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Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389087] Thu, 05 December 2019 15:32 Go to next message
hancock4 is currently offline  hancock4
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Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
using Nixie tubes to display the results?

https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389093 is a reply to message #389087] Thu, 05 December 2019 15:47 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
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hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
> using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>
> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>

Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389097 is a reply to message #389093] Thu, 05 December 2019 17:14 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:

> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>> using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>
>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>
> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.

Not to me.

I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.

No where near enough room for a reel either.

I looked with xmag, I think Nixie is a good guess.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389102 is a reply to message #389097] Thu, 05 December 2019 18:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Charlie Gibbs is currently offline  Charlie Gibbs
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On 2019-12-05, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> wrote:

> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>
>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>
>>> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>> using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>
>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>
>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>
> Not to me.
>
> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>
> No where near enough room for a reel either.
>
> I looked with xmag, I think Nixie is a good guess.

I think so too, although the photo might have been retouched a bit.

--
/~\ cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ / I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
X Top-posted messages will probably be ignored. See RFC1855.
/ \ "Alexa, define 'bugging'."
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389104 is a reply to message #389102] Thu, 05 December 2019 18:21 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: durgadas311

On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:10:17 PM UTC-6, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>>
>>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>
>> Not to me.
>>
>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>
>> No where near enough room for a reel either.
>>
>> I looked with xmag, I think Nixie is a good guess.
>
> I think so too, although the photo might have been retouched a bit.
>

I think the calculator had nixie tubes... the photo was being very generous! I'm sure they took liberties since it is more effort to photograph nixie tubes successfully. And back then you'd go through a lot of film and developing to get it right (if you weren't an expert). I'm guessing no one sued them for false advertising.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389105 is a reply to message #389104] Thu, 05 December 2019 18:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: durgadas311

Some "more honest" advertising...

https://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/scm414.html
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389122 is a reply to message #389097] Fri, 06 December 2019 09:35 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
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Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>
>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>> using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>
>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>
>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>
> Not to me.
>
> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.

I own two, both 1969 vintage. The characters in the add didn't seem
segmented and were too solid for nixie (I also have a 16 digit Burroughs
nixie calcuator on my desk).

The score wheel doesn't need to be as large as they are on the pinball machines
if the advance mechanism is outside the wheel.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389124 is a reply to message #389105] Fri, 06 December 2019 09:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
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durgadas311@gmail.com writes:
> Some "more honest" advertising...
>
> https://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/scm414.html

Yes, that's nixie. I guess the ad was touched up.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389125 is a reply to message #389122] Fri, 06 December 2019 09:50 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:

> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>
>>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>>
>>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>
>>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>
>> Not to me.
>>
>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>
> I own two, both 1969 vintage.

That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.

> The characters in the add didn't seem
> segmented and were too solid for nixie (I also have a 16 digit Burroughs
> nixie calcuator on my desk).

You can see the leading zeros that are not on. Now I'm thinking
definitely not Nixie tube.

> The score wheel doesn't need to be as large as they are on the pinball machines
> if the advance mechanism is outside the wheel.

There can't be any wheel with 10 numbers in the space shown.
I think you can have little plastic flip boards on a rolodex type setup in
a space like that. Actually looks like the unit has 11 digits, one
grayed out zero, one readable zero.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389126 is a reply to message #389125] Fri, 06 December 2019 10:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
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Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>
>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>
>>>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >
>>>> > https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>>
>>>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>
>>> Not to me.
>>>
>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>
>> I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>
> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.

Target Pool and Paddock.

The latter has add-a-ball.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389127 is a reply to message #389126] Fri, 06 December 2019 11:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:

> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>
>>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>>
>>>> > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >>Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >>using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >>
>>>> >> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>> >
>>>> > Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>>
>>>> Not to me.
>>>>
>>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>
>>> I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>>
>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>
> Target Pool and Paddock.
>
> The latter has add-a-ball.

Target has those tiny flippers.
Paddock has those wonderful Williams flippers.
The video I just watched the Paddock flippers seemed really weak.
I suppose that's just game condition.


--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389129 is a reply to message #389097] Fri, 06 December 2019 12:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Andreas Kohlbach is currently offline  Andreas Kohlbach
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On Thu, 05 Dec 2019 17:14:20 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>
> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>
>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>> using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>
>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>
>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>
> Not to me.
>
> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.

Which are?

