Pinball Canada Archives - Pinball Adventures

How To Properly Store Your Pinball Machine

Andrew MacBain — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 23:43:45 +0000

How To Properly Store Your Pinball Machine

If you are thinking about adding a pinball machine to your home, you are not alone. Many homeowners are purchasing pinball machines in hopes that their kids will enjoy this beloved game just as much as they did (and to indulge in a little nostalgia). But when you add a pinball machine to your home, you must know how to treat it. Storage is an important part of caring for your machine and making it last.

What is the proper way to store pinball machines? Pinball machines should always be in a climate-controlled area. The best place for your pinball machine is inside of your home. Too much moisture, heat, or humidity can cause significant damage to the pinball machine. If you decide to store it in a garage or basement, it is recommended to have the pinball machine up off the floor to avoid potential water damage.

Taking proper care of your pinball machine is critical to its lifespan. The good news is that a pinball machine is easy to take care of, but you need to make sure you are doing it the right way. One important aspect of pinball ownership is proper storage, and this article will provide you with the best details on how to store a pinball machine.

Why Is It Important to Properly Store a Pinball Machine?

Think of your pinball machine like you would any other type of gaming system or device. You wouldn’t toss your expensive PlayStation 4 into the basement without a thought, so why drag your pinball machine down there and expect it to be fine? Sure, pinball machines are much larger than most current gaming systems, but it doesn’t mean that they can be neglected.

Without proper storage, your pinball machine can be affected in many ways. The biggest issue is that the overall system can malfunction and become damaged from excessive heat, humidity, or moisture. Additionally, there is also the problem of dust accumulating in the pinball machine, which can cause the pinball machine to stop working properly.

Another thing to worry about when it comes to storage is the possibility of water destroying the pinball machine. Certain areas, such as a garage or basement, are more prone to leaks and floods, which can have a seriously negative impact on your pinball machine and potentially destroy the sensitive electronics or damage the entire cabinet.

Proper storage is imperative for the functionality of your pinball machine. Continue reading to find out some of the best places to store your pinball machine and how to store it correctly to avoid damage.

How to Properly Store a Pinball Machine

The best place for your pinball machine to be stored is inside of your house. In most cases, the inside of the home is going to be climate-controlled to suit you and your family. This means that the humidity levels will be relatively low, and the temperature should never rise too high or drop too low.

If you can, find a spot in your home to place your pinball machine. Your machine will be the safest in this environment You also won’t have to worry about cleaning your pinball machine too often while it is inside because there is less of a chance of dust or dirt accumulating in the playfield. Of course, it’s probably best to keep it out of direct sunlight since the sunlight can cause the machine to deteriorate over time.

But what should a pinball machine owner do if he can’t find room in his home? What if he needs a temporary space to place his precious device? If you can’t store your pinball machine in the home, there are a few other options. However, you will need to take extra precautions when using these areas.

The Basement or Garage

The most common places you might find a pinball machine stored in are garages and basements. After all, many people have basements and garages that can make excellent storage spots for their pinball machines. Does your garage or basement have to be finished, though? Of course, not. Even unfinished areas like these are great places to store different things.

Related Post In Air Hockey, Are You Allowed To Stop The Puck?

But when you opt for a basement or garage, you need to be extra careful. Always make sure that the humidity levels don’t rise too high in the basement or garage. Humidity can have the biggest impact on pinball machines and can render them unplayable if exposed to too much humidity. Always check the levels, especially if you live in an area that is prone to high humidity.

If you live in an area where the humidity is high over the summer time then investing in good dehumidifier is a good option to keep your basement moisture free. If moisture collects inside of your machine it will quickly begin damaging a variety of components.

The other thing to worry about is potential leaks or floods. Since basements and garages are prone to these disasters, it is a good idea to place the pinball machine up off the floor by using a wood pallet or another similar item to keep it safe. As you can imagine, water getting into your pinball machine is going to cause significant damage, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Self-Storage

Many people may end up using a self-storage facility to house their pinball machines temporarily. This is a great option because self-storage locations are generally climate-controlled, and you won’t run the risk of moisture destroying your machine. This leaves the owner feeling confident and secure.

I wouldn’t store it in a self storage facility that isn’t climate controlled. Often the climate controlled units are more expensive but being that you spent thousands on your pinball machine a few extra dollars a month is well worth it to keep it in good condition.

Clean Your Machine Before Storing

For the most part, running a cloth across the playfield of your pinball machine regularly is enough to keep it functioning and increase its lifespan. This should be done as much as possible while in storage. If kept in the home, you will only need to clean it every couple of weeks.

Don’t Wrap Your Pinball Machine

Some people might think that they should wrap their pinball machine to keep it safe. This is mostly because many items that are kept in storage and should be handled with care, such as a glass table, will likely be covered with a blanket of some sort. But should you cover your pinball machine?

The simple answer is no. You should not cover your pinball machine while it is in storage. This will make it easier for dust and dirt to find itself into the smaller crevices of your pinball machine, which will make the grime harder to remove once out of storage.

Conclusion

Taking care of your pinball machine is an important task. If you need to store a pinball machine, the best option is inside of your home. If you cannot keep your pinball machine in your home, you must find another climate-controlled area. Humidity and moisture can wreak havoc on a pinball machine, so keep your device as far away from them as possible.

If you’re honest with yourself, though – You will probably be playing your pinball machine much too often to need to store it except for in rare instances like a move.

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Pinball Adventures is a North American manufacturing company producing fresh and unique Pinball machines. Our goal is to create to the highest standards, and spark the same joy we found as gamers when we rolled our first quarter into that coin slot so many years ago. Stemming from a lifelong passion, Pinball Adventures is created by gamers, for gamers. We strive to bring high quality, innovative, and captivating experiences for all to enjoy.

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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Pinball Adventures Is On YouTube

Andrew MacBain — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 23:19:07 +0000

As some of you may know, We are now on YouTube!

Pinball Adventures Is On YouTube

We are going to be releasing a 10 part series on how The Punny Factory Pinball Machine came to be as well as 10 mini videos of rules and gameplay after every video.

Here are the topics of each video exclusively released here on Pinball Buzz

Idea, Concept & Rules
Engineering
Prototype & Whiteboard
Artwork
Sound Affect & Animation
Programming
Full Prototype & Cabinets
Trims
Testing
Final Modification

The first video is now out and you can watch it here!

Rules and Gameplay #1

We will be releasing each video one at a time leading up to the release of The Punny Factory. If you have any questions please feel free to email us at thepinballbuzz@gmail.com

Feedback on the videos are appreciated in the comment section of the videos. Remember to like and subscribe. Thank you for your support!

IG: https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/?hl=en

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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Injection Molding DIY & Process

Andrew MacBain — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:18:15 +0000

Looking to make a customized toy for your pinball machine? We got you covered with the DIY Injection Molding process and what you’d need!

Injection Molding DIY & Process

What Is Injection Molding?

It a process used for manufacturing a wide variety of items from small components to large ones. It uses a granular plastic that is gravity fed from a hopper, forced into a heated chamber by a screw-type plunger, melted, and then pressed against the mold. It then cools and is removed as a solid part. Rapid injection molding uses aluminum molds that are quick to make, while large-scale production typically uses steel molds.

Injection fabrication makes it possible to produce parts in large volumes. This is why it is typically used in mass-production processes, where thousands or even millions of parts are needed. The biggest drawback, really, is that the tooling time and costs required to set up for the molding process make the technique inappropriate for small batch production runs (luckily we have 3D printing for that now).

What You Need for DIY Injection Molding

Building a setup for DIY injection molding does require some investment. It takes both money and time to acquire the right equipment and to master using it. However, these costs are in many cases still lower than the cost of a single metal mold, so the eventual time and cost savings, once you’re up and running, will easily offset the initial effort. source.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

A high-performance desktop SLA 3D printer, like the Formlabs’ Form 3. The Form 3 can produce accurate molds with crisp features, and a smooth surface finish that will yield high-quality final molded parts. Beyond DIY injection molding, an SLA 3D printer is also a valuable asset for prototyping and other applications throughout product development.
A 3D printing material that can withstand the temperature and pressure on the mold during the injection molding process. We recommend the following materials for Formlabs SLA 3D printers:
- Rigid 10K Resin is an industrial-grade, highly glass-filled material, which provides a solution that can cope with a wider variety of geometries and injection molding processes. It has an HDT of 218°C @ 0.45 MPa and a tensile modulus of 10,000 MPa, making it strong, extremely stiff, and thermally stable.
- High Temp Resin offers a heat deflection temperature is 238 °C @ 0.45 MPa that is suitable for injection molding. This material is more brittle, but is recommended for materials with a high molding temperature and to reduce cooling time.
- Grey Pro Resin has a lower thermal conductivity than High Temp Resin or Rigid Resin, which leads to a longer cooling time, but it is softer and can wear hundreds of cycles.
A benchtop injection-molding machine, such as the Galomb Model-B100 or the Holipress. There are a number of benchtop injection molders on the market that vary in cost. Many of the lower cost molders use a hand-driven plunger, while some of the more expensive units use a screw or pneumatic system. Some of our customers have recommended systems from Minijector, Morgan, APSX, or Micromolder as well. Desktop automated molders such as the product line from Babyplast are good alternatives for mass production of small parts.
Plastic pellets of your choice
A CAD software tool of your preference to design the mold insert, such as Blender, which you can download for free

The injection molding process cycle follows 4 stages and typically takes between two seconds and two minutes per part

Clamping

This is the part where two halves of the molds are securely closed by the clamping unit. Hydraulic power is used to keep the clamping unit in place while the specific material is injected (typically a thermoplastic).

Injection

At this stage, raw plastic material or pellets are fed into the injection molding machine, pushed into the injection unit, melted and then injected into the mold.

Cooling

Cooling allows the molten plastic to solidify and take the shape of the mold. There are specific cooling times for different parts and components, depending on the maximum wall thickness of the part and the thermodynamic properties of the plastic material

Ejection

An ejection system is used to push the molded part out of the clamping unit. A mold release agent may be sprayed onto the surface of the mold cavity before injection to facilitate easy ejection and prevent damage to the new part.

What are the benefits of injection molding?

Low production costs

In injection molded manufacturing, the price per unit is extremely low. The most significant costs are the setup costs. As more parts are produced, the price tends to drop drastically. Once the initial costs of fabrication have been paid, the profit margin can be quite wide. This makes financial sense in the business front, so long as there is a demand to satisfy the production.

Low scrap rates

Unlike traditional manufacturing processes, where a substantial percentage of an original block or sheet is cut away during production, injection molding cuts with accuracy and waste plastic usually come from overflow material that leaks out of the cavity. It can also come from runners, sprue, and gate locations.

Repeatable and consistent

As a process used in high-volume production, injection molding is ideal for producing practically identical parts. Each part produced is going to be the same as the first one, which is important for consistency and reliability.

Of course, injection molding is not perfect. But its benefits often outweigh the disadvantages.

A major challenge in injection molding is designing a mold. The main focus is usually on the finished products, but no part would be made without the mold from which it is formed. The design aspect of a component is often overlooked, but it is the most important.

Thanks for reading

Injection Molding DIY & Process

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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Process of Manufacturing A Pinball Machine

Andrew MacBain — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:00:34 +0000

Curious about the process of making a pinball machine? Look no further, Pinball Adventures is here with some information

Process of Manufacturing A Pinball Machine

Design

While a new pinball game took only 20-30 hours to manufacture, the design process was far more protracted. Designing a new game took a team of professionals from 12-18 months, and the investment cost could run up to a million dollars. Games were designed by teams, with members taking on specialized tasks. The team included a game designer, who came up with the game concept and generally organized the other members; a software developer; an artist to come up with the backglass art and playing field graphics; a mechanical engineer, responsible for the design of all the gadgets on the playing field; a sound designer to create the music and other sound effects for the game; a mechanical designer, who brought together the drawings and designs from other team members; an animator to animate images on the scoring display; an electrical engineer and a cable designer to work out the circuitry and wiring; sculptors and model-makers to build the prototype devices for the playing field, and a publications writer to write the technical documents and manuals. The team might include other people, as well, such as someone who kept track of the cost of materials, and people working in marketing, sales, and licensing.

The design work starts with a concept, which might be an original idea or might come from a licensed product, such as a movie. After the concept is agreed upon, the design team works on the layout of the playing field. Designers fiddle with placements of any special elements the game will have, and try to work out how the player will make shots leading to the element. The placement of ramps, flippers, kickers, tilt mechanisms, and such is planned out, while the mechanical engineer produces prototypes for the special elements.

