Pinball Machines- leveling and angling fun

vintagegamer

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You obviously can't take one with you everywhere, but man if you need an accurate level, just buy a pin.

I brought my Arena in the house and of course the seller's floor was like a golf course, so I had to dial the pin in for its temp location, our front room. Had it perfect, but it was on borrowed time there since the wife said no way in hell is it staying there :)

Got it to arcade level 2 (basement), and put it near a plug to make sure its trip down the stairs caused no issues. Leveled it there and played about another 20 games.

Today I move it forward about 10 feet in the same room, and it's gonna need another tweak. I'm like who leveled this house??
 
Agreed. Sounds like my basement.

Are you aware of the pinguy app for leveling games?
I love it (iPhone; not sure about android). Make sure you calibrate it each time to offset the fact that your phone/case is not perfectly flat.

Here's why I love it:
- voice call outs you can listen to as you are under the game fiddling with leg levelers ("left high", "rear low", etc.)
- once you get it level, you put glass back on, take another reading on the glass and store it in your "collection"
- Later, if you move a game, you can re-level just by recalling the glass setting for the game
- great for leveling a bunch of games

I personally don't think you even need a level of any sort to level a game. Hold/release the ball so it rolls vertically down the playfield and you can see if things are off left vs right. That's the critical part. Not level = not fun. For pitch, most games are still fun regardless of actual pitch (front vs back) angle. So pitch is less critical and more of a preference. You can adjust pitch if you want faster or slower play or if you can't get ball back up top or up ramps.

Half of my games have a built-in bubble level for pitch but I've never used them because 1) it doesn't really matter and 2) if it does matter you still have no idea what line to use with the bubble.
 
I have two 3' levels that I use, and they work great.

Locations vary. Having a good level you can use can make a huge difference in game play / trapped ball reduction.
 
I checked my angle today and it's basically at 6.5 degrees. That is supposedly the standard, but the gameplay feels slow, even with fresh wax and new balls. Should I angle it more?

I also did a search here before asking and didn't see anything on this..

20250724_184209.jpg
 
Bear Delaware.... My sister just moved there. Lol

But yeah. Every time I move my pin to install a mod I end up having to level it all over again. I bought a small digital level to help.
 
I checked my angle today and it's basically at 6.5 degrees. That is supposedly the standard, but the gameplay feels slow, even with fresh wax and new balls. Should I angle it more?

I also did a search here before asking and didn't see anything on this..

View attachment 835159

I find the 6.5deg a good starting point, but just that. Adjust to what feels good to you and how you like to play. I figure that's why pinball leg levelers have 3" of thread... :)
 
Yep, if the game play isn't then set it to a higher angle. I'd suggest no more than 1 degree increments, more likely 1/2 degree. It will speed up faster than you would expect.
 
Yeah, its brutal... every time you move them you have to level again.

I find this pinjack thingy to be useful during a level job, just be VERY sure you know how to use it as it can slam the pin down if you use it wrong and potentially snap a wire in your pin... ask me how I know :)

 
I checked my angle today and it's basically at 6.5 degrees. That is supposedly the standard, but the gameplay feels slow, even with fresh wax and new balls. Should I angle it more?
It's your machine, set the pitch at whatever feels good for you. 6.5 is the standard but I think most people go steeper to speed up their games.
 
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