frenchmarky @ Ya, I'd rather not mess with them either, but they are way too loud for my house. I've even installed rugs on the walls in some spots and added sound absorbing material (fireproof) in empty spots in the cabinet. It's not enough.
Re: raising grommets. Messing with those things also changes the sound. Williams chimes are a good example. They often sound horrible because the fasteners and washers get worn.
@TheWiz: You're awesome to offer and those 8ohm 20watts might work perfect, but I'm up in Canada and shipping up here is more complicated and expensive. I'd pay the shipping but I'd still feel like it would be too much trouble to put you through. But what's your thoughts, theoretically, on what value would be to reduce the force from 30-60%? ...even if it's a guess.
Neal_W : I've heard about and contemplated using a container around the box. It makes sense that it'll work. I've hesitated due to adding any flammable material such as carboard around anything that might arc (I know it sounds paranoid, but I'd rather error on safety. My wife calls me "safety guy"). I'm not ruling out using something less ignitable like mdf, but it seems like a lot more work than soldering on a resistor.
@YeOldPinPlayer: You must be a scientist or engineer. This is defiantly the way to approach this. I'll try to brainstorm and think about those things as I go along.
@Mikat11: I usually use 2 pillows when I sleep making a "head sandwich". But now you got me thinking I'm doing it all wrong. I'll try placing a box over my head tonight--maybe cut a semicircle hole for around my neck.
jibmums :I'm pretty sure that'll have a similar effect to the towels and reduce/kill the high PING reverb.
@slochar: RE:solenoids hitting their coil stops.: Yes, absolutely. I've already done other things such as sound absorbing (fireproof) materials in the box (in empty areas) and rubber feet. You can do only so much for that but the chimes will often still be too loud, they can travel through the house and find thinner wall to go through. On my SS's I have the volume down to under 10% and it's fine. But Pins were made for arcades and the sounds were defaulted at loud to probably attract attention--for some reason they didn't take nostalgic future collectors who have hardwood floors into account. Jerks. Couldn've at least installed a volume knob on chimes and bells.
@xsvtoys: My latest project was a BK. Every board had problems! The sound was the last thing I worked on because of parts and going through the game in a methodical manner. The game SUCKS without sound. I would play the PAPA gameplay video when I played it. . Luckily I've got it working now and having Mark Ritchie laugh at me has been my most satisfying Pin repair I've done to date.