HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: picquend@ducie.ecs.umass.edu (Marc Picquendar)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Older Pinball Machines (Was:A Hardware Question)
Date: 28 Aug 92 14:32:42 GMT
Reply-To: picquend@ducie.ecs.umass.edu (Marc Picquendar)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst


In article <9208261451.AA01348@rwasic24.aud.alcatel.com>, wasallee@RWASIC24.AUD.ALCATEL.COM (}Bill Sallee) writes:|> Since Someone asked about the second plunger. I've been
                                   ^
|> Other differences between these machines and modern pins:
|>       -scores ranged from 1 to 9999 points

I remember playing in the north of France in the early sixties (I was very young then) and
the scores were up to 999, (rotating counter), very rarely, one would score above 1000, and
a special 1 would light up (the count could go up to 1999).
I also recall the one in early seventies, when you had to be extra careful beating the high
score, since the count would turn over ( absolute high score 9999, 10001, you're screwed)

|>       -multiple replay (4 or 5 ) scores were very common
|>              eg.  800pts   replay
|>                  1200pts   replay
|>                  1600pts   replay
|>                  2400pts   replay 
|>       -rolling over the scores allowed you to get more replays
|>        (later on a lighted 1 was added in the 10000's place
|>         that was lit when the mechanical score rolled over)

Ooops, I should have read closer, but this is independant corroboration( with a slight 
variant guaranteeing authenticity)

|>       -Specials were common.
|>       -I don't recall extra balls. but some machines had gate
|>        on the right outlane that would feed the ball back to
|>        the plunger.
|>       -matches were random except when the match wheel got stuck
|>        so that the machine always matched X. (Then on the last
|>        ball of a poor game you always tried to drain on X.
|>       -The only sounds were buzzers and bells and the wonderful
|>        thwock of the replay indicator.
|>       -It was not uncommon to see people rack up 20 or 30 replays.

In 1982 Toulouse, I racked up 32 replays on the Xenon machine (the one with Ha Ha, Hm Hm
and Ho Ho)

|> Of course it's been a long time since I've played or even seen one

There were still some around in Montpellier in 1978 (that's the last place I saw
one). The ones there had quite elaborate back pannels with moving parts (ie a Cowboy
on a horse, the horse would kick back on special occasion, or a closed window would open and
reveal a partially undressed woman)

|> of these games so I may not have everything exactly right. Anyone
|> else remember playing these?

Yes ...

|> 
|> Bill Sallee   wasallee@rwasic24.aud.alcatel.com
Marc
From: granatelli@novax.llnl.gov
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Another flipper question
Date: 1 Sep 92 03:53:47 GMT

Try placing a capacitor (about 100pF) across the solenoid, this way when power
is placed across the solenoid the capacitor will charge up and bleed off slow
enough to stop the arcing on the switches.
From: kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (Keith Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: settings
Date: 2 Sep 92 19:15:56 GMT
Organization: Virginia Tech Computer Science Dept, Blacksburg, VA

So, what is the deal with machine settings, anyway?  It would be nice if
there was a way to tell what difficulty machines were set on before you
started playing them...  The best example is Whirlwind/FunHouse, where the
cellar door/wind tunnel can be set to light at the start of each ball or
not.  Very annoying to start playing a game and losing a ball and expecting
the shot to be re-lit and it isn't...  Also, more recently, in TAF it seems
that the "E" shot in GRAVE can be designated to award you the electric chair
award or not.  Every TAF I've played lets you get the electric chair award
(if the chair is lit of course) except the one within 2 minutes of where I
live...  Surprised me at first, but it really doesn't make a super lot of
difference to me because the "E" is probably the least tried-for and hit
shot for me.  But that game is also a 5-ball game, so I don't complain TOO
much... :)  Also, I've noticed that quick multiball can stay lit or not at
the end of a ball.  Anything ELSE configurable about that game??

Oh - I might mention that the most annoying setting of all is limitation of
extra balls...  I played a FunHouse in England that (apparently) had a limit
of 1 extra ball per ball, but it didn't say that anywhere.  I just had to
find out the hard way.  It would be a lot nicer if it was a per-game
limitation, since if you didn't get an extra ball on one of those balls, you
were stuck.

keith

-- 
|kjohnson@csugrad.cs.vt.edu|\\\XXXXX///|"The players tried to take the field, |
|.....Keith P. Johnson.....| \XXXXXXX/ | The marching band refused to yield.  |
|.1711 Whipple Dr. Apt. 11.| /XXXXXXX\ | Do you recall what was revealed      |
|...Blacksburg, VA 24060...|///XXXXX\\\| The day the music died?" -Don MacLean|
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: chupchup@ferkel.ucsb.edu (Robert Earl)
Subject: getting inside that coin door
Keywords: coin door, operators, self-test
Organization: (EVIL!)
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 08:42:21 GMT


Well, I've finally had it after tonight.  Is it just San Diego, or do
-all- pinball operators have such a hard time believing that a pin
failed a self-test?

Here's the thing.  I go into the arcade, look at the Williams or Bally
machine, and notice the trademark "dot" after "Credits 0" that means
the machine is on the blink (however minor the problem is).  Go up to
the nice operator and say, "there's a problem with machine X, could
you do me a favor and self-test it?"  Blank stares.  "what's wrong
with it?" "looks fine to me."  I have people play entire games while
going "nothing wrong here!".

It's very simple to open the darned coin door and press "enter" or
"advance" or whatever.  It tells you exactly what's wrong with the
machine.  But you need an operator.  So, does anyone have experience
with this, and are there tricks to get the operators to open that
magic little door?  I'm frankly sick of telling them exactly how to
test the thing, and even trying to prove that there's an error by
power-cycling.  (Power-cycling, folks, is NOT something to do under
the watchful eye of an already-angry operator.  Haven't they heard of
"batteries"?)

So in an effort to just find out what's wrong with the game, mostly to
figure out if it's affecting my play before I sink a dollar or so into
it, I'm quite willing to rely on deceit or just a good story to tell
these people.  Is there a good way to really hose a machine that would
warrant opening the door?  Like a good way to jam up the coin door so
everyone starts losing tokens?  Or a good way to deep-six a ball so
the machine gives "Pinball Missing" and the operator has to pull off
the glass?
-- 
"If you've got a pig that likes jumping fences, | robert earl
you have to make its fence a lot higher all at  | rearl@ucsd.edu
once -- if you do it by increments, all you're  | rearl@piggy.ucsb.edu
doing is training a jumping pig." -Henry Spencer|
From: cafer@etek.chalmers.se (Tommy Vaske)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Lethal Cows
Date: 28 Aug 92 22:45:42 GMT
Reply-To: cafer@etek.chalmers.se (Tommy Vaske)
Organization: Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, SWEDEN

In article <BtIC9v.t9@chinet.chi.il.us>, emuly@chinet.chi.il.us (brian schmidt) writes:
[stuff del'd]
|> Currenty free-lance, including all Data East pins from BTF to the present)
                                                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
:-) (well, i thought it was funny...)


ObPinball: Pinball Dreams - barf! Been playing that bad-substitute-
           for-the-Real-Thing several hrs. the latest two weeks...
           I'm pretty broke, and the best (only?) arcade in town will
           shut down for the season in a month or so... :-(

--tommy 
*************************************************************
*       semper idem!        *     "O Frabjous Day!          * 
*  cafer@etek.chalmers.se   *      Callooh! Callay!"   -L.C.*
*************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: T-Shirts
From: coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 02:17:13 GMT
Reply-To: coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: Wellington City Council, Wgtn, NZ

Okay, where can I get a PINBALL themed T-shirt from? Will I have to order
one of the trade magazines - Do they have advertisments for Tshirts?

I would just "die-for" a shirt that said "#1 Champion : 1 Billion Points
					    single game : The Addams Fam. "
;)

BC
-------------- / / /-----------------------  /~~~\  -----------  O      |~|  T
   \ \ \      / / / "Simply the BEST!.."    |  n  |             /\_     |_|  I
Brian Coutinho / /           - Tina Turner  |  U  | U E E N    /\ ;====== |  L
coutinho_b@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz                \___,\           / / |~~~~~~~l  T
===== \ \ \/ / /  ============================================================
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov  (Orin Day)
Subject: Re: TAF- The Power
Reply-To: oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov  (Orin Day)
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 17:08:29 GMT

In article <42wJqB1w164w@jwt.UUCP> bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP (David Eison) writes:
> sigma@picasso.ipl.rpi.edu (Kevin Martin) writes:
> 
> > Don't forget that on a level, fast game with strong flippers, you
> > can/should be able to hit Bear Kicks from the right, possibly even on
> > repeated shots.
> 
> Am I weird or something?  I've put my fair share of dollars into several 
> different TAFs (All with LOW REPLAYS! YEAH!  60 Mil!), but I can usually 
> ONLY hit the bear kick ramp from the right, over and over and over again. 
> I guess I don't really try for it from the left, but still, I don't 
> understand why everyone else needs to pass to the left to get a bear 
> kick.. Oh well.  Guess I'm just weird.

