My dad used to repair pinball machines and arcade cabinet games when I was young. He used to let me skip school from time to time so I could go to work with him. He'd set me up with a bunch of free plays and I'd go nuts playing games while he did his work. One of my favorite memories from my youth.
Restoring pinball machines is one of the most enjoyable hobby's I've ever picked up. It's a wonderful mix of the electronic, physical and artistic worlds.
I still remember the pinball doc in my favourite arcade back then. It was a huge butch looking woman, short hair, 5'2", probably a BMI close to 100, she arrived on that moped who barely maintainer her weight. Walked in out of breath with her tool box and then repaired defect machines, often on the spot. The owner ran all arcades in town except one, said she worked all his arcades and said she was the only one with that skills. That was in the mid-eighties, wonder what happened to her.
I went to Washburne Trade School in Chicago in 1981 and received a Certificate in Amusement Machine Repair. I have worked on all types of amusement devices both electro-mechanical and solid state. Fixing Shuffle alleys, Gun Games, Pinball, Jukeboxes, Dart Machines, Pool tables, and Arcade games of all types. But at 60 years of age I am now Restoring antique Seeburg Jukeboxes from the 50's. There are not too many places training New techs. I think it will be harder and harder to find a qualified person to work on the games.
I always loved pinball far more than video games. The physics and mechanics are just fun. That doesn't even touch on the art and creativity involved in some of them. I'm glad it's still possible to keep them working.
Love Pin Ball. I have a 1973 two player Big Shot by D. Gottleib that was given to me in 1999. I used to come home everyday and play it. After we moved the house around it got pigeon holed. Looking fwd to the day when we pull it out so I can play it again. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
Reminds me of when I was a kid my dad used to buy pinball machines and repair them , we had a KISS pinball machine growing up !!!! Miss having these around the house :)
There aren't a lot of professional repair shops, no. But there are a fairly good number of hobbyists who can do their own repairs and help out others as well.
I paused the video at 1:04 because authough I am not an arcade machine engineer, I have repaired two of those CPU boards in the last year. I am looking after 2 pinball machines for people in the area of Reading UK and willing to help anyone locally to keep these machines running.
www.pinwiki.com/wiki/ Here is a good place to start. This is how I learned. I wanted to get some pinball machines but like you said, repair guys are so rare, so had to learn to do it myself.
Greetings from Germany. I'm 33 years old, I live near an arcade museum and I fix arcade machines and, lately, pinball machines. They actually have lots of people dedicated to keep the machines running mechanically and electrically, but when there's a problem in the machine's brains, they have to call me. I also take what people throw away and fix it up even though it's illegal in Germany. Go ahead, arrest me for not supporting a throw-away society.
So glad you are able to help preserve pinball machines! Please explain why there is a law in Germany, against repairs? Seems very strange, is it safety related?
@@Mindboggle100 fixing stuff is not illegal*. Taking stuff that someone threw away is illegal in Germany. So if for example a burglar breaks into a museum, steals a rare old masterpiece, then at home notices he stole the wrong one, throws it in the trash, it's illegal to save it. I hope the facepalm you just did didn't hurt too much... *) Although using fixed stuff kinda is. (it's complicated - EDIT: Yes, safety related. Laws concerning anything that uses electricity are super strict and many of them are super nonsensical down to historical appliances having to fulfill the current safety standards. That's like saying OK cool you have a vintage car from 1920, but the exhaust must be within our EURO6 specification - and you are not allowed to use spare parts other than what the manufacturer used, so good luck finding a NOS)
@@senilyDeluxe Thanks for the clarification. It seems the more authority legislates to protect, the more bizzare the consequences become! We definitely find ourselves heavily restricted by good intentions...
@@Mindboggle100 I have an even better story. In Germany, we have the Datenschutzgesetz which is supposed to prevent people from stealing your data. Also there's a group dedicated to finding old computers from the GDR, restoring them and keeping them alive. They have a huge mainframe computer, but no operating system for it as it didn't come with any tapes. (so it's basically a town hall sized paperweight) After years of hunting, they found the tapes in a shack that was going to be demolished. Sadly, the people who were demolishing the building told them they couldn't have the tapes with the operating system on them because it just might have personalized data on them and wouldn't let it count that these tapes contained the (possibly) last copy of the huge mainframe's operating system, so the tapes were destroyed.
