Houdini
American Pinball, 2017You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider PinMonk.
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Quoted from iceman44:100% agree that it crushes DI
You're mental. If you had hands on with both, Houdini isn't even in the same LEAGUE as Dialed In. Not to diss Houdini, because I'm very interested in getting one, too. But it's immediately clear when playing them that there's an OCEAN between the quality of hardware and software finish of Dialed In and Houdini. It's not even fair to make a comparison.
Quoted from rosh:As the person creating the rules and writing the code, I can't imagine having to do it for two or three versions of rules and mechs, and then keeping it all straight, let alone getting it completed (needless to say, but I'll say it, pinball code can be extremely complex).
Cracked me up at PAGG that I was trying to figure out where the ball counter was on the screen while waiting for a turn. After finally giving up and asking one of your guys, I found out that isn't in yet. Made me feel even dumber about what on the screen might be hinting at the current ball count since the answer is - nothing!
Thanks for bringing it to PAGG. I've been wanting to try it ever since the first show a few months ago. Tons of cool ideas already in play, now I can't wait for the finished product!
Quoted from rosh:Actually, there is one. Must have been Jolly you were talking to, he does not know the game that well. To the right of the score is set of 5 'light bulbs', since the game at PAGG is on two ball play, the lower three would be broken/shattered bulbs. The image below would be ball one in a three ball game . . .
That was what I had narrowed it down to, but the buff AP guy there said there was no ball counter in yet. Glad to know I didn't waste all that time in line studying the screen. I would suggest making the bulbs a little bigger. They're pretty insignificant relative to the busy background around them.
Thanks for the clarification!
Quoted from Superchicken:OK. Picky feedback. The curtain movement is unnatural. It needs to move from to top. This is a big part of the animation.
Curtain's fine IMO. They have plenty to work on yet that matters. It'd be dead simple to offer a choice of curtain opening in a polish update after it ships if they want to.
Quoted from DS_Nadine:I have a question rosh!
I've just seen the panel with Joe Balcer and noticed in the early skethces that there's a magnet area marked at Houdinis hands on the playfield.
Is that in the game? - That'd be awesome but didn't see it yet in the gameplay video snippets.
There are magnets by the hands and his head that move the ball in SEANCE mode, if that's what you're asking.
Quoted from DS_Nadine:Yes, that was what I wanted to know, thanks.
Game continuously gets more awesome!
You need to full-screen it to see well, but the SEANCE mode magnet action is shown a bit here:
Closeup of that mode:
And the cool 3/4 PF length basket shot is shown here:
Closeup of that shot:
Quoted from ZMeny:Closer magnet action and catapult can also be found on our fly-by video.
» YouTube video
Got it. Updated the post with direct links to the point in the video that shows those two modes closer.
Quoted from ZMeny:Thanks man. Pretty great game from what I experienced on it.
Yep. Pretty rough at PAGG, but there's potential for days and lots of good ideas already represented. Looking forward to this one.
Quoted from spfxted:Fun game! Never get tired of seeing that ball fly through the air!
And unlike Aerosmith, they seem to have pretty tight software compensation for misses that adjusts the power dynamically. There aren't a lot a misses, despite it being a much longer launch.
Quoted from colonel_caverne:Would it be some lighting improvements in the center of the playfield?
Last I heard they were putting themed theatrical-looking spotlights on it to illuminate the mid-playfield more.
Quoted from flipnout1:Talking with Joe Balcer the other day and they have nothing on the schedule until October for Pinball Expo. They want to concentrate on building games. Every show takes resources away from that goal.
The good news is a small run of production games should be hitting the streets before Expo so folks will have a chance to see and play in the wild.
Contact me to reserve yours now
[email protected]
If they really are skipping California Extreme, that's a mistake. It's a huge show. Immense upside for West Coast exposure.
Quoted from rosh:A couple of weeks ago we did a sound session with a lot of folks to do audience sounds, and we did a variety of versions of booing and heckling. Likely hear some boos anytime you fail at an escape/illusion, not just when you drain, but may depend on how badly you failed and how easy/hard the mode/illusion was. I don't plan to have boos when doing one of the five movie modes, since I don't think you had a lot of audience booing during silent films, except maybe when a villain was on stage, and we focus on Houdini, who was always the hero.
Why not just mix your own from audience FX sets from Hollywood Edge or Sound Ideas? You'll likely get better results and more control. They have one whole series that's JUST audience reactions and a bunch of related collections:
https://www.sound-ideas.com/Product/793/Walla-Series-Sound-Effects
https://www.sound-ideas.com/Product/425/Audience-Reactions-I-Sound-Effects-Library
https://www.sound-ideas.com/Product/426/Audience-Reactions-II-Sound-Effects-Library
https://www.sound-ideas.com/Product/89/Laughs-Cheers-Applause-Sound-Effects
https://www.sound-ideas.com/Product/875/Crowds-Concert-Audiences
Quoted from rosh:Thanks for these suggestion, I'll let my sound engineer figure it out and I'm sure he will use other sources like those, but, using folks in the office for part of the audience, lets them be 'in the machine'. Plus, I don't think we will find a pre-recorded clip of an audience chanting "hou-di-ni" or hecklers calling him out by name, etc.
On an unrelated note, we did just post some positions we are hiring for . . .
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/american-pinball-is-hiring#post-3926483
That's what I was suggesting. Use the extensive audience FX in those series to layer along with stuff specific to your machine. Like, for example, the Walla series has indistinct audience mumbling of various sizes and that could be layered as a background for the heckler, for example, to "fill out" the sound.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:That's right. I don't believe I've ever seen an update from Stern on here. They usually announce stuff at expo and the big shows
They tried a few times, but their PR guy was run off.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Lol! I forgot about that. I don't think JJP does much on here either, but I'm not sure. Heighway and Dutch Pinball used to... but uh.. yeah not sure what happened there. Gulp.
LLoyd helps with JJP tech support here, but I don't think they have a PR person here.
Quoted from DennisDodel:All manufacturers still plant stuff here. Just not officially.
That is completely true. Positive and negative info.
Quoted from rosh:Was walking through the factory today, grabbed a couple of quick photos . . .
Given these bags of sand are half empty, the rest must be at the start of the line . . .These huge pallets of color displays were being delivered, glad I'm not the one who has to break these down and put them in the parts cage, although some will go right to the back box line where they are needed.
Are you still aiming to ship these by the end of the year?
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Sand could be used for little tiny stage sandbags used for counter weight or line pics.
Also used to fill something for ballest.
Putting REAL sand or silica in tiny bags is asking for trouble. They'd be better off with the plastic SHAPE of a full bag and putting THAT inside the bags to give the illusion of full bags.
Quoted from orangestorm87:is sand not used to make molds for casting metal? Hmm?
The work of casting metal is child's play in the 21st century. Chinese kindergarteners, to be specific. Outsourced, FTW.
Quoted from rosh:Here is where the sand ended up. This "sand box" will now head to the front of the line. I'm sure someone can figure it out now. If not you can ask me at expo!
Your floor is already so dimpled. I hope you put in a warranty claim.
Quoted from rosh:Here are some photos, as promised
With the purple post sleeves already on it, I think clear rubbers would look better than black. Other than that, wow, what a good-looking game. And that trunk shot is always awesome to watch when it happens.
Quoted from futurepinhead:Can someone describe the flow or the feel?
I had a friend tell me it's "different" which tells me absolutely nothing.
I'm seriously considering this one, but I hate that I haven't got to play it yet.
Also, do you have to sign a non disclosure to play it or something? Where are all the freakin videos?!
I feels hard. 
It's more WoZ than Dialed In, and that's not a bad thing.
Quoted from konjurer:I was hoping to see new video of Houdini in this thread but nothing yet. I did find this on youtube. Very interesting...
» YouTube video
Interesting, but I wish phones would prompt people to record in widescreen mode. And holy noise-reduction-needed Batman!
Quoted from jwilson:Let's be honest, all the pinball company logos are kind of crappy. So if anything they're just matching the competition on that one.
Stern has the most refined and "print ready" logo, but they've had forever to get to this point. Aside from Dutch Pinball, all the others (JJP, Spooky, AP, and maybe Heighway) need to simplify into a format that works better. Heighway is well over halfway there. The other three need a lot of refinement.
But I don't play a logo, so I don't care that much. 
Quoted from Yelobird:Are we Really asking them to change their shirts, flyers, cards, art, stickers, Huge company sign marque on the building because we don't like their business logo? lol Asking/recommending software features/adds seems appropriate but come on.... I don't like the Windows logo but Bill Gates doesn't seem to care as I am buying a Product not his company. Sorry just seemed a bit rude to the company founders in my opinion. I wouldn't care if their logo was a brown turd as long as they made Awesome games like they are. Just an opinion....
MS has changed the windows logo a little to a lot every few years since forever.
Quoted from Yelobird:Fair and true enough. So let’s let API be in business for many years Then demand they redesign the logo to our liking. Lol.
Trust me, it's easier and cheaper to get it right at the beginning than once you've grown.
Quoted from rosh:I have previously asked the appropriate members of our team to look into that, not sure if they have reached out to him yet or not. Suspect they have had higher priorities leading into expo, but, it is on our radar.
I agree. Getting him an advance playfield so you can have day one cliffy protectors (or ship preinstalled?) is a huge plus.
Quoted from mbelofsky:No. But wouldn't it be great if Cliff could reach a deal with a manufacturer to have his superior quality and ingenuity designed into the game, not as a copy of a "Cliffy like" protector but as a "Cliffy protector" that gives him credit for his work and allows us to have the option of having them added during assembly?
Amen. And I think the pinball community would support whoever did it.
Quoted from rosh:I don't recall exactly what I said at expo, and since then it is has gone down a little, as I added some new things to the to-do list around sound calls, and potentially feature lamp behavior as wells the stage bug, and then back up to about that same level, 86.392%. The outstanding things remaining are more/better light shows, sound effects, music (I think 5 modes don't have their unique music yet), animation clean-up and improvements, bug fixes, service mode/adjustments/statistics cleanup and additions, and then the Magician modes. I'm not too concerned with last being in place before we are shipping, so those are lower on the priority list than some of the other items (plus need to give the early owners something to look forward to)
As mentioned previously, Houdini is a little chatty, well not Houdini himself, since he only talks at the start of stage modes. There are 9 settings to control various aspects of voice calls (see below). As a reminder all of the 10 stage modes and all of the five movie modes, as well as Jail Escape hurry ups, Seance Multiball and Secret Mission (combos), can be flipper escaped during their intros.We are in the process of getting a decent webcam so I can do some decent videos of game play, so that is on the horizon. It will take some time to get the right setup.
As far as production, we are getting close to pulling the trigger on the line, we have a couple of parts that are delayed. We also need the new parts to kill off the couple of ball traps we found at Expo, but those are not holding things up, yet. I guess technically you can say we have started, as we are moving playfields through the first couple of stations where we do have the needed parts. But to me, despite what others might stay, production is when the first machine rolls off the line and goes to final testing AND the line behind it is filled with playfields being assembled (vs when we did a few sample games). There are some other minor issues we are working through, things like changing connector styles, wiring routing, etc. to be more reliable, easier to service or to make manufacturing easier.I will post something here when I have a date or two setup to see who would like to come by and play test. Obviously there will be a limit on the number of folks for each testing event. Nothing agains anyone here, but I am looking to get in some of the better players I know (I'm looking at you Yancy, Jay, Robot)
Back when I was running call centers with 300+ agents, anytime IT would want to roll out new systems, I would want to be first or last. When first you typically get an extra level of service and in some cases are able to get changes made to your liking, otherwise last to give time for the issues to be worked out.
Along those lines, over the last couple of weeks and weekends we have been doing extensive burn-in on the production samples to identify any issues. This is an addition to life testing we have done on some of the key mechs. We did find a couple of minor issues, basically mechs that come to us assembled that will need to have some screws "loctite'd". First machines will go to distributors for their showrooms, so that will also help identify issues. However, pinball machines are pretty complex, as you all know, so I would be lying if I said "there will be no issues when games ship". I do feel bad for the guys who work in the lab where the burn-in is happening, having to listen to the machine fire through all of the coils twice every minute all day long must get to be quite annoying. Normally we would do it in the burn-in area, but right now that is pretty crowded with parts being quality checked. Normal burn-in would be just overnight for production machines, but obviously we want to do as much of it as we can right now to shake out (pun intended) any issues.