I remember reel scores on pinball machines when I started to play them in
the mid 1970s. I was blown away by the Bally Evel Knievel pinball, when
it showed up on a local fair ground in 1977, because it had a 7-segment
display rather than reels. I never encountered pinball machines using
Nixie Tubes.
--
Andreas
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389133 is a reply to message #389127] Fri, 06 December 2019 13:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
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Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>
>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>
>>>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> >scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>> >
>>>> >> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >>>Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >>>using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>> >
>>>> >Not to me.
>>>> >
>>>> >I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>>
>>>> I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>>>
>>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>>
>> Target Pool and Paddock.
>>
>> The latter has add-a-ball.
>
> Target has those tiny flippers.

yes, it makes it challenging. It really isn't easy to win a bonus
game. But it is a fun game to play.

> Paddock has those wonderful Williams flippers.
> The video I just watched the Paddock flippers seemed really weak.
> I suppose that's just game condition.

Most likely, mine do well (but the chime/bells don't work due to
a broken blade on the 1s relay, which I haven't gotten around to
replacing). There are also intermittent failures of the 1000's
relay to advance the score reel and a weak spring in the ball
count unit. I'm saving these for retirement projects.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389134 is a reply to message #389087] Fri, 06 December 2019 13:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Charlie Gibbs is currently offline  Charlie Gibbs
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On 2019-12-06, Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> wrote:

> On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 09:50:56 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>
> I love Silverball Mania. Was only able to play it when I went on vacation
> and never saw it after that again. Recently re-enjoyed it using a pinball
> simulation.

Ah, memories. One of my favourites was Meteor (by Stern).
Meteor was a much better pinball machine than a movie.
(The movie on which it was based was a dog.)

One night I rolled it. I know some people like to tilt a
machine before the score rolls over so they can get high
score, but I didn't care - I wanted to see just how far
I could go. I wound up with a million and a half points,
and even the half a million that was left on the counter
was enough to get a game on points. What a rush.

--
/~\ cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ / I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
X Top-posted messages will probably be ignored. See RFC1855.
/ \ "Alexa, define 'bugging'."
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389135 is a reply to message #389087] Fri, 06 December 2019 13:51 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Quadibloc is currently offline  Quadibloc
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On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 1:32:06 PM UTC-7, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
> using Nixie tubes to display the results?

> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8

Yes. It's possible the photo was retouched to make the display look a bit clearer.

John Savard
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389136 is a reply to message #389125] Fri, 06 December 2019 14:12 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: JimP

On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 09:50:56 -0500, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com>
wrote:
> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>
>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>
>>>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >
>>>> > https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>>
>>>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>
>>> Not to me.
>>>
>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>
>> I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>
> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.

I've seen a few on the pickers show on History channel. The ones they
found awhile back had only springs, no electrical parts of any kind.

--
Jim
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389137 is a reply to message #389127] Fri, 06 December 2019 14:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: JimP

On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 11:03:24 -0500, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com>
wrote:
> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>
>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>
>>>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> >scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>> >
>>>> >> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >>>Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >>>using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>> >
>>>> >Not to me.
>>>> >
>>>> >I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>>
>>>> I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>>>
>>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>>
>> Target Pool and Paddock.
>>
>> The latter has add-a-ball.
>
> Target has those tiny flippers.
> Paddock has those wonderful Williams flippers.
> The video I just watched the Paddock flippers seemed really weak.
> I suppose that's just game condition.

I would catch the bus to go to my first job out of high school. I
played pinball while waiting for it. About a month later I noticed
they flippers weren't as strong. Turns out the bus ticket lady didn't
like such noise at 8 AM and had asked the tech who repaired thyem to
weaken them. My impression is it was a setting inside the pinball
machine.

Sorry, I don't remember the name of the machine. This would have been
about 1966; however, the machine could have been from years before
that.

--
Jim
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389140 is a reply to message #389097] Fri, 06 December 2019 16:12 Go to previous messageGo to next message
hancock4 is currently offline  hancock4
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On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:14:22 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:

> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.

Wow.

I always thought pinball machines were a neat application of
electrical logic. To my surprise, the underneath wasn't
as complicated as I expected. I just thought it was very
neat to have all that automation--when the ball hit various
items, they'd react, bouncing the ball and incrementing
the score. Different targets had different effects on
the score.

There was even a pop song "Pinball wizard".

Some kids got really skilled at it--able to manipulate
the machine without tilting it. It was pretty hard
to rack up enough points to get a free game.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389141 is a reply to message #389102] Fri, 06 December 2019 16:14 Go to previous messageGo to next message
hancock4 is currently offline  hancock4
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On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 6:10:17 PM UTC-5, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

>> I looked with xmag, I think Nixie is a good guess.
>
> I think so too, although the photo might have been retouched a bit.

