(Topic ID: 340645)

Advice for someone new to owning

By ira212

1 year ago


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  • 19 posts
  • 17 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 57 days ago by gjm
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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#1 1 year ago

Hi all! I’ve been considering getting a pin for a really long time, and just recently had the good fortune of getting my grail game - Medieval Madness ! It was HOU, and is in great condition now, but I’m worried I’m going to mess it up! I welcome any advice you care to share for a total newbie.

Specifically, I’m wondering how important climate control is. Right now, it’s in a pretty hot and probably not particularly dry location. I have limited places to put it, but maybe I should invest in a dehumidifier? Do I need to be running the AC in that room all the time? Basically, I’m wondering how badly temperature and normal humidity will degrade the machine.

If there’s a different forum where I should post this, please LMK. All advice welcome. Thank you!

#2 1 year ago

welcome to the hobby !

Cant see any major issues , where do you plan to keep it ?

and be prepared to have a another keeping its company there will always be an other right behind it !

MM is a great game

#3 1 year ago

Welcome to Pinside.

It's hard to mess it up unless you start playing with wires.

How humid is it? If it's in your house with AC it should be fine. If you have it on the porch on the coast, I'd rethink it. In a basement without AC? yes a dehumidifier.

If its in the house you are living in, you'll never have the temperature extreme enough to hurt the machine.

A few days of humidity and heat in the summer isn't going to hurt the machine. All machines have been stored in non-climate controlled warehouses at some point.

#4 1 year ago

Cool and dry is best. Heat is not horrible unless you are playing it at the time. Sunlight fades art, especially on the cabinet.

Think of you MM as one of your children. Keep them comfortable and safe!

Congrats.

#5 1 year ago

Welcome to the hobby!

Another thing to add, when something does go wrong and you have to inspect your game, make sure you turn the game off before trying to find the problem. Also remove the balls before lifting the playfield. There may be a time when you have to have the game on to check a switch, but for now while you are learning, turn the game off when lifting the playfield.

#6 1 year ago

You might want to get a copy of Bernard Kamoroff's new book, "Your Pinball Machine" -- written for people just like you.
..................David Marston

#7 1 year ago

as has been stated, i think the worst problems for condition are if it's in a place where the game is often in direct sunlight which can fade the art, especially with a lot of original 90's WPC titles, and/or in an outdoor/garage/storage location where there is little or no humidity control which can lead to rusting or corrosion of exposed metal parts over time. most basements are probably ok, but if yours tends towards the damp side a dehumidifier certainly can't hurt. some games with inexpensive manufactured wood used as the back piece for the backbox can also have swelling problems if stored in high-humidity environments, and less commonly with the rest of the cabinet if made from similar materials.

as for overall temperature, it's less of a concern than humidity, though with any game that has a painted or screen-printed backglass or other artwork (this goes for arcade game bezels and marquees as well,) large temperature swings can cause the art to crack and peel as the glass and paint expand and contract at different rates, and can happen regardless of humidity levels. shouldn't be an issue with your MM since i believe it has a translite instead, but, for when you start buying your next game(s), most titles up until the mid-80's have this type of backglass and some are still being produced with them today.

#8 1 year ago

Don’t be afraid to dig in and fix stuff! Note: the following pic is completely in jest

IMG_2105 (resized).jpegIMG_2105 (resized).jpeg
#9 1 year ago

Cool, dry and low light.

#10 1 year ago

Thank you all for these helpful comments and advice! I appreciate it!

This is a newbie question, but when I'm ready to stop playing, I just turn off the machine via the switch at the bottom, right? There's no "shut down" mode or anything - I can even do it in the middle of game? (though I typically wouldn't)

Thanks again!

#11 1 year ago
Quoted from ira212:

Thank you all for these helpful comments and advice! I appreciate it!
This is a newbie question, but when I'm ready to stop playing, I just turn off the machine via the switch at the bottom, right? There's no "shut down" mode or anything - I can even do it in the middle of game? (though I typically wouldn't)
Thanks again!

Correct, just the switch.

#12 1 year ago
Quoted from ira212:

Thank you all for these helpful comments and advice! I appreciate it!
This is a newbie question, but when I'm ready to stop playing, I just turn off the machine via the switch at the bottom, right? There's no "shut down" mode or anything - I can even do it in the middle of game? (though I typically wouldn't)
Thanks again!

You can turn it off or on at any time by unplugging it, using the switch, using a smart switch, whatever you'd like. These were made for commercial usage. MOST commercial locations plug these in and have the switch turned on at all times, and control the on/off function by switching on or off a circuit breaker turning all their machines on or off at once. I personally have mine all switched to "on" and have mine hooked up to a SMART switch and a surge protector. As the topic of your thread is about keeping your machine nice I highly advise a surge protector just in case you line gets hit by lighting. It's not a toaster. You can also just use the switch underneath. Welcome!

#13 1 year ago

Is your Medieval Madness an original Williams or a CGC remake? If it's a newer remake, it should be relatively trouble free for years to come. If it's an original Williams, it's now 26 years old. It too could be relatively trouble free since it was HUO and most likely relatively lightly played. But it will probably require a little more of your attention.

#14 1 year ago

1.) Change your batteries out every year - keep power on to retain HS table
2.) Underside or backbox related work - power OFF (one slip of a metal object can blow shit up)
3.) Wax your pf every 3-4 months - pretty much any Caranuba based wax
4.) Change balls out every 6 months or so. (Rubbers when needed)
5.) Don't be afraid to "try". Plenty of good people here and there's NOTHING you can do that someone else can't fix.
6.) Research typical failure points of said title - buy extra parts and keep them on hand so you never have downtime.

As stated HUO should be pretty problem free "for now" but common maintenance items are flipper coil inserts, coil stops and flipper linkages. Just purchase a flipper rebuild kit so they're on hand when the time comes. Congrats on a great machine and welcome!

2 weeks later
#15 1 year ago

Thank you all so much! I really appreciate the welcome and the advice!

#16 1 year ago

If you don't have one already, I suggest that you acquire a manual for your new machine and have it on hand for when you need to repair or replace something. The part numbers, schematics, and wiring details in the manual will be very helpful when the time come to repair something, and it will come. If you cant get a normal manual, perhaps you can download one and print it out. I like the original manuals myself.

1 year later
#17 58 days ago

This was a really helpful thread, thanks everyone!

I'm getting my first ever machine tomorrow, an NIB Godzilla 70th anniversary. Pretty stoked!

I do live in a very humid environment though (regularly high 80% and up), and it was helpful to see the advice on that. I think I will pick up a dehumidifier for those times when I am away on holiday; otherwise, I will just run the AC a lot to keep the room relatively dry.

Thanks again for the tips for all us newbies out there! This is a great community!

#18 58 days ago
Quoted from usandthem:

Is your Medieval Madness an original Williams or a CGC remake? If it's a newer remake, it should be relatively trouble free for years to come. If it's an original Williams, it's now 26 years old. It too could be relatively trouble free since it was HUO and most likely relatively lightly played. But it will probably require a little more of your attention.

If it is an original Williams MM, it will be easier to work on and easier to fix than a remake.

#19 57 days ago

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