(Topic ID: 214979)

The Evolution of the "Spinning Disc"

By o-din

5 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 47 posts
  • 28 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by o-din
  • Topic is favorited by 3 Pinsiders

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#1 5 years ago

Spinning discs on pinball machines, although not that common a feature, have been around since the 1930s when Jig-alo Electro-Ball first featured one.

It was an interesting contraption, with the ability to catch four balls.

In 1960 Williams released Nags with six pop bumpers on a turntable. Although it wasn't very fast, it did turn.

1972 brought Fireball and re-introduced the spinning disc as a functional playfield device that had the ability to redirect balls in chaotic ways, and then it appeared on several other machines shortly thereafter like Chicago Coins Casino and Bally's Twin Win.

In the solid state and DMD era the spinning disc made a few appearances and Whirlwind had three that were all geared together. So they would stop and go at the same time.

In 1997 the disc was once again reimagined and revolutionized with the game Twister, as now there was a functional magnet in the middle of the disc that could not only hold five balls at once and spin and release them at the same time, but was also used to catch a ball for the plunge skill shot and could sense it once it was on there.

Lost In Space and X-Men featured a similar magnet on disc, and other games like Tron have used regular spinning discs, but that's where the evolution of the feature has pretty much stopped.

So with no real advancement in over 20 years, will the spinning disc become a novelty and be used only here and there on a few games, or will it once again be revolutionized and become a modern visually exciting and functional feature it once was?
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#2 5 years ago

Somebody should incorporate a triple spinning disk (3 concentric rings that can each stop and/or spin in either direction individually) into a game.

That would be a cool and unique feature!

#3 5 years ago

whirlwind middle playfield 3 (resized).jpgwhirlwind middle playfield 3 (resized).jpg

#4 5 years ago

Whoa....now I really wanna play a Nags. Did not know this. OD while I was buying SFII Hilton put his FB up for 1600. It was gone in 5 minutes. My timing could not be more fucked up. And now I own a SFII. Wtf.

#5 5 years ago
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

Somebody should incorporate a triple spinning disk (3 concentric rings that can each stop and/or spin in either direction individually) into a game.
That would be a cool and unique feature!

Do you think the technology to create such a contraption actually exists today?

#6 5 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

Do you think the technology to create such a contraption actually exists today?

Apparently not

#7 5 years ago

They can put a man on the moon and ATVs on Mars and are getting close to Uranus, but can't make something like that work?

#8 5 years ago

2 spinning obstacles in Sterns Orbitor 1. They toss the ball in many directions.

But Fireball is the best. Flip the ball it rolls onto the spinning disc, it whips back down the middle, if your are lucky hitting it with the flipper, saving the ball for another scoring opportunity.

#9 5 years ago

Don't twister and lost in space both have magnetic spinning discs?

#10 5 years ago
Quoted from ForceFlow:

Don't twister and lost in space both have magnetic spinning discs?

Quoted from o-din:

Lost In Space and X-Men featured a similar magnet on disc

And so far that is as advanced as the spinning disc has become on a production game.

#13 5 years ago

Actually, Loop the Loop had it before Rocket III.

Just sayin'

#14 5 years ago

The prototype for Apollo 13 had spots for 2 spinning discs. So, not the first time two spinning discs were removed between prototype and production. Photo credit to ebay listing: ebay.com link: SEGA 1995 APOLLO 13 NOS PROTOTYPE PINBALL PLAYFIELD RARE

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#15 5 years ago
Quoted from MrBally:

Actually, Loop the Loop had it before Rocket III.
Just sayin'

MrBally would know!

#16 5 years ago

Don't forget the pizza!

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#18 5 years ago

I hope KISS does not get overlooked in the discussion!

#19 5 years ago

X-Men also had the spinning disc with magnet and added flashers as well. That seems state-of-the-art now.

What's the last game that had -just- a spinning disc, prior to JJPOTC?

#20 5 years ago

With the growing interest in Vinyl, I think the next music themed pin should incorporate one of these spinning disks on the playfield.

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#21 5 years ago

No Good Gofers spins!
And
Al’s garage band too!

#22 5 years ago
Quoted from fish1975tx:

I hope KISS does not get overlooked in the discussion!

We have a place here for WWE as well!

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#23 5 years ago

Without much innovation of the spinning disc over the last 20 years, placement has become very important.

Putting it smack dab in the middle of the playfield like Fireball did, doesn't work so well in a modern game.

But in a game like Tron, where it is encased at the upper end of the playfield has shown marvelous results!

#24 5 years ago

No one is brining up POTC? Stern POTC???

#25 5 years ago
Quoted from altan:

No one is brining up POTC? Stern POTC???

Not without posting a pic of Chicago Coin's Casino's duelin' discs first.

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#26 5 years ago

twin win

#27 5 years ago

Rocket III (Bally, 1967), Ted Zale "zipper flipper" game and the disk feature is classified as a spinning bumper, versus a spinning wheel due to the fixed posts, but the concept is essentially the same.