We have a pinball place in my town the dude has so many machines in the back room that he fixes it’s really cool to see all the pinball machine parts and peace’s
I've got a bunch of vids and 2 pins. All need work from time to time, and I do the work myself. I've only been doing this for a couple of years, and I manage to get through most problems on my own, and with help from the many sources on the internet. Yeah, some parts are impossible to find, but most of the time, you can find a suitable replacement, or, if you try hard enough, find someone with the part lying around. It's not that hard, and it's actually kind of fun.
I keep all my old electronics (pagers, video cameras, cell phones, laptops, mp3 players, etc) because people will be fascinated with them in the future.
I returned to pinball games back in the 'late '80s-early '90s after becoming bored with video games. I just like the tactility of playing pinball over video games. You're dealing with real, physical, three-dimensional objects that exist and interact with the physical world that you exist in while playing these games, not tiny, pixilated lights on a screen simulating that reality. It's just you, the ball, gravity and your level of skill with respect to gameplay and how you manipulate the elements of a given game to your advantage.
Exactly why I love it. Also, I've always had a fondness for objects and scene settings behind glass, like shadowboxes :) But yeah, they're so unique and exciting and stimulating with all their flashing lights and sounds, and the double entendres are great as well, haha :) Too much fun :) Love Pinball!!!!!
Love the shit out of this! Grew up playing pinball in bowling alleys and amusement parks and arcades of course. My brother now has a small arcade in his house with Theater of Magic and it's always a good time!
Its funny the laptop I'm watching this on was a throw away and all that was needed was a new fan. Of course it was a nightmare to replace it but not impossible :-) So for a few dollars and some time, I have a really good laptop!
mcorrade Fo' shizzle, son! I'm on a 10-year-old Dell running on Ubuntu because Windows failed me three times. My other computer was literally pulled from the trash bin at work with cut power supply wires and no hard drive. Matched/soldered the wires, bought a cheap used hard drive, also running on Ubuntu. That's been my main PC for about 5 years now. Waste not whatnot! もったいない！
the laptop that is hooked to, and runs the media on my TV, was a throwaway. Friend was tossing it because the screen was broken. I asked if he'd give it to me for parts. I didn't know if it was working or not. I plugged in an HDMI and it booted right up. No repairs needed. So, I removed the broken screen, and now it hangs on the wall behind the TV. Faster than the interface in most "smartTV" devices also!
I wonder if a Raspberry Pi could be used as the brain for a "modular" sort of pinball machine? A newer machine with modern soldering, modern connectors etc.
5:07 The bottom of those things looks like the inside of a fusion nuclear power plant! Modern technology such as 3D scanning and 3D printing could help with the replaceability, repairability, and reliability, but it sounds like there's a major problem with non-standard parts and excessive fragility. Maybe a lot of people could come together to decide on a set of parts or at least sizes that these parts will be, and redesign pinball machines using those standards. It could be far less expensive in the long run.
All pinball machines are a combination of standard and unique parts. Companies only tended to use unique parts when they solved a unique need, or when they were customer-facing display parts. One thing you need to keep in mind, though, is that standards change - a standard relay in a 1977 machine may not be easy to find or substitute in 2018, whereas another may be. And rubber bumper parts will always need periodic replacements. I think of one of my favorite machines from the late electronic pinball era, Star Trek TNG - loads of custom parts, and they're generally only in good working order if owned and maintained by someone who truly appreciates the board.
what is standard? these machines were made by different companies who each had their own ideas and patents. the thing is that a lot of patents were not truly honored and a lot of parts are similar. things like flippers should only be by one company who invented them but others made there own versions. like an earlier poster said technology changes and so a standard will change. one of the big revolutions was when the coils went to 50v ac which gave the flippers and jet bumpers extra kick. solid state electronics changed the how games played and how each player could have a different scoring scheme depending on how much of certain tasks they had accomplished themselves not reliant on what another player had done like with spinner targets on em games where you inherit the last players position for advancement for a bonus score. then other solid state games seem like they were designed to break on purpose like a gottlieb system 1 which can have a power supply plugged in backward when you remove the head to move it sending high voltage into a 5 volts logic path or adjusting scoring switch gaps with the power on and touching the bulb connection which will send a spike to the spider chip and fry it and since the chips are mostly irreplaceable the game board is shot. or losing your negative power supply which makes every coil and driver in the game lock on and burn up. the only standard on a game is the bad ideas that cause them to break like who puts batteries that will eventually leak and damage the game board on the game board.
