Question to fellow AMH folks: my ghost gets "jiggled" pretty often, usually with hits trying to defeat ghost minion where it is no longer centered (or in its "start" position) on the servo. I have to lift it slightly and re-position it. Do I need to tighten the screws holding the plastic to make it more secure or is it a ghost or servo problem? I don't want to tighten too much, as I've read on here about servo burn out.

The ghost should not really be held down by the plastic, but the plastic should line up with the groove in the bottom of the ghost. As you said, if the plastic is rubbing on the ghost too much, it will eventually burn out the servo. If I remember correctly, the ghost just pushes down onto the servo gear and that's all that holds it in place. With the plastic off, you can just pull the ghost straight up and off of the servo gear.

If I get a real slow rolling ball in the right upper lane the ball will get hung up between the inside rail and rollover switch. Surprisingly it takes some pretty good shaking to get it loose if it does get hung up. Just gets hung up there if the ball is rolling very slow or dribbling down from the orb area slowly. Have the game set up with good pitch. Rear leg levelers set up high. Game is leveled side to side by ball roll method.

Also - anybody have the ball land up on the ghost plastic and get lodged onto two hold down nuts ? Had this happen a couple times.

slow roller stuck (resized).JPG

ball on plastic (resized).JPG

Yes,omg yes! My solution was to disassemble the plastics there and take that nut and post completely out. The ball now if it goes up there easily rolls off the plastic.
-Mike

I had to remove that one that your hung up on and I removed the one above it just behind ghost as the ball was always getting stuck behind ghost and resting on that stud, no matter how much I bumped and nudged it sat there and glass had to come down to reach in and fix.
-Mike

20171217_120528 (resized).jpg

20171217_120737 (resized).jpg

If anyone is looking to join this club (or get back in) let me know...mine is up for sale.

Not the kind of thing I expect to see very often...

My scoop was not working very well at all, and I was tired of tweaking on it. I saw in Crile1 's FS post that he had upgraded the scoop, and that later in the production run, Spooky had upgraded them as well.

So, I bought the scoop from Pinball Life (https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=4579), and it is working great mechanically. The one issue I have is how to connect the switch. The new scoop comes with optos. Do newer games use optos, or do they still use a mechanical switch? Anyone willing to take a picture showing how it attaches?

I ended up removing the opto and printing a bracket to mount to the same holes that held the opto. The holes in my print were not quite the right size for the screws, so I used glue for now. When this falls apart, I will adjust the hole sizes. For now, though, it is working great, and the scoop is like night and day better than the original.

20180428_095221 (resized).jpg

20180428_095305 (resized).jpg

Hey, guys. It's me again. I just thought I'd share what work I had done on the colorization of the DMD files in case it was useful to anyone.

To use these with a real game, you'd have to contact Spooky, buy a display, hack it into your game, and load my hacked up firmware. It's not an easy project, and it's certainly not a finished product.

For virtual pinball, I believe the animated GIFs will work by just dropping them into the project, but I don't really do virtual pinball, so I can't say for sure.

I created a really crappy webpage to host the files:
http://ledocd.com/amh_color/index.html

Anyone know where to buy replacement pop bumper caps?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they just standard blue caps?
https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=327

I know that I've posted this before but I'm still kind of having the same problem with the game repeatedly saying "Dirty Pool old man" over and over again. I was advised to check and reseat the opto 1 and 2 plugs under the playfield which I have done and that does somewhat take care of the problem to where it will say it less but then it always comes back. I had a small party yesterday with people playing the machine and it was just saying it all the time and people were getting so sick of hearing it. I reseated the plugs which seemed to help but then it just does it again after a bit. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this for good or do I just have to live with it? Anyone else having the same issue? Other than this the game functions flawlessly. Thanks.

I tried to post a few samples yesterday, but I just figured out that I had to post original size to keep the animation.

K0B.gifH2A.gifH4A.gifBAA.gifB0W.gifQA3.gifSAB.gif

I re-crimped the connections on mine, and it has been flawless since.

Color dots look really cool. I’d like to have one of these some day and also to put your dots in.

If redoing the connectors doesn’t help (I actually soldered pigtails the board and added connectors off that to keep the connector from vibrating), changing the actual optos worked for me. I would start with the connectors first the .100 2 pin headers seem to be a failure point

Okay I would like to try re-crimping but I'm not very experienced with electronics and the last thing I want to do is break something. If someone is able to break it down a bit for me so I don't mess up. Are you talking about using a certain type of crimping tool and using it to squeeze the opto plugs to make them fit tighter on the opto board?
BTW if you end up making this color DMD for AMH and plan on selling it I'm definitely going to buy one from you if the installation isn't too crazy. Those color animations look really great. So much better than just the mono chromatic green. I really like it.

