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The art of tweaking


maxi

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Good day all

Just curious what you people do when you want to make a pin play better.

I see a lot of new pin day threads that go something along the lines of, "Spent a couple hours on tweaking and now she's playin' just right".

So, what the bloody hell do you do for those hours?

I figure this could make for a good guide as it tends to be something done when acquiring a new machine.

Cheers

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For me most important........LEVEL the bloody thing properly. This sounds so simple but i can't believe how many people don't have their pins set up properly and it WILL make a major difference to your game.

Rubbers....(pay attention here young @maxi :lol) Yes they wear out get old and cracked. A cheap solution to bring some life back into a pin especially an old pin!

Clean it....insert MR SHEEN plug here. Clean = fast. No one like a slow old thing.

Mode start holes. Think IJ, these can often be improved from those dreaded fall outs by a simple "tweak up or down with the divertor plate, dead foam can help too.

Ball poppers VUK's can be bent a little (and when i say bent i mean mm not cm) to make one that might be troublesome into something that works 99% of the time. Think SS spider VUK. Mine really had me saying VUK IT! until the tweaking got it right in the sweet spot.

 

STRONG clean flipper mechs. A flipper rebuild can transform a machine into something from FRUSTRATING to fun again. And it's cheap. After all a pinball machine requires up to aim and shoot. Doughy flippers ruin a game.

With all tweaks, slowly does it and little adjustments at a time. This is why we say hours. Sneak up on it so you don't go too far the other way.

 

There are more so others can chime in.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

So, what the bloody hell do you do for those hours?

 

We drink Max.....we're old and slow :rolleyes

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Level the machine is most important, the correct angle, well I never found an exact angle for any machine to tell you the truth.

 

Some machines play good on one angle and others are just pigs at that same angle. Trial an error I found best on the angle bit myself.

 

Mr Sheen yes but clean it first with metho. A nice coat of silicon, "My Sheen" with a clean playfield does wonders.

 

As for the rubbers, clean them first with metho on a cloth pulling the rubber through the "metho" damp rag to get all the preservatives the aftermarket guys put on them to last longer.

 

It is like oil and you really want the ball to grip to the rubber, not glance off it.

 

Spin the ball between your fingers and slide it at the rubber. The ball should grip the rubber and slide off on another angle from the ball gripping the rubber, not bounce straight back off.

 

If spinning the ball between your fingers has the ball not sliding but gripping in the direction of the spinning ball, the playfield needs a light coat of Mr Sheen buffed into it.

 

An easy check is put a texta dot on the ball and see if the ball is sliding or rolling when in play. When it is travelling at slow speed it should be rolling but at high speed it should be sliding.

 

One of the reasons I much prefer rubber over synthetic rubber bands. True rubber creates random rebounds when it is clean as the sliding ball grips into the rubber.

 

Take the time to just roughly clean the rubber edge that hits the ball once a week rather than totally replacing the rubbers every 6 months. It's also wise to rotate the rubbers during there life as with the flipper rubbers.

 

Clean the balls, the ball return, and the shooter lane regularly as well. Every ball uses this area every ball played so it has the most amount of crap on it.

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Pops

 

Making sure the switch gap is nice n tight but not too tight that it goes off with vibration.

Also with the switch make sure it's centered correctly. If that's off you'll get uneven switching from one side to the other.

Make sure that ring is shiny n smooth.

 

Spinners

 

Make em spin

Some people even put a touch of lube on them so they spin for ages.

 

Even a slight difference in the angle of the flippers can make a difference on a lot of machines.

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As for the rubbers, clean them first with metho on a cloth pulling the rubber through the "metho" damp rag to get all the preservatives the aftermarket guys put on them to last longer.

 

It is like oil and you really want the ball to grip to the rubber, not glance off it.

 

Spin the ball between your fingers and slide it at the rubber. The ball should grip the rubber and slide off on another angle from the ball gripping the rubber, not bounce straight back off.

 

If spinning the ball between your fingers has the ball not sliding but gripping in the direction of the spinning ball, the playfield needs a light coat of Mr Sheen buffed into it.

 

An easy check is put a texta dot on the ball and see if the ball is sliding or rolling when in play. When it is travelling at slow speed it should be rolling but at high speed it should be sliding.