After the playfield design is more or less completed, the team then produces what is called a whitewood version of the game. This is a bare plywood prototype of the

A. Playfield. B. Flipper mechanism. C. Pop bumper.

playfield. The designers use computer assisted design (CAD) software to record their plans, and this software is then used to control a computer-driven routing machine that cuts the board. The game elements for the whitewood are made by hand and glued on. Lights, ramps, and flippers are added. The whitewood may go through many revisions, as placements are changed or elements taken off or added. When the design seems satisfactory, the whitewood is wired to make it playable. Meanwhile the software developer has been creating the unique software to control the game. Williams, the last major American pinball manufacturer, had developed its own proprietary pinball operating system so that a basic framework could be used for each game, simplifying the design process. The software developer also works with the lighting and sound designers and animators to run all these effects. At the whitewood stage, the designers can actually play the game they have created, and work on developing rules.

Meanwhile the artist creates sketches for the backglass. If the game is based on a licensed theme, the artist needs to submit sketches for approval to the licensing agency. When the whitewood is near its final form, the artist makes sketches for the playfield. Pinball artists in the 1990s utilized traditional media such as pen and ink and paint, as well as computer graphics.

While the game is in development, team members keep constant track of how much the game might cost to make. If parts need to be ordered from an outside vendor, the team needs to retrieve estimates from the suppliers. The game has a total budget, and sometimes the cost of one spectacular effect means that other game elements, such as lighting, have to be redesigned to make them cheaper. The design team also creates a bill of materials, listing every part needed to make the game. Parts are ordered so that everything is in place when the game is ready to be mass produced.

After the design is finalized, workers at the plant assemble 10-20 prototypes. These are completely finished games, just like ones that will eventually be sold. The prototypes help the production plant determine that all the parts fit together, that the suppliers have sent the correct parts, and that mass production will go smoothly. Any glitches in the assembly are caught at this stage. And if any part of the manufacturing process needs to be modified, it is discovered now. The prototypes are also used for testing.

Raw Materials

The raw materials for pinball are not extraordinary. Inexpensive, sturdy plywood is used for the playfield, wiring boards, and cabinet. Metal parts, such as screws and springs, are made out of a variety of common materials, such as stainless steel and aluminum. Special elements on the playfield may be of molded plastic. Manufacturers require vendors to supply parts exactly to specifications, and to hold down production costs, which are considerable, the cheapest materials possible may be used.

Process of Manufacturing A Pinball Machine

Pressuring the playfield

1 Almost all the production of a pinball game is done by hand. The exception is the manufacture of the playfield. The design for the playfield is programmed into a special machine. Workers load plywood into the machine, and it squeezes each board under high pressure. The pressure incises each side of the board with marks, which show where all the assembly units go.

Screen printing

2 Pinball backglasses and playing field art are made by the silk-screen printing process, also called stencil printing. This is usually done by an outside vendor. From the artist’s design, the printer makes a series of patterns called stencils that break down the design into four colors. That is, all the red parts of the design are isolated on one stencil, all the blue on another, and so on. Through combinations of four colors, every possible shade can be made. The stencils are made of a sieve-like fabric. Ink will pass through the open weave of the fabric and adhere to the material being printed. The printer lays the stencil, which might be a thin, plastic laminate, down on the material. An applicator sprays the color. Then the stencil is lifted, the material briefly dried, and the next stencil laid down. After the fourth color, the design is complete. For a backglass, the whole design could be screened as one piece. For the playfield, the artwork is broken up into small sections. At the pinball factory, workers punch out the sections and adhere them to the playfield. This way, the artwork is made to fit around the holes for the targets and other mechanical parts.

Hand assembly

3 Most of the remaining work is done by hand. Some of the small parts, such as spring-loaded bumper mechanisms, may have to be put together at the factory from components parts. Then these parts are assembled on the board. The wiring is very complicated. Workers painstakingly connect the wires, using screw drivers and soldering guns. The cabinets are made as rectangular hollow boxes. Workers screw rails on to hold the circuit boards and playfield. The screened art for the backglass is inserted in the backglass assembly, and that part attached to the main cabinet. Each game has close to 1,000 parts. The whole game takes from 20-30 hours to finish, and the factory itself requires about 1,000 workers.

Quality Control

Most of the quality control in pinball manufacturing is done before mass production begins. Individual parts from vendors are inspected and measured to make sure they are to specification. But the main check the manufacturer has on total product quality is in the prototypes made after the design process is complete. These 10-20 prototypes are tested in a variety of ways, including playability, general safety, and ability to withstand shipping. One is played on regularly, for field testing. One prototype is tested for sturdiness during shipping-this suffers a drop test. Another is sent to a private laboratory for a safety test, to make sure players could not be injured by the game. Other prototypes are used for publicity photographs, for the rules or manual writer, and perhaps for display at trade shows or promotions. Even after the prototypes pass inspection, the manufacturer might make a small run of some 50-100 games, just to make sure that everything is set in the production room for a bigger batch.

Thanks for reading the process of manufacturing a pinball machine!

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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What Is CNC Machining?

Andrew MacBain — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:41:09 +0000

Curious to know the process and what CNC machining is and how they cut pinball playfields? Then keep on reading!

What Is CNC Machining?

Computer numerical control (CNC) is a method for automating control of machine tools through the use of software embedded in a microcomputer attached to the tool. It is commonly used in manufacturing for machining metal and plastic parts.

CNC machining is a manufacturing process in which pre-programmed computer software dictates the movement of factory tools and machinery. The process can be used to control a range of complex machinery, from grinders and lathes to mills and routers. With CNC machining, three-dimensional cutting tasks can be accomplished in a single set of prompts. Under CNC Machining, machine tools function through numerical control. A computer program is customized for an object and the machines are programmed with CNC machining language (called G-code) that essentially controls all features like feed rate, coordination, location and speeds. With CNC machining, the computer can control exact positioning and velocity.

CNC MILL & CNC ROUTER: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

The CNC mill and CNC router are terms often used interchangeably. In actuality, they are two distinct machines with specific purposes.

CNC Router

A CNC router is mostly used for cutting wood, plastic, model foam or other soft materials. With some routers you can also machine aluminum, but this is mostly for engraving purpose.

The spindle of a CNC router can rotate up to 20,000 Rpm, a necessity in order to experience low torque when cutting into the material. Typically the frame and bearings of a CNC router are not configured for high stiffness. The upside of this high-speed low torque cutting is that a CNC router can do its work quickly, compared to slow CNC mills.

Another benefit of the CNC router is that they broadly tend to offer more working space in the X- and Y- axes, with a shallow Z-axis movement when compared to the CNC mill.

Despite being generally less stiff than a CNC mill, the stiffness and quality of a CNC router depends on the price tagv

CNC Mill

Perhaps the most noticable difference between the CNC mill and CNC router is cost. A decent CNC mill can costs in the range of $10,000, and that’s before factoring in maintenance and tools.

The upside of such an expensive machine however, is that a CNC mill is capable of machining all kinds of metals such as (cast) steel, aluminum alloys and precious metals.

To do so, the spindle of a CNC mill runs at around 1,000 Rpm — much slower than a CNC router. Paired with a stiff frame and sturdy bearings, it’s possible to precisely cut to a tenth of a millimeter, though this of course depends on the quality of your tools, talent and machine

Get To Grips With Software

All CNC machines use computer software to control their tools—hence the acronym: computer numerical control. The software is essentially a three-step process. The part is drawn in a CAD program (computer-aided design) before a CAM program (computer-aided manufacturing) converts the drawing into a code called g-code. The machine reads the g-code and makes the part. Some machinists write g-code straight into the machine, but most rely on the CAM program.

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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What Are Pinballs Made Of?

Andrew MacBain — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 22:00:50 +0000

Pinball machines are a favorite for many people that remember them fondly from many years ago. Some of the modern versions of pinball machines can be found in many places from Dave and Busters to the few remaining arcades.

What Are Pinballs Made Of?

Pinballs are most commonly made out of carbon steel. However, they can be made from chrome steel, rubber, ceramic, gold, and silver. What a pinball is made of depends on the game you are playing and if the pinball is custom made.

These small balls have been used in these games for close to 150 years. Pinball games were even outlawed at one point! This article looks at what pinballs are made of and answers questions you didn’t even know you had about pinballs. source

Pinballs are made out of steel. Their diameter is 1 1/16th inch (2,7 cm) and the weight is 80 gram.
Almost every pinball machine made in the last 60 years is designed for this type of regular pinball.

There were only a few exceptions:

Bally’s Truck Stop (1988) used pinballs of 1 inch diameter. After designing the game it was found that pinballs sometimes got stuck on a ramp because it was too narrow. It was cheaper to sell the machine with smaller pinballs installed than to design new ramps.

Sega’s Viper Night Driving had Glo-Balls. These look like regular pinballs that are covered with a layer of yellow rubber. They weigh less: 60 gram. This causes for a special effect in combination with the blacklight on the playfield. The rubber layer also makes the pinballs bounce more and react more uncontrollable.
Glow balls didn’t become a success among players and operators, especially because they felt different whilst playing, but also because the rubber became dirty very fast and easily got damaged.

The most famous and popular non-regular pinball is the Powerball in the Twilight Zone pinball machine.
This game has five regular steel pinballs but also a white ceramic powerball. Size is regular but it’s lighter: only 65 gram. The powerball plays very fast. It’s also not influenced by magnets below the playfield. The game has special sensor boards to be able to detect if a ball in a certain position is a steel ball or the ceramic powerball.

Pinball shops now also sell ‘custom’ pinballs. Gold or silver (be careful as it’s sometimes a very shallow layer which comes off after a few games). Black pinballs also exist, even with different drawings on them.

Pinballs aren’t too complicated, and there’s nothing inside of them. Most pinballs are made out of solid carbon steel. Some manufacturers use a different kind of steel called chrome steel. Carbon steel is a metal alloy of iron and carbon, while chrome steel is non-stainless steel that is normally used on things like drills, forks, and knives.

Pinballs are small in diameter, only 2.7cm (or 1 1/16^th in) so that they can fit through the narrow ramps inside of pinball machines.

Using a heavier or bigger ball will affect gameplay. You must get a properly sized ball, which sometimes varies based on the machine that you have. For example, in Bally’s Truck Stop machine, made in the 1980s, the ball was 1 inch in diameter, and so it kept getting stuck in the machines because the ramps on them were too narrow.

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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New Westminster Arcade Hosting Private Parties

Andrew MacBain — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 22:21:34 +0000

New Westminster Arcade Hosting Private Parties

Industry Arcade is open for private parties up to 10 people! This arcade is located in New Westminster, Canada and is COVID friendly with sanitized machines and social distance is required.

Sessions are 2 hours, 10 people max. Your group gets our FREE PLAY arcade to yourselves. Starting at $200. They are located beside Another Beer Co in New Westminster. No booze is allowed, pre and post beers are available at Another Beer co just 5 seconds from them

Industry Arcade has a big variety of games to pick from, including pinball, pac-man, car racing, skee ball and more!

Pinball

Over 20 modern and classic pinball machines, all fully serviced and ready to rock. Many new releases such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, TRON, Ironman, Walking Dead, Black Knight, Spider Man, Game of Thrones and classics like Attack from Mars, Addams Family, Taxi, Dirty Harry, Funhouse, Lord of the Rings, Terminator 2, NBA Fastbreak, Party Zone, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Sharkey’s Shootout, Monopoly, World Cup Soccer and more!

Arcade

Lots of killer arcade games to choose from. Ms Pac Man, Street Fighter 2 +3, Mortal Kombat, Frogger, Bubble Bobble, Tapper, Simpsons, NBA Jam, Tetris, Metal Slug, Puzzle Bobble, Centipede, Frogger, Galaga, Marvel vs Capcom, Super Monaco GP, Super Gem Fighter, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, Donkey Kong JR, Double Dragon, Robocop and more.

Skee Ball

Everyones favourite, the classic Skee ball. We’ve even got it to dispense tickets if you get a high score. Win a ticket, get 10 bucks off a shirt!

Bubble Hockey and Foosball

Super Chexx Bubble hockey is the best Bubble Hockey available. Our commercial grade Foosball is backlit with LED lighting for maximum action.

Pac-man Battle Royale

A modern take of the classic Pac Man, up to 4 players can play this fast and super fun game!

Racing

Rush the rock is known to be the best driving game in history by many. They even feature a 4 speed manual transmission.

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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3 Greatest Older Pinball Machines

Andrew MacBain — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 21:36:39 +0000

3 Greatest Older Pinball Machines

PINBOT (1986)

Pin-Bot is a pinball machine released by Williams in October 1986. It was designed by Python Anghelo and Barry Oursler

PINBOT was one for the ages. PINBOT was, as far as I could tell, a malevolent robot intelligence that has taken over the world (Your mind? Your room? Your arcade?), and you must use your pinball skills to give him eyes and a soul to talk him down from his automated destruction. Or maybe that was just the narrative I constructed in my mind while playing. Whatever the reason, PINBOT was way fun.

