The files below are used to update your America’s Most Haunted pinball machine to the latest version.
Download Update Files
To update AMH you will need the PinHeck Tool program, the latest HEX file (included with the tool or can be auto-downloaded) and the latest SD card image for dots and sound.
NOTE: The game code version and audio/video code versions are now matched together. The latest SD card image will auto-update the A/V to version 23, but you still need to update the game code manually using a USB cable and one of the tools below:
| DESCRIPTION | FILENAME / DATE |
| Windows Application for auto-updating Spooky / PinHeck board system games.
Includes latest versions of AMH code (v23) if you want to update manually. If the PinHeck Tool does not run on your PC, you need to install the Microsoft .NET framework. |
pinheck_tool.zip 12/23/14 |
DMD and SFX data for AMH, v23.
Once the new SD card is working properly, you can proceed to updating the main game code. (see below)
|
AMH_SD_V023.zip 9/9/16 |
| Latest version (v23) of the game code in HEX format.
Use with the PinHeck Tool for manual updating. Latest version of this HEX file is also included with the pinheck_tool.zip package. |
AMH_V023.HEX (right click link and select Save File As) 9/9/16 |
Update Instructions
Unpacking the PinHeck Tool
- Inside the pinheck_tool.zip file there is folder called PinHeck Tool. Copy this folder to your PC.
- From this folder, run the PinheckTool.exe file. If it does not run, you may require the Windows .NET Framework, a free download.
- There are 2 options with this software: “Auto Firmware Update” and “Manual Firmware Update”
- The first 20 or so games shipped will require a Manual Firmware Update, while newly shipped games with version 16 or higher can be programmed automatically. Once you manually put the latest code on your machine, it can then be Auto Programmed in the future.
Manual Firmware Update
- Turn on your AMH pinball machine.
- Connect a mini USB cable from your PC to the left most mini USB port on the PinHeck board (the port above the ghost logo)
- Run the PinHeck Tool.
- Click the Manual Firmware Update tab.
- Click Auto Detect Port to locate the PinHeck Board. This takes 5-10 seconds. If found, PORT will be set to the correct number.
- If the PinHeck board is not found, select a Port manually from the drop-down list. If you plugged the USB in after starting the app, click Refresh Ports to check the ports again.
- Games with newer software will display “AMH Version [number]”. Very old versions of AMH may only display “Pinheck Game Detected”.
- With the proper Port detected, click Select Hex File. You can use the highest version number included with the PinHeck Tool, or download one from the website.
- With a valid Port and Hex file selected, click Manually Update Game. A text window opens to show the progress.
- Update procedure takes about 2 minutes. When complete, your game will reset and the playfield attract mode lights will start flashing.
- Unplug the USB cable. Turn off the machine, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on. Enjoy your new code!
Auto Firmware Update
- Turn on your AMH pinball machine.
- Connect a mini USB cable from your PC to the left most mini USB port on the PinHeck board (the port above the ghost logo)
- Run the PinHeck Tool.
- Click Auto Detect and Program.
- The app locates your game and checks to see if there’s a newer version of software online.
- If there is, you’re asked to click OK to begin the update procedure.
- If game cannot be auto-detected (very likely for the first 20 or so shipped with software earlier than V15) you can use Manual Firmware Update.
- Update procedure takes about 2 minutes. When complete, your game will reset and the playfield attract mode lights will start flashing.
- Unplug the USB cable. Turn off the machine, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on. Enjoy your new code!
Updating the Audio Video
- Your AMH Pinball stores its audio and dots on SD card included with the system. You’ll need to update this whenever you update firmware (they must be updated separately)
- Download the latest AMH_SD.zip.
- Turn OFF your pinball machine.
- Remove the SD card from your game and format it as such:
- File System: FAT32
- Allocation Unit Size: 32 kilobytes
- Copy the contents of the AMH_SD.zip file to your now-blank SD card. The resulting folder should look like this.