 

Never knew this Steve, Just when you think your ready to die because you know it all...Guess I'll live a bit longer. :lol

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Never knew this Steve, Just when you think your ready to die because you know it all...Guess I'll live a bit longer. :lol

 

I just went to a pinball meet on the weekend and learned a lot from a number of guys that attended. No one knows it all on any subject and only a fool refuses to listen to others.

 

The fool is also one that believes blindly without proving for themselves what is beneficial for them to know.;)

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I recently levelled a machine (IMVE) and despite PinGuy giving me a "perfectly level" result I am getting slingshot hits from the right orbit roll down to the flippers. @RGR pet hate and understandably so. Some games should also be able to backhand certain shots and "make" ramps, so for me that's part of the tweak process.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Aussie Arcade

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A few things I like to do on my machines:

 

1. Hair triggers on pop bumpers. I adjust the switch gap as close as possible such that even the slightest contact on the skirt by the ball will activate it.

 

2. Flipper opto adjustments. If you have a game with upper and lower flippers, you can adjust the opto interrupter bracket such that you can stage (independently control) the upper and lower flippers. Adjusting the gap between actuation of the upper and lower opto will let you stage flippers easily or with more difficulty, depending on your preference.

 

3. Standup target adjustments. I like my standup targets to activate with moderate pressure (i.e. a direct ball hit, not just a slight glance). Adjusting the switch gap will change their sensitivity accordingly.

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Wow

Don't hit urban dictionary for Tweaking !

Scary

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tweaking

Ahh, the youth of today ;)

 

I like the idea of this thread

I would perhaps consider rename to Dialing in a pinball ?

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dialed%20in

cool with it nigga, lol

 

On a serious note leveling is most critical

cant agree with mr sheen sorry Steve

too oily, catches grime

Im happy with novus 1 for cleaning

I do use a Solvex PF coating, stuff is awesome

http://www.solvex.com.au/products_solvex.html

 

Quality balls, glossy playfield , good leveling and 0 errors make for any pinball to be fun :)

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First thing to do before anything else is flippers. Can't stress this enough as it is your contact with the game.

 

If you're lucky that it doesn't need a kit, at least check flipper angle and EOS.

Make sure there's a gap to the bush (not binding) and not excessive gap (sloppy).

Even if a kit has been added, check the bushes as these almost never have been changed.

 

Once all that is done, playtest and adjust if needed.

 

Then start on all the other stuff.

 

I normally do a full playfield strip and clean, check parts and fix/replace as putting back together.

Unless it's obvious that it has already been done or doesn't need it.

 

Sling switch adjust, check all switches, etc, etc.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Is there an idiot guide to doing this sort of thing to flippers that anyone knows of?

 

I've little experience with this sort of stuff and am still relatively new to the pinball world. I've managed to do some minor repairs, tweaks etc but a bit apprehensive about pulling flippers apart even though I feel a couple of my games may benefit from it. I read stuff like Bush Gaps being Sloppy and start sniggering to myself like a nervous schoolboy :D

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Is there an idiot guide to doing this sort of thing to flippers that anyone knows of?

 

I've little experience with this sort of stuff and am still relatively new to the pinball world. I've managed to do some minor repairs, tweaks etc but a bit apprehensive about pulling flippers apart even though I feel a couple of my games may benefit from it. I read stuff like Bush Gaps being Sloppy and start sniggering to myself like a nervous schoolboy :D

 

I do it this way. To check for correct gap width between flipper bat and bushing, I insert an old credit card under the flipper bat and make sure it fits between the bat and bushing (when in contact with the shaft). If the card doesn't fit, gap is too small. If it has a lot of space, gap is too large. Loosen the shaft crank under the playfield and adjust it accordingly.

 

To ensure proper flipper angle, I insert a toothpick between the flipper rubber and the flipper bat. I then align it with the alignment hole in the playfield. As far as I know this is the "default" flipper angle. Some people prefer higher or lower angles though, so see what you like most.

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Good info in this thread ☺

I will add one twerk I do to a pin entering my collection if it's not fully dialled already is make sure there is no bounce in the transition from inlane guide to flipper. That is a pet hate of mine, if the ball bounces onto the flipper rather than rolling smoothly it ruins the game for me.

 

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

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