It has a very effective design. It certainly was a further development in the concept discussed in this thread. The only negative is the general inaccessibility of the continual motorized disk after the ball drops below the top half of the playfield. You need a good richohet off the rubber ring or pop bumper.

General innovation of most ideas in pinball today are less than satisfactory, many are simply repeated concepts, just like the movie industry. Hence, higher interest in games of the past as people discover things they never knew could be done with a small silver ball.

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#28 5 years ago

I love them, but they take a lot of space both on top and bottom. I've been trying to design one into a pinball machine I'm hoping to make, and keep finding its in the way of other things I want more.

I haven't given up but I think that's might be part of why its hard to find one today.

#29 5 years ago

Also Tron and Stern’s POTC

#30 5 years ago

The spinning disc should have a magnet in the middle and lock the balls underneath, then poops up to reals for multiball kind of like the ringmaster in Circus Voltaire

#31 5 years ago
Quoted from kvan99:

Also Tron and Stern’s POTC

Stern's POTC was preceded by B/W's Flintstones & Stern's CSI. JJP would have been better off making their pizza disc bigger and transparent with decal on top of it like Tron's. Tron's disc is the wildest one I've ever seen and top speed would need to be dialed way down, less every ball drain sdtm.

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#32 5 years ago

How about Dr. Dude's Molecular Mix Master?

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#33 5 years ago

Hold on a minute.............
Jig-alo?

#34 5 years ago

Lots of interesting/educational stuff in this thread. When I saw the title I thought for sure it was going to be about Frisbees.

#35 5 years ago
Quoted from TractorDoc:

Lots of interesting/educational stuff in this thread.

Here you get the education you couldn't when you were out throwing the frisbee when you were supposed to be in school.

#36 5 years ago

I was half tempted to include the turntable on Batman66, but since it never makes an entire rotation, it does not qualify as "spinning".

But it is kind of a technological marvel in pinball as look at all it's got going on.

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#37 5 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

Spinning discs on pinball machines, although not that common a feature, have been around since the 1930s when Jig-alo Electro-Ball first featured one.
It was an interesting contraption, with the ability to catch four balls.
In 1960 Williams released Nags with six pop bumpers on a turntable. Although it wasn't very fast, it did turn.
1972 brought Fireball and re-introduced the spinning disc as a functional playfield device that had the ability to redirect balls in chaotic ways, and then it appeared on several other machines shortly thereafter like Chicago Coins Casino and Bally's Twin Win.
In the solid state and DMD era the spinning disc made a few appearances and Whirlwind had three that were all geared together. So they would stop and go at the same time.
In 1997 the disc was once again reimagined and revolutionized with the game Twister, as now there was a functional magnet in the middle of the disc that could not only hold five balls at once and spin and release them at the same time, but was also used to catch a ball for the plunge skill shot and could sense it once it was on there.
Lost In Space and X-Men featured a similar magnet on disc, and other games like Tron have used regular spinning discs, but that's where the evolution of the feature has pretty much stopped.
So with no real advancement in over 20 years, will the spinning disc become a novelty and be used only here and there on a few games, or will it once again be revolutionized and become a modern visually exciting and functional feature it once was?

I don't think I've read a more serious and engaging post from you o-din. did someone hi-jack your account?

#38 5 years ago

stern's NBA

#39 5 years ago
Quoted from FatPanda:

I don't think I've read a more serious and engaging post from you o-din. did someone hi-jack your account?

I had about 15 minutes left at work yesterday when the idea for this thread poured out of me.

It was a rush job, so pardon me for not including any of the usual funny stuff.

#40 5 years ago

I wouldn't mind JJP using something like this. TOTAN style is proven and reliable.

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#41 5 years ago
Quoted from jeffspinballpalace:

I wouldn't mind JJP using something like this. TOTAN style is proven and reliable.

That is what is referred to as a "spinning post" as opposed to a motorized "spinning disc" and traces it's roots back to the late 60s.

http://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?ft=spinning.post&sortby=date&searchtype=advanced#2043

#42 5 years ago

Gottlieb Operation Thunder 1992 powerplant turntable.

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#43 5 years ago
Quoted from RCA1:

Hold on a minute.............
Jig-alo?

From 1932. Looks like a pretty solid drive unit with a GE motor.

My guess is they didn't have much luck making it on their own, but to satisfy the pre-order customers, they out sourced it to someone that had a little more experience in that area.

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6 months later
#45 5 years ago

No real evolution, but the new Beatles game appears to use the spinning disc with magnet out of Twister, but does not appear to have the same cool skill shot where you plunge the ball to try to get the magnet to grab it.

#46 5 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

but does not appear to have the same cool skill shot where you plunge the ball to try to get the magnet to grab it.

Or does it? Full plunge around the top loop to left flipper position could hit it? Havent seen any videos myself.

#47 5 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

Or does it? Full plunge around the top loop to left flipper position could hit it? Havent seen any videos myself.

I'll let you know as soon as my Platinum edition arrives!

Or maybe I'll just get another Twister instead and be done with it.

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