Pinball games and other coin operated arcade equipment were manufactured and came equipped with the number 44 light bulb for general illumination on playfields and scoreboards.
The number 47 light bulb produces about 40% less heat and draws less Amperage then the stock number 44 light bulb. These #47 bulb benefits will help prevent playfield plastics from warping if the game is left powered on for long periods of time.

Heat can also build up inside a Thumper Bumper top cap and cause this hard to find a replacement and sometimes game specific plastic part to become brittle, cracked or burnt. A substitute wedge bulb (#555) has been used in Thumper Bumpers.

NOTE: The #555 style bulb was used (by pinball manufactures) inside Thumper Bumpers or Pop Bumpers in most modern (1990 and newer) pinball games. This replacement bulb type requires a new 'wedge' style light bulb socket, soldering and complete 'Pop bumper' mechanism disassembly to replace the often corroded original specialized stock #44 bulb socket.
Vibration caused by the activation of Pop bumpers has often caused a new #555 bulb to break its filament and go out in just a few minutes of game play when using a cheaply manufactured bulb. This is why Pinball Medic does not perform this bulb type conversion when doing game refurbishments unless:
A) The specialized original bulb socket is corroded beyond glass bead cleaning.
B) The customer requested this procedure be done.

The display should be removed from the game before rejuvenation is done.
Note: Never remove or install a display with the game powered on.

This procedure assumes the dim displays are not caused by an improperly functioning display power supply or any other game related problem.

Caution: If you are using too much voltage, the wires will turn white hot and will burn out in a short time.

See this "Pinball Matters" newsletter for more detailed information.

Rejuvenation of old, dim Gottlieb System 1 or System 80 displays is relatively easy. With the display tube facing toward you, attach the ground(-) side of a battery using an alligator clip lead to the left most pin of the display tube. The positive(+) side of the battery using another alligator clip lead to the right most pin of the Display Tube (do NOT connect the battery to the display's printed circuit board connector pins. Attach the clip lead to the display tube wires as shown in photo on left) for about 7-20 seconds. The horizontal wires inside the display tube should become dimly RED HOT). See photo on left for proper alligator clip lead connection.

You might have to repeat this procedure once a year to keep the displays bright.

NOTE: Proper voltages to use: 6 to 12 Volts DC for 6 digit displays. A 9 Volt battery will work. 6-9 Volts DC for 4 digit displays.
A battery bank works best for a voltage source, as a car battery charger puts out too much voltage (14 volts for a car battery charger).

We sell new mirror finished LASER brand pinball game balls.

About once a year, or when the game balls get tarnished. A rusty, scratched or just dented by multi-ball collisions game ball is like rolling sandpaper to a playfield. Old game balls (and/or a dirty playfield and ball) will quickly remove playfield paint. Even a "Diamond Plated"(tm) playfield will develop tracks in it over time. At a cost of only $2.00 to $8.00 each (depending on if you want a highly polished ball), this is a cheap preventive measure and will help save a game worth thousands.

Although we do not recommend that a novice try to do touch up. We will provide this simple, old color chart.  (more detailed color matching info will be in a new issue of the 'Pinball Matters' E-newsletter and as a link on this site.)

Monitor Burn-In -- A faint image left on the monitor screen after the power is removed from the game. Can also be seen during game play as a dark shadow image that does not move around the screen.

NOTE: A monitor capacitor kit can improve the picture quality but can not do anything about a burned in image on the screen.

Burn-in can not be fixed without replacing the picture tube.
This picture tube or CRT can cost as much as a new monitor and requires some technical knowledge to install and adjust for chromatic alignment. A monitor replacement is the only option in most cases. However, some monitors can't be replaced with a new one (For example, Color Vector X-Y monitors) because they are not manufactured anymore.

See our Cap. Kits Tech Tips Question or the monitor capacitor kits parts page for more information regarding monitor capacitor replacements.

There are approximately three sizes of wide body playfield glass depending on the game's manufacturer. You will have to measure your glass as different pinball manufactures made different widths and lengths for their wide body pinball playfields.

NOTE: Tempered glass normally comes with a "TEMPERED" seal etched into the glass. Always request this seal not be put on the glass during manufacturing. The seal tends to detract from the appearance of the game and is not present on stock playfield glass.