Yep, even in the context I was talking about (standard and unique parts), all those standards are only within a company in most cases, or a supplier when sourced outside that company (relays, lamps, etc.).
Come to Portland, OR there are a lot of pinball repair guys. I know a lot of em too. I am one of them that do pinball repair myself and have several in my collection.
Thank Gawd for you sir in this lousy throw away world we live in. Your correct in saying it is better to repair. Unfortunately the way things are made today its almost impossible to repair.
Cold German Beer Correct. It's easy to throw out empty phrases like "disposable society, we should repair more", but most things just aren't worth repairing from a financial standpoint. You can't pay a skilled tech $50/$75/$100 hr to repair a joystick on a $20 video game controller, nobody would go through that hassle unless it was something rare and special in some way. These pinball machines are worth it because they sell for thousands of dollars and are DESIGNED to be repairable in the first place with old school component design rather than super micro pick-and-place machine-made boards that can't even be soldered by hand. Something does need to be done to make things more viable to recycle, but repair of modern low-cost devices just isn't practical the second you start factoring in labor.
It blows my mind to see him use a giant Weller soldering gun to work on a few small wires. I guess most of the repairs aren't very intricate, as the guy obviously knows what he's doing. I remember using my dad's soldering gun to work on electronics when I was very young, when it was the only thing available. It such a HUGE step up in my abilities when I learned about ordinary irons and soldering stations!
using a weller gun on coils and wires isnt difficult, and waiting for a pencil type iron to heat up for a single repair takes way too long. board work is another story, cant go near one with a weller gun.
the machines are worth saving because they are unique. there were only so many firepowers made, sure that was a widely produced game BUT its not like a cell phone where millions were produced. its the oldest game in my collection of 5
Guys including Gals that repair tech stuff, I believe are the most switched on and interesting people on the planet. I should know... I repair tech stuff myself
Cold German Beer It’s really not that bad. It’s a block away from UNLV. I think it’s worst if you go east more, like past the 95 freeway. More around Sams town and boulder station. Now that’s bad.
Cold German Beer yeah I live here too and used to live on trop and topaz. Went to chap. I used to walk down Harmon everyday going to planetPC the Internet cafe. It’s really not that bad compared to the north side back in the day.
Cold German Beer plus I’m comparing the east side to where I was born and raise. Stockton, CA. Compared to that it’s not that bad unless you on the east side doing shit you shouldn’t be doing in the first place.
Cold German Beer really the airport? Were you here when the north side was really scary? Before we had houses past Craig rd, before the 215 and Aliante. That was scary. Back then people only went to north Las Vegas to pick up drugs and get the hell out of there.
I'm 16 and I really wanna get into pinball I've only saved about 3500 but I would love to go get some of those classic 90s bally tables one of these days
A friend of mine said that people won't cash just even 1 coin these days.. they are greedy. Still, there are some fans who agree to buy a used machine for 4000 and a brand new one for 14000. But not that many.
Hopefully they standardize long term parts across the makers. That would allow for people to easily do this longer. Just not the design pieces (ramps, etc)
Tech's exist, they just aren't on call or they are mostly collectors that don't fix them for a living. I have over 20 years tech experience in pinball and restore 2-3 pins a month over the course of a year, but I tech my own collection, or a fellow collector if he or she needs assistance and that's it. It's definitely up to us to teach the current generation the technical aspects of pinball if it is to survive. It's how I learned, from the veteran techs and I'm almost 40
Dude if you're in Portland, you talk to the Quarterworld guys. They're the one renting out the masses of pinball machines covering our city right now www.quarterworldarcade.com/qwvending
"It's uniquely American. It's like a hamburger. And it didn't come from another part of the world." Somebody break it to that guy that burgers came from Germany haha...
MOTHERBOARD, why does pinball games power supply only use ONE big filter cap rated at 27,000uf and higher, any reasons to use such a very large capacitance value?
I think I remember talking to one of the tech guys about that. First and foremost, the tech behind them got better. A DC solenoid nowadays can use a lot lower voltage then the ones way back when, and still give the same amount of power behind their kicks. The problem of course, is you have to totally rewire older machines to handle the new coils. But I was told they also use a lot less power as a result as well.
@@AC3handle , Thanks for the help. The Older pinballs machines in 70's 80's used linear power supply which only had ONE filter cap rated at 27,000uf very high capacitance value, any reasons why such a high capacitance because most power supplies use multiple caps at 100uf not just one filter cap. Any reasons why ?