- Insert the SD card back into your game and turn on the machine. If your Audio/Video drivers are out of date, the SD card will auto-update them at this time. Please wait for the progress bar on the DMD to complete before turning off or using your game.
AMH Source Code and Other Assets
You don’t need these to update your game but if you want to take a look at the code or 3D print your own parts this is the place! We’ve also included the playfield design files (AI format) and the artwork (PSD format) if you’d like to make your own mods / toppers / whatever.
| DESCRIPTION | FILENAME |
| Contains STL files for all 3D printed objects on production version of AMH. Use to replace objects, or recreate with different colors and materials. | AMH_3D_prints.zip |
| DMD Tool – Converter tool for turning AVI or GIF files into the VID format used by the PinHeck system | dmd_tool.zip |
| Drivers for connecting the pinHeck System to your computer via USB. For installation instructions see below. | drivers.zip |
| AMH Playfield Design – Adobe Illustrator file used to create the playfield | AMH_PF_4.ai |
| AMH Art – Original layers Photoshop files used to create the artwork | AMH_art.zip |
| AMH Scripts – All the dialog used in the game, includes the filename code if you want to replace something (but why would you? 🙂 | amh_dialog.zip |
FTDI Driver Instructions
If you’re having trouble connecting to the pinHeck system, follow the steps below (Windows).
Download the FTDI drivers from this location and unzip them to your computer.
Open “Devices and Printers”
If you don’t see USB UART in Devices and Printers, you need to install the drivers.
Right click on My computer…
…and open Device Manager.
You should see an unknown device without a driver in the Ports section. Right click on it and select Update Driver Software.
Select “Browse My Computer” for driver software.
Select the FTDI USB Drivers folder you unzipped from the download.
You should now be able to connect your computer to the pinHeck system.
– AMH Code Change Log –
Describes the changes to the code with each Revision number.
Revision 23 – 9/9/16 “Phantasmic Friday”
Please update both the Game Code and the SD Card Image for this update.
NOTE: Volume mixing has been changed in this version to avoid clipping. Please increase your amp volume (inside coin door) to compensate for this. Double check the SFX and Music settings in the Game Menu after updating to v23. And don’t forget to crank the bass!
- Added “Bumps in the Night” sub-wizard mode. Complete 3 minions, 1 hellavator multiball and 1 photo hunt to light it, start mode by shooting scoop.
- Combos now build “Ghost Burst” multiplier and pulse a GLIR rollover lane. (that can be moved with flippers) Rollover the pulsing letter and the next score will be multiplied by the Ghost Burst level (2x-9x) Resets after collected or ball drain.
- Added menu option to add 3 levels “spin” to the ball when released from magnet (can also have none, as before)
- Improved some crappy looking mode title animations.
- Added menu option to allow shots up the center to advance Bar Ghost/War Fort (in addition to Pop Bumper Counts)
- New, faster Skill Shot Collect animation + light show.
- Complete all 3 skill shots during a single game to score double on the final one you get.
- New music for Demon Battle Wizard Mode.
- Jump shot counts towards Theater Advance no matter what mode you’re in.
- At ball launch, if more than one player, display alternates between Skill Shot Select and all player scores. The more players the longer it holds on the score display.
- Added menu option to disable SDTM scoop eject save when multiball is active (prevents “false” saves during hectic ball action)
- Audio channel volume mixing has been tweaked to avoid clipping. Overall mix is quieter, so please manually increase volume on amp. SFX/Music levels can still be adjusted in menu they’re just scaled down.
- On Ball 2 or higher, hold Start for 5 seconds to restart game.
- “Add Player” sounds beefed up, and “Stat Screen” for Team Leader (Player 1) added.
- 10 new Ghost Photos to find!
- Added new “End of Game” quotes, and spaced them out a little better from the Match Animation sounds.
