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why you should play your em's a lot....

By ccotenj

9 years ago

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29 posts
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Latest reply 9 years ago by Wolfmarsh
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#1 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

"we" all know that our em's like to be played, and that they are pretty kind to us if they get played...

the lesson was driven home again with me yesterday... due to me being sick and then subsequently breaking my foot and leg, my machines have gotten very little play over the past several months... an occasional game here and there, but not the usual couple hours a day they were used to...

my bestie came over yesterday afternoon for an extended session... first off, i had forgotten how much fun it was to play pinball for 5 straight hours...

secondly though, there were minor issues galore...

- pro football: "halfback" flipper was very sticky... several games got this loosened up again, although something tells me i should clean it... and of course, that damned as stepper needs to be adjusted again...

- target pool: the ten's reel is locking on... also some targets are not lighting balls, and some balls are staying lit at the beginning of the game... time to rebuild the score reel and clean some switches...

- 4 square: multiple rollovers not working... once game was exercised a bit, all but one were revived... that one has had issues for a while, i may have to replace the whole switch assembly, it appears as if one of the switch blades has lost its temper...

- jacks open: miraculously, only one bulb out, rest of it worked fine...

figured i'd share a reminder to PLAY YOUR GAMES!

#2 9 years ago

CJM

EM-PINMAN

Pinside member

11y 111K 5,311

OP
Quoted from ccotenj:
figured i'd share a reminder to PLAY YOUR GAMES!

Don't bug me Chris, I'm busy working on them............

Ken

#3 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from EM-PINMAN:
Don't bug me Chris, I'm busy working on them............
Ken

i need to do some work on them, but i need another person around these days to help me... gonna get my wife to give me a hand with the score reel rebuild, THAT ought to be interesting...

#4 9 years ago

DAV

DaveH

Pinside+ Frequent

Boston, MA

11y 121K 7,881 21 13

Ugh. My 4 Square is folded up in my foyer during the basement reconstruction. I already know something will be wrong as soon as I set it back up. At least I didn't stick it in the garage with the other games.

#5 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from DaveH:
Ugh. My 4 Square is folded up in my foyer during the basement reconstruction. I already know something will be wrong as soon as I set it back up. At least I didn't stick it in the garage with the other games.

we got your back... i know i've had most of mine apart at one time or another, and several other guys are "good" at diagnosing that machine...

the "good thing" is that a lot of the issues get "worked out" just by playing it a bit...

#6 9 years ago

ARF

AlexF

Pinside member

Edgerton, WI

11y 116K 5,766 9 8

Well, that's how I end up with most of mine. Homeowner games that don't work because they haven't been played in so many years.

You're ahead of the curve though as you can fix them. It's always a little depressing though when multiple machines get quirky on you at the same time.

#7 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from AlexF:
Well, that's how I end up with most of mine. Homeowner games that don't work because they haven't been played in so many years.
You're ahead of the curve though as you can fix them. It's always a little depressing though when multiple machines get quirky on you at the same time.

yup... the old "it doesn't work anymore, come take this away"... i got the jacks open that way, as well as the magic city...

yea, i was kinda hoping that a bunch of little stuff wouldn't pop up, but at least it is all (on the surface anyway) little stuff... and since i've been taught to troubleshoot well, it certainly does make chasing out quirks a LOT easier...

#8 9 years ago

DAV

wayout440

Pinside member

Berea, OH

11y 113K 11,267 3 12

With my shuffle bowler occasionally I start a 6 person flash game or two, playing by myself and trying to get all the score reels rolling and checking the lamps etc... I will usually look up to see the 1000s digit creaking slowly to the next digit. Then I give it the beautiful sound of 24 reels resetting, and that's usually all she needs

#9 9 years ago

AAB

leckmeck

Pinside member

Afton, MN

13y 70,150 1,000 24

My Capt. Card sat in storage for too long, which caused the bonus to become unreliable. Downed drop targets are supposed to award 100 bonus points (or 1000 for a completed bank) but it was missing most of them, which seriously dampens the fun on this game. I figured some oxidation must have accumulated on the bonus unit's rivets and that I should give them a good cleaning/polishing. This unit, unfortunately, is way in the back of the lower cabinet, which meant the score motor board needed to be extricated first. I was feeling too lazy to do all of that, so I just kept playing the darn thing and grumbling about the missed bonus points. After a week or so, however, the bonus awards became slightly more reliable from the wiping action. A month later, it's back to 100%. Physical therapy!

