FunHouse
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Hey Funhouse owners.... Has anyone else had this problem? I've never personally seen another Funhouse machine with this issue and I've had this issue for more than 12 years since I first got my Funhouse.
No matter how I position the ramp or level the machine, I still get this problem... the ball bounces out of the steps lane when it drops about 50% of the time. It is super annoying! I'd really appreciate some ideas of what might fix it.
Thanks in advance!
Brad O.
Quoted from Zablon:It's the pad at the end of the ramp. It's bouncing. Remove that and yoru problem should be solved. Mine has never had that pad and is fine and works as expected - since '96. Additionally, the rubber around the post below is normally an issue as well unless you have a super slim rubber on it. On many that will cause the plunger shot to bounce off that post but can also cause bouncing when dropping from the ramp.
You guys got my hopes up... really sounded like those suggestions would work. 
Removed the blue pad at the end of the ramp and the black sleeve over the post. I thought for sure that would fix it.... yet it is still doing it just the same as ever. WTH? All I can think is my ramps are bent or not positioned right.. although even when I try them in different positions, it still seems to be a problem. Maybe the problem is the black plate that the ball lands on... maybe it is unlevel or something. Will have to do some more experimenting. I can't believe how hard this problem has been to solve. Thanks for all your suggestions though. I'll let you guys know if I ever solve it. I know other Funhouse machines never seem to do it.
Brad O.
Quoted from Zablon:As asked, is your pf level?
But, I think I spotted a potential issue. The ramp flap should have 2 rivets and 2 screws, you are missing the left screw which...I suppose could be causing the flap to tilt to the right and cause your issue. Just a possibility.
Dang! You're right! There is a missing screw! I have ordered some replacement screws and will try with both screws installed and see if that makes a difference. That screw was definitely not there when I got the machine. If that's it, I'll owe you a lunch!
Well, I wasted a whole bunch of time yesterday trying to figure out what the heck was up with that ball spinning out of the STEPS lane. I eventually noticed that if I twisted the rail slightly towards the front of the cabinet, it didn't seem to do that. Then I thought, what if the slope of the playfield is wrong after all. I checked with my digital level and got 6.5 degrees, which I believed was correct. Then I borrowed my friends digital level and got 5.4 degrees. There was something wrong with my level!!!! I adjusted the game to 6.5 degrees and now it doesn't seem to do that at all!! Unbelievable how difficult that was to figure out. It is really critical that you have tools that are functioning properly or it can send you off on a series of wild goose-chases!!
So if anyone else has this problem... keep in mind that the slope of the playfield is absolutely critical for proper operation!
Thanks for your help everybody. I put the post sleeve and blue rail pad back in for now.
Brad O.
Quoted from WizzardRob:But surely the gap gets wider without rubber.
I sometomes find the rubber annoying because it catches on the ball when plunged from the left plunger... however i think the main issue is my very old uneven floor... any machine movement will bring it out of level
Funny you should mention that. That is another problem I've been experiencing with my Funhouse is the ball getting caught when launching. I recently found that the reason for that is definitely the uneven floor. In my garage, the floor slopes down for drainage reasons and I have my game sideways. I thought adjusting the left legs higher than the right legs would compensate, but when I do that, it seems to skew the cabinet so the plunger doesn't hit the ball dead-center causing it to bounce against the walls occasionally when launching. Right now I'm trying to figure out how I can reconfigure my other games so I can fit my Funhouse vertically in the garage to have things level at least for the left and right legs
Hi,
Rudy's eye-lids broke on me for the second time in 10 years. The first time, the eyelids plastic cracked and the eyes-shut transistor blew. This time, the eyelids plastic is fine, but the little peg that holds the piston to the plastic fell out and I found it at the bottom of the cabinet. (I must have put something together wrong 10 years ago).
So my two questions are:
1. What is supposed to prevent that peg from coming out of the hole (circled in the attached picture)? I can pull it out with my fingers... doesn't seem secure at all. Do I need to buy a whole new assembly at marcospecialties?
2. In looking at the manual, it seems that there is a missing spring for this eyelids piston. It has been working all this time just fine without it. I will order one on Marco Specialties, but how could it work without the spring? Maybe the missing spring is the reason I've been having eyelid issue?
Thanks for sharing any experience on this you may have.
Brad
Quoted from dsuperbee:That pin is a press fit and shouldnt be ablr to be removed by finger pressure. You will need a new part.
Get the spring, and if you are missing the centering flange get that as well. It worked because the weight of the eyelids was probably enough to pull the plunger up, but could easily stress the eyelids. Not having the centering flange will break eyelids as well.
Thank you for pointing out the centering flange! I've never had that since I got the machine 15 years ago. It is a miracle that the eyelids have been working as long as they have. That probably explains why the eyelids broke the first time. There were several things I found that were put back together wrong after I got this thing... I'm adding to the list now! It will be great to get this working as intended. I just ordered the parts!
Thanks again!
Brad O.