The Ben Heck show makes pinball machines look him up here on youtube to see whats cooking.. or reach out to your local maker space.. there's usually a couple of pinball fans among the guys and girls :)
we call them "Bingo's" here in Australia, also widly seen in the 80's mostly in the Greek & Italian cafe's too. I got 2 in my collection Bally Bali - just a 3card game. The better ones had the moving corner numbers & the ultimate! Magic Screens, like my London
One of the reasons why we live in a throwaway world are manufacturers the make stuff that is hard to fix and make it difficult to get the manual for them. Yes I'm looking at you Apple. Another is price, stuff is getting so cheap people would rather buy a new one than fix the existing one.
cool..pinball my fav...why not do this type of mechanical games using modern tech? can reduce all those winding wires & so on(much simpler electronics module), easier to maintain..less power usage..
The NEW ones do, he's repairing old machines as they were built. It's impractical to make a new PCB to put in old machines that may only have 1% of the original production run still in operation.
Repairing something makes one proud.
It is "I fixed this. Some of my work is now living on in this machine".
That is why I repair stuff!
My dad used to repair pinball machines and arcade cabinet games when I was young. He used to let me skip school from time to time so I could go to work with him. He'd set me up with a bunch of free plays and I'd go nuts playing games while he did his work. One of my favorite memories from my youth.
Restoring pinball machines is one of the most enjoyable hobby's I've ever picked up. It's a wonderful mix of the electronic, physical and artistic worlds.
Techs are a dying breed, but there's more of us than you think. Great vid!
Such a cool short! Sweet production, shots, editing, sound - the whole gig. Nice work | thanks!
I still remember the pinball doc in my favourite arcade back then. It was a huge butch looking woman, short hair, 5'2", probably a BMI close to 100, she arrived on that moped who barely maintainer her weight. Walked in out of breath with her tool box and then repaired defect machines, often on the spot. The owner ran all arcades in town except one, said she worked all his arcades and said she was the only one with that skills. That was in the mid-eighties, wonder what happened to her.
I went to Washburne Trade School in Chicago in 1981 and received a Certificate in Amusement Machine Repair. I have worked on all types of amusement devices both electro-mechanical and solid state. Fixing Shuffle alleys, Gun Games, Pinball, Jukeboxes, Dart Machines, Pool tables, and Arcade games of all types. But at 60 years of age I am now Restoring antique Seeburg Jukeboxes from the 50's. There are not too many places training New techs. I think it will be harder and harder to find a qualified person to work on the games.
with arcade bars becoming more and more popular, this is definitely going to be a good industry to be in.
Well, in the UK they are pretty much all dead, a sad state of affairs.
I always loved pinball far more than video games. The physics and mechanics are just fun. That doesn't even touch on the art and creativity involved in some of them. I'm glad it's still possible to keep them working.
Love Pin Ball. I have a 1973 two player Big Shot by D. Gottleib that was given to me in 1999. I used to come home everyday and play it. After we moved the house around it got pigeon holed. Looking fwd to the day when we pull it out so I can play it again. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith Noneya
Reminds me of when I was a kid my dad used to buy pinball machines and repair them , we had a KISS pinball machine growing up !!!! Miss having these around the house :)
There aren't a lot of professional repair shops, no. But there are a fairly good number of hobbyists who can do their own repairs and help out others as well.
I paused the video at 1:04 because authough I am not an arcade machine engineer, I have repaired two of those CPU boards in the last year. I am looking after 2 pinball machines for people in the area of Reading UK and willing to help anyone locally to keep these machines running.
i`d love to know how to repair pinball machines, cuz i love them, but i think i only saw one repair guy in my life.
so rare
www.pinwiki.com/wiki/ Here is a good place to start. This is how I learned. I wanted to get some pinball machines but like you said, repair guys are so rare, so had to learn to do it myself.
I remember the early 80s. Pinball mania was in full swing. Loved the lights and sounds of those things. Even my dad got into it.
Beautiful job , I remember when i work 28 years ago , in this pinballs, and arcade games, sega, nintendo, williams, great !!!!!
This was really interesting. Cheers for the vid! ...wish I had a pinball machine now
When I was a kid I LOVED these things!
Greetings from Germany. I'm 33 years old, I live near an arcade museum and I fix arcade machines and, lately, pinball machines. They actually have lots of people dedicated to keep the machines running mechanically and electrically, but when there's a problem in the machine's brains, they have to call me.
