Skip to content
The Classic Pinball Podcast
The Classic Pinball Podcast
140 episodes tracked since 2019 about →
Copied!

#136 - Better, Stronger, Faster - The Classic Pinball Podcast

PodcastAnalysis updated 3d ago1 hr 17 min listenBy George
From the creator

Dave’s repairs: Data East Star Wars, Bride of Pinbot, Getaway, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Simpsons. Arcade visit. 100 men vs King Kong. Six Million Dollar Man, Funhouse, Robots.

Listen on The Classic Pinball Podcast

Highlights

  • A Rotten Dog SAM board had its DAC chip installed upside down from the factory, with pin 1 and pin 14 reversed
  • Pirates of the Caribbean has a known ramp motor shipping mechanism problem that is difficult to repair and many technicians report as 'a giant pain'
  • Older pinball machines (late 70s, early 80s) require 50-70 hours of work to make reliable, versus newer games where repairs stick after shorter service
  • Repinning the lower left connector on the NPU and right side connectors on the solenoid driver board are must-have reliability improvements for Valley and early Stern machines
  • A glass playfield glass sheet can shatter from minimal contact on a stone tile floor, whereas wood or carpet floors are more forgiving
  • Back to the Arcade Media in Winchester, Virginia offers $10 all-you-can-play pricing for a day with lineup including King Kong, Attack on Mars, Metallica, Stranger Things, Venom, Addams Family, and Funhouse
  • Water left on a freshly waxed table surface can turn the wax white, and Novus 2 polish can remove the mark through buffing
  • Pinball buyers often don't understand the mechanical complexity and time required to dial in machines, expecting perpetual problem-free operation

Notable quotes

“From the factory, they installed their chip upside down. So pin 1 was pin 14. And pin 14 is pin 1.”
George
“According to the AI, Google AI says, you just screwed the pooch. That chip is gone. 99% chance you burned it out.”
George
“They all say this is a giant pain. I did take this part three or four times every time. It's a pain in the ass to get it right.”
George
“Do you really understand what you're going to buy? Because you're thinking it's going to be in there in perpetuity. It's gonna work great. And it doesn't.”
George
“These things are like an old car. Everything goes wrong in 10 hours. It's hard to hit everything you need to hit and make this thing reliable.”
George
“I just barely even put it down. I didn't even feel like I touched the floor and like boom, explosion of glass in my hands.”
George
“If you do those [repin the NPU and solenoid driver board connectors], chances are at least the game will be reliable.”
Dave
“That's what happens when you put a 230 volt line into a 43 volt line. Yeah, that can kind of cause problems.”
Dave

Entities

  • Pin and Pixels· company
  • Pinball Life· company
  • Rotten Dog· company
  • Attack on Mars· game
  • Blackjack· game
  • King Kong· game
  • Metallica· game
  • Pinbot· game
  • Pirates of the Caribbean· game
  • Pulp Fiction· game
  • Six Million Dollar Man· game
  • Star Wars· game
  • The Getaway· game
  • The Simpsons· game
  • Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show· media
  • Dave· person
  • George· person
  • Jim Rutherford· person
  • John Rutherford· person
  • Tanya P. Holt· person
  • Tim· person
  • Novus 2· product
  • Back to the Arcade Media· venue

More from The Classic Pinball Podcast

→ All content from The Classic Pinball Podcast
Contact us about this coverage