- Tapping flipper during attract mode plays random sounds (but only works once a minute so kids can’t spam it)
- Ghost Photo Hunt music improved with better looping.
- Slings now count towards spotting the hard-to-get ORB letters. How many hits to get a letter can be adjusted in menu.
- Tilt code improved, new Menu Option for sensitivity.
- Pop bumpers “triggering themselves” via vibration during a Ball Search no longer counts as “ball found”.
- Ball Search now works during a Tilt Condition.
- Ball Search (if set low) sometimes started during longer “Mode Start” dialog events, this has been fixed.
- Ball Search no longer turns on during longer Magnet Holds.
- New “Ghost Victory” music to replace “G-G-G-Ghost Squad” (Which was a temp song we never replaced!) There are menu options to use the classic version (now with better looping) or files #WD and #WDE (found in SFX/_FZ) as custom user songs! (WAV file format, 16 bit, 22050Hz)
- New sound effects for Coin Drop, inspired by early 90’s arcade games.
- Voice callouts added for Spirit Guide awards in case you can’t look at the display.
- 10 new “Ghost Minion descriptions” added.
- New voice prompts added for Hellavator Multiball.
- If PHOTO HUNT lit, spelling GLIR adds time to the next Photo Hunt mode.
- During PHOTO HUNT, spelling GLIR increases a bonus for the next successful Photo Shot.
- Coins/credit has been changed. You set “pulses per coin” and “pulses per credit”. Example: 3 pulses per coin and 8 pulses per credit sets up a 75 cent game where you can also get 3 plays for $2 (new default)
- Fixed condition where credit dot can get stuck on. More checking for lost balls / credit dot conditions.
- Changed order in which Combo Shots appear so they no longer chain to themselves (since combos can score a lot more now thanks to Ghost Burst)
- 2x, 3x and 4x multipliers can be “earned” for Demon Battle Wizard Mode. Each of the following achievements increasing the multiplier by 1:
- Complete all “Location Tours” during ghost battles (note: Theater Ghost does not have a tour so that’s 5 total)
- Start all sub modes during Ghost Battles, which includes:
- Hospital – Shoot door, then ramp to euthanize ghost patients.
- Prison – Shoot door, then through door to help ghosts escape prison.
- War Fort – Shot door 3 times to open, then shoot past door to collect as much Confederate Gold as you can within 30 seconds.
- Bar Ghost – Shoot the scoop to steals kegs of beer.
- Hotel Ghost – Shoot the door to open, then through door to Evict Ghosts.
- Theater Ghost – Keep making Jump Shots to build the value of them. Value resets if you hit the ghost to add time to the mode.
- During Minion Multiball, shoot the orbits to increase Minion Jackpot to 1 million points.
- Fixed issue where Coin Door Open/Close warning wasn’t being properly saved to EEPROM.
- Added menu option to manually clear credit dot if it gets stuck on.
- Added DMD messages during Ball Check for “Chase Ball” and “Waiting for Stuck Balls” if chase ball drains.
Revision 22 – 10/3/15
Please update both the Game Code and the SD Card Image for this update.
- Fixed issue where Prison Ghost and War Ghost wins weren’t counted towards Total Ghosts Defeated bonus (did not affect Wizard Mode eligibility)
- Added Ball Search when starting a game if 4 balls not present in trough. 3 attempts to start with a ball missing will allow a game to start with only 3 balls (creates credit dot)
- Added menu option for # of seconds before an in-game ball search begins (note: if set below 8 seconds, may occur during mode start dialog while balls being held)
- Added “Search Intensity” setting which is time between each search coil being triggered.
- If 3 ball searches fail, a chase ball is now launched to help knock a stuck ball loose.
- If chase ball drains, and another ball search fails, 4th ball assumed stuck and game proceeds with 3 balls (missing ball compensation)
- Game can run with as few as 2 balls, but will only start if 3 or more balls present.
- If balls still missing at end of a game, credit dot added.