Quoted from mollyspub:Thanks but I should have said... Can someone post a pic where this is located? I actually think I may not have one installed.
Is this even possible? Can't have Rudy be unhappy with me!
Mine worked for 15 years without one, but I can see how it can be very dangerous for Rudy's eyes and I have had 2 eyelid failures, one requiring a new eyelids plastic. The piston is wobbly without it. I can see that with that white plastic ring, it should stabilize the piston nicely.
Well, I just hooked Rudy up again just as a test and it seems the eyelids won't close now. I believe that spring is required and I believe I did have it before... but when the pin came out, the spring went somewhere and I can't find it... argh! I'll keep looking for it... in the meantime, I ordered a spare.
UPDATE: I found it!! Under a bunch of wires in the bottom of the cabinet. The spring was there! I just wanted to let everyone know that I was wrong and the spring is absolutely mandatory... the eyes will not close properly without it.
I just updated my Funhouse from ROM rev L-5 to L-9. I also patched the L-9 rom to eliminate LED ghosting and that works great... I'm so pleased!!!
The only problem I'm noticing is that the kicker that puts the ball in play (so you can shoot the ball) is weak now. If I run the test mode on it, it is strong and works perfectly every time. Now, it barely kicks hard enough to push the ball into the shooting lane. Half the time, the ball falls back in and the kicker has to fire again to get the ball out. While the game still works fine, it seems like there is a problem somewhere. I lubed up the kicker shaft a bit, but it didn't make any difference. it seems like something in the code fires the solenoid at half power... then if that doesn't work, it fires at full power, because if the ball doesn't make it and it kicks again, it seems to kick harder.
Is there any way to disable this? Has anyone else experienced it with the L-9 ROM? Suggestions?
Thanks,
Brad
Quoted from Bravebluerx:Havent heard of the code affecting that. I used an earlier code L-3, the nonghosting L-9, and the home H-9 and the kicker strength was the same.
Check your solenoid sleeve and spring for issues.
Hmmm... this is really weird. Your comment made me think I had some alternate version of the ROM. I got this L-9 image from MAME. So I went out and got the version from here: https://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=966 and did a checksum comparison. The roms are identical.
So I put the L-9 ROM in without the ghosting fix.... same exact behavior... about half the strength of that kicker. Then I put the L-5 rom back in and kicker was at full strength every time.
Did I mention that with the L-9 ROM installed, the solenoid test fires that kicker at full strength every time? In is only an issue during game. Strength does increase if it can't kick the ball out all the way and it always kicks it out the second time.
This has to be caused by software in L-9. Maybe there is something mechanically wrong with my kicker to make it harder than other machines, so half the strength only exhibits problems for me? Very curious about this one.
Quoted from dsuperbee:First off....clean that lube off and replace the coil sleeve. No lube on plungers....ever.
Second, make sure the parts arent worn or bent.
I cleaned up the shaft... it didn't make any difference anyway. The parts seem fine... not bent or worn. I did lubricate the hinge and it seems pretty reliable now. I'll keep watching it... Like I said, I think the L-9 roms decreased the power of that kicker and my kicker was only working properly because of the extra power it had before. It would be nice if the Solenoid test fired at the same velocity as it fires in-game.
Quoted from Zablon:Hey Guys,
I've been screwing around with this for days and I could really use to advice. It is tough to fix when you have no reference of how it is supposed to be. All I have is the manual and it seems like all the parts are there....
New to the club (again). I bought a kind of basket case funhouse from a friend. Over payed, of course.
First big problem is the screen won’t come on at all. I checked all the fuses and reseated all connections. Which brings me to problem number two...
One of the big connectors (I can’t remember right now 12 pin? On the power driver board left side?) with all the yellow wires looping back on themselves ) was all burnt and crumbles in my hand when I tried to reseat it. I’m hoping that is also my first problem. Any chance?
Anyone have a good tutorial for rebuilding connectors that have the wires looping to multiple pins?
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
This guy explains how to replace those connectors.
It looks like your Rudy eyelids are not going to work. I'm guessing the piston that drives the eyelids has detached. You're going to need to take Rudy apart to fix that. I've done it a couple times.
Quoted from brado426:Hey Guys,
I've been screwing around with this for days and I could really use to advice. It is tough to fix when you have no reference of how it is supposed to be. All I have is the manual and it seems like all the parts are there....This guy explains how to replace those connectors.
It looks like your Rudy eyelids are not going to work. I'm guessing the piston that drives the eyelids has detached. You're going to need to take Rudy apart to fix that. I've done it a couple times.
Quoted from Markharris2000:If you do plan to take Rudy apart, take pictures from lots of angles up close first!!!!! Putting it back is mostly intuitive, but a few gotchas will arise. There is a main assembly and then the geared jaw armature. I found taking the C-clip off the jaw armature post and then disconnecting was easiest for me. Then Rudy's main assembly just unbolts from the bottom with 6 screws I think. Try to find the solenoid plunger arms found in the manual, pages 2-22/23. Item 5 & 7. There is also a nylon ring in the back of the eyelid solenoid that usually gets eaten up. Rudy won't work well without that ring being fixed.. I think they call it a shading ring. Marco has that. The springs probably need to be swapped too as they get weak and you'll know what else is needing to be adjusted by checking how well the eyelid coils are mounted. If the coils are loose, see if the bracket screws are just loose.
