Very pleased to share with the pinball community that Chicago Gaming is on course to start shipping Attack from Mars in May as promised. A lot of effort, money, and time has been spent in designing an incredibly efficient and flexible production line. With almost six months in the making, it was necessary to first move several departments around in our 100,000 plus square foot building to clear the space for our pinball production facility. In the various work cells, production of AFM sub-assemblies is well under way as you can see in the photos. First production test playfields are already on the line as well. By early June we hope to be providing our dealers with a reliable production schedule so that they can inform their customers with some sense of a delivery window.

2017-05-03 12.47.02-1 (resized).jpg
2017-05-03 11.06.13 (resized).jpg
2017-05-03 11.06.48 (resized).jpg
2017-05-03 11.07.02 (resized).jpg
2017-05-03 11.07.34 (resized).jpg
2017-05-03 11.08.17 (resized).jpg
2017-05-03 11.09.47 (resized).jpg
2017-05-03 11.08.54 (resized).jpg
2017-04-20 12.55.39 (resized).jpg
2017-04-20 12.56.06 (resized).jpg
2017-04-20 12.56.20 (resized).jpg
2017-04-20 12.55.13 (resized).jpg
2017-04-20 11.55.00 (resized).jpg
2017-04-20 11.55.30 (resized).jpg

We have designed our own protector that probably leans much closer to that of the Mantis style protector; however, we have also added a small custom cut piece of mylar for the top of the hole as well. I hope this helps.

Very much appreciate the nice comments. We are super busy at CGC and I don't have a lot of time to spend on Pinside, but will promise to continue to share information when it is meaningful. In fact, I hope to deliver some new news within the next few days.

Oops, we added this a few months ago to the code and may have forgotten to even mention this. Yes, you will have this option available in the settings.

The CGC line is up and running – the first four games are scheduled to ship tomorrow! We are initially building one hundred Special Edition games; Limited Edition games will then immediately follow.

We greatly appreciate your comments – many of your suggestions have been incorporated into AFMr. These improvements include:

1. CGC Stroke of Luck Hole Protector
2. Additional mylar has been added to further protect the playfield.
3. Blackout Feature – the game owner can now set the translite illumination to be turned off during Strobe Multiball.
4. Back Panel Art – The original AFM did not have back panel art. Doug Watson, created all new artwork for the backpanel.
5. Topper – Since we first debuted the topper at TPS, a great deal of time has been spent refining and further integrating it into game play.
6. SuzoHapp Door – The new coin door now features two slotted coin openings (with US quarter coin mechanisms) and will now accommodate a standard upstack bill acceptor (being highly requested by the operating community). For European customers, we will be using the single slot electronic coin mechanism opening (no mechanism included).
7. Customized Logo Display – Both the LE and SE now allow the game owner to customize the logo appearing on the speaker panel. Games will ship with the Bally logo appearing in the small Customized Logo Display area. Details on file requirements and installation procedures to be included in the manual.

By Friday of next week, we will be sharing a rough production schedule with our dealers. It’s up to the dealers to communicate to their customers where they fall in line, collect balances due, and ultimately arrange transportation on the games. We are ever so grateful for your input and the passion that so many show towards this industry. Please also follow us at https://www.facebook.com/chicagogamingcompany/. More information to soon come out of CGC.

Thank you.