PINBOT also had a robot voice that would, once you gave him eyes, declare creepily “NOW. I. SEE. YOU.” When you’re eight years old, and you’re playing pinball at your local Yellow Balloon waiting to get your hair cut, and a pinball machine declares that it can see you… Well, let’s just say that your haircut will not be the more memorable part of that halcyon 1980s afternoon.

FUNHOUSE (1990)

FunHouse is a pinball machine designed by Pat Lawlor and released in November 1990 by Williams Electronics. Starring a talking ventriloquist dummy named Rudy, the game is themed after the concept of an amusement park funhouse.

Williams’ Funhouse was a mainstay in most arcades, and was always in high demand. Pinball machines started going electronic as far back as 1978, but Funhouse seemed like a bizarre watershed moment in pinball tech. It was the first, at least in my hazy recollection, that had voices and sound effects. It was the first to have such an elaborate ramp system. After Funhouse, pinball machines only exploded in complexity and enjoyment.

What most people remember from Funhouse, however, is that creepy, creepy ventriloquist doll head prominently displayed in the play area. It was about the size of, well, a child’s head, complete with swiveling opening eyeballs, and a creepy mouth that would open and swallow up your ball, were you a skilled enough player. To this day, Funhouse is one of the more coveted machines. Who would have thought a creepy doll head would take you so far?

DR DUDE AND HIS EXCELLENT RAY (1990)

Dr. Dude and His Excellent X-Ray is a pinball machine designed by Dennis Nordman and released in 1990 by Midway (under the Bally label). The theme of the game revolves around gaining coolness.

Dr. Dude represents a strangely pure version of what every child of the 1980s wanted to be: Preternaturally cool, equipped with cool shades, big hair, busty nurses, and a hip-talking patois that only the elite (and kids from Capri-Sun commercials) could understand. Indeed, Dr. Dude even had his own backstory, as seen on the comic strip backglass of the machine pictured above.

Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray is a weird peek into the mindset of 1980s and early 1990s cool. He’s like the logical conclusion of a journey that begins with Bill & Ted. Oh yes, and the game is also plenty fun, featuring ramps, habitrails, and, most amusing of all, a magnet to hold your pinball in place.

SOURCE

PINBALL ADVENTURES

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Pinball Playfield Repair And Restoration

Andrew MacBain — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 21:12:01 +0000

Pinball Playfield Repair And Restoration

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When repairing / restoring a playfield there are 2 sides that need to be addressed. The top side, or rather, the play area you see as a player and the underside that you don’t see; but contains all the mechanics that keeps the top side functioning correctly.

It’s paramount that both topside, and underside are rebuilt, restored, and cleaned at the same time, or unbalanced operation will result. Also, if you clean the topside, and not the underside, you’re wasting your time. During game play all the carbon dust, and grime still on the underside mechanics, will quickly transfer up to the topside, through vibration, and ball movement. Many pinballs from 1988 on have under-playfield ramps, most are made from clear plastic, just like the upper ramps.

The Playfield – Topside

For repair and restoration of the topside to be done thoroughly, and correctly all components on the topside must be removed. Likewise, any components jutting up into the playfield from below must be dropped. Finally, the playfield rails should also be removed

At this point the playfield can be easily examined for defects, such as missing paint, loose, sunken, or raised lamp inserts, metal posts broken flush with playfield surface, screw holes that should not exist. I classify missing paint, and raised lamp inserts to be Major repairs, and the others minor.

Now, if the playfield does not have, any major defects it can be de-waxed, cleaned, and re-polished, or prepared for clear coat. This is the best time to clean all the through holes. These are machined holes in the playfield that allow switches, drop targets, and the like to protrude to the upper playfield. Over the years they usually become an ugly black. This is due to cleaners and wax running over the edge and down the side, then it becomes coated with carbon dust, from the high voltage switches. A damp soapy rag pulled through the hole, will clean the bulk out. This is followed with a very light sand with a rotary tool attachment. Now if the playfield is being clear coated, the wood grain will be sealed looking fresh. If the playfield is just being power polished, I seal the fresh wood grain with old school hair spray.

The playfield ready for re-polish will have one of three finishes, screened ink on wood, ink on wood with a factory applied mylar overlay, or ink on wood with a protective clear coat finish. Regardless of the existing finish, the playfield is re-polished using a powered 3-step cut, polish, finish, process The only variation is different abrasives, &/or polishes used to match the existing finish. The following are some photos of playfields that have had existing finishes re-polished. Here are others that were clear coated

Each pinball playfield restoration is a unique process, as there are many variables that can determine the degree of restoration required. Ideally knowing what you want helps. Some people want a showpiece, like a show car, rarely driven, usually moved on a trailer. Others want a player, where small imperfections can be overlooked, providing it looks fresh, and plays properly.

I will not go into detailed techniques of lamp insert repair, or playfield paint matching and touchups, as who wants to read through 40 pages. Sometimes a playfield can have so many issues, that once a cost analysis is done, the least expensive avenue is to install a new aftermarket replacement.

Whatever degree of restoration / repair you are after, it can become a reality here.

Now on to explaining what happens to all the parts that were removed from the upper playfield. As the playfield is stripped, all the metal parts, such as lane guides, machine screws, gates, nuts, washers, are segregated . They are put into a tumbler /polisher unit with a special dry medium, and run continually for about 7 days. Usually after this term all the metal parts look new, any that don’t are then hand sanded, or replaced.

The plastic parts, such as support posts, lane guides are put into another tumbler. These run in a special wet medium for about 2 days, fluid changed, then another two days. They emerge sparkling clean. Any cracks are now visible, and bad pieces can be replaced.

All the larger metal & plastic parts have to be polished by hand. This can be quite a process. Machines from eastern Canada, or that have been in cold storage for many years, have just ugly metal surfaces. This can be corrected with sandpaper, and power tools. It’s very time consuming, and for that reason only topside playfield metal will be done, unless special requests are made.

Artwork plastics are polished on a buffing wheel, ramps by hand. Any paint touchup required to art plastics is done at this time.

Playfield edge rails. are often an overlooked item. Most are black in color. I will paint them, many times with a new color, using automotive paint with a clear coat finish; they can really make a playfield stand out.

That is about it for the reader’s digest version of upper playfield restoration, Oh! Yes, now it time to reassemble, but not until the underside is completely rebuilt.

The Playfield – Underside

The rebuilding of the underside of the playfield is just as vital as the topside, as located here are all the mechanical components that provide you the player with the interactive experience with the upper playfield. When I start on the underside the topside has already been stripped, and all components protruding up to the topside have been dropped. All major assemblies such as flippers, slingshots, vertical up kickers, drop targets, stand-up targets are hanging, or removed by this point It’s very important to clean the complete underside playfield, if not all the oils and carbon dust will quickly transfer to your just restored / cleaned topside through vibration, and ball travel. Most 12 year and older undersides will look like this when I receive them, and when done will look like this

As I start rebuilding the underside, I usually start replacing / cleaning all the smaller items first, such as lane rollover wire forms, lamp sockets, and lamps, switches, and standup targets. These are done first as the major assemblies are already removed. Once they are back in place, many smaller components cannot be accessed.

Rollover wire forms are one of the first components reinstalled. All receive a hand polish with a special metal polisher, to bring back their original look. All of these activate a blade switch. At this point each has the contacts cleaned, and solder connections checked.

Next all fixed mounted under playfield switches contacts are cleaned, & solder points checked.

Then, all switches that protrude through to the upper playfield are cleaned / fixed, or replaced, and reinstalled. This includes slingshot activation, standup targets, spinner arms and the like. It’s at this stage when you really see all the broken switch blades, solder lugs, and missing diodes. All switch blades are cleaned, but those that are highly visible to the player, such as slingshot are polished to look new, or replaced. Many of these switches over time start to look very unsightly. You don’t want them put back into a game that’s just been restored!

Now that the wire forms and switches are done, it’s onto the lamps, and lamp sockets. I always remove all old lamps, then bend back the lamp socket to reveal the lamp insert This lamp insert is what allows the lamp light to shine through to the playfield. Over the years this insert’s ability to allow light through degrades from a build up of kitchen grease, nicotine, and carbon dust clinging to the former At this point each individual lamp insert is thoroughly cleaned from the underside. Each lamp socket is checked for tightness, and solder lug connections. Over time the isolation material used on the lamp sockets shrink, or the load spring gives out. These lamp sockets have to be replaced. Some are so bad you can tell with a visual inspection, others that are borderline have to be diagnosed after the pin is booted back up. On a Sterns Stars pin I had to replace 28 lamp sockets. All new #47 lamps are installed.

As the underside inspection continues it is also cleaned. The wire harness is cleaned as well. The wire harness is also tidied up, as over the years it gets “opened up” as people trace wiring trying to sort issues. As a tech, it’s very annoying to work on a pin when the wiring is always in the way, so this is addressed.

Fuses located underside have their values checked for correctness. I always write the fuse value directly onto the wood with a sharpie, as over time the original value stickers fall off, due to the glue drying out.

Now that all the smaller parts have been addressed I move to the larger solenoid assemblies. One of the first tasks is making sure the solenoid rating in each assembly match what the original manual called for. I have found it’s very common to find incorrect solenoids installed. This goes back to operators using whatever was on hand to keep the pin earning quarters. I have seen my fair share of pinballs with totally smashed plastics, ramps, drop targets, and metal posts bent over because someone put the wrong solenoids in the flipper assemblies.

Each solenoid assembly is stripped apart one by one , rebuilt, and reinstalled.

Most pop bumper upper playfield parts are just replaced with new. This includes the main body, metal rod & ring, and skirt activator, as most of these parts are broken, and at the very least cracked

Slingshot armatures many time are broken and need replacing

All solenoid assemblies share most of these common parts, a coil, plunger with link, plunger sleeve, spring, and coil stop. Some of these parts at the very least require service, and a few just need to be replace.

The plunger link is either made of fiber or plastic and it’s a very important part. Over time slop will develop where it connects to the plunger with a roll pin. If you rebuild a solenoid assembly without changing this component, well it’s not rebuilt, as this is the weak “link”. If it shows any signs of slop, I change it.

Return spring should always be changed, just based on it’s current age.

The plunger link and coil stop smash into one another each time the solenoid is activated, this leads over time to a mushrooming effect on both If the damage is not too bad they can both be filed back to original shape, or changed.

The coil “sleeve” in all cases is changed, as the plunger and stop smash into each other inside this sleeve which scores the inner lining.

Examining all these parts indicates the solenoid assembly has been completely disassembled; during this time the main base frame is cleaned. Many times I will find stress and /or fatigue cracks on the assembly mount structure itself, at that time it’s replaced

The flipper assemblies are an extra special case, as they have some unique parts such as the flipper body, flipper bushing, the crank, and the switches More times than I can count I find large wood screws forced into the metal machine screw holes that hold the coil stop in place. Sometimes this hole can be tapped back to proper use, and other times the whole flipper body base needs to be replaced due to the damage done

The flipper bats, if original, are usually cracked at the cross bracing point. If they are cracked they will not absorb ball hits correctly, and feel weak. These cracks can only be seen if the flipper is removed and turned over

Many people ignore the first switch that starts the flipper process, and that’s the cabinet switch on the left and right inside of the main cabinet body. This switch has evolved over the years from a straight contact, to powered optic eye; either way it needs attention.

Well there are many other components on the underside of the playfield such as resister boards, diode boards, relays, motor starters, and much more.

I just provided you with a very condensed version of what must happen under there to provide you with years of trouble free pinball play.

SOURCE

PINBALL ADVENTURES

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5 Pinball Games From The 90’s

Andrew MacBain — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 02:24:38 +0000

We’ve done games from the 70’s & 80’s and now its time for 5 pinball games from the 90’s that we like! Keep on reading for more information on these games

5 Pinball Games From The 90’s

Creature From The Black Lagoon, 1991

Creature from the Black Lagoon is a pinball machine designed by John Trudeau (“Dr. Flash”) and released by Midway (under the Bally brand name). It is loosely based on the movie of the same name. The game’s theme is 1950’s drive-in theater. The pinball game was licensed from Universal Studios by Bally so that all backglass and cabinet artwork and creature depictions would resemble those of the original movie

The main objective of the game is to collect the four letters in F-I-L-M to activate the game’s wizard mode, Rescue the Girl. They are, from left-to-right:

F: Shoot the ball into the left K-I-S-S scoop four times to collect the letter F. The letter F can also be collected on the skill shot.

I: Light the four menu targets to open the Snack Bar and collect the letter I. Menu targets can also be lit by shooting into the Snack Bar.

