Whirlwind is another story. That scoop is just poorly designed, but your right that at least it doesn't send it down the drain when it barely pops out.

Can you not adjust the scoop directionally? Loosen the screws and twist the whole thing a tad.

Maybe, but it is also limited by the subway ramp coming from the skull. I'll work on this some more tonight and give an update.

I was looking at mine and wouldn't be too hard to adjust the metal guide coming out of the hole. You may have to put it in a vise and use a rubber mallet on it so you don't break anything. You also may be able to just grab it and bend it by hand.

OK someone with a working hook help me out ...I got a hook I have been working on for a week ...got it and it was dead ..got it 90 % up and running ...I need to know what coil is used under the skill shot in the shooter lane ...the owner before me hacked it all up and used the wrong coils ...with out the coil hooked up everything else functions flawlessly. ..but if you hit one of those 3 hole and your ball goes down there ..it's in never ,never land ...and you got to fish it out ...it's looked over the manual ...no luck ..it's don't mention a skill shot kicker ..help please ..lift your playfield ...list me a part number for the coil ..take me a pic of the wiring on that coil ...thanks

Here is a picture of where the coil is ..it's under these holes and pushes the ball up the shooter lane onto the playfield

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Have similar problem. There is 3 switch for skill and one switch in front of coil. When you shoot ball go over one of skill switch and stop over the switch in front of coil. If thet switch dont work right (mine have 300 ohm) it will not shoot ball. It will shot i think after one minute when ball search. And wood at thet place was bad on mine also so ball cant get over switch every time, i send it and then work ok.

Identifying the mech's can be a bit confused in the manual - this one is 'Big Kick' shown here with a 22-600 coil

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I also have the same problem as sibi, sometimes when the ball drops thru skillshot 1 it doesn't have enough momentum to roll down and activate the switch. The trough underneath needs to be nice and smooth and polished.

And true to form here's a pic from my machine with a different coil 23-800 - not sure if this is original but most of the solenoids use this size. I'd think this is a higher resistance than 22-600 hence slightly less powerful - it always reaches the top lanes but doesn't exactly shoot up with gusto. I may try a 22-600 if I have one in my spares.

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I work at a coin op warehouse here in Panama City I fix all kinds of arcade games ...I have just started working on the pinball machines ...what a nightmare. ..I spent 2 weeks on a whitewater that kept reseting when both flippers were pressed ...that kept me scratching my head ....finally found the problem ..bad ground in the wiring. ..any who I will be back at work Monday I will update you all ...like I said ...i put a 23-800 in it and it worked but it was getting so hot I could smell the coil burning ..I unhooked it .. ( funny I just said that ) and everything else works ....thanks again for the answers and pics ....glad I became a member

When i finish cosmetics on hook it was time to start it. Its been standing for years. And i make big mistake put all boards and switch it on, instantly two transistors on ppb burn out. Replace transistors and fuse and again it burns. Then i disembly it and put cpu on table. It all sems ok but something is burning transistors, coils and diodes on coils was ok. Then i notice thet one of pia was litle warmer then outher. Output on pia was 3.5v insted of 5v. It work but output was low. Change it and it work. Same problem was with 2 more pia, one control flas lights and seconds coils but not throu ppd. I dont know how thet pia gone bad or is thet comon failure but when output drop down it seams like its on the edge to open transistors, coils do not move but they get very warm and will burn in fue minutes (more likly transistors will burn). When i replace first pia ewerything seams ok but after fue minutes of play i notice strange sound when some flash lights are on. They sound was laser kick coil who output is on same pia as thet flash lights. This is short storie, i work of this problem two nights first idea was thet wireing was bad. If you power machine and hear some coil, check voltage on pias. Maybe my sad storie will help someone.

Ground ...always check ground ....then fuses ....then every leg on the coils , then the connections on the board ....take the boards out ..look at the traces ..is there any burns under the board ? ...SOMETIMES it's the simplest overlooked problem that is causing havoc ...don't over think it ...stay calm and pin on .....

The one glitch with my Hook is I have the original DMD and during game play it frequently freezes or garbles then resets to 'Display 401' and continues with 'Ball 1 0 Credits' rather than actual ball number/Free as when it starts. This happens a few times per ball now. The score & graphics continues so it's playable. This only happens in game and when entering initials for high score, not in attract mode.

I've tested the voltages ok at the display board, checked R95, reseated the ribbon cable and display Rom. Unfortunately I don't have spares to help troubleshoot further.

Any ideas?

This is interesting. ..having a very similar issue with my DE R&B. Display freezes on a certain graphic but the game carries on just fine. Sometimes it does reset, display the ROM versions and continues. It's not a cable issue, replaced those already.
Pinsiders are telling me I may have a corrupted RAM IC on the DMD controller board. I haven't received my replacement yet to verify this. I'll be following along with this.

Hello all pin heads ...update on my hook problem ....like I said the coil where the skill shot was getting hotter than a ........you know what ...replaced it ..blew fuses ..replaced fuses ...blew them again ...replaced coil with a different one ...scratched head ...blew fuses again ....I hate , I hate ..lol OK ...found the problem ...the TIP36C Transistor was bad ...so I ordered a few of them ...seems to be a common problem. ..will update you all if it fixes my problem ....what a mess these pinball are ....wish I could convert them to digital. ..but what fun would that be .....wires , wires , wires ..my oh my ....

NeedHelp....I'm getting a popping sound through my speakers that is synchronized to the rapid flashing of the LEDs. Not the flashing that makes you think your going to have a seizure from the GI lighting but instead the flashing of the skill shot lights or the flashing of the scoop target lighting. I have flipper fidelity speakers and a pinsound board. I used to have a similar problem related to the rope lights but I fixed a short and then the popping sound went away. I'm not talking about the data east hum either, this is a distinct pop with every flash.

Thanks

Hmmmm....haven't had that problem yet ..you checked all your ground wires for speakers ....maybe a thought ....

I remember reading somewhere that with DE machines, you can try disconnecting the machines ground braid from the speakers to eliminate noise. They're not physically needed to operate, just to help prevent electrical shock

I'm pretty sure I have a short in my power supply. Any preferences for replacements?

The newest rottendog is good. They fixed the the inadequate voltage problem that people were having to fix on their own. Works well in my Hook.

If you are anywhere near The Underground Retrocade in West Dundee, IL, then go there and check out their Hook pinball machine. It's... unique.

So the game is back at its original arcade. Does that mean the code is done?

Almost.

Any of you Hook owners have a ROM burner and ability to burn 27C010 and 27C512 EPROMs? If so, send me a private message.

PM sent.

I've noticed an animation on my DMD I've never spotted before 'Special Now Lit' or such like - where is the lit special?

Probably the outlane like most games but I'm not sure.

Just got in contact with a guy in Spain that makes cab decals for Hook. He sells them for 174 Euros and shipping plus insurance is 39 Euros. I haven't bought anything from him but just found him on a Spanish forum. If someone wants contact info and links send a PM. The decals look great in the pics. He makes a lot of arcade cab and marquee art.

His name is Mik Mikonos. Ordered a set of head decals from him since my art work was gone. They were fantastic! Durable and very crisp art. Highly recommended him!

You don't have to buy the whole kit if you don't want to.

I wasn't sure if should name him publicly but you did it so I don't have to.

His decals look awesome. If I was into redoing the outside of cabs, I would totally go for it. I tend to like worn cabs though and focus on getting the playfield looking awesome.

I done decals on my own. So if somebody want to put decals on his hook i will send him files. Printing and laminating cost me about 30 euros heare. Still dont think thet decals are best solution for this game, but my hook cabinet was so badly damage i have to do that.

I asked him if I could put his name out there and he was fine with that. He wants to help people bring pins and arcade games back to life.

So with the new code, will it have the attract mode rules cycling through it?

Chad,

Really appreciate everything that you are doing in writing this code and making this game better. What can we do to help contribute to your efforts? Earlier, you had mentioned that you were looking for a ROM burner. Is this something that we can contribute to you?

