(Topic ID: 244783)

Uh, what? Turn the lights on?

By Coyote

4 years ago


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Topic Stats

  • 23 posts
  • 15 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 4 years ago by EMsInKC
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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#1 4 years ago

I noticed this page in my Big Ben manual:
Untitled (resized).pngUntitled (resized).png
I don't see anything special in my game to do this. I'm .. honestly not even sure what it's referring to? Is it talking about the GI? If so, what does 'tapping bottom of cabinet' mean? Is there supposed to be a vibration switch there? There's a slam-tilt switch on the relay panel, but.. it would need to be set off harder than a 'tap'.

#2 4 years ago

Compare your schematic to say https://www.ipdb.org/files/989/Williams_1970_Gay_90_s_Schematic_Diagram_continuous2.pdf -- I don't see the elements on the Big Ben schematic to do it (Lock relay switches in line with GI and Kickoff switch in line with Lock relay).

Looks like they didn't update the manual when they removed those features.

#3 4 years ago

Yes, it's referring to the GI lights. I have a Bally Champ, and when I power it on from the bottom... the lights don't come on automatically. When I tap the left flipper they come on. I have also seen this on other older EM pins. My guess is it caused some confusion for locations when the lights didn't come right on.

Not sure about the "tapping the bottom of the cabinet" statement. Would like to hear about it from folks who may know.

#4 4 years ago

There's a kick switch on the bottom of the cab. You shut off the machine by kicking or slapping the bottom of the cab. It will come back on with the left flipper button or by pressing the credit button if you have credits and want to start a game.

#5 4 years ago
Quoted from fireball2:

There's a kick switch on the bottom of the cab.

Why would they ever encourage someone to kick a pinball machine?

#6 4 years ago
Quoted from littlecammi:

Why would they ever encourage someone to kick a pinball machine?

Because it's fun!

#7 4 years ago

Williams didn't have a traditional power switch until around 1967. Before that time you had to slap the bottom panel hard enough to trigger the kickoff switch to shut it off.

#8 4 years ago

It's kind of nice to be able to turn on the game and hit the left flipper to turn on the GI lights. My Williams Klondike is like this. For Gottlieb El Dorado I have to turn on the machine and start a game for the GI lights to illuminate.

#9 4 years ago

Seriously guys, thanks.
I never ever heard of this before.

Anyone have a pic of this 'kick switch'?

#10 4 years ago

Early Gottliebs have this too. I have to slap the bottom of my 1965 Bank-a-Ball to turn it off.

#11 4 years ago

Bally Time Zone here, always thought it weird that no lights came on with power up.
Left flipper turns'em on.
I had no idea.

#12 4 years ago

image-A18 (resized).jpgimage-A18 (resized).jpg

See that switch to the left of the transformer? That's the kickoff switch.

Threads like this are always instructive. The guys who are amazed by common features on EMs are invariably SS/DMD collectors. You young guys missed so much from the EM era.

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#13 4 years ago
Quoted from EMsInKC:

[quoted image]
See that switch to the left of the transformer? That's the kickoff switch.
Threads like this are always instructive. The guys who are amazed by common features on EMs are invariably SS/DMD collectors. You young guys missed so much from the EM era.[quoted image]

Wait - that's not a slam tilt switch? The Jubilee that I parted out had one of those and I figured that's what it was for. It **seemed** to be wired into the line circuit. (Can't tell now, I don't have anything left of it.)

#14 4 years ago
Quoted from Coyote:

Wait - that's not a slam tilt switch? The Jubilee that I parted out had one of those and I figured that's what it was for. It **seemed** to be wired into the line circuit. (Can't tell now, I don't have anything left of it.)

It's not a tilt switch in the classic sense because it cuts all power to the game. A slam switch is usually on the front door but it does the same thing. The kickoff switch is also called a bounce switch because that's what it does. It's just a plunger inside a bushing. It sits on the bottom of the game. When the bottom is hit it bounces up and kills the power. A tilt switch will generally leave the lights on. On Gottliebs only the back box lights. Bally and Williams all the GI lights

#15 4 years ago

This is a fun thing to demonstrate when people visit your game room. Facing away from the game and donkey-kicking the bottom is the easiest way to do it. No bending over or risking a bruised shin.

#16 4 years ago

It is a little known fact that in 1969, Stern Electronics relocated the kick switch to the cabinet head, in what many assumed was a cost cutting move. However, after many back glasses were broken with this new design, they begrudgingly moved it back to the cabinet bottom, where it stayed until it was eventually replaced with a traditional cab switch. Stern Pinball was finally able to revisit the ill fated cabinet head switch with the introduction of the Spike system.

#17 4 years ago

Here's a question: Does Melody have the kick switch? The one I bought doesn't have a power switch so I'm assuming it must. But it also doesn't turn off when I slap the bottom. When I looked, the switch didn't look the same as the one on my B-a-B and I thought it was a normal slam switch, but maybe it's a kick switch to power the game off and is just mis-adjusted?

#18 4 years ago

I didn't realize stern electronics existed before 1974 when they took over Chicago coin.

#19 4 years ago

The older Gottlieb games will start a game or light up and add credits when a coin is inserted (coin switch tripped).
They have a kickoff switch on the coin door and on the motor panel. When they're properly and carefully adjusted, a little slap under the cabinet, or a good knuckle knock on the center of the coin door will drop out the hold relay, thus turning off the machine. When they went to a push button on the bottom of the cabinet, I imagine many people griped about losing their coins in a machine which was switched off. Then they came up with the coin diverting setup, which would return any coin dropped into a switched off machine.

#20 4 years ago
Quoted from PinballAir:

I didn't realize stern electronics existed before 1974 when they took over Chicago coin.

No. The whole thing was a joke, made while I was eating a bowl of cereal late at night.

#21 4 years ago

Sorry, missed that one.

#22 4 years ago
Quoted from EMsInKC:

It's not a tilt switch in the classic sense because it cuts all power to the game. A slam switch is usually on the front door but it does the same thing. The kickoff switch is also called a bounce switch because that's what it does. It's just a plunger inside a bushing. It sits on the bottom of the game. When the bottom is hit it bounces up and kills the power. A tilt switch will generally leave the lights on. On Gottliebs only the back box lights. Bally and Williams all the GI lights

Huh, awesome. Does it actually kill the power, or just the GI lights? (i.e If I kick the bottom, and then insert a dime, what happens?)

Neat feature. Never would have guessed. The oldest EM I've owned is my '75 Big Ben. So I haven't run across this before.

#23 4 years ago
Quoted from Coyote:

Huh, awesome. Does it actually kill the power, or just the GI lights? (i.e If I kick the bottom, and then insert a dime, what happens?)
Neat feature. Never would have guessed. The oldest EM I've owned is my '75 Big Ben. So I haven't run across this before.

It will start a game. The only way to completely kill the power without a power switch is to pull the plug.

The object was to turn the game off at night without having to reach under and pull the plug. The coin switch will start the game up.

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