From: knudsen@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (michael.j.knudsen)
Subject: Re: Older Pinball Machines (Was:A Hardware Question)
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 22:37:27 GMT

In article <9208261451.AA01348@rwasic24.aud.alcatel.com>, wasallee@RWASIC24.AUD.ALCATEL.COM (}Bill Sallee) writes:

>        -When the credit button was pushed the blocking bar
>         was raised allowing all five balls (yes 5 balls was the
>         norm) to roll down to the lifter plunger.

Right.  Even older machines (40s and early 50s) had the push-in coin slides
like a laundromat washing machine, and your pushing physically
lifted that bar (and reset lots of relays and steppers too).

>        -When the first point of the game was scored the block
>         was lowered.

Yes, like the later "ball index relay" of Williams.
Note that a ball that hit *nothing* wouldn't count against you
in this simple but effective system.

>        -Ball in play was indicated by looking in the window to see
>         how many had drained.

And there were big numbers printed on the ramp under the balls
for players who couldn't count :-)

> Other differences between these machines and modern pins:
>       -scores ranged from 1 to 9999 points

Except the pre-60s pins used light-bulb scoringn 3 digits,
lowest being 10,000 and highest being Millions.
Every COMET freak ("1st million-point shot") should see ACE HIGH
(Gottlieb '57 or 8) with its "1 Million When Lit" hole.

>       -multiple replay (4 or 5 ) scores were very common

Yes!  Actually, solid-state pins can be set for up to 4 replay scores
(plus specials), but few operators enable more than one any more.

>       -Specials were common.

Yes, but not always easy to get.  Usually had to light up a lot
of different targets.  Of course "special" meant "replay" back then,
before add-a-ball and extra balls.

>       -I don't recall extra balls. but some machines had gate
>        on the right outlane that would feed the ball back to
>        the plunger.

Right, since the blocking gate had no way to deliver one more ball.

>       -matches were random except when the match wheel got stuck

And they were *honest* 10% probability too!
Usually the match wheel did other functions too, so if it froze up
players would complain.
Pins without Match feature didn't even know when the game was over --
there was no Game Over light.  No need, since the game was over when
all 5 balls were sitting in the drain.  Then you could jiggle the pin
to see how sensitive the Tilt really was.  I hated it when newer pins
went to "Game Over" and disabled the tilt.

>       -It was not uncommon to see people rack up 20 or 30 replays.

I remember a '49 United AQUACADE where, if you hit all 10 targets,
the kickout holes would each rack up 10 games!  But most pins gave such
windfalls only on "gobble holes" that ate your ball, thus putting
a limit to such largesse.

Old pins were much heavier on rollover channels -- entry spellers,
side channels, and even multiple drain channels between the flippers.
Nowadays you see rollovers maybe on entry, but mostly on inlanes
and outlanes.  No complaint, since they aren't very exciting.
-- 
"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