| Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389219 is a reply to message #389213] |
Wed, 11 December 2019 05:55   |
|
|
Originally posted by: Kerr-Mudd,John
On Tue, 10 Dec 2019 19:11:50 GMT, Andreas Kohlbach <ank@spamfence.net>
wrote:
> 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.
No, A school friend who went to Oxbridge managed to spend 20p? an evening
in pubs playing all night. And a bit more on beer.
--
Bah, and indeed, Humbug.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389222 is a reply to message #389197] |
Wed, 11 December 2019 14:50 |
hancock4
Messages: 6746
Registered: December 2011
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Monday, December 9, 2019 at 7:20:10 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
> I spent my youth in NYC where pinball was banned. Early machines had
> cash payout which is evil. (Gambling.)
I remember the machines had a card where it was prominently
printed "GAMBLING PROHIBITED".
Actually, in the snackbar, people tended to play solo serially,
not much competition. I don't remember if the machine
supported two or four players. I remember people would put
their coins on the glass as a way of noting their place
in line to play next. The good players would rack up extra
games. I think if you were very good, once you won one game
it wasn't too hard to win more. I remember the game counter
incremented with a loud pop when someone racked up enough points.
It was just cool watching the skill of the players. Not only
jiggling the machine--but not tilting it--but also knowing
exactly when to hit the flippers for maximum effect and
direction. Since it was only one machine and people played
it regularly, they got to know it. But as mentioned, some
of the players frequented the arcades at the seashore and
built their skills up there as well.
In the 1970s 'Pong' came out. We thought that was
pretty neat. I knew an EE major who built his own
that hooked up to the TV.
|
|
|
|
| Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389227 is a reply to message #389222] |
Wed, 11 December 2019 16:30 |
scott
Messages: 4237
Registered: February 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
> On Monday, December 9, 2019 at 7:20:10 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>
>> I spent my youth in NYC where pinball was banned. Early machines had
>> cash payout which is evil. (Gambling.)
>
> I remember the machines had a card where it was prominently
> printed "GAMBLING PROHIBITED".
>
-snip-
> The good players would rack up extra
> games. I think if you were very good, once you won one game
> it wasn't too hard to win more. I remember the game counter
> incremented with a loud pop when someone racked up enough points.
In many locales where gambling was prohibited, the pins were configured
to not award free games or free balls.
|
|
|
|
| Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389229 is a reply to message #389102] |
Wed, 11 December 2019 16:40 |
|
|
Originally posted by: drb
> I think so too, although the photo might have been retouched a bit.
It was common even in the age of film to take a lit shot for the
ordinary surfaces, and a dark shot for the illuminated elements,
and to merge them through darkroom trickery. It's just easier
with the new digital toys.
De
|
|
|
|
| Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389231 is a reply to message #389222] |
Wed, 11 December 2019 18:35 |
Dan Espen
Messages: 3867
Registered: January 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
> On Monday, December 9, 2019 at 7:20:10 PM UTC-5, Dan Espen wrote:
>
>> I spent my youth in NYC where pinball was banned. Early machines had
>> cash payout which is evil. (Gambling.)
>
> I remember the machines had a card where it was prominently
> printed "GAMBLING PROHIBITED".
>
> Actually, in the snackbar, people tended to play solo serially,
> not much competition. I don't remember if the machine
> supported two or four players. I remember people would put
> their coins on the glass as a way of noting their place
> in line to play next. The good players would rack up extra
> games. I think if you were very good, once you won one game
> it wasn't too hard to win more. I remember the game counter
> incremented with a loud pop when someone racked up enough points.
>
> It was just cool watching the skill of the players. Not only
> jiggling the machine--but not tilting it--but also knowing
> exactly when to hit the flippers for maximum effect and
> direction. Since it was only one machine and people played
> it regularly, they got to know it. But as mentioned, some
> of the players frequented the arcades at the seashore and
> built their skills up there as well.
After all the playing I've done I'm not convinced of the utility
of jiggling the machine. I mainly use it to incite the pop bumpers to
bounce the ball around increasing score.
Supposedly you can nudge the machine forward and push a draining ball
up between the flippers. So far, no luck.
There are multiple ways to catch the ball, I'm pretty good at that.
If you don't catch the ball, most of what happens is random.
You can't see the spin on the ball so you never know exactly
where the ball is going next.
Once you can catch the ball, you can actually aim the ball somewhere.
--
Dan Espen
|
|
|
|
| Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389232 is a reply to message #389229] |
Wed, 11 December 2019 19:23 |
|
|
Originally posted by: durgadas311
On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 3:40:36 PM UTC-6, Dennis Boone wrote:
>> I think so too, although the photo might have been retouched a bit.
>
> It was common even in the age of film to take a lit shot for the
> ordinary surfaces, and a dark shot for the illuminated elements,
> and to merge them through darkroom trickery. It's just easier
> with the new digital toys.
>
> De
I personally think that display image is not even from the calculator at all. Nixie tubes use thin (almost) wires which glow with fuzzy edges, that image has much too wide of lines with sharp edges. And the grayed-out zeros look entirely wrong as well. I suspect it is a type-set strip of digits superimposed on the calculator photo.
That being said, I can almost see the "3-D" effect of the digit wire-frames (where each digit is on a different z-plane) which gives the impression of crooked digits. So, makes me wonder if they just took paint/air brush/etc to the negative or print (filling-in/thickening the fuzzy neon digit glow).
|
|
|
|
| Re: Pinball machines Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389237 is a reply to message #389219] |
Thu, 12 December 2019 00:02 |
Gene Wirchenko
Messages: 1166
Registered: January 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Wed, 11 Dec 2019 10:55:24 -0000 (UTC), "Kerr-Mudd,John"
<notsaying@invalid.org> wrote:
[snip]
> No, A school friend who went to Oxbridge managed to spend 20p? an evening
> in pubs playing all night. And a bit more on beer.
I remember an arcade in Langley, BC, Canada which had a Galaxian
game. There was one guy who could get to level 200+. One evening,
the manager of the arcade gave him the usual warning that the arcade
was closing in about fifteen minutes and to finish his game. He said
that the manager should have warned him when he came in. They both
laughed.
Sincerely,
Gene Wirchenko
|
|
|
|
| Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389239 is a reply to message #389232] |
Thu, 12 December 2019 03:07 |
Quadibloc
Messages: 4399
Registered: June 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 5:23:53 PM UTC-7, durga...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 3:40:36 PM UTC-6, Dennis Boone wrote:
>>> I think so too, although the photo might have been retouched a bit.
>> It was common even in the age of film to take a lit shot for the
>> ordinary surfaces, and a dark shot for the illuminated elements,
>> and to merge them through darkroom trickery. It's just easier
>> with the new digital toys.
> I personally think that display image is not even from the calculator at all.
> Nixie tubes use thin (almost) wires which glow with fuzzy edges, that image
> has much too wide of lines with sharp edges. And the grayed-out zeros look
> entirely wrong as well. I suspect it is a type-set strip of digits
> superimposed on the calculator photo.
> That being said, I can almost see the "3-D" effect of the digit wire-frames
> (where each digit is on a different z-plane) which gives the impression of
> crooked digits. So, makes me wonder if they just took paint/air brush/etc to
> the negative or print (filling-in/thickening the fuzzy neon digit glow).
To me, the digits definitely seem to have the right shape for Nixie tube digits.
Plus, because the photograph is taken from "below" rather than perpendicular to
the digit plane, one can see that the 8 is in front of the 5, which is in front
of the 4, which is in front of the 1. *Definitely* a Nixie tube.
All right, then, why aren't the wires of the digits in front showing up?
Well, when taking a separate picture to superimpose for the digits, in addition
to over-exposing it a bit, one could also soften the focus. That would cover up
the thin wires. And use high-contrast film so this doesn't make the digits look
blurry.
Of course manual retouching with an airbrush or the like is also possible, but
there were options to minimize the amount of expensive manual work needed.
John Savard
|
|
|
|
| Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389240 is a reply to message #389239] |
Thu, 12 December 2019 06:43 |
|
|
Originally posted by: durgadas311
On Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 2:07:46 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
> ...
>
> To me, the digits definitely seem to have the right shape for Nixie tube digits.
> Plus, because the photograph is taken from "below" rather than perpendicular to
> the digit plane, one can see that the 8 is in front of the 5, which is in front
> of the 4, which is in front of the 1. *Definitely* a Nixie tube.
>
> All right, then, why aren't the wires of the digits in front showing up?
>
> Well, when taking a separate picture to superimpose for the digits, in addition
> to over-exposing it a bit, one could also soften the focus. That would cover up
> the thin wires. And use high-contrast film so this doesn't make the digits look
> blurry.
>
> Of course manual retouching with an airbrush or the like is also possible, but
> there were options to minimize the amount of expensive manual work needed..
>
> John Savard
Yeah, how quickly I forget how resourceful we all were before the age of digital photography and hi-rez graphics. Of course, a scan of a magazine ad is probably never going to give us enough information. The display looks too clean for my memories, so definitely enhanced in some way. I never tried to photograph neon displays before digital cameras, and I'm certain I'm glad I didn't!
|
|
|
|
| Re: Nixie tube calculator readout? [message #389254 is a reply to message #389229] |
Thu, 12 December 2019 13:58 |
hancock4
Messages: 6746
Registered: December 2011
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 4:40:36 PM UTC-5, Dennis Boone wrote:
>> I think so too, although the photo might have been retouched a bit.
>
> It was common even in the age of film to take a lit shot for the
> ordinary surfaces, and a dark shot for the illuminated elements,
> and to merge them through darkroom trickery. It's just easier
> with the new digital toys.
It was very common for images used in advertising to be retouched
in various ways, both in the darkroom and in post processing
(air brushing).
Film had limitations with contrast, so yes, it was common for
an image to be taken twice and merged together, with the two
images exposed for different settings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Members
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