Great update. On the speech screen, having a "mute all" option as the first choice that will turn them all off with one click might be nice.
Quoted from Yelobird:Because as Rosh already covered this is not a custom assembly line. All games will be the same and same model. Many like myself do not want HUO protection. Plus this gives you quality time with your personal game and upgrades.....
At the very least, I hope they've sent Cliff a playfield by now so he can have day one protectors available for owners to buy as an option. I've suggested it, as have others.
Quoted from Yelobird:NOT questioning your suggestion just curious if thats how CG, Stern, JJP, etc work with Cliff and other secondary markets? Not saying its not a good idea just wondering If thats what they do? Seems like Cliffy makes his amazing products after the release and OEM fine tuning. Would be bad business to have secondary markets start making mods etc only to make an OEM change and have him eat the change. Kind of like the cell phone market and cases.
Unsurprisingly, Stern just rips off Cliff's designs. RE: AP Houdini, I doubt there would be an OEM playfield change within the last 1-2 months before launch since the playfields need time to cure, so it's safe to send him one (if it hasn't been done before).
Quoted from LTG:Drop a safe in the water. Match number escapes in a bubble and when it rises above the water it pops and reveals the number.
LTG : )
Use fart bubble sound effect. I'm sure I have some. Genius.
That hole on the right is DEFINITELY going to need a Cliffy. I hope they got him a playfield already...
Quoted from DngrWillRobinson:I was at their open house in November and saw the side art for the first time and loved it. I wouldn’t get this game without it. The shaker motor however isn’t a must have for me, I don’t see where it fits in with this theme, or to put it better, when would it be appropriate to activate during the game play. At any rate, it’s simply an amazing game.
Séance. For one. Duh.
Quoted from rosh:The current plan is mylar will be applied at the factory to the pops, drops and scoop, the sling shot mylar will be included but not installed. While not everyone will agree with that, I think the majority of folks would find that to be the right scenario.
You said they're talking about a cliffy at the scoop (or getting him a playfield so he can have them available day one). Is this looking likely? It's getting pretty close to still be talking, and that will DEFINITELY need protection.
Quoted from djreddog:While Cliffy's are damn nice and everything, my guess is AP have bigger fish to fry then trying to worry about shipping a playfield to Cliffy so he can make the protectors. You keep harping on the Cliffy's like it is a deal breaker and it's simply not for a lot of people. Let AP perfect this machine to what it should be and get it shipping, and then at that point they can worry about Cliffy's. They have hundreds of buyers with down payments already and 99% of them are going to purchase the game regardless of the Cliffy being ready at shipping.
I don't think shipping out Cliff a playfield would stop their line or affect their production. Aside from shipping the playfield, essentially zero time commitment to improve the machine for those that want the protection.
And while not a deal breaker, having Cliffys available to buy day one would just be a nice detail on a machine with so many nice details checked off on the list already.
Quoted from Fytr:The beauty of a cliffy protector is that you can put one on 20 years after you got the game and it still covers any damage just as well as on day one.
Well, yes...I guess. But preventing the damage in the first place is the best-case scenario I prefer to shoot for. That why I bulletproof all the new machines (with cliffy protectors and other items) before they're put on the route I help with. Resale is higher when they come off the route as a result.
Quoted from epotech:not a fan of the light bit around his eyes. still thinking of buying tho.
It's not nearly as intense in real-life. For some reason the cameras really accentuate it and also make Houdini look 10lbs heavier.
Quoted from GAP:Video
» YouTube video
Never get tired of that trunk shot. I hope the music doesn't get old fast. That robot mode music, while probably authentic, was irritating quickly.
Quoted from vicjw66:Interesting. Can’t recall hearing it used before.
I see it more in print than hear it in conversation, so not surprising.
Quoted from rosh:Personally, and this is me talking, not AP, I find it reprehensible that Jpop would even consider doing this, after everything that AP did to help him.
But given his history, is it really a surprise? I mean, really...his record speaks for itself.
Quoted from Ericc123:So it looks like Houdini's are really starting to show up at distributors and on location all over the place. Any ideas on how many have been produced at this point? Maybe a rough estimate from Rosh or even a motivated individual adding up all of the posts on Pinside.
25 as of a few days ago.
Quoted from PinballManiac40:Played Houdini at the local distributor in Houston on Friday at Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs during their Pac Man Fever Friday. This is the first chance I had to play it and I really enjoyed it. The game had someone at it all night long. It is a really good looking game too.
So are they fixing the legs on these? That Houdini looks like a Shetland pony in that lineup with those legs...at least 2-3" shorter than the GotG next to it (which is already 2" shorter than the AfMr next to GotG - so Houdini would be 5-6" shorter than AfMr!).
Quoted from DngrWillRobinson:I’ve played it on more than one occasion, the height seemed fine to me. The second time I played it was at Level 257 and it was in a line of pins and it seemed to be the same height as all the others.
So maybe they've already fixed it? I know some of the early owners were talking about the low legs and said they were supposed to be fixed with the right legs.
Quoted from PinballManiac40:I noticed no difference in height either.
How could you not notice the difference in height when the picture you took shows Houdini at least 2-3" lower than GotG and 5-6" lower than AfMr?
Quoted from PinballManiac40:I did not take the picture. It came from Joystix Facebook page. You are basing your preceived notion on an angled picture. I am basing it on my experience playing it in person. I am 6' tall and I noticed no difference in height playing it and looking at it standing next to other games.
Didn't realize you didn't take the picture. Glad to hear it was the same height as the other machines when you played it.
Quoted from rosh:The next version of the code is going through test now, and I might put it on the machine at Level257 tonight (yes, you guys who play there are guinea pigs) and it is possible another site or two might install this test version. If nothing of note pops up after a couple of days we will make it available to all owners.
Any word on magic glass, art blades, and shaker motor availability time frame yet?
Quoted from rosh:Pretty late in the process we added an auxiliary board to the cabinet as a better way to wire in the shaker, as well as to handle flashing of the start button (which is not RGB LED so needed a different solution). We built that board to have extra capacity for other things/add-ons, and we already have one enhancement that will leverage that. Given the design, it can be used for a knocker, and once we have time to really look at that we will. We will likely create a kit for it (given wiring needs), and I will code for it (not like it is tough code to write). Obviously that is one of the first things that gets cut from a BOM given the very limited use of it vs the cost of it. But I know some folks really like them.
Any ETA on the shaker motor (/knocker kit), magic glass, and art blades yet?
Quoted from PinballManiac40:Seems your distributor should know.
Seems like one post here with an update is more effective than dozens of individual pinsider calls to distributors for the same information...
Quoted from DennisDodel:"Limited use"?! I guess this game really is tough! I don't remember the exact percentage, but in the old days games were designed to give a replay once every ? games. I'm sure it was about every 6 or 7 games.
You gotta give a little reward now and then or they walk away.
In the days of $7000-$10000 pins, match games are a little more rare.
Okay, so everyone doesn't have to call their distributor, here's what I found out:
4-6 more weeks on the magic glass and shaker motor availability, no pricing yet.
Art blades just came in. No official pricing, but $95 shipped is being bandied about as the price.
Quoted from greenhornet:yep.
back in the 70's we had ..
multiple dedicated specials on the playfield.
multiple point total replays.
and match game.
We also had Charles Nelson Reilly. It was a different time.
Quoted from Ericc123:It’s great that American Pinball appears to be getting these games out at a great clip, much faster than TNA and Spooky for example, but they all appear to be going on location. I only know of two in customers homes at this point. Does anyone in this thread have one in their home or could a distributor let us know when we can expect home use shipments?
Seems like a good plan to get awareness of the machine up first while also refining the machine for home users. Since most home users are going to want magic glass and/or shaker motors and those are 4-6 weeks out, I bet you won't see the home floodgates open until those are available from the factory. But that's just a guess.
Quoted from Malibu-SS:I am guessing you are talking the coil strength?...mine started of at 26 I have moved it up to 27....still a few misses
I thought the software auto-adjusted, like Ghost Flips on MB. It doesn't?
Quoted from Yelobird:This is a simple adjustment in the software coil settings. No game knows the installation setup or leveling and every setup is different hence the reason some don't have a great experience at location test sites. They install and sometimes skip the dialing in part. The catapult power is different on a 5 degree level playfield setup over a 7 degree fast play setup. Set correctly this thing is as accurate as Michael Jordan!
But auto-adjustment will usually be better since it will note when a shot is missed and adjust power accordingly if it keeps missing. This will account for wear over time when the game drifts from the initial "perfect" adjustment and require no interaction with a human. It wouldn't be that hard to program. I'd like to see it in the game.
Quoted from rosh:We did pay around with this (and Joe keeps saying it) and I continue to look at it, however, the challenge with auto-adjustment, is there is no way to know with any level of certainty which way it missed, e.g. too low/short or too high, and making adjustments the wrong way in an automated fashion could do far more harm than good. For example, even if I look to see did it end up in the upper catapult when it should go to the subway, a common landing place on a short throw, that still does not mean it was a short throw, since I've seen a high throw end up there as well. It would have been nice to have a sensor on the front of the trunk to detect a short throw, but that was not feasible. In most environments, once you get the setting right it is quite reliable.
If it's reliable once you set it manually, then more than 2 misses in a row in the future would likely be short throws from age/wear, so you can +1 the baseline. That doesn't work, +2 the baseline to slightly increase the power of the throw. Still missing? Jump the other way to -1 baseline, then -2 baseline, then alternate +3, -3, +4, -4, etc until you get success. It wouldn't have to kick in often, and shouldn't unless two launches in a row are missed, but it could work.
If there are misses detected, you could also "ghost adjust" by rapidly repeating the shot automatically when a game is over.
Quoted from Shapeshifter:So, how do you backhand right ramp on KISS?! Only done it accidentally...
Seems to vary from machine to machine. We had a Premium on route where you could pretty easily do it on demand. I have an LE where it's essentially impossible and only happens every now and then by accident. I have no idea what accounts for the difference, and since I played both, it was clear to me that there WAS some kind of difference.
Quoted from Join_The_Cirqus:Any news on the Side Blades rosh ?
Have been checking the AP store everyday and still not on the site to purchase
They're an option for pre-installed now, for sure. $99 to add them at the factory.
Magic Glass $295, Mid March.
Shaker Motor - Lost somewhere on a boat in the Pacific, apparently. No word.
Quoted from beatmaster:not a big of a deal but they should add a 1/4" spacer.
Or just use a taller hex standoff to begin with.
Quoted from BarryJ:Quality takes time. We are doing our best to get games out the door. I even help on the final line. It's worth the wait
Speaking of which, are you going to change the hex standoff to a slightly taller one so the ball makes the shot into the wireform more reliably? (Pictures posted earlier in this thread)
Quoted from BarryJ:Actually the standoff is the right height. Being a wire ramp there are slight differences between wire ramps and different ramp runs. A different wire ramp might sit perfect were yours does not. Regardless, what you need to do is adjust the coil strength.
Haven't got ours yet, but I'll bear this in mind...
Quoted from VividPsychosis:First job Berry, call Heighway, explain how customer service and care works. Then twist their arm to hire 2 people for pinside lol.
Isn't "Berry" kind of a slur?
Quoted from beatmaster:i noticed a little bit of wear in the shooter lane, for those of you who wants to protect your shooter lane, there's a shooter lane protector that fit almost perfectly. just need to trim the edge a little under the apron close to the metal bracket or not if you install it under the metal bracket, other than that it's a perfect fit.
https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=4130
also added a metal protector on the right side of the shooter lane to protect the wood, can't remember where i got it (years ago), darker than brass like a chrome bronze fits the game perfectly.
It's going to need a full cliffy set, but as of the last time I checked, AP hadn't loaned cliff a Playfield to make a set of protectors yet.
Hole on the far right, the shooter lane, and likely the saucer by the stage. That's just in the limited time I spent playing it. There may be other likely wear points. I wish they weren't dragging their feet getting him a playfield.
Quoted from luvthatapex2:Cliff doesn't need a play field, just someone to measure the area precisely. He makes protectors many times for games with info from someone that measures the games.
Given that almost no one has it yet, that's not even a likely/practical option.
Quoted from Frogman:Yeah, the folks at American Pinball have some screwy priorities. (Sarcasm)
It's all hilarious until the first clearcoat chip. This is an EASY preventative for AP, they don't have to DO anything except loan a playfield.