L: Complete the P-A-I-D rollovers at the top right of the playfield to collect the letter L. The letter L can also be collected on the skill shot, by shooting the ball into whichever rollover is flashing.

M: Shoot the ball into the Slide (right scoop) to collect the letter M.

F-I-L-M letters can also be collected as Snack Bar rewards. Once the four letters in F-I-L-M are collected, shoot the ball into the left or right scoop to begin a 2-ball multiball. The Creature will randomly hide the girl in one of three locations: the left scoop, the Snack Bar scoop, or the right scoop. Shooting the ball into the correct scoop, then into the Snack Bar scoop, then again into the Snack Bar scoop, scores a Jackpot. The Jackpot value starts at 40 million, but increases with each jet bumper hit. Once the Jackpot has been collected, after a certain number of jet bumper hits, the Super Jackpot will light up. Shooting into the Snack Bar scoop will score a Super Jackpot, whose value is twice the current Jackpot value, multiplied by the field multiplier currently on the board.

Additional scoring modes or methods include:

Snack Bar: When the Snack Bar is open, shooting into this scoop gives a random reward.

Mega Menu: The four menu targets are lit. These targets are worth 5, 10, 15, and 20 million.

Playground Award: The game activates one of the following three modes at random.

Unlimited Millions: The left ramp is worth 3, 6, 9, … million until the timer expires. This mode lasts for 25 seconds.
Fighter Jets: The jet bumpers are 1 million per hit. This mode lasts for 25 seconds.
Intermission Time: Both ramps are worth 5 million each. This lasts for 15 seconds.

Big Millions: The right ramp is worth 5, 10, 15, … million. This lasts for 10 seconds.

Move Your Car: After a certain number of center shots, Move Your Car is activated. A score on the display starts at 8 million and decreases rapidly until reaching 2 million. Shooting a center shot scores the current score on the display and starts a 15 second timer. Successive center shots score 2x, 3x, and 4x the score of the first center shot.

Double Feature: Shoot the left ramp several times in succession. The Double Feature score starts at 500,000 and doubles up to a maximum of 16 million for each consecutive left ramp shot. Shoot the center ramp immediately afterwards to score the Double Feature.

Snack Attack: After shooting the right scoop 4 times, Snack Attack begins. A score on the display starts at 20 million and rapidly decreases. Shooting the Snack Bar scores the amount shown on the display.

Video Mode: After shooting the right scoop 8 times, shoot either the left or right scoop to begin Video Mode. In this mode, a peeping Tom appears, and the player must engage the left or right flippers to punch the peeping Tom a certain number of times.

Super Mode: After shooting the right scoop 12 times, a 12 second timer starts. Shoot the Snack Bar scoop to begin Super Mode. In Super Mode, the Mega Menu, Big Millions, Snack Attack, Unlimited Millions, and Intermission Time scoring modes are activated. This mode lasts for 25 seconds.

Super Creature Feature: During Super Mode, shoot the ball into the left ramp within the first 10 seconds. This will send the ball into the whirlpool. Each spin in the whirlpool is worth 5, 10, 15, … million up to a maximum of 35 million.

2. Stark Trek: The Next Generation, 1993

tar Trek: The Next Generation is a widebody pinball game, designed by Steve Ritchie and released in November 1993 by Williams Electronics. It was part of WMS’ SuperPin series, and was based on the TV series. It is the only pinball machine that features three separate highscore-lists

The game features seven “missions/episodes” the player must complete before entering The Final Frontier:

Time Rift
Worm Hole
Search The Galaxy
Battle Simulation
Q’s Challenge
Rescue
Asteroid Threat

There are various marked targets around the playfield with the Star Trek insignia. Different combinations of these are lit for different modes, indicating which shots the player needs to make. These modes are not stackable, meaning the player must complete one mission before starting another. There is a hole in the center at the top of the playfield labelled “Start Mission” which will start a mission at any time if the player makes the shot. In addition, hitting the lit “Command Decision” Target allows the player to select which mission to attempt, including already attempted missions (marked as “rerun” missions; varies from no allowable “reruns” to unlimited “reruns”, depending on the machine’s settings).

In all missions except Q’s challenge, if the player fails to complete certain objectives by losing the ball to the drain, Data will say, “Had you projected the ball along the proper trajectory, you would have been rewarded.” Pressing both flippers during this line activates an Easter egg, in which Picard will interrupt Data and say, “Thank you, Mr. Data.” The Easter egg also adds 10 million points to the score.

3. Super Mario Bros, 1993

Another pinball from the 90’s is Super Mario Bros. a machine from April 1992, manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Co.

Super Mario Bros. is a pinball machine licensed by Nintendo and developed by Gottlieb. It was released in the U.S.A on April 25, 1992 and a total of 4,200 units were manufactured. The machine is designed by Jon Norris, with artwork by David Moore and Constantino Mitchell. It was the first pinball machine produced by Gottlieb to use the Dox Matrix Display; a screen on the bottom of the lightbox which keeps track of the current score and can also display various animations during gameplay (such as Mario running towards a Castle). Despite the name “Super Mario Bros.”, the machine appears to share a majority of its artwork with Super Mario World, released two years before. A second pinball machine in the Super Mario Bros. series was released in June later in the year under the name Super Mario Bros. Mushroom World, which seems to be based on Super Mario Bros. 3.

4. The Who’s Tommy: Pinball Wizard, 1994

The Who’s Tommy Pinball Wizard is a pinball machine from February 1994, manufactured by Data East USA, Inc.

The Who’s Tommy Pinball Wizard is a pinball machine based on the rock musical The Who’s Tommy. The machine features twenty-one songs from the musical sung by original Broadway cast members. The machines were designed by Joe Kaminkow, Ed Cebula, Lonnie D. Ropp, and Lyman F. Sheats Jr.

There are three skill shot bonuses possible on the launch of each new ball. Two of which award increasing point values, and the third initiates a multiball if lit. The main game modes of the table are accessed by lighting the entire Union Jack on the playfield’s center. There are 12 mini-games in this mode based on various scenes and scores from the musical. Completing these 12 modes unlocks the Pinball Wizard multiball of six balls. By lighting the letters to spell T-O-M-M-Y then hitting one of two scoops. Depending on which scoop activates the multiball, the player is given either 3 or 4 balls. This mode has multiple subsequent stages, each awarding greater point values as jackpots

source

5. Batman Forever, 1995

Batman Forever is a pinball machine released in June 1995 by Sega Pinball. It is based on the motion picture of the same name.

The game uses the 192×64 “supersize” dot matrix display with a Motorola 68000-based 16-bit controller. It features several electric-green wireform ramps with the “Batcave” escape ramp extending down behind the flippers and over the playfield apron, releasing balls up the playfield during multi ball. The “Batwing” cannon rotates & aims across the playfield and fires the ball with a pistol grip on front of the machine. Speech clips from the film are used. Additionally, the game had a video mode in which the Batwing is guided over rooftops, dodging obstacles to earn bonus points.

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New Led Zeppelin Pinball

Andrew MacBain — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 05:47:25 +0000

As most people may know, Stern has just released their newest game, The Led Zeppelin Pinball! Keep on reading to find out more information!

Led Zeppellin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham.

With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, although their style drew from a variety of influences, including blues and folk music. The band have been credited with significantly impacting the nature of the music industry, particularly in the development of album-orientated rock (AOR) and stadium rock. Many critics consider Led Zeppelin one of the most successful, innovative and influential rock groups in history. Source

New Led Zeppelin Pinball

The Led Zeppelin pinball machines will be available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models.

In this high energy rock and roll pinball concert experience, pinball and music are fused together. Players are transported back to Led Zeppelin’s early days and tour the world from 1968-1980. As if players were members of the band playing its music, their play updates game features at the start of each verse and chorus of ten iconic Led Zeppelin songs:

Good Times Bad Times
Whole Lotta Love
The Song Remains the Same
Black Dog
Trampled Under Foot
Ramble On
Kashmir
Immigrant Song
Rock and Roll
Communication Breakdown

The Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models all feature a custom-molded Hindenburg Zeppelin toy, based on the iconic imagery from the Led Zeppelin I album. When lit, the Zeppelin toy scores speed locks on the player’s musical journey to Zeppelin multiball. A custom Swan Song Records trademark Icarus sculpted leaper toy takes flight when smashed by the chaotic pinball. A 3-bank of drop targets, 3 custom steel ramps, and 3 flippers keep the pinball action rolling.

The Premium and Limited Edition models feature an innovative interactive Electric Magic toy. This device is a unique motorized toy which rises from below the playfield to create different magical pinball experiences. An optical spinner charges the Electric Magic magnet, capturing and making balls disappear. The Electric Magic device also converts into a physical pinball bash toy capable of locking a ball or launching a ball around the playfield.

Pricing and Availability:

Manufacturer‘s Suggested Retail Price:

MSRP for sales to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.

Pro Model:                                                      $US 6,199
Premium Model:                                             $US 7,799
Limited Edition Model:                                    $US 9,199

Led Zeppelin pinball machines and accessories are available through authorized Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world. Source

Check out their video here!

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5 Cool Pinball Art From The 80’s

Andrew MacBain — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 05:44:12 +0000

We love pinball and appreciate a lot of things that go into making one, but one the best parts is the artwork. Keep on reading to find out what these 5 cool pinball art looks like!

5 Cool Pinball Art From The 80’s

Xenon (Bally, United States, 1980)

Xenon is a 1980 pinball machine designed by Greg Kmiec and released by Bally. The game was not only the first talking pinball table by Bally, but also the first with a female voice.

Medusa (Bally, United States, 1981)

Incredible game ahead of it’s time with great art work and exceptional game play with a nice layout wish I could obtain one in good condition hard to find.
Brutally difficult game with awesome artwork. There is a lot to do for a game from this era…if you can play long enough to do it.
Easily one of the top “drain monsters” I have ever played.

Mars, God of War (Gottlieb, United States, 1981)

Eclipse (Gottlieb, United States, 1982)

Fathom (Bally, United States, 1980)

Unlike other Bally electronic pinball games, their documentation for this game shows the model number only as 1233, not 1233-E.
We asked artist Kevin O’Connor to clarify for us if he contributed to any artwork for this game. He replies:The only work I recall doing on Fathom was the design and art for the brochure which we created to look like a page out of a comic book. Greg Freres was the lead artist and I believe handled all the graphics for the game.

At a Chicago Expo 2012 presentation, artist Greg Freres stated that Ward Pemberton’s working title for this game was “Barracuda”. Greg wanted to use the name “Deep Threat”. Both names were rejected by Bally management.

Source

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Get Better At Pinball

Andrew MacBain — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 05:02:06 +0000

Is Pinball something new to you or never got the hang of? Then keep on reading for tips on playing!

Get Better At Pinball

Ah yes, classic pinball. As one of the most popular games of our generation, pinball might be an ever present aspect of some of your fondest memories. So it really wasn’t a debate when you found out you could buy your own pinball machine for your man cave. But once you ripped that bad boy open and found it a place in your space, you might have discovered that you actually suck.

Yeah, those childhood memories can really play a trick on you. So now you’ve come to learn that you weren’t actually as good as you remembered. But since you already told the guys that you were hosting a mean challenge-the-winner style pinball battle at your place, you have no choice but to learn. Source

I learnt most of my skills through years of practice. I’ve been lucky to have been to many pinball expos or have friends that have a collection where I played different variety of games

the question is, how can you actually get better at pinball? Here are some tips.

We’ve all been there – watching a little metal ball zipping and zooming, going every which way as it racks up those points. Our gut response would be to go crazy with the flippers in eager anticipation of a ball that might suddenly shoot its way back down. But what you need to realize is that pinball isn’t a game of chance. It isn’t a matter of getting lucky by going ballistic with the flippers, but a process that you can actually anticipate thus control.

Timing your strike can help you make the most of each contact that you make with that small ball. In fact, there are a number of tricks that involve timing that can help you become the pro you’ve always wanted to be.

Try This:

Start off a typical pinball game. Your objective isn’t to win, but to learn the physics of the ball in play.
Learn how different flipper positions can impact the ball. For instance, flicking a flipper just as the ball makes contact can result to an explosive ricochet. But having the flippers bent slightly in anticipation of a high-speed ball can result to a loss of momentum, which isn’t always a bad thing.
If your ball isn’t going fast enough to rake up points, try to time your flipper flick just as the ball free-falls back down. Strike the ball as it makes contact with your flipper to increase its speed.
If your ball is going too fast for you to be able to anticipate how to control it, consider catching it with a dead flipper. Flick the flipper after the ball makes contact to significantly reduce its momentum.

After a few minutes just watching that small metal ball go absolutely crazy inside the machine, you watch on as it start to shoot straight down the center. Your boys start screaming bloody murder in the background as everyone panics at the sight of certain death. You go crazy with the flippers, hoping to get a random strike. But the ball just keeps travelling straight down, and it shoots straight past your flippers. Dang it. You were so close to breaking your record.

We’ve all been there and most of us even think that these dire moments can’t be fixed or saved. But there is a way. According to expert Bowen Kerins – competitive pinball player and champion – the trick is to not engage both flippers.

Once you see the ball shooting straight down, engage one flipper and keep one tilted slightly upwards to tighten the space between them and lessen the chances of the ball sweeping clean through. Plus, you might also want to give the slap save a try.

The move entails hitting the flipper button so hard that you end up nudging the entire game just enough to move the trajectory of the ball. Doing this can push the ball slightly towards the flipper, which gives you a greater chance to save the ball from shooting through.

Know Your Machine

Every machine is different, because the unique little aspects all have different sizes and weights. In effect, the entire physics of a machine can be different from every other one that you play – even if they come from the same manufacturer. One thing that is similar though is that those flashing lights usually mean something.

Your machine is trying to tell you something by showing you all of those flashing lights and frantic sounds. So it’s really up to you to decode what it’s trying to say. Follow the flashing lights and try to strike the bumpers that are working to get your attention. Sometimes, those risky shots will help you make the most points in the shortest period of time.

Learn the Basics

Bounce pass, cradle, post pass, nudging are some of the basics that you need to learn and practice. Rather than going over all of the basic skills of playing, there are 2 excellent resources.

The guys at Dead Flip have created animations of all of the basic flipper skills. While the Professional & Amateur Pinball Association have beginner, intermediate and advanced tutorials.

Practice Makes Perfect

As with any other game, there really is no better way to improve at pinball than with practice. Taking a few minutes out every day to learn how to improve your playing style should pay back ten fold when the boys come over for a few rounds. But even if they beat out your score, don’t sweat it. Learning from your opponents is part of the process.

When I play for fun I try and focus on one skill until I get that down and then move onto another. I would recommend starting with a dead bounce

5 Quick Tips

1. Think More Than One Move Ahead

No it’s not a chess game but even playing pinball, you should try to think at least 2 moves ahead. Not just deciding what you want to shoot at next but where the ball is heading.

2. Set Goals

They can be as small as going “Alright, I’m going to start multi-ball.” It can be easy to get into a “Just keep the ball in play” routine but you always need to keep the bigger picture in mind. Every game will have progression so it’s important to progressing to obtain more points.

3. Master the plunger

Just about every pinball will have some sort of skill shot to start. Getting the skill shot is often very technical and precise meaning that once you can master the plunger, you should be able to get the skillshot just about every time, and of course skill shots means more points!

4. Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice the same, preferably hard shot, repeatedly. It may seem boring and tedious but if you want to increase your chances of making a certain shot then practicing it over and over again will only help.

5. Every Machine is Different

Get to know angle and power of the flippers. Just because you’re skilled in playing one machine means that you’ll automatically master every machine. Your game will always depend on how well you can control those bad boys, so play loads of different machines and get a feel of how they can differ.

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Our Favourite EM Games

Andrew MacBain — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 05:49:18 +0000

Curious to find out what our favourite EM games are? Keep on reading

Our Favourite EM Games

Abra-Ca-Dabra – Our Favourite EM Games : Gottlieb single player EM game made in 1975. It’s a popular game and requires some restoration work since it didn’t work when I bought it as part of a package deal with a Buccaneer from Rod Wideman who is the most meticulous restoration person I have ever met. One bit of wisdom Rod told me was to focus on single player games since there is far less scorewheels that need attention and the game is lighter without all those scorewheels. The game looks nice and everything is there, just a matter of restoration since it’s in the same shape as when Rod bought it. There is an add-a-ball version of this game made in 1977 named “Team One” which was also has an Itialian market version known as “Kicker” also made in 1977.
Alpine Club – Williams single player EM game with a snow skiing theme made in February of 1965. I bought this game from Jim Swenson for 400 bucks on April 3th of 2011 and it’s in good condition for a game of this age. The game features the same kind of odd cabinet design similar to Full House which was made the same year by Williams, and there were 1,200 games produced (not that many). It features 4 flippers, 4 pop bumpers, 3 passive bumpers, 2 slingshots, 2 kick-out holes, 1 standup target, and a right outlane ball return gate. Lots of things going on for this game. It also features a backglass marguee and backglass light animation which shows a climber ascending a mountain. When the climber is almost at the top of the mountain a flag at the summit flashes. When the climber reaches the summit the player is rewarded with a replay and the animation resets. Note that this is a carry-over feature from game to game. It uses a bell instead of chimes for sound effects. The game was designed by Steve Kordek with artwork by Art Stenholm. There is an add-a-ball version known as “Ski Club.” An interesting note is that the backglass shows the mountain climber is silkscreened fourteen times but only 10 lamps were used in the stepping mechanism to light the climber. You will also find that near the upper flippers are holes where a lamp should be, however there are no lamp sockets wired to these holes. A very interesting game.

Big Hit – I got this game from my pinhead buddy Tim in June of 2012. This is an Exhibit Supply game made in February of 1946, so this is an old guy. The game doesn’t have flippers and is an EM game with 13 scoring bumpers, 1 kickout hole, and 3 lanes in the center of the playfield. Although this game doesn’t have any flippers, it’s still a neat old game that was made months after WWII was over. It even has a card in the backbox that says “Important Due to acute wire shortages it has been necessary to substitute colors in some instances.” This was caused by the war of course since copper wiring with cloth insulation was in short supply. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot known about the game and in particular, no idea of the number of games manufactured, who designed the game, or who did the artwork.
Big Shot – Gottlieb single player EM game with a pool theme made in August of 1973. I bought this game from Kim (Mr.68) for 400 bucks and it’s in great condition. Looks like it was a game that was never on a route it’s so clean. There were 2,900 games made and it has 2 flippers, 1 pop bumper, two 7-bank drop targets, and one kick-out hole. The game was designed by Ed Krynski and artwork was created by one of my favorite artists – Gordon Morison. There is a 4-player version named “Hot Shot’ and a single player add-a-ball version named “Pro Pool” which has an Italian version named “Play Pool” which was made in 1972.
Big Top – Genco single player game made in February of 1949 (the game is older than me). It’s a woodrail game that features 2 flippers (that flip in the opposite direction when compared to newer games) with 2 pop bumpers and 5 kick-out holes. The game was designed by Harvey Heiss and there isn’t any more info about the game. The backglass has some issues, but the cabinet and playfield look nice for such an old game. I got this game for $150 from Jim Swenson on April 30th of 2011.
Buccaneer – Gottlieb single player EM game made in 1976. I bought this game from Rod Wideman as part of a package deal along with Abra-Ca-Dabra. The great thing this game has going for it (other than it’s a fun game to play) is that this is a Rod Wideman shopped game. That means that everything is meticulously restored and looks like a game you could eat off of it’s so clean. Probalby the finest example of a restored game that I own thanks to Rod’s work. There’s an add-a-ball version of the game made in 1976 known as “Ship Ahoy.” I sold this game to a fellow pinhead in 2014 that should really enjoy this classic game.

Captain Kid Rifle Game – Although not a Pinball game, it is an EM rifle game featuring a spinning ship’s wheel with targets, a captain’s face that rotates from side to side periodically throughout the game, and a couple of pirate flags that raise up and down during play. Very fun game. I got this game along with the Magic City EM from Jim Swenson for $250 in April of 2010. Took some minor switch adjusting that Jim did to get the game basically working, and only needed to be cleaned and a power cord replaced. I ended up selling this game to fellow pinhead Steve Dankanich along with a few other games in 2014.

Casino – Williams single player wood rail EM game that featues 2 flippers, 4 pop bumpers, 2 kick-out holes, and 1 gobble hole. Rollovers and kick-out holes will light playing cards on the mirrored backglass which is often distorted (the mirroring). I got this game through a trade with my pinhead buddy Tim. I traded him a clear-coated Target Alpha that had most all of the playfield parts replaced and 200 bucks for the working Casino game. The game was designed by Harry Williams with artwork by George Molentin.

Central Park – Gottlieb single player EM game made in 1966. Central Park is a very fun game to play and unlike many other games from the 60s, the playfield is usually found in a very nice condition for some reason. The playfield looks new with no wear on it and plenty of targets. The game works and I had it set up for awhile, but due to space constraints (ugh), I had to take it down and store it on end. I’ll set it up one of these days since it’s a very fun game to play. I bought this game for $900 from John Detweiller (Sir Tiltsalot) who sent me email not too long afterwards wanting to know if I would be interested in selling it back to him since it was so popular in his house.
SOURCE

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Cleaning Electro Mechanical Pinball Machines

Andrew MacBain — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 05:39:34 +0000

Cleaning Electro Mechanical Pinball Machines

So you just bought your first Electro-Mechanical (a.k.a. EM), it’s dirty, and maybe you’re afraid to start it up? Well I’ve added this page to hopefully help you with an idea of where to start, or at least, let you know where I start. The following information is in text form with links to pictures.

There are two reasons to clean a game. One is because you have bought a working game and you are known as a “proactive” person, so you want to keep it clean in order for it to play well. The other is that you just bought a game, and perhaps it isn’t working right (or at all), and it needs a good cleaning in addition to other maintenance. You should approach a problem like this in a different way when cleaning the contacts on the game (forget the playfield and plastics for a moment). Don’t clean and adjust every single contact for the dirty game that works to some degree. Instead, figure out what isn’t working right and go to that section of the game and clean and gap the relevant contacts. If you simply clean and adjust all contacts you will probably introduce some problems you didn’t begin with and will have a hard time figuring out what caused all of your headaches. You should fix one section at a time and then test the results rather than tackling several problems and trying to determine where you might have introduced a new problem.

Rather than repeat Clay’s work, I’ve provided the info below that outlines the process I use when cleaning a game. I assume you bought the game, slid it out of the back of your vehicle and want to get it cleaned up before bringing it in the house. After the initial cleaning I do outside the house, I discuss the process I use for cleaning the playfield once I bring the game in the house.

Clean The Outside Of The Cabinet and Back Box

Clean the outside of the game first, and preferably outside of the house to avoid odours. The first thing I do after sliding the game out of my truck is to stand it on end and place the back box near the gamebox on the driveway where I do the cleaning. Then I remove the backglass to avoid any problems with the solvents interacting with the artwork on the backglass. I also avoid spraying any solvents on the exposed score wheels to keep from desolving the black numbers off the scorewheel. I leave the playfield glass in the gamebox along with the playfield since the initial goal is to simply clean the exterior of the game. I prep the legs next since the leg levelers are often rusted in place. I use Liquid Wrench on the threads and let them soak for awhile while I clean the rest of the game’s exterior. By the time I’m finished cleaning the exterior of the game, there’s a good chance the leg levelers can be easily removed.

Next up is to get the supplies I use for cleaning the outside of the gamebox and backbox. The main solvents I use are Mean Green (not Simple Green) and Wesley’s Bleche White. I fill a plastic bucket with hot water and get my sponge ready for wiping off the crud that will dissolve in the cleaning process. I frequently use old T-shirts that I’ve washed and then cut into squares for rags which I use in a variety of places such as the playfield, parts over and under the playfield, and the exterior of the gamebox and backbox. I start with the T-shirt rags using Mean Green (remember, not Simple Green) which can be found at Family Dollar stores. I simply spray it on, let it set for a little bit, and then wipe it off with a rag. I clean the entire outside of the gamebox and backbox with Mean Green before I continue with the next step.

Then I spray Bleche White on the gamebox and backbox followed by a sponge with clean water to remove the Bleche White residue, rinsing the sponge rather often in the bucket of hot water. Most automotive stores carry Bleche White which is commonly used to clean tires. You can let the Bleche White set for a few minutes as it dissolves the various crud on the gamebox. It works especially well when it comes to removing the yellowing effect you see that’s caused by cigarette smoke. It won’t get rid of all the yellowing since the yellowing may also be caused by UV rays on the game’s paint. Bleche White will remove the dirt, grime, cigarette stains, etc., but I recommend that you watch your cleaning cloth for paint colors. If you see colored paint on your rag, then it’s probably dissolving some paint (not good), so you may be leaving it on too long, or the Bleche White is too strong for the paint that’s on the game’s exterior. It’s time to stop if you see color being lifted off the paint. It isn’t uncommon for me to do a Bleche White application followed by sponging off the Bleche White with a bucket of warm water to rinse the sponge, and then squirting more Bleche White on the gamebox and repeating the process. Depends on how dirty the game is and how effective the Bleche White is working. So far it’s the best I’ve found for cleaning the exterior of the gamebox and backbox. Eventually I get the outside of the game cleaned up as good as it will get. It’s not uncommon for a dirty game exterior to take an hour to clean up to my satisfaction.