Good point. Probably the images in most ads have been retouched.
It wouldn't surprise me that readouts would've been have been
retouched, especially in those days, to maximize clarity in
the advertisement.

Photographs that got published were routinely airbrushed to
improve clarity.
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389149 is a reply to message #389140] Fri, 06 December 2019 17:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: J. Clarke

On Fri, 6 Dec 2019 13:12:46 -0800 (PST), hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:14:22 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>
>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>
> Wow.
>
> I always thought pinball machines were a neat application of
> electrical logic. To my surprise, the underneath wasn't
> as complicated as I expected. I just thought it was very
> neat to have all that automation--when the ball hit various
> items, they'd react, bouncing the ball and incrementing
> the score. Different targets had different effects on
> the score.
>
> There was even a pop song "Pinball wizard".

Who was the hero in the rock opera "Tommy".
>
> Some kids got really skilled at it--able to manipulate
> the machine without tilting it. It was pretty hard
> to rack up enough points to get a free game.
>
>
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389153 is a reply to message #389129] Fri, 06 December 2019 19:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:

> On Thu, 05 Dec 2019 17:14:20 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>
>>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>>
>>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>
>>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>
>> Not to me.
>>
>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>
> Which are?

Posted elsewhere in this thread, but 2 Electro-Mechanical, Aztec and
Jokers Open, one solid state, Silverball Mania.

> I remember reel scores on pinball machines when I started to play them in
> the mid 1970s. I was blown away by the Bally Evel Knievel pinball, when
> it showed up on a local fair ground in 1977, because it had a 7-segment
> display rather than reels. I never encountered pinball machines using
> Nixie Tubes.

The reels on the EMs are loaded with wires. There are multiple contacts
for each reel's position, 0-9. Very easy for one of those contacts to
be slightly off or corroded to cause problems. The Jokers Open is
single player, but the Aztec is 4 player. That multiplies the number of
wires greatly.

The solid state machine has a lot less wires but it's still a whole lot.

I vastly prefer fixing the EMs, I can look at the circuit diagram and
understand everything going on in the machine.

I modified the Jacks Open to add an Extra Ball feature and it was
exactly like writing code. I just needed to figure out where my
signals were coming from and the signals I needed to send, then buy/build a
solenoid/switch stack with the right configuration.

The main logic element in a pinball is a solenoid attached to a set of
switches. Power causes the solenoid to activate, remove power to
de-activate. The solenoid moves all the switches in the switch stack turning
things off or on as needed. A 4 player EM might have 50 of these things.

One solenoid/switch is a key part of the machine but is different, the motor.
The motor is just a solenoid that turns a disc.
That disc then is attached to switch stacks that completely surround the disc.
On the Aztec there's a really impressive mass of switches on the motor.
The disc advances one position at time thru 10 positions.
This makes things like score reels work. A target scoring 50 or 500,
uses the motor to send 5 pulses to a score reel.

So next time listen to the sound the machine makes as it resets targets
or scores 5x or counts down a bonus. That's the motor making a circuit.

Similar to the clock in a computer.


--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389154 is a reply to message #389087] Fri, 06 December 2019 19:39 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:

> On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 09:50:56 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>
> I love Silverball Mania. Was only able to play it when I went on vacation
> and never saw it after that again. Recently re-enjoyed it using a pinball
> simulation.

If you ever get to NJ, check out Silverball Museum in Asbury Park.
They have a Silverball Mania. Actually they have most of the famous
machines including Aztec and Jacks Open. They run the only arcade I've
ever frequented that keeps their machines near 100% working.

It's truly great. There is another Silverball Museum in FLA (Delray)
which is good (it wasn't great when I visited).

Silverball Mania can be set to play music or not play music.
When you choose music, the sounds escalate as long as you keep the ball
in play. You can get some really strange sounds out of it and that's
oddly satisfying.

Traditional playfield design says put the high scoring targets near the
top of the playfield. You'll get more points and keep the ball in play
longer near the top of the playfield.

Silverball Mania violates that rule because the loop right in front of
the flippers is the way to really beat the machine. The loop lights a
letter, advances the multiplier and activates the kicker which returns
balls that fall between the flippers. If you really beat the hell out
of it, it awards Extra Ball and Specials.

Definitely one of the best.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389155 is a reply to message #389133] Fri, 06 December 2019 19:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:

> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>
>>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>>
>>>> > Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> >>scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>> >>
>>>> >>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >>>>Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >>>>using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >>>>
>>>> >>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>Not to me.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>> >
>>>> > I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>>>>
>>>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>>>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>>>
>>> Target Pool and Paddock.
>>>
>>> The latter has add-a-ball.
>>
>> Target has those tiny flippers.
>
> yes, it makes it challenging. It really isn't easy to win a bonus
> game. But it is a fun game to play.
>
>> Paddock has those wonderful Williams flippers.
>> The video I just watched the Paddock flippers seemed really weak.
>> I suppose that's just game condition.
>
> Most likely, mine do well (but the chime/bells don't work due to
> a broken blade on the 1s relay, which I haven't gotten around to
> replacing). There are also intermittent failures of the 1000's
> relay to advance the score reel and a weak spring in the ball
> count unit. I'm saving these for retirement projects.

Aztec had a score reel issue that just went away.
It doesn't seem to score 100s. Still I can play it.
I have a few of the bulbs replaced with LEDs.
I juiced up the playfield buy painting some of the bulbs
to get colors. Now it's easy to buy colored LEDs...

Jacks Open has a hanging spring on one of the drop targets so
it sometimes doesn't pull the target down all the way.
That causes the motor to run non-stop. I'm trying to fashion
something to reach into the drop target unit and reattach the spring.
I hope I don't have to disassemble the unit. Lots of stuff in there.

Silverball Mania has a short in the playfield lights.
I'll get around to it some day.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389156 is a reply to message #389136] Fri, 06 December 2019 19:50 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> writes:

> On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 09:50:56 -0500, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>
>>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>>
>>>> > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >>Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >>using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >>
>>>> >> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>> >
>>>> > Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>>
>>>> Not to me.
>>>>
>>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>
>>> I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>>
>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>
> I've seen a few on the pickers show on History channel. The ones they
> found awhile back had only springs, no electrical parts of any kind.

I've seen them, wouldn't waste my time on them.
They were really gambling devices.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389157 is a reply to message #389137] Fri, 06 December 2019 19:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> writes:

> On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 11:03:24 -0500, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>
>>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>>
>>>> > Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> >>scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>> >>
>>>> >>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >>>>Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >>>>using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >>>>
>>>> >>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>Not to me.
>>>> >>
>>>> >>I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>> >
>>>> > I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>>>>
>>>> That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>>>> Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>>>
>>> Target Pool and Paddock.
>>>
>>> The latter has add-a-ball.
>>
>> Target has those tiny flippers.
>> Paddock has those wonderful Williams flippers.
>> The video I just watched the Paddock flippers seemed really weak.
>> I suppose that's just game condition.
>
> I would catch the bus to go to my first job out of high school. I
> played pinball while waiting for it. About a month later I noticed
> they flippers weren't as strong. Turns out the bus ticket lady didn't
> like such noise at 8 AM and had asked the tech who repaired thyem to
> weaken them. My impression is it was a setting inside the pinball
> machine.
>
> Sorry, I don't remember the name of the machine. This would have been
> about 1966; however, the machine could have been from years before
> that.

Flipper solenoids have 2 coils.
One cuts out when the flipper reaches all the way up.
This is so that people that hold the flippers up don't burn up the
coils.

So, disabling one of the coils would be the obvious choice.
I've seen that as a failure mode. Sometimes you can barely get the ball
in the air.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389158 is a reply to message #389140] Fri, 06 December 2019 19:58 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:

> On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:14:22 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>
>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>
> Wow.
>
> I always thought pinball machines were a neat application of
> electrical logic. To my surprise, the underneath wasn't
> as complicated as I expected.

You must have seen a solid state.
My 4 player electro-mechanical is a something to behold.
All that hard wired logic there in plain sight.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389168 is a reply to message #389157] Sat, 07 December 2019 12:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Anonymous
Karma:
Originally posted by: JimP