Well, it also depends on the pitch of the machine - the machine
I play on is very fast, but is also steeper than others I've played,
so you can often just make it to the point of no return and then
roll back down.

Though I must say the high scores on that machine are low - the
sensor just above the small left flipper is broken/disconnected,
so Thing can't flip, combos can't be collected, and the 5X swamp
bonuses are nonexistant.  Do they fix it?  "NO, NO, NO! Get the 
extra cash!" :(

> ---
> David Eison - Garfield           bbs-garfield@jwt.uucp
> I'm not writing a message.  These words are just here to take up space.

--
******** "And what they found was just a statue..." - TMBG *******
Orin Day, Code 664.1                    oday@lobster.gsfc.nasa.gov
Hughes STX/NASA       GSFC Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics
*******"Think that this is NASA's opinion?   NO, NO, NO!!!" ******
From: roy@ecgcurly.UUCP (ecghub   Roy Kern)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Playfield Repairs
Summary: I agree.
Date: 24 Aug 92 13:50:19 GMT
Organization: Motorola Cellular Cad Group


I agree with the person who recommended Bondo for wood repairs.  It works as
well with wood as it does with metal and it's much cheaper than wood putty
or wood filler.  Just think, if you get good with Bondo on your pin, just think
how good you'll be on your car.....   :)

Roy.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen)
Subject: Re: Level question
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 20:46:43 GMT
Keywords: Gorgar, question

In article <1992Aug23.174412.24629@dbsun.uucp>, meyer@dbsun.uucp (Don Meyer) writes:
> Well, I did it.  Just brought home Gorgar, at a price that was probably
> only somewhat too high as opposed to the asking price which several
> kind netters had labeled as out of line in email. :-)  Wheee!

I guess you mean under $400?  I was out two weeks and missed that.

> 1) How do you level a machine?  I assume that the playfield should be
> level left-to-right.  How about front to back?  I know that shouldn't

Yes, level L-R.  Someone suggested taht you start out the front-back
by levelling the *bottom* of the machine along the cabinet.
Most carpenter's torpedo levels let you do that.
After that, it's a personal thing.  Warped trajactories, hung-up balls
on playfield, and boredom are all signs that you should jack up the rear
legs some more.

> 2) Could someone reiterate the stuff to use to seal the backglass
> artwork?  I want to do some touch up and sealing it before I start

Yep.  Use Cover-Your-Glass-LITE to seal flakey spots, and any place you might
touch up.  Afterwards you can use the non-LITE version.

> 3) Is there a maintenance FAQ I've missed?  I know there is a lot

Just the 2nd part of the FAQ -- lots of good info in there.

> 4) Related to #3 above, do the manufacturers (in this case Williams)
> produce a general maintenance manual?  I've got the schematics and

Not since the EM days, I'm afraid.  All 3 or 4 makers put out
general theory and how-to books in the '50s.  Anyone hear of any since?
-- 
"R-E-C-P-E-K-T -- that's what Quayle won't give to me!"
  Programmers Do It on paper.  So do puppies.
	knudsen@iexist.att.com
From: mattock@rand.org (Michael Mattock)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Pachinko Machines?
Date: 26 Aug 92 21:58:09 GMT
Organization: RAND
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d9
X-XXMessage-ID: <A6C14C02B4020B19@mac-9-15.rand.org>
X-XXDate: Wed, 26 Aug 92 22:56:02 GMT

Pachinko is Japanese pinball.

Does anyone know of a distributor for new or used pachinko machines in the U.S.?  I am especially
interested in pachinko machines built since 1980.  Any help would be appreciated.

Michael Mattock                      | Post: Human Capital Department
Voice:    (310) 393-0411 x6548       |       The RAND Corporation
Internet: Michael_Mattock@rand.org   |       1700 Main Street
UUCP:     uunet!randvax!mattock      |       Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen)
Subject: Re: Playfield Repairs
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 19:56:13 GMT

In article <1992Aug21.000328.20034@ncsu.edu>, bcasper@eos.ncsu.edu (Brian Casper) writes:

> Get a can of Plastic Wood (tm) at a hardware store.  As far as I can tell,
> it's liquified cellulose in a can.  I use it to fill in the holes when those
> long post screws strip out.  I also used it to fill in a 3/8" deep chip at the

I too can vouch for Plastic Wood -- the original brand name.
I get it in the little glue tube.

I used it to rebuild the wood under one of those little posts that protects
the link arm on a spinner in my Trident.  I mean I really reconstructed
missing wood, not just filling a stripped screw hole.
Since then I've "just missed" that spinner a lot, but that post is still
solidly in place.

Plastic Wood is great for filling stripped screw holes, when you're tired
of dinking with toothpicks, etc.  Pop bumper mechanisms no longer fall
off the bottom of my Apollo playfield.  Flipper bushings stay put!
Note that you *must* drill a pilot hole in the stuff after it dries --
PW really is tuff.

I'm not so sure about PW adhering to a shallow crater in the playfield--
you might want to drill a 1/4" hole in the middle of the bad spot first,
to provide an anchor point.  (Just like your dentist does, arghhh!).
-- 
"R-E-C-P-E-K-T -- that's what Quayle won't give to me!"
  Programmers Do It on paper.  So do puppies.
	knudsen@iexist.att.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: jdeitch@umiami.ir.miami.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Wanted : Pinball in Atlanta, GA
Date: 2 Sep 92 23:59:59 EDT
Organization: Univ of Miami IR

I'm interested in a list of what pinball is where in Atlanta, Georgia ...

Specifically TAF, but anything else recent as well.

Please reply via email as I'm off usenet for the time being ...

thanks,

- Jonathan
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet : jdeitch@umiami.miami.edu | Go Braves !! | "I hate it when I can't
---------------------------------------------------| trust my own technology !" 
"Thrills!  Chills!  Magic!  Prizes!"  -- Hurricane |    -- Geordi LaForge

*** Please note, Sep 1st I change to : jdeitch@gisatl.fidonet.org !!!

Gene Roddenberry, Isaac Asimov, Jim Henson, Dr Seuss, Mel Blanc ... Sigh ... 
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: kak1@cypress31.cray.com (Kevin Kramer)
Subject: Another flipper question
Originator: kak1@cypress31
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 27 Aug 92 09:29:53 CDT


I noticed when two flippers are controlled by the same button
(both flippers are on one side) if you only push the flipper
button half way then only the bottom flipper will flip, then
when yopu push it a little farther then the top flipper will
finally flip.  Why are there two contacts in the flipper switch.
Wouldn't it be easier to only have one?  Just wondering.

Kevin
From: sands@apple.com (Michael Sands)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: games for sale
Date: 20 Aug 92 20:17:20 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer, Inc

I just talked to the local operator that places and services the games
here at the company.  He is about ready to upgrade his inventory and has
decided to trade in a lot of his pinball machines.  The trade in price
is low compared to value, as far as the distributor is concerned and so
the prices sounded reasonable.  He will sell for roughly $50 more than
trade in.

The two that sounded interesting were Funhouse ($1900) and Party Zone
($1700). 

If you are interested, please let me know.  He was going to trade in 
some time next week, 8/24.

This is in the San Jose, California area.  I will try and get a full 
list of games.

Michael
From: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Reply-To: sjsobol@tiny.com (Steven J. Sobol)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Distribution: world
Subject: Re: Lethal Cows
Organization: The Tiny Software Company, Main Office, Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 92 23:55:48 

bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP writes:
>ecvu28@castle.ed.ac.uk (Neil Madden) writes:
>
>> ZZ top - La Grange          (The Getaway)
>> Elton John - Pinball Wizard (Party Zone)
>> Hendrix - Purple haze       (  "    "  )
>
>Hmm.. Huey Lewis and the New - Back in Time (Back to The Future)

Also, Huey Lewis' "Power of Love" is on that game, and the ZZ Top song
is Doubleback, from the BTTF 3 soundtrack.

-- 
***  **  ** | The Tiny Software Co.  23707 Glenhill  Cleveland OH 44122
 *  *   *   | Steve Sobol * President * sjsobol@tiny.com or tiny!sjsobol 
 *   *  *   | Alternate addresses: sjsobol@wariat.org or ag510@po.cwru.edu
 *    * *   | Disclaimer: I *AM* the Tiny Software Company. 
 *  **   ** | **Welcome to Ohio, the Land of the Orange Construction Barrel**
From: dianetti@acsu.buffalo.edu (Donald J. Dianetti)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: TAF bug
Date: 31 Aug 92 21:44:36 GMT
Organization: UB

In article <11sysg@rpi.edu> xor@acm.rpi.edu (Joe Schwartz) writes:
>In article <Btrq71.8Bs@acsu.buffalo.edu> dianetti@acsu.buffalo.edu (Donald J. Dianetti) writes:
>
>[tragic story (about spontaneous TAF reset) deleted]
>
>It's been a while since anyone has mentioned this bug.  I was beginning to
>wonder if it was only a problem in the older ROMs...does your machine have
>the L-3 ROM?  (Has anyone seen this happen on an L-3 machine?)