Very good point here. Make sure all the parts go back in the right way. After I got my Funhouse, the piston cracked my eyelids plastic. After much investigation, I found it was because whoever put Rudy back together didn't put the white plastic shaft guide back in causing the piston to jiggle. Eventually, it did its last jiggle and destroyed my eyelids. I bought a replacement shaft guide and it has worked perfectly ever since.
Quoted from paynemic:Thanks for all the advice guys! I can’t wait to get Rudy up and working. Right now I can’t really even troubleshoot due to my completely blank display. I uploaded a video. I’m hoping something will catch someone’s eye and I can get a hint where to start. It clearly boots and plays. I think it’s alerting me that the time isn’t set. I think the batteries on the board were very old, but thankfully not leaking.
Thanks in advance.
Have you checked to make sure the scoreboard is getting any power at all? I actually had a similar problem but never did find out exactly why my scoreboard was dead. I pulled it out and set it face down on the playfield. After that, the scoreboard wouldn't come on. As I recall, I unplugged and plugged in the connectors and it started working again. Never did find out exactly why it wasn't powering on... maybe a sketchy connector. Since then, it has been rock solid so I haven't touched it. Your HV circuit is certainly suspect as that does commonly fail. Check to make sure you are getting the high voltage.
If worse comes to worse, you might want to consider investing in a replacement scoreboard for around $200. If you're ever in Southern California, feel free to stop by and bring your scoreboard and plug into mine to see if it works.
Quoted from paynemic:Yes. Thanks a lot though. Can’t wait to tear into him! Do you think his eyelid problem will be easy to discover out of the machine? I can’t run through switch tests and stuff yet with my display out. And xpin is taking a while to ship.
You must remove Rudy from the machine to work on that. It isn't too bad... the first time may be a bit confusing, but it is pretty self-explanatory. There's a shaft that is supposed to connect to another shaft via a pin. My guess is that pin/shaft got
Quoted from harig:Had issues with the right shooter not plunging the ball cosistantly all the way around and found following solution for my Rudy:
I was wasting hours in aligning/changing things as only 2/3 of the plunges made it all the way around-1/3 got stuck with some rattling noise and fell back to the bumpers.
realigning the metal guide inwards (towards playfield) gives me a 100% plunge (detail A in pic)
before it seems the ball was sometimes crashing into the right ramp entrance (detail B)
was hard to track down as I suspected the gate flap being the culprit as by holding it upwards I always had a 100% success rate
Rudy is happy now and rewarded me with a new GC score of 100M
posted the same info there: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/funhouse-shooter-rod-alignment-post-restore#post-6224919
[quoted image]
Thank you for this post. My Funhouse does the EXACT same thing!! I will look at that metal guide on mine and see if it is the same issue.
Brad O.
Wow... you guys are doing some awesome stuff with your Funhouse machines!
Mine isn't so impressive, but I did fix a hole near the scoop by mixing some acrylic paints to get a similar color (my first time doing such a thing.) Not perfect, but it looks way better than it did. I then put a thin layer of epoxy on top to hopefully protect the paint. It had been screwed up like this since I got the machine 12 years ago and it feels good to have it resolved. I actually have had the ball get stuck in the hole a couple times and had to shake the table to get it out.
BEFORE:
IMG_20210414_135003211 (1) (resized).jpg
AFTER:
Quoted from pinballinreno:I could do another restore.... LMK if selling lol
Never!!
Quoted from nutty:I just noticed brado426 I have an orange balloon almost exactly where your damage was.
hahaha.... Yeah, it is amazing how many times the ball must have popped out that scoop to cause a physical hole in the playfield! I love your balloon idea. That might even look better than what I did!
Quoted from harig:those are #455 or #545 selfblinking bulbs
They work with a bimetal contact-similar to the blinker relay on an older car
Seems they are getting rare and outrageously priced now too. The cheapest I could find is $30 for a box of 10. Sounds like we may need to find an alternative to these soon.
Quoted from harig:those are #455 or #545 selfblinking bulbs
They work with a bimetal contact-similar to the blinker relay on an older car
Looks like the incandescent ones are outrageously priced now. I see a box of 10 for $30. It seems there are alternative LED blinkers though.
Quoted from Zablon:I have these on mine. They are the only LED's I have on it. They work great as a replacement.
You know, the picture that cosmokramer posted is a good reason to convert those to LEDs. My sockets are brittle too after years of incandescent heat.
Quoted from sb33334:I am also generally anti-LED. Did some (if not all, I can't remember) of my Funhouse underneath into LED, like under the clock, so there is not so much heat under the inserts. Also use LED OCD. But other than that, out of necessity, the LED to me is just not appealing to look at.
