That was fascinating reading, Mark - thanks so much for doing all the work! You have a gift for explaining technical issues - your explanations of schematic circuits in the pinball machines you help people troubleshoot on this site are always clear and concise. I'm glad you're out there helping to demystify these machines for those of us that want to repair them and keep them working.

I've removed layers of wire successfully on a "Slick Chick". The change wasn't too dramatic, but it was enough that the ball could get back up to the top of the playfield through pop bumper action, which made a huge difference in the way the game played. Luckily, each of the pops on that game are activated individually, so I didn't have to worry too much about excess current that you mentioned could be possible if multiple pops are activated together. I just removed half a layer at a time until I got the action that I wanted...just experimentally decided how much to remove.

It's great to read about what's going on done in a more controlled scientific manner. Thanks for doing that so well!

So Mark - since the flippers are also AC, that same inconsistency of power must happen with them as well? There are so many variables changing each time the ball is on a flipper that it would be hard to tell in the real world, but they must also be subject to that same difference in where the AC wave is when the pull begins, right?

And as you remove windings and lower the inductive reactance, allowing the current to change direction more quickly, would the coil fire just a little bit faster as well as more powerfully, as you go down that path - even if just a miniscule amount?