- Door, Target and Hellavator servo position defaults can now be user-defined (within the default factory settings) For instance if the door “grinds” or hits plastic when closed, you can tweak it to not close quite as far. This could also be used to tweak Hellavator down position if balls tend to hang on the top of it.
- The first time you fail Doctor Ghost mode he gives you the ball back and the left flipper pulses to alert you it’s coming. On a small % of games this can cause a fuse to blow. Therefore, a menu option has been added to disable this “flipper attract” if your game has this issue.
- Fixed issue where stacking Minion MB and Hellavator MB in a certain way would cause a very long ball save to take effect.
- If Free Play is off, press MENU in attract mode to add 1 service credit (does not affect coin audits)
- Adjusted TILT timing.
- Added new sound effects for high score initial entry.
- Added “Saving To EEPROM” message so you know what’s happening when the menu lags between screens.
- Plus other fixes and tweaks that I forgot about.
Revision 20 – 5/28/15
- In free play mode, pressing Start after adding 4 players allows you to remove any players who haven’t yet started their ball.
- Fixed bug that caused high scores to be saved to EEPROM incorrectly.
- Improved EEPROM access routines.
- In attract mode, when tournament mode is off, press Left Flipper to jump to High Scores, Right Flipper to jump to Last Scores.
- Added ball save timer when ball is released from Video Mode in case it goes SDTM.
- Added menu option for Right Scoop Ball Save Time (0-5 seconds)
- Added menu option to disable Video Mode.
- Added menu option to disable Get Back Back on Zero Point Ball.
- Added menu test option to turn all All Backbox, All Playfield GI and All GI and Lamps (great for photos!)
- Ball Save voice prompt is set to lower priority when more than 1 ball is active in game.
- Hellavator Jackpot now starts at 1 million, increments by 250k to keep its scoring more in line with Ghost Boss jackpots.
- GLIR rollover progress now saved after ball drains.
Revision 18 – 2/26/15
- GLIR outlane rollovers always make a “negative” sound when hit.
- GLIR inlane rollovers always make a sound, even if already lit.
- GLIR rollover status displayed on DMD, along with “Ghost Locating Infrared” so you know what it stands for.
- Added 7 more random “Ghost Photos” to find, including Hipster Ghost and Ghost Taking a Dump.
- Added a red cabinet color pulse when collecting extra time in Photo Hunt Mode.
- Improved ORB rollover graphics.
- ORB rollovers stay lit between balls, increasing chances of completing them.
- Improved / sped up lightning cabinet effects during some modes.
- Normal combos and Ghost Catch combos can now chain up to 9x maximum (was 5)
- Added option in menu allowing you to set the Combo timer (default is 6 seconds)
- Spelling PSYCHIC starts 20 seconds double scoring. Hit PSYCHIC during this time to add a few seconds to the mode.
- Spelling TECH increases that player’s Ball Save Timer by a few seconds for rest of game.
- Spelling WIKI increases Minion Hit Damage for rest of ball.
- Spelling PSYCHIC, TECH or WIKI re-lights Spririt Guide (same as before)
- Spelling PSYCHIC, TECH and WIKI lights VIDEO MODE, started by shooting Ghost Loop.
- PSYCHIC, TECH or WIKI cannot be spelled again (and re-awarded) until all 3 have been spelled.
- Improved playfield insert animations throughout game.
- Center shot triggers a lightning show and thunder sound effect if nothing else is going on (fun to hit!)
- Collecting EVP’s can now earn an Extra Ball. Default is 10 EVPs = 1 extra ball, can be adjusted in menu.
- Elevator Call button now always make a “Reject” sound if it’s not available in a mode.
- Fixed a bug where skipping past Ball 3 end of ball animation/bonus would prevent the game’s scores from appearing correctly during Match.
- Hellavator motion slightly sped up during Ball Locks.
