Surprisingly, I don’t see a sticky with the exact dimensions with the backbox attached. The cabinet is 75"H x 29"W x 55"D. Anyone know the width of the backbox? Has anyone taken it off to go through a door and want to share how difficult it was (how many wires?).

Thanks.

I removed the backbox after my buddy wasn't able to come help me move it as planned. Only maybe 4 wires and 1 connector to disconnect. It was easy, 10 minute job. I couldn't find a good Allen key for the backbox hinge though

New mod coming from Hookedonpinball.com
Custom cast hand painted we are tweaking lighting but close enough to share. To get on the pre buy list email me at [email protected]
This is our proto finishing touches to be added, plug in and play tucks in behind rt ramp. Install pictures will be posted in a few weeks.

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It is VERY simple, you just have to be a bit careful. I removed the glass, backbox, and playfield to get it in my house (by myself). VERY light game, especially when compared to trying to move a Dialed In last time. 100lb weight difference. Also, DI is NOT easy to remove the backbox. Every wire in the world is in the head - I have no idea why they did that.

Anyway, Houdini was a breeze. Hinge bolts take a standard 1/4" hex wrench, but you really have to work it to get it in there. They sort of look like security bolts, but a standard one works. I replaced mine just in case.

Thanks to all for the interest and orders! Our kits are now complete and shipping this week complete with adjustable stainless mounting hardware and easy to follow instructions and no this will not avoid your warranty. We appreciate all the feedback and interest, Houdini deserves a new/old trick of mystery!!

The Mod Couple

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As stated, these are standard B/W lockdown bars, which always had a gap. The inside dimensions of the cabinet are the same, the difference is in the thickness of the wood. The older cabinets have .75 inch (19.05 mm) thick wood and the new cabinets are 18mm which is .708, so that just gives it a little more gap. If the lock down bar gets pulled to the right when you pull on the lever, it puts all of that extra space on one side, so makes that gap seem bigger.

You can add rubber or foam on the inside as vic posted above or you can just gently tap it back to center after installing it.

Pretty sure the other day I completed it on the last flip, but I'll check it out to see. In theory the flippers should die after that film and then come right back to life when the target is hit.

hmm, I someone else say this, but I am seeing tilts in play, there are a few rules around it.

No tilt or tilt warning in first 6 seconds at the start of a ball (to previous player tilting does not hose you).
No tilt or tilt warning event if last tilt warning was in the last 2 seconds (bob settle time)
No tilt or tilt warning during the first 10 seconds after a ball search (gives you a chance to shake it loose without fear of tilting, if the ball search does not)

If you still believe this is happening, you can pull and send me a log when you feel the tilt was not registering and I can take a look to see what might be going on.

Well the good news is a lot of us have never even noticed. As someone who has to carry that big cab around sometimes, I appreciate the lost weight! Haha

You must have moved a different machine. lol Houdini is build like a quality tank which is a Good thing. I would have thought it would be lighter but moving it down stairs was a magic trick in itself!

I took it apart removed backbox, playfield and moved cab all separately. It was actually quite easy! Playfield is heavy for one person but very doable - the yellow rails and hinge are perfect holding points (wear work gloves!)

The cab was difficult but I didn’t touch a single wall or piece of furniture bringing it down the stairs

If you saw my post above, I also just moved a Dialed In.. holy crap is that a different story. Glad I got it in but MAN it is heavy! Took that apart too (also way harder)

Did you ultimately determine the key size? I still have 2 days to order one if I don’t have it.

Thanks!

I can hit the bottom and middle targets with no problem but I have never been able to hit the top target. I figured it was just me and my lack of skill.

That is correct.

6 degrees is where you want to be.

1/4” but it is very tight

Thw lock down bar/front trim is the same lock down bar used forever. To retool the lock down bar would be far to costly.

My guess is they solved the key sizing issue as mine from last weeks installs worked perfectly. And Bravo for the packing, clearly some protective planning went into the packaging on this one. Flawless.

I think it's physically impossible to hit the top target from a plunge. Will it score if you soft plunge and flip to hit it?

This is the fix.

With a flat head screwdriver and a small rubber mallet.

Hit the flat rail right above the closest screw at the top.

Your goal is to move the flat rail closer to the post, when done correctly all targets can be hit.

The game never had a variable skill shot, therefor there was no need to insure all 3 targets could be hit. We have sense changed this policy moving forward, but all games out there might need a tweak!

CAREFUL NOT TO SCRATCH YOUR PLAYFIELD!!

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I have early production game #90. Im able to hit all skill shot targets. Now getting the skill shot is another story.
Soft plunge is the key. To much strength on plunge and it adds a velocity that is impossible to control.

I’ve hit it on multiple machines, and find I need a softer pull than for the middle target. But no doubt harder to do consistently then middle and lower.

Given the slight variations in how the flat rail is attached, Barry’s post about an adjustment may be required on some machines. As far as Barry’s other comment about no “variable skill shot” clearly he and production are not reading what has been on the white board in my office for months, then again, with my handwriting…

I'd lay something across the playfield, pad, newspaper, etc. So you don't accidentally slip and damage the playfield while doing this.

LTG : )

Thats funny. Barry is a busy guy..that and you keep the door locked to your office with a sign that says no Barry and Joe B.

Where can I get that dope Conner4Real jacket in the pics?

Key here is "with my handwriting…" That there would need some WW2 code breakers. Talk about enigma!

Well, at one point I did get a D in penmanship in elementary school, which is why parents figured I would become a doctor. I'd post a photo of what my white board looks like so, but, it does contain some top secret stuff.

no lock on the door, yet, will need one soon to keep prying eyes away.

