I just picked up Houdini last weekend and everyone who plays it is enjoying it. it is a game with ~ 500 plays. it appears that in the stats a date range can be set. I would like to start keeping stats from now forward. how does one do that?

EDIT:
Oops, I figured it out, in utilities "reset audits"

Does anyone else get tons of airballs? I have balls hop over the flipper bats and even the inlane plastics for unwelcome drains. Although when the ball jumps into the lower catapult I get a cheap ball locked, I'd rather play it clean. most irritating is when the ball hops up on the right side and gets trapped behind the planchette. does that happen to others?

What do you use to protect the side art? I worry about damaging it when I open things up.

excellent protectors! my Congo doesn't have side art but the inside left of the cabinet was horribly gouged up. It turns out that a corner the coil bracket of the upper flipper stuck out a bit. 20 seconds with a grinder corrected that problem.

mine were set at 24/25 I dialed it down to 22 on each seemed better, now problem hitting any lanes (I got 245 needles champ) but still a few air shots. I checked my home voltage, 124 volts which is high. I might dial the flipper coils down a bit more.

I can't measure 10ths of a degree but my Lufkin machinists protractor says a tad more than 6 degrees

I set flippers to 21 and can still hit the ramp solid and I think the scoop and milkcan are easier now

I really do love this game already

for those of you who have knockers installed, how often does it knock? I have match play disabled and for replays I have extra ball awards. Is the knocker used outside of that?

My first few times of playing King of Cards mode i caught on real quick and hit 3 or 4 hoops. The last several times I have not for the life of me, been able to hit a single ring. I always seem to fall short although I hold the flipper for more strength.

It beats me... maybe I'll stick to the needles trick.

The Knocker is an add on kit from the API store. I am just curious on how useful it is on a home use game?

I love the knocker too

I used coins for a while on my first pin. I have a big stash of Panama quarters that work (I drop them into friends machines when I visit)

One benefit to using coins is when the fatherless 12 year old from next door comes over to play I can tell home to go home when we run out of quarters. That worked only once until he said "but don't you have the key?"

I am back tracking through older posts in this thread, gosh there are a lot. I am back to 20 pages so far. Thanks Pbreno and Bobu for posting machine tweaks and to Rosh in explaining game code.

I am a tinkerer and expect to do the upgrades available. I already did some slight damage to my blade art. After the suggestion I went to PBLife to order there protectors but they are out of stock and coming from Germany who knows when they'll be back. So I am considering making my own. I have a good assortment of magnets, the issue is finding the right material.... I found a source for 1/16th" ldpe polyethylene in convenient sizing. What material do they use? Thickness?

https://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic_sheets_rolls/ldpe_sheets/410

https://store.american-pinball.com/products/houdini-knocker-kit

It just gave me the option to download

https://www.american-pinball.com/support/updates/

I really like the shaker in this game. it adds to the fun of locking a ball in the trunk. I had it set on high for a little while. that was maybe a bit too much.

I put my magnets on high and am loving it.

My trunk shot worked well before the upgrade. Although when I was in a multiball things would bog down. I once had 4 balls in the scoop trying to get out and they just couldn't make it.. I thought OMG I'll have to open up and retrieve them, but as things settled down they finally made it out. I feel the upgrade has helped this problem.

When I put the new power supply in my trunk shot didn't work. At 26 power it hit the front of the trunk and some times made it in.At 27 it was wild over the top. So I adjusted the pot on the power supply to 49.1 volts and at the 26 coil power rating I hit every time.

I can't think any other game with a theme I like more (but I loved Houdini as a kid). The modes music and rules all fit it well and provide a depth of discovery and surprises for continued enjoyment. The steam punk styling and artwork are too cool. I am most familiar with older machines, syst 11, WPS, the sophistication of this table is wild, I love the lighting.

The shots are indeed tight but that's a challenge not a deficit to me. There are still plenty of rewarding shots to make. Damn my 65 year old friend Mike who has played maybe 20 games of pinball in as many years hit 1.3mil on his second game. He had a blast!

Although we have maybe logged 300 plays on the machine in the last month since we got it, I believe Houdini has found a permanent home here.