On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 19:56:15 -0500, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com>
wrote:
> JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 11:03:24 -0500, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>
>>>> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> >scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>> >
>>>> >> Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> >>>scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >>>>>Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >>>>>using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >>>>>
>>>> >>>>> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>> >>>>
>>>> >>>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>>Not to me.
>>>> >>>
>>>> >>>I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> I own two, both 1969 vintage.
>>>> >
>>>> >That's pretty old. I think my 2 old ones are mid-70s.
>>>> >Aztec, Jacks Open, and one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>>>>
>>>> Target Pool and Paddock.
>>>>
>>>> The latter has add-a-ball.
>>>
>>> Target has those tiny flippers.
>>> Paddock has those wonderful Williams flippers.
>>> The video I just watched the Paddock flippers seemed really weak.
>>> I suppose that's just game condition.
>>
>> I would catch the bus to go to my first job out of high school. I
>> played pinball while waiting for it. About a month later I noticed
>> they flippers weren't as strong. Turns out the bus ticket lady didn't
>> like such noise at 8 AM and had asked the tech who repaired thyem to
>> weaken them. My impression is it was a setting inside the pinball
>> machine.
>>
>> Sorry, I don't remember the name of the machine. This would have been
>> about 1966; however, the machine could have been from years before
>> that.
>
> Flipper solenoids have 2 coils.
> One cuts out when the flipper reaches all the way up.
> This is so that people that hold the flippers up don't burn up the
> coils.
>
> So, disabling one of the coils would be the obvious choice.
> I've seen that as a failure mode. Sometimes you can barely get the ball
> in the air.

That would explain it. The ball just didn't go up and hit anything.

There were other people who came in just to play pinball. They may
have complained and got it put back so it worked correctly. I was at
work most of the day so I don't know for sure.

--
Jim
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389169 is a reply to message #389154] Sat, 07 December 2019 14:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Charlie Gibbs is currently offline  Charlie Gibbs
Messages: 5313
Registered: January 2012
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On 2019-12-07, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> wrote:

> Silverball Mania can be set to play music or not play music.
> When you choose music, the sounds escalate as long as you keep the ball
> in play. You can get some really strange sounds out of it and that's
> oddly satisfying.

I never did see Silverball Mania, but one machine I liked for music
was Playboy. It would play a strange little tune as it counted off
your bonus points, so the more bonus points you got, the more of the
tune you would hear.

--
/~\ cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ / I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
X Top-posted messages will probably be ignored. See RFC1855.
/ \ "Alexa, define 'bugging'."
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389170 is a reply to message #389169] Sat, 07 December 2019 15:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Andreas Kohlbach is currently offline  Andreas Kohlbach
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Senior Member
On 7 Dec 2019 19:33:40 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>
> On 2019-12-07, Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Silverball Mania can be set to play music or not play music.
>> When you choose music, the sounds escalate as long as you keep the ball
>> in play. You can get some really strange sounds out of it and that's
>> oddly satisfying.
>
> I never did see Silverball Mania, but one machine I liked for music
> was Playboy. It would play a strange little tune as it counted off
> your bonus points, so the more bonus points you got, the more of the
> tune you would hear.

I think you confuse sounds with music. AFAIK was William's Flash (1979)
the first pinball which produced a continues background sound. That was
no music but a single sound. Its frequency went up the longer a player
kept the ball in game. On top of that it had sound effects when hitting a
target.

I read that Flash was also the first pinball keeping a high score. And if
a player achieved more points than this high score he was awarded with
three new games.
--
Andreas
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389172 is a reply to message #389087] Sat, 07 December 2019 17:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:

> On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 19:19:17 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>> The reels on the EMs are loaded with wires. There are multiple contacts
>> for each reel's position, 0-9. Very easy for one of those contacts to
>> be slightly off or corroded to cause problems. The Jokers Open is
>> single player, but the Aztec is 4 player. That multiplies the number of
>> wires greatly.
>>
>> The solid state machine has a lot less wires but it's still a whole lot.
>
> In the early 1980s, before SS machines were introduced, a pal already had
> nostalgic feelings and purchased the Caperville pinball from 1966, which
> then was little more than a decade old. Inside with all the cables it
> looked like a mess to me. How could anyone ever repair it. Later in the
> 1980s in an arcade room the service support tried to fix a problem in an
> SS pinball. Looked much cleaner and easier to maintain to me.

It may look like a mess but each wire is uniquely color coded.
You can find each wire on the schematic.

On solid state there are whole bunch of things going on the cards I
don't know how to trace or test. I've watched a bunch of YT videos but
so far I'm still in the dark.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389176 is a reply to message #389158] Sun, 08 December 2019 11:48 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
Messages: 4237
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Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>
>> On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:14:22 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>
>> Wow.
>>
>> I always thought pinball machines were a neat application of
>> electrical logic. To my surprise, the underneath wasn't
>> as complicated as I expected.
>
> You must have seen a solid state.
> My 4 player electro-mechanical is a something to behold.
> All that hard wired logic there in plain sight.

Including a motor with a half dozen or more cams driving stacks
of switches.

