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Update index.md
Seems an edit has gone wrong: Removed duplicate text and images Removed extraneous "note" text Also Added a little brevity Adjusted some punctuation Left tone intact, it’s a fun read!
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docs/mechs/diverters/index.md

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@@ -16,25 +16,24 @@ alters the path of the ball based on the state it's in, including:
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![image](../images/diverter2.jpg)
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* A traditional diverter which is a metal flap at the end of a rod,
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* A traditional diverter is a metal flap at the end of a rod,
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typically used on ramps to "divert" the ball one way or the other.
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* A coil-controlled post that pops up (or down) to let the ball either
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pass over it or bounce back in some other direction. (This is
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sometimes called an "up/down" post.)
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* A coil-controlled gate, typically which only allows the ball to flow
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through it in a single direction, but lifted out of the way via a
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coil when active which allows the ball to travel through it in both
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directions.
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pass over it or bounce in some other direction. This is
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sometimes called an "up/down" post.
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* A coil-controlled gate, typically allows the ball to flow through it
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in a single direction, but when active allows the ball to travel
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through it in both directions.
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* A "trap door" pop-up which captures the ball when it's up but
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lets the ball roll over it to another shot when it's down. (Like
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the trap door / basement in Theatre of Magic.)
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lets the ball roll over it when down. Like the trap door / basement
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in Theatre of Magic.
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* A single drop target that blocks the entrance to a shot when it's
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up, such as in the back of the saucer in Attack from Mars or the
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ones that block the ramps in Ghostbusters.
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up, such as in the back of the saucer in Attack from Mars or those
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that block the ramps in Ghostbusters.
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* Something else completely custom, such as the Ringmaster in Cirqus
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Voltaire. (When it's up the ball can hit it and drop down under the
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Voltaire. When it's up the ball can hit it and drop down under the
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playfield, and when it's down the ball rolls over it and hits
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standup targets behind it.)
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standup targets behind it.
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At this point you might be thinking, "Wait, you consider a trap door or
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the Ringmaster to be a diverter?? What???" But if you think about it
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to them goes towards one place, and when they're active, a ball is
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"diverted" to go somewhere else.
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In MPF, a diverter (sometimes spelled "divertor") is anything that
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alters the path of the ball based on the state it's in, including:
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![image](../images/diverter1.jpg)
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![image](../images/diverter2.jpg)
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* A traditional diverter which is a metal flap at the end of a rod,
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typically used on ramps to "divert" the ball one way or the other.
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* A coil-controlled post that pops up (or down) to let the ball either
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pass over it or bounce back in some other direction. (This is
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sometimes called an "up/down" post.)
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* A coil-controlled gate, typically which only allows the ball to flow
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through it in a single direction, but lifted out of the way via a
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coil when active which allows the ball to travel through it in both
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directions.
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* A "trap door" pop-up which captures the ball when it's up but
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lets the ball roll over it to another shot when it's down. (Like
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the trap door / basement in Theatre of Magic.)
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* A single drop target that blocks the entrance to a shot when it's
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up, such as in the back of the saucer in Attack from Mars or the
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ones that block the ramps in Ghostbusters.
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* Something else completely custom, such as the Ringmaster in Cirqus
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Voltaire. (When it's up the ball can hit it and drop down under the
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playfield, and when it's down the ball rolls over it and hits
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standup targets behind it.)
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At this point you might be thinking, "Wait, you consider a trap door or
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the Ringmaster to be a diverter?? What???" But if you think about it
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from the perspective of pinball software, yeah, trap doors and the
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Ringmaster *are* diverters because when then are not active, a ball shot
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to them goes towards one place, and when they're active, a ball is
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"diverted" to go somewhere else.) note
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!!! note
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MPF's diverters are integrated with
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MPF is able to move balls to where they need to be.
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Most diverters are held in their "on" position as long as their driver
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coil enabled, and then when they're disabled they return back to their
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off position. That said, some are different. The Ringmaster has a motor
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which raises and lowers it, and drop targets have coils that are just
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pulsed to raise/lower them, so this is not a hard and fast rule.
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coil is enabled, and then when they're disabled they return to their
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off position. That said, some are different. The Ringmaster in Cirqus
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Voltaire has a motor which raises and lowers it, and drop targets have
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coils that are just pulsed to raise/lower them.
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So based on all that, let's look at how the MPF actually handles
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diverters. At the most basic level, most diverters are just a coil, so
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For example, many diverters attached to ramps do not hold their coils in
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the "on" position for the entire time that they're on. Instead they
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use the ramp entry switch to see when a ball is coming their way, and
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when one is they quickly activate so they can catch the ball in time to
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divert it. They also typically have a timeout where they deactivate
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themselves if they don't actually see a ball get diverted, (like with a
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weak ramp shot that trips the ramp entry switch but that isn't powerful
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enough to make it all the way up the ramp to the diverter.)
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use an entry switch to see when a ball is coming their way, and quickly
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activate so they can catch the ball in time to divert it. They also typically
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have a timeout after which they deactivate themselves if they don't receive
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a ball, such as with a weak ramp shot that trips the ramp entry switch but
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that isn't powerful enough to make it all the way up the ramp to the diverter.
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MPF's diverter devices also include support for automatic enabling and
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disabling (based on events), and they include intelligence to know which
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watches for that ramp entry switch and then quickly fires the diverter
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to route the ball to the other exit. Then once the ball passes by the
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diverter, it hits a second switch which turns off the diverter.
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(Typically the diverter activation also has a timeout which is used when
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Typically the diverter activation also has a timeout which is used when
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a weak shot is made where the ball trips the ramp entrance switch but
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doesn't actually make it all the way up the ramp to the diverter.)
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doesn't actually make it all the way up the ramp to the diverter.
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So in MPF parlance, we say that the diverter is *enabled* whenever it's
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ready to be fired, but it's not actually *active* until the coil is

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