Good advice, and considering on the assembly line we have pads that are custom cut to match the shape of the playfield, gives me one more think to give Barry crap about

Glad to see someone else does this, too. I read back something I've typed and sometimes see I've typed "think" rather than "thing" and didn't even realize it. G and K are nowhere near on the keyboard, so I have to believe it's cross-wiring in my muscle memory while touch typing. Seeing you do it makes me realize this quirk is not specific to me.

So all the way in on all 4 leg levelers? WOW. My rear levelers have been screwed out about 1-1/2 inches since day one.
There is no bubble level in the game to verify 6% degree angle, is there?

Use one of the level apps on your phone?

That wil let you 6, which is what Joe likes for the game, and by adjusting the way the legs mount it insures it won't be to flat on location, where often they don't set the levelers. Obviously some folks like it a little steeper/faster, the key is to adjust the flipper strength to be 'just right', making it strong enough to make the ramp, but not too strong where you get air balls. 1 1/2 inches would be pretty steep. Be interesting to see what happens to your scores.

These articles by Todd Andersen may help :

http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/iphone2/index.html

http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/iphone/index.html

http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/level/index.html

LTG : )

Played Houdini at Allentown. Fun game! Very well built. Felt very substantial compared to Batman that I played next.

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I can hit it as well no problem. As Ericpinballfan said, the higher up the switches are, the softer the plunge - counter intuitive

Hah! All I also got from those pics was the insatiable urge to see the rest of that shirt/jacket... C'mon Barry - is that official AP wear?

So if the Churchill cabs are say 1/4" to short width wise, doesn't that make it even a tighter fit for the STD size playfield to go up and down?
Or was this "incorrect width" problem just the outside dimension, not affecting the inner dimension using thinner wood?
Did this cause the inside width of the cabinet to be a little less wide too?

Well, my high score to date has been 618K on a 3 ball game so 1 Million plus, here I come!

has anyone concerned about Houdinis tight shots considered downsizing 1/16" ?

ebay.com link: 50 1 Inch Paracord Monkey Fist Steel Ball Bearing Tactical Cores Balls

I have #92 and I have made all 3 skill shots. Now I have to make them more often!

As stated above, the thickness of the wood is wrong. The front panel is still cut to the correct width, so therefore the playfield fit is no problem. The lockbar dimension is driven by front panel width + 2x side panel thickness

Overall width since the perpendicular wood at each end of the cabinet (coin door wood and the back wood) spaces the inside properly.

But it did screw over AP with their coin doors. With a bill acceptor installed the door won't close because the coin box sits about 1/8"-1/4" too high (maybe because the coin door cutout is cut too low? It's not the door itself...that's a standard part.).

Josh was kind enough to provide some details on the Escape Modes. I've updated the Houdini Rule Sheet to include this information.

http://tiltforums.com/t/houdini-rulesheet/3934

They used metric wood. They kept the same inside dim., therefore with thinner wood... the outside dim. was smaller, hence the appearance of the lock down bar being too big.

"smaller balls" could cause unforeseen problems!

i.e. mechanical switches might not work as intended!

BarryJ i submitted a ticket online for support and have not heard back from anyone. Also with the cabs being smaller is there a way to at least recenter the lock down bar mechanism so it is offset properly for the smaller width?

No. That's like putting regular flippers on BSD. Play better.

Any way to buy a large Houdini pin poster? Would love one next to the pin when I get one.

I'm thinking of getting these:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/484035764/houdini-vintage-four-poster-set-12x18?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-art_and_collectibles-other&utm_custom1=e418c52b-0d05-4830-9c10-d2ccc99d8e0f&gclid=CjwKCAjwlcXXBRBhEiwApfHGTdfcg9gNF7GxQdWQ-rJAeF8fwCArP5tSdHWSz0AiHEmzLFKRtlhliBoCoCsQAvD_BwE

It's not a perfect solution and I think that AP should correct for this by adding the hard plastic bumpers that vireland said came installed on AfMr's.

That said, it only took one firm whack from my palm to center the lockbar. Not sure whether I have to do that every time I replace the lockbar. Either way, it's not tragic.

I really enjoy the game and suspect that the small QC issues will be resolved over time. In addition to the lockbar, a free-floating screw was bouncing around the playfield (no scratching/damage) upon unboxing and the LED reflector came off after the first few games. In the future, a real manual and not a photocopied partial manual would be great and the speakers are really bad, but can be improved with the subwoofer. All of these things are minor nits, especially because of some of the smart decisions AP made in designing the game.

Offsetting the legs in front and back is incredibly smart, the machine is super-solid, and the artwork is just incredible. I really like the glass guides that prevent nicking and MDF shards like the small ones I have on my WOZRR. The gameplay gets better and better with Josh's releases, so overall I'm happy with the purchase and play. Yes, some shots are tight, but I'm no rockstar player and I can hit most of the shots reliably now that there are a 300 plays on the machine...just took some practice.

They're expensive toys and we want them be both perfect and customized for each of our wants/needs/desires, which is largely impossible. I'd encourage anyone that's on the fence about this game to go ahead, pull the trigger, and don't read too much into the small stuff posted on Pinside!

Problem with banging is it marks up the powder coat underneath. If you know the lock down bar is to wide and shifted to the right why not reposition locking mechanism a 1/8 inch to the left and then it will always be centered with no banging.

when I install the lockdown bar, I put it in until it is hitting the 'latch', then I pull the lever all the way to the left and slowly push down on the bar, centered on the machine, then I push down harder right in the middle (towards the front) until the lever releases back to the right on its own. When you 'force' the lever to lock it down it pulls it to the right If you let it close on its own, by pushing down, it will keep it centered. Does require having the set screws just right. Good thing is you should not have to be opening it up that often.

We are looking at adding the rubber inside the lockdown bars.