#10 9 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

11y 158K 58,808

Nothing gets folded up. We play em all! My friends like em too.

#11 9 years ago

???

JKnPA

Pinside member

Pottsville, PA

10y 37,400 648

*** It's the 'little white mice' hiding in the back of your cabinet****

#12 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from leckmeck:
My Capt. Card sat in storage for too long, which caused the bonus to become unreliable. Downed drop targets are supposed to award 100 bonus points (or 1000 for a completed bank) but it was missing most of them, which seriously dampens the fun on this game. I figured some oxidation must have accumulated on the bonus unit's rivets and that I should give them a good cleaning/polishing. This unit, unfortunately, is way in the back of the lower cabinet, which meant the score motor board needed to be extricated first. I was feeling too lazy to do all of that, so I just kept playing the darn thing and grumbling about the missed bonus points. After a week or so, however, the bonus awards became slightly more reliable from the wiping action. A month later, it's back to 100%. Physical therapy!

that IS a big positive on many of these games... if you put up with the quirks for long enough, many of them magically go away...

Quoted from JKnPA:
*** It's the 'little white mice' hiding in the back of your cabinet****

well, that part i don't have to worry about... as worthless as my feline friends are, they DO keep rodents out of the house...

#13 9 years ago

SDM

EMsInKC

Pinside member

Kansas City, MO

10y 79,550 4,025 22

I have a Bally Surfers that basically sat for over 25 years, very little play. When I finally pulled it back out in 2010 and fired it up, it played completely correctly.

#14 9 years ago

DMF

dtown

Pinside member

10y 76,900 1,292 2 20

OP
Quoted from ccotenj:
i need to do some work on them, but i need another person around these days to help me... gonna get my wife to give me a hand with the score reel rebuild, THAT ought to be interesting...

I think my wife would rather lick her fingers and start touching the lugs on a powered on transformer.

#15 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from dtown:
I think my wife would rather lick her fingers and start touching the lugs on a powered on transformer.

actually, by the time it is done, I'M probably going to feel like doing that...

it will work out... i just need her to carry the reel assembly to my workbench after i take it out, and then solder the coil lugs back on when i get it back in... she can handle a soldering iron, so it should work out ok...

but trust me, i would not subject myself to trying to teach her how to rebuild a decagon reel assembly... i'd have to sell my machines to pay for the divorce lawyer...

#16 9 years ago

FRX

Frax

Pinside member

Conyers, GA

12y 103K 16,662 2 9

Decagons aren't that bad... = \

That's like the one thing on EM's I can reliably fix myself without assistance!

#17 9 years ago

DMF

dtown

Pinside member

10y 76,900 1,292 2 20

^^^^^^^^

My wife wouldn't even hold a soldering iron while I was doing something. She said "no way. That's hot!"

I think the Gottlieb Decagon Score unit is the most tedious EM related part I've had to disassemble, clean and reassemble. Four players really suck. 16 score reels. It's getting the coil in and out that annoys me the most. Little pricks.

#18 9 years ago

FJS

cantbfrank

Pinside+ Frequent

Far Hills, NJ

10y 66,300 646 24 15 2

Thanks Chris now you got me all motivated. Call some friends, buy some beer and play some EMs. Sounds like a great plan for a cold Friday night.

#19 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from dtown:
^^^^^^^^
My wife wouldn't even hold a soldering iron while I was doing something. She said "no way. That's hot!"
I think the Gottlieb Decagon Score unit is the most tedious EM related part I've had to disassemble, clean and reassemble. Four players really suck. 16 score reels. It's getting the coil in and out that annoys me the most. Little pricks.

yea, that would be a problem... i'm ahead of the game, her uncle taught her how when she was a little girl...

