The ball shooter (plunger) for PB is a common problem. PB needs quite a bit of thrust on the ball to shoot the vortex ramp well and to give the player a decent chance to be consistent with the shot. I found many examples of machines where the solution was to install the stronger spring to get the ball speed needed. That does work, but it also takes away from having a fine feel on the shot.
I found the shooter rod on ours also was too short: when at rest, the rubber tip was about 3/8" behind the metal bracket the ball rests against. Thus, when the shot is made, the shooter rod is actually decelerating - it will be compressing the barrel spring between the shooter housing and plunger knob - as it strikes the ball. What was needed was a longer shooter rod and keep using the standard spring.
So, our PB now has a longer rod installed and its perfect. The shooter rod tip should be just in contact with the ball as its at rest before pulling the knob back. That way, maximum energy will be imparted to the ball, making the vortex ramp shot much more consistent and giving the player better feel on the shot. Marco has longer ball shooter rods - if you need just order one that's too long and cut it down to exactly what you need.
Cheers... and enjoy the game. Its GREAT!!