Assuming I’ve satisfactorily cleaned the gamebox and backbox, I tackle the legs while they are loose and before I bring them in the house. Since the leg levelers have Liquid Wrench on them and they’ve been setting for awhile, they almost always loosen rather easily. I remove the leg levelers and usually end up tossing them since they are rusty and often wear through the base where they’ll scratch a floor. I use a wire brush to clean the insides of each leg. If there is lots of rust on a leg, I use naval jelly to get rid of the rust. If the legs are painted and scratched, I skip the painting to another time when I can focus on sanding, priming and painting (also done outside due to the fumes). In any case, I get the legs cleaned as best as I can, and if the legs are chrome, I use Turtle Wax Chrome Polish to brighten them up. You can use other brands of metal polish for this too, but I’ve had good luck with the Turtle Wax brand.

After the game has dried off, I use a dolly to move it into the house. At least I know the exterior of the game is cleaned and I won’t have to bring it back outside later.

Clean The Top Of The Glass

Clean the glass surfaces with a streak-free glass cleaner. I do the playfield glass at this stage (rather than later) because when I pull the glass off and store it, I lay it down in such a way that the dirty side of the glass will be facing up when I slide it back in to the gamebox. Nothing worse than starting to fool around with a big piece of glass when it’s time to put stuff back together and you realize that you have to clean both sides. One time I did that and my hands were a little wet from the glass cleaner and as I was flipping it over in mid-air, it slipped, and yikes, there went $40 all over the floor. By storing it so the dirty side is up you don’t have to worry so much about dust getting all over the cleaned side of the glass (since the clean side is face down). Since it can be somewhat hard to find a place to lay the glass down on a flat surface, I often move a chair next to the wall and stand the glass on end resting on the bottom of the chair and carefully lean the glass against the wall.

Release The Front Rail

Pop the lockbar off using the metal release lever towards the right side of the coin box door opening, put the lockbar somewhere close by where it won’t fall (being careful to hang onto the glass while you remove the lockbar because now there is nothing to keep the glass from sliding out), slide the glass out, and store it either leaning up against a wall, or flat with the dirty side up. Do not store it on a nearby Pinball game’s glass. I did this once and didn’t think it could slide off, went upstairs to get a drink of water and a very loud crashing sound filled the air. Hmmmm, another $50 down the drain and a half hour of cleaning up pieces of glass. Somehow or another Murphy’s law kicks in to make it slowly slide until it gets momentum to slide off when you aren’t near it.

Vacuum The Game

Fire up the vacuum cleaner (I use the round dust attachment) and vacuum out the slots for the playfield glass and the entire playfield surface. Next I pull the plunger rod back (or you can bust the rubber tip on the end of the plunger rod), and after lifting the playfield up, I find a place to prop up the playfield using the center part of the playfield underside. You could use the metal prop rod that comes with games (didn’t know there was one?), but it can torque the playfield to one side a little and doesn’t really feel all that sturdy to me. Some folks say to lean it all the way back against the backbox, but most of the time I find the cables won’t reach or it becomes questionable that it will stay upright by itself. Besides, most of the older games don’t have a metal rack for sliding it forward and then leaning it back against the back box (they use wood rails instead of metal). Now for newer Electronic games it’s a whole different story, you definitely can pull them forwards and lean them back against the back box.

I have a friend that has a bungee cord that he uses to secure the playfield to the backbox (he removes the metal cover that covers the backbox and secures one end of the bungee cord to the back box over the top, and the other end just inside where the ball drains). He claims it has never fallen but I almost got whacked on the head once so I use a 1X2 board with one end in the cash box area and the other end against something solid on the underside of the playfield. Since I use a Shop Vac (that doesn’t use a vacuum cleaner bag) exclusively for Pinball game, I don’t care if I vacuum up screws, coins, parts, etc., since I can always retrieve them later. Anyway, I vacuum the entire insides of the box. Next I move to the back box and vacuum it too. By this time it means that the game is pretty much free of loose dirt, metal particles, dust, mice nests, broken game pieces, coins, etc. I also use a rag sprayed with Mean Green along with a flat blade screwdriver to clean out the grooves where the playfield glass slides in.

Examine Score Motor Contacts

Now I go through the bottom of the game where the score motor resides and examine all the contacts. Note that you don’t HAVE to adjust each and every contact or even clean the contacts since my assumption is that you have the game working. Rather, you may want to be sure that there isn’t any broken pieces laying on the contact stacks, coil stops aren’t missing a screw or are loose, or that the contact stacks are loose and need to be tightened up.

Clean Switch Contacts

If you really want to clean every contact try and stick to a game function and clean/adjust only those related contacts, turning the game back on when you finish each functional section to ensure the game still works correctly. For cleaning contacts, I determine the type of contact I’m trying to clean and then use the right tool to do it. I have a “burnishing tool” that looks like a small metal blade with only a hint of a surface for filing, a “flexstone” type of burnishing tool that looks like an Emory board, or an ignition file. Check out my Pinball Links page to find places where you can buy the tools or you can also check for local Pinball dealers that may stock them. I pinch the contacts together with my left two first fingers while I slide the tool back and forth between the contacts with my right hand. This is assuming I can actually get my fingers in the right place to pinch the contacts together. Sometimes you have to put a screwdriver or something behind the stationary contact as a “brace” in order to be able to put enough pressure on one contact so that you can actually accomplish the cleaning. I’ve even used a needle nose pliers to pinch the contact blades together while sliding the tool between them. After I finish the contact burnishing using the appropriate tool, I readjust the point gap to about 1/16th of an inch and then run a business card between the contacts to get rid of any metal particles. Note that you shouldn’t use a flexstone on gold contacts since it will remove the metal surface. Just use a business card when cleaning these types of contacts. I’ve also had good luck with a diamond fingernail file in place of an ignition file when filing tungsten types of contacts such as those found on flipper button switches, score motors, and EOS switches.

Vacuum After Contact Cleaning

I vacuum the “circuit board” one more time to get up anything I may have loosened up during the previous exercise. Then I get an old white Water Bed cloth liner that I cut to fit inside the box and lay it over the plywood “circuit board.” This has saved me more grief than you can imagine. I initially sized it a little longer and wider and flip all four sides up so that any screws, washers, solder, etc., that fall off while I’m working on the underside of the playfield land on a nice white, easy-to-see cloth rather than searching around inside a dark box for parts.

Clean Score Wheels

Next I pull loose the score wheels from the inside of the back box. It’s sort of hard to describe how you remove them, but usually there’s a metal “tang” that is pushed down (or up or sideways depending on the manufacturer) to slide the score wheel backwards towards you. Then I use some mild soapy water to wipe each of the wheels which usually works pretty well for cleaning the wheel. I use a sponge and then go back with a water-dampened paper towel. These score wheels get very dirty with what looks like unusually black dirt. While I’m at it, I put a few drops of sewing machine oil on the spring loaded main shaft of the score wheel (not too much or it’ll just attract dirt).

Clean Playfield & Plastics

My next step is to clean the playfield plastics. By this time I have already obtained the rubber O-rings that are used in the game, and boxes of #44 or #47 light bulbs. I usually use the #47 light bulbs since they don’t get as hot as the #44s, but I may use #44s when the insert is a dark color that doesn’t let much light pass through. As I take off each plastic artwork piece I do four things:

1) Clean the playfield surface under the plastic artwork pieces with Novus #2.
2) Clean the plastic that I remove using Novus #1 cleaner.
3) Clean and adjust any target/slingshot contacts that are only accessible when the plastic artwork is removed. Always remember to adjust the stationary contact rather than the one that moves (unless the one that moves is bent out of whack, then you should straighten it out first)!
4) Clean the plastic post to remove old dried up wax that is usually white and chalky looking.

You need to be careful cleaning plastic playfield pieces because sometimes you will remove the artwork if you use too strong a cleaner (such as Windex with ammonia). I use Novus #1 Plastic Cleaner to clean these pieces with a clean T-shirt rag. I also soak the plastic posts in a soapy solution and then use a toothbrush to brush off the old dried wax that is usually found on the post (especially finned posts). By now the playfield surface that I cleaned earlier with Novus #2 has hazed over so I use an old T-shirt piece of cloth to wipe the playfield surface clean. Awhile back I discovered that Sam’s Club sells a bundle of micro-fiber cleaning cloths and it works the best for cleaning the residue off the playfield.

I burnish any target or slingshot contacts and use my contact adjusting tool to set the gap (the gap varies depending on whether a slingshot is involved or not. If a slingshot is involved the gap is a little wider since if too close, the slingshot rubber will vibrate like a guitar string and cause the contacts to rapidly open and close (machine gun effect) resulting in a slingshot that fires multiple times when it really shouldn’t be. I always replace the light bulb rather than testing the existing one (I test the light bulbs later when I don’t have anything better to do). Then I put the plastic back in place before I move on. I repeat this process for all the plastics.

Next I clean the pop bumpers (AKA jet bumpers on Williams games). I also clean the bumper cap (typically they have 100 points or so painted on them) and replace the light bulb that is underneath the cap. Watch out for the paint coming off of the numbered bumper caps when cleaning them with much of anything other than water (even water sometimes). I find that this will happen quite easily on the older games.

Examine Bumper Mylars & Repairing Jet Bumpers

This is a good time to check for the circular Mylar (or worse yet, no Mylar) that is usually adhered to the playfield below the plastic “skirts” (actually, the Mylar usually isn’t adhering to the playfield any more on older games – it is either missing or just a loose dirty piece of thin plastic trapping dirt under it). Now this is where things can become a real pain. If you need to replace the circular playfield Mylar I feel sorry for you, but it must be done to keep from chewing up your playfield, so read on, otherwise skip to the next step.

You can order the circular Mylar from a Pinball parts place, or you can make your own by using a tuna can as a template and carefully cutting a circle out of a piece of Mylar that is used to cover and seal documents (can buy it from any store that supplies office supplies – even KMART sells them). Of course, you will need to de-solder the wires from the underside of the playfield that go to the light bulb, and also remove the two nuts from the mechanism that pulls the round metal ring downwards (this is the thing that forces the ball to fly away from the bumper when the ball strikes the plastic “skirt” and causes the pop bumper to fire). I also clean the “spoon” that the skirt point rests in because it usually has a lot of dirt and grease in it.

Review my page on repairing jet bumpers here.

Polish The Playfield

By this time I assume you’ve cleaned the playfield (for example, using Novus #2), it’s shiny and smooth, you have new O-rings, pop bumper parts are all OK, and the Mylar circles have been replaced or are in good shape. Some folks use either “Mill Wax” or “Wildcat” on the playfield surface. Some folks even use Carnuba car wax on the surface (not the petroleum distillate-based stuff), buffing it up to a good shine. I use Novus# 3 to remove fine dirt that is in the ball trough and along the top of the playfield where the ball travels (looks like a dirty arc across the top of the playfield), followed by Novus# 2, then I apply a couple coats of Nano Wax that can be purchased at automotive stores. It dries with a slight haze but doesn’t turn white like other car waxes and won’t leave the white wax build-up on your posts.

I’m a little leery of petroleum based products due to one of them lifting some paint off of my playfield once. On the other hand, I know others that use Wildcat or Mill Wax all the time and have never reported a problem. You won’t want to do this on the newer Electronic games, just use Novus #2 on them followed by car wax (Nano Wax is my favorite). Personally I’d just use Novus #2 and stay away from the petroleum-based products. If you’ve never seen these products, take a look at Novus #1/#2/#3, Mill Wax, and Wildcat.

Examine Underside Of Playfield

After all of the playfield has been cleaned, I lift it up and prop it back up and examine the underside of the playfield for problems. I closely examine the contacts found under the playfield and adjust them as necessary. Got a sticky flipper or one that just doesn’t seem to have enough “oomph?” Check the End-Of-Stroke contacts for the flipper in question. They’re probably opening or closing too early. I adjust the contacts such that the contacts don’t open/close until just before the flipper has completed its travel – about a 1/16 of an inch gap. I usually turn on a game with the playfield propped up and exercise each of the playfield targets, pop bumpers, rollover switches, kickouts, and slingshots to ensure something bad isn’t going on under the playfield that you couldn’t otherwise see with the game buttoned up. By the way, if the contacts aren’t clean or have arced creating pitted contact points, you may even see a green arc when you exercise one of these items. You will want to file the contacts or even replace them if you have too serious a problem. Hold a pinball in your fingers to test the rollover switches rather than your finger. This way you can ensure the contact is not being pressed down too far as it might be if you only used your finger to test the switch.