"tedious" is the correct word for it... it isn't "hard" (well... the first one i did was hard... )... but it is an exercise in patience...

especially the "coil in and out" part... (very) occasionally it goes easily... but most of the time, it is a pita...

#20 9 years ago

FRX

Frax

Pinside member

Conyers, GA

12y 103K 16,662 2 9

Wow, really? I mean, I've never taken apart a score motor and adjusted one, knock on wood, but with the four EM's I've owned so far, usually it's just been one or two reels from each player that needed adjusting to behave...as far as I can tell. I am gonna check Hang Glider before we have our tourney later this month to make sure all four players are scoring correctly, but I'm fairly confident it's good to go...

#21 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from Frax:
Decagons aren't that bad... = \
That's like the one thing on EM's I can reliably fix myself without assistance!

it is the "tedious" part that would get me into trouble with her...

however, as you allude to, it's tough to screw one up (although i have )...

Quoted from cantbfrank:
Thanks Chris now you got me all motivated. Call some friends, buy some beer and play some EMs. Sounds like a great plan for a cold Friday night.

cool... that sounds like a plan to me... too bad you aren't closer...

#22 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from Frax:
Wow, really? I mean, I've never taken apart a score motor and adjusted one, knock on wood, but with the four EM's I've owned so far, usually it's just been one or two reels from each player that needed adjusting to behave...as far as I can tell. I am gonna check Hang Glider before we have our tourney later this month to make sure all four players are scoring correctly, but I'm fairly confident it's good to go...

by the time i get it apart, run the parts through the ultrasonic, clean and wax the reel, polish the parts as needed and put it back together, i can generally count on spending an hour for each assembly...

as noted, it's not hard... just tedious...

#23 9 years ago

DMF

dtown

Pinside member

10y 76,900 1,292 2 20

Quoted from Frax:
Wow, really? I mean, I've never taken apart a score motor and adjusted one, knock on wood, but with the four EM's I've owned so far, usually it's just been one or two reels from each player that needed adjusting to behave...as far as I can tell. I am gonna check Hang Glider before we have our tourney later this month to make sure all four players are scoring correctly, but I'm fairly confident it's good to go...

I've done it once on a Gottlieb one. Took a couple stacks off so I could get the rotating wheel out. It's a pain too but the thing was so greasy it was just easier to take it out. Putting it back in was "fun" too.

#24 9 years ago

CCC

ccotenj

Inactive member

11y 77,150 7,231

Quoted from dtown:
I've done it once on a Gottlieb one. Took a couple stacks off so I could get the rotating wheel out. It's a pain too but the thing was so greasy it was just easier to take it out. Putting it back in was "fun" too.

fortunately, i have not had to do a gtb one, and i hope i do not have to anytime in the future... gtb score motors intimidate me...

the only one that i've done was a williams one, and that one was pretty easy... certainly much easier than a gtb one appears to be...

we won't mention how much easier williams score reels are to rebuild than decagons...

#25 9 years ago

SDM

EMsInKC

Pinside member

Kansas City, MO

10y 79,550 4,025 22

OP
Quoted from ccotenj:
fortunately, i have not had to do a gtb one, and i hope i do not have to anytime in the future... gtb score motors intimidate me...
the only one that i've done was a williams one, and that one was pretty easy... certainly much easier than a gtb one appears to be...
we won't mention how much easier williams score reels are to rebuild than decagons...

Shhhh, don't give away secrets...

#26 9 years ago

illawarra92

Pinside member

Bulli

12y 85,800 956 36 1

get your friends around, open up your collections, drink some beers, talk heaps of sh*t

#27 9 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

12y 134K 10,956

There's actually something called "wetting current". It's one of the reasons playing your EMs often helps keep them running. It's also one of the concerns I have with boutique manufacturers and one-offs. Without proper wetting current, the switches won't last and will have issues. Time period depends on the environment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetting_current

#28 9 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

11y 158K 58,808

Quoted from illawarra92:
drink some beers,

Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
There's actually something called "wetting current".

I wonder if they are related?

#29 9 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

12y 134K 10,956

Quoted from o-din:
I wonder if they are related?

Proper lubrication is important. . My brain works better when there are "wetting agents" involved.

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