I also take what people throw away and fix it up even though it's illegal in Germany. Go ahead, arrest me for not supporting a throw-away society.
So glad you are able to help preserve pinball machines! Please explain why there is a law in Germany, against repairs? Seems very strange, is it safety related?
@@Mindboggle100 fixing stuff is not illegal*. Taking stuff that someone threw away is illegal in Germany. So if for example a burglar breaks into a museum, steals a rare old masterpiece, then at home notices he stole the wrong one, throws it in the trash, it's illegal to save it. I hope the facepalm you just did didn't hurt too much...
*) Although using fixed stuff kinda is. (it's complicated - EDIT: Yes, safety related. Laws concerning anything that uses electricity are super strict and many of them are super nonsensical down to historical appliances having to fulfill the current safety standards. That's like saying OK cool you have a vintage car from 1920, but the exhaust must be within our EURO6 specification - and you are not allowed to use spare parts other than what the manufacturer used, so good luck finding a NOS)
@@senilyDeluxe Thanks for the clarification. It seems the more authority legislates to protect, the more bizzare the consequences become! We definitely find ourselves heavily restricted by good intentions...
@@Mindboggle100 I have an even better story. In Germany, we have the Datenschutzgesetz which is supposed to prevent people from stealing your data. Also there's a group dedicated to finding old computers from the GDR, restoring them and keeping them alive. They have a huge mainframe computer, but no operating system for it as it didn't come with any tapes. (so it's basically a town hall sized paperweight) After years of hunting, they found the tapes in a shack that was going to be demolished. Sadly, the people who were demolishing the building told them they couldn't have the tapes with the operating system on them because it just might have personalized data on them and wouldn't let it count that these tapes contained the (possibly) last copy of the huge mainframe's operating system, so the tapes were destroyed.
Awesome Documentary 👌
Love seeing the gotlieb haunted house machine, my personal favorite! Be right back, going to browse eBay....
We have a pinball place in my town the dude has so many machines in the back room that he fixes it’s really cool to see all the pinball machine parts and peace’s
Pinball machines are an art.
I've got a bunch of vids and 2 pins. All need work from time to time, and I do the work myself. I've only been doing this for a couple of years, and I manage to get through most problems on my own, and with help from the many sources on the internet.
Yeah, some parts are impossible to find, but most of the time, you can find a suitable replacement, or, if you try hard enough, find someone with the part lying around. It's not that hard, and it's actually kind of fun.
so cool... i worked in an arcade one winter and managed to fix a few broken machine with some parts from ace.
A power ball in an EM, interesting. This video makes me proud that I taught myself to repair/restore pinball machines.
god getting my old school pinball machine repaired was hell with the crazy repair guy,,,,
I love jersey jacks new games. The mixture of 21st century tech and old school pinball is badass.
i still work on pinball machines still and alot of tube equipment,jukeboxes and early solid state stuff
I keep all my old electronics (pagers, video cameras, cell phones, laptops, mp3 players, etc) because people will be fascinated with them in the future.
Same. I hold onto every laptop, iPod, cell-phone, video-game console I have ever owned, and I keep them all in working order.
There are Full service pinball and arcade techs in navada, Oregon, wa, canada, cali and so on. The pin and arcade sceen is flourishing!
I returned to pinball games back in the 'late '80s-early '90s after becoming bored with video games. I just like the tactility of playing pinball over video games. You're dealing with real, physical, three-dimensional objects that exist and interact with the physical world that you exist in while playing these games, not tiny, pixilated lights on a screen simulating that reality. It's just you, the ball, gravity and your level of skill with respect to gameplay and how you manipulate the elements of a given game to your advantage.
Exactly why I love it. Also, I've always had a fondness for objects and scene settings behind glass, like shadowboxes :) But yeah, they're so unique and exciting and stimulating with all their flashing lights and sounds, and the double entendres are great as well, haha :) Too much fun :) Love Pinball!!!!!
First pintable I worked on was in 1978 called *The Harlem Globetrotters*
Love the shit out of this!
Grew up playing pinball in bowling alleys and amusement parks and arcades of course. My brother now has a small arcade in his house with Theater of Magic and it's always a good time!
Super cool
So late...but I'm currently learning this art !!!!
Its funny the laptop I'm watching this on was a throw away and all that was needed was a new fan. Of course it was a nightmare to replace it but not impossible :-) So for a few dollars and some time, I have a really good laptop!