Another funny story. My wife, who has top scores on all my machines, played a game with us on Christmas day, maybe her second or third play ever. my friend who had to leave for work couldn't finish his game since hers lasted 30 minutes. The following week I played several games every day to upset her high score to no avail. One day she comes in and asks if she can play too, of course, next thing I know is she is logging second high score, finishes and says "I'm done now" and walks off. If she keeps doing that I am going to turn the giggles back on the slings.

Sub Woofer question. I am planning to build a sub woofer to use with Houdini. what have some of the others of you done to route the wires out of the cabinet? I am thinking of mounting a phono plug on the bottom.

You might want to buy some wire strippers.

This is a link to the amp users manual

https://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/manuals/310-308--lp-168ha-manual.pdf

I believe that I read that early ones broke easy. I bet if you file service order with API they will take care of you. My used game came with a couple spares.

My gate used to get stuck open for a while, which I didn't mind , but I had to fix it since I felt like I was cheating.

As an electrician I have always used Klien tools I like the handles on their nut drivers. Most any brand should work but do look for magnetic tips and hollow shafts. A full set can be helpful but the sizes you'll use the most are 1/4" and 11/32" also maybe 5/16". I have magnetized my Philips driver as well

6 inch shafts can be a bit unwieldy. 3" shafts (7" overall) are more common

Full hollow shafts (except 3/16-Inch [5 mm]) facilitate work on long bolt applications

Humm I get 4 ball multiballs at times and wonder why even in seance. I know my subway switches can be a little slow to register at times. The top lock seems to usually work right.

My question is: What circumstances should I be getting 4 ball multiball?

What's the problem? You have 12 other games to play.

Although my other game have been shuttered since Houdini has been in the house.

I made the same mistake at first when looking for a missing ball but that one is a permanent ball like part that belongs there. Other than that I have not had to dig into my stage mech.

I feel like I get over 50% bounce outs and maybe more currently as my flippers are feeling a little strong. I am lucky to get 3 or more stage illusions in one game. I try hard for stage alley as a means of entering the stage as it sticks a little easier. Recently when I was modifying the ball guide on the shooter lane as a skill shot fix, I also pulled the stage alley guide and opened it up a bit since it was hitting low. Much better with that adjustment.

What is the "coining"around the stage hole? I have never used the stage eject.

I did the AP skill shot fix. previously I couldn't hit the top letter, now I can. I do wish the shooter rod was a little smoother. I find super skill shoot really hard.

I installed the little shop protectors, all underneath, on the outlanes I removed the 1" plastic washers. the little shop protectors are not as nice as others I have used. while the registration is good the mounting holes are bigger than I believe they should be.

the LSOG protectors are slightly larger but not consistantly. The oversize mounting holes does allow for some positioning

The power supply upgrade is pretty simple, but I do stuff like this as a day job. The AP instructions are very good and clear. wiring is simple color to color and double or triple check. The holes you drill are very tiny and only part way through. noticing the fans in the power supply and seeing another comment or two about additional noise I chose to install some rubber grommets under the 4 attachments, for some vibration isolation. This also adds some more air space for cooling, probably not needed. I hate those spring action walnut connectors so I fashioned a molex connector set for the 48volt side.

I have not done a video before but could at least take pictures next week when I am in hooking up my sub woofer which I started building today.

As kdecgp mentioned above, hitting that magic target off the plunge isn't enough to activate the switch. the best is to catch the ball in the right flipper and hit the target from there before hitting anything else. I often practice my super skillshot when the other three options aren't that great.

I followed his advice on waxing my rod. it was an improvement. When I told my wife it helps me perform better she just rolled her eyes.

Are you sure that those washers were not part of the old steampunk styling?

My preowned machine came with the faucet shooter rod mod. the washers look good, I have spare sleeves, I might try replacing that, who knows how much rust or grit might be embedded?

I have used teflon on shooters in the past but the wax worked well this time.

My old Space Station had cronic shooter problems until I realized that the housing was cocked and not hitting the ball on center. the remedy was a simple shim between that and cabinet. I have an assortment of spare parts.

Blitz seems to be the standard, but a few years ago after the factory had a fire, supply was scarce so I bought Chemical Guys 3X hardcore wax. I have been happy with it.