Quoted from foxtj24:Anyone install their own art blades? Mine were supposed to be done at factory, but were not. Distributor sent me a set to do myself. They are so very thin. Ripped one trying to install it. These are the thinnest and stickiest blades I have ever tried to install. I can usually install the stern or tilt ones without taking out the playfield. No go on these. I hope they send me a replacement.
If they're easily torn and super sticky, I would recommend the "wet method" then. I hope they're not just cheap heavy duty coated paper instead of actual arcade type textured material like the Stern ones.
Quoted from Pinless:I was pumped to be able to go to cidercade and play tonight, but a broken rubber on the flipper put a damper on it.
After the 5th or 6th airball I walked away. I was afraid the glass was going to break.
No doubt it’s going to be a classic. American Pinball hit a home run with this one. Looking forward to trying again at TPF
I wonder what rubber they're using. That's pretty fast to have a flipper rubber break...
Quoted from foxtj24:They look and feel like the titan perfect play to me. Cannot say for sure though.
Are titans that fragile, though? They haven't been on location that long to be broken already. We get at least 12 months out of our flipper rubber on location.
Quoted from PtownPin:Cliff won't typically make protectors until he has a play field ...maybe he's done it in the past, but its not his typical MO....he likes his products to fit perfectly
Having spent some extensive time with it now, I don't see how he'll be able to protect the magic shop/jail escape hole to the right of the stage. The hole is cut too small - the ball barely fits. If it's lined, even with Cliff's thin steel, I think it will make the shot hard/impossible.
So that leaves the VUK saucer, the right scoop, and the shooter lane I would want protected ASAP.
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Arcade Expo ready for the Show!
Seems like the rope on the left or right should be angled out for players to exit.
Quoted from SDTMinSTL:I love Houdini. I ordered one and I am getting VERY close to payment time and the commitment that comes with it. I have played 7 or so machines in the wild, from GAP in Chicago to Padavans in STL, Texas Pinball Festival etc. I am noticing some inconsistency with the right scoop, specifically, where it kicks the ball out to.
Mike's machine up at GAP was kicking the ball dead nuts SDTM. At the time, he assured me it was a issue with a coding update that reverted to an old set. I have talked to him since and he confirmed that was the case.
All the machines I have played since have kickers that send the ball to the top of the slingshot. I noticed it on every single Houdini kickout tonight at TPF. I don't know if this is a consequence of the quick development timeline, misadjusted solenoid power, or a misadjusted kickout etc. For those of you that have one, are you noticing this?
Jason
There's some weird inconsistency with that scoop. Hitting the sling top corner is because the power for the coil is too high. But if you set it low enough so the ball barely kicks out and rolls in front of the right sling like it's SUPPOSED to, sometimes for no apparent reason it can't kick a ball up and out of the scoop. Without changing the power, I've noticed sometimes the ball is slow and other times it FLIES out of the scoop. Seems like a software issue, and I imagine it will be resolved eventually. The software is pretty robust, but there's still a number of weird glitches in it that will be worked out over time. Still a LOT of fun to play, even with the occasional glitches.
Quoted from adamross:I'm having the exact same issues.
This response from AP regarding SDTM : Try adjusting coil strength first. Lower it. If that doesn’t work then try this.
make sure the coil strength is at 6, and then adjust the flat rail exit to touch the post. They may need to adjust the snubber bracket down a little bit so the ball comes out slower and rides the rail better
And this regarding the ball getting stuck in scoop: Try adjusting the coil power up one in settings first. You can test it in this mode as well. If that still doesn't work perfectly you can bend the scoop up a little bit to allow the bAll out better
I don't think it's a physical issue. The actual POWER of the scoop eject seems to vary during the game, even though you don't change the settings. This is most obvious when you make it lower power so the ball rolls out and right to the right flipper. If you set it there (where it seems it should be), sometimes for no obvious reason, it can't even get the ball up out of the scoop and back up to the playfield. Definitely an issue that make the "best" low-power option not an option for now. I think they'll get it worked out eventually in software.
Quoted from ZEUS:I agree, seeing the same thing. Inconsistent power when exiting out of the scoop, 80% of the time fine, but after certain modes/shots it will hang up for 3-4 times before ejecting properly. Good to see others having same issue, so can be corrected (I'm sure Rosh is monitoring this). I also am seeing issue with ramp shot for shot for trunk. I think I may have issue with solenoid that makes it lock to waterwheel ball lock or to trunk. Sometimes ball(s) go to waterwheel lock and not recognized. I tested all 3 of the switches there and they work, but game gets hung up and searches when it goes there sometimes. It will release it but has to search first...
You mean the left lock? We had problems with that, but after adjusting the switches (check for registration with a ball, and move it side to side - there's some slop for the ball, and the switch can not register if the ball leans when the roller for the switch isn't low enough to activate regardless of where the ball rests) we have no problems with that left 3 ball lock now.
Subway is still occasionally weird. Not sure if it's software losing the ball, or if there's some obstruction, but I intend to get a live camera down there to watch what's happening while playing. Ball search fixes it when it happens, but it's annoying to have to wait for ball search in the middle of a game.
Quoted from pinlawyer:Anybody know what mode makes the seance multiball go dark? I'm trying to figure out whether I have a bug or a feature.
I assume everyone has the "Trunk Multiball Locked" callout?
What do you mean "go dark"?
Quoted from pinlawyer:Lights go out, except for a few white lights on the pf
Never happened on the one here. There are ball management issues, especially with mixed/stacked modes, but we've never had that happen, and we've been in Séance mode (stacked and normal) many, MANY times. Sounds like an issue with yours.
Quoted from rosh:Okay so here is the scoop.
Ideally you want the power just strong enough to get it out and have it go past the sling right to the flipper. If you make it too weak, and it falls back, the scoop will fire it out stronger. The strength increases if it believes there is continue to be fallbacks, since there is the issue of a double or even triple stack in the scoop. So a rapid shots back into the scoop can result in a harder kickback. if you are finding it is hitting the top of the sling, you want to try to adjust, every so slightly the end of the flat rail. You can use a screw driver between the rail and the post to angle it out slightly. Sometimes the top of the scoop also needs to be either opened up or closed slightly to improve the flow.
Does it remember the harder power for the next time? It's just weird because without ball jam/stacks or successive fast scoop shots the power is changing for the kickout just on single ball kickouts. You can't count on how it's going to come out and where it will go. If it's a really hard one, it tries to fly straight down the middle, or it can hit the top of the sling, or it can come out at the "set" power and roll past the sling right to the flipper each time. The inconsistency is the frustrating part.
Quoted from rosh:From where I was standing (and boy was there a lot of standing), the overall reception was great. We had a line the entire time (both with our 4 and the 2 in other booths). I had people stopping me wherever I went during the show to dell me how much the enjoyed the game, loved the look, etc.
It's a great game, and really an astonishing effort for a year of work to be shipping this cool of a game with code more complete than any of the recent Sterns shipped with.
Quoted from Whysnow:I stopped to play the one at Cidercade last Thursday. It was super weak flippers (not possible to back hand the tight shots like others have suggested trying and left flipper barely able to make ramp).
Just mentioning since I told the bar tech and he said "that is how that game is". Assuming there is a power adjustment that you may want to tell them about.
Coils are DEFINITELY adjustable. Sounds like a poorly configured setup.
Quoted from Heretic_9:Just back from Arcade Expo 4.0 @ Banning, where I had a chance to play this. Only for 1 3-player / 3-ball game though, due to the lines waiting. Not sufficient to form an opinion on it, but at first exposure it does look impressive. (I have not had the opportunity to read this thread yet . . . ) One observation though: where it pauses to give you b.g. info on Houdini's career etc., this would absolutely slow things down to an intolerable crawl in tournament play -- *unless* there happens to be some menu settings that can suppress this feature.
There are menu settings to turn off exposition and hand-holding, but I haven't played with them yet to see if you can turn all this off. As it is now, it's nice while learning the game.
Quoted from mcbPalisade:I was watching a guy play when the machine went to some wonky mode where the flippers were backwards (press button to drop, release button to flip) and also switched side-to-side.
I'd pass on this behavior, annoying not innovating.
Theater of Magic is a machine about magic and they didn't have to do this to have a great game.
You can choose whether you want reversed or reversed and inverted. And the mode is meant to mimic Houdini in a straight jacket (you cross your arms to play). Makes WAY more sense than in Ghostbusters.
Quoted from transprtr4u:Side art came in yesterday !
Nicely packaged ....
DEFINITELY use the "wet method" to install them. The material is thinner than the Stern art blades and could tear much easier if you try to correct a mistake. Wet method install works perfectly and you don't have to remove the PF.
Quoted from bemmett:Anyone gotten or seen the magic glass yet? If so, comments on it?
I don't think it's available yet. Art blades are out now, magic glass up next, then shaker motor.
Quoted from Malibu-SS:Really? Can you install playfield down? or up? I did notice that they are not as wide as others and wondered about that
You want to have the PF up first, then lay the art blade in place wet with a generous amount of the soapy spray on the backing so you can slide it around and into place. Align it with the edge just below the glass channel and centered around the hole near the back of the cabinet, then get the bubbles out of the front part, then lower the playfield and pull it forward on the rests and get any bubbles out of the back part.
The Houdini art blades don't go below the top edge if the playfield, and they don't go to the front edge of the cabinet (stopping just after the apron meets the PF). Wet Method installation is maybe 10-15 minutes total for both blades.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Just like a JJP machine and (I think?) modern Sterns, the settings can adjust coil strength
Much more specific control of individual coils than most Sterns. More like JJP.
Quoted from pinballinreno:does the game come with coin mechs installed? If not then which coin mechs should I order for it?
Comes with coin mechs, but NOT a dollar bill acceptor. And bucking the recent trend toward 12v DBA, Houdini uses 110v DBAs.
Quoted from Kerry_Richard:I certainly hope Houdini playfields aren't switched to another vendor. The ones I've seen are beautiful, solid and amazing! I'm also saying this bcuz; I'm a future buyer of Houdini. Seems like a fair amount of time down the road and wouldn't want to get a different manufacture company's PF.
I'm very concerned with quality of others PF companies. Especially with issues noted with ghosting, planking and now a lot of noise about ribbing. Those PF's look BAD!
Don't forget chipping. Clear chipping is terrible, too, and more destructive than ribbing.
Quoted from PinballTilt:rosh is there any area of the playfield on your test games that are showing signs of wear? I'm wondering about putting Mylar on certain sections of the playfield such as over the magnets in order to keep the playfield nice longer.
We've got over 100 plays on it getting the kinks out and there's no sign of wear or chipping. At this point Dialed In had already chipped at the SIM card hole. There are actually mylar pieces (or clingy plastic, I haven't seen if they come up) on the playfield already. Look by the jail hole entrance.
Quoted from Ericc123:If we can just pretend I'm simple for a second what does 12V DBA and 110V DBA mean?
I gave you a clue by using the full term before abbreviating
Quoted from rosh:My understanding is that a playfield will be on its way to cliffy in the not too distant future, so for those of you who love cliffys . . .
Praise the Rosh.
Quoted from konjurer:Josh,
I have a odd request, Pinstadium basically has 2 channels One channel connects to GI and the stadium lighting follows what the GI is doing. The other channel you hook up to a flasher. I'm having a hard time finding an LED that operates like a flasher. The spots are on all the time. The stage spotlight is also on all of the most of the time. Can you think of a LED that us Pinstadium owners could use as the flasher channel? Otherwise, the flasher channel is pretty much useless.
The LED in the pops is the only other interesting location I can think of. What are the pins on the RGB LEDs? Is the left pin ground and then R-G-B? I'm guessing that there are a lot of Houdini's with Pinstadiums that are running into this issue.
The spotlight on the chest is treated like a flasher when the ball launch happens.
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:I don't think Houdini needs it personally. Bright white GI throughout, the back strip light for rear of game. Playing it at night, I feel its pretty bright.
Agree. It's lit very tastefully, and works in a dark room just fine. Brighter would ruin it.
Quoted from rosh:Hooking a third party modification to Houdini can void the warranty. In would therefore be inappropriate for me to provide direction or input on this subject.
Same thing on Spike2 now. According to Gomez the power budgets are so crap on Spike2, mods can blow node boards. Nice. What happened to building in a cushion?
