3-4-5
United, 1951
A-B-C
United, 1951
Acapulco
Bally, 1961
Atlantic City
Bally, 1952
Bahama Beach
Bally, 1966
Bali
Bally, 1974
Ballerina
Bally, 1959
Barrel O'Fun
Bally, 1960Episode 139 - The Control Unit - the Payout Switches
In our next-to-last episode detailing the workings of a Bally bingo control unit, we examine the switches necessary for the operation of the payout.
When a winner has been determined, the machine has to have some way of stepping up the replay meter in the backglass.
Episode 140 - The Control Unit - Searching for a Winner (in all the wrong places)
The final set of switches on the control unit govern the search process. Everything from the release of the search disc to the lockout of footrail buttons happens here.
The control unit is complete - from switch stack A to switch stack ZB!
Episode 141 - Using a meter with an EM game
How to use a multimeter to troubleshoot various aspects of a game. A bit of a small electical/electronics crash course in how current flows, what to expect, how to change your settings appropriately, and how to zero out your meter.
Episode 142 - Basics of Electrical Theory
Some of the basics about how to construct a circuit, how the circuit actually functions, and how to measure and calculate the values of Votage, Amperage (current), and Resistance.
I still haven't figured out how to use a calendar and clock, I guess - early release today!
Episode 143 - Happy Birthday, Mr. Neyens!
Wanye Neyens was a prolific designer through much of Gottlieb's woodrail and metal rail EM production.
His career spanned at least 179 machines (according to the IPDB, 177 machines made it to production).
He is 97 years old as of the day of recording, July 29, 2015. Happy Birthday, Mr. Neyens!
Thank you to the E.M. Dungeon for having me on this month's episode! It was dark, damp and delightful.
http://www.spookypinball.com/http:/spookypinball.com/spooky-pinball-podcast-show-65/
And while I'm discussing other podcasts - I forgot to plug that Adam from the One and Done podcast had me on a few weeks ago - http://podbay.fm/show/885845637/e/1435107600?autostart=0
Episode 144 - Transformers
What is a transformer? What purpose does that heavy thing do in your game?
These questions and more answered!
I have a super rare Bingo Vacation for sale in Detroit area. Mint PF. Has great chrome and fully works. LCD (yes you heard that right) is clean, clear and crisp! $900 firm.
That's interesting looking! IPDB's photos show a built-in hopper that dispenses right into a trough in the coin door.
Quoted from bingopodcast:That's interesting looking! IPDB's photos show a built-in hopper that dispenses right into a trough in the coin door.
This is correct. It dispenses quarters or different size tokens. There are 5 or 6 dip switches you set to pick what you want the machine to accept. Way ahead of its time. Seriously. JJP came out with an LCD in what year...2013? This machine is over 10 years before that!
What is the total payout on that one? The solid state bingos seem to have thousands on a single game. Neat that it has a multi acceptor selectable via dips.
Episode 145 - Flipper Construction
Flippers have undergone a bit of change since the beginning of the flipper era (1947).
Different designers had different techniques for using the flippers, and they certainly changed the face of pinball.
I also discuss the basic pieces of the flipper mechanism.
Episode 146 - Changing a Flipper
How to take apart a flipper and change it.
The same basic rules apply to any EM pinball machine with flippers.
Episode 147 - Zipper Flippers
Originally known as 'Flipper Zippers', this feature allows the flippers mounted on the playfield to 'zip' together, closing off the outhole.
The feature is pretty simple under the hood.
One of Bally's innovations during the EM era, pioneered by Ted Zale.
Episode 148 - Mushroom Bumpers
Another Bally innovation, the mushroom bumper is a really fancy target that feels very satisfying to hit.
How they work and common problems.
Quoted from TaylorVA:FAO representing
So happy to see this! 
Episode 149 - The Chicane Lane
Bally's innovations continue with the Chicane Lane, a feature that slows the ball down and wiggles it back and forth to draw the player's attention. Amazingly simple in execution, two stacked plastics!
Quoted from btw75:I got my shirt, and I got my bingo.
It's an FAO revolution. 
Had a really fun day yesterday...
Vic Camp and I spent the whole day together, and I played his beautiful collection (and came home with two new beauties).
In the background, you can see Lite-A-Line and Dixieland, two fantastic 6 card players. So much to shoot for on a Dixieland!
Amazing gameplay (and winning potential) on his solid state New Continental Golden.
And his incredible collection of extremely low play Gottlieb Wedgeheads... There are no words to describe just how fantastically his games looked and played! It is incredibly obvious that he has put in so much time on each game making them play perfectly. Every game is as responsive as the next.
I'll post some pics of the new games soon. A beautiful Gay Time and a Night Club project have made the journey from the Garden State to VA.
Thank you Vic for such a fun time.
Can't wait to send you video of those beauties up and running.
I am so incredibly honored to have two pieces of bingo history in my home - games owned by the famous Vic Camp!