I keep incandescent in my Funhouse GI, but man, LEDs for underneath was the best thing I ever did for Funhouse. It makes the game look SOOO much better. I also put LEDs in the flashers, which don't make that big a difference... they are a bit brighter.
Quoted from pinballinreno:With the color choices of LED's and the level of control that LEDOCD and GIOCD gives you, there is no reason at all to go with incandescents.
One can make an exact representation, only a bit better.
Lower power vonsumption, higher durability and less stress on aging electronics etc.
But this has been gone over 100's of times.
Its your game, have it your way !
The reason I go with the incandescent for Funhouse is because of the dimming function not working with LEDs. Are there good warm LEDs that support dimming without buying an additional $200 add-on board?
I wouldn't sell my Funhouse at any price. I suspect most others feel the same way... which is probably what keeps the price up. To me, Funhouse is the ultimate pinball machine of all time... the perfect theme... the perfect music... the perfect difficulty.... the perfect mood. Everything about it is perfect. I can't imagine another pinball machine ever being released that exceeds its greatness. It took the enthusiasm of a couple of friends of mine to help me to realize this... but am I ever convinced now!
Quoted from chriz99:Check out my Rudy Airbrush Zombie/Joker Mod with red LED-flasher-strip inside
cheers
Chris
Coming from someone who usually hates Rudy head mods.... that looks damn awesome!
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:How many people have done Custom Rudy's.. I've been thinking of doing a Pennywise, Kiss or other mods. Or a Mask that can easily be fitted over existing mech.
People love hate this idea..
I absolutely hate custom Rudys. I saw a Groucho Marx one at CAX and I nearly barfed on the playfield. No one should be sitting on a Funhouse playfield except Rudy.
Quoted from yzfguy:He is still Rudy... Under there .. I got mine with this already done and absolutely love it. Had an original version last time and this guy still makes me laugh when I play [quoted image]
As much as that conflicts with my core beliefs, that looks friggin AWESOME!!!!
Quoted from AlexRogan84:Thanks. My ROM's are both L-2 for the sound and the game itself. So a little out of date.
What was the last one Williams themselves did back in the day? L-9? I see the "smart trap door" feature and that looks like a good thing to have.That's a good idea about the metal guides. I figure when my plastics come I'll test fit these pieces before committing to screwing them into place.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
I highly recommend updating to F-9 as soon as possible. I was on L-5 for the first 10 years of owning my Funhouse and I was missing out on some great fixes/features. Even better, if you have LEDs, be sure to use the anti-ghosting version of F-9.... that nearly eliminated all ghosting I was seeing with my LEDs. Any remaining ghosting is completely un-noticeable now.
Quoted from Markharris2000:Get 9.05H. That was their last version.
https://mattsbasementarcade.com/ has the latest ROMS and ships fast, usually 1 day.
yeah, but 9.05H disabled the ability to use coins in the game. The only benefit I'm aware of in 9.05H is Rudy constantly blinking, but I don't care about or want that feature, so I use 9 (non home version).
Quoted from Markharris2000:There are a bunch of tiny enhancements, probably the biggest is the Enter Initials sequence for high score entry. It becomes quite a light show with a soundtrack that matches. Rudy's eye can be active more of the time too. Bunch of other tiny fixes/updates. But as you saw, coins are not supported to prevent this original author's personal version from being routed.
I'm pretty sure the Enter Initials light show changes are also included in the F-9 rom. I updated the one sound rom to U-3 and got the enhanced light show with that. I did try 9.05h as well, but I'll be damned if I could notice any difference except for the blinking eyes.
Quoted from canea:Great, thanks all. L-9 booting fine.
One change I notice is that the shooter eject is very weak the first time, and then the second time is stronger and always gets it into the shooter. This happens every time, not intermittently. Eject worked fine before switching roms. I read someone else having this problem with L-9 on a non-pinside thread, but no solutions. Is it a software bug?
I noticed that too.... the eject power is low with the newer version of the rom. I adjusted my trough so that it does eject most of the time, but sometimes the ball still doesn't make it and it has to try again for the second time. I even bought a new trough metal piece, but it actually made things worse. So I'm not sure what the problem is with my trough. Before I had received this machine, someone had bent the trough bracket to make it work reliably so I just bent it a bit more. I would like to know the correct solution to this myself. It was never a problem with the older L-5 rom.
Quoted from AlexRogan84:My boards look like this:
So other than obtaining the L9 chip itself and doing this jumper mod on W1-W2, is there anything else I will need? Are those sound ROM's going to be fine as is?[quoted image][quoted image]
The SL2 sound rom that you have will work fine. If you update that to SL3 (which I did recently), you will get an enhanced light show because the sound rom sends additional triggers as the music plays. Not a big deal, but hey, why not?
Quoted from Zablon:I think your sound issue is a volume pot. Mine does this occasionally. It would be in the cabinet, I believe on the left side wall. Wiggle it around and it should crackle. Probably needs cleaned. Generally you can just twist it back and forth 4-5 times and then set it to the volume you want and it will be fine.