Quoted from rosh:Hooking a third party modification to Houdini can void the warranty. In would therefore be inappropriate for me to provide direction or input on this subject.
W-wait. Is this just for electrical stuff, or will putting Cliffies on (before you start adding them at the factory <- nudge) void the warranty, too?
Quoted from rosh:If you damage your playfield putting on protectors, that is on you, but otherwise I do not believe it would impact the overall warranty coverage.
That's the important part. Thanks for the clarification.
Quoted from adamross:Thanks Eric, but I’m not sure what you mean.
Lift the playfield, loosen the screws holding the scoop assembly, turn the scoop so it faces a smidge more towards the apron, then tighten the screws again while holding the new position of the scoop in place.
Quoted from ZEUS:Anyone seeing this happen ? I've bent switch back a couple times as it continues to occur, and actually made sure it was slightly angled as to try and prevent the sideload or hitting at an angle. I believe that when it hits front Blue "A" to the right of it, it hits Green "E" at angle
Haven't seen it on the one here (yet), but I can see how it might happen.
Quoted from adamross:Anyone else experiencing inconsistencies with general coil strengths? Lower canon, scoop, flipper strength all seem to change from game to game.
The only one that varies that I've noticed is the scoop, and it's wildly inconsistent. Flippers, catapult, and VUK were all great once we got them dialed in. I think the trunk has missed once in hundreds of plays.
Quoted from PinballTilt:That's not currently an option in software? It needs to be, I was planning on adjusting it to make it easier until I get better at the layout
We didn't change them, but pretty sure there are options for adjusting the mode lengths.
Quoted from greenhornet:re: pinstadium lighting
all manufactures should add controlled lighting packages as standard.
.
Those pictures are massively exaggerated and represent your bad camera more than the reality of Houdini pf lighting, which is fine, as-is.
Quoted from RebelGuitars:Lots of modes are stackable. Starting Straight Jacket Escape multiball with reverse flippers, then starting SEANCE multiball is great. You can also stack Jail Escapes with Stage and Movie modes.
Indian Needle Trick and Séance is a great combo because INT mode is points for pretty much any switch, and multiball stacked with THAT is points-a-plenty!
King of Cards has an Extra Ball in it, too, very much like the Medallion in the Indy bar video mode.
Quoted from konjurer:On a related note, there needs to be more ball saves on the scoop kickout. I'm seeing a few SDTM ejects with no ball save. My KISS Gene Simmons head does that sometimes but there is always a ball save to protect against that situation.
That KISS Gene Eject ball save took about 2 years to show up.
Quoted from konjurer:Josh - hope you don't take these comments as too critical. I think the Houdini rules are one of the best rule sets I've ever played. Hopefully feedback makes the game better for beginner to intermediate players.
Another thing that could improve the game play is to make the "Add Time" shot provide more time or at least make it adjustable. By the time the ball is back under control I've just chewed through what little time was awarded to me. Houdini is very much a stop and go game. If Houdini was a great flow game you could bang out these modes. However, it takes time to get control and make these shots. Any shot to the middle and left of middle takes you into the bumpers. Once into the bumpers and the mode is essentially over.
I have a question for the Houdini players out there... has anyone completed the Milkcan Escape? That mode seems like it would be almost impossible to complete. One potential improvement could be a difficulty setting so that one (easy), two (medium) or three (difficult) milkcan shots are required. I think the mode would still need 3 shots to complete but with fewer milkcan loops for mere mortals. Hitting one on purpose is freaking hard enough!
I've completed it a few times. Knowing the left and right targets can complete one shot if the color is right helps a lot.
Quoted from adamross:I’ve never completed the milkman mode. In fact I find the shot near impossible to make. I also despise the card throand Inc video mode, it feels like it was an afterthought and just not fun to me in a game where everything else is!
I go for King of Cards video mode first thing to get an extra ball right off the bat.
Quoted from transprtr4u:Haven't seen the extra ball show up in the video mode...
I think it's the 4th refresh of the 25k ring. Not sure if it comes up later in the 10k ring. I usually just spam the 25k ring to get the extra ball and ignore the 10k ring.
Quoted from adamross:Would you mind explaining this in more detail? I wasn’t aware there was another way to complete this mode without hitting the loop?
The left and right targets that say "MAGIC" are color coded. Whatever color is lit in front of the target indicates what mode will be advanced just by hitting the target. For example, if the target's green, hitting it will advance the Jail Escape (which is the "green" mode). I think blue is the color for all the stage modes, which would be the milkcan escape. So hitting when they're that color counts as finishing the current shot needed for Milkcan mode. It's VERY helpful.
Quoted from PinballTilt:I highly suggest the little shop of games plastic protector set for Houdini to everyone. I've played maybe 5 games and already have a broken plastic at stock coil settings. The ball flew up behind the planchette, broke the plastic, and got stuck.
AP is working on a deflector to fix this ball trap. They're testing it now.
Quoted from PinballTilt:I also had an issue where the game wouldn't boot up. Both screens were blue and then the boot up never started until I power cycled
This is usually due to it not detecting one or both monitors properly. I had to check all connections again when it happened here and then it booted fine.
Quoted from konjurer:My lock shot quit working. The ball just sits in the catapult. When the ball search starts, it does fire the catapult and I get credit for lock but it really sucks to have to wait and no lighting effect either. Any thoughts as to what's going on? Seems to stuck be in a weird state.
Does the switch in the catapult saucer register in switch test with a ball (not your finger)? Sounds like the switch is not working so it doesn't know the ball is there.
Quoted from drummermike:My scoop coil is not consistent. I have been changing it from 7 through 9. It is on 8 right now.
This is a software issue that just needs to be figured out over time. As it is now, the scoop eject power is wildly inconsistent, even when you know there's only one ball in the subway so no chance of a lockup or jam requiring more power to kick out.
Quoted from Rush1169:Are Houdini’s ready to ship from distributors? I want one, but just want to call, pay, and play within a week. . .
As far as I know, all known distributors have lists of waiting buyers that stretch back to last year. It will be hard to get instant gratification for a while unless you're willing to pay more to buy off someone in the front of the line.
Quoted from konjurer:Tested the VUK switch a few times and it works - when the ball is in the VUK it lights up. I've rebooted the machine several times and no difference.
Next time it goes dead there, open the coin door while in the game and go straight to the switch test and see if the switch is registering. I don't think it's software because we haven't had this issue at all. Is this always a 1 or 2 player game (we haven't played more than a 2 player game)?
Quoted from konjurer:Thanks vireland for the help. The VUK is firing. So that makes me think the VUK switch is fine. When the ball gets into the catapult its just not firing the catapult. I'll have to check to see if there is an opto or some other switch in the catapult... I didn't think so but I may have overlooked it.
One player game. But I haven't tried two player to see of it happens in 2 player. It started failing in the middle of a mode.
Each of the catapults has a switch in the "spoon". That's the part you need to adjust, repair, or replace. The switch trigger is the silver part in the "spoon" of the catapult in each of these pictures.
Quoted from PinballTilt:Can we get an adjustment for hold voltage on the flippers? I'm really getting sick of losing the ball because the s-e-a targets bounce back with such force that it pushes the flipper down and drains. I also noticed that changing the stage to do the kick out doesn't work on my game. Now i see two balls in there and it still kicks out the scoop (I was attempting to have it kick out the stage so less chance of the sdtm from the scoop)
One of the balls you see in the stage is "an illusion". It's not a loose, playable ball, but part of the assembly and the "magic".
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Its a bummer to share that magic, but indeed fake ball there in mech.
You can see it in test mode by opening curtain and run that coil in test.
I learned it firsthand trying to diagnose a stage problem. While running through the tests, I thought a ball had gotten magnetized - REALLY MAGNETIZED because I couldn't budge it out of the stage - until I counted and realized it was an "extra" ball and part of the mech.
Quoted from PinballTilt:Thank you for your suggestions Josh. Good to hear that you are still making improvements. I'll give them a try tonight.
Is there an option to enable restart of a game if the first ball did not go as planned? I use this frequently on Williams and stern games in a home environment, but it didn't work when I tried it on Houdini yesterday.
Open coin door, go to menu, exit menu. Start next game. We got quite good at it.
Quoted from rosh:As a reminder, current code version is 18.2.27 (18.2.25 is basically the same unless you use 5 ball play). You can see what version you are running during boot up and by going to the API Cockpit (service menu).
Any ETA on the next code release?
Quoted from CUJO:I must be the lucky one with #77 as I have only had two ball drains from the scoop in over 120 3-ball games.
There has also been very few ball scoop ejects that haven't made it out on the first try...
Looking forward to some kind of MATCH feature..hopefully...
And the catapult accuracy has been pretty darn good too. I'd say over 90% of making the trunk shot.
Our catapults have been like 99.9% accurate, but the scoop is a different story. Wild fluctuations in power on the eject.
Quoted from rosh:I expect to button it up and start some 'field testing' by end of next week. Hard part is drawing a line in the sand and stopping adding/fixing/modifying things. Maybe if you guys stopped asking for stuff I'd be able to do that.
Give us whatcha got and then we can start this dance all over again.
Quoted from mcbPalisade:If you have PinRemote™ you don't need the key to open the coin door. Just your cell phone and the operator PIN...
Turning the key is cheaper and fast enough.
Quoted from JIM_Z:The developing reputation has me thinking of canceling my order......I'm an average player at best and don't think frustration equals fun.
It's plenty fun. If you suck at making the shots, you'll activate plenty of SEANCE multiball, which is entertaining in and of itself.
Quoted from konjurer:This is what I'm worried about! This is what some influential podcasters are saying. I thought it worth mentioning here.
JIM_Z, it is a freaking awesome game. It is not Ghostbusters brutal. It is not unfair. I never feel robbed. You are going to brick shots until you start getting the shots dialed in. The good news is that while the game is very challenging, it is very forgiving in other areas. The layout is tough but Balcer really designed a cool game.
That's a great comparison. Ghostbusters is frustrating. Houdini is not anywhere near that level of frustration.
Quoted from rosh:Yes. I listen to all feedback and give thought to it. Sometimes I will react right away and change things, sometimes I let it simmer to see if it makes sense to me and/or how it might make sense to do it, and sometimes I just throw it in the bit bucket. You will have to wait until the next release notes are published to see what I've done with the various 'input' that I've gotten.
New code still coming late next week?
Quoted from mcbPalisade:No Loctite(r) on switch screws? Add a shaker and it will disassemble itself in short order. And other things. Sorry A-P but these are objective observations.
Just my $0.02 of course
Stern isn't doing loctite on many (most?) of their screws, either. It's not like this is some huge industry standard and AP is bucking the trend.
I hate Star Trek LE. Isn't fun. Usually I know in a few minutes. Does that invalidate all the people who love it? No.
Quoted from rosh:Shaker motors being installed for machines that will be at MGC. Should be available to order shortly thereafter. Takes four screws to mount to existing T-nuts, 2 screws to put the lid on and then the cable plugs into an existing board a foot or so away.
Cost, shipped?
Quoted from pinden007:Will this game ever be available - or available this year - NIB without a wait?
Someone is (was?) selling theirs on the marketplace for what they had into it.
EDIT: Looks like WAS selling. Sold in one day:
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/archive/62331
Quoted from bigd1979:Report on fb of one of these catching fire at level 257? Anyone hear about this?
Ruh-roh.
Quoted from cleland:Can anyone confirm if the threads on the leg bolts are the same as regular type like Stern?
https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3391
While I see the Allen Head type they use fits with the theme, I would rather use regular types with nylon bushings.
Go with the ones they provide. Look much better on this cabinet then standard leg bolts.
Quoted from cleland:Thanks Rosh. Last question, so are the bolts same diameter so I can use nylon bushings on the stock Houdini ones? That would be cool.
Pretty sure they are. I just grabbed some out of the parts bin (black ones) and they worked fine. Nylon bushings are pretty much mandatory since the coating is kind of fragile compared to normal powdercoating.
Quoted from cleland:Thanks for confirming, I'm going to order up some black ones from Pinball Life.
Ace hardware has them if you have one of those. Pretty much any good hardware store should have them. They're in the section of the store with all the drawers with miscellaneous screws, nuts, fittings, etc. That's where I get mine (black and white, both).
Quoted from MT45:I had mine shipped with art blades and they are just perfect.
