What's new
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Playfield angle. Art or science ?

DRD

DRD

Registered
Joined
Oct 26, 2014
Messages
5,434
Location
Newark
Is this just a matter of trial and error for folk ? Or are you guided by the little spirit levels on the wpc era games ?

I have at least learnt that you are best to max up the height at the back as that makes subsequent, front only adjustment, rather easier

Thanks
 
@pinballmania told be about an app for iPhone ipad etc called pinguy. You lay it on your playfield and it shouts out which legs to adjust for the purfect game and you can set it at 6 degrees (apparently standard) but Andy said 6.5 is where the real men play.
 
Most dmd games have a true pitch spirit level on the shooter lane. The tip of the bubble should be on the thicker black line.
Data East have a similar thing on the apron under the left score card.
 
Really steep playfield angles don't necessarily always make a game harder though, as it negates the side to side motion of the ball more. Its often the side to side motion that is most dangerous as it easily leads to outlane drains.
 
Im thinking of super bands all round but I do worry that if it goes warp speed 10 that my plastics will disintegrate in a matter of minutes!! Especially after a vigarous pledge session!
 
Max height at back and min at front will give you more than 6.5, more like 7 to 7.5, at least on modern sterns and wpc. 6.5 feels too floaty to me.
 
The PinGuy app is very good. Couple of features very helpful features:
  • It talks to you so you can be crawling around under the pin with you spanner but still know that you've got to drop the rear-left as you're 0.2 degrees out.
  • Calibrate your pin with the phone on the playfield then get it to "learn" the same position on the glass. This means future changes don't require glass removal to put a level or iPhone back on the playfield.
  • You can store settings for all your pins. Like 7 degrees on your METALLICA but prefer a more classic 6 degrees on MEDUSA? Save all of them in your Collection including playfield and glass calibrations.
IMG_2881.PNG

One problem with going for the full up at the back and full down at the front approach is that doesn't ensure your game it horizontal. Trust me, no floor is perfectly flat. Even after setting the steepest angle possible if you like it like that you should check it's plumb across the table.
 
Oh, and PinGuy is FREE too! :D Can't get much better than that. The author was also making an attempt to port it to Android but I can't see mention on Pinside that this has been completed or that it's available on Google Play.
 
only other problem is that it doesnt stop the screen on an Iphone from timing out, meaning that the screen disappears after 1 min of lack of activity (i.e. when UNDER the machine normally!).... :(
 
Side to side HAS to be spot on, I notice the strange ball movement immediately if it isn't and always wonder how others don't when I come across a machine like that. Doesn't help me play better, I'm still crap but at least I can't blame the playfield not being level :D
 
Paul said:
only other problem is that it doesnt stop the screen on an Iphone from timing out, meaning that the screen disappears after 1 min of lack of activity (i.e. when UNDER the machine normally!).... :(
Click to expand...
Just disable the timeout from the settings before and after you're done, simples ;)
 
Not experienced that problem @Paul. My lockscreen timeout is 5 minutes imposed by corporate security policy (I can't set it any longer) but that's plenty of time to level a machine (at least I don't expect or want to curled up under a pin for longer than 5 minutes!)
 
Also its an audio rather than visual aid, does it not keep talking ? I know in reality you still want to check after youve levelled it but ive never had it time out...
 
Application developers can add an option into their apps to disable Auto-Lock - the PinGuy develop just hasn't provided this. As @windoesnot said you can temporarily disable the timeout completely (Settings > General > Auto-Lock > Never) but you might not have this option on a work device because it can be removed by security policy (I don't have it on my work iPhone). Maximum Auto-Lock timeout I have is 5 minutes which is way long enough per pin, especially once you've saved each pin for future checks on top of the glass.
 
kevlar said:
Side to side HAS to be spot on, I notice the strange ball movement immediately if it isn't and always wonder how others don't when I come across a machine like that. Doesn't help me play better, I'm still crap but at least I can't blame the playfield not being level :D
Click to expand...

During the early solid-state/multi-ball era, Stern's 'Flight 2000' was shipped with a special note stating that 'In order for all balls to enter trough, game must be level'. This was a result of Stern not developing a proper handling system, as Williams had on 'Firepower' (which was good for up to 4 balls, and served into the Wpc/Dot Matrix era).

The levelling app would've been confused by an Elektra I briefly owned - the playfield runners weren't level in the cabinet, as could be seen from the front edge of the playfield visible through the open door.

A colleague when I was working as a serviceman told me about a machine set up with a savage lean to the right, seemingly through ignorance about adjustments to the ball feeder.
 
Last edited:
It's a science. Just read the manual.

Most games are supposed to be set to 6.5 degrees and that usually means having the levellers screwed all the way down to the nuts. Adjustments only need to be made for uneven floors and left to right balance. If the game's getting a little slow then it needs waxing/pledging or a full shop out, in which case I think it's acceptable to jack it up to 7 degrees until you get around to fixing the game.

Can't stand seeing games with their ****s jacked up to the ceiling and the front's down low - looking like something off 'Pimp My Ride'.

By all means people can set their games how they want them, but at the end of the day what's in the manual is how they were designed to be. I often see people wondering why their games don't play right when they get things like air balls, balls flying off ramps, or not making shots properly and quite often the issue is staring them in the face.

Left to right balance is definitely the most import though. Just pop a small spirit level on the playfield near the flippers, and then balance it again as far up as you can go usually around the bumper lanes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom