Repairing Electro-Mechanical (EM)
Pinball & Coin Operated Games to 1978
All text and pictures copyright by
cfh@provide.net (Clay Harrell)
Copyright, all rights reserved.
Scope.
This document is a repair guide for Electro-Mechanical (EM) coin opertated
games made up to about 1978. This includes pinball games, pitch and
bats (baseballs), bowlers, gun games, etc. Though pinball is stressed the most in this
document, this information applies to most EM arcade games made from the 1930s to 1978.
Electro-Mechanical (EM) means the game uses relays and switches, and
does not use a computer CPU. This document is geared towards complete beginners.
No experience is assumed, though basic electrical knowledge is
helpful. The document should be read "top down" and in its entirety.
(Well at least up to, but not necessarily including, part 4.)
Updates of
this document are available at
http://www.pinrepair.com
if you have Internet access. This document is three parts -
part one is here,
part two is here,
part three is here.
For parts, schematics, and repair sources please see the
parts and repair sources web page.
Table of Contents
1. Part One - Introductions.
- Intros, Bibliography,
Systematic Repair Approach
- Getting Started
- Necessary Tools
- Video:
Pinball Tools
- Parts to have On-Hand
- Lubrication & Why Contact
Cleaner/WD-40 are BAD
- the Parts & Assemblies
of an EM Game
- Video: EM
Pinball Parts and Assemblies
2. Part Two - Before Turning the Game On.
- Check the Fuses and Fuse Holder
- Plug Connectors Cleaning
& Dim/Bad Lamp Sockets
- Check Coin Door Switches
- Stepper Units: Checking,
Adjusting, Cleaning
- Video: Various
Stepper Units used in EM games
- Switch Contacts: Checking,
Adjusting, Cleaning
- Score Reels & Score Reel
Relays: Checking, Adjusting, Cleaning
- Video: Score
Reels used in EM Games
- Midway Motorized Score Reels
(1965-1975)
- Misc. Things to Check before
Power-On
3. Part Three - Further Repair Notes.
- The Check List
- Typically What's Wrong
- Buzzing/Noisy Relays and Coils
- Gottlieb Reset Bank, Ax/Bx
Relays, Continuous Duty Relays
- Video: Ax Relay
and Reset Banks
- Score Motors and other Motors
- Start Up (Reset) Sequences
- Reading Schematics
- Reading Schematics 2 &
Fixing Game Features
- Other Problems & Stories
- Gottlieb Coin Doors and
Flipper Buttons: the Shocking Truth
- Coils Explained: Coil Power and
Size, Testing Coils, Low Resistance Coils, Big Blue Sparks, Rewinding
Coils, Coil Equivalents
- Pop Bumpers
- Slingshots
- Roto-Targets and Vari-Targets
- Drop Targets
- Flippers
- Zipper Flippers
4. Part Four - Misc Repair Info.
- Playfield Glass
- Setting your EM to Freeplay
- Cleaning and Waxing the
Playfield
- Playfield Rubber
- Chime Box Repair (Williams)
- Increasing EM Game
Performance
* Go to
the EM Pinball Repair Guide Part 1
* Go to the EM Pinball Repair Guide Part 2
* Go to the EM Pinball Repair Guide Part 3
* Go to the Pin Fix-It Index at
PinRepair.com
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