how "cold" of weather are you talking?

it's -21F here in lovely central Wisconsin today.

i would say not to play anything when it is under 45 in the room. i know that electronics like to be cold, but the liquids that are in the displays, capacitors, batteries, etc are not as friendly to truly cold temperatures.

update your location so we can see what you consider to be "cold" playing conditions.

Well where do you live? How cold does it get in the garage? You must be new here, Welcome.

Pins in unheated garages can suffer from corrosion and a list of other bad things!

Pins kept in the freezing garage usually develop planking in the playfield surface.

What side effects if any in really hot temperatures?

We had a show here in town when it was in the hundreds. No AC in the building & the games would reset out of no where. Not sure what would happen if one sat there for months or years. I'd guess paint flaking on backglass's & plastics warping.

I was wondering about this too, not because I have pins out in an unheated garage, but just in terms of moving them. Is there any concern with having a pin in the back of a truck for a number of hours in very cold weather (around 0°F)?

I've been to the PHOF on days where it felt like it was 100+ in there.

Ack. I think we need a new designation. I don't care about "HUO", I want to know if a pin is "RTO"... Regulated Temperature Only.

I got a Gottlieb Spring break in my detached garage. It has no PF glass on it and it is going below -10 today and tomorrow.

Oh well LOL

Planking on the playfield is the biggest concern. If it has a backglass, the paint can crack and fall off of that too. A pin *can* be destroyed by temps below about 40 degrees F. I still hear stories of games enduring extreme conditions that come out fine, but it's always a risk. Generally, powering up any electronic device in low temperatures is bad news due to condensation. I only leave vids in my garage over the winter, but I don't ever turn them on until the temp rises.

AHHHH Don't let that happen to spring break!!! Greatest game ever!

I had my Solar City in an unheated storage place here in Edmonton. I had it wrapped in a thick moving blanket covered over with a thick plastic cover. It was in there over 2 years, with -30 degrees Celsius and colder temperatures. The humidity in this region is very low. It survived, 3 years ago in the spring I got it set up again in the house. I had a backglass from a Segasa Monte Carlo in the same place. It was in with some boxes, and it ended up with cracking in the art work. Having acces to heated, or warm storage is much better.

Rapid changes in humidity, and temperature, will certianly effect the machine. Like any electronic device let it warm up slowly, before plugging it in.

I service some pins in a biker clubhouse that is unheated during the week.

I leave a reptile heating mats inside the cabs to keep the games from freezing and planking.

Just a low, constant gentle heat - works great.

Today it is -5 F here in northern, IL with -25 F windchill.

If you can't afford to keep your extra pins in temperature controlled environment, then you probably should not be buying pins. Keep them out of the cold. Keep them out of the sun.

That kind of neglect is destroying them.

Call me picky but I wouldn't even ship a pin through this cold weather. I waited for a warm day (30 F) to pick up my STLE and kept it in my heated van during the trip. I cringe when I hear of people hauling pins in a pickup truck in this kind of weather.

If you are going to keep an older game with a painted backglass in a non-temperature controlled environment, you should probably at least remove the backglass and store it somewhere else.

Above 50 when played, above 40 when stored is my general rule.

No issues at all here in N. Ca with keeping pins in an unheated garage, but then again we don't (usually) have below freezing winters.

No matter what room you are in, that room is at room temperature - Steven Wright.

Easy solution

undertankheater.JPG

Love that guy.

I bought some powdered water... I didn't know what to add.

I keep some of my pins in the garage, 55-60 degrees with about 40% humidity
Temp changes are gradual

"My mother was on vacation and sent me postcard with a picture of planet earth signed "I wish you were here"

I went on vacation once. My boss asked me how long I was going to be gone. 'The whole time' I said.

"If a man says something in the woods and there are no women there, is he still wrong?"

Someone make a Steven Wright pin lol. The quotes would be epic.

One more

"I stayed up all night playing poker with tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died."

How do you route the power cord out of the cab?

Just leave the coin door open if people aren't playing it I would guess?

Couldnt you just plug it in to the service outlet?

"Why is the alphabet in that order?"

Use the service outlet.

Unless it has been modified, the service outlet provides power even if the game is off.