Welcome Back to Digital Pinball Fans - please read this first
For latest updates, follow Digital Pinball Fans on Facebook and Twitter

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sean DonCarlos" data-source="post: 24061" data-attributes="member: 152">There are two proximity sensors installed in the table, one in the trough and one in the slot machine kickout. The proximity sensors are essentially a combination of a standard switch and a magnetic sensor. When the switch indicates a ball present, but the magnetic sensor remains undisturbed, the table assumes that's the Powerball.The Spiral Helper magnets can also detect the Powerball. If a ball goes through the Spiral while the magnets are on, and comes out the other side instead of being held by the magnets, then the table knows the Powerball just went through (which is called a Powerball Loop, worth 10 million and a "Powerball!" quote).During multiball, jackpots are doubled if the Powerball scores them. To detect this, the table examines the state of the slot machine kickout sensor (which is where the ball ends up after a jackpot). This can be exploited if the Powerball is not on the field by shooting the slot machine immediately after a jackpot. The proximity sensor is actually behind the scoop a little bit and is not activated from a direct slot machine shot. So if you can get a ball in there fast enough, the ROM sees a ball in the slot machine kickout, sees that the magnetic sensor has not activated, and assumes the Powerball just got to the slot machine really quickly. The fact that the magnetic part of the sensor goes off a quarter-second later (from the other ball coming down from the piano) does not change the ROM's mind. This is extremely hard to do and is not worth the risk of shooting the slot machine directly.The software also knows when the Powerball is loaded into the gumball machine (for Powerball Mania) and keeps track of its position within the machine. For some reason it doesn't use that knowledge to prevent the above exploit.If the proximity sensors momentarily stop working, you can get weirdness such as the Powerball making it onto the Powerfield (which is supposed to be disabled when the Powerball is the only ball on the table)...and promptly rolling right back off of it, because Magna-Flip doesn't work too well with the Powerball. More often, the Powerball is released and the game thinks it is a standard ball. This is particularly distressing if you manage to reload the gumball machine with it, because the game won't start Powerball Mania if the Powerball has not been positively identified first. Sometimes shooting the camera or piano (which feed the slot machine proximity sensor) will get the machine to properly recognize the Powerball. As mentioned above, the slot machine shot itself won't help, because it doesn't activate the proximity sensor.If the sensors permanently stop working; there's a menu adjustment to simulate the Powerball every two loads of the Gumball Machine using one of the steel balls. It keeps the table playable, but it's just not the same.And now you know all you ever wanted to know (and probably more) about Powerball detection in the Twilight Zone. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /></blockquote>

Verification

Members online

No members online now.

Total: 116 (members: 0, guests: 116)

Latest posts

D
Anyone still playing?
- Latest: Dan
- Mar 3, 2025
The Pinball Arcade / Farsight Studios