Finally spent a substantial amount of time to figure out why my lockdown bar is so insanely tight!! Both adjustment screws have been all the way up since day one but there's times when I almost can't get the game open or buttoned back up. Started to worry me.

I compared the lockdown mechanism mounting position to other games and measured lockdown bar with calipers to compare to other lockdown bars. Everything seemed to check out.

It was pretty apparent that the lock slide was hitting too low on the chamfered hooks to engage.

When the pf is in the down position the pf hangers hit the lockdown bar's two 90deg bent tabs and hold the lockdown bar way too high to engage. I ground off between 1/16" and 1/8" on these tabs where they come into contact with the pf hangers. I also ground the two chamfers a little larger. I moved the beer tape up against the two tabs so it wouldn't press up so much on the lockdown bar being on the bend, and that's also where it was located on my other bars.

Now, everything is working as it should. Even screwed the two lockdown mechanism adjustment screws down a tiny bit to fine tune the tightness on the lockdown bar in the closed position.

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So i was up till 2 am last night watching the deadflip/Ed Robertson video. I have never been so surprised by a pinball machine. When I heard it was a flat game with no ramps I immediately wrote it off as slow and boring without seeing it action, big mistake. But I heard some raving about it on podcast which led me to the video.

I normally do not get through the full dead flip streams although I do enjoy, just pressed for time. This one I watched most of it and that game lends itself so well to video. It was action packed and the speed of the game and shots looked fun and super challenging. Thanks to Ed and Jack for the video, it was very well done.

If I had infinite cash at the moment I would immediately order one but now i am hoping I can find one somewhere to play and hopefully down the road I can pick one up. Great job Scott, another asset to pinball and even more reason to order from Terry.

Here's a better video you can watch it in 1440 definition or higher if you have the monitor, better filmed and (I prefer) single play so you can see what the rules are like.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=bowen+pinball+total+nuclear&&view=detail&mid=CFBD86215562B3B515D0CFBD86215562B3B515D0&&FORM=VDRVRV

i have the exact same issue and was thinking of having to do something similar... what about the root cause in your opinion? Is the lockdown mech installed too high in the cabinet? The PF hanger too thick/high/bent? the bar itself not right?

It seemed like when the two 90deg bend tabs on the lockdown bar hit the pf hangers, the lockdown bar was sitting too high relative to the side rails. Can you post a photo of the gap between your lockdown bar and side rails? I didn't take a before. One thing you should try is to latch the lockdown bar with the pf UP so the hangers are out of the way. If it's like mine, it will probably lock in normally.

Since the pf hangers sit on the lockdown mechanism, raising or lowering the mechanism wouldn't change the distance between the top of the hangers and were the lock slide needs to engage the hooks on the lockdown bar.

I ground off material on the two 90deg bend tabs which lowered my lockdown bar enabling the lock slide to engage AND also made the gap between lockdown bar and side rails much smaller (like it should be).

Initial impressions: lots of fun. Have played roughly 30 games, all but one beat me up pretty good... popped off 2.23 million tho, this AM. Not sure if that's good, but felt good!

Overall build quality: great

Positives: real backglass (which I had completely forgotten about), dialed in out of the box (basically plug and play), intuitive service menu, wrapped in box (major bonus if you have tight doorways, super fun game

Negatives: fan is definitely loud (ordered replacement), LCD screen has bad off-axis viewing angles.

Spooky gets an "A"!

Great is this the first time you got to play TNA?

What are you switching the fan or entire power supply?

I think I’m 20-30 spots behind you but no word yet to pay.

Yup. Purposely waited...

I'm just switching the fan - it's a $10 part. A new quiet power supply is more like $280.

The fan is zero problem when the game is being played... only when unplayed. Even then it's not a problem, but it is significantly louder than WOZ, IMO.

Great maybe you can walk me through the fan swap!

What do you think of the sound system?

#120 arrived today.

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It's fantastic

OnTheSnap kind of did a "how-to" a few posts back. Doesn't seem any more difficult than any other pin repair. If you are comfortable working on your games, it should be easy as pie

Finally got to play my first game of TNA at Pinfest today! Must have been a bit of beginners luck, cuz i had quite a bit of multiball. My first impression is that I *need* to join this club asap! Really tempted to put down a deposit...

(I was so excited to get my pic next to it after the game was over, i almost forgot to enter my initials for #3 high score! )

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Should I add a couple of coats of Carnauba wax when I first get my TNA? Will that protect the playfield a bit? It's my second pin so bit of a newb and not sure if I should wait to do that.

Any new pin I get. I like to clean the easy to reach areas and then one coat of a good carnauba wax.

LTG : )

Got my TNA yesterday. I’ve played a bunch of games with Owlnonymous on his early TNA so I’m Pretty familiar with the rules. I set mine up at 6.5 degrees and all set to default. I’ve been tuning in the switches so that the targets register when you hit them - they are gapped quite large from the factory. I just got a nice G.C. on my 36th game. Love this game but wow is it hard!

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Congrats ... have enjoyed watching you guys on the streams.

Nice 4 reactor score. I cranked mine to 5 balls, and generally make it to reactor 3 on a decent game. Have never visited reactor 4.

