Care and Maintenance byBernard Bear Kamoroff Bell Sp: yPinball Machine Care & Maintenance Bernard B. Kamoroff Bell Springs Pinball Alley Laytonville & Willits, CaliforniaWarning! Read This! ‘The advice and suggestions presented in this book come from my experience and from other people's experiences. I learned a lot about pinball repair and maintenance by reading, and by talking to people who know pinball machines. But most of what I've learned has come from experimentation, trial and error. Like most everything else in this world, you learn by doing. In this manual, 1 present what has consistently worked for me, having repaired and restored many pinball machines. But Ido not guarantee that my suggestions and instruc- tions will solve your problems. What works for some games, does not work for others ‘Almost every pinball game I've worked on hes had at Jeest one thing that was different than any other game I've repaired Most Important: Be Careful. A plugged in pinball machine has 110 lethal volts and exposed wires. You can kill yourself. Unplug the machine before you work on it, Read the Safety First chapter before opening and working on a machine ‘You are responsible for your own pinball machine and your own safety. Thank You... Jim & Judy Tolbert. Jonathan Quandt. Daniel Zavaro. Joel Goldoor. Marc Mandeltort Joel Cook. Steve Young. Terry Rufitidge. Russ Jensen. Yogi. Dick Bueschell. Lyle Morris. Jack Lee. Jim Hewett. Kelly Altemueller. David Carter. Chuck Artigues. Tim ‘Arnold. Sharon Kamoroff. Jim Schelberg at Pin Game Journal. Tim Ferrante at Gam- Room Magazine, Sally at Pinmall. Lou Brooks. Don and Mark at Pin A Go Go. Special thanks to Nancy Mandeltort for the long-distance editing. Printed by John Cedarholm and staifat Printing Plus, Willits, California. Bound by The Wife Binding Company. This book is dedicated to... Crystal Rose (289,840 score on Flip Flop) Julia (93,180 on Lawman) Colleen (8,875,770 on Jokerz) Corrina (167,070 on Hi-Deal) ‘And Sharon (Jackpot, Special, and Double Bonus) 12th PRINTING (#2), Revised ISBN 0-917510-13-5 LCCN 99-094686 Printed on Recycled Paper Copyright © 2008 by Bernard B. Kamoroff {All Rights Reserved. No partof this book may be reproduced in any form ‘without written permission from the publisher. Published by: Bell Springs Publishing Box 1240, Willits, California 95490 telephone 707/459-6372 fax 707/459-8614 www.aboutpinball.com e-mail: pinball@bellsprings.comContents Introduction History of Pinball Buying A Pinball Machine Different Kinds of Pinball Machines “Home” Pinball Machines Bingos Pacinko/Pachinko Where to Find a Machine Pinball Machines on the Internet Vintage or Modern? ‘Theme and Design Multi-Ball Single Player Vs. Multi-Player ‘Add-A-Ball Playability Physical Condition Backglass Playfield Plastics and Bumper Caps Parts Cabinet Coin Mechanisms Back Door (Electro-Mechanical) Schematics and Instruction Books ‘The Manufacturers Electro-Mechanical Verses Electronic Disassembling and Transporting Setting Up The Machine Location Attaching Legs ‘Attaching Backbox Wiring Fuses Balls Level Playfield Game Adjustments ‘Things to Know About Pinball Machines ‘Turning On the Machine Lighis Missing Keys Opening Up A Machine Getting Behind Backglass DRE ERE SSGRENREEEESonmammia om 16 17 18 20 20 20 on 21 21 22 22 22 24 24 24 24 25 26Components and Features ‘The Ball Rubber Rings Match High Scores and Free Games Extra First Ball Coin Mechanisms Batteries Lights Tilt Backglass and Translite Sounds Playfield Fuses Free Play Repairs: Basics Get Organized Safety First Replacing Line Cords and Plugs Tools and Supplies Soldering Repairs: Flippers Dead Flippers Stronger Coil Playfield Too Steep Flipper Buttons End of Stroke (EOS) Switches Springs Plungers and Coil Stops Shafts and Bushings Worn Linkage Noisy Flippers More Than Two Flippers Converting to DC Power Repairs: All Machines Game Won't Start Checklist Blown Fuses Problems With Lights Coils Chimes Playfield Glass Loose Components Ball Shooter Ball Kick Out Problems Airborne Balls Drop Targets Switch Problems 27 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 35 36 37 38 40 AL 44 44 45 46, aT 48 50 51 52 52 53 54 56 57 57 58 58 59 60 63, 63 64 64 65 67 67 68 69 70 70 iRepairs: Electro-Mechanical Machines 73 Self Correcting Problems 2B. ‘Troubleshooting \ R Motor 7 Score Reels 15 Poor Connections 16 ‘Transformer High Tap 6 Noisy Relays 78 Relays With Light Bulbs 79 Match Unit 79 Rotating Stepper (Step Up, Step Down) Unit 80 Roto Targets 81 Using The Schematic 82 Schematic Symbols 84 Repairs: Electronic Machines 84 ‘Troubleshooting 84 Poor Connections 85 Digital Displays 85 Computer Chips 86 “Adjust Failure” 86 Lubrication 86 Professional Repairs 87 Terminology 88 Source Listings 99 Machines, Labeled Illustration Electronic 100 Electro Mechanical 101 Drop a Quarter in the Slot 102 Index 103 Illustrations Most of the illustrations in this manual are copies of original illustrations from Gottlieb, Bally, and Williams manuals and parts books, and from old parts catalogs. A few illustrations came from Harry McKeown’s Pinball Portfolio (out of print), Jim & Candace