I was going to throw out an older laptop because I cracked the screen. But I got a replacement screen for cheap on eBay and still use it.
mcorrade Fo' shizzle, son! I'm on a 10-year-old Dell running on Ubuntu because Windows failed me three times. My other computer was literally pulled from the trash bin at work with cut power supply wires and no hard drive. Matched/soldered the wires, bought a cheap used hard drive, also running on Ubuntu. That's been my main PC for about 5 years now.
Waste not whatnot!
もったいない！
the laptop that is hooked to, and runs the media on my TV, was a throwaway. Friend was tossing it because the screen was broken. I asked if he'd give it to me for parts. I didn't know if it was working or not. I plugged in an HDMI and it booted right up. No repairs needed. So, I removed the broken screen, and now it hangs on the wall behind the TV. Faster than the interface in most "smartTV" devices also!
I love pinball!! Shout out to Red and Ted!
The Haunted House pinball machine was my all time favorite!!
Should come to Cincinnati Ohio, there is a HUGE community of people who repair and collect pinball and other arcade games. Hell of a lot more than 2'
I wonder if a Raspberry Pi could be used as the brain for a "modular" sort of pinball machine? A newer machine with modern soldering, modern connectors etc.
GORGAR was by far my fav-o-rite pinball machine :)
5:07 The bottom of those things looks like the inside of a fusion nuclear power plant! Modern technology such as 3D scanning and 3D printing could help with the replaceability, repairability, and reliability, but it sounds like there's a major problem with non-standard parts and excessive fragility. Maybe a lot of people could come together to decide on a set of parts or at least sizes that these parts will be, and redesign pinball machines using those standards. It could be far less expensive in the long run.
All pinball machines are a combination of standard and unique parts. Companies only tended to use unique parts when they solved a unique need, or when they were customer-facing display parts. One thing you need to keep in mind, though, is that standards change - a standard relay in a 1977 machine may not be easy to find or substitute in 2018, whereas another may be. And rubber bumper parts will always need periodic replacements. I think of one of my favorite machines from the late electronic pinball era, Star Trek TNG - loads of custom parts, and they're generally only in good working order if owned and maintained by someone who truly appreciates the board.
what is standard? these machines were made by different companies who each had their own ideas and patents. the thing is that a lot of patents were not truly honored and a lot of parts are similar. things like flippers should only be by one company who invented them but others made there own versions. like an earlier poster said technology changes and so a standard will change. one of the big revolutions was when the coils went to 50v ac which gave the flippers and jet bumpers extra kick. solid state electronics changed the how games played and how each player could have a different scoring scheme depending on how much of certain tasks they had accomplished themselves not reliant on what another player had done like with spinner targets on em games where you inherit the last players position for advancement for a bonus score. then other solid state games seem like they were designed to break on purpose like a gottlieb system 1 which can have a power supply plugged in backward when you remove the head to move it sending high voltage into a 5 volts logic path or adjusting scoring switch gaps with the power on and touching the bulb connection which will send a spike to the spider chip and fry it and since the chips are mostly irreplaceable the game board is shot. or losing your negative power supply which makes every coil and driver in the game lock on and burn up. the only standard on a game is the bad ideas that cause them to break like who puts batteries that will eventually leak and damage the game board on the game board.
Yep, even in the context I was talking about (standard and unique parts), all those standards are only within a company in most cases, or a supplier when sourced outside that company (relays, lamps, etc.).
I thin looking at the beatiful inside of the dead console in the sand pit at Clary'sBayside (VT) gave me my life time love of electronics.
Come to Portland, OR there are a lot of pinball repair guys.
I know a lot of em too.
I am one of them that do pinball repair myself and have several in my collection.
This job looks fun. I've been doing electronics on and off since I was eight. I'm 38 now.
Thank Gawd for you sir in this lousy throw away world we live in. Your correct in saying it is better to repair. Unfortunately the way things are made today its almost impossible to repair.
mcorrade yep! The days of replacement of A SIMPLE LED require you to replace an entire board. Crazy shit
ummm ok
Cold German Beer Correct. It's easy to throw out empty phrases like "disposable society, we should repair more", but most things just aren't worth repairing from a financial standpoint. You can't pay a skilled tech $50/$75/$100 hr to repair a joystick on a $20 video game controller, nobody would go through that hassle unless it was something rare and special in some way. These pinball machines are worth it because they sell for thousands of dollars and are DESIGNED to be repairable in the first place with old school component design rather than super micro pick-and-place machine-made boards that can't even be soldered by hand. Something does need to be done to make things more viable to recycle, but repair of modern low-cost devices just isn't practical the second you start factoring in labor.
