I agree the flinging style manga saves are more fun.

That seems like a complicated mod for that game.

Have you maxed out the save time to make sure the ball has settled before being Released? There is an adjustment for that.

a very cool/good idea

and even more, your BK playfield will say "thank you" !

How about just add a second switch to each button that is also normally open, which is in series with the relay coil so it can only activate the magnet while magna save is running by pressing or holding the button? Those switches wouldn't take a beating since they are only activating the relays. Might be more hassle than extra relays, I dunno. I can't complain about my BK magna saves, I keep the magna save timer settings up a little so I'm "almost* guaranteed a clean drop by the time it releases. If I miss or screw up a catch now and then, I chalk it up to, well, if I'd timed it better or didn't jump on it so quick I would snag more of them. But the on/off aspect of GL's does sound cool.

Not trying to dig up old posts, but I just happened to run across this topic.

I installed this feature on my Black Knight about 6-1/2 years ago. I took the game to the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown after it was completed and people enjoyed the feature a lot, and questioning if I had a ROM revision that allowed the feature. It required some modified wiring wiring and a couple additional leaf switches, but no additional relays of any sort. I basically installed a doublestacked leaf switch behind the magna-save cabinet button. One switch is to activate the feature as normal. The other switch is tapped into the wiring that feeds the relay under the playfield. I believe I tapped into the ground-wire line of the relay.

From there, I installed a 3-way toggle switch inside the cabinet that allows me 3-different states for the new mod.... Modified, Normal, and Off.

The end result is the ability to hold onto the ball for as long or short as you want, as well as not cooking the magnets for as long if the ball is already stabilized long enough to drop.

Only issue I see with it is you could be in the middle of a multiball when you hit the button and if you do wish to hold the magnasave 'on' it is preoccupying your finger(s) with doing that at the same time you might need to be flipping at another ball on that side. I'd need to do the flip with my third finger. So it does make it more challenging vs. BK's version of just tapping it and letting the timer do its thing.

Its no different than holding during Grand Lizard/Jungle Lord. Plus, using extra buttons while playing is part of the fun and challenge of these games. I own a Dungeons and Dragons which has the flex-save feature. This is easily the most intense use of extra buttons while playing, which is a main reason why I bought it. That extra dimension to the game makes it really worthwhile. The dynamic magnasave on these Williams games feels like you have more control and helps keep the ball in flow.

So the magnasave gets triggered as normal, but you don't let the relay pull in unless you are pressing the button, using the relay's ground to allow it to work (since the grounding would be controlled by the software's timeout)?

That's probably a better solution than software. I couldn't figure out how to convey how many magnasaves you have 'saved up' like the newer games did, since there's only the one lamp. I suppose you could flash it in a pattern. Your way is more elegant, some times hardware is better than software especially when it's so straightforward.

Yes, thats how it works. Just double up the cabinet switch so one button activates and the other is a make/break for the relay.

I've added cabinet features to games that didn't have them and its all mechanical. I don't have coding skills, so any software-level changes would need to be added by someone else. I had a guy make me a custom ROM once for a game I modded and it was nice, but if I can keep it simple, then I go that route.