I wouldn't say your nuts at all.....and this hobby certainly needs people like you.

I enjoy fixing most problems. I don't enjoy when they start to get real tricky though and you run into a lot of dead ends.

I would also say I prefer playing them over fixing them overall......but fixing does give you a certain satisfaction that you don't get from playing. I also really enjoy modding them.....tastefully.

No you are not nuts. Here is another one for you. I like to read and post about pinball more than I like playing.

Am I nuts??

Add a poll on who is more nuts.

Yes...maybe more

I once placed a free ad in Amusement Review (Jim Tolbert's pub) stating; "Wanted, Broken or working pinball machines". Got some good responses from Operators.

Very rewarding- except repairing previous hacks can be a bit irritating, especially when it costs you money!

NO. I like playing a lot, but I like successfully repairing them even more. It's more of a disease in my situation, since I repair professional audio electronics for a living. Many times I have to ask myself "I work on electronics all day, why in the world am I doing this as a hobby too on my own time?"
I am a sick man. Soon to be looking for my next project.

Nothing more satisfying then bringing a dead game back in the winter,
a pot of coffee , 6 pack of beer and snow coming down outside

I found with my video games and the one pin I brought back from the dead that I really love the tinkering and restoring as much as I love playing. I just looked at two project machines last night that I can't wait to take in, Centigrade 37 (stuck switch no bigs) and a Bally Stark Trek (less fun than fixing an EM). There is just something so satisfying knowing that you "did that".

Yes you are nuts!!!!......And so am I!

I know exactly how you feel......EXACTLY!

Pretty fun, isn't it?

^^^^^^ this!

Here's what I like to do. Drag a beater out of a warehouse, get it working, and play it some. Then I shop it out and play it again, and appreciate the huge difference in the way it looks and plays.

Is all the ^^^^^^^'s a good thing or bad?? I think I miss some of the shorthand lingo in the forum world. Still learning!

Love getting old and busted machines working again, and then getting them into nice shape. It makes me happy to play 30+year old pins that work as well as they did 30+ years ago. Conversely it makes me sad when I go somewhere with pins and the old ones are all sad and rundown. I just want to rescue them and get them back in good condition.

Last 6 months:

Rollergames - Popped inserts, dead MPU, dead soundcard, dead sound and game ROMS, display chip was toasted as well.

DE Time Machine - Acid killed MPU, +5v power supply was dead, gassed displays, pop bumper coil locked on and melted and blew 2 transistors, flipper link exploded and caused something to short out GI lines.

Doctor Who - DMD out, lamp and switch matrix out. No 12v, no 18v. Check Fuses F114 and F115 error. Time Expander not moving.

It's all fixed except the Time Expander...currently working on that one, but expect it to be fixed in the next week or two.

I am with you, I love to work on them, I get high when they work again because of my hard work.

Bring machines back from the dead 1 switch at a time.

--Jeff

Tinkering with them is fine. Fixing them, because they are really broken, I don't like so much. But I like when it's working again.

Not at all. As a matter of fact, I have a couple of machines that you can work on if you would like. : )

Pafasa, that was me pointing out your post and wholeheartedly agreeing with you!

Hell, I barely play them at all!

I've spent more time with the soldering iron out than jamming on the flippers. I enjoy troubleshooting more than playing. The biggest problem, is that I keep running into the same issues over and over again. It's lost a lot of the challenge.

I need to have a project machine at all times. I try to keep it at one though. two broken ones overwhelms me a bit.

Cool!! I agree with your wholeheartedly agreeing---ness

Feels good to accomplish a big fix, but I get more sick of it as time goes on.

I can't see ever getting sick of it. Fixing stuff is in my blood.

i like tinkering and fixing most of them as much as playing indeed

same here. I enjoy troubleshooting and I like the sense of accomplishment when I fix something and the game becomes fully functional.

Ha HAAAA

I'm one of those people. I'm only happy when I'm restoring a game, once it's done I'm bored with it and I need another project. My wife and friends love it though, there's always a new game dialed to perfection while I'm tearing the next one down.
I think it's time to do a custom pin, a lot harder, more planning, more fun!

Yes, but not in the same way you do. For me to enjoy a broken game, two things need to happen. The game still needs to be playable and whatever is broken needs to be advantageous to the player.

One day I found an AFM on location that had a broken drop target. It wouldn't reset, so destroying saucers was stupid easy. That day I ruled the universe twice in one game for the first time. Best broken game ever!

Add me to the list. I can't figure out whether I buy machines to play them and working on them is a perk, or if I buy to work on them with playing as a perk.

Could not have said it better myself!!! I would have tried though.

I prefer working on machines be it servicing or bringing a dead machine to life again. I just brought back a Space Shuttle from the dead and it was the most enjoyable 35 hours I've spent with a machine and is my pride and joy. Now that I have no machines to work on I feel like something is missing, I just don't feel complete unless I have a project machine to work on so I've picked up 2 new customers so I can get paid to fix their machines while getting that much needed fix. You are not alone here!

When I'm not working on pinball machines I am usually scouting yard sales for antique radios and fixing/restoring those on the side. I restored a beautiful roll top Philco radio from 1935 last year that was given to me for free, it has to be one of the best looking pieces of furniture in our home.

I love me some project machines. I think I have as many projects right now as fully operational. Even better when you can pick one up for free as someone's trash and later add it next to others in the working line-up.

Projects are nice, but working machines with no errors are the best.

of course these games can drive you crazy
and some of them dont want to wake up

I love pinball, period. I really enjoy the hunt for old forgotten pins in barns, grandma's basements and all the other odd places they hide. I too enjoy working on broken pins and the satisfaction that comes when the machine finally comes back to life.

I partnered up with an electronic technician who is in to vintage to modern pinball and arcade games. I enjoy going to his shop and helping him. I have learned ALOT! Love working on them.

I've owned more than 100 pins over the years and can only think of
3 that worked when I got them. For me, most of the fun is finding a
beater and restoring it. Including the latest SS pins, bingos and EM's.
Nothing beats getting to play a machine you brought back to life.
Steve

I love working on them - unless there is a problem I can't figure out.

I love working on them as well . I have bought many machines from operators and have brought them back to nice cond. I also enjoy collecting and restoring vintage gas station pumps. Another sickness LOL! I also trade pumps for pins!

Sometimes it is fun just to sit and read all of your posts instead of going out to the workshop and tinker with a game!

Rob IMG_2086.JPG IMG_2240.JPG

No.