Atari Coin Connection

Issue: Vol 2 Num 04 - 1978 April

©
Atari Inc 1978
Volume 2, Number 4
ATARI'S NEWEST ATTRACTION:
1rOlUJlrNJAM~rNJ1r 1rAli3LITM
NEW JEl2SE~
SERVICE SCHOOL
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New from Atari: the spectacular
Tournament Table™ fulfills an innova-
tive concept in video cocktail tables.
There is a one, two, or four player option
with 12 different ga1nes to choose fro1n
(including Breakout™ , Soccer, Fooz-
pong, Volleyball, Basketball, Handball,
and 1nore ). Tournament Table provides
1nany l1ours of non-stop profit-making
entertainn1ent. This video game not only
offers variety but also location versatility
and alluring eye appeal - Tournament
Table is built to be practical while sure to
fascinate all who play.
Tournament Table has sleek, distinc-
tive, contemporary features enriched by
woodgrain side panels. The unique new
table top is a tough, scratch resistant
acrylic surface that has no joints or seams
whicl1 prevents accidental spills or other
foreign matter from penetrating to the
interior of the ga1ne. The table top lifts
easily for quick service accessibility .
Tournament Table is designed to be free-
standing or to fit against the wall, and its
attractiveness will enhance any location
decor.
The variety of games and play features
are easy to comprehend. Si1nple switches
are used - each time the "game select"
button is pressed, tl1e 12 ga1nes appear
individually and sequentially on the
monitor along witl1 the name of the game
for identification and selection ease. For
each game, an option button can be used
for one of three special features. The
Wham,ny option increases the speed of
the ball; the Catch option holds the ball
on the paddle; and the Jump option
1nakes the paddles jump. These special
features add creative cl1allenge and
excitement to each of the sports games.
The operator can set Breakout to
award an extra credit at 5 different score
levels. The extra credit can be used to
play any of the twelve games. For the
other ga1nes, the lengtl1 of the play can be
set at 11 or 15 points to win. There are
16 different coin modes that can be
selected, including 1 or 2 plays per coin
or 2 coins per play. The video display is
available in four languages. In addition,
Atari again minin1izes service problems
with its built-in self-diagnosis system for
easy troubleshooting.
Tournament Table will assure a long
earning life. Contact your Atari distrib-
utor for more information.
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About 200 operators and technicians
attended the three service schools held at
Atari's New Jersey office. Fred McCord,
Dave Tucker and Russ McDonald con-
ducted the schools that covered the basic
electronic technology, schematics and
logic for troubleshooting and repair of
Atari video and pinball games.
"I was very impressed with the service
school," said Charles H. Martin of CSSK
Amusements, York, Pennsylvania. "I
walked away with so much useful
inforn1ation. The digital logic was most
informative. Other service schools did not
go into as much detail as you did," he
added. Other operators and technicians
reported that the Atari schools were
superior due to the pertinent material
(Continued on page 4)
GAMES AND
BUSINESS
GAMES AT A
SCIENCE FAIR
Coin-op games are a great attraction at
business conventions, n1eetings and
parties. An article in the February issue
of Coin Connection suggested that
operators consider short term rentals of
games to businesses for this purpose.
Atlantic Recording Corporation placed
Atari games in their hospitality suite at a
recent trade convention. Bruce Tenen-
baum of Atlantic said, " Our party was
hailed as tl1e best of the convention , and
the Atari machines were undoubtedly the
feature attraction."
The games are a benefit to businesses
for attraction and public relations when
used at their conventions, trade shows,
etc. Operators can profit from renting the
games to businesses at a rate wl1ich could
be somewhat higher than average gross
collections, plus pickup and delivery
charges.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
THE HEART OF
MARKETING
The ph one may ring a thousand times,
but there's always a pleasant "hello". The
in-box may be piled to the sky, but the
work always gets done . The special
requests are answered; the orders . are
made; the information is filed; the Coin
Connection goes to press ... and so much
more. Atari's Marketing Secretaries are
the heart of the department.
Davia Mountney and Ruth Evans are
the valuable behind-the-scenes people
who put the marketing department into
action each day . Their efficiency and
creative contributions help make Atari's
marketing efforts even better.
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PUBLICIT!:J PACKAGE
AVAILABLE

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The Stl1 and 6th graders at DeYargas
School crowded around Starship 1 ™ ,
solid state Airborne Avenger™ pinball,
and an electro-mechanical pinball game
displayed in tl1eir classroom. However,
these children were not there only to play
the gan1es, they were there to learn how
tl1ey work as part of the Science Fair
sponsored by this Cupertino, California
school.
Ted Olsen , President of Time Zone ,
and his technicians, Craig Wheelwright
and Steve Coates brought the games to
the school and spoke to about 70
children about how the games work. Jerd
Ferrainolo, principal , said, "The children
were ex tren1ely interested in the games
presentation which, I am sure, helped to
generate more enthusiasrn fo r the Science
Fair and for science itself."
As a result, Ted Olsen received many
rewarding thank you notes from the
students and has created an interest and
enthusiasm for the games by many new
potential players.
PLA!:JER
PROMOTION IDEAS
A Reward for Good Grades
Game room operators can encourage
students to get good grades in school and
play more games by offering free gan1es
for A's an d B's on tl1eir report cards.
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Ruth Evans and Davia Mountney, Marketing
Secretaries, are the heart of the department.
Family Players
To encourage more families to go to game
rooms together, offer a special of one free
ga1ne each to a parent and child under 12
who come to play games.
Special Group
To broaden a ga1ne roo1n's player base,
free games given to you th groups, school
clubs, civil and comn1unity organizations
would encouragt?. return visits. (Free
games to charitable organizations are
considered donations.)
A Positive Publicity Package is now
available from Atari on request. We have
put together many of the posi tive articles
written on games and arcades in news-
papers , 1nagazines, and other media
around the country. These articles may
be helpful in opening new locations that
are hesitant due to tl1e antiquated " bad
image" philosopl1y. They may give you
new ideas for special promotions or other
new positive publicity for tl1e industry .
If you would like copies of these
articles, write or call (408) 745-2501 :
Carol Kantor , Editor
COIN CONNECTION
Atari , Inc.
1265 Borregas A venue
P.O. Box 9027
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
we SELL FUN
"People rarely succeed at
anything, unless they have
fun doing it'.'
TECHNICAL TIP
SKY RAIDERTh-:
For optimum visual effect, the M700
monitor PCB l1as been modified and an
additional control for vertical centering
has been mounted on the cl1assis. A
sequence of adjustn1ents must be fol-
lowed to achieve the proper effect.
1. Switch game in test mode to obtain
a stationary picture.
2 . Adjust the vertical controls so tJ1e
raster is approximately 15" high,
leaving l / 2" on the top and 1 " on
the bottom black.
3 . Turn vertical linearity
control,

squeezing bottom of picture until
tail of plane is about 1/2" from the
bottom black.
4. Adjust the horizop.tal width control
and the vertical centering control to
match up the terrain and alpha
numerics with the bezel.

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