The owner of that pinball bar when he's showing his office and repair room absolute jokes love his words.
Live it great vid love love love it gr8 vid
It blows my mind to see him use a giant Weller soldering gun to work on a few small wires. I guess most of the repairs aren't very intricate, as the guy obviously knows what he's doing.
I remember using my dad's soldering gun to work on electronics when I was very young, when it was the only thing available. It such a HUGE step up in my abilities when I learned about ordinary irons and soldering stations!
using a weller gun on coils and wires isnt difficult, and waiting for a pencil type iron to heat up for a single repair takes way too long. board work is another story, cant go near one with a weller gun.
Shout Out to Dr. Scott's Pinball in Toledo, Ohio!!!!
my home town, i dont live there anymore I remember his shop was in Maumee did he move it?
God I miss pinball!!! Damit now I want to play!!!❤️❤️
Wish I could do that sort of stuff
the machines are worth saving because they are unique. there were only so many firepowers made, sure that was a widely produced game BUT its not like a cell phone where millions were produced. its the oldest game in my collection of 5
Guys including Gals that repair tech stuff, I believe are the most switched on and interesting people on the planet. I should know... I repair tech stuff myself
Should of gone to the pinball museum in Vegas. I go there every few months with ten dollars in quarters.
Cold German Beer It’s really not that bad. It’s a block away from UNLV. I think it’s worst if you go east more, like past the 95 freeway. More around Sams town and boulder station. Now that’s bad.
Cold German Beer yeah I live here too and used to live on trop and topaz. Went to chap. I used to walk down Harmon everyday going to planetPC the Internet cafe. It’s really not that bad compared to the north side back in the day.
Cold German Beer plus I’m comparing the east side to where I was born and raise. Stockton, CA. Compared to that it’s not that bad unless you on the east side doing shit you shouldn’t be doing in the first place.
Cold German Beer really the airport? Were you here when the north side was really scary? Before we had houses past Craig rd, before the 215 and Aliante. That was scary. Back then people only went to north Las Vegas to pick up drugs and get the hell out of there.
I was in Vegas 2ice and I didn't check it out. Next trip I'm there.
What a cool fellah
Its true.Pinball machines are complex.The older ones that are electro mechanical with massive switch banks are quite challenging!
Cheers!
I'm 16 and I really wanna get into pinball I've only saved about 3500 but I would love to go get some of those classic 90s bally tables one of these days
I used to work at an Arcade called Cactus Jacks in OKC - ball jams are a bitch and guys like this are our only hope !
Forgot to mention location. Atlanta, GA. Game works fine except for one weak flipper and few lights out.
A friend of mine said that people won't cash just even 1 coin these days.. they are greedy. Still, there are some fans who agree to buy a used machine for 4000 and a brand new one for 14000. But not that many.
Hey I just got a job repairing pinball
Hopefully they standardize long term parts across the makers. That would allow for people to easily do this longer. Just not the design pieces (ramps, etc)
TNT amusements in PA will fix and upgrade your tables to last and look better.
Holy shit I remember playing the KISS one.
Tech's exist, they just aren't on call or they are mostly collectors that don't fix them for a living. I have over 20 years tech experience in pinball and restore 2-3 pins a month over the course of a year, but I tech my own collection, or a fellow collector if he or she needs assistance and that's it. It's definitely up to us to teach the current generation the technical aspects of pinball if it is to survive. It's how I learned, from the veteran techs and I'm almost 40
They should have invited Todd Tuckey to this interview.
Thats great gaming culture, keep it alive!
There are not as many techs around, but they are still around. You just have to look for them.
Yup there's one right here!!! ^^^ Hey Jim!!!
Another one over here ,
i come from australia and have 2 pinball machines
Hey, anyone know of someone who could repair a 1986 Williams PinBot ?
I have a MINT one owned Bobby Orr Pinball that needs work, in Portland, OR. Any help?
Maybe check out a local makerspace, if you offer them a couple bucks and some nice beers you can normally find help.
Ahh thanks Steve! Never thought of the makerspace angle. Its a mint one owner I've had for 30 years+ Bobby Orr PowerPlay. Thanks Steve
Dude if you're in Portland, you talk to the Quarterworld guys. They're the one renting out the masses of pinball machines covering our city right now
www.quarterworldarcade.com/qwvending
On it now! Probably closed for the weekend... But thanks 4c!
