I vote 3 ball.
Well back in the day almost every machine was set to 3 ball anyhow. So just what I am used to.
3 ball on black hole( i think ) is better. The yellow targets stay off from ball to ball. pops score higher. I think that is the only difference.
Also I have noticed that whenever kids play if set to 3 ball they usually finish the game. If set to 5 a lot of times they finish the 3rd ball and move on to another machine. I don't know why just something I noticed.

Like I said earlier in an earlier post, my ideal setup would be 3-ball play with 5-ball rules.

I like my games to play hard. If they play too easy there's no challenge and to me that's where most of the fun is. If a player can reach multiball every game where is the fun in that? For me it's the feeling of almost getting there, almost getting that multiball going with the bonus multiplier maxed and both g-forces lit, that makes me want to play "just one more."

I could almost tolerate BH's 3-ball rules if it weren't for the 1000-point pops. I find it silly to award so many points for such an inconsequential shot, especially without having to qualify it first. This same rule spoils 3-ball play on most Gottliebs from System 80 all the way back to their 70s EMs (possibly earlier too).

Oh i see your point, yes 5 ball is harder for sure but most games with multiball you get at least once a game unless you suck. On BH it seems like I get multiball 1 out of 4 with 3 and 1 out of 25 with 5. It is a bit to hard. At least for me.

Love,love, love my Black Hole!!!! It's almost pinball perfection IMHO....but the one thing I hate, more than draining the ball back through the gate, is getting 2G lit and then having the ball drain immediately, meaning you have to start all over again. grrrr just happened to me. I had all the yellow standups completed, knocked the last drop target down to light 2G and then bam, STDM. No chance to even go to the lower pf and rack up some monster bonus. If you just have 1G lit and drain then it carries over to the next ball.

If I were able to change the rules, I would make 2G carry over from ball to ball until the lower playfield has been played at least once.

Rant over.

I didn't realize this until very recently, but Ni-wumpf MPUs allow the end user to adjust rules however they see fit. You could even do a complete rewrite if you want!

More info here:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/black-hole-ni-wumpf-rule-adjustments#post-1353190

Yes WOZ that is so true. It is also disappointing when you get up to x3 or x4 and never go to the lower pf. NO Bonus, no nothing. Black Hole really makes you earn every point.

I had a game going yesterday and on the second ball "Hit me with your best shot" came on the radio and my BH seemed to like it. allowing me to start multiball, get 2G and score the special. Well extra ball. Then some other lame o song came on and SDTM, off the Pop and SDTM. Extra ball lasting about 20secs.

I ended up with about 640,000 previous 4 games all in the under 200K range.

That'll teach you to let your BH listen to whatever music it wants.

Steve

That is neat an easy way to do a divide by 10 scoring scheme so that you never have to worry about roll over.

or set like everything to real low old em scoring and see if you can break 1000.

If you can reach multiball every game its usually designed for you to as a goal.. ie Class of 1812. If you reach multiball every time in Black Hole (especially 3 ball game/5-ball rules) you are pinball Jesus.

More power to you for wanting your games hard, but I think this game is plenty tough most days.
Some days if it were any more frustrating, the game may have ended up on its side.

Looks like a decent install guide with less modding required than some others I've seen. The goal is always to find a drop-in replacement which fits and matches the original RPM spec (which I think is 1 RPM?). Servo City also has 1 and 2 RPM motors.

Here are a couple other motor options people have used, I think the Digikey has less modding required of the two:

Grainger Gearmotor, 1.5rpm, 12vdc
http://www.grainger.com/product/2L004

Digi-Key # CRA201-ND, MOTOR DC GEARED 12V 1RPM
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/30568/CRA201-ND/186731

I'll never have to worry about rolling my game over.

Steve

I enjoy the torture so it's a 5 ball only game for me.

Steve

I have a strange display problem with my BH. The display for the lower level does not show any "1" digits. What could be causing this? Thanks

Most display issues in pair displays are usually at the CPU display connectors or on the CPU board (in your case with segment h, it would be bonus and status displays). If the problem only shows on one display, the problem is usually at that display, either connector related or on the display board itself. If I were a betting man and the problem is on one display only, I'd say the problem is in the punch pin type crimps Gottlieb used. ***With the power off***, if you jiggle the connector, does the segment come back after powered back on? If it does, it should be fine for a little while but the problem will come back. Only replacing the crimp will correct the problem (if it's in the connector).