Somewhere I have some adhesive backed thin neoprene but I can not for the life of me find it. I save all sorts of odd stuff and am fairly organized. Your sorbothane find looks like good stuff. I have used something similar for machine dampening. It should be pretty durable.

A 4 inch piece seems like a reasonable size/price. Make note of what size piece you end up cutting and let us know when you report back.

I don't disagree but if I have some laying around it might be worth the try. We appreciate you doing the research.

$38 seems a little stiff, but then one could get 20 pieces more or less out of a 10"x14" and I am sure others would be interesed also.

And using it on stand up targets... That is another interesting idea. but orange ? eek!

when I got my game it had 450 game plays and the balls were fairly beat. I replaced them which ran me out of my spares. Pinball Life is out of stock currently, apparently their major supplier quit making them.

100 balls is more than I would care to buy at a time but 25 is doable at $28.

ebay.com link: 25 1 1 16 Inch Mirror Finish Carbon Steel Replacement Pinball Machine Pinballs

The main issue was/is the 48 volt power supply is unregulated which isn't a problem until one is in multiball and multiple coils are firing, they can bog down. I have a PV system on my roof and my house voltage varies by 4-6 v day to night and that also seemed to cause differences in the coils. Not everybody has issues or notices them. AP offers a very generous upgrade for those who do experience problems. While this is their thread it has been taken over by owners who are not shy about voicing minor issues, but mostly offer ideas on tweaking the game. When I got my game I read back about half way, there are a few stand out folks here.

This brings up another point, American Pinball has been very responsive and supportive to their clients. The active refinement to the code has served to make this a very fun game. If by chance you are basing your decision to purchase based on many of the reviews out there, reconsider, It is playing much better now than a year ago due to the latest software. And I suspect it will only get better

My other games are 20-30 years old and I wanted a modern game. I could not be happier than with Houdini. It has tough shots which we don't always make but when we do make them it is so much fun!

I am thinking of it, trying to coordinate with the Tesla powerwall training I have to do down there. I missed my Caribbean sailing trip this winter and would love to get out of this fricken icebox.

I had used the PBL balls and now have probably 300 plays on them. had them out today and they still look very good. I am ordering some of those ebay balls.

The question is what do you do with old balls?

I always thought this was cool

Without dropping the back box, I figure the height to be 30" without back box it is 25"

what a bait and switch scheme!

That's what I ordered, should arrive tomorrow.

If you look down on the listing under categories is says "chrome bearing balls"

All these ebay listings are from BC Precision.

I contacted them to ask which was it carbon or chrome and they said:

" They should be carbon steel if you ordered on this ad. If you
receive the balls and they have oil on them they are chromium (they should
not be but our guys packing get the ads confused sometime since there are
several both chrome and carbon).

Please let me know if you think you
received the incorrect item and we will correct the issue asap. "

Does anyone know any other ways of distinguishing carbon from chrome?

You will get more proficient over time, mostly you are only dealing with screws and nuts. just be observant where parts came from and go back. I would let heavy things dangle by their wires, support it somehow by string, scrap wire or something. The switch on that VUK has fragile connections. Eventually you may need to adjust switches, replace mosfets and coils, hopefully not for a while.

I believe you were advised to get magnetic nut drivers. I have multiple sets of non mag drivers ( use them for my work) and still bought magnetic ones just for pin work. I also have a magnitizer for my Philips drivers, That is a savior at times. I hate loosing a screw in the under playfield mechanics /switches and such. I have resorted to taping a screw to a driver is certain instances but then you have to contend with the tape if it doesn't release right once the screw is started.

Where did that chip come from? what might of caused it? did it happen with your playfield accedent? I doubt it was a ball. I would't be that concerned about those micro cracks under fasteners, you can't see them. be careful about over tightening

I would'n't buy something for that purpose, use string, scrap wire or a couple bread bag twistys

I replaced the coil on my scoop and noticed that it wasn't firing right. looking down the hole I noticed that the plunger was catching on the switch arm and had to be adjusted.

that's right, simply one piece at a time. be prepared for Vids thread, several thousand posts. I hope you find what you're looking for.