If you don't have one of those anywhere, I'm not sure what it would be. Maybe check connectors on the speakers if you haven't already. Alternatively, corroded joints, traces, and resistors can also cause this.
As for the ball trough -- FH has optos...but I'm not sure if there are any in the trough...I'd have to look at schematics to know for sure. It probably is just a trough switch that needs adjusted.
Funhouse doesn't have a volume pot. It is a digital control. I had a problem with sound fizzling out and it was because of a loose wire in the backbox. There is a connector that I don't have any idea where it is supposed to connect to. Everything seems to work fine without it, but it would occasionally touch some component causing a fizzle (not good). Once I taped it up, no more problem. It seems to be the wire that goes to the speakers. I just looked again and I see nothing that this connector could plug into. If someone could check theirs and let me know, I'd appreciate it.
Quoted from Zablon:There are 2 versions. The early versions have the old Sys-11 sound with a pot. Have you not been reading this thread? I believe the samples/protos and first 200-300 games have these.
I haven't read everything in this thread. I had no idea. Thanks for setting me straight.
Quoted from MarklarD:My friends machine uses the buttons in the coin door for volume. Is it safe to assume his is digital? Or can it also run through a pot?
That's what I meant by digital. Mine uses the buttons in the coin door for volume. I've never seen a Funhouse with a pot, but I haven't seen that many.
Quoted from sb33334:Position and shape-wise, your wire looks like mine does. Never had that problem. I wonder if the switch is too hard and maybe the flat arm needs to be bent to make the switch a little softer/easier to trigger. I know that sometimes when I buy a new switch it is much harder to click than the one I am replacing, and so it needs some testing and adjustment. That's my guess.
I agree with sb33334 ... Your looks ok. I would check the switch also. Another thought is possibly the ramp could be misshaped or broken somewhere (doesn't look like it in your pic)... but I did have problems with that part and I ended up buying Cliffy's ramp protector kit and all my problems completely went away after installing it. Even if you solve the problem, I still recommend getting Cliffy's ramp protectors because over time, the ball really chews up the front of those ramps. Now my Open Trapdoor is mounted perfectly and securely on the ramp protectors.
Quoted from mjenison:My topper
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
That's awesome! Now tell me... do those lights sync with the playfield flashers?
Seriously though... that is a great mod! That's definitely the best Funhouse topper I've seen yet. Up until now, I haven't really seen one I liked.
Quoted from UVAJED:HC2016 Check out this mod. It takes some patience too install, but is well worth it and amazing. Email them and they will let you know where they're at with their next order (I think they do 10 at a time) if you're interested..
http://www.arcadeupkeep.com/shop/4594679907/funhouse-m3-backglass-title-mod/11396061
An even big hurdle than the difficulty of installation is the fact that it is sold out. 
Quoted from AlexRogan84:Could someone tell me what the correct screw to use is for the metal flap at the bottom of the ramp? These are the ones that screw into the wood of the playfield underneath. They have a flat top to sit flush when they're all the way in so the ball doesn't catch them on the way by. I don't see them listed in the manual. Thanks.
EDIT: not sure if they are the same screws as used on the flap at the bottom of the steps plunger ramp? I don't know what those are either.
I have a bunch. Just PM me if you want some and I can throw a few in an envelope and mail them to you for free.
Quoted from AlexRogan84:Ramp screw??!! What a silly name... of course, hahaha. Thanks. And much appreciated on the offer to throw a couple in the mail. Hold tight on that for a bit as I'll see if the hardware store has some locally. I know how it is with needing to buy the box of 100 of such things... hopefully that won't be necessary.
I had to buy a pack of 100 and have them mail-ordered because no hardware store had that small size. Maybe in your area? Just let me know and I'll be happy to send you some.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I bought a box at Ace hardware.
Yeah.... Ace has everything. The one by me closed.
Quoted from HC2016:I remember getting a knock when you achieved an extra ball . I looked into settings and couldn’t find it . Am I mistaken from another game ?
When I updated from L5 to L-9 rom code, the knocker didn't fire for extra ball. I thought it was normal and that this was removed from L-9. Well, later, I reset to factory defaults and the knocker started working for extra ball again. Strange... but that's what happened.
Quoted from AlexRogan84:What caused your eyelids to break? Do you know where they were getting hung up?
Reason I ask is because of what I learned on my own game.
I was missing the centering flange. Simple as that.
On the eyes open coil, there is supposed to be a small circular flange that keeps the extending post on the bottom of that coil centred. If it stops being centred, it tends to wander off enough to catch on the wood edge of the playfield. And then things stop clicking into place like they are meant. And if there’s resistance on those frail plastic pieces then over time they snap.
