How to set up a new in box Spooky pinball machine

Part one, unboxing the machine, is here.

Time to open the cabinet - you find the keys for the coindoor in the box with pinball legs.

The keys for the backbox are on a small hook inside the coindoor, at the top of the coin mechanism. Always try to remember to put them back so they don't get lost..

Opening the backbox is similar to older games - insert key in the lock at the top center of the backglass, rotate a quarter.

Now the backglass is unlocked. Lift the backglass up using the plastic lift channel, careful move this bottom part towards you, and then lower it to remove the glass from the backbox.
Be careful as this is a real backglass and more heavy compared to games that have a translight.

With the backglass somewhere safe, you can lift the speaker panel out of the backbox and lay it on the playfield glass.
Also use a piece of protective wrapping here, so it doesn't slide down or gets scratches.
Note: on Spoolys next game, Rick and Morty, they changed the backpanel mechanism. It's more like recent Stern games, the display panel has hinges and the lock for it is above the display.
With the backbox open, you see all the pcb's that control the game. It's not much, the backbox is quite empty. Spooky uses a P-Roc system on Alice Cooper Nightmate Castle. On the left side are two P-Roc boards that control lights and solenoids, on the far right is the cpu.

Don't forget to secure the backbox using the bolt that's also in the box with legs.

The metal bolt really has a function as you can see, it's not only there for security.

Now it's time to level the game. I first level my machine left-right. For the front legs I put put my level on the playfield glass. For the back legs I either put it at the back of the playfield glass (but then it sometimes slides down) or on top of the backbox, then be careful when adjusting so the level doesn't fall off.

Next step is taking out the playfield glass and levelling the playfield. Spooky advises a pitch of 6.5 degrees.
Please don't just turn the front levellers totally in and the back ones all the way out.. it'll just make your game play bad. At least start with levelling how it should be, and raise it later when it doesn't play to your liking.

To unlock the lockdown bar, move the yellow lever to the left (compare with previous picture).

Once unlocked, you can pull the lockdown bar straight up and it comes out. Stay within reach of the glass as it sometimes slides out from itself.

Slide the playfield glass out of the game. Careful put it away somewhere on something soft, like carpet or a piece of that protective wrapping.

I had extended the back legs too much.. lower them so the playfield has a pitch of 6.5, maximum 7 degrees.

With the playfield glass removed, we can check inside the cabinet and under the playfield. You lift the playfield up by pulling straight up at the metal apron (put your hand in the middle, above where the ball disappears when it drains). Lift it high enough so the metal playfield supports clear the cabinet, and then pull the whole playfield over the edge of the cabinet front.

There are rubbers at the end of the playfield supports. They keep the raised playfield in place, so it doesn't start to slide.
Take care that you do not pull the playfield further out of the cabinet, because then it can get off the supports and the back can fall into the cabinet !

When the playfield is pulled forward, you can also rotate it upwards so it rests in raised position against the backbox. Be careful when putting the playfield back, that it's not at an angle, so it doesn't fall off the supports or damages the inner cabinet decals.
Before turning it on for the first time, do a visual check if everything is ok. The games were tested by Spooky before shipping, but you never know if something happened during transport. Check the bottom of the playfield, check for loose wires, mechanisms that are bend, loose parts laying around at the bottom of the cabinet (or stuck to the big magnet of the speaker).

You're not done yet, the tilt weight needs to be installed. This is done at the front left side of the cabinet. The weight itself is in a bag stapled to the bottom.

Slide the weight over the metal pin until the height you want and secure it with the screw at the bottom.
You're still not done yet - do you notice the weight doesn't hang in the dead center ? I like that Spooky uses a tilt mechanism with a loose tilt ring (other manufacturers sometimes have the whole mechanism in one piece, you can't adjust the ring position then). Adjust the ring so that the weight hangs nicely in the center and has equal room to move to each side.

Almost final step before you can play - install the pinballs (they're in a bag in the box with the legs). New pinballs may have oil on them to prevent rust, so wipe them clean. I strongely suggest you also wax your playfield before playing.

Are we there yet ? Can you play ? Yes and no.
Yes, if you want to, you can play now. Just keep an eye if everything works during gameplay. It's possible some switches need adjustment.
No, if you're not in a hurry, do the coil test to see if all coils and servos work, do the switch test to verify all switches register, .. That way you're really sure everything works like it should before you play..
I suggest that before installing the new software, you go into the tests/adjustments screen and note the settings for all the servos. There are settings how high and low certain mechanisms can go (like the Frankenstein lock in the top left). If it raises too much, the pinballs can fall off the playfield into the cabinet. Spooky checks and adjusts each machine before shipping, the numbers can be different for each game. Write down the settings, so after you have done a software upgrade you can verify the settings are still correct.

Updating the software

Your game was probably delivered with old software. Check when the game boots what version (and timestamp) it has. The latest software version can be downloaded at Spooky pinball website. Download the file and put it in the root folder of an usb stick. With the game off, insert the stick in one of the usb ports at the top left of the cpu. µ Turn on the pinball machine, and it will detect automatically there's an update available and install this.

When the update is done, the game will notify you of this. Turn the game off, unplug the usb stick, and enjoy the latest software..