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Quoted from Videogod:May I ask a question, Josh? I got on the list for a Houdini back in May (!), and I'm really looking forward to owning it. My dilemma is that I would really like the Magic Glass, Blades & Shaker Motor add-ons. I know you mentioned that pricing and availability are not yet finalized, but would you suggest getting the machine now and adding those accessories later or waiting for all of them to be built into it at the factory?
+1. Plus timing. I’m much further down on the pre-order list though, so I suspect the options will be available before my number comes up.
Quoted from PinMonk: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.
This makes sense to me. I definitely want the magic glass.
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Anybody have ideas on how many are going out? Still haven't heard from any east coast distros on shipping
Also east coast... I was told they’re still going out maybe 1-2/day.
I do like the way spooky gives you your game # shortly after you order - direct or via a distributor. They don’t ship in strict order, but it does give you an idea of where you are in the queue.
Surprisingly, I don’t see a sticky with the exact dimensions with the backbox attached. The cabinet is 75"H x 29"W x 55"D. Anyone know the width of the backbox? Has anyone taken it off to go through a door and want to share how difficult it was (how many wires?).
Thanks.
Quoted from PinballTilt:I removed the backbox after my buddy wasn't able to come help me move it as planned. Only maybe 4 wires and 1 connector to disconnect. It was easy, 10 minute job. I couldn't find a good Allen key for the backbox hinge though
Did you ultimately determine the key size? I still have 2 days to order one if I don’t have it.
Thanks!
Houdini is in the house!
Had a small scare. The pair of keys wire tied to the plunger were for the backbox, and the keys for the coin door were not there. Called AP and they said both pairs of keys are supposed to wire tied to the plunger. Looked around and I found them on the street where we had unboxed it. It would have been really bad because to get it into the house I had to take off the backbox. No keys = it’s stuck outside.
There are only a handful of wires between the backbox and the playfield so I thought it would be super easy. It turns out that you either need to disconnect the wires going to the power supply which are wire tied 6x, or you have to disconnect the USB and video cables from the CPU. Unfortunately to do that requires dismounting or removing most of the screws holding in the display and pivoting it. I like how JJP has the display on an arm for servicing. It would have made it much easier.
On the second game I had a ball in the lock, but the machine couldn’t find it. Even after a few ball searches it never released it. I looked at extending the coil hold time, but as best I can tell that setting doesn’t actually affect the timing when you’re in test mode. I saw no difference from the default setting of 5 vs. 20.
Updated the software to 18.5.4. Note: Houdini doesn’t like USB 3.x fobs. An older USB 2 fob worked. It wants MBR partitioning and FAT32 formatting which isn’t in the instructions.
I’m looking forward to exploring this game. I love the humor.
Edit: my coin door is really tight. I haven’t tried to figure out why yet. Anyone else?
Quoted from Genjuro:Now, if I could only find a proper spot to hook up the UV+Glow feature on my pinstadium lights. *GRIN* ... any place on the machine that you can think of?
Let me know what you figure out. This is on my to-do list for Sunday.
I get frustrated the other way- software upgrades that clear high scores. I know some pins have a way to export/import scores. I don’t understand why they don’t make that part of the regular upgrade process. Inevitably I forget and end up with factory scores
I installed pin stadium on my Houdini a few days ago as well. I didn’t wire the UV or the flashers. Wiring it to the shaker is an interesting idea. I may try that.
Voltage is definitely a problem with Houdini. I haven’t measured it yet, but I suspect a few volts is enough for the lower catapult and VUK to miss/fail. Just having one other pin on the same circuit is enough. I’ve not seen a pin this sensitive to voltage changes before.
Quoted from PinMonk:Nope. We have three on the same circuit and Houdini's catapult/VUK shots are rock solid. At least a 98% completion rate.
Sounds like you may have borderline low house power or an older house with older wiring. Have you put a meter on your wall outlets when multiple pins are on and plugged into the same circuit?
Actually, the opposite. I’ve got 600A service and 10kW of solar... which might actually be a factor. When the sun is out the voltage in the house goes up a few volts. It’s likely I set the catapult etc during the day, and at night with another pin on the same circuit is probably a 8-10V change. I’ll go measure it.
Quoted from PinMonk:Isn't solar supposed to have a regulator to keep the power in a tighter range? 8-10V swing is a LOT.
The solar inverters must operate at a voltage slightly above the voltage coming in from the grid transformer. That’s how you force the current to flow away from the inverters and use the power from solar first before drawing current from the grid. When I upgraded my service to 600A, the utility also upgraded the transformer. As a result the voltage coming into the house is slightly hot (244-245v). I’ll take some measurements.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I agree with this.
rosh the 10 second grace period is way too short, the balls barely make it to the flippers in 10 seconds.
20 seconds min I think for this mode.
Oh, and can you have all the other 100 items on your desk done by the time they make my game next week?
Imho, it should be configurable.
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