Standard (non-wide body) sized playfield glass is a 3/16" thick tempered glass measuring 21"x43".

Nerdy Note: Glass is manufactured using powered silica spread over a melted lead bath. This lead bath has an inherently flat surface and is the easiest way to melt and make clear flat glass sheets. Leaded glass has lead added to it during the silica melting process and does not get the lead from the lead bath. Lead is added to glass to make it block more ultra violet rays.

Most pinball parts supply houses carry standard size pinball playfield glass (some have you order two at a time). However, wide body pinballs are a few inches wider then standard. We are unaware of any supply houses that stock this larger size glass. Pinball Medic recommends going down to the local glass supply company and getting them to make one for your game.

Be sure to specify 3/16 inch (double thick) tempered glass with ground edges. You must order a tempered piece of glass as non tempered window pane glass will break when hit by the metal pinball. Ball to glass hits are a common occurrence on many modern overly powerful flipper equipped pinball games. We have all heard the "POP" cause by this ball to glass interaction.

NOTE: Tempered glass has been surfaced hardened by reheating the surface of the glass and letting it cool slowly. This step also releases the surface contraction stresses built up inside of the glass during the first cooling period making the glass harder to break.
Tempered glass can not be cut with a glass cutter and has to be manufactured to the size needed. A hard surfaced glass is also the reason edge grounding is one of the more expensive processes to order for a piece of tempered glass.

Often boards of a different system generation are substituted for the boards that came with the game. For example, Williams System 6 can be substituted for the System 4 boards as long as the ROM Jumpers are changed to the correct size of game PROM installed on the MPU board.
Changing game EPROM(s) out is a common practice in commercial arcade game rooms. At some time in the past, the game's read only memory (ROM) has lost its data, burnt board connectors, bad chip sockets or battery acid damage can cause the route person or game operator to replace the game's board set with a deferent board generation.
Used restored games are sold with older generation boards installed in them. As long as the game boards are in excellent condition they will not have to be replaced. Newer board generations offer more memory and are capable of using larger PROM IC's, but, for the most part, are not faster or better then the previous board generation. If your game is working and the boards are in good repair, a wrong generation board set should in  most cases not give the owner of the game a problem.

Look at our Game Board Identification and Game List for more detailed information.

Pinball Medic's Playfield Rubber Ring Kits
New replacement pinball game Circuit Boards.
Playfield Rubber Ring Size Chart (PDF)
To Convert between Pinball Manufacturer rubber ring part numbers - see of our Rubber Ring Kits page.

Also see 'Laser' pinball Game Balls.
Bulbs and small hardware Parts
(Light bulbs, circuit board screws, capacitors and transistors).

Technical Note:
Black rubber rings offer the ability to "hide" the black solenoid dust that makes white rings look dirty and can appear to last longer as a result. They are also harder and provide less "bounce" then white rubber rings.
Most of the late model pinball games (1990 and newer) have black rubber rings installed on them. Replacing white rubbers with black rubbers is possible but not recommended as the harder black rubbers can break playfield plastics, posts, etc. on older games because they offer less shock absorbing properties then the white rubber rings. Also, an old EM pinball would just not look right with black rubber rings installed.

Many variables are involved in determining when the rubbers should be replaced on a playfield. Certainly when the rubber rings start to look dirty and dried out. Also when the bounce they provide becomes inadequate.

While waiting too long can cause damage to plastic parts in close proximity of the rubber rings (playfield plastics,posts,etc.) replacing the rubbers too soon is just a waste of time and money. Using personal preference and playfield condition (How dirty is the playfield?) are the best determinates in most cases.

Pinball Medic normally follows these simple rules:
(pinball playfield refurbishment always requires a rubber ring kit and new pinball game balls)

1. When in doubt, throw them out.
Replace all of the rubbers on the playfield if some of them look to be dry, dirty or crumbly. If a rubber ring holds its shape when removed (does not go back to being round) then it is way past its expiration date.

2. Always replace every rubber ring at the same time.
Old rubber rings left on the playfield can cause new rubbers to become dirty looking in just 10 games. This also insures all rubber rings are the same age.

3. If the rubbers are known to be older then 1 year, replace them.
If the game is played lightly and in home only, then nine months to a year is adequate. Commercial game play requires the rings to be changed more frequently.