It certainly takes quite a bit of strategy and ball control to do anything in this game. It’s already making me a better player.

I couldn't forget the idea, so. ..
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Custom on the left, stock on the right. 20180504_212639 (resized).jpg

Finally got to play it last weekend. Only got two games on it as it was in a tournament. I’ve had the T-shirt for a few months and now I can justify it because I love the game. Blew up one reactor on my first game which I figure isn’t too bad.

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Nice job Herg, looks great!!!

Dang right orbit shot is a killer for me. Left orbit is much, much easier (but not a gimmie for my skill).

Is there a list of skill shots? I only know if the quick lock and of course top lanes which I also find pretty difficult to plung hard enough but not too hard.

I brick 90%of my right orbit shots also. It’s just a super tight nasty shot.

So I just post pass to right flipper and use left orbit to enter the reactor.

That becomes a lot harder when you get to reactor 4 and onwards.

anyone had STDM from the scoop?

Wow custom looks so much better. You gonna sell those? I’d be in on a set!

I need to tweak a little more for a better fit, then I'll post the STL file. I will consider printing them (for a small fee) for people without access to a printer. I guess that's the same thing as selling them.

right scoop or left? happens sometimes from either, but both have a short ball save on. I upped the power a couple on my right scoop as it was happening far to often on that one and that helped.

Game # 61 since getting the game 2 days ago. Reactor 8 destroyed and running up the numbers on reactor 9. One of the kickers in the reactor was stuck during most of the game (you can see it in the picture) I’ve tweaked and tuned it and fully understand the rules. Be sure to complete the grid quickly while the ball save is running. I really can’t believe that I did this. Luck had a bit to do with the score, - I would use multi-ball to shoot the targets to kill the reactor during the higher number reactor kills. ALL settings set to stock except I lowered the lower flipper power about 3 numbers because the ball kept hitting the left scoop too hard and wouldn’t drop in. Set to 6.5 degrees, tilt bob in. Owning the game makes a huge difference in knowing what to do and when. I’ve played a bunch of games with Owlnonymous but never was able to get in the groove or even control the ball well when playing multi-player. I usually suck when playing multi-player. I’m exhausted. Owl will never believe me.

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Has anyone gotten the side art AND install the mirror blades? I wondering if there is a way to mount the mirror blades without damaging the artwork?

I think you may be able to simplify your design by adding a thin flange on the top to sandwich it between the original 3D printed speaker mount and the wooden speaker panel. Then you wouldn't need to use printer time printing the geometry of the mount that came with the game.

Installed my fanless power supply today. Wow, what a difference. It'll take some time to get used to not hearing the whiney fan anymore after game overs.

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Regarding the tight lockdown bar, I noticed today that the pf hangers don't seem to be supporting the pf. I have no idea what is. I can run a piece of paper under these things. The hangers wher what was keeping the lockdown bar too high and preventing it from easily engaging and disengaging when raising the pf.

Can anyone solve the mystery?

Here's pics of both hangers (left and right, all 4 sides look the same). Notice the gap, goes all the way thru.

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You're right, I could have. Since I posted that picture, I have added a channel in that section to allow more room for the overlapping section at the end of the LED strip.

I've posted the STL file for anyone who wants to print their own, and I am willing to print them for people who want me to. Both the file and ordering are available here:
http://ledocd.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=34

I'm jealous. I bought three replacement fans, and installed one in my AMH. It is better than before, but I'd still like it to be quieter. I don't think I could handle spending $600 to do fanless in all three of my Spooky games, though.

Installed the fan less power supply today too. Totally worth it in my opinion.

What are people using for fanless supplies?

that's pretty cool, thanks for sharing. I'm just getting my 1st 3d printer calibrated at the moment so am pretty new at this, looks like something useful to do. What particular filament did you use?

and can someone do a play by play on replacing?

TNA is now on location at Lyman's Tavern in DC.

The fanless power supply that Scott recommended in an earlier post is a little larger than original so I had to drill 4 new pilot holes for mounting screws. The red/black cable is a stretch but it's long enough to make it. The input and output terminals on new PS are in different order than original so make sure you reconnect everything properly.

Ah, overlooked it.

In case anyone else its blind besides me:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/HEP-600-48?qs=QoFhu5%252bruIqHjrMEv470Qw%3D%3D

I used this, but there's nothing really special about it other than it being "clear".
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MB3CV6K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01

I sent an email to service@ spooky to inquire if there was any discussion or plans on changing the power supply. I received a quick reply that there currently are no plans to do so.

I’ve ordered the fan-less supply.

FYI: I've had my TNA for a couple of days now and the fan noise is not an issue for me. That may change in time but right now I'm pleasantly surprised after reading so many complaints. I suggest each one of you wait until you get your machine to decide for yourselves.

Yeah I can hear the fan - until I play. It’s not a big deal at all. I turn off my pins when I’m not playing.

Time for a new Avatar.

Question for anyone who has installed the lighted side rails. Are the plastic channels inside the rail stapled to the cabinet? Mine are sticking out a bit too far and cannot for the life of me get them to push in any further