(Topic ID: 297875)

RIP Thad Seeberger

By pookycade

2 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

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  • 17 posts
  • 16 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by meSz
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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    63
    #1 2 years ago

    All, I wanted to let the community know that Thad Seeberger unexpectedly passed away today. Some of you are probably well aware who Thad was and what he meant to the community. For those that don’t know, Thad designed the Alltek replacement boards for Bally and Stern machines. Along with David Seidman, who co-designed these boards and currently runs the company https://allteksystems.com/ these two single handedly saved countless machines over the last 20 years. Dave once told me that Thad was the smartest electrical engineer he had ever met. Having worked with Thad for the last 3 years, and being a fellow electrical engineer, I have to say I completely agree.

    Thad was active in pinball since he was a teenager, getting his passion for arcades by fixing them for several local amusement parks. He continued to actively collect over several decades, and still maintained a route in the central Virginia area to this day.

    He helped repair countless machines for Decades Arcade, and if you had a machine that had any problem whatsoever you could be sure that he would diagnose and fix it faster than you could. It didn’t even matter what board or era of game it was. He would just fix it. He just did it all for fun, and to help out whomever he could. Sure it would be cheaper just to buy a repro board, but he saw no challenge or fun in that. I have never seen someone who could take a board that was 100% non functional and bring it back to life chip by chip by chip in no time at all.

    More recently Thad also was key to board design at my startup company RetiVue, which is making cameras to screen premature babies eyes. He took our boards from prototype to production after their design had been languishing for over a year before he joined our effort.

    Beyond any of his accomplishments in the field, Thad was just an amazing person to know. He would help anyone in any way he could. He was unfailingly generous with his knowledge and time. I would often have conversations with him for hours on the back dock of my arcade. His passion, like mine, was vector games. And if you know vector games, you know they are broken more than they are functional. So it was grist for many long repair sessions with him late at night. Perhaps that’s why we bonded so well. My vectors are fully working in the arcade entirely because of him.

    I only had the privilege of knowing Thad the last three years of his life. I only wish I had had more time to spend with him and had met him earlier. I will miss him greatly, as I know will many of us in the community.

    #2 2 years ago

    Thad’s work is amazing there’s not a single piece of pinball hardware that I buy that I have more confidence in.

    RIP Thad thanks dude !

    #3 2 years ago

    Stickied the topic. Rest In Peace and thank you.

    #4 2 years ago

    Sad to hear this. Alltek saved countless games, including mine. RIP Thad.

    #5 2 years ago

    Wow, thank you for this post! I just learned a lot here. What a massive loss for pinball and the world

    RIP Thad, didn’t know you but you still saved my games and will continue saving many more with such incredible, lasting contributions.

    #6 2 years ago

    @pookycade- what a great writeup on Mr. Theeberger. I wasn't aware of him or his contributions but after your warm words about him, I hate that I never had the opportunity to meet him.

    Rest in peace, Thad, and thanks for all you did for the community. I have installed countless Alltek boards and they have been absolute workhorses.

    #7 2 years ago

    @pookycade- what a great writeup on Mr. Seeberger. I wasn't aware of him or his contributions but after your warm words about him, I hate that I never had the opportunity to meet him.
    Rest in peace, Thad, and thanks for all you did for the community. I have installed countless Alltek boards and they have been absolute workhorses.

    #8 2 years ago

    Whoa - I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I had no idea who Thad was as well as all that he's accomplished.

    After knowing more per the OP, I not only wish to express my gratitude to his family/friends as an Altek board beneficiary, but also convey my sincere regrets that I hadn't met him and thanked him personal Truly sounds like he was a great guy!

    #9 2 years ago

    Thank You Thad. RIP.

    #10 2 years ago

    That's a great tribute post. I really ONLY like pinball because I started collecting vector arcades and repairing SS Bally games over 15 years ago. I know that may not make sense but it's just the way it happened. Alltek is legendary in pinball. Thank you Thad!

    #11 2 years ago

    Thanks for sharing! I feel like I just got to know Thad a tiny bit from your post, indeed RIP for sure.

    #12 2 years ago

    There are no words. So sad.

    #13 2 years ago

    Very good writeup, a loss to the world. Love, peace, stability, and closure to his family and friends.

    #14 2 years ago

    Deepest Sympathy to his family and friends.

    #15 2 years ago
    Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

    Whoa - I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I had no idea who Thad was as well as all that he's accomplished.

    Same! As someone who got into the hobby when it was 95% fixing up old games and NIB was a novelty, it's hard to overstate his impact. He kept countless games from being parted out, or worse. If he hadn't lowered the technical barrier to entry for regular chumps like me, there may not have been enough of a collector base for the industry to survive its lean years and progress to what we have today.

    #16 2 years ago

    Thad good son as well . Known him few years mostly around amusement device service and game trades . Did have couple long talks when he was looking at couple my pins . He was fairly young and spent time helping his elderly Dad . Upkeep rural home in madison virginia . Hot summer work here in humid Virginia .Really good person . I hope his constant companion dog gets a good home. She is really fine animal .

    RIP

    Shane

    2 months later

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