I posted this long ago in RGP about performing modifications to personal liking on your own games. I enjoy enhancing what is there if I feel it'll look-play better, and, (naturally), aim to keep it totally removable insuring originality. How about your personal mods on EM's? Anything creative?

My toughest mod was adding a 100K lite to my Hearts and Spades Scoring. Used a 100K trip/latch relay, (out of a Bronco parts game), and wired it in using the "Previous High Score" backglass space as my 100K lite. This was many years ago, involving adding switches to the 10K score reel, relay, reset relay, etc.

Other than that, the mods were more trivial, but appreciative to me, such as adding separate bells to the 100 point score reel on my pre-'65 games, (Gtb. Slick Chick, North Star, '63 Wms. Big Deal).

Also, lite bulb mods, such as on Flying Carpet, I wired the top entry rollover guide, (motor-driven), liting to the rest of the playfield rollover guides. Gen. Illum. liting to Dimension mid- playfield kicker plastic, (1 63 bulb, socket secured under a playfield post, wiring up through an existing leaf switch hole). I also wired the top rollover special guides on Cross Town to gen. illum. and added a red sleeved special bulb and socket under the top plastics through the target holes. Can't remember all those little mods, and I'm sure many of you have ideas I never thought of.

I'd like to hear them..............

Try and find yourself a Hearts and Spades! I grew up with Spin a Card, but found H&S just a better player, IMO. The scoring is much more active in that all sequence targets and rollovers are 500 points instead of 100 points, (requiring the motor). Without this, the play feels primitive with the ball rolling around dead much of the time. The sequence is divided in 2 on this one as well, instead of the single sequence, "All or nothing" rules of Spin-a-Card.

Only the red sequence lights up the center target for unlimited extra balls. I happen to like this element, but if someone wanted the white sequence to light it up also, wouldn't be a difficult mod.

Either game is a nice playing addition to any EM game room. I always thought it was an improved Bank a Ball, (extra pop bumper, spin-&-spot feature), but the artwork unfortunately, marks an obvious end to the Roy Parker era.

I would think that 1 warning should be plenty, but that's me. If you could live with that, wiring in a Wms. or Bally score reel, (with board), would work, and you wouldn't need to reset the reel, just wire in the tilt relay for a full tilt on every other print on the score reel's circuit board. Have the tilt-bob step up the score reel coil, with the score reel printed board wired back and forth between buzzer-full tilt-buzzer-full tilt, etc.

I think it's a great idea on EM's but in keeping it easy, 1 warning would be enough for me, followed by a game ending full tilt. Wiring it this way would not be a lot of work.

Still easily done by stepping up the reel to an initial warning at the beginning of each game via a ball count reset coil pulse...... Although, the buzzer would have to run through a N/C Switch added to the reset relay, (to keep it from energizing at the beginning of each game if the added reel needs to step. Not too bad if 1 warning is sufficient.

Another easier way would be with a later model match relay from a Gottlieb Game, (AX Relay?), using the alternating relay make/break switch to perform the warn/tilt function, 1 printed board to step up the relay to a warning position when necessary, and the other printed board for the buzzer.

If you could find a 12 step score reel board, (out of an EM Bally Slot), you could have 2 warnings before a tilt. I imagine it'd be a tough part to find these days.

jjpm...........

Wire 1 side of the "Game Over" Light anywhere to the common wire braid running around in the backbox, and wire the other side of the socket to the wired side of the "Match In-Out" jones plug. Make sure you don't pick up the common braid at this connection or you'll blow the 6V fuse to the light box and, (possibly), more bulbs. Just double-up on the wire on the machine side of the plug. Very easy!

If you need more help, go to RGP and use the search area. This has been covered several times there. You'll also notice several games of this era missing the game over light.

Yep, Adding a roving special to this game is a huge undertaking! Best to leave that mod alone, you'll be running wires all over the place!

I always liked Magic City, but, in looking over the playfield on the database, I can't think of something that would excite me once the sequence is completed, as dork is saying. Looks like all you have are side drain specials and that's it. What a let-down.

That said, I don't think it's too liberal to make the center target a special. It can be done easy enough. Is there an alternating relay? Perhaps you could run it through the alternating relay making the special appear at the target only half the time. You'll have to make the judgement call on generosity once you've played it. All I remember is how tough the game is to keep the ball in play, and with the flippers set so far apart, getting off well controlled shots at the target won't happen much anyway.

I was thinking CactusJack's idea of a special on the star spot also. but didn't feel at the time that this special would be enough to quench PDork's thirst for that "Big-Time" last ball.

PDork.............How about trying out the game with the center target scoring a special at all times when the sequence is completed to see if in fact, it is too easy. This could be done easy enough since the side drain specials have a dedicated rollover which is dead when not lit. Simply jump both sides of either special switch to both sides of the center target. If it is too easy, try adding another switch to the star relay, and run 1 wire from the special rollover switch to this switch, then another wire from the other side of this switch to the center target. This means you'll have to have the sequence completed, AND the star spot lit for a center target to start scoring specials. Using the alternating relay will begin to get complicated as 2 switches will need to be added on that relay, (1 to add a replay, and 1 to operate a "Special when lit" lite bulb, wired in series with 1 of the side drain special bulbs).

A few things can be done as indicated, but try the simplest first. The more I think about it, the more I feel the generosity will hardly be noticed. The normal sequence is a tough cookie, and chances are you won't have much of the game left to pound away at the target anyway.

Have fun with it! Good luck!

Hey, PDork,

In re-reading, just thought of something. You need to run the wires from each side of the associated N/O switch on the sequence completed relay instead of a side drain special rollover. If you did it the way I mentioned above, you'll be awarded the center target each time you drain down the side. Sorry for the confusion, I went brain-dead there for a minute, (sorry).

The illuminated kick-out hole does look better in this game, (looks like a Statoflight). I did the same thing with the kick-outs on my Ice Revue.

Does the Alternating relay change anything else on the playfield? If so, you can't just have it energize with the DB relay, or the other alternating features will be compromised. If lighting the spinner is all it does, you'd be good to go simply adding that 1 wire.

To indicate what?

If you mean to indicate rolling the score over, I already mentioned having done that in my original post to a Gtb. "Hearts and Spades." Actually, I drew "100,000" in the score-to-beat area on the backglass, (which has 2 general illumination bulbs), cut these 2 bulbs out of the GI circuit, and now will light up when the game is rolled over via a "Over-the-Top" trip-latch relay parted-out of a Gtb. Bronco.

It was kind of complicated, as switches had to be added to the 10K relay and score reel to trip this relay, and I think I doubled up the wire on the start relay coil, (on the bank in the base of the cabinet), to energize the latch relay, adding a molex connector so I could remove the head and keep the mod intact. Not exactly sure what I did as it was probably 13-14 years ago and the game is no longer here. At the time, I thought I'd be keeping it forever.

Try adding the 5" bell assembly to ring on just the "1,000's," and leave the chime there ringing on "100's." This gives you 3 distinct sounds making game play feel more exciting. Very easy to do: Mount in the cabinet, daisy in the common wire from the chime-knocker, remove the chime wire from the 1,000's relay and tie back, run new wire to the other side of the new bell coil, done.

The scoring thresholds on the game will work the hell out of all 3 sounds, should add a nice touch to the overall play.

It appears Surf Side is the first Gottlieb Game without the arch lights. I installed them on my Hearts & Spades, (though, I don't have a pic). Always liked the look!