Happy Sesquicentennial, Nick!
--------
Episode 150 - Multiball
Bally reintroduced the world to multiball through Balls-a-Poppin in 1956.
They continued to produce multiball machines throughout the remainder of the EM era.
--------
...still recovering from Jersey, huh? 
Quoted from Warbound:I have a super rare Bingo Vacation for sale in Detroit area. Mint PF. Has great chrome and fully works. LCD (yes you heard that right) is clean, clear and crisp! $900 firm.
http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=5857
I have decided to not sell this bingo machine for private reasons.
Tx
Nick,
It was my pleasure to have met you in person and spend the day (12 hours) doing the EM pinball and bingo pinball thing and getting to know you better. You are a special person with a strong passion for the EM pins especially the bingos. I wish you lived closer so we could spend more memorable times like the one we shared on Friday. Hopefully you interest,love and passion for the EM's continues throughout your lifetime. Thanks for the kind words and also for being such a great asset to the pinball hobby. Looks like that awesome condition Gay Time is going to a happy owner...
GayTime-8-7-15 118.JPG
Quoted from Vic_Camp:Nick,
It was my pleasure to have met you in person and spend the day (12 hours) doing the EM pinball and bingo pinball thing and getting to know you better. You are a special person with a strong passion for the EM pins especially the bingos. I wish you lived closer so we could spend more memorable times like the one we shared on Friday. Hopefully you interest,love and passion for the EM's continues throughout your lifetime. Thanks for the kind words and also for being such a great asset to the pinball hobby. Looks like that awesome condition Gay Time is going to a happy owner...
Is it just me, or is this the coolest thread on Pinside? Now I want to live on the East coast.
Also...
-----
Episode 151 - Flip Flags
Flip Flags are a unique feature found on only 3 Bally machines, beginning with Wizard! in 1975.
The EM Dungeon did a treatise on this topic all the way back in episode 6 of the Spooky Pinball Podcast.
A fun feature that was obliterated with the rise of solid state.
-----
I haven't checked out your podcast yet but I'm interested in it. I dig arcade history.
As an aside, when I was in Pittsburgh last week for ReplayFX, I found an arcade with gambling machines (and 7 pinballs, mostly new sterns). It was called Ace's Break Away and Play and it was located downtown. Around noon on Tuesday, the lunchtime crowd rolled in and all the gambling machines were being played. They had a redemption counter but it was mainly for show, and the prizes were laughably awful. When players "won", they called over the attendant and payouts were issued "under the table" similar to how Bingo payouts were handled.
As another aside, not sure about the "hate" for EMs. What I've seen from my local crowd is that the more people get into pinball the more they get into the older stuff. All my friends like EMs and 80s SS.
Hey Jonnyo thanks for the interest - couple of notes:
Be careful about naming a location like that - it may have consequences once this page is indexed by search engines. Please consider editing your post to remove the location's name/location. That said, sounds fun.
Re: EM hate - hanging out on pinside as recently as a couple of months ago, there were many people saying that all EMs were terrible and they didn't understand why anyone would ever want to play much less own an EM. Today, there is much less of that as the modern game collector's start buying an EM, fixing it and giving the gameplay a chance. I'm glad that the folks you associate with do not hold that belief.
The bingos get their own special dose of hatred from generations of anger at all pinball being banned.
But I hope that in my own small way I can show that these games are incredibly fun to play.
Quoted from bingopodcast:Hey Jonnyo thanks for the interest - couple of notes:
Be careful about naming and shaming a location like that - it may have consequences once this page is indexed by search engines. Please consider editing your post to remove the location's name/location. That said, sounds fun.
Re: EM hate - hanging out on pinside as recently as a couple of months ago, there were many people saying that all EMs were terrible and they didn't understand why anyone would ever want to play much less own an EM. Today, there is much less of that as the modern game collector's start buying an EM, fixing it and giving the gameplay a chance. I'm glad that the folks you associate with do not hold that belief.
The bingos get their own special dose of hatred from generations of anger at all pinball being banned.
But I hope that in my own small way I can show that these games are incredibly fun to play.
There are still a lot of Bingos on location in Pennsylvania and Tennessee that are ran this way. The "system" is alive and well. Besides, they all have those placards that say "For Amusement Only; No Gambling Permitted" 
Having a redemption counter is a good idea for that purpose, too. Similar to the way pachinko parlors worked - you could redeem medals for a pack of cigarettes or other small trinket or take them around the corner and sell for cash.
Very neat that it is in such a central location, too. Also: were they bingos or some other kind of machine?
Episode 152 - Interview with Charles Rowland 8-5-15
Charles Rowland is a local (to the Richmond, VA area) operator who has been in the industry since the 1960s.
Charles has fascinating stories about running bingos and EMs on location during their heyday.
He currently runs Games People Play, a shop that sells to home game enthusiasts and runs games on location.
Games People Play is on Dabney Rd in the near West End in Richmond, VA.