That little tray won't do much. That is for your screws and nuts when you remove them. I have one of these for magging my tools:

https://www.wihatools.com/magnetizer-and-demagnetizer?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn9mR6ZXE4AIViANpCh16ighAEAQYBCABEgIJMPD_BwE

lots of other brands out there

Most of us here really enjoy the machine and believe the bashing is undeserved. I have mine pretty well set up now.

I regularly have a ball sit in a trough for a few seconds before the appropriate action and a few false drains, sometimes in multiball and a second to last ball drains and one is still in the subway ball ends.

I have assumed I have a wonky switch issue. even in the shooter trough balls get stalled during shoot again. and a few nudges release it. I have had shoot again time out while the ball sits in the bottom trough.

Learning this game is really fun. after I got mine I had played maybe 40 games before I really explored the settings, turns out I was in tournament mode, which is quite a bit more constrained than regular play. It got even more fun after that!

I am a big "manual" guy and promptly bought one for each of my other games as I got them, but they were all serious projects. Having the Houdini manual online is sort of nice, can't get lost, doesn't take up space (or carbon) and is always up to date with the latest amendments.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum
Always predrill , less screw-ups

pardon the pun

I had devised an idea of doing it with a router in my driveway without removing the playfield. But I have three feet of snow. So I built an external speaker for less than $30 and stuff I had laying around, I came up with a decent solution. I'll post it soon.

I hate those acorns, walnuts or whatever they are called. The brand Wago have shown up in residential wiring. I have seen quite a few failures, with melted bodies. The little spring inside simply does not make sufficient contact. They come included with many light fixtures. I usually clip them off and toss them.

My solution for the power supply was to make a molex header like most pinball connections

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The power supply has fans and someone mentioned that it makes noise. So when I mounted mine I used some rubber grommets which provide some noise isolation but also work as standoffs to mount slightly to the right on the corner block

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I think I have a switch issue in the subway. Balls tend to disappear from the game and then reappear later. yesterday during a multiball two went down the magic shop hole but only one came out of the scoop and that multiball ended without seeing that missing ball. Later in another seance multiball four balls appeared.

Should seance ever only be 3 balls?

Do you ever have something that you never really noticed but once you do notice it or is brought to your attention really starts to bug you?

Hdmike444 brought up Houdini’s eyes back in post #8288 page166. I didn’t understand until I realized the eye inserts are bigger than the irises. So I decided to do my own fix today. Out in the shop I found a drawer of rubber grommets. The hole size is 7/16 and a 1/2” grommet fits snug. I still got some light bleed on the rest of the insert so I found some rubber washers and put those in first. It’s not perfect bet a lot better.

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I had a flat sided grommet that I think would work better than the rounded ones and allow skipping the flat washer.
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My other change today was to add a light strip to the back box to better light the crowd. I found some cheap light strips on ebay, added a molex connector and spliced into the back box gi. The 50 cm is a perfect length

ebay.com link: 30 50CM 5050 5630 7020 SMD 21 36LED Aluminum Alloy Shell Cabinet Strip Light Bar

A2123B62-2706-48FC-B5BE-D1A9DDCFDCB9 (resized).jpegE3F51772-C78A-4AAB-B019-A786AC49901B (resized).jpeg

Patience Grasshopper.

With all of the activity surrounding Octoberfest I imagine that we are back burner priority for at least a couple weeks.

I imagine that this could be a setting that you opt to have on or off. For a party it would be fun to have going on. I have played WOZ on location and gotten today's high score with an embarrassing bad score. I felt it wasn't a real accomplishment.

That's like 5 1/2 games a day!

I checked today. Since 12/23/18, when I got the game we have 499 plays. That is like 6.60 games per day!

Now I know what my wife is doing when I am out of the house.

I wouldn't be concerned, I suspect it's just epoxy from gluing in the mags. The metal socket on the business end is all that matters, is it misformed or pitted? The rubber handles on these tools are nice too, do they look good? a little white crude that I suspect will rub off is a non issue.

They are just tools. Kliens are good I have owned hundreds of Klien tools in my 40 year electrical career.

The power supply barely fits in the recommended space. I used rubber grommets as spacers and noise isolation, post 8344 and 8345 page 167

personally I dislike the monkey in the game and have turned off the match play. I think it is his distressed look that bothers me.