Tolbert’s Tilt (out of print), Henk de Jager’s Pinball Machine Maintenance (in print), and Dick Bueschel’s Pinball 1 (in print). I recommend all of these books very highlyIntroduction “No one can escape the transforming fire of machines.” Kevin Kelly, author of Out of Control A pinball machine will give you many years of enjoyment and good play if you take a few steps to clean, protect and maintainyour machine. Pinball machines will also go up in value over the years, but only if you keep them properly cared for. The difference between a $25 parts machine and a $2,000 collector's treasure is often only the condition of the back- glass, the playfield, and the cabinet. This manual will help you choose a pinball game, help you evaluate its condi- tion and determine its value. This manu- al will show you how to set up a machine and how to protect it and keep it clean. ‘This manual will explain the easiest and most common repairs and adjust- ments you can make at home with common tools. This manual includes a list of sources for parts and repairs Pinball, like everything else in the world, has its own jargon, its own terminology. Descriptions of different machines, features, parts, adjustments, and repairs involve words and expressions unique to pinball. If you come across a word or expression you don’t know, look it up in the back of this manual in the chapter called “Terminology.” Like most “How To” manuals, this book may sound confusing, not making much sense, until you are actually working on a pinball machine. After you stick your head inside your machine, start tracing wires, observing the com- ponents at work (or not at work), you'll understand the bock much better. ‘There is nothing more satisfying than having a machine that you can care for yourself, that you can repair, maintain, keep in fine-tuned running order. ‘This manual is, hopefully, a start in that direction. Our goal is to take you some distance into Happily Ever After. By Pinball The beginning of pinball goes back to France in the late 171 back to a table game where a ball was hit by a cue stick and could land in different holes on a playfield, each hole earning a different score. The game was called bagatelle, named after Chateau Bagatelle, the mansion where the game was invented and first played.About 1900, bagatelles migrated to the United States, A game that was basically unchanged for over 100 years suddenly came under the scrutiny of Yankee mechanical ingenuity, and by 1920 the evolution of pinball was well underway. Someone invented a spring-loaded plunger to shoot the ball. Someone came up with a clever idea to surround the holes with little nails or pins sticking up from the playfield, to make it more easy—or difficult—to get the ball in the holes. Those pins gave the game its new name, pinball, the name still in use more than eighty years after the pins disappeared. In the 1930s, pinballs started their march to greatness. The first coin mechanisms, electric lights, eleciric solenoids, and the first bumpers appeared. The distinct and dramatic upright backbox showed up in 1939, and pinballs began looking much like today’s pinball machines. ‘And then in 1947, a genius named Harry Mabs, of the D. Gottlieb Pinball Company in Chicago, invented the flipper, and pinball as we know it arrived. For the next thirty years, pinball machines became more sophisticated and more fun to play, but kept the same basic circuitry: Switches that opened and closed using electro-magnetic relays In 1976, the first solid-state, digital-scoring pinball machines were in- vented, and the day of slower, reel-turning, chime-ringing, “old fashioned” pinball machines (che EMs—electro-mechanicals) gave way to the digital era. Today, sixty years after Harry Mabs and the Gottlieb Company gave us the flipper, pinhalls are still being manufactured, still being played, and still using the same concept: You and the flippers against a little steel ball. Human intelligence, skill and determination against gravity and the laws of physics. No computer programmer sat in front of a monitor deciding how a pinball will react when whacked by a flipper, when it blasts off a slingshot, or boomerangs off a pop bumper. You never know what that ball is gonna do.eee Buying a Pinball Machine ‘ Some people know exactly, or almost exactly, what kind of pinball machine they are looking for, but most people aren't really sure other than it would sure be fun to own one. Many people played a certain game when they were kids, and are looking for that particular game. Some people want electro mechanical games only, some people want electronic machines only, others just want to find a pinball. Some have generous budgets, some can barely afford the gas to go check one out. Whether you are looking for a particular game or ‘any game, here are some tips. Different Kinds of Pinball Machines Most pinball machines are about 4/+ feet long and nearly six feet tall, and weigh well over 200 pounds. Some pinballs are much smaller, cocktail table size. In fact some are built into cocktail tables. People sit down, set their drinks right on top of the