I hear this fake Nick Baldridge is a troublemaker...
Episode 153 - Jubilee is the Shizzy
Special guest host Fake Nick Baldridge joins us for a walkthrough of the 1973 Williams Jubilee that he owns.
FNB does an excellent job describing the features and gameplay on his game.
Hopefully FNB comes back for an episode in the future - thanks FNB!
Quoted from bingopodcast:Hey Jonnyo thanks for the interest - couple of notes:
Be careful about naming a location like that - it may have consequences once this page is indexed by search engines. Please consider editing your post to remove the location's name/location. That said, sounds fun.
Re: EM hate - hanging out on pinside as recently as a couple of months ago, there were many people saying that all EMs were terrible and they didn't understand why anyone would ever want to play much less own an EM. Today, there is much less of that as the modern game collector's start buying an EM, fixing it and giving the gameplay a chance. I'm glad that the folks you associate with do not hold that belief.
The bingos get their own special dose of hatred from generations of anger at all pinball being banned.
But I hope that in my own small way I can show that these games are incredibly fun to play.
Pinside is "no follow", meaning that it asks for search engines to not track what goes on here. It's up to the individual search engines to "respect" that request, but it appears the major ones like Google and Bing do. Not much worry there.
Regardless, they know what they're doing and they're making money off it. They know they're skirting the law. They take the risk and get the reward while the law allows it.
I consider such activities fairly harmless vices and I know a fair number of law enforcement don't care about it unless a directive from the higher-ups forces them to. Most are doing it, in fact. My buddy, who's a cop, knows all the "rub-and-tugs" (well over a hundred) in the bay area, and they pretty much leave them alone. "Rub-and-tugs" are massage parlors that offer a "happy ending", if you don't know.
I asked my buddy, "Do you go to them?" He said, "No. They give terrible massages and bad hand jobs. I go to this huge, black girl in El Cerritto who gives the best massages, really beats the shit out of you with her elbows. For sex, I'm a cop, and it's pretty easy to get sex when you want to. Girls go for it."
Quoted from Vic_Camp:What kind of Gambling machines were they? It is always good to hear that more collectors who like the new Stern games are appreciating the EM's and getting into them. Thanks for the comment.
They were fairly generic video slot and fruit-type games.
Quoted from jonnyo:They were fairly generic video slot and fruit-type games. I grabbed this 'undercover' pic when things started to quiet down around 2pm.
2015-07-28_12-18-39_751.png
Quoted from bingopodcast:Episode 152 - Interview with Charles Rowland
Quoted from Pinball_Muggle:Way cool interview
Agreed! Great stories!! Thanks to Chuck, from your listeners.
Episode 154 - Discussion with Vic Camp 8-7-15
I finally made the trip up to NJ and met Vic in person.
Vic spent the whole day with me and shared his amazing collection and variety of gorgeous bingos.
We talk about the day, his truly fantastic collection and the unique and wonderful bingo gameplay of the games in his collection.
The best part: I drove home that night with two new bingos in my van - 1955 Gay Time and 1956 Night Club!
Episode 155 - Bally's Thoughtfulness
Bally thought long and hard about how the player would approach and play their bingo games, but they also thought about the poor guy who would have to maintain them!
Learn some of the secrets of working on a bingo in this episode.
...and with that, I've got the Gay Time up and going! My first play testing session, I got 5-in-a-line ( with the glass on). A feat that'll likely take me some time to repeat.
There are a couple of small gremlins to work out that were caused by moving or my poking around in the control unit which I should have debugged tomorrow.
So many moving numbers! What a fun game with really high scoring potential.
Took a (very brief) look at Night Club, too. Even Vic's project games are such great examples. So much nicer than my typical barn find junker! The cabinet on this game is in amazing shape.
I have about 50% of the parts I need to get this one going, but I'm going to go ahead and rebuild the steppers and oil the clutches, common shopping tasks that need to be done while I make my list and get it going (and play the Gay Time). I'll also disassemble the magic squares unit and fix any bugs/change lamps. I've got some work ahead, but it honestly doesn't look too bad!
Woo hoo!
Muggle yeah! I need some, especially for DU. I'm just diving into Night Club, but it will likely need re-oiling at least. Clutches appear to be in OK condition.
Clutches changed between the woodrail and metal rail bingos (different sized shafts). You can make the smaller larger but not vice-versa. I'm guessing that those will only fit the metal rails. Which as said above, will be super helpful, just giving some knowledge for others' benefit.
Thanks!
Episode 156 - Changing a Control Unit Motor
Bally actually made it very easy to swap units in and out of a bingo. Today I talk about how to remove a control unit motor from a Bally bingo.
I have a couple of photos of the removal up on the Facebook/Instagram/Twitter pages. But it is just about how you might imagine it.
Once I have the new motor installed (hopefully by the end of the week), I will likely have a working game!
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Richmond, VA
Winnipeg, MB