Hello forum.
Looking for an excuse to start an electronics project, I have been contemplating a device one would attach to a flipper (Probably only the sensor part), and a readout would display the flippers force (once flipped).
Would such a tool have any value in real life?
Thanks,
Tobias
Quoted from mountaingamer:Make it for under $20 and you will sell a boatload!
Sounds good. I'll be rich soon then 
Without my proposed tool, how would one evaluate flipper power? Shooting the ball around? Is that how it's done?
i think flipper power is measured practically: will it make all the ramps, orbits, etc. from a cradle. i don't know if this measurement has any value on its own. If my game is pitched at 6 degrees, and yours is pitched at 7, the same flipper strength rating may not yield the same outcomes.
Quoted from tobiasbp:Sounds good. I'll be rich soon then
Without my proposed tool, how would one evaluate flipper power? Shooting the ball around? Is that how it's done?
Pretty much.
Can't make a ramp? Too weak. Hit the ramp and the ball flis off, or breaks a plastic? Too strong. 
Quoted from misterschu:i think flipper power is measured practically: will it make all the ramps, orbits, etc. from a cradle. i don't know if this measurement has any value on its own.
I was thinking it could be useful for comparing before and after rebuilding flippers or when EOS switches have been replaced/tuned/cleaned/filed etc.
Don't forget the operator side. It would be a good tool to use when installing a game in a new location where the wall-socket power is of unknown quality.
Similarly, it would be helpful when setting games up for tournament play.
.................David Marston
It has usefulness adjusting eos switches for max power that’s for sure. I’ve had games where I had rebuilt the flippers and wondered if the power faded over a year or two as at times it seems weaker? Anyhow it’d be cool to have had a “baseline” to go by.. so if it was cheap i’d Be in.
I'm in the camp where practical ball response is the primary indicator of proper flipper power. Isn't there a number of calibrated tools already out there that could be adapted to this? Digital force meters are already manufactured as well as less expensive analog force meters. I'm not sure how many gram-forces a flipper would even measure.
1 (resized).jpgQuoted from Djshakes:To measure flipper strength I hang my nuts in front of the flipper bat and hit the flipper button. If I fall to the floor in pain they're strong enough. If not, rebuild.
Yikes ! What method do you use to remove pubes from the playfield ?
Quoted from branlon8:Yikes ! What method do you use to remove pubes from the playfield ?
After 1000 plays the pubes level out and you can't tell anymore. Oh wait that's dimples.... 
Quoted from zacaj:I've wanted one of these for a while to help 'scientifically' tell if certain repairs actually affect the strength.
I feel the same way. It would be nice to be able to quantify the difference in performance after an adjustment/repair. I think the device would also be useful when adjusting EOS switches for hold strength (As in strong coil should kick in when a speedy ball forces a held flipper back down)
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