game, and play. “Home” Pinball Machines Most pinballs for sale, both new and used, are commercial games, designed to take coins. Some solid state pinballs, however, were made just for the home market, produced without the coin mechanisms, without the “match” feature, and often without some of the other features found on the commercial games. Home models (Bally called them “Professional Home Models”) usually had only one scoring display instead of the four usually found on commercial elec- tronic games. Home models often used less expensive components and were less expensive to produce. ‘The home market games had the same size playfield as the commercial games, but had smaller and lighter cabinets. People looking for a pinball machine that is easier to move and that takes up less space may want to consider a home model, if you can find one. They are not common. Home models usually fetch a lower price than full size commercial machines. Repair parts and schematics (wiring diagrams) for home models are often difficult to locate, If you are looking at a pinball game that obviously never had a coin slot, that’s a sure sign it was a home market game, “Bingos” Another kind of pinball game is called a “bingo.” Bingos have no flippers You shoot a ball up into the playfield just like a pinball, but the playfield has twenty or more holes where the ball lands and stays. Bingos are gambling games, and do not have the play and action of regular pinball machines, Bingos look very much like regular pinball machines, but there is a huge difference. Don’t buy a bingo by mistake.BINGO PACHINKO Copy of an original flyer for Spot-Lite (1951) Typical game from the ‘one of the first Bally bingo machines. mid-1980s. Pacinko/Pachinko ‘There is a kind of pinball machine called a Pacinko (Pa-chink-o) game. This is a wall mounted Japanese gambling game where you shoot many small balls up into a playfield full of little pins. You try to land the balls in scoring holes. Pacinkos are small, only about two feet by three feet, and lightweight. The older machines were originally battery powered. Many of the Pacinkos im- ported into the U.S. have been converted to 110 volts and mounted into free- standing cabinets. When someone tells you they have a miniature pinball machine or a Japanese pinball machine, they usually are referring to a PacinkoWhere To Find A Machine Old pinballs are everywhere. They're in garages and barns and storage unitsand basements and bedrooms. They’re in antique stores and second hand stores. They’re in the back rooms of arcades and bowling alleys and amuse- ment companies that put gemes out on routes. Some machines are in great shape and some are in just horrible shape. Some are outrageously expensive, some are cheap, some are free, “just haul this thing avray.” You are likely to find a much better price on a machine if you buy it from an individual than if you buy it from a business. Many individuals who are selling a pinball machine have played it for several years and lost interest, or the kids went off to college and it’s sitting there, or they need the space, or they’re moving. These games are often well taken care of and usually go for a reasonable price. However, there is a good chance that something won't be working on the game, that it will need repair or adjustment. After you read this book, you may discover that it is a minor repair, one you can do yourself. If you are looking at a game that noods ropair and you can tell what's wrong and how to fix it, lucky you. A non-working game sells for a whole lot less than a working game, even if it’s a five minute adjustment. If the game isn’t working and you don’t know how to fix it, you have a problem. Pinball repair people, if there is one in your area, are not inexpen- sive, You can pay several hundred dollars to get a machine repaired. Repairs are often more expensive than buying a working machine. Antique store owners think pinballs are like other antiques, valuable because they are old. Antique stores tend to ask high prices for pinballs, and chances are the games aren’t working either. You will rarely find a good deal ona pinball in an antique store. Companies and individuals who regularly sell and repair pinballs also charge high prices for pinball machines, but when you buy a machine from these people you should be getting a game that has been gone through, completely repaired, cleaned, waxed, new balls and rubber rings, all the lights working. You should also get some sort of guarantee, at least 30 days. Arcades and route operators often sell older machines, some working, some not, sometimes guaranteed, usually not. These people will sometimes remove the coin mechanism from the machine before selling it, to be sure no one will buy the game and then compete with them! You can find pinballs at auctions, though this is risky because you may not be allowed to turn on the machine or even loolk inside it. A great place to find pinball machines is at a pinball swap meet or pinball show. All over the country, there are pinball gatherings where people bring machines to show off, to play, and to sell. Usually held at some community hall or county fairgrounds over a weekend, there may be anywhere from a dozen to several hundred machines set up, for free play. For a daily admission of $10 or $20, you can play every game in the place, as often as you like, find one you love, negotiate the price with the owner, and take your prize home with you. It is also a great place to find people who repair games and sell parts. 