Be VERY careful raising and lowering the PF with those art blades. They're much more paper-like than the Stern official ones and snag/tear VERY easily if something on either PF edge drags.
Quoted from CUJO:LLoyd,
Found it! Works now when I pass something like a ball or my finger between the optos now.
I guess I just haven't had any balls make it from the upper catapult past that opto recently or at all.
My lower catapalt never was missing the truck so unless it misses and falls into the upper catapalt, I assume that is the only job that upper catapalt has to do, is to get the ball back into play?
Upper catapult is used when you've activated a film. You hit the trunk shot after F-I-L-M is active and instead of putting the ball in the subway, it sends it back to you via the upper catapult.
Quoted from rosh:Update on the smoke. We had someone go out to assess things and everything was operating correctly. Since we knew something happened, I took a trip out and we checked the resistance on the coils and did find one slightly out of spec. Once it was removed we could see that the wrapper had partially burned, so we replaced the coil. What is nice is that having all coils using a connector, it easy to test the coils out of circuit. After reviewing the logs, etc. it appears that Roger's violent play resulted in him tilting at just the right half second window where a missing flag in the code tied to a particular switch resulted in the diverter not being properly released when the tilt occurred. The code has being corrected and is being tested now, and will be in the next release.
I don't know if the P3ROC you're using gives you this level of granularity, but a watchdog system like Stern is using in Aerosmith (and I assume all Spike/2) would be nice to prevent these issues:
(From Aerosmith update readmes):
- Added support for dynamic detection and isolation of overcurrent coils or
LEDs. Previous behavior would disable all coils and LEDs for 1/2 second each
time a short was detected. New behavior will determine the short coil and/or
LED and disable only the offender.
- Added tech alert for overcurrent coils and LEDs on node boards. New
diagnostic test to retest node board and report with coils/LEDs are drawing
too much current. Excessive current draw could be the result of a shorted
coil, an incorrect replacement LED/incandescent bulb, shorted light socket,
et cetera
- Every 15 minutes during attract mode overcurrent coils/led will be rechecked
and returned to service if operating correctly.
Quoted from FtrMech:Changing subjects a bit, are there any plans for a Séance out-hole protector...does anyone think it is needed? Seems to get a lot of hits in that area both coming and going. Are there any other protectors needed for the playfield?
It looks like it has a mantis-style one in there already, but I'd prefer a cliffy that covers the top edges, too. They were supposed to send Cliff a playfield, not sure if they did or not.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Is the protector too low?
It should be even with the playfield or only 1/64" or less below the surface.
Beveled holes make that impossible.
Quoted from Ericc123:So new question. I’ve had a ball get stuck against this stop several times now. I’m not sure how it’s getting there but when it does the stop and the far left pop bumper just keep going off but the ball doesn’t shake lose. I have to stop the game every time to take the glass off to get the ball out. Any ideas?
This happens on the one here sometimes when a fast ball hits the plastic post, then bounces back, then rolls forward too slowly to trigger the switches (there are three above the ball lane). It used to do it a lot more, but I adjusted the switch leaf so they broke easier even if the ball rolled slowly. You want it so the switch barely breaks when the ball passes under it. The one in your pic is hanging a little too low and needs to be bent up a bit.
Quoted from LTG:Excellent. I missed the switch in the picture.
LTG : )
Don't feel bad. I missed it, too, on the Houdini here. When we first got it and were having problems with the locks there, I didn't know there were three suspended switches on TOP and was having a hard time figuring out how to approach the problem. Once I "discovered" the switches, it made it a snap to get it all working right.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Went to my favorite downtown Pinball location (Lyman’s Tavern in DC) and Houdini is down... looks like a problem with the pop bumper. I has a sad...
Doing its best Phantom of the Opera opening impression.
Quoted from bobukcat:Anyone else experiencing random Multiballs when there shouldn't be one? It's happened to me twice so far and then the game seems to kinda lose track of where balls are for a while. I'm also experiencing randomly weak flippers, usually the right one but sometimes the left as well. It usually only happens for a single flip but I had a really good Trunk MB going in the Elephant mode and the right flipper got REALLY weak for about 10 seconds then snapped back to life. It would be a really good way of messing with you even further if this was intended behavior at times but I don't think it is.
Yes. Ball management is currently "magical" and I'd say the game can add (and subtract) balls at any time, for any reason, based on my play. It's not super-frequent, but it does lose track of balls.
I think Josh said the weak coil thing was related to the P3ROC and they're working on addressing it. I've noticed it a smidge, but it's pretty minor for us.
Quoted from Mayboyz:Hi all
I would love to see Lloyd Olsen doing tech support for this company.
He is always there to help 7 days a week.
He is a legend in this business and he would be a great asset for American pinball tech support
So let’s all try and get Lloyd to do tech support for American pinball.
What do you say!!!!!!1
That would be great, but pretty sure the AP guys are undead. They answer tech support stuff at all hours and even on the Lord's Day.
Quoted from konjurer:Not telling you where the ball is coming from adds to the fun, challenge and theme of the game. Maybe that is a proposal for a feature setting. I wouldn’t want it set on though.
If the ball management were consistent (not losing or adding balls at times), the magic ball misdirection might be fun, but as it is, it's irritating. I think it will get there, but it's not fully baked yet.
Quoted from ElectricLou:Hi
I just got my Houdini yesterday. It looks incredible.
I have a problem with the API Theatre. I knock it 3 times, the curtains open but when the ball enters, it stucks inside the hole between the fake ball and the subway. The game stall and nothing happens. I have to wait for the fake ball motor to release it without starting the mode.
I searched a solution to test the ball motor without success. Any idea?
Thanks
Lou
Run the stage calibration in the utilities.
Quoted from Pale_Purple:I've looked around but haven't found much, what is the magic glass? I think this would be a great home game and I'm considering getting one later this year.
Invisiglass = Magic Glass. Glare reduction and better visibility.
Quoted from pinden007:Are there any settings on pop bumper sensitivity? There were a lot of times tonight where the ball bumps into the bumper put no action.
Also had lots of air balls. Can the targets be adjusted to cut down on those?
Pop Bumpers:
Adjust the leaf switches under the pop bumpers closer together (but not touching).
Airballs:
Turn your flipper strength down. We have the one here set at 21 right and left and it's plenty strong enough for everything. Might go down to 20 before long.
Quoted from transprtr4u:Also adjustable in the settings menu, however I adjusted one of the leaf switches on mine as well!
The Pop bumper settings menu isn't for sensitivity, it's for strength - how hard it pulls down when triggered. If they were having trouble with the pop bumper triggering, that wouldn't help the core problem, and it would put more wear and tear on the machine faster.
Quoted from BladeFury:After the crappy news on the JJPPOTC, I'm so excited to get my Houdini Wednesday!
Software is really coming along, too. There's now a "player's choice" card option in the Magic shop hat now that lets you pick your mode at the stage and the skill shot has different rewards for the target you hit. Some new "gag" pulls from the hat, too.
Quoted from BladeFury:That's great to hear! I bought the game because its beautiful and challenging bought a pinsiders game that he received off the truck last week then the next day my shipping company picked it up and shipping to me. Bought to have something now as I waited for JJPPOTC and after news today I'm glad i did and also not looking good that i will be staying in on my CE but time will tell...Excited for my Houdini
The people that call Houdini hard need to spend more time with it. It's definitely a challenge, but I wouldn't call it hard. And there are funny things here and there, like when you do really well collecting jackpots, the callouts get more frantic until you get a "Holy <bleep>!" in a manic voice. Really cracked us up the first time it happened, and generates a smile even now.
Quoted from BladeFury:Awesome anything straight away to check out of box?
The unpack checklist Houdini ships with is pretty spot-on. Basically just check coil strength for the lower catapult (that shoots to the chest), the upper VUK (that feeds to the lower catapult- it should BARELY make it up the VUK so the ball is slow enough not to fall off near the end), and the upper catapult (again, so it's slow enough that it barely makes it into the upper wireform that feeds to the right flipper). Maybe turn the ball serve to the shooter lane coil down and the flipper coils set to 21 or 20. They were a smidge too strong on ours and caused too many airballs until we turned them down. There's also a ball trap on the right side that AP is making a diverter for. No idea if it's done and shipping with the new pins or still coming, but if you get an airball on the right, the ball can get stuck under and to the left of the Spirit pointer.
If you're putting it on a route and install a dollar bill acceptor, note that it will be a pain to close the coin door because the DBA hits the coin box unless you push the front edge down slightly (like 1/8" - it's that close to being right) as you close the door. This is because the cabinet for this and AfMr are slightly out of spec to the small side (hence the plastic lockdown bar "bumpers" on the inside sides of the lockdown bar of AfMr to keep the lockdown bar centered because it's too big for the slightly-too-small-for-standard-Bally/Williams parts cabinet). It's an annoyance, but I blame Churchill for that since they knew they had a problem with AfMr and didn't correct it before they made the Houdini cabs.
Quoted from FtrMech:Just a cool observation...looking at my POTO and the Art blades on Houdini...it is safe to say that the Phantom was a "Magician" as well...
I think on Houdini the stuff on the art blades is traditional theatre plays and shows, and Phantom of the Opera fits in that box.
Quoted from monte_:I played about 20-25 games today at an arcade today. I found 2 shots to be extremely difficult, the milk jug and the lock loop for the chest. I feel like the lock loop for you have to have not only some skill but some luck. I want to know if it is really that hard even after you have played the game a couple hundred times. I had no games where i got 3 balls into the lock mechanism and to get into milk jug was luck. I guess you have to be perfect off the end of the right flipper. Someone post and let me know. I was thinking of purchasing it. Anyone unhappy with the purchase because it is too challenging or like with any pinball machine it gets easier as you play it more?
Lock lane is not that bad once you spend enough time with it. It reminds me of the KISS right ramp. More psychological than actually hard.
Milk can shot is demonically hard IMO. I still can't make that on demand. I tend to just start Seance multiball when I need to hit the milkcan lane and then just keep lobbing balls that direction OR just keep hitting the magic targets hoping to complete it that way with a lucky color draw.
Still one of my favorite pins. I like the pace of the machine, but it will be better when more stuff is flipper cancellable.
Quoted from drummermike:I have had my Houdini for about a month now. I have played it almost exclusively since I got it. It does get easier. I have gotten 3 balls into the trunk a few times. Usually only 2 though. The shot under the milk jug is still hard. It goes in by luck mostly. The only problem I have now is still the séance VUK. It is set to 7 now. Sometimes it will take 4 tries to get the ball out. It will work on the first try about 90%. Twice the ball has fallen off the right rail and down to the out lane. May need to set the coil a bit stronger so the ball goes around faster or need to bend the rail up more.
Check your subway opto assembly (the one that has 3 senders and receivers on each side of the trough leading up to the scoop VUK under the PF) and make sure the screws for it haven't come loose from the PF (from vibration or whatever) letting it hang a little too low.
Quoted from Bartzenegger:Hi does anyone what shipping timeframe is? I have not payed or reserved it yet?
Thx
There's quite a line ahead of you. Probably Late Summer or early Fall 2018 if you put a deposit in now. However, a few have popped up in the marketplace from people who wanted out what they had into it, so you could buy your way to the front if you pay full list and/or a little more.
Quoted from mcbPalisade:This level of tuning required to make the game playable suggests that a barcade machine will never be tuned correctly. They just don't want to take it offline. They might not know how to tune it anyway.
It would probably be fun to play in a home venue where the owner took this level of attention to get it working correctly.
Barcade, no. But there's one at a location I help with in a bar and we've got it dialed in pretty well. It's running neck and neck with AfMrLE, even beating it some days, so I'd say people like it. Tilt is very permissive to keep it friendly to play. Basically if you have an operator that cares, you'll be fine with it.
Quoted from mcbPalisade:I think the game was designed to be of the ultimate difficulty and that's why I don't play or own it. Nice to look at though.
If that was the intent, they failed. The game is challenging, but nowhere NEAR "ultimate difficulty."
Quoted from lodgingdolphin:I just installed the new code and played a few games. During those games I started the needle trick stage mode twice and both times it kicked out two balls. I thought that was just a one ball mode.
Check your subway mechanism leading up to the Seance scoop (it's the metal one with three IR receivers and three senders on it that goes over the plastic subway leading up to the scoop VUK under the PF). If it comes loose from the PF, it hangs too low and messes up the IR sensors so the game does lots of weird things, including launching lots of "surprise multiballs".
