I like the Bally ones that can step up/down and just pulse both coils to zero over this design (simpler).

Congrats to Nico for the great start! Looks like a lot of fun already.

They are cheap, but they are hard to remove, even with the tool sometimes! That, or I have the bad luck to stomp on 1/5 of my metal post caps.

I use a nut driver to remove them now rather than ruin my fingers.

*Edit* You're talking about the non-Gottlieb ones. I take that back.

Simultaneously edited and posted. Keep up the good work.

I buy the really large 'police' headlamps with multiple settings. Unfortunately, the plastic housing always breaks, but they provide a great deal of light right where you need it. I get them from Harbor Freight, less than $10.

I look stupid all the time anyway, why not when I work on machines?

When did Wayne Neyens pass? I'm very sorry to say I missed the news, if he has.

Or perhaps you meant before he retired.

How many positions should the unit have? What unit is it? From what game?

Sweet Hearts is quite a fun sequence game and a nudger's paradise. I'm also quite partial to gobble holes. According to IPDB, this is the last gobble hole game manufactured by Gottlieb. Excellent risk/reward. The shots are very tight to get back up, but quite satisfying.

You can also skirt the edge of the gobble to get back up - obviously both are risky - post->drain or accidental gobble drain. Aiming is key!

Absolutely - as the saying goes - different strokes for different folks.

Of course you're always welcome to stop by and give the bingos a whirl if you're ever in my neck of the woods. Maybe some other sequence games, too!

As to the Multi, it'll be at the York show this year. If you're doing the encore tour by then, come see me at the end of Sept.

I've been very pleased to see the continued incredibly positive response to your tour. Keep it up!

So your aversion to sequence games is just those on free play in home collections? What if I charge you a nickel or two to play?

Grand Prix... they made a million of them and they all have issues like the one pictured. At least all the ones I've worked on.

My least favorite part of that game (and some others from that late EM era Williams) are the relay banks mounted in a poor position under the playfield. It's really easy for a problem like the above to happen, but due to the construction of those relay banks, sometimes harder to find.

The act of simply pulling the playfield can cause it, due to the design.

I don't use the prop rod on that game. Or many late Williams games. Too easy to rip the insulation on wires, and it's easy enough to lift the playfield and tilt against the head. Don't move the machine while the playfield is up, and you'll be ok.

Fitting that you end with Beach Queens - an interesting feature of those games are the powerful slings that can fling the ball back up the playfield. As your journey nears its conclusion, you will be rocketed back into normalcy, or queued back up for another round...

Beautiful collection. Quite a treat! Thank you for sharing photos.

It's more closely related to the one ball horse race games of the 1940s, in my opinion. You are so involved with a one ball game - there are few games outside of those middle era gambling pinballs where you can make any mistake and still win.

I hope to play one of these unique games one day.

Aw, shucks! Thanks Nic!

Just doin' what I do. Once you're back and caught up on sleep, if you are interested in learning what makes these EM masterpieces tick, let me know. I'll be here!

To you and @pinpilot, note that the reflex unit is used for auto-portioning. Based on how well you (or the previous folks) play the game, the reflex helps it to pull a few more nickels from you. The integration is a bit subtle, but what I can tell you about the picture there is that the operator was a cheapskate!

The reflex is unlike many steppers in that it is additive. The more fingers connected to rivets, the better your chances of getting an award jump from a coin dropping in the game.

From my experience, some operators understood that you do have to let people -play- the game, and some did not. I'm sure they made money, regardless.

Anyway, the reflex was not the source of whatever the trouble was. @pinpilot, if you shoot me a pm or make a post in the bingo section, I am more than happy to walk you through the fix.

This particular game, Gay Time, is one of the greatest games. The top row of balls can hop left and right, with the feature qualified, and the player can rearrange the first four columns of the bingo card at will (with -that- feature qualified). Spotted numbers, corners scoring, extra ball buyin, and higher scoring lines on the card... I could bore you to tears with how advanced the ball detection of that top row is (combination of AC and DC circuitry with an amazing array of switches), but I'll let it go for now.

Remember what my friend Vic Camp said and many have echoed (paraphrased): flipper games are like checkers, bingos are like chess. The same is true of mechanics and circuitry as well as gameplay.

Thanks for documenting this, Nic. What a massive undertaking. Extended periods of intense pressure change a person. Very impressed that you retained your sense of humor and were able to spread the love of these electromechanical beauties.

Congratulations! (Now get some rest!)
-Nick

The only thing I care about in a meter is audible continuity beeps, Voltage (DC and AC), Resistance and Current measuring capability. Diode testing is nice, too (but not required).

Most other things, unless you're doing bench testing, are overkill. Especially for EM.

I used to be a die-hard analog meter person, but they are pretty hard to find these days. I still zero out the meter before measuring, though.

