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Doctor Who/DW playfield incline setting?

Trips

Trips

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Joined
Feb 17, 2025
Messages
52
Location
Nottingham
Morning

Fellow Dr Who pinball owners. What degree incline do you have your machine set to please?

Appreciate it may be a personal choice and may differ from the generic 6-7 degree as often mentioned.

Had my machine best part of 6 months.
Fully restored. I’ve tried various 5-7.5 incline setting.
Use the PinGuy app for levelling.

Struggle to make the multiplier shot from the mini flipper (hang-on). It’s a difficult shot from the very tip of right flipper, to get it over to hang-on flipper in the first place. Left flipper doesn’t get close. Flippers are in good order. Rebuilt.

Papa pinball has a great YT vid where he makes 30+ consecutive shots. I can only dream of achieving a fraction of this. Sometimes the game lets you in, more often than not, don’t even get close.

Would appreciate what degree incline works for you.

Cheers
 
Even if steep it should make that shot easily. You say the flipper was rebuilt but it could still have issues, alignment, too tight against the bushing, bad EOS etc
 
I had DW on loan for a couple of months and had it slightly steeper than normal at around 7-7.5, but didn’t really have many issues with the side ramp so didn’t have to experiment too much. The big drain risk on DW is the outlanes which are incredibly difficult to retrieve the ball from as there is no rubber there, so pitching it up might actually make the game a bit easier as it reduces side to side movement.

The side ramp has a sweet spot like any other shot, once you find it you can repeat it nicely. The key is getting back into rhythm immediately after the sonic boom round, that’s when you tend to beef it. My loop record was about 45 but I have seen 200!
 
It's a while since I owned a Dr. Who machine, but isn't the upper flipper supposed to be a normal sized one and not a mini-flipper?

Just had a look on Pinside & IPDB and it appears to be the case.
 

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Cheers for the input to date. Certainly food for thought. Will try the increased incline and double check the coil. Original coil in place.
Be good to finally to master or certainly improve game play.
 
When you say "struggle to make the loop shot", is that because the ball doesn't go all the way around and falls back out?
 
Fubar said:
When you say "struggle to make the loop shot", is that because the ball doesn't go all the way around and falls back out?
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Hi

I make the shot once in a blue moon, every 3 to 4 games. Questionable if it’s my ability. It can be done. Hence checking incline settings others have. I have work to check on correct coil and also to look into tightness/angle of flipper. Also have some some shim steel to recreate the metal flap which attaches to ramp.
Will be glass off and testing later.
 
Checked all 3 flipper coils. They are the correct ones. FL-15411. Attached some images of flippers, see if anything obvious jumps out. Presently it’s at 5.5 degrees, will put it upto 7.5 and test, may move the outlane posts onto their last notch to reduce drains.
 

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Your upper flipper looks fine assuming there is no hop on the feed, if there is hop then adjust accordingly to get rid of it

Your lower flippers look a bit uneven and both marginally high in alignment, you want the top edge of the flipper to be aligned with the lane guide so there is a smooth transition from inlane to flipper. If this results in the right flipper being lowered a bit it will make the H shot earlier and therefore a bit easier.
 
Taxiturn said:
Your upper flipper looks fine assuming there is no hop on the feed, if there is hop then adjust accordingly to get rid of it

Your lower flippers look a bit uneven and both marginally high in alignment, you want the top edge of the flipper to be aligned with the lane guide so there is a smooth transition from inlane to flipper. If this results in the right flipper being lowered a bit it will make the H shot earlier and therefore a bit easier.
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Cheers for that.
Had a play.
Incline is much higher, just shy of 7 degrees. Playing better. Hitting Transmat regularly. The multiplier shot is proving elusive, believe I’m just too eager and maybe more down to my ability.
Amended the outlane posts, to use last notch reducing space for drains.
Will look into adjusting the main flippers to match lane guides.
More practice needed, just a matter of time I hope.

Cheers to all for the input, greatly appreciated👍
 
On the lower flippers really the bat (not the rubber) should be resting against the roll pin hole, imagine the roll pin is sitting up out of the playfield and the bat is resting against it before being tightened.
I believe this is what they did at the factory before hammering the roll pin into the playfield.

The left is far too high and the right is around 2mm too high.

I do find most games play better at 7 degrees
 
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Mine is set at that don’t no the angle sorry
Upper flipper rubber not on bat probably on an angle, don’t think that will make a difference anyway . Main flippers are not set up correctly as they look to high.
So basically do as stated above and recheck use an old credit card for the gap of the flipper on the bushes , did the coil sleeve slide in the coil easily ?if not a new coil will be needed .Does the plunger slide in the coil sleeve easily .
 
carl lawrence said:
View attachment 291068
Mine is set at that don’t no the angle sorry
Upper flipper rubber not on bat probably on an angle, don’t think that will make a difference anyway . Main flippers are not set up correctly as they look to high.
So basically do as stated above and recheck use an old credit card for the gap of the flipper on the bushes , did the coil sleeve slide in the coil easily ?if not a new coil will be needed .Does the plunger slide in the coil sleeve easily .
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Thanks. Will revisit the flippers and adjust.
Originally 2 of the flippers stuck randomly. Been cleaned of gunk that was in the centre, sleeves cleaned. End of coil stops replaced. 2x link plungers replaced. Flipper extension springs replaced. Hopefully I’m closer to resolving.
 
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