- Fixed a bug where the Last Game Scores would freeze onscreen after entering a player’s initials.
- Fixed a bug where REPLAY would something show up after a game had finished.
- Added 2 second “grace period” to Ball Save, light goes out but there’s still 2 seconds of Ball Save (on top of user-selected value)
- Fixed issue where locking balls would cause Hotel Mode light progress indicators to disappear.
- Improved stability of animations that show a “Mode Total” onscreen – numbers shouldn’t get erased by other interrupting videos now.
- Slightly extended the length of the pop bumper “Bar Ghost” and “War Fort” progress bar videos.
- Added watchdog timers and SD card error compensation to greatly improve stability of audio/video kernel.
- Added a voice prompt for getting a MATCH. Match fail is the same (reality TV show “bowed oil cans”
- Added playfield insert animations for End Credits (if you can get that far 🙂
- Fixed bug where Hospital Ghost and Hellavator Multiball couldn’t be restarted after beating the game.
- Various small audio and video improvements and fixes.
- Added 1 cow to game.
Revision 17 -2/1/15
- Improved reliability between PIC32 and A/V co-processor
- Must be paired with A/V version 10 (download latest version of SD image to install)
- Improved ball search and drain clear routines
Revision 16 -12/21/14
- You can now tap either flipper to skip ahead in Ghost Boss dialog to get your ball back quickly.
- Added code to prevent pop bumpers / slings from “machine gunning” when switch held down.
- Ball Save Timer gives you 2 extra seconds after SPOOK AGAIN turns off (longer grace period)
- Reduced and simplified Tilt Code to reduce false warnings.
- Number of Hits scored on Minion are stored if you start another mode before defeated minion, allowing you to “continue” the battle when you re-enable Minion.
- Ball search can now find ball behind door during Doctor mode and compensate after releasing it.
Revision 15 -10/19/14
- Fixed issue where Hellavator flasher stays on / comes back on between modes.
- Added Score Prompts / Progress Prompts to most modes.
- Added Countdown Timer beeping to all timed modes.
- Countdown timers now pause while ball is in pop bumpers.
- Simplified target lighting for first 3 Ghost Minions
- Improved Skill Shot graphics, added Ball # to that display.
- Game uses center Subway Switch to double check that ball exited Hellavator.
- Added “ball jog” routine if ball gets stuck in Hellavator.
- Tweaked kickout timing for ball holds during Theater Ghost Mode.
- Tap either flipper button to skip End of Ball bonus indicator sequence.
A/V Driver Version 9 – 10/19/14
- A/V driver now displays code version and A/V version on splash screen boot.
- Name of game is stored in EEPROM so it can be displayed on boot splash. Makes A/V kernel more independent of main game code.
Revision 14 – 9/12/14
- Added “Door Warning Yes/No” in menu to control whether or not opening and closing the door makes a sound and a video warning.
- Fixed bug where number of games played may get reset when flashing new code.
- Improved code compensation for balls jumping over the drain switch and ending up in the ball trough, so they will count as drains (instead of the game losing track of the ball)
Revision 12 – 8/23/14
- Simplified Prison Ghost mode. Now it is 3 shots up left orbit to light Prison Lock, 4th shot around orbit and into basement starts mode (4 shots instead of 6)
- Added prompt for High Voltage Disabled when you open the coin door, also makes “creaky door” and “slamming shut” sounds.
- Fixed bug where already collected shots would still score during Ghost Photo Hunt
- If Skill Shot is collected via the Pop Bumpers, that hit also counts towards Pop Bumper goals
- Greatly improved Attract Mode lighting
- Fixed bug where Ball Save Timer wasn’t stored correctly to EEPROM in Game Settings Menu
- Can now enter Settings Mode during a game (but it ends the game)
Revision 12 – 8/5/14
- Added “showValue” after Skill Shot Success video to show how many points you earned.
When will the 3D_prints.zip file be available for down load?
Thanks…Ken