This tech tip looks at possible solutions if your tilt bob is too sensitive.
By default, tilt detection is disabled. Once enabled, you will quickly realize the P3 machine ships with a highly sensitive tilt mechanism. For most people, this will need adjustment.
For each application, adjust the Tilt settings in the Service Menu under Settings/Mechs/Tilt. To access the settings, open the coin door and press the Launch button.
Setting | Type | Default | Max | Description |
Tilt Detection Enable | bool | No | Whether tilting is enabled | |
Tilt Bob Enable | bool | Yes | Whether the tilt bob is used for tilt detection | |
Tilt Warnings | int | 2 | 10 | Number of warnings before tilt |
Time between warning detects | float | 1.2 | 3.0 | Time (in seconds) between warning detections |
Settle time after tilt | int | 5 | 10 | Settle time (in seconds) after tilt |
To enable tilt detection, both “Tilt Detection Enable” and “Tilt Bob Enable” must be set to Yes.
Adding more tilt warnings gives more chances, but it will not affect the sensitivity.
Increase the “Time between warning detects” to avoid multiple detections for a single nudge. Choose a value close to the maximum of 3.0 seconds.
The “Settle time after tilt” is how long tilt detection is disabled to let the tilt bob settle down and stop swaying. Increase the value if your tilt bob sways for too long after a tilt. This will delay the start of the next ball.
Lower the tilt bob on the suspension rod to reduce the sensitivity.
If needed, adjust the position of the ring to center the tilt bob within the ring. For example, this ring needs to be moved to the left.
Even after all this, it’s possible the tilt bob will continue to sway for too long. What is needed is something to damp the movement of the tilt bob faster without inhibiting its initial movement.
Thanks to Kevin for pointing out this excellent solution from Dots and Loops. Click on the link to play the video starting at the 11:00 mark.
The trick is to insert an ordinary foam earplug into the hole where the tilt rod is suspended.
The theory is that the bigger the earplug, the more it will hinder the movement of the pendulum. You may have to cut the earplug to obtain the optimal size. My earplug was smaller than the one in the video and I ended up using the entire earplug without cutting it.
The tilt bob now moves freely when the machine is bumped, but the movement is damped within about 5 seconds. Here is the final result:
