(Topic ID: 233442)

How many pins can you keep 100% running in a home environment?

By JoinTheCirqus

5 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 40 posts
  • 37 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by Whysnow
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    #1 5 years ago

    I have 15 pins, 11 currently set up. While I’d love to have more, space constraints limit the collection size. Coincidentally, I believe thats the maximum amount of pins I can keep completely running and dialed in at any point in time, meaning all repair and maintenance is up to date, with family playing a couple times a week and occasional pin parties - collection is JJP, Stern and wpc-95. Just curious for others what is your number of pins “sweet spot” for keeping all of them optimal.

    #2 5 years ago

    I find around 5 to be my number. YMMV depending on family, free time, how much you play your pins, etc.

    This is for me having them completely dialed in, all lights working, leveled, no credit dot, cleaned, waxed, etc.

    #3 5 years ago

    I've got non-working projects in my lineup and have for a long time, so my track record on working to not working ratio is poor. I'm pretty good about fixing stuff on my working pins as they need it, but I have so little time to work on the projects, I probably need to quit buying them. I think I'm at 5 working at the moment.

    #4 5 years ago

    Depends on how much free time you have. If you have an hour or two a night, probably 20+.

    #5 5 years ago

    I have 15, and there always seems to be 1 with an issue.

    #6 5 years ago
    Quoted from Jjsmooth:

    I have 15, and there always seems to be 1 with an issue.

    I have 16, and there always seems to be only 1 without some kind of an issue.

    #7 5 years ago

    4 and most of them are under repair right now

    #8 5 years ago

    I’m up to 15 including ones on loan. If even a switch is out, I can’t stand it. Haha

    #9 5 years ago

    i have 15 in my house and I don't think I've ever had all of them running 100%.

    #10 5 years ago

    Chalk up another 15 owner that always has something going on. Hell, less than that if you count the ones that are in pieces

    #11 5 years ago

    123.

    rd

    #12 5 years ago

    When I had 7, one always had an issue, so... that now makes me have zero at home and dozens to play on route

    #13 5 years ago

    I own 64 games i always seem to have around five or four broke you fix one another one breaks.

    #14 5 years ago

    It doesn’t bug you that you’re only 3 away from having all 126 work right? Haha. You’re so close!

    #15 5 years ago

    33 currently. Two more playable but with minor issues I need to get to

    #16 5 years ago

    55 is my limit right now.

    #17 5 years ago

    Can keep 30 going .

    #18 5 years ago

    Down to 36, one one the way, all of mine except for 3, were NIB for me, or the collector that I bought from. Very little
    issues ever compared to when I started with 42 , 80s and 90s pins.

    #19 5 years ago
    Quoted from chuckwurt:

    I’m up to 15 including ones on loan. If even a switch is out, I can’t stand it.

    Nice! Here, borrow my pins for a while, please

    #20 5 years ago
    Quoted from chuckwurt:

    It doesn’t bug you that you’re only 3 away from having all 126 work right? Haha. You’re so close!

    It’s taken a long time - the three remaining are full ground up restores, I’m halfway through one and that’ll leave two.

    rd

    #21 5 years ago

    Being a perfectionist I can find something on each of my games that needs attention.
    For me, the number keeps dropping as my desire to chase repairs dwindles.
    I would say 4 or 5.
    I have never owned a game newer than 16 years old.

    #22 5 years ago

    Depends on what you own. If all you own are 10 brand new sterns with less than 100 plays, you probably won’t have many issues.

    #23 5 years ago

    Besides 1 node board all my new Sterns have been pretty darn flawless, I'll give them that.
    But for sure they are on the lower end of the play spectrum.

    #24 5 years ago

    All 7 cleared hot.

    #25 5 years ago

    Right now 8-9.

    If I didn't have massive, why did you buy this, kind of projects and also a home that wasn't a project in and of itself, maybe 15 tops. A shop job for me is a 100 hour affair so really does limit how many i can deal with at once.