You can use an IDC insertion tool to make sure the wires are pressed into the back side of the connector well. You can often get by using a small screwdriver, but it's better if you have the tool. You could also choose to use to replace them with Molex crimp connectors rather than IDC, or even direct wire like Tallon mentioned. Direct wiring them, however, it gets very difficult to work on because everything is tied together, unless you also add connectors further down the wires like Tallon also mentions.

Not likely. It requires new display hardware that I bought from Spooky. It's the same display that they used in RZ, but since they are no longer making games like that, they probably won't have many of those displays around any more. I would also think that there are not enough AMH games to make another run of controller boards worthwhile.

Once you get past the hardware, I had to modify the AV firmware to make it work. Charlie has said that he's OK with that, but there is absolutely no support for any of this, so you'd be completely on your own if you run into problems. The firmware also still has minor bugs in it.

yes, but i believe at least one cap has a hole drilled into it. may depend on which lamps you have in them

That's a shame about the color DMD. I wish that spooky would have gone with that from the beginning when they manufactured the game. Thanks for the tips with the opto plugs.

I had to know, so I looked. It's actually worse than that. One is standard blue. One is smoked acrylic. The third has no cap.

20180708_143420 (resized).jpg

Hmmm.... Maybe I could print up some glow-in-the-dark bumper caps. Should look pretty cool with UV LEDs under them. What's up with the cap that has the screw in the middle of it?

That’s really weird and annoying. Maybe I’ll ask Charlie about it.

It's hard to see from the picture, but the screw is in the normal location. The cap is not a full circle, though. It has a cutout for the ramp.

Probably a good idea. He has been very helpful with that sort of thing in the past, and I'm pretty sure they do their own plastic cutting. If they don't already have one laying around, he could probably cut one for you.

We did the caps like that so we could have 3 of them and keep the jump target as low as possible.

You can use an IDC insertion tool to make sure the wires are pressed into the back side of the connector well. You can often get by using a small screwdriver, but it's better if you have the tool. You could also choose to use to replace them with Molex crimp connectors rather than IDC, or even direct wire like tallon mentioned. Direct wiring them, however, it gets very difficult to work on because everything is tied together, unless you also add connectors further down the wires like tallon also mentions.

Are you talking about the 0.156" (3.96mm) IDC Wire Insertion Tool like what they sell on pinball life? Do I use that to press the wires more firmly into the connector that plugs into the opto board?

Is that what you use to press the wires more firmly into the connectors which go into the opto board?

I hope to have one of these some day.

You will need the 0.100" size, but other than that, yes. I'm not sure if Pinball Life sells one or not. I have the one in the link below, but it's overkill if you're only going to use it a few times. I think Pinbits used to sell a cheaper one that was a metal tip with wooden handle.
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/0638133504/WM5151-ND/2327986

Fyi - I replaced the flat pop bumper cap with a blue B/W type cap. I just scored out the curved part with an exacto knife and broke it off to make the cap fit. I also installed domeless LEDs and the pops look so much better.

I did the same to mine as well but used a dremel to cut it. Cheap "mod" and looks great!

I did something similar and made a thread back when I did it so if interested one can see photos. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/amh-pop-bumper-mod

I think that this may be the problem that is causing the dirty pool issue. It’s the connector labeled double on the opto board. I noticed that the wires go to the right side opto sensor of the ghost. It looks as though someone really crushed it. Does anyone know where I can get a replacement plug? Do you think this will fix it?

E9A9F22F-19B1-437E-8D6E-BBF875313D7A (resized).jpeg

"Dirty pool" is when you manage to get a ball back behind the targets when it thinks the ball should have been released.

If the opto receiver is not getting IR light, it assumes it's being blocked by the ball. But if the detector or emitter aren't working properly it will have the same result, as can mis-alignment.

I understand that it is supposed to say that under certain circumstances but it is at the point now where the game is almost unplayable at times as it can get stuck saying it constantly. I'm trying to locate the problem. Several people have stated that there is a known problem with the .100 wires that are used for the connections. That damaged connector is the only visual indication that I've spotted. I'm open to any suggestions on where to look but I'm thinking it might be the damaged plug. If not then I have no idea on where to look.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but that connector doesn't immediately jump out at me as being bad. The plastic look at bit dinged up, but the plastic is only there to hold the contacts in place.

The red wire does look like it's stripped back a bit far, so I'd probably pull it from the connector, cut the wire flush and recrimp it. I don't think it's very likely to fix your problem, though.

If you really want to replace it, you can use this IDC connector:
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/3-640440-2/A31080-ND/698278
or this crimp and stuff connector plus contacts:
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/22-01-2027/WM2011-ND/171991
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/molex-llc/08-50-0114/WM1114-ND/26475

Assuming it is consistently triggering, my suggestions would be:
1. Some cameras can see the IR light coming from the IR emitter. My Samsung S5, for example, can. The emitter should be lit all the time. If you know your camera can see IR, that helps, but even if you don't know, you can try. If you do see the light, you know that half is working.
2. If you have an IR flashlight, you can shine it into the receiver to try to get it to stop triggering. If that does get it to stop, you know the receiver half is working.
3. Be sure to check all involved connectors. There are connectors that run up to the backbox as well, if I remember correctly, so be sure to check those. If it is consistently triggering, wiggle one connector at a time to see if that single connector can get it to stop. If so, concentrate on making that connection better.