Tilt Mechanism

Are you familiar with the game tilt mechanism or even where it is or what it is? If not, check out my tilt mechanism page. You will want to be sure and have the tilt plumb bob adjusted right and now is just as good a time as any to see if it is even there. Follow the link and read the discussion on how the tilt works. Some folks adjust their game rather “loose” so that it’s hard to make the game tilt. I don’t like this approach since people will snatch the game around and can get kind of rough with it. They can do that on their game, but not mine. I adjust the tilt so that nudging can occur and requires a fine art nudging the game before it tilts.

Check Coils

With the playfield propped up and the power turned off, I also check out the coils, their plunger, the tube they slide in (coil sleeve sometimes called a coil tube), and the coil stop. Since a coil is an electro-mechanical device that causes rather abrupt movement, there can be loosening of parts as well as wear over the years that slow the mechanics down. You typically want to smooth burrs on the plunger shaft using a file, and you can replace the coil sleeve with newer plastic ones if need be. A Pinball store also sells the end piece (coil stop) that get mushroomed out, broken, or otherwise damaged. I clean the plunger with Alcohol only, and I never put grease on the shafts. Just leave them dry or they will attract dirt and start sticking again.

Check Moving Parts

I examine the other moving parts such as the flipper assembly, slingshots, kickout mechanisms, etc. for missing parts or looseness and adjust/repair where necessary. Although the discussion here is about cleaning and not really repairing, I find that when I periodically clean a game is when I discover things that aren’t quite right but have not manifested as a problem yet during game play. Usually it is due to loosened screws. More of a proactive approach than a reactive one.

I use some Teflon grease that you can get from Radio Shack on any rotating finger contacts usually found in the back box. Not too much, just some for lubrication. I also burnish these contacts with 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper followed by cleaning with alcohol for when I clean the contacts in the back box (they may also be in the bottom of the gamebox). Some games have the paperwork that came with them which recommends where to put drops of oil if needed. Don’t use auto oil, but rather a lightweight oil. Another common place to add a drop or two of oil is the score motor felt where the score motor pivot pin rotates (on the underside of the score motor).

Replace Plunger Tip

Always, always, always, replace the rubber tip on the ball plunger. If you don’t you’ll be sorry when you mushroom the head out and can’t remove the plunger. I also take the entire plunger assembly out and clean it with Alcohol including the plastic guide the shaft slides through. Remember to align the plunger rod so that it strikes the center of the pinball when it rests in the shooter lane.

Replace Pinballs

I inspect the pinballs for wear or even rust. If they aren’t smooth and shiny, I just go ahead and replace them. For games I get from someone else rather than an old game I’ve had around for a while, I usually just go ahead and replace the pinball. There is only one pinball in EM games most of the time, so that’s not such an expensive thing to do. I never use old balls, although I haven’t quite figured out what to do with them yet. I usually shine up the ball found in the cage near the tilt that detects if someone raises the front of the game to keep the ball from draining (will cause the game to tilt). I use a green scotch brite pad to do clean it up, but if using a vibratory cleaner (such as the kind to polish bullet shell casings) I just throw it in to the tumbler and let it do the work.

Turn The Game On

By now I’m pretty much done with the underside of the playfield, so I remove the white cloth, lower the playfield, and then turn the game on to ensure I didn’t cause any problems while cleaning the inside of the game. If things don’t work right, go back and see what you might have accidentally caused while cleaning the game (hopefully nothing).

Finally, I have a friend that swears by using WD40 on the connectors where the wiring harnesses plug in to the back box or on to the plywood “circuit board.” I don’t do this, but will use a scotch brite pad where possible to clean the pins. He never had bad luck using WD40 but you probably don’t need the sticky substance and overspray it leaves, but like I said, he swears by it. One important tip is to not fire up the game with WD40 fumes around or you may truly “fire up” the game.

If it doesn’t start up OK and you want a more detailed discussion regarding repairs and troubleshooting, then try out my link to a page on repairing EM games. Clay has quite a bit of info on his page that you should find very helpful.

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Pinball Adventures is a North American manufacturing company producing fresh and unique Pinball machines. Our goal is to create to the highest standards, and spark the same joy we found as gamers when we rolled our first quarter into that coin slot so many years ago. Stemming from a lifelong passion, Pinball Adventures is created by gamers, for gamers. We strive to bring high quality, innovative, and captivating experiences for all to enjoy.

Visit our website at pinballadventures.com and also check out our new Instagram page for more updates https://www.instagram.com/pinballadventures/

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Guide To Owning A Pinball Machine

Andrew MacBain — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 05:06:57 +0000

Guide To Owning A Pinball Machine Congratulations! Welcome to the eclectic group of individuals known has pinball hobbyists. This article provides a short overview of basic pinball information to help you get started. The goal is to provide factual information in a brief form, saving you time by pulling together information from many sources. This should be enough details to get started and provides the background needed to research topics in more depth if desired. Source

You’ll find no shortage of opinions in the pinball world. For every machine that someone loves it seems there is someone else who can’t stand it. You really have to make your own decisions, investigate the options and do what’s right for you. Again, the intent in this article is to provide the easiest options to get started. Take shipping for example. There are cheaper alternatives that involve crating/palletting a machine and freight shipping, but for the beginner, NAVL takes care of the details for you.

Cost of owning a pinball machine?

Owning a pinball machine does not have to be expensive. Depending on they type of machine and how much work you are willing to do yourself you can own a machine for as little as $200 – $500 for an older machine. A more typical price range is from $500 – $2000 for a reliable used machine. A new machine with a warranty will run about $4500-$6000.

Machines tend to hold their value well. That said, putting $200 of repairs into a $200 machine does not typically result in a $400 machine. There are premium restorations of many machines that consistently sell for $8000 or more. Many people list their machines as “rare”, but there are very few truly rare pinball machines. Many machines had production runs less than 300. The highest production run game, “The Addams Family” continues to hold its value. Other high-value games are “Medieval Madness”, “Big Bang Bar”, and “Cactus Canyon.”

It’s generally assumed that you’ll do your own basic maintenance. It’s unlikely that you’ll find local repair people. At a minimum you’ll want to be able to replace lamps and rubber rings. Help is available to guide you in repairs. For SS machines the boards can be sent in to be repaired.

What type of machine do you want?

There are three generations of pinball machines.

Electro-Mechanical (EM) machines – Relay-based machines controlled by a score motor and stepper units. Includes machines up to about 1978.
Solid State (SS) – Electronic (microprocessor) controlled machines. Covers machines from the late 1970s to about 1990.
Dot Matrix Display (DMD) – Solid State machines with a display that is used for both scoring and low-resolution video. Covers machines since about 1990.

Coils, lamps, and switches are common to all games. Newer SS machines use microswitches instead of leaf switches.

EM play tends to be simpler with easily explained goals of hitting sequences of targets. SS machines added reliability by replacing the relay logic with electronics and gradually expanded on the machine goals. Complexity was increased over time with the addition of ramps, subways, and other theme-specific elements to the point where newer DMD machines are sometimes referred to as Pinball “games” due to the complicated game play sequences and playing modes.

In the home, simpler games have the advantage of attracting new players. Visitors are often intimidated by the complexity of newer machines. On the other hand, the more complex machines can have the advantage of providing more varied play that can hold your interest longer.

Considerations for Having a Pinball Machine in your House

You’ve probably already thought about this, but a few points are worth emphasizing.

Size – Pinball machines seem larger in a home setting than they appear on location. They are about 32″ wide x 52″ deep x 70″ tall. They take some work to navigate through a 32″ interior door. EMs are easier since the head comes off the cabinet to transport.

Weight – Pinball machines weigh 200-300 pounds.

Noise – Pinball machines are quite loud since they’re designed to be used in a noisy bar or arcade environment. SS machines have an advantage here in that the volume can be turned down.

Buying a Game

The best option is buying a machine locally, but in many areas that isn’t an option and may significantly limit your options. Ebay was a good source of games for many years, but Ebay policy and fee changes have limited the number of machines available and the available games tend to have premium pricing. Online classifieds dedicated to pinball (www.mrpinball.com and www.pynball.com) are good options as is placing a WTB (wanted to buy) post on the rec.games.pinball (RGP) newsgroup. There are also FS (for sale) postings quite regularly on RGP, but you have to follow the newsgroup to be aware of those. Usually there are games for sale at the pinball shows.

Most all parts are available to repair a machine and many repairs are fairly simple, so I emphasize cosmetics over function when buying a game. This is especially true on EM games. For SS and DMD games, a single coil not working may only need a transistor replaced, but if you are not willing to do that yourself it could easily cost $100 to send to board out for repair.

Inspecting a Pinball Machine

There are only a few parts on a pinball machine that are difficult to replace and in some cases impossible. The backglass is the main one. Some reproductions are available, but if you aren’t willing to live with what’s there you’ll need to make sure you can find a replacement. Replacement backglasses run about $300.

Assuming this is your first pinball machine, the playfield inserts should be considered irreplaceable. The original inserts are installed in the playfield before it’s sanded down and screen printed. Replacement inserts are not available, but some cupping of the inserts can be repaired.

The playfield light shields are usually irreplaceable. If they are available they will come as a full set and will cost about $150. You can make a fairly good replacement out of lexan, so there are some options on the plastics.

Any custom playfield objects should be considered irreplaceable. For some of the more popular games reproduction parts may be available. Items like pop bumper caps usually have replacements available and at a minimum you can find a different design that would work.

In general, any SS electronics can be repaired or replaced. An exception is the SPIDER chips on Gottlieb Series 1. Replacement board sets are available but that cost should be considered in your decision.

Finding your way around

The On/Off switch is on the bottom of the cabinet 6-8″ behind the right front leg.

There are two keys, one for the coin door and one for the backbox. In some cases the locks will use the same key.

The cabinet is accessed by opening the coin door and sliding the lever located at the top right to the left. The lock-down bar will then lift off. Slide the glass out of the machine and set it down gently. The playfield can now be lifted by grabbing the apron. Lift far enough so any hardware under the playfield clears the cabinet and slide the playfield toward you. For older games there is a prop rod down in the cabinet on the right that can prop the playfield up, but it’s usually best to slide it out far enough to lean back against the backbox. The playfield on newer games is on a pivot and it can be flipped up against the backbox.

Access into the head has several possibilities. On EMs, access is through a removable door on the back of the machine. On newer machines the key will be on the side, top, or front. Typically the backglass or translite can be removed from the front and the light insert swings open to get access. There are 2 or 4 bolts that secure the head to the cabinet. Starting with the later SS machines the head is hinged and folds down onto the cabinet. For earlier machines the wire harness must be unplugged and the head removed.

Playfield switches and coils are common to all machines. EMs will have control logic under the playfield, on the mechanical panel in the bottom of the cabinet, and in the head. SS & DMD machines will have most of the control logic in the head.

Moving a Pinball Machine

The steps in moving a Pinball machine are:

Remove the ball(s)
Remove or fold down and secure the head

– For removal, there will be several cables that need to be unplugged

– If the head folds down, place padding on the cabinet before folding it down. You’ll need a strap to secure it.

Remove the back legs, set the back end down, and lift/rotate the cabinet onto the back
Remove the front legs

Tools:

– 5/8″ wrench for leg bolts

– 9/16″ wrench for head bolts (newer Sterns use 8mm allen wrench)

– Strap to secure the backbox

Setting up a Pinball Machine

Initial assembly and setup is simply the reverse of the above. Once the machine is set up it needs to be leveled. Remove the playfield glass and use a small level on the playfield surface to level the machine side-to-side. Playfield slope is typically about 3.5 degrees for EMs and 6.5 degrees for SS & DMD machines. Start with all leg levelers adjusted most of the way in and the slope should be pretty close. The slope can be adjusted to preference. It’s not unusual for a machine to need minor repair after moving to a new location. Repair & Maintenance

Clean the playfield with Novus #2 cleaner or carnauba wax; don’t use water on the playfield. Novus #1 and #2 are good choices for cleaning plastics. Isopropyl alcohol is a good, safe option for cleaning most other parts. Always test in an inconspicuous area and start slowly. It’s hard to predict how older machines will tolerate cleaners. Be especially careful on painted metal parts like the playfield apron on EMs, paint comes off of those very easily.

Leaf switches used on older machines may occasionally need cleaning and adjustment. Tighten the screws holding the switch stack in place before adjusting. Adjust by bending the fixed blade near the fixed end (nearest to the screws). When the switch is properly adjusted the gap should be about 1/8″ and, when operated, the moving blade should slightly deflect the fixed blade. Work slowly with many small adjustments.

For cleaning the contacts you’ll need the following tools:

EM:

– Contact Adjuster

– Flexstone file (fine sandpaper will work but is harder)

– The heavy tungsten contacts used on flipper end-of-stroke switches will need a metal file

SS:

– If switch contacts are gold plated (typical on SS machines), don’t file the contacts. Clean with a business card.