    #26 5 years ago

    I have 15 and all 15 are perfect. I just tackle issues right away when they crop up

    #27 5 years ago

    16 (soon to be 17) here......always seems to be one that needs a bit of attention....sometimes I think they toy w me, more than me toying w them......get them all 100%, go grab a beverage, come back, and a random insert decides to go out....

    #28 5 years ago

    I'm up to 4 in my first 4 years collecting, and I am feeling this pain already. I run a restaurant for a living and I am trying to remodel our house in my down time. I have an EM that I just arranged a repair for because I don't have the time to get to it and I am having a gathering/pinball party next weekend. Just too busy working, spackling, sanding, laying base moulding with guage blocks and pulling out roomfuls of carpet to chase an issue. If I wasn't in the middle of the remodel, it would be different.

    #29 5 years ago

    Every game i got setup is working. I think its 19 or so.

    once i go through a "project game" they seem to have a break in period where little problems and tweaks show up. After broken in they seem to be pretty solid.

    I learned just fixing whats broken ends up wasting more time in the long run. Be thorough.

    #30 5 years ago

    I had 11 and always had one down.. like always. Currently I’m down to 8 and it’s much more manageable. I should note I do t have a whole lot of free time due to small children.

    #31 5 years ago

    Have 9 of them currently 3 are non working and came to me that way. Seeing i keep buying fixer uppers (even the ones that came working [supposedly all fixed] they give the appearance of being right but find out otherwise) yes there are general illumination issues,switches that some how don't work 1 out of 5000 times every so often. Really just depends on the day of the week the issues change . But i kinda expect that for games that are 25+ yrs old and were routed and not always taken care of as they should have. I fix stuff in runs but keep on playing them when possible. This helps in the trouble shooting. Kicker is just about the time the game is done i go and sell it and get another project.

    #32 5 years ago

    A lot of people don't care to understand the history of their games. It's critical when you service a game. As others have stated, once I get a game up and running properly, I play it 50ish times until I am satisfied that every single thing not only works, but will continue to work. Then it is show, league, or for sale worthy.

    There is always something just waiting to overheat or break when you start using a game that has been sitting for months or even decades. Those things do not always appear in the first few plays. You don't know the environment it was stored, how it was abused, what else the owner did to it, or what quick fixes the operator used to just force it to keep taking quarters.

    #33 5 years ago

    I have all 10 working and lit fine!!

    #34 5 years ago

    Of you have a modern collection I think it can easily be 15-20 pcs.

    Have 4 sterns myself, almost never an issue
    Friend has 8 sterns, same experience
    Another friend has mix of 9 pcs stern and BW, think we have 1 technician evening as I call it a year.

    So in a home use environment I see little issues. If you have older pins I think you should give them a good service and shopping job after purchasing and should be fine to.

    #35 5 years ago

    Out of 35 that are setup in the house 5 need some work. This seems to be
    about average. Its really depends a lot on they type of machines
    you have. If mine were all EM's I'd be closer to 100% working. Only about
    half are in my collection.
    Steve

    #36 5 years ago

    Only my EMs and my single System 3 game are 100% perfect. They're the easiest to keep in top shape. I think since I've gone to fix them the first time, they've been absolutely bulletproof since.

    My System 11 games and my Firepower (and very rarely, White Water) give me the most issues. Mostly due to flaky GI or display connectors. White Water just has issues with breaking the light lock targets often.

    #37 5 years ago

    I have 15 with 14 working 100%. The 15th is a project that I haven't really had time to work on in awhile. Maybe I'll do that this weekend...

    #38 5 years ago

    All 80 because the overflow remainder are in various states of repair/restoration and stored offsite.

    They have all been shopped out completely prior to bringing them onto the property so 95% of the subsequent unexpected breakdowns that go wrong can usually be repaired in under 30 minutes or worst case swap in a spare board on hand to get it up and running again straight away whilst you diagnose away from the home.

    It's a simple rule that keeps the wife happy.

    #39 5 years ago

    i only have room for 16 but they all work pretty well. back in the 90s i had a lot of old bally pins. after a party 3 or 4 would be down. now there is so much knowledge about these games its easier.

    #40 5 years ago

    all of them.

    I find that once I go fully through a game it is pretty stable after the bugs shake out.

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