I also noticed on mine that without the centering flange, when the open coil would go up, it could go up too far and then when trying to go down again get hung up on the edge of the playfield. I decided to put a small metal tab (in effect I used an extra tab from a coin door lock kit) on top of the Rudy head metal bracket and positioned it just so that it blocks the eyelids from popping too far open. I used an existing screw hole on the top and the tab lies flat enough to stay under the plastic outer head when reassembled. So you’d never know it was even there. I’ll try and take some pictures of it next time in case what I’m trying to explain isn’t very clear.
Same here... my eyelids broke in half because my centering flange was missing. I bought a replacement flange and eyelids and haven't had a problem since then. that was 5 years ago.
Quoted from brado426:Same here... my eyelids broke because the centering flange was missing. I bought a replacement flange and eyelids and haven't had a problem since then. that was 5 years ago.
Quoted from mollyspub:Here’s the latest from cliffy! No more sagging plastic! Very much needed IMO. Rudy is very happy about this!
[quoted image]
Thanks for the tip on this. I just inquired about ordering one from Mr. Cliffy!! I just inspected my plastic and it is definitely sagging.
Quoted from TheOnlyest:Is there such thing as a ROM version that includes an LED ghosting patch?
This is the patch tool I used on the L-9 rom. Worked great. No more LED ghosting on my machine.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Contact markmon he might still have it on file.
It will not correct GI led flickering from what I understand.
I solved it all by putting in LED OCD and GIOCD, works really well.
That is true. I still have incandescent for my GI because of this.
Quoted from TheOnlyest:Thanks guys, sounds like this'll be just another PITA for no reason... I dont have GI flickering, just random controlled lights, would rather not pay a premium for non-ghosting LED's if I can help it... And i'm on L-4, so I need a ROM upgrade anyway.
You may already know this, but if you didn't, prepare for even more of a PITA than you anticipated because you'll have to remove your CPU PCB, unsolder and resolder a jumper to a different location to get your board to work with L-9. This is because L-9 uses a larger sized EEPROM.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Good point!
But one never knows these days, the game might have a different CPU board than originally provided, and the w1 or w2 jumper might already be placed.
30 years is a long time to assume original parts.
True... Of course, check that the jumper isn't already moved. I guess it never occurred to me that the 128k rom might still work in a 256k configuration.
For anyone interested, I'm using a 512k EPROM (it was the only rom I had laying around) and programmed it to the last half (256k) of the EPROM's addressable space. It works perfectly.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Wonder what a Really Clean Funhouse goes for in Today's market?
There's one local to me for $11,500.
Quoted from yzfguy:It's a crazy market. I have a pretty nice one with mirco playfield, zinc plated scoops, lots of new stuff and I was offered 12k.
Funhouse is such a great game. There's no way I'd sell it for $12k, $20k, or $30k... unless I was going to take that money and buy another Funhouse and pocket the difference. hehe
Quoted from dsuperbee:It's missing because FH didn't originally ship with the bracket. It was a service bulliten part
This is great info, guys. I didn't know about this. I'm ordering and installing this part as soon as possible. I would love Rudy's eyes to snap back into place.
Quoted from AlexRogan84:I don't seem to have a photo handy showing the flange installed, but I marked a photo up with an arrow indicating where it goes. And you install it between the bracket and the coil so it can't fall out.
The purpose of the centering flange is to basically keep that plunger stem extension piece from bumping into the wood edge of the head base. When it catches on the edge of the wood, it gets hung up and the eyelids don't move the way they are supposed to. Then when the coils fire again during the game, the tiny flimsy eyelids connecting arm goes up against the forces of this plunger stem stuck against the wood and it breaks. Get that plunger stem centered and you're all set.
[quoted image]
My machine didn't have a centering flange and it eventually broke Rudy's eyelids. After the eyelids broke, I was forced to take Rudy apart to replace them and noticed the problem with the missing centering flange. After 2 or 3 years, Rudy has been 100% reliable. I'd recommend that anyone who owns a Funhouse ensure that the centering flange is in place.
Quoted from Markharris2000:LEDOCD is an adapter board you can buy and it smooths out some of the flickering that 'some' LEDs experience when retrofit. Some newer LED bulbs handle most of this ghosting/flicker issue within the bulb itself, and others rely on an adapter board. There is a low cost (but hard to order) AFTERGLOW, or the commercial LEDOCD.COM version which is easy to get. These just get wired into your lamp driver once you have swapped the LEDs into your machine.
There is a video that show before/after using the the AFTERGLOW project:
https://www.pinballinfo.com/community/threads/afterglow-nano-group-buy-%C2%A3%C2%A3-payment-time-%C2%A3%C2%A3.46305/
The LEDOCD product also has an example video, Twilight Zone comes closest to FH in what you'd expect to see:
http://www.ledocd.com/
I'd try to buy non-ghosting bulbs and see if you light the results first before jumping into an OCD/AFTER board.
The anti-ghosting Funhouse ROM completely eliminated all the ghosting for my Funhouse LEDs. The issue is not the LED bulbs themselves. The issue is improper timing coded in the ROM.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Action pinball has some eyelids.