The vintage monkey you found at least looks pleasant, at least he is dressed nice. depending on the voltage you might be able to integrate into the game.

Your math puddle makes no sense....?

I got my second highest game on the new code! 19 minutes long

I had the seance end with one ball still in the subway. Return from beyond started and the other ball popped out and I got to play two ball RFB

I am willing to bet that the fork lift driver was trying to push the pallet further into the truck. perfect place to miss.

#pinballinreno has good set-up tips earlier in this thread. I think my catapult has only missed once since I got it dialed in~300 games ago. I have tweaked some of my ball guides with improved results.

My scoop had problems ejecting at one point and I found that the switch actuator was catching on the housing and had to re shaped.

API has some other tips on their support page https://www.american-pinball.com/support/

I have a couple of digital levels and I like my Diga Pas It is compact and accurate.

https://www.amazon.com/DigiPas-DWL80E-Digital-Electronic-Protractor/dp/B001NPJGL0/ref=sr_1_6

File a service ticket, I am sure you can work something out with Barry. I think there was a flaw in them originally. My game had a couple spares too.

A couple times we got served a second ball tonight, like Phantom-O mentioned. once with a jail escape (out of the scoop) and then again with Master of mystery, my wife then hit the seance multiball which ended prematurely ( I don't think the game knew we had an extra ball on deck).

go into the utilities menu and set the flipper settings up a notch

My Stage Alley gate sticks open sometimes, I have adjusted it a couple times and it still sticks, which is no problem, I would rather the ball exit the pops down that lane than the key lane (due to drains). also it makes it easier to relight Lock

What was your score? after playing 600 games I am no where close to master magician. four letters is my best. I am yet to complete all movies in one game. And am lucky to get 6 illusions.

but I keep trying.

Awesome, I'll have to visit it next time.

I had it at the top level for a while. I am back to mid level now. more desirable.

I continue to get two balls kick out of the scoop during jail escape and at other times. I sort of like the current code whether I deserve it or not

I hate those wall nuts. I used a molex connector with jumpers where I can add future loads

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It's my understanding that if you are cradling a ball and the flipper bat gets knocked down the EOS sw opens and signals the coil to fire and return the bat to the erect position. This is a software thing not electrical connection. yours seems to work opposite, strange.

Does anybody else get rejects from their milkcan chute? I swear that 70% of my shots get completely into the chute and hit the guide at the 10:00 position and then kick out. I am about to reshape that guide but I wonder if there is any wiggle room. I might elongate the screw holes on the middle mount.

I'm curious if anyone else has this experience.

I did this some time ago. I can hit the hole just get lots of kickouts.

soft shot is easier said than done, especially at the end of the bat.

That's what I am talking about, will give it a try. My wife just left the house, good time to fiddle on the machine, she prefers that I do domestic tasks....

I made my milkcan lane adjustment yesterday. I pulled the lane guide and bent the curve to be a little deeper. Tolerances are tight here and I enlarged the mounting holes slightly to get it to fit back in.
I searched my shop for some Velcro stuff, couldn’t find it although I know I have some. I found some adhesive backed felt but they were small dots for use on cabinet doors. I also have some felt strips but much too thick.
Then I came across some thin textured rubber material, a 3M product intended for adding to stair treads. It’s very grippy and works great almost stopping the ball in the chute followed by a slow drop to the inlane.
After several shots into the milkcan chute I didn’t have a single reject. Now I just have to master the ramp.
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Sometime back I set out to make a subwoofer for my Houdini. This lead me to reading up on speaker design which was much more involved than I wish.
I decided upon an 8” speaker which I ordered along with other parts from parts express for around $35.

The driver specs recommend a box volume of 1 cu ft. I built the box out of some scrap particle board I have laying around.

Sometime back I set out to make a subwoofer for my Houdini. This lead me to reading up on speaker design which was much more involved than I wish.
I decided upon an 8” speaker which I ordered along with other parts from parts express for around $35.
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The driver specs recommend a box volume of 1 cu ft. I built the box out of some scrap particle board I have laying around. Cabinet design calls for internal bracing which I made sure to include. I didn't like the grill mounts they shipped so I made my own.