Quoted from Join_The_Cirqus:rosh helping a friend try to update the code on his new Houdini and keep getting this
Can you help?
Followed the instructions exactly
Thanks!!
If it didn't say it was "updating code" first, you didn't copy the pkg file to the root directory of the USB correctly (it also has to be named exactly the same as AP designated, no "copy" or "(1)" or other things appended to the name).
Quoted from Join_The_Cirqus:Figured out the issue
File named itself
Houdini-gamecode (1).pkg due to the previous update in my downloads called Houdini-gamecode.pkg
Changed the file name on the zipdrive back to Houdini-gamecode.pkg and the update worked
Yeah, you might want to create a dated directory for each update so that doesn't happen.
Quoted from hank527:When are shakers available?
Seems like a week or two. Very close.
Quoted from CUJO:Got my code updated without a hitch.
Love that monkey match at the end of game!
I haven't come across any new "bad hat tricks" yet...
These are the joke pulls so far:
Angry Racoon - GotG
Cell Phone - Dialed In
Green Alien - Attack From Mars
Ghost - Spooky Logo
Hair Metal Rocker - General Music pins
Melted Sta-Puft head - Ghostbusters
Pirate - jjPOTC
TNA Logo - TNA
Any others to add, not on the list?
Quoted from Ericc123:Pirate - JJP POTC
I don't think I've seen the pirate pull! I'll add it to the list. Be funnier if it pulled the cut jjPotC playfield map rings out.
Quoted from Yelobird:Mr Josh. With high hopes of finally getting my machines next week (Finally!!) long ago you mentioned doing some updated light show animations and wondered if that was done or still in the works? Seemed like the only thing missing though not all that important just a nice finishing touch. Just curious.
There's still a lot of light work left to do to really polish it up, IMO. I'm sure it's on the list.
Quoted from rosh:Tragedy plus Time equals Humor, while not sure I would call it a tragedy, clearly some feel that way, I felt it was a little too soon (both for those with deposits and JJP), so . . .
I can wait until the next update.
Quoted from pinden007:How specifically do you earn each letter of Houdini? How do you earn extra balls other than getting lucky on the shop?
Thanks.
Extra balls can be earned with score (default is 500k) and there's one in King of Cards mode by hitting the back ring 4 times (it's similar to the Indy medallion video mode in that way). I always go for that first for an easy extra ball. There's also an awarded extra ball somewhere in gameplay, but I'm not sure what did it, maybe the magic targets. I think there's one on the rotating awards of the skill shot in the latest software now, too.
Quoted from bobukcat:I definitely have a problem with the game not recognizing that a second ball gets shot into the scoop when it already has one locked down there. I was in an Escape hurry up with Man From Beyond running, hit the scoop by accident and it just sat there and timed out both my Escape and Film Mode. I pulled the logs and then went into switch test, it shows the scoop as being closed but I don't see a 2nd scoop opto listed (didn't look real close yet either). Is anyone else experiencing similar issues? I'm going to call A.P. on Monday and see what they say but if anyone has any suggestions (other than don't put two balls in the scoop, lol) before then I'm all ears.
Check your subway opto assembly leading up to the VUK for the scoop. There are 4 screws. If the assembly has come loose and dropped low, it will cause all sorts of weird behavior, including what you are seeing.
Quoted from LTG:I don't have one to check. But can you look in there and see a second switch ( opto ) ? Or go into switch test and toss in a ball and watch screen then toss in a second and see if anything triggers ?
The screen has switch names, check the list for one too.
LTG : )
I think those optos are referred to as "Right Lock" 1, 2, 3. Here you go...
Quoted from Sidekick74:Listening to STDM Overview and missed the turquoise color code for below. Any help would be great.
• Escape = Green
• Movie = Blue
• Pink = Secret Missions
• Teal = Séance
• Turquoise =
Tim
Isn't Turquoise and Teal very similar, maybe the same color?
Quoted from Rferullo:Blades - The American Pinball store has interior art blades. Has anyone installed them? Is it hard to lift the playfield out enough? I'll bet it's VERY heavy.
DEFINITELY use the wet method to install them. They're more paper-like than the Stern official art blades (which are closer to arcade console overlay material) and can tear easier if you make a mistake trying it dry. If you use the wet method, they're a snap to install and get looking great without removing the playfield.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I didn’t follow whether or not you had your game yet, but just get them installed at the factory if you can- they cost the same either way.
We got one of the early ones, so there was no option for pre-installation because they didn't exist yet. If you use the wet method, they're really a snap to install. So, either way.
Quoted from bobukcat:Cool, looks like there's one in my goodie bag too, haven't opened it yet. Speaking of that, what's the board with the switches and ribbon cable in there for? I noticed it when unboxing and I think I've read the answer somewhere but I'm feeling too lazy to look for it right now.
The board is to adjust the mini-lcd they use for the marquee.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I know you got yours early I was talking to Rferullo
Haha! Quoting me made that not so obvious.
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:I never mentioned the amazing attention to detail under playfield. Beautifully crafted, wire harness, assemblies, and every coil has a socket molex connector, no soldering.
Just clean and nice in cabinet.
Each coil having a molex connector is FANTASTIC. EVERYONE needs to move to this model for coils.
The wiring harness, not so much. It's super clean, but not much thought was given to servicing the machine. If you have to change out the stage, for example, you have to cut out a metric ton of zipties and open up a major wire "artery" to get wires freed that go to a connector on the opposite side of the playfield. If those were a "sub bundle" in the main bundle that you can free with just a few zip tie cuts, it would be much friendlier for service. As it is now, it LOOKS great, but isn't that friendly if you need to replace something with lots of wires going to it (like the stage).
Powdercoating the service rails was also wasted money. It looks fantastic, but it's not durable, so it ends up looking much rattier than a regular steel set of service rails with chips and scratches in the coating pretty quickly. More heavy-duty service rails with no powder coating would have been better.
The last two are pretty nit-picky complaints, though. It's unbelievable that this is AP's first game and it was cranked out from scratch in a little more than a year. Lots of good things ahead if they keep up this pace.
Quoted from CUJO:Enjoying my new Houdini but random balls keep hopping up and getting stuck behind the Seance planchete on top of the plastic.
American Pinball? Got a fix or suggestion on this one?
I've probably getting a ball stuck there on every 2-3 games...
Turn your flipper coil power down to 20 or 21. That's plenty to play the game and eliminate most airballs.
And they're working on a diverter for that specific ball trap and have been testing for more than a month.
Quoted from luvthatapex2:I'm curious. Why would you want to turn off the skillshot?
His name is NOT Pingod, note. Perhaps he's tired of being berated by the machine for having "no skill"?
Seems like a weird request on a pinball machine, I agree.
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Haven't had time to comment on this one.
Day one, unboxing several pinheads from my area were over for the big day. Service rails came right up on topic in first 15 min game was plugged in while we were under hood checking things out. Why would they do this (AP)? Immediately an operator here in so cal for many, many years commented how smart that was...SAFETY YELLOW. Now he commentented how many times he's bumped his head on these rails for years.
Never had a second thought about them and think it was a smart thing to do.
They were powder coated for safety. Durability I don't think is an issue, there service rails, i actually think they are pretty durable and I have no flaking paint or scratches on mine.
I've had the playfield up and down more than most due to some issues requiring replacements of parts in the first month, so maybe I'm just seeing Houdini service rails future in an accelerated fashion, but trust me, that coating is not durable...at all. It's just not a great fit for something that rests on somewhat sharp edges and can slide. For a location pin? I would rather have had more sturdy steel rails for the same price. It is pretty, though.
Quoted from spfxted:If they were made out of solid 18K gold someone would complain....
If they were 18k gold, I would have to make a cost/benefit graph. Definitely.
Quoted from mbelofsky:Sorry if this has already been reported. Ball went out right outlane with “escape death” on. Ball saved. I plunged ball. It said “spell escape to avoid death.” While trying to hit the letters, I opened the stage. The ball went into the stage while counting down and just sat there. After the count down, the ball stayed there until ball search and was released. Flippers did not work so ball ended and game over. I am using the latest code.
Pretty sure I reported this bug or one very much like it. The stage optos aren't being checked enough when it's not expecting a ball to be in there. They need to be polled a LOT more for this case, and also when the stage is broken and the curtain won't close.
Quoted from Frogman:Love the machine, hate that callout. Frequent and not clever or humorous.
I think they're recording more callouts to switch it up. But even if they aren't, I'd be fine with only calling something bitchy out occasionally and leaving some misses silent. I also made the suggestion to put in some encouraging callouts when you make the shot. There's nothing now. Even Satan will congratulate you when you make a skill shot or a sweep the targets in Iron Maiden. If he can do it, anyone can.
Quoted from konjurer:Minor compliant but yes it is getting old quickly. I think it doesn’t need to play each time you miss. Or more variety where every comment was not a jab.
Sure, that can work, too. A "practice makes perfect", "you'll get it next time", or "if you think that's hard, you should try illusions." occasionally when you miss would be welcome.
Quoted from hawkmoon:OK,lots of second thoughts going on! Whats the deal??Are the shots just to tight? I've heard about the flow,some saying its slow go and requires you to hit targets in sequence? PinballTilt is out,any thoughts??
Definitely a slower pace, but I like that variety. Huge contrast going between Houdini and Iron Maiden, but they're goth good in different ways.
Quoted from rosh:Here is a small update with some fixes for the issues you guys have been reporting. Still working on tracking down a few race conditions with multiballs.
Thanks! Any idea when the filenames will be changed to include the date/version?
Quoted from foxtj24:The filename is the date
No, the filename is "houdini-gamecode.pkg" - no date or version. They're all named the same thing right now, but Josh has said they were transitioning to having the version/date in the filename as is standard with everyone else.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Its the same as with the JJP updates, You can name the zip file whatever you want but the actual package after unzipping will have the same real name.
I have to be super careful and put new unzipped updates in their own folder with a proper folder name for them so I can keep track.
The only trouble I have had is when I pick up a flash drive with a file on it, I dont have any idea what version it is from the name.
I use version dated folders for all downloaded updates, but having the version and/or date IN the filename for the update would be very useful.
Quoted from adamross:Does anyone else experience random multi-balls without any proper MB call-outs? It's almost as if balls are randomly added to my playfield without being in a MB. Wondering if there's something wrong with my game..
Check under the PF in the area before the scoop VUK on the right. If that U shaped assembly (that has 3 optos and 3 receivers) that goes over the subway trough leading up to the scoop VUK has come loose from the playfield, it drops low and causes the optos to behave weird, resulting in what we came to call "surprise multiballs" like you're describing. Once I tightened it back up to the playfield, these went away for us.
Quoted from adamross:Thanks for the tip Vireland. I assume you're referring to this assembly? If so, it feels really secure. Do the optos dictate how many balls are sent onto the playfield? The issue has become pretty consistent now, happening every game.
Yeah, that looks pretty secure. I know the earlier builds were losing track of balls a LOT, but the newer is a LOT better. Are you running 4/27 code? Also, have you checked all the optos to make sure they register correctly in switch test mode? You can test the optos on that assembly you pictured by sliding a piece or paper between the metal and the opto so you don't have to take the assembly off to test it. I'd check all your switches to make sure they work right.
Then, once you've established that, I'd do a glass off test in switch test mode where you hit the PF with the palm of your hand to see if any trigger from vibration (which would also cause issues).
Quoted from HOOKED:Anyone else noticed the naked girl in the window on the center plastic? Noted it today when i was toying with a mod placement.
Yep. Cracked me up. Those AP jokers.
Quoted from BarryJ:There is 1 more to find,not as easy as the first.
Internally they're referred to as "Penthouse" and "Hustler". For obvious reasons "Hustler" had to be more...obscured.
Quoted from Insanity199:I experienced a lot of airballs. Balls bouncing in catapult shot, jumping onto wire forms and even jumping over flipper or outlanes. Maybe it is due to excessive flipper power however, I wonder if the shots I could make would be more difficult if flipper powers was reduced.
Airballs are likely too much flipper power. You can dial it back to 21 (or even 20) which stops most airballs and allows you to still hit everything fine.
Quoted from rosh:We just got this 'cliffy' for the Seance Scoop to test out, will be installed in my dev game shortly so we can see how it fits . . .