Just a reminder of one of the main cause of broken eyelids... many games have been reassembled without the centering flange that stabilizes the coil shaft for the eyelids. This causes the shaft to sway too much when actuating and can shatter eyelids. Install the centering flange and your eyelids should be safe.
I still haven't found a topper I really love for Funhouse yet. Not sure what I'm looking for, but not this.
Quoted from Zablon:I can picture what I think would be cool...
An old timey wood roller coaster. Just a simple couple hills foreground/background, and a car that goes along it (moves).[quoted image]
Cool idea.
Would this be cool or cheesy? Looks about the right size. Change the logo to Funhouse... it already has the F. hehehe Wouldn't be too hard to hook up a motor to the crank and it would actually work. Not sure how durable it would be running 24x7.
I've been super intrigued about this Funhouse Mod from Pedretti gaming. I almost feel obligated to buy it since I own a Funhouse. But here are my concerns:
- I suspect that I'd try the new version, but end up switching back to and sticking with the classic version
- Classic version of the mod doesn't look as good with the LCD screens
- Sound board is replaced with a replica. Would audio be the same and as satisfying? YOU BIG.... SAUSAGE!
- $2,000
I guess my main concern is I'd buy it, install it, and then only play the classic version... and then the classic version would seem more like a replica rather than the real original thing.
I'm wondering from those of you who bought it, how often do you play the new vs. classic version? Do you find the new version as fun and re-playable as the classic version? I played the new version at Texas Pinball Festival and I wasn't sure.... I didn't like the new Rudy voice as much and it didn't have the sinister quality that I enjoy with Funhouse... but I only had a few minutes with it.
Quoted from pinheadpierre:I was excited about 2.0 initially, but after playing it I lost all interest. That combined with the ongoing buggy nature of it nailed the 2.0 coffin for me. Yes, the development team appears to provide great support. I would be concerned about purchasing a 2k product that requires so much support.
Funhouse is a masterpiece as it is. Simple? Repetitive? Yes, like so many great other games. Stable? Fun? Energizes me and makes me smile? Yeah, I’ll take that any day.
That sums it up very well... Funhouse is already a masterpiece. I don't want to alter a masterpiece. You wouldn't modify the smile of the Mono Lisa!!
I guess I'm not alone in my reluctance to acquire this mod. It sure is awesome that someone went through the trouble to make it, and I feel like I should support them for that. I just like the original game too much to change it that much.
Quoted from Pbgixxer:I just learned something new. How many funhouses came with a backglass instead of a translite? I’ve had two and both had a translite.
I just checked mine.... mine is glass.
Quoted from AlexRogan84:I believe that's correct. Newer than L-5 if I remember correctly gives you an additional option in the settings for "smart trap door" which looks for at least one switch hit after the loop switch before opening the door.
I have L-5 though and not the updated ROM. Installed that is. I have the newer ROM just not installed as I need to move the W1 jumper to accommodate the larger ROM memory size used. So this getting stuck behind the trap door hinge is still an issue for myself or others running similar revisions of the code.
That is correct. I haven't seen the ball get stuck behind the trap door since I updated to M-9 (L-9 with LED ghosting fix). So not in 3 years now.
Quoted from fossmin:Here are pics of my work.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
If you ever accidentally shorted the wires on the eyelids coil or wired it backwards, or just had a coil go bad, it may have blown the eyelids transistor. I know from experience. When my eyelids were not working at all, I replaced the associated TIP102 transistor and it resolved the problem. If you can freely move the mechanism, it should be fine.
Additional note: Make sure you have the flange for the eyelids coil. if you don't have it, it can and will cause the eyelids to eventually break:
Quoted from pudealee:In the middle of playing a game last night, Rudy stopped talking. His jaw moves when it's supposed to move, but no sound. The music track still plays. Any ideas what might be going on?
I've had sound problems recently too very similar to this. For me, it was also the ribbon cable that goes from the main board to the sound board. I think there may be some corrosion on the pins and may need to replace that ribbon cable and/or clean the pins. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it started working again.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I have my game set to release all the locked balls at the end of game in the settings.
Looks like a beautiful resto!
I had the trap door hang up due the the entire mech was loose and falling off.
Its likely something simple since it worked on the stand.
could just be a wire in the way or coil stop loose etc.
The shooter lane switch could be flakey.
I didn't know it could release balls from lock after game over. That has always bothered me. I'll have to find that setting.
Quoted from monkfe:Flashers are on a completely different circuit than the controled lamps and GI lighting....so the descision is personal preference...I've got away from the led flashers as well as they are just too bright...my only worries with the standard flashers is if the transistor locks on and it heats up under an insert and melts it..but I would normally see this before it gets out of hand...but others may not...I have cliffy's on my playfield, and yeah the steps ramp I'd leave off as well as I do get some rattling entering the steps ramp sometimes...
I agree the LED flashers available today are too bright. Has anyone come up with a good way to dim the LED flashers? Maybe put some tinted material over them or something? I might buy some and experiment. I'm not going back to classic flashers due to their heat and high current draw.