Well, you -can- do this, but then you're left with all the downsides of Molex connectors. I prefer Jones Plugs, myself.

You can clean them, you can easily separate them, and they only need a portion of overall connector area to function in a 50v system.

Molex connectors cannot be cleaned. You would need to key them differently to prevent mishaps. And you're increasing the likelihood of a failure due to bad crimp or other mechanical issue with the replacement. A bit of dirt will cause the connector to heat or fail.

In short: if you do do this, keep the original plugs in the game (so if I buy it later I can switch it back).

The Bally connectors are fine if you don't use all the strength of Hercules to rip them out (no twisting as you pull and use two hands). I've had the odd tab or two break, just replace the plug. Not the end of the world.

Plus a self-cleaning wiping action.

Generally, that's from past abuse. As Dennis recommended above, unplug then gently squeeze the outside. Should last for another decade or two. The issue is mechanical - it's not making good physical connection, so can't make good electrical connection.

Now, if the game has heated up considerably, the male bakelite plane will warp.

The same problem occurs with Bally fuse blocks. I'm not such a stickler for originality there.... Keep in mind that issues with the plugs may actually be issues with the fuses. I really hope that fuse block design saved Bally a ton of money...

If it's really bad, replace the plug. No, they're not making any more, but there are parts out there at the moment.

Jones Plugs, in general are really quite nice. They are easy to unplug/replug, easy to clean, and easy to replace. I have never seen an improvement to that design. In my opinion, the only downside is the space needed to house the plugs. You should see the inside of the Multi-Bingo. More plugs than a standard bingo - I put them everywhere available. I use the Bally style Jones Plugs throughout. 'Course, we're talking 12V vs 50V, but this is a 'new' game build. Bally connectors have their strong points - namely, when you have solid mechanical connection, they are quite good. Multiple points of connection (at the through-hole, at the inside tab, at the outside tab) make them pretty good even if the mechanical connection is starting to fail, too.

Prior to Jones Plugs, games used metal fingers that would mate with metal planes on another piece, like a playfield or a coin door. These fingers would break or touch and would also allow probing fingers to get shocked easily. Jones Plugs were a big advancement.

Curious about those washers under the flipper bat - won't they just chew through the bushing, creating the very flipper drag you are trying to prevent?

Better yet, make a test lamp!

Take an alligator clip and do some light soldering and taping and you can test circuits without some of the irritation of using a test lead. Putting a fuse or breaker in line helps you track down shorts (even ones you accidentally create with the probe).

The easiest example I've seen is in the United bingo manuals. https://bingo.cdyn.com/machines/united/caravan/

Click the manual and scroll to page 10 (according to the manual - pg 12 or 13 in the PDF. ). Couple of illustrations to give you an idea. Bingo paperwork is fantastic.

This probe is used for testing 6V and 30V. But it can be modified, as I mention above, to test for 50V, 17V, 110V, etc.

This is better than a continuity test as it will power the integrated lamp with the source voltage instead of 9V from a meter. Helps you quickly find a weak switch or switches.

Hope that makes sense.

Wouldn't be difficult. Use three of the same type of stepper (with same gearing) for accurate results. You only need to wire in the max position switch or a maximum travel rivet to the score motor.

What is the flash point for Finish Line and Break Free (and their propellants)?

EDIT: Material Safety Data sheets compared from third party sources (meaning: not the companies that manufacture said product) show that most of these alternative lubes have a burning temp of approx 200 degrees F. Finish Line doesn't publish many specs about their product themselves, but luckily Dupont published a MSDS.

3-in-1 household (the old standard) is substantially higher at near 300 degrees.

And the best for temp/burn is Super lube which has some astronomical number (I think it was near 500).

Now... who knows how hot a carbon spark thrown from a dirty stepper unit is?

Each of the products mentioned (Finish Line, Super Lube, 3-in-1 and Break Free) will do the job. The question of best, in my opinion, is really kinda subjective. It is going to depend on your situation and comfort level with maintenance. All of these lubes will eventually require the same thing - slough off and apply new. Some are probably easier to clean off than others.

Yes, that's what I was suggesting. No reason why not. Driving three coils isn't that big of a load. Even if it does need to be distributed to a second or third switch, just put them on the same cam bump and they all reset at once.

Haha! True! I would seal it away, cuz the noise would get old. But add lights to it...

Or! A chime when it hits max! Separate tone for each stepper.

To make it truly normalized, you would need to replace the stops and the coils, I suppose.

Bally? Squeeze the sides to give a little more pinch upon insertion. If a tab falls off, replace plug, or crack apart and replace tab, then re-rivet. Remember that Bally plugs get contact from more than the tiny opening that the male pin goes into - there is a split contact behind the pin, and then the entire outer tab as well. Lots of surface area for good conductivity.