Excellent. Will these be standard on AP machines like JJP Dialed In?
Quoted from rosh:As of now these will not be included as standard equipment.
Quoted from Manimal:Got my box of magic today...but in true Houdini fashion, nothing is as simple at it seemed. Through a completely understandable error, my pin made the trip from Chicago to Colorado and back to Chicago before finally showing up here in Kansas. Lol. Working on the setup tonight and will fire her up tomorrow. With that said, I found these 3 fasteners rolling around in the cabinet, which is understandable, given the miles it traveled. Does anyone know where they belong? And should i look for another before firing up? Thanks.
They're off the coin door. One top, one bottom on each of the two coin acceptor mechs.
Quoted from Yelobird:One non complaint observation I wanted to share having Houdini for just a few days. The play and features of the game are Very power sensitive!! On day one I tested the game and the catapult was missing by a few inches. No issue one bump of coil setting and it’s spot on. The next day playing my wife decided to play CV and turn on one of the slot machine. Catapult way low now and it won’t even pop it up the wire ramp. Dial it up just one again and perfect. Shut off CV and Bam it’s practically hitting the back box! Just an observation especially those that have shared concerns playing at location spots where some or many games may be in use. Just Starting a second or third pin would cause the Houdini to act poorly from VUK to flippers etc. not sure I ever seen this temperament in any game before but thought I would share for others as these hit home/field arcades.
Seems like maybe your house wiring is struggling to deliver consistent power? We have Houdini where 3 pins are sharing one outlet 24/7 and it has no problems. Catapult has 100% success and flippers are strong...
Quoted from Yelobird:I have 3 dedicated 20 amp breakers to the game room also. You can typically run 4-5 machines on a 20 amp circuit. Not so much in my opinion with Houdini. In testing, if I run 2 machines of my 12 (seen someone else prior make this observation) if you hold the flipper up in an attempt to dead catch it will basically knock the flipper down just with ball hit. Also have odd volume issues raising and lowering on both machines though I’m not sure if that’s power related. Just for fun we turned on Star Wars, Hoidini, and CV and the Hoidini catapult barely made it half way. I can only turn it up if I Know that the other games will be in operation or it ball over trunk time. Finicky fella this Houdini. Think I’m learning why pinball machines always had so many monster capacitors for so many years. Makes sense now.
I'd put a multimeter on the outlet with the machines going in that situation to see if you're getting consistent base voltage.
Quoted from Yelobird:Ok I can do that thought I fairly certain with the 100amp service that room has never had an issue but I can check again. In turn, I would ask if you could dial you Hoidini in and fire up those other 2 machine (running not GI lighting) IE playing all three as friends come over and let me know if that doesn’t change your Houdini capabilities. Then for fun turn them off and only run Houdini. I suspect it will be different?
I adjusted the catapult at my house and played it for a week with no other pins on that circuit in the garage. Brought the pin to the location with the other pins and didn't have to adjust any of the coils. Worked the same with 3 pins on one plug as it had at home when it was the only pin in the garage. At the location, there are many cases where all three pins are being played at the same time and no issues with Houdini's catapult or flippers that I've seen.
Quoted from Yelobird:Thanks Virland, always value your input. I will keep an eye on maybe it’s just breaking in. Just wanted to share an observation for others that have made comments about inconsistencies in play from location to location.
I'd definitely use a multimeter to check the voltage on your outlet with Houdini under load. If that's dropping low it can cause what you describe...
Quoted from rosh:Just repeating this since there seems to be some confusion. This is a product that Cliffy is making and he will be selling. Because of requests from many of you, we have been working with him by providing him a playfield and then checking what he has made to make sure it is going to fit correctly. There are NO plans to provide these from the factory or to include them.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Game still rules. I wouldn't complain about a bit of polish on the light show (a la LEDOCD type slow-fade-in lamp control) but having a blast... Catapult missed 2nd time it launched... and not since. Bad. ass.
Aerosmith could take some ball launch consistency tips from Houdini, for sure.
Quoted from lodgingdolphin:Had my longest game yet tonight, but still a few letters away from spelling Houdini.
On the new 5.4 software?
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Has Rosh posted the brand new code yet?
Scroll up a few. Link is here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/american-pinball-houdini-thread/page/71#post-4380002
Quoted from Ilushka85:I have a switch error showing as red for trunk. Not trunk lid. How do I test this ?tried sticking my hand in trunk and no luck.
There's a diverter under the trunk that dictates where the ball goes. Is there an opto or physical switch on the underside of the PF for that? (Not sure, I haven't looked closely back there).
Quoted from rosh:Its an opto in the subway, so tricky to test, manually hold the diverter then drop the ball down into the subway. It not registering, check to see if either side of the opto has popped out of its bracket
You can't just slide a piece of paper or business card between the opto and the channel while in switch test mode? That's what I usually do.
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:I could swipe my finger through it.
Not knowing where the opto was, I assumed that would be hard if it's inside the subway pressed against the underside of the PF. I know for the ones by the scoop on the right using paper to trigger them is easiest.
Quoted from Ilushka85:Is there a way to adjust the center position of lock down bar ? Mine sticks out way to right side ?
Thank Churchill Cabinet for that. AfMr has the same problem. CGC just glued little plastic bumpers on each side inside to keep the bar centered on AfMr. I just used weatherstripping foam on the one we have. Hopefully next CGC/AP game Churchill gets their cab dimensions right.
Quoted from Ilushka85:Where do you put these pieces ? Can you show me? It seems only thing I can do is not latch the bar 100 percent and then it’s centered
I'll try to remember to take a pic later today. Hard plastic bumpers like AfMr help the centering best, but I'm concerned about cabinet wear where they make contact, so I went with foam.
Quoted from JIM_Z:Is tilt working in the code? I have nothing while playing but works in test.
Picture of your tilt bob? Some people have them assembled wrong.
Tilt works fine on ours in-game. I've definitely gotten warnings.
Quoted from Ilushka85:Where do you put these pieces ? Can you show me? It seems only thing I can do is not latch the bar 100 percent and then it’s centered
Here's a pic of the hard plastic bumpers that ship with AfMr to compensate for Churchill Cab's dimensions screwup that ended up making the cabs slightly smaller than Williams/Bally standard on AfMr and Houdini (which is why standard cab parts don't fit quite right). Below that is the weatherstripping I cut and put on the inside of the Houdini lockdown to achieve a similar effect.
Quoted from Jkush18:Just going off the the amount of Houndinis available for sale, it seems like people are dumping them. It’s seems too hard for the noobs on location and not magical enough for those that ordered it for their house.
Dunno about other locations, but it's risen to near the top on the route I help with earnings-wise. People that like it REALLY like it (including me).
I was in cleaning it this past week and there was a little girl there playing it alone that couldn't have been older than 6, and she was playing it well (I was very surprised). Funny thing was she was rebutting the insults for missing the skill shot (for example, on the "you really stink" one, she said "that's not nice, I do not!") - it really cracked me up overhearing her. I don't remember the other things she said back, but they were all pretty funny.
Quoted from billsfanmd:i played it at allentown. i love the theme and old school look and agree the right side shots are brutal. The ramp could be smallest ramp opening in pinball? that said i loved it and hoping one pops up local in near future so i can trade for one.
Pfft. Play KISS. THAT right ramp opening is brutal.
Quoted from Time4akshun:Just picked this game up last night from Pinfest and am in LOVE. Updated the code though to 18.5.4 and it still reads 18.2.27 on boot. Is this normal?
No. You didn't succeed in updating. You can't rename the file, and it must be on the root of the memory stick.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Sorta feel like I should downvote this too, since it sucks you have to move things in and out so fast! Glad you gave it a whirl...
Don't knock it until you try it. Hyper-rotation is pretty awesome. Doing that by helping out on a route has pretty much cured my pinball addiction since I get to see most new pins as they come out and the ones I don't I don't want to play anyway. The kids like it, too, because the new pins live at my house for a few days to a few weeks before they go out as I bulletproof them, so they get to play all the new stuff, too. The ONLY pin they begged me not to put out so soon was/is Houdini. We had it for over a week before I sent it out, but they were bummed when it left.
And with hyper-rotation, you'll usually see the pins you really like again once or twice again, anyway. Best of all worlds.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I didn't mean it like that - just that it sucks he has to rotate a game out that he really
Likes! We have a space for 5 and even then I can think of at
Least
2 or 3 more I'd love to add...
This is where you're headed, though. I had 12 perfect, highly-desirable machines and then I realized that for a pinball addict, the ideal collection will always be the current collection plus one and I was out of room and refused to become "storage unit pinhead guy" for the overflow, having seen others end up there before me. So I got rid of them all except 2 and if I wanted a new one, one had to go aka rapid or even hyper-rotation (if lots of pins you want are coming out). The route thing came along later, but it's turned into the ideal solution for a recovering pin addict.
Quoted from CUJO:Were the lockdown bars built by Churchill as well?
Why didn't they just make the lockdown bar 1/4" shorter on the right for Houdini then to compensate, or whoever made the lockdown bars?
They are standard B/W lockdown bars, made for the standard B/W size. I don't know the details, but maybe Churchill didn't realize there was a problem with their dimension conversion from inches to mm until they had a bunch of cut wood for thousands of cabinets. I dunno. Why customize all the standard existing parts to fix what is essentially a non-standard cabinet design they produced? I know the AP guys are on it to make sure it's fixed on the next machine, and I assume CGC is as well, but I have no idea what to say about Churchill letting it get this far.
Quoted from hoby1:Barry told me that the wood the cabinet is made from is metric sized .... Just what I was told from AP
Yeah, the problem happened with the conversion from inches to metric/mm measurement. Somehow it wasn't caught for way too long and ended up with cabs for both AfMr and Houdini being off-spec from a standard B/W cabinet they were supposed to be.
Quoted from BarryJ: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!!
Where can I get that dope Conner4Real jacket in the pics?
Quoted from rosh: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.
Quoted from CUJO: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?
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.).
Quoted from Ilushka85: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.
I also put a square of mylar on each side underneath the lockdown bar where it contacts the side rails like CGC and JJP do to reduce friction on the powdercoat.
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:I bought, framed and LED'd the translite.
Yellow leds will probably look better than white for the colors in the translite.
Quoted from hoby1:This will not fix all games Barry.... I machined out the last hole on the stainless guide to make it more adjustable. While it does help it still cannot hit the to target on even a 10% basis.
I used a slow motion camera and this is what I see.... when the ball travels up the shooter trough in the playfield it is about an 1/8 inch away from the wooden shooter lane edge and stainless ball guide. when the ball transition for the turn on a hard enough shot to hit the to target it does not transition for the turn smoothly because of the gap. The ball hits the guide moving forward then deflects in the transition once it hits the guide which causes it to not move flowing threw the guide.
I feel the only way to completely solve this is with another guide the sticks out an 1/8 inch closer to the ball at launch and runs comletly along the path of the existing guide.
I may work on a mod for this if AP does not have a different fix.
All three targets are hittable on the Houdini here. Harder plunge gives you the lower target usually.
Quoted from andrewket:Edit: my coin door is really tight. I haven’t tried to figure out why yet. Anyone else?
The hole for the coin door is too low and the coin box sits up too high as a result, so you have to tip the front edge of the coin box down to close the door, or just put the coin box in the back part of the cabinet if you're not using it anyway.
Quoted from pinden007:Thanks I’ll check it tomorrow.
Noticed that the outlane awards didn’t award a few times tonight. One was on a stacked mb.
What does everyone have their flipper power set to? Should I be able to backhand the ramp?
Ours are set to 21.
Quoted from Pinstein:Im about to pull the trigger on a houdini. Ive seen 2 different versions of side art. One I like and the other I dont. Does side art come stock and if not where do I get it?
Are you talking about the art on the INSIDE or OUTSIDE of the cabinet?
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Im wondering if from factory you had this inset for the guide? , notch in the wood rail?
I also have no problems hitting all 3 skill shot targets.
Art blade already torn?
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Yup- There all beat up. What happens when your modding your game, demo parts. Playfield been pulled out and up more than most I'm sure.
I don't like to use the word torn, I call them character marks to match the Steampunk feel. Have them on both sides.
I can't blame design or cabinet. Besides, they were to new and shiny anyway.
Figured when I'm done customizing in a year I'd get new one's.