Quoted from AlexRogan84:Could you post some photos of the flipper button switch from the inside of the cabinet with the playfield raised?
Then see if you can remove the apron and get a view of the switch leaf ends while the playfield is down again. My first thought is that the leaf switch ends are pushing into something and causing the short.
I don't think a shorted leaf switch would cause a fuse to blow. Sounds more like a coil or wiring issue related to the coil. I'd open a ticket with pinball brothers and see what they recommend. I'm guessing a problem with either the left upper or lower flipper coils.
Quoted from DumbAss:Agree with this. Please post images of the flipper mechanisms. Specifically the solenoid and the solenoid wiring.
I must be missing something obvious here as I don't understand why Pinball Brothers would have anything to do with this.
Sorry.... I thought I was replying in the Alien thread. I still wouldn't think the Funhouse flipper switches would cause a fuse to blow. You can try calling Williams for support. hehehehe
Quoted from acidburn:So small issue I’ve noticed with my funhouse. I’ve owned the game for around 2 months and every now and then during a game when Rudy says a phrase his mouth moves but no sound is heard. It will happen at random. Sometimes on rarer occasions the wrong music will play.
I’ve swapped the audio board for a spare I had knocking around and changed the ribbon cable for a new one (the one that goes between the audio board and the MPU board) but it still happens every now and then. Is this normal? I’m thinking not. Would it be worth having new audio roms burnt?
I recall seeing something very similar to what you are describing happen with mine a few months ago. I'm running the latest (L-9) with anti-ghosting patch.
When I saw it happen, I reseated all the connectors on the sound board and haven't seen it happen again. I'll keep watching for it. Maybe it is some super rare bug with L-9? Will report back if I see it again.
Quoted from Zablon:I pointed this out in the Jaws thread, but Rudy does not eat the ball. He chokes on the ball and spits it out. Completely different and apparently technologically feasible in 1991. Physicists have been unable to top this technology since.
I don't think any modern pinball company would ever even consider the possibility of implementing something as intricate and ingenious and the Rudy mechanism.
Here's a project I just did on my Funhouse with The Pinnunciator. I don't think I could play Funhouse without this mod now. It is mind-blowing to play!
(I have always wanted a bigger flash when hitting Rudy in the face.... now I have it!)
This side blades kit is great for Funhouse, but it can also be configured for any pinball machine. Anyone who creates a config for another pinball machine can share it with Evolution Mods and they will add it to the Light Show Studio software (with full credit, of course) as a preset for others to enjoy. This Funhouse config is already a preset in the Lightshow Studio software, but if someone wanted to take it a step further, we'd love to see what they have done.
Quoted from Lodi:Anyone know where to get the wedge sockets for the back box? I’ve checked Pinball Life, Marco and Planetary. No go. Terry at PL said he is having them remanufactured, but it will be a few months. If they are unavailable I will wait for those, but mine are pretty crispy and I have time while my boards are being done. Thanks in advance. Dave
[quoted image][quoted image]
Looks like they can be printed:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1888068
I also see a whole bunch of wedge sockets on ebay. Maybe you're looking for the exact part?
Quoted from tylery85:Interesting
That is pretty cool! Although my original Funhouse has been amazingly reliable since I went through it five years ago. The Rudy head is a marvel of engineering!
I spent some time this past week to perfect the Funhouse Playfield Side-Blades mod. There was a timing issue that caused the blades to exit "Rudy sleeping/multi-ball mode" prematurely in certain cases. Now I think it is perfect!
The Pinnunciator Light-Show Studio v1.3.9 is now available and includes the Funhouse Playfield Side-Blades Mod 1.1.
https://www.evolutionmodsllc.com/pinnunciator-support
Quoted from Doctor6:Agreed. Both those 2.0 kits are absolute junk.
I'd be excited if the cheapest model doesn't touch a thing. Don't force that 2.0 crap in there, but leave it original please.
I love Funhouse for the original game... so if I didn't already have one, I would definitely just buy the original version without the extra stuff. I'd reserve the right to add my own extra stuff though.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I have pinsound plus and the shaker on my FH
Its sounds different but its really ok with the classic sound pak after a little time spent on adjustments.
I'm thinking about implementing my own shaker motor for my FH. I really don't want to lose the sound of my original board. Everyone says PinSound sounds different and that doesn't sound like a good thing.
Quoted from mjenison:I have LEDs, but just updated the ROMS with the WPC ghosting patch.
This is correct. I also just installed the ROMS with the WPC ghosting patch and absolutely no ghosting on my LEDs. No special board required.
Quoted from slochar:No ghosting but no dimming effects either. That's what the OCD board fixes.... now, if the game doesn't HAVE dimming effects, yes, no difference.
Is there any dimming besides the GI? I keep incandescent for the GI and everything else is LED. I haven't found an LED bulb that looks close enough to the incandescent look for the GI, but maybe one exists if I researched it more.
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