Doug Skor

2017-05-31 14.27.31 (resized).jpg

2017-05-31 15.40.34 (resized).jpg

2017-05-31 14.20.21 (resized).jpg

2017-05-31 14.20.34 (resized).jpg

2017-06-01 11.19.37 (resized).jpg

2017-05-31 14.23.08 (resized).jpg

2017-05-31 14.23.32 (resized).jpg

2017-06-01 12.36.59 (resized).jpg

2017-06-01 15.36.21 (resized).jpg

2017-06-01 12.34.26 (resized).jpg

2017-05-31 16.06.10 (resized).jpg

Mini Update:
• Mentioned in a previous post, I promised to share with the community our AFMR manual which was posted on our website this afternoon. Please feel free to look through it. http://www.chicago-gaming.com/files/AFM_MANUAL_REV_1.4.pdf
• Very pleased with the great comments on the Unboxing thread. We look forward in seeing many more!
• There was an instance reported whereby the SOL guard was slightly lower than it should have been. Our design is such that is should be 1/64ths below the height of the playfield. Small corrections have been made on the guard and the inspection team is carefully watching this, but it is our belief that very few games were shipped that did not meet our specifications. Overall, the games are functioning beautifully and the feedback we are receiving from the field is exciting.

More to come!

Doug Skor

Hello:

1. There has been a slight delay in shipping LE’s. Doug Duba did not like the metal printed medallions that have the serial numbers printed on them. He is making the supplier redo the entire 1,000 piece lot. I am hoping these medallions will arrive here within a couple of days. It has to be right or we simply are not going to ship it.
2. For those of you that have already received an AFMr SE, we have posted a new firmware link on our website: http://chicago-gaming.com/afm_update.php. As mentioned in an earlier post, this provides the owner with settings for both the diverter and the strobe. The high setting is very powerful on the strobe and I suggest that you try all four settings to see what works best for you. I look forward in hearing some response from those that load the new firmware on their games. All LE’s will be shipped with this new firmware already loaded.

Doug Skor

For those that are receiving their games, please open the manual up to page 2-29. I know you are all experts at setting up games and I would not want to insult anyone, but on this page you will find the instructions on installing the topper. All the cable are well marked and it should be easy for this audience to install. Lots of games being loaded on to trucks this week. Everyone at CGC thanks you for your business.

Regards.

Doug Skor

Hello Everyone:

A lot is happening at Chicago Gaming. We are very busy, but also very pleased to see all of the positive comments on Pinside.

1. All of the North American Serial Number Matching Program Games are now all packed and final ones should be shipping out of CGC the early part of next week. For our export dealers, we are timing most of their production with MMR’s that will soon follow so to consolidate containers.
2. Starting on Monday, we start boxing the non-SNMP LE games. The real bottleneck for us has been final inspection and packaging…the pains of production. We simply do not want to take any shortcuts with over 60 games already built and awaiting packing as well as our daily production coming off the line. It won’t be long before we have worked through the bottleneck.
3. We are anticipating being done with the nearly first 500 AFMR games by the end of August. By the very beginning of September, we will turn production on to the very first CGC assembled MMR’s. Our plan is still to produce only about 250 MMR’s. This will be the only run on MMR for 2017. We have orders for well beyond this number from our dealers, but will release them proportionally.
4. The work cells have already begun the production of MMR subassemblies. We are anticipating being in production starting the first week of September. We plan to be in MMR production for less than four weeks and then will immediately return to AFMR. Subassembly production on the second run of AFMR will begin in mid-September.
5. Let me try to settle some myths: a) the MMR Standard Edition will remain exactly as we have produced it to date. In other words, it will not include the large display. b)We are working on an option to upgrade anyone’s current game. c) It is not as simply as changing out the display panel….let me save you a bunch of time and effort. d) There are no current plans for another model. More on this to come in the future.
6. If for some reason you should have a service concern about your game, please simply open a ticket on the chicago-gaming.com website. I am sure that many of you will confirm that both Lloyd Olson and I are quick to resolve any open tickets.

Regards,

Doug Skor

Hello,

1. Things are now moving smoothly on MMR’s and first games will start shipping early part of this week. With the holiday weekend last week and a few snags on the line, we are back on track. Starting today, they will start boxing games. Many have already been built waiting on final QC.
2. We have had a few requests in sharing the green color specs for what we call Martian Green. Remember...this is not a liquid paint, but rather it is a powder. For those that want to go nuts painting other items: DuPont / AXALTA RAL6037
3. I need to remind everyone that we do not have access to our dealers orders and schedules. If you are seeking knowledge on when you will be receiving your game, I simply cannot be of any help. Please be sure contact your dealer.
4. Reminder: If you have a question about service or an individual part, please simply open a ticket on our service portal. https://chicagogamingcompany.freshdesk.com As most of you will attest, we are very responsive in resolving tickets quickly.

Our prayers go out to our friends in Florida, surrounding states and islands. We hope you all pull through the storm safely.

Doug Skor

Hello everyone!

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is knocking on the door. This year has blown by so quickly.

Update:
1. AFMR’s are coming down the line. There was again a slight lag in switching over the line from MMR, but things are progressing quite well. We continue to produce games six days a week.
2. We ended up building 300 MMR’s. While some are still waiting to be matched with some overseas containers, they are all allocated to our dealers.
3. It will take us no more than three weeks to complete the overseas containers…one even shipped out today. Immediately following, we will begin North American production again.
4. If you are having technical difficulties or have some questions, please start by simply opening a ticket on our service portal. As many will attest, we respond very quickly to the tickets: chicagogamingcompany.freshdesk.com

We appreciate all the positive comments and look forward in producing many more AFMR’s

Best Regards.

Doug Skor

Hello Everyone!

We are staying on course and the production team continues to fight to work our way out of this backorder situation.

Update:
• Several ocean going container shipped out over the past few weeks and few more still to load.
• We are right on target and starting next week we will start shipping North American games. For the first many weeks we will be focused on only Limited Edition games. Please communicate with your dealer as to when you will be receiving your games. CGC does not hold the order, the dealer does. We will be evenly distributing the games in relationship to a dealers allocation. Your continued patience is greatly appreciated.
• So here is the REAL breakdown. Of AFMR orders, 73% have chosen Martian Green, 20% Black, and 7% Stainless.
• We hear the cry for the enlarged screen on the MMR...we do listen to the market. Having said this it is not just an easy change of the display/speaker panel. At CGC we might walk a little slower and more methodically, but in the end we do find the right solution. More on this to come.
• I will be at the IAAPA show this next week. This is the largest international trade show of its kind. I’ll be working the CGC booth all four day and we are look forward in sharing the love of pinball.

More to come!

Doug Skor

Hello:

A lot equipment has been shipped to North American customers over the past week and half. We will continue to pump out the AFMR LE’s strong for the remainder of the year. On behalf of the entire CGC team, we want to wish all of our customers in the US a very happy Thanksgiving weekend.

Best regards

Doug Skor

Hello Everyone!

This year blew by for me and I can’t believe we are knocking on the door of Christmas / New Year’s 2018. We accomplished many great things at CGC this year. Most notably, I believe we are assembling / shipping an amazing product and we are hitting the promised timelines that we have made. The past many few weeks have insane with all that we have been shipping, considering all the various products that we produce.

Update:
1. Overall our games are performing amazingly. However, there has been a small number of reported concerns, on very recently produced games, of the balls trajectory as is comes out of the shooter lane. This really came to light as people opened tickets and we were able to piece to together the problem. By Monday morning our engineering and production team were working on a fix. Let me be clear, there are no failures; rather, the ball on these games comes out of the shooter lane and does not properly travel to the gate or around the orbiter loop. As mention several times, we work very methodically here at CGC. It might take a few days before we release the correction. Regardless, it will be an easy correction and we will post it on our service portal.
2. In the week of Christmas, we are scheduled to switch over in building out a handful of overseas containers. Shortly after the first of the year, we will return to North American production. The remainder of the LE’s will be produced and then it will be all SE’s and CE’s to follow.
3. By February we will have completed nearly 1,500 AFMR games, and with then return back to another small run of MMR.
4. We are still working on the MMR display/speaker panel upgrade. It’s not as simple as one might think and in order to it correctly, it going to take some time. More on this to come in 2018.
5. We will unveil Pin #3 at the Texas Pinball Festival in March.

From your friends at CGC, we wish you all a great holiday season with your families.