4. Always clean the playfield before replacing the rubber rings.
The silver ball can easily pick up dirt from both an old rubber ring or the playfield and transfer it to a new rubber ring. This is especially true with white rubber rings. (See Technical Note)

5. Always replace the rubber rings with the same color ring as what came off the playfield.
Note: This rule assumes the right color rings were put on in the first place.

6. Replace the standard sized 1 1/16 inch metal pinball game ball(s) when installing a rubber ring kit or cleaning the playfield to insure long playfield and rubber ring life spans.

See our Playfield Rubber Ring Kits,  Pinball Game Balls  and Electronic Parts pages for new replacement pinball game consumable parts (Light bulbs, circuit board screws, capacitors and transistors, game balls)

Monitor Capacitor Replacement Kits
Coin Op Game Monitor Repair and
Replacement Services

A recap kit is the first line of defense in monitor repair, it replaces the electrolytic capacitors on the monitor's chassis. These capacitors control most of the functions of the monitor and are the most common cause of picture quality distortions such as pincushion, missing traces, wavy sides of picture, jail bars, bright or dim intensity, vertical or horizontal width and hold issues, and a host of other video monitor image quality problems.
Electrolytic capacitors are designed to last about ten years and most video arcade game monitors are over twenty years old and have never had a new cap kit installed. Some monitors are not made anymore, so these kits offer a good lifeline to many monitors that otherwise can't be replaced (any type of x-y vector monitor) with a new monitor. An added benefit is cap kits are inexpensive starting at $10.

Note: Some picture quality issues are caused by bad flybacks, power supplies, HV transistors, control rheostats, video output from the game, etc. and a monitor recap kit will not solve every form of video problem.

See our Video Arcade Monitor Repair / Replacement page for more information on monitor repair or our Parts page or Monitor ReCap Kits to order a Monitor Capacitor Kit.

Pinball Recap / "Get Well Kits

Pinball Medic sells a replacement capacitor for the 11000 to 18000 uF used on many pinball and video game power supply and driver boards.
The replacement part is in the form of a 15000 uF 35 volt radial lead capacitor that can be ordered from the Amusement Game and Pinball Parts or the Coin-Op Electronic Components pages.

Pinball Medic is gathering the information in preparation to produce Pinball Recap or "Get Well Kits". Kits will contain all the large electrolytic capacitors found in pinball games including the impossible to find replacement for the 11000 uF cap used in Williams, Bally, Stern, Chicago Coin, Data East/Saga solid state pinball control systems.

Large electrolytic capacitors in pinballs are made to last ten years in a game and can leak causing circuit board damage (the batteries for the  backed up memory can leak too). These capacitors are typically more then 20 years old and are critically important components to replace while doing a pinball repair or refurbishment. Bad capacitors on the power supply board can cause noise on sound amplifiers, erratic game play behavior, random game resets, dim displays, and shortened circuit board life spans. It is also advantageous to use a reset circuit "Get Well Kit" as this is also a common problem caused by capacitor and battery acid leaks.

Most pinball games use non rechargeable AA size batteries. These use an alkali or a basic compound. Some early Bally and Stern games used rechargeable batteries containing an acid. A 50/50 solution of Baking Soda and Water must be used to neutralize the acid from these batteries.

To further reduce the possibility of battery leakage damage to the CPU board, relocate the battery holder off the circuit board and reconnected it using extended wires or replace the batteries with an onboard MEMORY CAPACITOR. These capacitors never need replacement and do not leak. Soldering and removing and jumpering out of an anti-charge blocking diode is required to install a memory capacitor in most games.

A good brand of battery to use in games is Duracell (Ultra, Digital Camera, etc type of batteries). They tend to be not as prone to leaking unlike the 'Bunny' battery brand. 'Bunny' brand batteries tend to keep on leaking and leaking, all over the circuit boards. Avoid these if possible.
See Tech Question 19 for more battery info.

The batteries on a pinball's Micro Processor Unit board supply power to a memory chip after the game is either turned off or unplugged. This memory saves all the top scores, game audits, playfield switch operational status, etc. When the game is turned on, it reloads this information and makes the necessary adjustments to game play, keeping your top scores from resetting to factory defaults. These batteries need to be changed about once every six months or more often if the game is operated in a humid area. This is seldom done and can lead to the alkali in the batteries leaking out and causing damage to the MPU board traces, chip sockets, connectors and electronic components. Also, a Pinball Game and some Video Arcade Games should never be stored for long periods of time with these batteries installed. Leaking batteries is the most common cause of most MPU board "issues".

