| crayzkirk |
08-02-2018 04:23 AM |
I used to repair arcade boards and pinball boards. I have a Tempest, Defender and Joust along with boxes of boards from Atari and Williams. I had a Disco Fever and Firepower pinball machines. Pinball machines require a fair amount of work to keep running well. Remember there is a rather heavy steel ball flying around a painted wooden playfield. The rubber on the bumpers, the spring switches, actuators, solenoids, flippers, targets, etc. are all maintenance items. I would keep track of the games played and every 50 games, I would pull the glass off of the playfield, clean and wax the board, replace the pinball(s) if necessary and adjust the switches and check condition of the rubber bumpers.
I traded the two pinball machines along with some cash for a Jeep about eight years ago. I needed a vehicle and a friend was more than willing to make me pay. He really wanted the pinball machines. I mentioned that these were fairly high maintenance items and that while I would help him learn, I wouldn't be spending my time fixing them. It wasn't long before he was calling me saying that they had quit working. It's amazing how fast these will deteriorate without proper care.
These were the electronic types of machines and I've seen a few posters with electro-mechanical types. These are really high maintenance and the score reels can be problematic. Of course, replacement parts are hard to find and while there are a few companies that specialize in replacement parts, they can be expensive.
I don't repair these things much anymore; it used to be fun and now it just seems like work.
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