They also recommend adding some dampening material inside the box, poly fiber like pillow stuffing is common but I just used some ugly stocking caps that I don't wear anymore. winter was over anyway.
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Instead of having the speaker wire dangling out the the machine I installed a phono plug on the bottom of the cabinet with internal wiring going to the amplifier in the back box. The plug is recessed so as not to catch on anything.
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I used 1/2" rubber grommets post 8417

mine never drains (hardly anyway). other owners have rebent the ball guide with good results. I never have had to do mine but there are three other chutes that I have been tweaking. Playfield angle might have something to do with it....

You likely knocked a connector loose. Buy a 20 cent tee nut for your shaker motor , any hardware store has them. using only 3 bolts is not to spec. Sorry for your frustration, It all seemed simple to me.

I have used similar T-blocks on other projects and love them. might be over kill here with 5 slots, all you need one connection (3 wires) I really like crimp caps but have not used them on pins.

https://www.amazon.com/Farmunion-300pcs-Closed-Terminals-Connectors/dp/B01M65K6PY/ref=sr_1_3

I fried a coil and shorted a transistor as well as the associated fuse. Barry was great help. There are several fuses located on the under playfield. My advice is that it is best to have some of those fuses on hand. they are the little short ones 5X20 6.3amp slo blow I believe

do you cinch the head down really hard? I have had that on other games remnant from previous owners. I would try to remove and pound out from the backside before just ordering new ones. I use towels or shipping quilts and heavy cardboard corners that are used to ship solar panels when I transport my games and don't cinch the head to body very hard.

My Congo which was a re-import had gorilla sized dents, I always wondered slam? cinch? shipping? I did replace them.

And yes, ratchet do not need to be very tight

Tough crowd here, we can only hope for improvements but they have other games in development.

I haven't any issues with Houdini.

It is nice though, that we can talk to the designer and he is present.

The AC is not on the same circuit, that is a 220v load.

I have solar electric on my house and on sunny day the voltage is almost 10 volts higher than at night when I am drawing power. The original power supply is wonky with voltage variation. The PS upgrade is regulated and constant. I have nearly 600 games with hardly a miss. the power supply also has a pot screw which allows you to tweak the 48V up of down a bit. I think I am at 49.8V

I am an electrician and your description is completely right, but a circuit is considered a wire run back to the main panel and on a single breaker. It is highly unlikely that 110 loads share the same circuits as 220 loads. They are however on the same house service. If the service feeder wires are long or undersized or if you have large intermittent loads you are likely to see voltage drop during heavy loads (like the AC running).

I see the opposite effect with my solar array, during the day I have little or no load and my array is producing power causing my voltage to rise, while at night I have lighting loads and no production and can measure my house voltage as much as 10 volts less. This affected my pinball play. The regulated power supply is a good solution.

It sounds like the previous owner had super easy settings. To each their own. explore your settings. I have eased up on some of mine but nobody has come close to master magi yet (600 games)

Ah, but seeing the score post that you had that was a better game than ever on my machine, bravo.

I adjusted the little pot screw on the supplemental power supply. turned up the 48 volt slightly to get perfect trunk hits (after the mounting hole mod recommended by brer rabbit) you must have a meter in hand as you do the tweak.

Yes that might be an issue. certainly worth inspecting , coils sleeves are cheap besides.

how many plays do you have on your machine?

Mine was doing that a lot. I pulled and bent the ball guide a bit and also added some thin rubber material which works great. This solved the problem. see post #9096

When I first got that material over 30 years ago, acquired by my brother who was a 3M engineer, we had gray. but it was thicker and had a more course texture. I don't think it would work as well.

the GI lighting (5v) isn't powered off of the ps upgrade (48v). I have to imagine that it is a loose connector somewhere.

I often get an extra ball up by the pops and don't have a clue why. I just played a first ball in a game and lost it at 17,000 but managed the extra ball, why (or how)?

There really is no easier fix than contacting Barry. He can guide you through the trouble shooting more directly than anyone.

It fits and was rather easy, the shooter lane protector is a little more involved and involves loosening the wood rail on the right.