There are very few parts on a pinball machine that need lubrication. If something isn’t working smoothly it need to be taken apart and cleaned. Over-lubrication causes many more problems than under-lubrication.

Thanks for reading the article on owning a pinball machine!

PINBALL ADVENTURES

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What You Need To Know About Waxing Playfields

Andrew MacBain — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 04:44:42 +0000

What You Need To Know About Waxing Playfields

What You Need To Know About Waxing Playfields The big wax war. Sounds important, doesn’t it ? On the usenet discussion group rec.games.pinball people often refer to ‘the big wax wars’ or ‘the big wax debate’. Everyone seems to have an own opinion about waxing and cleaning a playfield, which can result into heated debates.

The cause of these arguments is that most people have their own opinion and experiences with certain products, and don’t want to know of anything else. They had good experiences with something, worse with other products, and won’t believe other experiences. But not every game or playfield is the same. Different types of playfields require different products, and one may be worn more or less than another, requiring other products used on it. Even the way of using and applying a product may cause differences and good or bad results.

People also have different goals, there’s a different between a collector who has a lot of time and wants to treat his playfield the best way possible, and a dealer who wants quick results: he needs a clean and shiny pinball machine so he can sell it, and doesn’t care about long-term effects but only wants something which works fast without much effort.

Furthermore, there’s not exactly any scientific research done to waxing and polishing playfields.. so there probably is not one right and one wrong product to use. And while some products may theoretically damage a playfield, it’s applied in small quantities or the game is sold after a few years, so the owner doesn’t know if something is bad in the long run.

So in this article I try to take a more objective approach, give you information and links to articles with more background information, so you can make up your own opinion. There is scientific research done to automotive products, and that can be applied to playfields.

That said, it’s all relative. If you don’t want your pinball machine to wear then don’t play it. If you are satisfied the way you work now, don’t see any (immediate) negative parts (even though there may be theoretically), that’s good for you. Something you use now may not be theoretically the best, but if your game looks good and plays well, that’s what matters.

What You Need To Know About Waxing Playfields

Introduction into car waxes

What You Need To Know About Waxing Playfields: The first thing you need to do is to check what type of playfield you have. Older games (up until 1990) usually are paint which is sprayed with lacquer. More recent games are protected by a type of automotive polyurethane clearcoat. Williams games in the early 90s had the Diamond plate logo on them to indicate this. Later games (1993 and up) don’t have this logo anymore but they are all clear coated.
Some prototypes of earlier games also had clear coated playfields (Diner, Whirlwind, ..) so if your game is from the late 80’s always check what type of playfield you have. What types of product you can/should use on clear coated and lacquered playfields are very different

What You Need To Know About Waxing Playfields To learn more about the differences between clear coat and lacquer and how these products evolved, read History of Automotive Coatings. It gives an interesting background of how everything evolved and the reasons behind it (cost, environmental reasons, better looking, ..).
Important facts I learned from this article: using waxes goes back to the days of horse drawn carriages. But these traditional products are not very well suited anymore for modern clear coats ! Especially take a look at the images of scratches that waxes and cloths make !

If you polish and wax your playfields using old t-shirts, you may want to reconsider. Clearcoat easily scratches, using the wrong type of cloth makes microscopic small scratches. You don’t notice them as you are waxing because you fill them. But when the wax wears out the scratches are still present, and getting a super high gloss will become more and more difficult in the future because the more you wax, the more damage you do..

Picture: the polish cotton I use now.
Just buy some good microfiber cloths to apply wax(amazon referral link) .

People who are into cars are starting to learn: Carnauba wax was a good thing in the past, but modern cars require modern products. Pinball people should also learn about and try new products on their clearcoated playfields.

Why Wax Your Playfield?

Waxing a playfield is done to add a layer of protection above the clear coat, to prevent wear. It’s also done because the game looks better: colours are more vibrant and the playfield looks more shiny/reflective. The same reasons why people wax their cars (although you don’t roll steel pinballs over cars).
Why does a playfield become shiny ? Because it is very smooth. This is either done by polishing the clearcoat and removing small imperfections, and by adding wax which fills the imperfections up and puts a smooth layer on the playfield.

Pay attention to the part about cleaners, polishes and waxes. You must understand the difference between them well.

A cleaner should only remove dirt and not harm the clear coat or give protection.
A polish will smooth the clear coat layer, by actually take a small layer off.
Finally wax goes on top of the clear coat to give it additional protection and shine.

It is best to use separate products for each of these steps, and not all-in-one solutions. With the latter you usually don’t know much of each they do (how abrasive, how much protection, ..) so while they’re easy to use, they can’t give the optimal result (as none of them is designed for your specific playfield).

Something important to learn from this article:
Never use a polish or product that’s more abrasive than required to do the job.
Paint polishes do remove fine layers of paint or clear coat (even though some other websites I found claim the opposite). So don’t polish too much or if it isn’t necessary.

Remember, Clear coat needs to be waxed.
If you put a new clear coat on a playfield, wait 2 months before waxing.
And again: pay attention to the type of cloth you use.

Waxing clearcoated playfields

Polishing a playfield

Before you attempt to polish any playfield, please read this article about polishing. It explains the theory and gives a lot of information from people that have a lot of experience with it.
What I learned: don’t remove too much clearcoat; things changed a lot the last 10 years; you don’t need a buffer, everything can be done by hand too but it’ll take longer. And finally: use the least aggressive tool or polishing material necessary to get the job done.

This Black Hole lower playfield is already quite smooth and reflects the light. It has only been polished using Commandant 5 ! It has not yet been waxed.

Something else I didn’t know and learned from this and other articles was about wool pads(amazon referral link) . These are aggressive cutting pads, while polishing clearcoat should only be done using foam rubber pads (amazon referral link) ?! It’s not the first time I hear someone say proud they’ve waxed their playfield with a wool pad on their drill.. So it seems this is a very bad idea, wool will also make more scratches. And yes a polished playfield in this way will have a gloss, but results could’ve been much better.

Waxing your playfield

Synthetic waxes are more durable than Carnauba waxes, especially on clearcoat.
This is opposite of what I thought. I had always read that paste wax was better because it was more hard then liquid wax, so I assumed (wrongly) that liquid synthetic wax was less hard then paste wax.
Show waxes however are very soft and don’t offer durable protection. So while they are nice when you want to sell a pinball machine and impress a buyer with spectacular gloss, they don’t offer good protection when the machine is being played.
The trick of using carnauba wax on top of a synthetic wax sounds good and I will try this. First put a layer of synthetic wax(amazon referral link) , allow it to cure up to 2 days (this will give your playfield the protection it needs against wear from pinballs), and then apply a layer of carnauba wax over it to give extra depth in color.

Picture: the wax I use now. In the past I only used Turtle paste wax.
Now I first use Johnson synthetic wax, let it harden for a day, and then finish with Turtle wax.

Petroleum distillates in wax products

There’s one thing almost everyone in the pinball world now agrees: petroleum distillates are bad.
They make mylar and plastics dull and dissolve glue. Some people even say they damage plastic star posts. So do not use Wildcat 125 (even though Bally recommended it in the 80ies) or other products which contain a lot of petroleum distillates, as they will create damage in the long run. This is for both lacquered and clearcoated playfields.
Of course, use your own judgement. Some products only contain very small traces of petroleum distillates, you don’t have to throw away every bottle that mentions them.. But when you can chose between petroleum and water-based products: take water-based.

Waxing and protecting lacquered wood

The most important thing to remember is that different types of playfields need different products. Old-style products like carnauba wax are still best suited for your electro-mechanical pinball machine. Modern clearcoated playfields prefer modern products.
Be very careful when working with a lacquered playfield, It is safest not to use any polish at all, or very very carefully because it’s very easy to remove paint before you know it

Waxing cloths

As said above already: consider what kind of cloth you use to polish and to wax.
If it’s too hard or has i.e. dirt in it, it will scratch your finish. That’s the opposite you want to achieve !

If you still want to use an old t-shirt or towel: at least wash it often so it’s clean and soft again, and it doesn’t have hard wax residue in it from the last time you used it !

PINBALL ADVENTURES

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5 Vintage Pinball Machines Before The 70s

Andrew MacBain — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 05:50:33 +0000

Do you know any vintage pinball machines? Keep on reading to see our top 5 picks!

While the 1970s era is often considered as the golden era of Pinball, with its notoriety reaching the zenith, there are a number of pinball machines before this decade that are noteworthy. The pre-70s pinballs are the machines that served as the guinea pigs for the many features that we now enjoy in our modern pinball machines.

To explain further, in this list we gather 5 of the best vintage pinball machines that you can still buy at garage markets.

5 VINTAGE PINBALL MACHINES

1. Blast Off (Williams, 1967)

Blast Off is an electro-mechanical pinball manufactured by Williams in 1967. It was born in the years of space race, thus its theme revolve around launching rocket to space. It features a stainless steel trim, front door and frame. It is also fairly advanced in its time for having an automatic ball lift. The gameplay includes launching the Apollo rocket by counting down the rollover buttons.

2. Heat Wave (Williams, 1964)

As its name suggests, the Heat Wave Pinball (1964) by Williams is themed around scorching hot summer day. It features a thermometer in the backglass, which increases as you hit “advance” bumpers on the playfield. As the temperature increases, the target value is multiplied. It also features an adjustable 3 to 5 ball play and a replay game where the drop target and two side lanes register replays.

3. The Wiggler (Bally, 1967)

Wiggler by Bally features futuristic artwork designs with spacemen, spaceships and the Wiggler woman in a futuristic space suit. It is an exciting game as you make your way to prevent your balls from being captured. This game can capture up to two balls, but you can release them if you hit the yellow mushrooms and play with up to three balls in the playfield

4. Bank-a-ball (Gottlieb, 1965)

Made by Gottlieb in 1965, it is the first ever pinball machine to feature flipper return lanes which allows you to hit the ball behind the slingshot towards the flippers. It is a pinball game. It is a pinball pastiche of billiards with the original design including 15 colored numbered balls. Source

5. Ace High (Gottlieb, 1954)

Ace High is one of Gottlieb’s classic Pinball machine inspired by ace high in poker. In the game, hitting the Queens, Kings and Aces each give replays. It is the last pinball machine to have no match feature which means players can still activate the flippers even after the game is over.

PINBALL ADVENTURES

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The post 5 Vintage Pinball Machines Before The 70s appeared first on Pinball Adventures.

Pinball Canada Archives - Pinball Adventures

How To Properly Store Your Pinball Machine

Why Is It Important to Properly Store a Pinball Machine?

How to Properly Store a Pinball Machine

The Basement or Garage

Self-Storage

Clean Your Machine Before Storing

Don’t Wrap Your Pinball Machine

Conclusion

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Pinball Adventures Is On YouTube

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Injection Molding DIY & Process

What Is Injection Molding?

What You Need for DIY Injection Molding

Clamping

Injection

Cooling

Ejection

Low production costs

Low scrap rates

Repeatable and consistent

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Process of Manufacturing A Pinball Machine

Curious about the process of making a pinball machine? Look no further, Pinball Adventures is here with some information

Process of Manufacturing A Pinball Machine

Design

Raw Materials

Process of Manufacturing A Pinball Machine

Pressuring the playfield

Screen printing

Hand assembly

Quality Control

PINBALL ADVENTURES

What Is CNC Machining?

What Is CNC Machining?

CNC MILL & CNC ROUTER: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

CNC Router

CNC Mill

Get To Grips With Software

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What Are Pinballs Made Of?

What Are Pinballs Made Of?

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New Westminster Arcade Hosting Private Parties

New Westminster Arcade Hosting Private Parties

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3 Greatest Older Pinball Machines

3 Greatest Older Pinball Machines

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Pinball Playfield Repair And Restoration

Pinball Playfield Repair And Restoration

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5 Pinball Games From The 90’s

5 Pinball Games From The 90’s

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New Led Zeppelin Pinball

Led Zeppellin

New Led Zeppelin Pinball

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5 Cool Pinball Art From The 80’s

We love pinball and appreciate a lot of things that go into making one, but one the best parts is the artwork. Keep on reading to find out what these 5 cool pinball art looks like!

5 Cool Pinball Art From The 80’s

Xenon (Bally, United States, 1980)

Medusa (Bally, United States, 1981)

Mars, God of War (Gottlieb, United States, 1981)

Eclipse (Gottlieb, United States, 1982)

Fathom (Bally, United States, 1980)

PINBALL ADVENTURES

Get Better At Pinball

Get Better At Pinball

Try This:

Know Your Machine

Learn the Basics

Practice Makes Perfect

5 Quick Tips

1. Think More Than One Move Ahead

2. Set Goals

3. Master the plunger

4. Practice, Practice, Practice