Anytime baby, good luck!
Same problem with those old slot machines.
Love his accent. NY? Boston?
💕
I want those plz
I wonder if they know of my brother- Don Foedisch
A pinball repairman ,who plays the Rudra veena??? Where do you find such people? 😳
"It's uniquely American. It's like a hamburger. And it didn't come from another part of the world." Somebody break it to that guy that burgers came from Germany haha...
Yes, but like your mom they didn't get properly slapped in the buns until they got to the US.
and pinball has origins in baquatelle, but I guess that’s like comparing neanderthals to humans
yeah bagatelle was European through and through, but contemporary pinball was a Chicago lovestory
BURN
Burgers came from the middle east
And now a Pinball Bubble?...
Cool.
_'I'm a pinball wizard'_
What about Todd from TNT Amusements???!!!
These guys need to get together and build boards and sell them, So other people can build there own Pinball machines that need fixing
MOTHERBOARD, why does pinball games power supply only use ONE big filter cap rated at 27,000uf and higher, any reasons to use such a very large capacitance value?
Yeah, capacitors store instantaneous energy. You need lots of capacitance to deliver high current demand of solenoids (flippers, etc).
Funny how the schematics were actually included, not hidden.. for once:)
3:10 I didn't know ice poseidon was into pinball
I wonder how much does he charge each time he service or fix it
techs are anywhere from $60-$150 / hour, plus parts
guy just sold me on a pinball machine.
MOTHERBOARD, why did all pinball machine switch off from using AC coils AC solenoids to using DC coils DC solenoids, what are the reasons why?
I think I remember talking to one of the tech guys about that. First and foremost, the tech behind them got better. A DC solenoid nowadays can use a lot lower voltage then the ones way back when, and still give the same amount of power behind their kicks. The problem of course, is you have to totally rewire older machines to handle the new coils. But I was told they also use a lot less power as a result as well.
@@AC3handle , Thanks for the help. The Older pinballs machines in 70's 80's used linear power supply which only had ONE filter cap rated at 27,000uf very high capacitance value, any reasons why such a high capacitance because most power supplies use multiple caps at 100uf not just one filter cap. Any reasons why ?
Can I get a few pinball machines for my place?
For $2000+ each you sure can.
The Ben Heck show makes pinball machines look him up here on youtube to see whats cooking.. or reach out to your local maker space.. there's usually a couple of pinball fans among the guys and girls :)
Ben Heck has a company now, google Spooky Pinball and buy his games brand new.
They are not the only pinball techs in NYC. I fix pinball machines for Modern Pinball NYC.
They're probably just the only traveling pinball techs.
jaf7173 Zap really? I’ve been to Modern Pinball in 2016. Can You give me your email contact? Thanks .
What about Ben Heck?
Maybe do a feature on Todd from TNT amusements.
Bo88y Beretta I was gonna say - what a legend. Super in-depth videos. These guys are hobbyists but real deal dudes.
CLAY
Bo88y Beretta was also going to say the same thing. Unfortunately they probably don't read comments. TNT has a good UA-cam video channel too.
Or Dr Scott's pinball in Toledo
*Anyone know the names of the machines from the 80s that had no flippers & found in Greek coffee shops & bars*
Crazy Clown Bingo Pinbalk
we call them "Bingo's" here in Australia, also widly seen in the 80's mostly in the Greek & Italian cafe's too. I got 2 in my collection Bally Bali - just a 3card game. The better ones had the moving corner numbers & the ultimate! Magic Screens, like my London
One of the reasons why we live in a throwaway world are manufacturers the make stuff that is hard to fix and make it difficult to get the manual for them. Yes I'm looking at you Apple. Another is price, stuff is getting so cheap people would rather buy a new one than fix the existing one.
cool..pinball my fav...why not do this type of mechanical games using modern tech? can reduce all those winding wires & so on(much simpler electronics module), easier to maintain..less power usage..
extreme748 those exsist but i think people like the retro sound and look.
The NEW ones do, he's repairing old machines as they were built. It's impractical to make a new PCB to put in old machines that may only have 1% of the original production run still in operation.
Only two techs In NYC? What am I chopped Liver?????
*PINBWOOL*
Why not do a piece on TNT amusements??
They've already been done. Todd even did a piece on himself telling his entire history from his start to now.
I did this for decades now can't get a job.