The decals for these AP Houdini art blades are WAY more paper-like and therefore fragile than the Stern art blades, which are closer to arcade console overlays. The only reason I noticed your tear is ours was also torn within a couple days of getting it since we had the PF up and down a lot more than usual the first few weeks we had it.
I really hope AP moves to material more like what Stern's using for their art blades before too long. If they transitioned to better material, I'd actually buy the Houdini ones all over again just to get better quality art blades that are more durable.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:They’re not paper, but they are also not the Uber durable airplane vinyl some other games are using. It’s a a trade off - the thinner blades are less likely to catch the play field when it’s lifted. But you still have to be careful. I have yet to install any sort of blades which don’t have some risk of an issue
We have Stern art blades installed in numerous routed Sterns. Some have been on for multiple years. Zero have torn from the playfield being raised and lowered on location. They're made from very durable material. The AP blades for Houdini were torn within a week. I knew they were not long for the world even before I installed them because they're so paper-like compared to the Stern material. You can see and feel the difference.
Quoted from WeirPinball:I'm pretty sure Stern hasn't been in the artblade buisiness for years. Didn't they just start selling accessories?
Game of Thrones Jan 2016. That's two years ago.
We don't have one, but WWE was 2015, almost 3 years ago.
Walking Dead was released in mid 2014, art blades went on sale in Dec 2014.
All have official art blades from Stern using the durable vinyl type material. So yeah, it's been years.
Quoted from Hogey:I'm curious...you Houdini owners...does your game "make" the upper catapult shot onto the wireform consistently? If so, what setting do you have your coil for that shot set at? I've tried going up and down from the default but still am only getting maybe one out of ten to make the wireform and down to the right flipper. I know each game is different, but I'd appreciate any comments or guidance on this one. The rest of the coils have been adjusted and seem to all be dialed in (except I still can't get the lock shot on the right by backhanding from a trapped ball on the right flipper. I have let it drop down a miniscule amount and tried the shot and still hit the target beside the entrance to the lock ball.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
After small tweaking of the coil power, ours makes almost every time (like 98% - but when it fails, it's like a misfire where the ball goes sideways into the orbit, not a failed shot into the wireform). Less strength is more with that shot. If you want to see what's happening, dial down the strength, then with the glass off, slo-mo record that with your phone which will allow you to analyze what's happening.
Quoted from pinden007:I've put about 60 games on so far and this game is very frustrating and not necessarily because of the tight shots. I am getting lots of rejects from the scoop, the stage, the milk can and the ramp. It's hard enough to have to hit those things but when you do and it rejects out, it is not fun.
What is everyone doing to reduce the rejects?
Other things I would like to see:
1. Bypass the match so I can start another game
2. Bypass the hat or option to turn off the non game items
3. Stop the timer when the ball is not in play
4. If lock is lit and I skill shot award lock, I think the lock should remain lit
5. Water torture - the ball shoots out before announcing what to shoot at
6. The out lane awards don't seem to be used much (unless I just don't know how to light them)
First, are you on the 18.5.4 code?
Sounds like your coil power for the flipper is too high and also possibly your pf angle is too low.
What's your flipper coil power (both sides are adjustable separately) and PF angle?
1. Agree
2. I like the gag draws, but this would be a good option on setup menu for those that don't.
3. It does this a LOT more in 18.5.4
4. I can see this.
5. Eh. Give me the ball back fast and I'll figure out the rest.
6. I use them a lot.
Quoted from foobeer:Feel a bit silly that I have to ask this, but how do you reset high scores on Houdini? I’ve scoured the menu but can’t find it and I am a bit hesitant to just try to reset all default settings to see if that works.
From memory, I think it's on the utilities menu. Once you're in, there are different sub menus accessible by scrolling RIGHT. It's not very user-friendly nor immediately obvious.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Somethings not ringing true here - when did you say you bought the Stern blades? Also nothing you’re saying is contradicted in my post. If you’re not careful, ALL blades can have an issue, whether it’s the top getting caught on the playfield edge, or a gouge from the PF if it doesn’t lift out totally straight. Or mirror blades getting scuffed...
Have you held official Stern Art Blades personally and the AP Houdini ones? The material difference is stark.
Official Stern blades were bought for most Stern machines on the route I help with once Stern started selling them (all installed by me and not at the factory on new machines we got, if that was ever an option), which started years ago. Literally none of the Stern art blades have been snagged by raising and lowering the PFs to service them. Zero. I'll be the first to call out Stern's cost-cutting and poor quality, but they are making their Art Blades right. The material is fairly durable. AP's blades are not. That's all I'm saying. There's an OBVIOUS difference, and once installed people (including me) are snagging/tearing them in the wild from just raising the PFs.
I don't ever install mirror blades because they are too fragile and easy to scuff because they are even thicker than Stern's art blades. I also happen to personally like additional art over a mirror effect.
Once installed (use the wet method exclusively, kids - voice of experience here!) unless you're REALLY careless, you're not going to snag/tear Stern art blades.
Quoted from pinden007:Yes I am on 5.4.
Not sure the angle of the PF but all the leg levelers are screwed all the way in.
Coil power is LF 23 and RF 22.
Coil power is way too high. Dial it back to 20 and see if that does you good. If not 21 should be plenty for whichever flipper you think is still lacking.
Once you get the coil power dialed back, download a level app to your phone and calibrate it to flat, then check the angle by putting it on your playfield (glass off) and see where you're at. If you have the levelers all the way in (no additional height), I think Houdini is 6.5, but it might be a little different based on your surface. So, see what your PF angle is.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:I was questioning how long you’ve been installing the Official Stern branded blades, since I could have sworn they’ve only been doing blade for the past year or so. Maybe it’s 2, I am not certain.
Check the date:
https://www.facebook.com/sternpinball/posts/10152869913319244
Time starts moving faster when you get older. Stern has been selling them longer than 2 years.
Quoted from foobeer:I’ve went through the sub menus in utilities but haven’t seen anything about resetting high scores.
Yeah, I can only give you generalizations since I don't have the machine in front of me. I will say that I wish the menu was just a simple JJP-style. The graphics don't add much to the utility of the menus and just obfuscate where stuff you want to get to is.
If you haven't figured it out by tomorrow, I'll check the location machine and figure it out.
Quoted from foobeer:This didn't work for me either. I broke down last night and decided to just reset to factory defaults in order to reset high scores, but it retained coil strength and high scores! Unless I'm missing something, I guess there is no current way to reset high scores?
Yeah, I looked today at the location where Houdini is and I couldn't find it, either. Definitely needs this option.
Quoted from Ericc123:So I know that the whole truck shot missing thing has been discussed to death at this point but I have a question. My shot missed short the first 2 times and never again after I adjusted the coil power up 1. It probably made the shot 100 times perfectly. I know that the coil power can be finicky but the only other thing that I plugged into the wall was an external Polk subwoofer. Tonight my first ball barely made it and it missed the next two short. Is the game that sensitive that one subwoofer can throw everything off?
Depends on how stable your home power is. Have you checked the power outlet with a multimeter?
Quoted from andrewket:Stuck ball
This has been a known issue for a long time. Supposedly AP was working on a fix (diverter or whatever for behind the planchette) for a few months. What's the status of that?
Quoted from WillSmuz8999:It is not advisable to just print to Vinyl. Those will rip quickly. The best solution is to print to 2.4 mil Vinyl with egress adhesive, and laminate over the top with a 3 mil velvet textured Polycarbonate. The Polycarbonate is durable and can withstand some abuse, and the artwork is not exposed on the outer surface.
Perfect. Put this art blade manufacture durability how-to in an email and send it to [email protected].
Quoted from hawkmoon:Reason I ask,is mine is coming end of this week,and I would like some kind of guide!!
It's not done yet. You can download the in-progress manual, though. Still a lot to be filled in, however.
Here's the link to the January 2018 in-progress pdf:
https://www.american-pinball.com/games/houdini/docs/Houdini-Service-Manual.pdf
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Wow, there’s been tons of updates since then. Which is pretty awesome. Pretty funny this manual looks like it will be completed before JJP’s Dialed In manual, which was a fairly code-complete game when it shipped! It’s very exciting to see the updates as they come out. Huge difference from what I’ve seen with Stern (though I’ve never owned a Stern I am only speaking from second-hand knowledge)
AP's attacked the easy parts first, as they should. JJPs manuals are an orgy of detailed assembly breakdowns and schematics. The easy part of any manual is the menus and playfield pictures. The morass for time is the assembly and schematic pages. Takes FOREVER to do them well, but JJP is the best out there in that department.
Quoted from pinden007:Is it possible to have both return from beyond and escape death lit at the same time? I thought that was the case last night (via 2nd seance jackpot and magic shop visit) and when the ball drained over the escape death, I didn't get a change to escape death - I died.
I have seen them both lit and had the same thing that happened to you, but that was a long time ago and I thought it was fixed.
Quoted from pinden007:Earned my first extra ball via King of Cards.
Couple of tips for that - you can toss one card through both rings; you can toss 2 cards through the same ring.
Put up 1.7mm last game. Had a stack going of 2x stage / straight jacket with trunk MB and seance MB.
I really like the multiple ways to earn EBs and letters and the stack-ability of modes.
King of Cards is the first stage mode I play every game for that reason. Easy Extra Ball.
Quoted from rosh:clearly I need to make it tougher.
Like any video mode, safe way to gain points, etc with no risk of losing the ball -- thus why many don't like them.
While I did tweak some scoring (primary MB), does not account for the rise of reported scores I'm seeing, so shows some owners are starting to find the shots and learn some of the strategy. Those going to a longer timer is probably helping since often the later shots in a mode are more valuable.
I mean, it would take away my guaranteed extra ball per game, but maybe if you made the extra ball only happen if you made the double ring shot? After hitting 3 rings, the front ring changes to "EXTRA" and the back ring changes to "BALL" and you have to make the double ring shot to collect? It would certainly make it less of a guaranteed collect like it is now.
Quoted from rosh:Was working on something else today and got a tilt warning, so I know it works, but clearly there is something going on where it is not always registering. I will be looking into it further.
If you pull out the 'interconnect' switch inside the cabinet, you can play with the door open, but that switch disables high power for a a reason.Definitely like this idea, betting a bunch of guys here would be hating on your if I did that, but could be a good difficulty option. Turning down the amount of time is also a way to make it tougher, since as was said, you would have little to no room for error. Also reducing the number of cards you can throw makes it harder -- both of which are options currently.
Yeah, part of me would be bummed losing my "easy" extra ball, but as it is now, it's so easy it's kind of cheap.
I like the double ring shot for extra ball more than time adjustments because making a double ring shot takes a LOT of skill (or a MASSIVE amount of luck - one time) whereas the time and card reduction is just kind of cheap. Might be cool to have a chain bonus for not missing a shot. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32x, etc instead of each shot simply and continuously being worth more than the last that hit. If you miss a shot, it goes back to 1x for the next one and starts building again. If you can hit them all and the extra ball double shot it could make the mode both challenging and VERY rewarding.
You could also make an "EASY" and "HARD" choice at the beginning, like it does for the straightjacket escape. Hard obviously has higher base and multiplied points.
Quoted from adamross:Please don't. I suck at this video mode as it is.
Practice makes perfect. Once you "get" it, it will be mindlessly easy, and that's not really fun.
Quoted from Malibu-SS:Having a problem with the ball trough.Takes multiple trys to get the ball out....have tried many different coil strengths.no difference.Looked at the assembly and everything looks good and nothing is loose,any ideas?
Does the ball come out and bounce back, or just never comes out? Have you tried moving the coil plunger manually to make sure it's not binding? What's the resistance on the coil? Maybe it's bad and just weak.
Quoted from Gooch:So got Houdini in the house a couple of days ago, absolutely love it! But, started having resets every game for some reason last night. Try to put a second player game on and machine would go dark and reset. Try to play through a single player game, maybe make it to the third ball, and then goes dar. Kicks a ball out into the shooter lane and resets. Anybody experienced this? Rosh or Barry, any ideas?
Is the plug to the machine in back nice and tight? Sounds like an intermittent connection to the machine.
Quoted from BarryJ:No worries.. What is clear to me might not be to someone else, just looking for feedback. Maybe with the black and white pictures I will add a close up...OR would you rather be able to pull the color version off the web??? LMK
Line drawings of the board and connectors would be the best, if that's an option. No problems with visibility then.
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Portland, ME