Neutralizing the battery alkali is the most important step in repairing the damage to the MPU. Basic chemistry states "an acid can neutralize a base ". A 75% mixture of white vinegar (a weak acid) to water is used on all components affected by the battery leak. A soft clean toothbrush can be used to rid the board of the black or white colored oxides on the circuit traces. However, corrosion under chips and their sockets can not be reached by this method. These components must be unsoldered, and replaced. After neutralization, the board is thoroughly rinsed with de ionized water or distilled water (tap water carries too many dissolved impurities to use). You must avoid the electrolytic capacitors. They can absorb water if old and will fail in the long term (a Pinball Cap Kit can be used to replace the caps on this board). The last step is to rinse the board with 100% alcohol to evaporate the remaining water. Any other board repair can be completed at this time.
Pinball Medic will include a more detailed description of this neutralizing and repair procedure in a later issue of the "Pinball Matters" newsletter.

On Williams Pinball, Inc's solenoid coil part numbers, the first two letters if present indicate: "AL" has lugs on the left and middle, "AE" has lugs on left and right (both corners), "AR" has lugs on the right and middle of the coil's base.

For more coil related info see our SOLENOID COIL CHARTS or click on coil photo.

Gottlieb being the maverick of the U.S. pinball industry, decided to go their own way with coil part numbers. Gottlieb coil part numbers usually start with the letter 'A' and do not indicate any useful information about how the coil was constructed.
Why they did this no one seems to know. Given the fact that even a small pinball company such as Zaccaria used a predictable schemed part number that can be used to deduce an equivalent standard Williams solenoid coil part number.
The only way to estimate what the Williams/Bally coil equivalent would be on a Gottlieb pinball is to use the coil's ohmege (if the coil is good) or a chart showing what coil is used on what typical playfield mechanism. Only after having all this information can one make an educated guess as to what coil should be used.

NOTE: Use caution when installing a coil with a lower number of turns on it then the one it replaces. Stronger solenoids could damage surrounding playfield plastics and tend to burn-up much easier then a coil with more turns and larger diameter wire on it.
Also, strong coils can pull much more current through the driver transistor or activation switch causing both the coil and its driver to heat up and destroy themselves.

Solenoid coil part numbers usually indicate how the coil was constructed. The first one or two letters indicate where the coil lugs are located. This is followed by the gauge of wire used to construct the coil and by the number of turns of wire that was wrapped around the coil's plastic form. Indirectly, this info also indicates how strong the solenoid will be when it is energized. A good rule of thumb is the lower the number of turns of wire on a coil the stronger the "strength" of the solenoid will be. An "AE 23-850" coil is much stronger then a "AE 26-1200" coil.

Example: Coil Part Number AE 24-850DC made by Williams Pinball, Inc. indicates a coil with 850 turns of number 24 gauge wire. The letters "DC" on a coil tells us that this coil is made to operate on Direct Current instead of Alternating Current used in most of the Electromechanical Pinball Machines. This coil type should have a diode across its terminals and are referenced in on this Tech Tips page as a Direct Current Solenoid coil. Direct Current Solenoid coils have a hook-up wire polarity that must be observed! If the solenoid wires are connected in a reverse fashion, the solenoid fuse will blow when the coil is energized and can destroy the coil's driver and pre-driver transistors on an electronic pinball.

Just to add some complexity to all these coil part numbers, older model flipper coils contain two coils of wire on the same coil form. One for moving the flipper and one to keep it at its most upright position indefinitely without burning out the coil. Because of this, older flipper coils have two sets of wire sizes and numbers of turns. EX. AE 24-550/26-1000
Newer model solid state pinball machines use flipper coils that have only one coil wound on their cores. Their pull-in strength is indicated by the color of the coil's paper wrapper and usually have just one number on them (FL11629).
See this ISSUE of our Pinball Matters newsletter to find out more about flipper coils and the difference between serial and parallel wound flipper coils.

Most pinball manufactures use the common William's coil part number scheme and most coils can be interchanged with a dissimilar coil manufacture and similar part number. For a list of potential coil substitutes and other coil information refer to
Pinball Medic's Coil Cross Reference Charts. COIL CHARTS

Photo Shows a destroyed varisistor (center of photo) inside of an EM pinball.

The fuse at the top is blown because the varistor has permitly shorted do to a large voltage spike. MOV destruction is common and will prevent a pinball or other arcade from showing any signs of life.
The silver box the MOV is connected to (not shown in this photo) is a RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) filter for the game and must be grounded properly to function.

SAFTY NOTE: Always check the ground wire on games and the grounding lug on power cords to protect yourself from sixty cycle (fifty cycles for European game owners) buzzing sounds on speakers and electrical shock hazards on coin doors, lock down bars and other metal surfaces.

MOV - Metal Oxide Varistor - used in most power strips as a spike absorber. A MOV will conduct and short out when a specific voltage level is exceeded and become open when the voltage decreases below the trigger voltage of this devise. Large spikes can destroy this component resulting in a blown fuse or tripped house breaker. This condition leaves the game completely nonfunctional.

A typical problem with power stripes is that they are usually built with CHEAP electrical parts.
Most power stripes have a device called a MOV installed in them. This MOV "absorbs" the Extreme High Voltage spike caused by a lightning strike or any other power utility "issue". A MOV will conduct and short out when a specific voltage level is reached (greater then the normal 120 volts that a typical Arcade game operates on) causing the main power cord to "Short" and not pass the High Voltage spike into the game's electronics. The MOV will trigger itself exactly ONE time during a large voltage spike before heating up and destroying itself.
A MOV in a power strip is insufficient to handle a true lightning strike. It leaves a great potential for the spike to get to the game's sensitive electronics and destroy them.
All Coin-Op Arcade games come with a MOV installed rendering the power strip's protection ineffectual or redundant at best. The only service a power strip provides is the ability to plug more devices into a wall outlet. It is also a convenient on/off switch for multiple Coin-Op games.

SAFTY NOTE: Overloading a power strip can cause FIRES, so remember a wall plug is rated at 15 amps (for a short time only!). A typical arcade game consumes between 3 and 5 amps and for some wide screen versions 6 amps and higher (electromechanical games usually draw more power then purely electronic arcades). A wall plug should have no more then three Coin-Op games plugged into it and powered on at the same time. Most homes have more then one plug supplied by the same wire circuit, so all loads on the same circuit (or house fuse) must be accounted for when calculating how many games can be safely plugged into a single wall outlet.

The only spike protection Pinball Medic can recommend is an industrial quality spike arrestor that is installed inside the circuit breaker box of the home. It usually looks and installs just like an ordinary double wide resettable fuse (plus a grounded wire). This protection costs about $50 and is available at most electrical supply houses.
A breaker box type of spike protection has the added benefit of protecting the whole house from lighting strikes and not just one arcade game. This topic will be revisited in a future issue of the  Pinball Matters  E-Newsletter.

NOTE: This question has not yet been asked by anyone. It's just one of our "Pet Peeves".
Pinball Medic is not the only one who thinks it's not a good Idea to oil or grease down a pinball.
Here are some horror stories: ( R.G.P.) This section is coming soon.

Grease on plastic parts or any other part of a pinball does NOT provide any benefit. In fact, on plastic parts it WILL cause swelling, jamming and make the part prematurely brittle.

NO GREASE SHOULD EVER BE APPLIED TO ANY PART INSIDE, ON THE OUTSIDE OR UNDERNEATH A PINBALL MACHINE!

The process of generously grossly globing gooey gummy grease on pinball mechanisms is usually done by incompetent game repair shops (and game retailers) that want to "fix" a problem so they can quickly sell the game before the problem resurfaces. For some reason, it is liberally applied to stepper units and score reels in an attempt to "insure" they zero out or reset at the start of a game.
NOTE: Simply installing new springs and cleaning the unit would have permanently repaired these devices.

Stepper units happen to be one of the most difficult to get to and repair mechanical mechanisms on an electro-mechanical pinball and can take a hour each to disassemble, repair and clean. Pinball Medic has had to redo the "other guy's" game refurbishment on countless pinballs due to game "repair/for sale" shops greasing of everything from ball kicker assemblies to solenoid coil sleeves. If the coil sleeves are greased it can cause jamming (due to sleeve swelling) and even Fires if the solenoid jams and then over-heats.

No part in an electro-mechanical or solid state pinball needs lubrication except for the use of a thin oil based liquid lubricant on the felt that is mounted on the side of motor gearboxes (Index Cam, Score and Swinging Target motors) and on pinball leg levelers. Only rarely should this be done.

Pinball Medic Amusements sells new reproductions of Williams,Bally,Gottlieb and Data East pinball replacement electronic circuit boards. See New Pinball Boards for more info.

Pinball Medic now offers new replacement Williams System 3,4,6,7 & 9 Power Supply boards, Data East & Gottlieb System 1 & 80 Power Supply board. Also, a Williams and Bally Type 2 Flipper Button board (Flipper O. C. board).
See Pinball System Boards for more information.

Old obsolete electronics, board connections, battery acid damage and board design flaws will eventually render the original pinball circuit boards unusable. New replacement pinball circuit boards offer a way to remove these problems and in the case of the boards Pinball Medic sells, removes the use of  batteries.
Determining what to do is usually based on cost and the game's value (emotional or market value after refurbishment). A typical board repair will cost between $45 and $95 and up plus parts. A new replacement board can cost up to twice as much as a typical board repair . However, a new replacement board should last another 20 years inside a game without any need for board repair. Unfortunately, all circuit boards will have to be replaced in the long run to keep the game playable.
We will leave it to the customer to decide which way will benefit them the most.
See Pinball Board Repair

Bad Power supply capacitors, corroded board connectors, missing ground plug on power cord and even low line voltage (Twilight Zones have trouble with low line voltage) can all cause this problem.

Pinball Medic sells replacement large electrolytic capacitors, reset circuit and battery damage repair kits. See questions 11 or 19 for more info on batteries and their use inside of arcade games.

Photo below is one of our high temp radial lead electrolytic 15,000 micro Farad (uF) power supply filter capacitors.

NOTE: New replacement pinball system boards do not require replacement capacitors except for the cabinet capacitor used on Gottlieb pinball games. The 15k uF capacitor will work to replace the 10k uF cap inside of the Gottlieb system 1 and 80 games. The new capacitor is much smaller in size so mounting hardware will have to be modified or replaced to use this capacitor on Gottlieb games.

All Coin-Op Solid State (SS) Pinball machines and potentially all Video games are built with a power supply voltage monitoring circuit. This circuit, when the game is first turned on, keeps the Central Processing Unit (CPU) on the MPU board in a reset condition until the positive five volt power supply reaches a specified voltage (low supply voltages can cause the game to not boot up at all). This circuit will also reset or reboot the MPU board if the +5 volt supply drops below a specified voltage at any time the game is power on. This is an instantaneous triggered reset of the game meaning there is no time delay between the voltage dropping and the game's reset.
Large electrolytic capacitors are used on the power supply board to keep the supply voltages high enough for the game to function normally. Old capacitors act like loads on power supplies dropping their voltage (burnt or loose board connectors can create high ohmage contacts and produce the same results).
When the game is played, the playfield solenoids, motors and other large current draws can cause the five volt power supply to drop below the set threshold and cause a game reset. Usually this happens during Multi-Ball mode on pinballs because more heavy current draw mechanisms are involved.

Number of 15k uF capacitors used by system board
Five on the WPC, WPC-S pinball power supply and solenoid driver board. These boards require circuit trace wire jumpers to be installed after the capacitors are renewed to insure proper connection.
(See NOTE for Gottlieb games and new replacement pinball system boards).

Only one capacitor is needed for the following
old electronic (SS) pinball power supply boards: (board part numbers will be added soon)

Bally and Stern, Williams system 3,4,6,7 (On the older Williams pinball systems - the large cap in the backbox is a 30k uF and shouldn't be replaced by the capacitor shown above.)
Gottlieb system 1 and 80 Capacitor is located on the bottom of the playfield cabinet (6800 uF) and is not mounted on the power supply board.
On system 80b games like Jacks Open with two orange capacitors wired together, these two can be replaced with one single 15,000 uF capacitor.

Usually, shipping a heavy arcade game by truck is the 'cheapest' method.
Often the game must be padded with cardboard and/or crated, strapped to a pallet, insured for shipping damage (this has to be done) and then shipped door to door. Most companies give you a slight discount for shipping business to business or like most domestic small package delivery companies, limit the maximum weight that can be shipped to an individual.

We will be adding more shipping companies and estimated shipping cost to this Tech Tip topic and will be including more detailed information in an upcoming issue of the 'Pinball Matters' newsletter.

Shipping by a truck seems to be the only way to ship a heavy arcade game. If you plan on buying or shipping two games at the same time this can save on shipping as some trucking companies charge the same amount up to 500lbs. This is why other retail shops advertise a special shipping discount price if you buy two of their games. This 'ship two games for the price of one' is a sales gimmick. They really aren't giving you a shipping discount. They are simply shipping two games that weigh less then a total of 500lbs.

We have to admit; Coin-Op game shipping is not for the meek. Due to possible game damage, long shipping cost tables, game preparation and insurance - shipping can be a very stressful and time consuming process. Two-way shipping plus repair or restoration and parts costs can also add up to more then the retail value of a game, so take this into account before shipping an arcade game.

Note: Pinball Medic can't find a local repair/restoration shop for you. This is a time consuming process and we lack the expensive labor to carry out this service.

See our Coin-Op game Shipping page for more information.

Note: Most shipping damage is caused by the middle school dropout fork lift operator with thick glasses plowing the forks though the sides of games or knocking them over. Lots of padding, strapping down the game and wood box game coverings are highly recommended.

Pinball Medic often gets coin-op game repair or restoration requested from out of state (Texas) and even out of country locations. We thought it would be helpful to give some estimated on-way shipping costs by shipping method and company as a Tech Tip.
Shipping a heavy (250-350 lb) arcade game can be more costly then the actual refurbishment and therefore definitely has to be carefully considered before a game refurbishment or restoration should be initiated.

NOTE: Most shipping companies have increased their prices due to gas prices and the increase in the number of game damage insurance claims. The following prices might not be accurate.

Arcade Game Shipping Companies:
NAVL=North American Van Lines $350-450 for door to door service.
Shipping comes with $1500 insurance.
Door to door shipping adds a great deal in fees and shipping costs (for the shipper) using this trucking company.
Rumor (as posted on R.G.P.) is this company no longer will ship a pinball machine because of all the insurance clams they have had recently (lost or damaged games). Check with them first before crating a machine to make sure this was just a rumor.
Ask for Michelle Bianchi at 800-959-8880 ext 9465. She seems to handle all of the coin-op amusement shipping and is the easiest person to get along with at NAVL. Also try 1- 630-691-9478. Her name is Nichole, she is Michelle's assistant.

Forward Air - $350+. The name implies this company ships by air - they are in fact another trucking company. They will ship door to door using a sub-contracted carrier at the receiving end, but this is hard to set up. Normally, the customer must drop off or pick up the game at a terminal that might not be close by.
This company does seem to be slightly less expensive then NAVL, but, their terminal can be far away and you have to supply the game's delivery to and from their terminal.

USHIP - This company can find alternative trucking companies to ship your game, even door to door. There's usually no way for the game owner to know exactly who will be the carrier, however, this is the cheapest company out of the companies listed.

Check and then re-check the shipping prices and fees (door to door fee, etc) BEFORE you try to ship a game. This can save you some money.

NOTE: The above prices are just estimates and can be way off the mark depending on 'shipping zone' and other factors.
We will not even try to get into the murky waters of out of country shipping logistics in this Tech Tip.

Alkaline battery delivers 1.5 volts.
Nickel-Hydride battery delivers 1.2 volts.

Most arcades (video & pinball) require three AA sized batteries for memory backup. Using rechargeable batteries means there is a .9 volt deficient when using fully charged batteries. This is like installing half dead Alkaline batteries inside a game even when the rechargeable batteries are fully charged!

Nickel Metal-Hydride, in particular, are made to deliver a high current for a short period of time (example, a digital camera's flash), while the Alkaline battery is made to deliver a lower current rate for a long period of time. This low but long battery current cycle is what the memory chip inside the arcade game needs and this is why Alkaline batteries work the best compared to rechargeable batteries. Also, Metal-Hydride batteries will self discharge on the shelf without being connected to a load, Alkaline batteries will not do this.

A good brand of battery to use in games is Duracell (Ultra, Digital Camera, etc batteries). They tend to be not as prone to leaking unlike the 'Bunny' battery brand. 'Bunny' brand batteries tend to keep on leaking and leaking all over the circuit boards. Avoid these if possible.

On Williams WPC pinball systems - bad batteries can cause the game to display a 'Factory Settings Restored' message when the game is powered up. This message indicates all of the game's adjustments and audits have been cleared and reset using the stored data in the game's rom. This error message can also signify that you have waited too long to change the game's batteries and battery acid damage to the MPU circuit board has resulted. Check the battery holder at the same time you change the batteries to detect this kind of damage and rectify any problems as soon as possible.

Does my game require batteries?
This is a common question Pinball Medic hears from our customers and from Q&A Email (See question 11 for more info). Most people never change their game batteries because they don't even know an arcade uses batteries on its circuit boards. This one misperception causes 80% of the circuit board destruction we have to rectify while doing pinball and video game board repair.

Through the years, Pinball Medic has tried most commonly available brands of batteries inside all kinds of arcade games. We have come to the conclusion that Duracell batteries are the best general purpose Alkaline battery as far as battery leak prevention is concerned. They come in many sub-brands like 'Ultra', 'Digital Camera', Etc, but for the most part all AA sized Duracell batteries will work satisfactory inside an arcade game if they are changed in a regularly scheduled fashion.

All batteries will leak eventually if left inside a game for an extended period of time. This is a common occurrence when the game has been stored.
All that needs to happen is for the operator or game owner to remember to remove the batteries before transporting or storing a game to prevent the kind of circuit board damage we see on a daily basis. Many game boards have become unusable because of battery acid damage.

Old electronic Bally pinball games and some classic video games used Cadmium rechargeable batteries. These and other rechargeable batteries were abandoned in late model arcade games because they use a strong acid and will start to leak over a short period of time. Also, rechargeable batteries were usually soldered directly onto the circuit board causing battery damage (soldering heat causing 'weak' batteries and early battery acid leakage).  Also, rechargeables don't deliver the same voltage as a good Alkaline making it necessary to continually charge the battery. This can cause the battery to prematurely leak from over-charging.
It is always better to use a good quality, old fashioned Alkaline battery inside a coin operated game.


Low Line voltage can also cause game resets. Information on this problem will be covered in a future issue of the Pinball Matters E-Newsletter.

If you want to start a really long thread on any arcade game news group or blog, ask for someone to define these three terms.  Everyone will give a different opinion on what each term stands for.
Note: You could also ask question number one on this Tech Tips page and get the same large number of results.

If a game seller says; "This game has been shopped."
The terms 'SHOPPED' or  'SHOPPED OUT' are only being used as a game sells accelerator or as a vague advertisement term. There isn't a Coin-Op industry standard definition of the term 'shopped' when referring to a game's condition. This term can not be used to infer how or if any refurbishment was done to the game.

A game that has been 'Shopped' could mean anything from - the playfield on a pinball game has been wiped down with a nasty, greasy and dirty rag (if that much) to the game has been totally refurbished.

If Pinball Medic ever were to use this term, we actually meant to say;
"This game has been refurbished."

NOTE: Many an on-line or auction game buyer has experienced the fraud caused by the ambiguous term 'shopped', so buyer beware.


REFURBISHMENT - Every part of the game has been inspected, repaired and/or replaced as needed to bring the game up to the closest to 'like new' playability that can occur given the age of the game. No warn out or defective game parts remain inside of the game. This procedure would include all the game's consumables like rubber rings and light bulbs.
This would not mean every defect such as faded cabinet artwork or slight flaking of the scoreboard glass was repaired or replaced, that would be part of a full game restoration. Any remaining issue after refurbishment would be stated on the game's 'For Sale' web page if we were selling the game to the general public or game collector.

RESTORATION - After a game has been refurbished, the game's owner or Pinball Medic might consider doing more to the game to essentially 'take the game back in time to a point that it looks and plays like it just came off the assembly line' (at least as close to this condition as possible).
Cosmetic defects (side-art, coin door, game legs, marquees, game controls and control panels, playfield plastics, cabinet/playfield wear spots and cabinet color) are touched up, repaired or replaced during a game restoration.
Note: A 'like new' game condition can't be achieved for all coin operated games as some side-art and other game specific parts are no longer manufactured new for all games and extensive playfield wear or dry cracking/water damaged wood can't be restored.