For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast

How to fix some basic problems with cabinets and another thing which could be dangerous if not corrected. Also: an interesting bingo at Allentown!

Yet another way to get injured on a pinball machine. Ensure all your machines have tempered glass before someone gets hurt. Better to clean tiny pieces of glass out of the machine than large chunks out of your arms!

Nothing beats the feeling of picking up a new project! I tend to get some pretty rough games (cause I'm cheap). The furry or fecal surprises inside must be removed - even under the transformer board!

I'm no expert, as I've said early on. Here are some of my stupid mistakes, learned during my time refurbishing games. There are others, of course, but here are the choice cuts, my favorites.

Issues unique to backglass deterioration on Bally bingos.

If this one sounds like it stops abruptly, that's because I'm sleepy, and it's a two-parter! How to care for your backglass if it has deteriorated.

A listener asks a multi-part question regarding purchasing advice for a new bingo.

Vic Camp (the passionate bingo pinball player and collector) sits down with me to talk about his time playing bingos on route in New Jersey.

My partially parted out Gigi project is now working! I detail the gameplay and fun with Gottlieb coin circuits (they hate me).

Rockola was a jukebox manufacturer, and got into pin games (along with every other company, it seems) in the 1930s. During this decade, they produced one of the most beautiful, elegant games ever created.

Interview with the EM Dungeonmaster himself, James Willing from the Spooky Pinball Podcast.

Chime boxes in EMs - everyone has an opinion and a preference, and I'm no exception.

Older pinball machines used bells as the only sound (aside from the coils and noises of the machine).

Discussion of the only hack I found in Ticker Tape - the operator had disabled the 4 corner scoring feature. I fixed this afternoon, then Ava and I played many rounds together.

Arcing in a pinball machine - sometimes unavoidable, almost always bad. Why it happens, how to stop it, and how to look for it. Also: Our first listener question answered on the air!

Cleaning the ball arch on a metal rail EM is important, though no one but you will ever know!

Bzzzzt! What makes the machine tilt? There are many tilt innovations that occurred after the 30s (when the plumb bob tilt mechanism was invented), and several interesting tilt innovations in Bally's bingos.

Description of the gameplay of the 6 card Bally Ticker Tape and the current status of my project Gigi.

I talk with my friend Clark Fraley, who is a technician for an operator. Clark has been with me on a couple of pick ups now, and is a great guy to boot. Interviewed after we moved my new bingo and played for a bit. I hope to have him on again soon(ish) to discuss his upcoming acquisition!

Another new pickup! Gigi described - gameplay to follow after I shop it. I describe how to perform adjustments on an EM game.

I interview Phil Hooper, creator and maintainer of http://bingo.cdyn.com, the Internet's source for technical information on Bally and United bingos. Phil conducted this interview on 4/5/15 via email.

Ramps, lighted scoring, DC-driven coils, multi-level playfields - all were children of the 1930s, and continue to inform today's games.

What's the point of shaking a machine? How much is too much? How do you know? Are bingos games of skill or games of chance? Can older games make you a better player?

High voltage can hurt or even kill you. This is a warning about how to identify high voltage in your machine at a glance and the super easy way you can avoid getting hurt. Your health is more important than getting a game running.

How does a bingo know to lock you out of features after shooting a certain ball? How does it know _not_ to lock you out if you are able to reach the ball return without landing in a trap hole?