Target Pool has a 15-relay bank attached to the _bottom_ of the
playfield to record status of the various pool balls. The
solenoid used to reset that bank is the only 120v solenoid
in the system (and one to watch out for when working on a live
machine!).
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389177 is a reply to message #389153] Sun, 08 December 2019 12:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
Messages: 4237
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Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
> Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:
>
>> On Thu, 05 Dec 2019 17:14:20 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>>
>>> scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) writes:
>>>
>>>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>>> >Here is a 1970 ad for a calculator. Was the screen
>>>> >using Nixie tubes to display the results?
>>>> >
>>>> > https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1970-07/page/n8
>>>>
>>>> Those look more like the score wheels on a pinball machine.
>>>
>>> Not to me.
>>>
>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>
>> Which are?
>
> Posted elsewhere in this thread, but 2 Electro-Mechanical, Aztec and
> Jokers Open, one solid state, Silverball Mania.
>
>> I remember reel scores on pinball machines when I started to play them in
>> the mid 1970s. I was blown away by the Bally Evel Knievel pinball, when
>> it showed up on a local fair ground in 1977, because it had a 7-segment
>> display rather than reels. I never encountered pinball machines using
>> Nixie Tubes.
>
> The reels on the EMs are loaded with wires. There are multiple contacts
> for each reel's position, 0-9. Very easy for one of those contacts to
> be slightly off or corroded to cause problems. The Jokers Open is
> single player, but the Aztec is 4 player. That multiplies the number of
> wires greatly.
>

Although I will point out that the contacts for the reel positions are
only present on the reels that are involved in extra game calculations
(100s and 1000s on my target pool and paddock) and the match unit (1s) (if installed).

For the extra game there is a set of jumpers in the head unit that select
which score(s) result in a bonus game. Typically these are the most
significant one or two digits. When a path is completed through the
jumpers, the score wheels and a score motor switch stack, the bonus relay will
activate and activate (increment), in turn, the game count unit.

When the game over relay activates, it closes a path to the match
unit relay through the 1s score wheel contacts which activates
the bonus unit as per above if the match unit digit matches the
digit in the 1s position.

Otherwise the score reels generally have three switches:
0's position (used for resetting)
9's position (used for carry to next wheel)
EOS (end of stroke, opens after the score wheel has advanced to the
next digit).
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389178 is a reply to message #389172] Sun, 08 December 2019 12:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
Messages: 4237
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Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> writes:
> Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:
>
>> On Fri, 06 Dec 2019 19:19:17 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>>
>>> The reels on the EMs are loaded with wires. There are multiple contacts
>>> for each reel's position, 0-9. Very easy for one of those contacts to
>>> be slightly off or corroded to cause problems. The Jokers Open is
>>> single player, but the Aztec is 4 player. That multiplies the number of
>>> wires greatly.
>>>
>>> The solid state machine has a lot less wires but it's still a whole lot.
>>
>> In the early 1980s, before SS machines were introduced, a pal already had
>> nostalgic feelings and purchased the Caperville pinball from 1966, which
>> then was little more than a decade old. Inside with all the cables it
>> looked like a mess to me. How could anyone ever repair it. Later in the
>> 1980s in an arcade room the service support tried to fix a problem in an
>> SS pinball. Looked much cleaner and easier to maintain to me.
>
> It may look like a mess but each wire is uniquely color coded.
> You can find each wire on the schematic.

Although after 50 years, those colors get pretty faded and hard
to distinguish.
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389181 is a reply to message #389172] Sun, 08 December 2019 13:51 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Andreas Kohlbach is currently offline  Andreas Kohlbach
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On Sat, 07 Dec 2019 17:44:50 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>
> On solid state there are whole bunch of things going on the cards I
> don't know how to trace or test. I've watched a bunch of YT videos but
> so far I'm still in the dark.

What test? SS machines have some switches inside the door. With a manual
at hand you can step though options, like performing a light bulb test,
check the RAM and other options.
--
Andreas
Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389183 is a reply to message #389181] Sun, 08 December 2019 14:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:

> On Sat, 07 Dec 2019 17:44:50 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>> On solid state there are whole bunch of things going on the cards I
>> don't know how to trace or test. I've watched a bunch of YT videos but
>> so far I'm still in the dark.
>
> What test? SS machines have some switches inside the door. With a manual
> at hand you can step though options, like performing a light bulb test,
> check the RAM and other options.

I know the machine does self test but when things don't work, with the
EM I'd trace wires back to the failing logic element (solenoid).

I suppose the equivalent is find the failing transistor on the circuit
card but I'm just not savy enough to figure that stuff out.

....

wELL, DID IT AGAIN. i HAVE MY CAPS LOCK KEY DISABLED BUT THERE APPEARS
TO BE SOME KEY COMBINATION i CAN HIT TO TURN ON CAPS LOCK ANYWAY.

hOW ANNOYING.

--
Dan Espen
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389195 is a reply to message #389158] Mon, 09 December 2019 16:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
hancock4 is currently offline  hancock4
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On Friday, December 6, 2019 at 7:58:39 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>
>> On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:14:22 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>
>> Wow.
>>
>> I always thought pinball machines were a neat application of
>> electrical logic. To my surprise, the underneath wasn't
>> as complicated as I expected.
>
> You must have seen a solid state.
> My 4 player electro-mechanical is a something to behold.
> All that hard wired logic there in plain sight.

When did solid state come out? The machine I saw was
circa 1970.

I only saw the underside. I guess there was additional
logic in the top part.

I'm guessing the mechanical parts and heavy wear made
the machines maintenance intensive. the machine I
saw was in a snackbar.

Years ago pinball machines were in snackbars, arcades, convenience
stores like 7-11, and luncheonettes as well as formal game
rooms. I don't think as much anymore. My college had a
big game room in the student center that's now gone.

When electronic games came out like pacman some hotel
lobbies had them. they were discrete mounted horizontally
near sofas. more expensive.

Pinball sometimes had an unsavory reputation. my parents
hated if I played them, never would give me money for them.
some parents forbid their kids to even go into places
with pinball. yet other kids played them often and developed
skills. at the seashore there were numerous arcades and
some kids played a lot.

I played something called skeeball and wasn't that bad at
that (terrible at pinball). i'd get a bunch of coupons
and turn them in for a rather greasy plastic soldier.
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389197 is a reply to message #389195] Mon, 09 December 2019 19:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
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hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:

> On Friday, December 6, 2019 at 7:58:39 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>
>>> On Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 5:14:22 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>>>
>>>> I claim expert status, I own 3 pinball machines.
>>>
>>> Wow.
>>>
>>> I always thought pinball machines were a neat application of
>>> electrical logic. To my surprise, the underneath wasn't as
>>> complicated as I expected.
>>
>> You must have seen a solid state. My 4 player electro-mechanical is
>> a something to behold. All that hard wired logic there in plain
>> sight.
>
> When did solid state come out? The machine I saw was circa 1970.

In 1975, the first solid-state electronic pinball machine, the "Spirit
of 76," was released by Micro.

> I only saw the underside. I guess there was additional logic in the
> top part.

Typical layout is 4 circuit cards in the head.
I haven't been in any of the newer machines with video screens.

> I'm guessing the mechanical parts and heavy wear made the machines
> maintenance intensive. the machine I saw was in a snackbar.

Yep, the ball itself is a chunk of stainless steel.
It's surprising that the playfield holds together at all.

> Years ago pinball machines were in snackbars, arcades, convenience
> stores like 7-11, and luncheonettes as well as formal game rooms. I
> don't think as much anymore. My college had a big game room in the
> student center that's now gone.

The demise of pinball is very sad. When I first got involved I hated
seeing all the pinballs being replaced by video games. Some videos can
be fun, but to see them push out pinball wasn't good.

I became quite good at Space Invaders. With that game you counted your
shots. You wanted to use your 21st shot on the mystery saucer and then
every subsequent 14th shot. That way you scored 300 for every mystery
saucer. I eventually wrapped the score.

> When electronic games came out like pacman some hotel lobbies had
> them. they were discrete mounted horizontally near sofas. more
> expensive.

Joust was made in a table version. Pretty popular.

> Pinball sometimes had an unsavory reputation. my parents hated if I
> played them, never would give me money for them. some parents forbid
> their kids to even go into places with pinball. yet other kids played
> them often and developed skills. at the seashore there were numerous
> arcades and some kids played a lot.

I spent my youth in NYC where pinball was banned. Early machines had
cash payout which is evil. (Gambling.)

> I played something called skeeball and wasn't that bad at that
> (terrible at pinball). i'd get a bunch of coupons and turn them in
> for a rather greasy plastic soldier.

Not a big skeeball fan but if you head down to the Silverball Museum
in Asbury Park NJ they have skeeball too.

Although all the major manufacturers have thrown in the towel, new
machines continue to be released. I play pool at Q22 on Rt 22 in NJ and
they have 2 machines set up for free play, a version of Black Knights
and an Aerosmith. The Aerosmith is pretty good.


--
Dan Espen
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389213 is a reply to message #389197] Tue, 10 December 2019 14:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Andreas Kohlbach is currently offline  Andreas Kohlbach
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On Mon, 09 Dec 2019 19:20:04 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>
> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>
>> When did solid state come out? The machine I saw was circa 1970.
>
> In 1975, the first solid-state electronic pinball machine, the "Spirit
> of 76," was released by Micro.

AFAIK it was also available a EM. Similar to the first arcade video game
Gunfight. First versions had discrete logic, then a microprocessor based
version was created, making it the first of its kind.

>> Years ago pinball machines were in snackbars, arcades, convenience
>> stores like 7-11, and luncheonettes as well as formal game rooms. I
>> don't think as much anymore. My college had a big game room in the
>> student center that's now gone.
>
> The demise of pinball is very sad. When I first got involved I hated
> seeing all the pinballs being replaced by video games. Some videos can
> be fun, but to see them push out pinball wasn't good.

Already in 1983 or so I read an article predicting that.Very sad.

> I became quite good at Space Invaders. With that game you counted your
> shots. You wanted to use your 21st shot on the mystery saucer and then
> every subsequent 14th shot. That way you scored 300 for every mystery
> saucer. I eventually wrapped the score.

And it didn't crash? Many later games did, like Pac Man after reaching
level 256.
--
Andreas
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389214 is a reply to message #389213] Tue, 10 December 2019 14:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
scott is currently offline  scott
Messages: 4237
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Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:
> On Mon, 09 Dec 2019 19:20:04 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>
>>> When did solid state come out? The machine I saw was circa 1970.
>>
>> In 1975, the first solid-state electronic pinball machine, the "Spirit
>> of 76," was released by Micro.
>
> AFAIK it was also available a EM. Similar to the first arcade video game
> Gunfight. First versions had discrete logic, then a microprocessor based
> version was created, making it the first of its kind.
>
>>> Years ago pinball machines were in snackbars, arcades, convenience
>>> stores like 7-11, and luncheonettes as well as formal game rooms. I
>>> don't think as much anymore. My college had a big game room in the
>>> student center that's now gone.
>>
>> The demise of pinball is very sad. When I first got involved I hated
>> seeing all the pinballs being replaced by video games. Some videos can
>> be fun, but to see them push out pinball wasn't good.
>
> Already in 1983 or so I read an article predicting that.Very sad.

The Arcade at the Santa Cruz boardwalk has a dozen or so modern
vintage pins. (Game of Thrones, Star Trek, et alia).

The Arcade at Eastridge in San Jose (which is huge) has no pins at all, but
it does have a bunch of 4k video shooters and dance machines :-(.
Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389217 is a reply to message #389213] Tue, 10 December 2019 19:02 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Dan Espen is currently offline  Dan Espen
Messages: 3867
Registered: January 2012
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Senior Member
Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net> writes:

> On Mon, 09 Dec 2019 19:20:04 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:
>>
>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
>>
>>> When did solid state come out? The machine I saw was circa 1970.
>>
>> In 1975, the first solid-state electronic pinball machine, the "Spirit
>> of 76," was released by Micro.
>
> AFAIK it was also available a EM. Similar to the first arcade video game
> Gunfight. First versions had discrete logic, then a microprocessor based
> version was created, making it the first of its kind.
>
>>> Years ago pinball machines were in snackbars, arcades, convenience
>>> stores like 7-11, and luncheonettes as well as formal game rooms. I
>>> don't think as much anymore. My college had a big game room in the
>>> student center that's now gone.
>>
>> The demise of pinball is very sad. When I first got involved I hated
>> seeing all the pinballs being replaced by video games. Some videos can
>> be fun, but to see them push out pinball wasn't good.
>
> Already in 1983 or so I read an article predicting that.Very sad.
>
>> I became quite good at Space Invaders. With that game you counted your
>> shots. You wanted to use your 21st shot on the mystery saucer and then
>> every subsequent 14th shot. That way you scored 300 for every mystery
>> saucer. I eventually wrapped the score.
>
> And it didn't crash? Many later games did, like Pac Man after reaching
> level 256.

Don't know if it had that limit, I think it might have had another
significant thing to beat.

What I did was roll the score over to zero and the machine started over
with slower levels. Me and my friend were all excited and some kids
came over, took a look and said, ah you only rolled it. So I guess
there is something else to do to it.

I had to get back to work so I gave up.

I also thought I got good at Centipede. Until I saw 2 kids that
completely controlled the machine. They used a channel down the middle
and almost always got the complete centipede before it reached the bottom.
One would play for 10-15 minutes then switch with the other.

--
Dan Espen
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