Steve

Bring on the hurt!!

I calibrated my flippers parallel to the biff bars this weekend and I agree, shots feel way better.

Sure, I can post some photos when I get home from work tonight.

Filing or grinding a bit off the end of the coil stop, and gluing a very thin rubber pad, or something along those lines would also shield the plunger and stop from each other.

I have seen plungers from other manufacturers, that have a nylon tip on the end of the plunger ans well...

if you have some nylon around, you could trim the stop to half its original height, and top it with nylon for that matter, problem solved..

There are definatley ways around this problem...

Yep, that would create more push against the plunger returning to rest position. Good catch, I couldn't understand why more than one bracket would become magnetized, now I know why.

Steve

interesting! i've been considering ways to add a meaningful skill shot myself. my main idea is to implement some kind of tube or ramp that leads directly to the hole that goes downstairs if you plunge just right, otherwise you end up in the rollover lanes or coming down the orbit. i think it would be fun, but i don't think i have the balls to monkey around with the playfield to that degree!

isn't 1 a segment issue?? Never mind someone way ahead of me.

Oh shit i didn't measure it. PM me your mail address and i'll send ya a pc.

It maybe thicker - thinner i don't know.

Oh so that is what you call em, learn something everyday. sounds much nicer than anti death save bars for sure.

Here's where I ended up:

IMG_3069.JPG

ok so this is weird ... just tried to set my Black Hole for 3-ball play and it won't take. i'm switching dip 17 to on, but it stays in 5-ball mode even after turning it off and back on. the other switches seem to work - i was able to change some other settings without issue. is there some trick to it or is my dip switch busted?

Probably a bad DS. One sure way is to solder a jumper to the back of the switch. I do that all the time to DS25 on all MGoW's to keep the switch in the on position, if off, the game never finishes the "game over" sounds and keeps playing background sounds after it's finished a game. The only way to clear the background sound with DS25 off is to turn off the game, then back on.

Steve

hope you guys enjoy this.

The drop targets coils are in A9J8/P8-7 & 8. Wire colors are red-brown-brown and red-orange-orange, check continuity through the connector. Also check connector A3J4-6 & 12 (same color wires) for continuity through the wires to the driver board.

By "ball through switch", I assume you mean the track switch (#53), for it to not work, either the tube kicker (#43) or roll under gate switch (#52) should also be dead for it to be a connector issue. If not, the problem is at the track switch itself. If the roll under gate switch is also dead, check A9J7/P7-2 for continuity through the connector. Wire color is yellow-green-green.

If the tube kicker switch is also dead, check connector A9J7/P7-8 for continuity through the connector. Wire color is blue-orange-orange.

I put the assigned numbers in this post so you can reference them when you test these 3 switches in switch test 18. If they show up as working when you touch the trigger wire with your finger, they are probably out of adjustment or dirty. Always clean or adjust switches with the power off, then re-test.

Steve

OK cool, mr pez I guess you are ready for tourney play. Did you dethunk yours as well,seemed pretty quite.

sounds like the dr has got mof. but maybe lower pf not all connectors plugged in or you bumped relay on upper pf out of adjustment?

Had to add something.

hope mof get his chit together soon we don't want to start without him.

Dude, count me in on this whole tourney thing on the Black hole..

I am DOWN and ready to rumbleeeeeeeeeeeee.........................

check Gerry is in. what do you think 3 or 5 ball?

i vote five just because my dip switch to change to 3-ball is apparently busted

I was gonna say 3 ball.... . It is a solid state

I vote for 3 ball too. Am I even in?

OK we will have to do 5 first.

Now lets pick a time how is Sat 22 at say 8:30 pm est. / 5:30pm pt

Black Hole Tournament

So taking" roll call " who is all here?

:O gotta put the kids to bed. i could do it in an hour though.

Ok that one at 9:30.

Practice till then and put switch 17 off. 5ball play.

LOL, my favorite way to play a Black Hole but I really don't have the time tonight to join in the fun. My average scores are usually over a million on my game anyway, I know it too well.

Steve

Oh i see how ya are. Time to help people and no time to try kicking ass. I just finished a practice 5 ball and 298510. I always seem to get the four yellow on ball 5 and although i did get multiball and an extra ball i did not fair so well.

Hope you change your mind. I have this Tournament Maker 2.1 program and it just looks like you put in everyones name and such. and it forms brackets with x2 elimination and whatnot. I have yet to really try it.