myself "wanting" certain games, yet none of them would be "keepers".

I kept Elvira for 3 years!!!! A record for me. It’s truly one of the best complete packages out there. I may get a premium back.

We have Joe Balcer to Thank for this.
He had just left JJP to come to American Pinball. His experience on Woz and Hobbit you can see in Houdini.

We just got a Hobbit LE, traded our TMNT pro for it. We did not expect to love the game as much as we do, man is it immersive!

That's great to hear! We think Elvira is going to sit nicely next to Alice Cooper, America's Most Haunted, Houdini and Ghostbusters.

I get where you’re going with that and you’re right. I could pickup a Houdini, octoberfest, hot wheels for around 10k each for a woz, hobbit or dialed in you’re around the 15k mark. I do miss my Houdini the team did a great job on the code I just got frustrated with the catapult missing at least 50% of the time and I couldn’t for the life of me fix it!! So I sold it in frustration! But the modes are fun, shots are fun and it’s a beautiful looking game. I do want one back but space is at a premium and I have no idea what would leave for Houdini to take its place

AP games are horribly under rated. The code in them is fun and they’re all fun shooters.

I agree with you there but the elephant(s) in the room IMO is the animation/art quality. They went another route for GTF (live-action), which was clever. The stop-motion animations worked for Hot Wheels and was pulled from outside source material. Houdini gets a pass from me because it fits the era/theme and comes off as quirky. Oktoberfest on the other hand is a totally different story and LOV's animations are practically non-existent. I obviously cannot speak for everyone but it's rough to consider dropping that much money on a games with such shortcomings in a time where competition and quality are fierce. It strikes me as one of the weirdest things a company could skimp on.

The animations in Houdini don’t bother me. Then again, I’m mainly a W/B guy and live and die by dmds. To me, it’s about watching the playfield and not being absorbed by the dmd. To each their own, I suppose…

I enjoy the art and animations on Houdini. Going to an old-school DMD (color of course) for Oktoberfest and LOV may not have been a bad idea if was wasn't cost prohibitive.