10Pinball Machines on the Internet ‘There are many pinball machines for sale on the Internet, Every day, eBay has maybe a hundred pinball machines on their auctions. People do"buy ma- chines sight unseen and have them shipped clear across the country. This is a risky and often disappointing transaction. It’s hard to tell what condition a machine is in, without seeing it in person. Photographs are often misleading. ‘They always look better than the machines themselves. Sellers are often misleading. They do not accurately describe the condition of the machines they are selling. Shipping is risky. Games get damaged in transit. Games that were working when they left Iowa are not working when they arrive in California. You can use the Internet to get an idea of how much money people are asking for certain machines, but you'll find that prices on the Internet, like prices in the real world, are all over the board. You can use the Internet to find out what a machine looks like. There are several Internet pinball sites that have photographs of hundreds of pinball machines. Vintage or Modern? What type of game do you want, a vintage electro-mechanical or a digital- era electronic machine? If you don’t know the difference, see “Electro Mechan- ical Versus Electronic Machines” below. ‘The last electro-mechanical (EM) machine was made in 1978. Although EM machines are quite old, the machines can and do run almost forever if they are maintained. Non-working EM machines can usually be resuscitated if they haven't been damaged or cannibalized for parts ‘The first electronic machines came out around 1976. Time has not always been so kind to older electronic games. Solid state components such as capa- citors, diodes, resistors, etc. give out over time. You cannot depend on a thirty year old solid state power supply; there is a good chance it will need rebuild- ing, a job requiring expert knowledge of solid state circuits. Be especially wary of the first electronic machines made by the Gottlieb Company, machines made in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and known as System One or System 80 machines. These machines have a reputation for failure and are considered difficult to repair. Theme and Design Are you looking for—or looking to avoid—a particular theme or type of artwork: Do you want a machine that features space ships, or horses, or car races, or people playing pool, or pretty girls, or a famous rock & roll band, or Indiana Jones? You'll be staring at the machine for a long time, so pick one that is pleasing to your eye end taste. Several thousand different games have been manufactured over the course of pinball history, each one a little or a lot different than the next. Don’t bring home a game you don’t like the look of. Multi-Ball Most newer electronic games offer “multi-ball” play, where you can have "more than one ball on the playfield at 2 time. Most electro-mechanicals and early electronic machines don't offer multi-ball. Single Player Vs. Multi-Player “Tt’s more fun to compete,” the Gottlieb Co. used to advertise on its multi- player pinballs. Multi-player machines allow one to four players to play a game, each player getting a ball in turn. Tho first player gets a first ball; then the second, third, and fourth players (if there are additional players) each get their first ball, before the first player gets a second ball. All electronic machines are multi-players. Electro-mechanical machines came as single-player, two-player or four-player games. If you are buying an electro-mechanical machine, you will have to decide whether you want a single player or multi-player machine. You can easily tell by looking at the number of player scoring windows on the backglass. Add-A-Ball Some games are known as “add-a-ball” games. When you get up to a cer- tain score, or light the Special, instead of getting a free game, you get an extra ball. Instead of racking up a bunch of free games, you might get six, seven, eight or more ballls in one game, When you own your own game, you are already getting all the free games you want, and winning a free game sometimes loses its excitement. Getting extra balls instead of free games can add tremendously to the fun of playing. For electro-mechanical machines, there are two kinds of add-a-balls: gen- uine add-a-ball games, and games that convert to add-a-ball. Genuine add-a- ball games allow you to get more than one extra ball per ball in play. Games that convert to add-a-ball will only give you one extra ball per ball in play. You can usually tell from the backglass if you have a genuine add-a-ball game. If the number of balls shown goes up to nine or ten instead of five, it’s an add-a-ball. Add-a-ball