Thanks for all of your help and efforts with this Herg. I do appreciate it. For clarity this doesn't happen all of the time probably roughly 40% to 50% of the game play I have the problem. Some games operate perfectly. This does seem to be linked to the ghost target bank though. It happens when I start a new game and the target bank will drop down right away and then the dirty pool speech starts. It can also happen when the 2nd or 3rd ball starts and the target bank drops right away and then again with the dirty pool. Correct me if i'm wrong but I thought the game is supposed to start with the target bank up. I don't know if this helps at all but it seems to be the pattern.

Yes, the target bank is up at the start of the game. If you are getting false hits on the optos, it can cause the target bank to act weird. I believe the target bank is a symptom, not the cause.

So the pop bumper caps are simply $3 blue ones from pinball life. 03-8254-xx

I emailed kayte about it. She also said spooky can special cut you one for the weird third pop.

Okay so this dirty pool problem continues to drag on. I replaced both the connectors for the ghost area which are the opto 1 and the double IR emitter connections with molex connectors and it still has the same problem. I used the IDC insertion tool and made sure they were in there good and the connectors seem to be sturdy.
So if this was your machine what would you try next? Replacing the IR emitter and receivers? Misalignment was mentioned. How could you tell if that was the problem and what would cause the misalignment? The IR receiver diode seems to be covered up pretty good by a protective housing so maybe not enough IR light reaching it? Someone mentioned they replaced their optos are there better ones out there? Not sure what to do now.

Let me save you a ton of dicking around and having your game down for a month. Change the optos!! Had mine doing the same thing and ran thru the whole check list. Nothing seemed to help. Caught chris at a show and was told to just change the optos. Did it and it has been playing great ever since. So to summarize...

“Just change the Optos”

You asked what I would do, so I would start by using my phone to look for IR light coming out of the emitter. Some phones won't see it, but my Samsung S5 does. Look for the faint purplish light.

Next, turn on switch test to see if the switch is triggered. Mine is not, so it shows as an empty dot until I block it with my finger.

I'm not necessarily suggesting you do this next step, but it's what I would do. I used a small screwdriver to short across the opto receiver contacts to simulate the opto being closed.

Any of these steps can help to cut the problem in half by eliminating the emitter (or not), showing the opto working in situations (or not), or by showing that the receiver circuit works (or not).

You should also test the Door Opto as well. It is also sourced by the dual emitter located between it and the Ghost Loop.

The Ghost Loop is a wider path, so a failing IR signal would cause a false positive there sooner than it would on the door side.

Dirty Pool is only checked when the 3 bank targets are commanded to go up AND there isn't supposed to be a ball trapped behind them.

1) Targets commanded to go up
2) Pulse magnet to center a ball (if present)
3) Check IR path
4) If blocked, put targets back down, say "DIRTY POOL", wait a second for ball to clear, repeat.

Something else to check for is false triggers during any mode where you're supposed to shoot the ghost loop.

I sent this as a response to PM, but thought it could be useful to someone in the future, so I'm posting it here also.

In switch test, there is a dot that corresponds to each switch. You can see in my video, there is one that is displayed when I block the loop with my finger. If that dot is always displayed, the loop is always triggered. If it's never displayed, it's not being triggered at all.

You won't hear any audio unless you turn it on using the enter button. So, I guess it's not clear which case you have. I would guess always triggered, as if a ball is always there.

That could be caused by either the emitter or receiver. As Ben mentioned, if your door opto works, it's much less likely that the emitter is the problem. Both emitters are on the same board and share a power source. It's still possible you could have a failed solder joint on the ghost emitter, though.

The emitter is always on if the game is on. In my video, you can see it come on a soon as I power the machine on.

Is there a rulesheet anywhere for AMH that I’m missing? Trying to figure out how to qualify and start each ghost.

Does everyone have problems with the hellevator? Mine doesn’t like to recognize the balls.

We will adjust it and it will be fine for a few months but it always goes back to not recognizing a ball is sitting in it.

Anyone have any suggestions to permanently fix it?

prison = left orbin
doctor = left door
bar = pop bumpers
army = pop bumpers
hotel = right ramp
theater = right orbit

there is a way to choose between bar and army, but i can't seem to remember right now.

found this on pinballboy.com website

download.png

I haven't had any problems with it recognizing balls. I did have an issue where balls under the ramp would hit the back side of the switch and cause false hits, but I fixed that long ago. Make sure the lever piece that sits in the bottom of it can move freely and that the switch doesn't have to move far to trigger.

I thought it just picked one at random at the start of the game. I could be wrong, though.

By default it's random. But you can select by holding the left (Bar ghost) or right (War ghost) flipper when you press start.