Thanks,

--Matt

Copy that. Will definitely be making a donation. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Another option for Hook decals (and some other machines) is PeteB of Retro Refurbs in the UK. He does high end restorations so I'd expect his products to be A1 quality. This was his recent Hook;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/retrorefurbs/albums/72157670571710906

Here are the decals priced in £ which may be advantageous to anybody outside the UK;
http://www.retrorefurbs.com/shop/hook-data-east-pinball-cabinet-decals/

It displays this so rarely (just kind of capital text with some shading) I can't spot what's lit to aim for - can anybody help? Perhaps it's one of these Hook hurry up's that disappears as quickly.

My DMD is playing up so I'm particularly attentive to it at the moment.

Yes. The existing ones are still accurate.

So excited...

My friend has one at a location we share. If you are looking for feedback, our regulars would be very capable of providing some. No burner though... only issue.

Hey guys, I just picked one of these up. I looked in it very briefly last night and noticed a wired coil laying on the bottom of the cab. I'm assuming this is the knocker that lost all of its hardware. Can someone snap a photo of theirs for me?

Welcome to HOOK Club! Was missing in mine too, I think cos it was an easy source for Op's of a spare coil and bracket is the same as the outhole kickback (Marco has them 500-5081-00)

The original one was mounted in the bottom here (you should see 3 mounting holes in a triangle next to the speaker)
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I re-used a non DE one that mounts vertically on the side of the cab so the plunger drops back by gravity - jeesh it's good and LOUD! In the bottom photo you can see the metal plate that I assume the original mech knocked against looking at the wear.
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Wow that was quick! That is exactly what I needed. It had been awhile since I owned a Data East so I was assuming that was the right coil. Here I am this guy who just buys a Hook and then I open it after I get home and see a coil laying on the bottom!!! I freaked out. It was a little too short of a wire to be on the playfield so it had to be knocker but I wasn't sure. I see pretty much every pinball parts supplier sells the brackets so it shouldn't be too hard to set up.

Thanks Astyy! I'm trying to make the highest quality decals available for all our games, not just Hook. We also given people the option to choose a matt or gloss finish which I don't think anyone else is doing.

And yeah the decals on the website are priced in GBP but when converted to Dollars and Euro's my decals are still much cheaper than everyone else, including shipping.

http://www.retrorefurbs.com/shop/hook-data-east-pinball-cabinet-decals/

I got another question. My kickback is only working 1/10 times. When I watch it, it doesn't appear to be a timing/adjustment problem, it seems the plunger isn't kicking out very far. I haven't inspected it yet, but I'm thinking maybe a past operator filed it down possibly to make the game more difficult. I'd say it's only coming out about 1/4 inch.

pittsburgh.craigslist.org link
Partial Hook playfield popped up on CL in the Pittsburgh area. Not sure if this would interest anyone.

Here's a photo from my Hook showing the extent it fires out. In diagnostics there is a Lazer Kick test where you can keep rolling the ball down the outlane to activate it.

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Fantastic action shot!!! Seriously, you are too great of a person. Mine is about half of that or less even, so I need to inspect it. My guess is it broke off, filed down, or maybe even the whole bracket was moved too far back.

Thanks, that shot took a bit of catching! I took a lot of photos when I shopped the machine - here's the Lazer Kick, it seems to be fitted into a recess so would be tricky to move back. It's similar to the Knocker mech - didn't you mention yours was missing so perhaps something is awry here.

This mech defo needs to work good to play Hook - in the game it's called the Slingshot so perhaps the reference Lazer Kick is from an earlier game such as Star wars.

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I'm finding more and more wrong with it. I got screwed, maybe not by the guy I bought it from, but maybe the guy he got it from. I don't know, either way, I have to fix it all. Ok so for the right flipper, I have 090-5020-20. The manual has it at 090-5030-00. Marco collaborates that it should be 090-5030-00 BUT it only says that for the Left Flipper. I'm assuming that it is supposed to be for both. My current left flipper, I have 090-5041-00.

Also, the arm that lauches the multi ball into the game (from the skill shot area) this arm has difficulty getting the ball up into the game so I am assuming that this coil is underpowered as well. I cannot find this one in the manual, but I have a 090-5001-00 / 23-800 in there now.
EDIT: Nevermind, I see you had helped someone with this one the other day!!! Well mine is pretty weak, I even cleaned up the plunger and installed a new sleeve.

Thanks for all your help. This is by far the most helpful club I've come across.