games indicate “Balls Left to Play” instead of “Ball in Play” (although some regular games also indicate “Balls Left to Play”). You can tell if you have a game that converts to add-a-ball by looking inside the backbox or on the inside bottom of the cabinet for a plug, usually marked, that converts the game to add-a-balll, The instruction book that came with the game will also let you know if the game is an add-a-ball. Many electronic games have an adjustment that converts the game to add- a-ball. The instruction manual will tell you if this option is available. Add-a-ball is a very desirable feature in a game, Many people who own add-a-ball games don’t even know they have this option. Playability Finally, turn on the game and play it, several times. Is it fun or is it bor- ing? Every game is different. Some are fast paced, some slower. Some require a lot of skill. Some are loaded with gimmicks. Some have complex scoring, some have very simple scoring. Some have an extra ball feature (“same player shoots again”), some don’t. 12Physical Condition of the Machine ‘Phe cosmetic condition of the game—the backglass, the playfield’and the cabinet—affects the value of'a machine more than anything else. Repainting or touching up the paint on an old playfield or cabinet or backglass is a real challenge. It requires not just skill but the ability to mix the correct paints to achieve matching colors. Too often, the results make the game look worse. Physical Condition: Backglass Most important is the backglass. All machines until the late 1980s had painted backglasses. Backglasses may be difficult or impossible to replace, and they are next to impossible to repair. Ifthe backglass is broken or missing, the game has little resale value. If the paint is partly scraped away or missing in spots, the game may still be attractive and valuable. But if the paint is bubbling off, peeling off, the damage is irreversible, the value decreased. You can’t unbubble bubbled paint. Backglasses on Gottlieb pinballs made in the 1970s were cushioned with little 1" squares of black rubber, placed between the backglass and the light board. Those black cushions often stuck to the backglass, damaging or fading the paint. It's quite common to see little faded squares of paint in old Gottlieb backglasses. If it isn’t too late, remove those old rubber cushions and replace them with some sort of new, non-damaging cushioning, placed at the edge of the backglass where it won't damage the paint. But be careful: If the old rubber pieces are stuck to the backglass, you are probably better off just leaving them in place. You may damage the paint trying to remove them Starting late in the 1980s, pinball manufacturers switched from painted backglasses to translites, flexible printed plastic sheets, mounted behind a piece of clear glass. The translites can fade if left in bright sunlight, but other than that, they show excellent lasting power. There is no paint to fall off. Physical Condition: Playfield ‘Most older games will have some paint missing from the playfield, after years and years of that pinball rolling all over it. The more paint that is missing, the less attractive and valuable the game. Avoid any game that has physical damage to the playfield: gouges, water damago, playficlds that are warped. Even if you could find a replacement playfield, it is several days of tedious work rewiring all the components. Physical Condition: Plastics and Bumper Caps Examine the playfield plastic shields (light shields), the decorated flat pieces of plastic that cover light bulbs and hide mechanisms on the playfield, commonly called “the plastics.” Each game has a different set of plastics, no two games alike. If the plastics are missing or broken, you may be searching for years for replacements. If need be, you can make a temporary replacement from a piece of plexiglass, 13The edges of the plastics often stick out just enough for the ball to hit them. Many machines have chipped and broken plastics from rough contact with the ball. You can protect the plastics by putting a flat “fender” washer (one with a smalll hole so it doesn’t move around) under the plastics where they mount to the playfield. 'The washer should stick out just. a fraction of an inch beyond the edge of the plastic, so the ball hits the washer instead of the plastic. Some pinball suppliers sell clear plastic washers (“deflector shields”) for this purpose. The plastic washers are less likely to damage your ball. Broken or missing bumper caps are much easier to replace, because many different games used identical or similar bumper caps. Physical Condition: Parts If there are any broken or missing targets or flippers, these are replace- able. Balls, rubber rings, and most electrical components are available. ‘The plastic rings on the bottom of the pop bumpers are often chipped, Replacement rings are readily available, but budget an hour or two of wor's to disassemble and reassemble a pop bumper, Physical Condition: Cabinet A cabinet that still has the original paint in decent condition is more attractive and more valuable than a cabinet with faded and peeling paint, or one that has been gouged, beat up, and ornamented with the names of long- ago high school lovers and expletives deleted, or one that has been repainted Check the physical condition of the cabinet and the backbox. Avoid a machine if the wood is rotted, if the laminations are peeling, if the seams are coming apart, unless you are good at cabinet repair. If you see any signs of water damage to the cabinet, take it as a serious warning: A machine that has heen ina flood or under water may be damaged beyond repair. I’ve heard warnings, particularly from the southeastern United States, about termite infestation in pinball cabinets. Termites can live inside the wood, eating it from the inside out. What looks like # perfectly good cabinet may be about to collapse. If your finger can push in the wood, feel a hollow- ness to it, you may have an unrepairable termite hotel. Goin Mechanism Are the coin mechanisms still in the ma- chine? Most pinball machines have two coin slots, and each slot held a removable coin mech- anism, If you want coin operation, you will need one coin mechanism. The second mechanism was an extra, in case one jammed Don’t confuse the coin mechanism with the mounting hardware that holds the mechanism The hardware is bolted to the coin door and is permanent. The mechanism isa brass or plastic unit that snaps in and out of the hardware. See the chapter “Coin Mechanisms.” 14Back Door: Electro-Mechanical Machines Electro-mechanical machines have a metal access door behind the game. ‘The door protects the machine from dirt, animals, and curious peoplé. The door muffles a lot of the noise of the moving score reels and relays. Very often, the door is missing from a machine. Replacement doors are not easy to find. Doors came in many sizes and shapes. A sheet metal shop may be able to fabricate a door for you, or you can make one out of plywood. Open and Examine The Machine Now that you've gotten this far, remove the playfield glass (see the chapter “Opening Up The Machine”), start a new game, and, one by one, hand operate every switch, target, sling shot, bumper, everything that the ball can activate, to see if it is working. If an individual target or rollover or bumper isn’t work- ing, the problem is most likely an out of adjustment switch, and the repair is most likely minor—if it’s an electro-mechanical game. A non-working switch on an electronic game may indicate 2 minor switch adjustment, but it may indicate a burned transistor, diode or chip. Raise up the playfield (remove the ball first so it doesn’t come crashing down) and brace the playfield up with the pivoting wood or metal bar mounted on the right side of the cabinet. How clean is the inside of the game? Is there any water damage? Old mouse nests? Chewed wires? Dangling wires? Missing components? Are there signs of amateur patch-job rewiring? If any playfield components such as pop bumpers or flippers are not work- ing, are there burned or stuck coils causing the problem? If so, read the chap- ter on how to replace them. They are easy and inexpensive to replace, and the fact they are not working can bring down the cost of the game significantly. Look inside the backbox for any obvious problems, On electronic games, examine the batteries and the circuit boards for signs of battery corrosion, Battery corrosion can seriously damage circuit boards. (See the chapter “Bat- teries”). Electro-mechanical games do not use batteries. ‘Look at the connectors on electronic machines, the white or colored plastic plugs that attach wires to the cirouit boards. Be wary of plugs that show burn marks or discoloration from overheating Many solid state problems can be traced to these plugs. Be wary of machines that have rusted or corroded components, and machines that are very dirty or greasy. Rusted coil plungers and dirty, sticky switches will require a lot of time, hours and hours, cleaning the machine so it will play well. There are plenty of clean, well-cared-for machines out there. ‘There is no reason to buy a poorly maintained machine. Schematics and Instruction Books All new pinball machines came with a schematic, and most games made after 1970 also came with an instruction book. In electro-mechanical games, these wore separate items. In newer electronic games, the schematics are bound into the instruction book. Schematics are wiring diagrams, showing the electrical components of the 15game, identifying wiros by color, and giving fuse ratings. It is very difficult to trace wiring, to trace a non-working part of the game to whatever is keeping it from working, without the schematic. There are similarities in schematics for different games, but each game's schematic is unique. The instruction book that came with the machine included playinginstrue- tions, adjustments, playfield diagrams, parts lists. Some instruction books have more wiring diagrams, particularly motor settings and motor switch locations, critical information if a motor switch is the culprit in an unsolved problem. On some older electro-mechanical games that had no instruction book, the motor switch information