Ask Uncle Willy #10: March 11, 1996Here is a special installment of Ask Uncle Willy, where Uncle Willy tries to shed some light on buying a pinball for home use. Uncle Willy's mailbox has been overflowing with inquiries about buying games, and how to fix them. Uncle Willy answers your questions about pinball machines. The questions should be of a general-interest nature, and will be answered via an article archived here. Asking questions of a proprietary nature ("How many of game X were produced?" "What games do you have in the works for this fall?" "What game is designer Y working on?") will not get you very far, as Uncle Willy is constrained from answering them.
Question: Can I buy games directly from Williams Electronics Games, Inc.? Answer: Williams Electronics does not sell directly to end customers. Much like an automobile company, Williams has a network of distributors throughout the world. Your first stop in buying a new pinball or video game should be at your local distributor. Likewise, if you are looking for parts for your pinball or video game, your distributor is the place to start look- ing. Question: I want to buy an older pinball/video game. Does Williams have Defenders and Firepowers in stock? Answer: Williams Electronics is in the business of producing new arcade equipment. Games are produced to order, and shipped to distributors as they come off the assembly line. Just like you wouldn't expect to go to your local Ford dealer and be able to buy a 1965 Mustang brand new, you would not be able to buy an older arcade game brand new. Question: OK, then, where DO I go to find that classic arcade game? Answer: This question has many answers, depending upon how much time you want to put into tracking down a particular game, how much work you want to put into making your game playable, and how much money you want to spend. The easiest way to buy a pinball or video game for home use is to go to a business that specializes in the sale of games to the home. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Amusement Devices - Home", or some similar head- ing. Also, the local advertising newspaper usually will have several such businesses advertising items for your game room. Visit more than one such business, if possible, and take time to talk with the proprietors about what you are looking for. If you have your heart set on a parti- cular game, it is usually possible to ask them to locate one for you. Don't expect a bargain from a home game room store. The prices there tend to be high. However, you must keep in mind what you are paying for. The game you buy should be completely refurbished and working correctly. The price should include delivery, setup, and some sort of warranty. You will probably also get a handful of spare parts, such as pinball rubbers, lamps and fuses. You also now have someone to call, should you have a problem with your game. You can expect the store to have the parts on hand to fix the more common problems that might arise with your game. You should also get the manual and schematics for your game. Another good place to check for used games is your local arcade distrib- utor. Often, they will take games on trade-in from operators buying new games. Some distributors will even cater to home sales, providing the sort of service that you can get from a game room store, although you should keep in mind that the distributor's main customer is the arcade owner or operator. If you are seriously thinking about diving into the hobby, and want to save money by fixing up your own games, you have many avenues from which to track down games. This takes a lot of time and footwork, and Uncle Willy would refer you to the rec.games.pinball Frequently Asked Questions list, where you can find some excellent information on obtaining and restoring pinball machines. The newsgroup rec.games.pinball is another place to look for information, and to ask questions. For information on video game collecting, you should check out the news- group rec.games.video.arcade.collecting. You can find the FAQ for that group at http://www.montefiore.ulg.ac.be/~vecoven/rgvac/rgvacFAQ.html. Question: Alright, now I have that classic pinball/video game I've always wanted, and I'm trying to fix it up. Where do I get parts? Answer: For game non-specific parts, you should check out the vendors listed in the Pinball Archive. This is usually your best bet for pinball rubber, lamps, coils, flipper links and similar items. If the game in question is of recent manufacture (say five years or so), the best place to look is at your distributor. They will either have parts in stock, or can order them for you. For an older game, you will have to look at secondary sources. You should check out some of the resources listed at the Pinball Archive. There are many businesses that cater to the pinball and video enthusiast. Also, you should subscribe to a magazine, such as Game Room or pinGame Journal, to scan the classified ads for items for sale. (Again, visit the Pinball Archive for the addresses to those magazines.) Question: How do I find a manual for my pinball/video game? Answer: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the answer again depends upon the age of the game. For a newer game, your local distributor is the best bet for purchasing a manual and schematics. Otherwise, check out the Pinball Archive and the above-mentioned magazines for sources. Question: OK, I figure I can tackle the mechanical restoration of my new pinball, but right now it doesn't function. When I turn it on, the lights come on, but I don't see anything in the displays, and I can't start a game. What could be wrong? Answer: Anyone who has helped people with repairing pinball games will have read the above question with a wry smile. On many pinball games, the general illumination ("GI") lamps will light regardless of the condition of the "brains" of the pinball machine. In fact, most of the circuit boards can be removed, and the GI will still light up. If you look closely at a game in the above-mention condition, you will notice that none of the controlled lamps (Extra Ball, Bonus X, etc.) will be functioning. This is because something is keeping the CPU board (the "brains") from functioning correctly. Repairing the circuit boards in a pinball machine is an undertaking only for the qualified technician. If you have not repaired electronic circuitry before you should seek out a repair service. You may want to call your distributor for electronic service help. They will have the equipment to repair newer pinball games, and many distributors welcome repairs on older pinball electronics as well. Otherwise, your distributor may be able to refer you to someone in your area who caters to the home market. Several pinball repair services are listed in the Pinball Archive FAQ. Additionally, you may want to check out the services advertising in Game Room magazine and the pinGame Journal. Most repair services will fix circuit boards by mail, but you should be comfortable removing and rein- stalling the boards before attempting this. Also, you should be aware that a problem in the electronics of a pinball many times will cause some other problem in the game, such as a burnt coil or display. (Sometimes, a problem in the pinball, such as an electrical short, will be responsible for the electronics failure.) Therefore, just getting your electronics fixed will not always be the end of your repair. You don't want to put that newly-fixed circuit board back into a machine just to watch it be damaged again. Question: Well, my pinball machine is working fine, except for feature X. What could be wrong? Answer: Uncle Willy is sorry, but it is outside the scope of this column to help diagnose problems with your pinball machine. For newer games, you will want to give your local distributor a call. For a game-specific problem on a newer game, you may want to send email to the appropriate electronic mail address. For older games, check those repair service resources mentioned above, or post a question on rec.games.pinball or rec.games.video.arcade.collecting. Question: My uncle has this old pinball machine in his basement; what is it worth? I saw an Addams Family pinball for sale at X dollars; is this a good price? Answer: Pricing a used pinball machine is not a cut-and-dried exercise. A recent used title has value based upon its earning potential. An older piece is mainly valued by its collector value. Those in between tend to be influenced in price by the home game room market. (Many people buying for a home game room want something that looks nice, or fits into their decor rather than a particular title.) A used pinball machine, just like anything else, is worth what someone will pay for it. Many factors affect this: popularity, availability, condition. While many games can be restored in functionality, cosmetic flaws, such as a worn playfield or a flaking backglass, will adversely affect the value of a game. A game in good cosmetic condition, but need- ing major mechanical repairs has a reduced value, do to the amount of time, effort and materials needed to bring it up to standards of desir- ability. A pinball of older vintage doesn't necessarily imply that it is of greater worth. Older games don't have the excitement level of newer games. Even with the nostalgia factor, the pool of serious collectors is relatively small, and everyone has different interests. Since pinball machines require significant floorspace, amassing a sizable collection of games is not a possibility for most people. Also keep in mind that one person's trash is another one's treasure. Uncle Willy has seen friends pay good money for stuff that Uncle Willy wouldn't haul home for free to use as firewood. On the flipside, however, Uncle Willy himself has been known to pay a premium for a pinball game that he just had to have that was in particularly nice condition, and on which the restoration work had already been done. All text and images © 1996 WMS Electronics Games, Inc. |