Regards,

Doug Skor

Service Update:

Previously, I mentioned that we will be providing a firmware update that applies to the Solenoid Driver Board. We had asked both our dealers and the people on Pinside to spread the word to return their flipper coil settings to "default" until such time that you have updated your games. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation. Both internally and externally, we have been testing the firmware to make sure that it is right. The feedback we got back from a few of our testing subjects is very positive and that it will actually improve the quality of the game. The update will provide you much better control of the flipper coils. PIC’s will start to be programed soon. They will be placed in an envelope in a protective shield, a PIC puller, and some brief instructions. I am anticipating to start shipping our dealers early next week. We will start with overseas dealers first. It will be up to our dealer to distribute the update to their customers. PLEASE DO NOT OPEN SERVICE TICKETS FOR THIS UPDATE, FOR THEY WILL NOT BE DISTRIBUTED DIRECTLY BY CGC.

This issue came to light on the week between Christmas and New Year’s holidays. We quickly responded in isolating the problem and correcting the code, but the testing process took a little longer. Please stay in touch with your dealer on this update. We appreciate your patience.

Thank you.

Doug Skor

Hello Everyone:

Roughly 47 days till spring, but who’s counting. For those of us that live in the cold climates, we just try to bear through the late fall and winter months. We so appreciate the warmer weather, once it breaks.

Update:
1. As of today, all of the Solenoid Driver Updates V2.0 were shipped out to our dealers. Please allow a few more days for them to receive them, but I am confident that they will be turning them back around quite quickly. The response has been very positive and we appreciate everyone’s patience as these get distributed.
2. AFMR LE are soon to be completed. We will continue to build a stock of SE and CE’s to last us through much of the remaining year. In early March, we will have another small run of MMR. All of these have been pretty much committed for by our dealers.
3. Pin #3 is scheduled to be released at the Texas Pinball Festival on March 15, 2018 in Dallas. We are super excited to see everyone’s response to Pin #3. Once again, we have raised the bar, while putting amazing value in each of the three models. If you have never attended TPF, its quite the event. Book your trip now.
4. At the end of February, CGC will also be attending Amusement Expo in Las Vegas on February 28 and March 1. The new pin will not be at the Expo, like it was last year. This show focuses on the operating community and we will continue to foster our brand to this group.
5. We are in negotiations on bringing on some additional dealers in Europe and the Far East. We are very selective as to whom we add as a dealer and feel very confident with our overseas partners. CGC continues to grow its foot print across the globe. More on this to come in future updates.
6. Reminder: If you have a service problem that needs the attention of CGC, please open a service ticket: www.chicagogamingcompany.freshdesk.com However, in many cases, your local dealer can help with a lot of issues. If you live beyond the shores of North America, most of our dealers are amazing support centers as well. Your first best move might be contacting your dealer.
7. For those seeking to purchase non-warranty parts, please contact: www.planetarypinball.com By contractual arrangement, we cannot sell parts. Planetary Pinball is the licensor of the Williams / Bally products and they reserved the rights to sell parts. If you cannot easily find what you are looking for online, PPS has also established a customer service ticketing system that can be found on their website as well.

We appreciate your support.

Doug Skor

Update:

1. About a month ago we had several tickets that were opened with a concern of the AFMR auto shooter lane, whereby balls were not traveling all the way to the top. We have worked with those customers on a one-on-one basis in resolving these concerns. We are asking if there is anyone else out there that is having this issue, please open a ticket on our on our system and use the description on the subject line as “shooter lane” when establishing the ticket. Submitting a short video would be helpful as well.
2. With just a few mishaps, everyone has had great success in installing the AFMR V2.0 Solenoid Driver Board PIC. The feedback has been very positive and we are hopeful that 100% of those that required this PIC will soon be installed. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and participation.
3. We have pretty much completed the AFMR LE build and will continue to produce SE and CE’s. MMR will also be coming off the line within the next couple of weeks as well.

More to come from CGC.

Regards.

Doug Skor