Bad idea. The EM group is too splintered as it is now and needs to retain critical mass.

RGP (tech em tags)
EmPinballMachines @yahoo
Pinside EM Forum
...now this next splinter group.

Quite frankly, I don't have time to go to all the different places to dig up areas for tech support. I'm 90% in the advice giving, rather than getting category, so if others in my situation fell similarly, it would spell trouble.

Is the traffic here so much that we need this? Are tech answers not getting a timely response here?

i think you are part of the way there jeff...

i think what "we" really need is a "tech" subforum under the "electro-mechanic" (i hope robin fixes that) category... i think some (many? a few? dunno.) em tech questions get missed because people post them in the "tech" subforum of pinside, and a lot of em guys don't venture there...

i think everything posted in one thread would just end up as a jumble...

now, one thread where people linked to their "help me" or "this is how to do this" threads (serving as somewhat of an index) WOULD be helpful...

yup... that way us em guys would see it...

although i go to the forum main page "on entry" to the site and scan it to make sure that my well thought out commentary ( ) isn't required in other threads, sometimes the main page moves too fast and stuff gets missed... i then usually click on the "em hangout" to make sure i didn't pass by any em stuff... if the em tech forum lived under the em hangout, it would be harder to miss things...

it's not uncommon for someone to post an em tech request, and it will sit there unanswered for a couple days... they will then bump it and one of us will see it, and BOOM, tons of responses...

worth thinking about, anyway...

FWIW, I only look at the EM Hangout forum. Not enough EM traffic in general to warrant further splintering, as far as I can tell.

But, since there's a separate Tech forum as it is, some folks probably don't think to post EM tech stuff here anyway. And it goes unanswered.

I'm not in favour of a separate Forum for Tech. One EM area should do the trick. As some one who checks this Forum regularly, it can 2 to 3 days with out a new topic. Keep it together folks. --- Thanks.

I think there should be some Menu divisions within the 'EM Hangout'.
Lets face it.......... we all have different interests, even within the EM group.
* Take a Poll ( for a week).............. let all the members have a vote.

Agreeing with those above who say that EM Tech should be a subforum under EM, if it needs to be separate at all. I would not think to look in the "Tech" section for EM-related stuff.

Another option which will help us too by keeping it under the wing of the Em hangout section?

For tech help>Just enter EMT in the thread title too.
> Example:{ EMT - My Drop targets do not reset } This way the three letters will designate what its classification is,no matter what you upload in the forum.

Other terms to use: EMR = electro-mechanical reference (repair/rebuild info tutorial ,restoration tips,,videos ,animations,schematic links....)
> Example: { EMR - Just rebuilt my Gottlieb flippers }

EMS = all Em stuff for sale (bumper caps,your own stuff or things you saw on the web ie: craigslist/e-bay,ect...
> Example: { EMS - Selling my Gottlieb King of Diamonds backglass }

More abbreviated classifications?
^^Good or bad idea^^?

Or maybe have the the tag option similar to the - (Games linked to topic)could be >> how is this game linked/classified to so we can build a database,giving us control to label it with the color/labeled icons ourselves?

Any thoughts.

I like this -- could even be a dropdown with Tech, Reference, Selling, and Everything Else as the options. Everything else being the option for the idle chatter, misspelled nonsense, and general mayhem of uncategorized EM goodness.