Other manufacturers, typically, squeeze the two female sides with a pair of pliers, gently, or squeeze the box portion gently with a pair of pliers.

I would suggest against the rubber ring, personally, as it will hasten the demise of the plug. Bally, from the factory, did apparently install rubber rings around plugs prone to intense vibration (see Magic Pockets unit plug on Gayety/Gay Time for an example - it's mounted under the playfield in the back right beside this incredibly powerful series of kicker coils). Unless you're in that kind of environment, I'd leave off the ring.

There's only two rivets holding the whole sandwich together, typically. If the plug is physically broken, just replace with another plug of the correct size. Takes just a few minutes with a soldering gun/iron.

ebay, other EM folks' parts bins, shows. You can also try Steve Young at the Pinball Resource.

It's really dependent on the game and the era. One (or more) of the manufacturers used a different vendor at one point with different spacing. Don't recall all the details right now, but there are differences in spacing if you switch manufacturer/era. My rec would be to get a Bally for a Bally.

Also, when you're looking for a plug, the plugs are measured by the number of pins - ex: 12 pin female, 24 pin female.

I've played Eclipse (but I prefer Black Hole). Eclipse felt a bit too easy to me - and I'm not a good player.

Haha, I agree! I'm hoping that we can discuss and play some of my faves as well. Did I mention I have a bank of seven Sweet Hearts lined up beside each other?

...

nah, I don't have any Sweet Hearts, but I do like that game.

Nothing too crazy, but it is a big, heavy cab. There are some recommended service things to do to make it more reliable. As one might expect, having a ball travel vertically from lower playfield to upper is the most difficult challenge, and there are a few things that you can do to prevent issues if a ball gets stuck on the upkicker. Same stuff for Haunted House. That said, I've never owned one of either title, just worked on 'em.

In Virginia, we have 'car tax relief' which knocks that number down significantly. I guess that was easier to pass than an outright repeal of the tax, since they still wanted -some- money. It usually ends up being about $65/vehicle/year in various localities near my city.

No, they have registration as well. That's extra. Nickels + dimes.

I lived in Roanoke when I was young - my family would hike up to the star to watch the sun rise frequently. Beautiful.

Am curious to know if you will be doing that for a quick fix to a low flipper power issue or pops not firing on all cylinders once you have things really rolling there.

Not disparaging your technique, but am curious of long-term viability of sanding those contacts (paper or non) since you will eventually have to replace those switches anyway.

Sounds like you're not taking shortcuts (who would've suspected you would?) and will be very pleased to come play the museum's games when I get over to that side of the state.

Sure - I meant when the contacts become pitted in the future as CJ was saying.

Thank you for your kind words, Nic. It was a pleasure to finally meet (especially now that we are neighbors - only had to drive to Allentown to do it!). I also look forward to more chats. Don't spend all those replays in one place.

Think about the circuit in terms of components. What happens when you hit special? The relay engages, which fires the stepper to add a credit, and hit the knocker.

What do you want it to do?

Score bonus. Well, to do that, the motor will need to turn as it steps down the bonus stepper. Thankfully there will be a bonus collect relay that does this work for you, so you just need to make that circuit function via the special (replay) relay.

Then resetting drop targets is easy - if you don't care about how many are currently down, just add a high-current switch pair to the replay relay and have it pulse the DT reset coil. You'll need to ensure that power is cut off to the coil once the targets are reset, if the bonus is still counting. Alternatively, pulse the coil only when the bonus is at zero position off of the bonus collect relay.

If you do want the whole sequence down first, you'll have to chain off of a sequence relay or similar that engages (normally to light special or some other award).

Examine the existing circuits to make sure you're not duplicating effort - use as few components as possible, and DOCUMENT the changes so that there isn't a bewildered technician 30 years from now.

On Bally games with bakelite cams, this is a real problem. The metal-on-bakelite contact will change the bakelite's shape over time. I would be wary of introducing it to a metal carousel for exactly that reason. A slight sloping shouldn't hurt, but the cam riders were designed with the sharper drop in mind, and the timing of motor switches can cause some serious problems. You see these types of problems more frequently, of course, in bingos, where the timing of EVERYTHING is critical. Only whatever switches are riding on that cam would be impacted.

From the pic, we're not talking much, and in home use - it won't be a problem on a flipper game. I wouldn't encourage it, but I'm sure NicoVolta already guessed that.

I don't have enough experience with 3d printing to say for sure. I only know that most fixes will be temporary.

Metal on Bakelite beats metal on plastic for durability, though!

And yeah, if there's a burr or a notch, then it needs to be smoothed out - bingo, flipper, baseball or otherwise.

That's just Bally saving some money on assembly. Same motor/relay configuration used on multiple games. The empty switches are populated on other games, but the assembly didn't need to change from game to game. Savings (in people time for assembly) outweighed the expense of the extra switches.