Unfortunately, I don't know what type of ROM this particular machine had.
Is there an easy way to tell?  Forgive my ignorance of this topic. :)


-- 
Don Dianetti  --  SUNY at Buffalo  --  dianetti@acsu.buffalo.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------
"I will not buy this tobacconists, it is scratched." - Hungarian tourist
"They like you very much, but they are not the hell your whales." - STIV
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen)
Subject: Re: Pinball Auction Summary
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 23:12:28 GMT
Keywords: pinball auction sale money

In article <Btt34I.1xH@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>, shewchun@boomer.uwaterloo.ca (Dave Shewchun) writes:

> Black Pyramid            $375
> [older pin, decent shape, had a moving target in the center, just
> like Star Trek - so much for DE being original on that one :-)]

Actually, the moving (swinging) target dates back to WIlliams'
SPACE MISSION / SPACE ODYSSEY, '75 or '76.
One of the last great EM pins -- don't complain about how slow
EM pins are till you've tried this baby.

I suspect moving targets can be found much farther back in pinball history,
but I haven't heard of any yet.
-- 
"R-E-C-P-E-K-T -- that's what Quayle won't give to me!"
  Programmers Do It on paper.  So do puppies.
	knudsen@iexist.att.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
From: drew@kinglear.cs.colorado.edu (Drew Eckhardt)
Subject: Re: High Speed II Shifting Question
Organization: University of Colorado at Boulder
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 05:08:51 GMT

In article <my3HqB2w164w@jwt.UUCP> bbs-garfield@jwt.UUCP writes:
>I have played a few games of High Speed 2, and whenever it said shift I'd 
>slam the shifter down... I just read a message about up-shifting... I'm 
>confused now.  When you shift, should you go up or down, and how do you 
>know, or does it matter?  Also, are there any times you should shift when 

In normal play, when you red-line in a gear, it doesn't matter. 
In video mode, it *DOES* matter, where up should be up, down should 
be down.  Of course, many places have the shifter installed upside
down, so your mileage may vary.

>it doesn't tell you to?  Just wondering...

When you've got video mode, but before it's started, you should shift up to 
5th gear.

-- 
Microsoft is responsible for propogating the evils it calls DOS and Windows, 
IBM for AIX (appropriately called Aches by those having to administer it), but 
marketing's sins don't come close to those of legal departments.
Boycott AT&T for their absurd anti-BSDI lawsuit.
From: overturf@bigbootay.sw.stratus.com (Dallas Overturf)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Subject: Re: Solid-State Flippers (was: Re: Williams flippers)
Date: 27 Aug 92 20:32:20 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Software Engineering

In article <1992Aug26.194642.13344@javelin.sim.es.com> dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com (Daina Pettit) writes:
>In article <1992Aug26.152825.1685@rtsg.mot.com> iott@rtsg.mot.com (Joel K. Iott) writes:
>>I believe "solid-state" flippers can still become weak over time since what
>>wears out is the flipper coil(s).
>I've been told that coils *never* wear out.  Instead they burn/short
>themselves to oblivion.  Besides the EOS problem you mentioned flippers get
>weak because the coil sleeve, which is usually nylon, wears out/gets dirty,
>and the linkages get loose and start to bind.  Very rarely do coils have to
>be replaced.  
>-- 
>  Daina Pettit  (801) 582-5847  dpettit@javelin.sim.es.com   
>  Evans & Sutherland  600 Komas Drive, SLC, UT  84108

Well I've never taken apart a coil to prove this but I do
disagree.  They most certainly do "wear out"  Probably in the
form of small short circuits that cut the power but allow the coil
to work.  Consider my following hypothesis:

The coil has, lets say a single winding for simplicity and has
5000 turns on the winding.  Now all the vibration of the 
coil itself being used and all the other little things going
on in the machine may eventually cause minor shorts in a few places
in the coil.  Say turn #1 to turn #10 and a few others in between.
All of a sudden your 5000 turn coil is now a 4000-4500 turn coil and
a bit weaker.  Assuming the coil-stop and plunger are in good shape
and the power to the coil is good what else would make the coil weak???

Thats my 2 pennies on this one and it is a problem that has been nagging
me a long time.  If anyone else out there has a better theory;
I'd like to hear it myself; as physically I just can't come up with another
possibility.

			Regards,	Dallas...

Feel free to Cc: me on a posted reply if you wish.  I don't always
get to read everything here though I try :)

email: overturf@vos.stratus.com or where this came from.
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball