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Tech Tips

If you have bought a reconditioned game from a dealer, you are a step ahead. When placing the game in your home, never put the machine in direct sunlight. Do not place your game in the proximity of a window. Long periods of direct sunlight can do significant damage to the game. Colors on the cabinet, backglass and playfield can fade. Enough heat can cause plastics and on the new games, ramps to melt and deform!

Once your game is placed and is getting a family workout, you will need to clean the playfield on a monthly basis. Only you can determine how much the machine is being played. In light usage, it might be every other month. The main thing is to understand that pinballs get dirty fast. 1988 games and newer really need attention. Carbon is the natural byproduct of an electrical connection. What happens in regular play is carbon build up on the rubber o-rings. Once on the rubber o-rings, it is transferred to the playfield via the ball. Regular cleaning will help reduce this spread, thus giving your rubber o-rings more life. A properly cleaned game can last 18 to 24 months without rubber replacement. Newer games can be very expensive to re-rubber properly, Also, your game will play the way it is supposed to. You can use household furniture wax for the job. I suggest a product called NOVUS 2. Clean all playing surfaces; including ramps and rubbers. Whatever you use, DO NOT USE ANY PRODUCT THAT IS WATER BASED!!

Use a surge protector for your pinball!  A good rule of thumb is to treat your Pin the way you would treat your home computer. Electrical surges can cause extensive and expensive damage to your game. It happens more often than you think. We have had numerous instances where the damage was so significant that the repair cost more than the machine was worth! Also, no matter how restored the game is, it is still a fire hazzard. Never leave your game plugged into the wall if not using a surge protector. Even if the machine is off, there is still power going to the switch and transformer. This rule applies for any game, even new. Also, even if you use a surge portoector, same rule applies. Leave the machine on and turn it off and on by turning the surge protector off and on. This keeps voltage away from the game unless you are using it.

Now we can dispel an old wives tale. Children cannot do damage to a pinball under normal usage. Hitting the flippers 10 times more than needed will not cause them to break. You will get a lower life span of the components but short of throwing the game down a flight of stairs, they can do no harm.

One word of caution, all games from the oldest to the newest have line voltage on the coin doors. If      there are youngsters in your house, please keep the coin door locked at all times.

Remove the keys and hide them. You can get shocked touching the wrong places when the game is turned on. Speaking of safety, never open or work on a game without the machine being turned off and unplugged from the wall outlet!   Pinballs do contain high voltage in numerous places.

Finally, let's discuss games bought as-is or from auctions, etc.... The advice from myself or any dealer would be to avoid these games if at all possible. The exception will be collectors and hobbyists with experience in Pinball repair and restoration. Successful pinball dealers can't keep enough inventory in stock. What this means is that myself or any other dealer does not have an agenda with this advice. Many of our games are sold before they even come in. I am attempting to save you much heartache and money. Nine times out of ten, it is more expensive to buy a game as-is and have a reputable dealer make the needed repairs than it is just to buy a turnkey game to begin with. The only exception is finding a vintage game. If you have not been able to find that game ready to go any where than it is ok to make the purchase. Just bear in mind that you will spend money in having the restoration done. Above all, remember that this is supposed to be fun.