# Stern Tech School: Leveling Chum Line **Source:** Stern Pinball **Type:** video **Published:** 2024-07-06 **Duration:** 2m 14s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pA5T9nXXj4 --- ## Analysis Kyle from Stern Pinball demonstrates the procedure for leveling a shark fin target base on pinball machines using five Phillips head screws with rubber grommets. The ideal leveling position is slightly above the playfield in the rear and approximately flush (or slightly lower) in the front to ensure smooth ball transfer and prevent sticking or jumping. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] The shark fin target base should be positioned slightly above the playfield in the back and about flush in the front for optimal ball transfer — _Kyle describes ideal positioning: 'slightly above the playfield in the back and in the front section about flush if not just a slight bit lower'_ - [HIGH] If the base is positioned too low in the back, the ball may strike the back of the playfield and cause jumping — _Kyle explains: 'if it was a little bit lower and it may strike the back of the playfield we might have an instance where it would get a little bit of a jump'_ - [HIGH] If the base is positioned too low in the front, the ball might stick or cause odd rolling movement — _Kyle states: 'if it was too low down here the ball might stick or it might uh in a rolling cause some odd movement'_ - [HIGH] Tightening the Phillips head screws lowers the plastic base, while unscrewing raises it — _Kyle explains: 'tightening the screws will allow you to lower the plastic base a little bit further down and when you unscrew them they will rise up a little bit'_ ### Notable Quotes > "it's always a good idea to either power the game off or open the coin door so the interlock switch is in the powered off position" > — **Kyle**, 0:20 > _Safety procedure emphasizing need to disable power before servicing_ > "having the rear of the base uh slightly above the playfield will allow the ball to transfer over smooth" > — **Kyle**, 1:05 > _Key technical guidance for optimal leveling position_ > "this is not a perfect level we should have it up a little higher" > — **Kyle**, 1:50 > _Self-correction during demonstration showing hands-on adjustment process_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Kyle | person | Stern Pinball technician presenting Stern Tech School educational video | | Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer producing Tech School educational content for operator and owner support | | shark fin target base | product | Plastic playfield component on Stern pinball machines that requires leveling for proper ball transfer | | Stern Tech School | event | Educational video series from Stern Pinball demonstrating maintenance and service procedures | ### Topics - **Primary:** Playfield leveling and maintenance, Shark fin target base mechanics, Ball transfer optimization - **Secondary:** Safety procedures for servicing, Operator education and support ### Sentiment **Neutral** (0) — Educational technical content presented matter-of-factly with clear instructions and practical guidance ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Stern Pinball producing educational Tech School content demonstrates ongoing commitment to operator and owner education and support (confidence: high) — Series of instructional videos teaching technicians how to service and maintain pinball machines --- ## Transcript hi I'm Kyle with Stern Pinball and today we're going to go over the procedure to level the shark fin Target base before you service your game it's always a good idea to either power the game off or open the coin door so the interlock switch is in the powered off position when the coin door is open the interlock switch is open it'll remove the 48 volts from the playfield the shark fin Target base is a piece of plastic that is inserted in the playfield this piece of plastic can be leveled using these five Phillips head screws these screws have a rubber grommet in between the plastic and the base tightening the screws will allow you to lower the plastic base a little bit further down and when you unscrew them they will rise up a little bit the ideal position will be for the plastic base to be slightly above the playfield in the back and in the front section about flush if not just a slight bit lower so having the rear of the base uh slightly above the playfield will allow the ball to transfer over smooth if it was a little bit lower and it may strike the back of the playfield we might have an instance where it would get a little bit of a jump if it was too low down here the ball might stick or it might uh in a rolling cause some odd movement through the ball so that's why having it a bit low in the front and a teeny bit high in the back is how we will have the smoothest ball travel this is not a perfect level we should have it up a little higher you'll need your number two Phillips head screwdriver and just simply loosen them to raise it on the other side let's try to bring this in a little bit when you make these adjustments go slow and check for level as you go along so that's perfect thanks for watching this video from Stern Tech School _(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 9a72db0b-5b87-43be-8fe5-3bcb26d32b17*