was often printed on a card, stapled to the inside side wall of the cabinet near the motor. It is a real plus when the machine you are buying comes with the original “paperwork”: the schematic, instruction book, score cards, If the paperwork is gone, you can purchase copies (and sometimes originals) of schematics and instruction books for most pinball machines from pinball suppliers, for $15 to $25. When paperwork is missing from a game, you may be able to use that as a negotiating point when buying the machine, The Manufacturers Over the years, many ® different manufacturers ¢ D. p; made pinball machines. But e the three companies that made the most games, stayed in business the longest, and built the most popular games were D. Gottlieb & Co., Williams, and Bally. Another long time pinball manufacturer was Chicago Coin, later bought out by Stern. All four companies were based in Chicago. Gottlieb was purchased by Premier in the 1980s, and then went out of business in 1996. Williams bought out Bally in 1988 but quit making pinballs in 1999. Stern closed in 1984 but re-opened again in 2000. Each manufacturer had its own way of building a game, its own way of scoring, Ylilliams its own style of artwork, even its own sound to the chimes. And there are people, true pinball aficionados, who love Gottlieb games and will not buy a Williams game, and vice versa. Because Gottlieb, Williams and Bally made co many machines, parts for those machines are easy to come by. Many Stern components were inter- changeable with Bally components. Machines made by other manufacturers who were not in business very long may be difficult to repair due to a lack of parts. A company called Allied Leisure made cocktail table size pinball games in the late 1970s. Al- lied Leisure parts and schematics are very difficult to find. The Game Plan Company and Atari built pinball machines in the 1980s. 16A company called Data East made machines in the late 1980s. Some of their components were interchangeable with Williams components. Midway made a few games in the 1960s and 1970s and later merged with Pally. A Spanish company, Sonic, made games in the 1970s, often using Williams parts. Another overseas company, Zaccaria, made machines in the 1970s; their schematics are very hard to find. And in the early days of pinball, the 1930s through the 1950s, companies now long gone made pinballs: United, Jennings, Keeney, Genco, Exhibit Supply, Pacific. These are true collectors games today, but you’re likely to be on your own trying to repair them. In the 1990s, two new companies entered pinball manufacturing, Sega and Capcom. Capcom lasted only a few years, In 1999, Sega sold its pinball operation to Gary Stern, son of the founder of the old Stern Company. As of this writing, Stern Pinball of Chicago, Illinois is the only company in the world still making new pinball machines. See eee ee Electro Mechanical Versus Electronic Pinball Machines Pinball games are referred to as either electro-mechanical (EM) or electronic (solid state, SS, digital). Up until 1976, all pinballs were electro- mechanical. The operation of the game, the scoring, the bonuses, the ball counting, everything, was accomplished by a complex series of electro-magnetic relay coils that opened and closed switches that performed the tasks needed to make the game work. The coils themselves were activated by switches on the playfield, switches hit or rolled over or landed on by the ball; or the coils were activated by switches on other coils. Real bells and chimes would be struck bya metal striker activated, like everything else in the game, by a coil. Electro-mechanical scoring was accomplished by score reels that tuned, with numbers 0 through 9 on each reel. Three or four reels were mounted next to each other in the backbox, to score 10's, 100’s, 1,000’s, and 10,000’s. If the score went over the maximum score the reels could register, the game would “turn over,” start at zero again but continue to rack up points. Some machines had a 100,000 light that would light up when you turn the game over. Some pinballs have a light that says “Over The Top,” that flashes when you turn the game over. Some Bally games have a buzzer that rings as well. A few machines had a scoring reel for 100,000-900,000. On very old games, from the 1950s and earlier, scoring was accomplished by lights behind the backglass. The lights illuminated painted score numbers on the backglass, On these old games, most of the backglass was taken up with painted numbers, Electronic machines first appeared in 1976. The operation and scoring is controlled by transistors, diodes, computer chips, and other solid state compo- nents. Sceres are shown on electronic displays. The first electronic games still used real chimes, but it wasn’t long before all electronic games offered digital sounds and music and (eventually) talking, using computer chips. A more important difference between electro-mechanical and electronic machines is that electronic machines are usually much faster paced than electro-mechanical machines. Solid-state flippers, pop bumpers, kickout (eject) 17