Atari Coin Connection

Issue: Vol 2 Num 03 - 1978 March

INVITATION TO
A TRADE SHOW
Atari will be displaying products at the
Canadian Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show
in Toronto, Canada on April 23-26. There
wil l be thousands of representatives from
1nany potential new game locations for
operators. If you would like to obtain
more information on this show or receive
an invitation to attend, write to :
C. Kan tor, Editor
Coin Connection
Atari, Inc.
1265 Borregas Avenue
P.O . Box 9027
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
BEHIND THE SCENES:
SALES PROCESSING
Atari ships thousands of games world
wide so players can play and operators
can enjoy the profits in t11ousands of
different places. In order to get these
gan1es to tl1eir destination, 1nany l1ours
are spent imple1nenting the schedules and
processing the orders . Jeanne Angelo and
her staff, Kim Widn1er, Joyce Kran1er and
Melissa Rudolph, are the people who
make it happen.
The sales order processing staff puts
everything in order so the games will
reach the distributors and be available for
operators and their profitable locations.
Sales Order Processing is the key link
between marketing, 1nanufacturing and
shipping and a very i1nportant part of the
overall procedure to deliver products to
our customers. Jeanne , Kim, Joyce and
Melissa are valuable "behind the scenes"
people wl10 do a fabulous job of'keeping
up witl1 the fast pace of Atari games.
ATARI SHOWS TO THEATER OWNERS
Atari games were on display at
Show West '78 in San Diego, February 12,
13 and 14. Approxin1ately 700 theater
affiliates played the latest video and
pinball games and learned the profit
opportunities of tl1ese coin-operated
products in their locations. Many theater
owners sl1owed strong interest in tl1e
concept of gan1es in their lobbies and
concession areas of drive-ins. Several
people also suggested that they would
like to look into a separate gan1e room
adjacent to their theaters. Tl1ese tl1ea ter
people were referred to the Atari
distributors in their areas to learn more
about coin-op games as a profit center,
and for referral to operators in their area.
"Atari exhibited at tl1is sl1ow to !1elp
pro1note the concept of coin-op ga1nes in
new and expanding markets such as tl1e
\\n1
ve
.
)ll
r.
New Pr
ATARI O ppo
PINBALL GAMES
In many cases these problems can be
corrected on location.
Check for the following:
The Sales Order processing staff Seated:
Jeanne Angelo; left to right: Joyce l Kim Widmer, Melissa Rudolph.
George Aurelius, Coordinator of
Show West an d a respected member of the
theater industry for the past 50 years,
said, "The games, together with other
new income resources, are a welcome
opportunity to bring more profit to
tl1eaters. I believe that the co in-operated
games are just one indicator of the
continuing growth potentials to n1ake
money in tl1ea ters ."
TECHNICAL TIP
Syn1ptom : Game lockups, intermittent
operations, and score display inconsist-
encies (segments missing, etc.).
' '\
tl1eaters," said Frank Ballouz. "The
owners of theaters expressed interest in
the profit opportunities of games. Game
operators should follow tl1rough on this
and pursue new theater locations," he
added.
According to the U.S. Department of
Commerce, tl1ere are approximately
16,000 theaters in the country; 78% of
these are indoor tl1eaters with lobbies and
22% are drive-ins. Both types of theaters
offer opportunities for coin-op games.
The current trends in theaters indicate a
growth in mu! tiple screen fac ilities for
ooth indoor and outdoor locations. This
represents greater potential for larger
theater lobbies and concession areas as
well as n1ore space available for games.
Many outdoor theaters are successfully
using tl1eir facilities for flea markets and
other daytime activities to supplement
the utilization of their locations. This also
incteases tl1e profitabili ty of their con-
cession areas.
1. Remove tJ1e CPU (microprocessor
chip) fron1 the socket. Inspect the
lead:s to assure that they are clean. A
standard pencil eraser can be used to
clean the leads.
2. Harness edge connectors: Inspect
closely the pins of tJ1e edge connector
plugs to make sure they are not bent
or flat (pins should be slightly curved).
If any pins are bent or flat, either
carefully restore the correct shape or
replace the pin.
3. Score Display : Check that the edge of
tl1e score panel is inserted all the way
in to the socket. Make sure all the pins
make contact to the score panel. To
check for contact,. press down on each
contact pin when it is in place with the
eraser end of a pencil or similar
insulated instrument. (Note: There are
100 volts on eacl1 pin.) If the score
display is corrected when pressure is
applied to a contact pin, this indicates
which pin is not making full contact.
Remove the glass score panel and
double check that pin to assure that it
is clean and has sufficient tension for
contact. You can bend the contact pin
down slightly to assure contact.
Reinstall score panel and check again
for proper operation.
Sky Raider (Continued fron1 page 1)
HOME REC ROOMS:
A GROWING USED GAME MARKET
An article in the Minneapolis Tribune
(1 / 1/78) explored the revolutionary craze
in leisure entertainment. The article,
which ran a full page and a half,
exemplified the many exciting delights to
be found in ho1ne recreation rooms which
are sweeping across the nation.
The article entitled, "Revolution in
Game Room : A Long Way From
Parcheesi", explains that the days of
checkers and parcheesi are long gone. The
leisure world has flourished and today an
estiI11ated three out of ten fan1ilies have
access to l1ome rec room facilities (as
esti1nated by a Minneapolis game-room
supplier). The article explains that re-
placing the more traditional home gan1e
roorn equipment of a pool or bu1nper-
pool table, ping-pong table, radio and TV,
today are commercial pin ball, video
games, and foosball tables. It also points
out tl1a t people are purchasing tl1ese
items reconditioned from opera tors and
distributors of coin-operated games.
Several years ago ilie trend was for
families to buy co,nmercial pool tables
for their rec rooms, and now this san1e
phenomenon is turning to demand for
used video and pin ball ga,nes.
The article speaks of the revolution in
game rooms: " It's hard to label the new
trend because it embraces the new and
"old" - the old including pre-World War
II slot macl1ines, penny arcade "peekers"
and other antique mechanical equipment
- the new advancing through electricity,
electronics and solid-state con1puters."
All kinds of used amusement 1nachines
are in demand for fan1ily rec roo1ns. This
Atari, Inc.
1265 Borregas Avenue
P.O. Box 9027
Sunnyvale,-California 94086
ATARI®
Innovative
leisure
Q A wa,ne, Commun,cations Company
allows for simplified troubleshooting and
checking of circuitry , switches and
controls. The remote volume control is
just inside the coin door for easy
adjustment to location needs.
"Sky Raider will be a super attraction
game. Field tests showed it to be an
excellent money 1naker on location," said
Frank Ballouz. "It was first previewed at
the ATE show in London where tl1e
overall reaction was superb," he added.
Sky Raider will certainly be a
superl1ero's game. It !1as all the action and
challenge features to entice players. The
visual attraction is terrific. And it has
Atari's built-in reliability and service
features. See tl1e new Sky Raider game
soon at all Atari distributors's showroo1ns
and learn how its exciting play features
show high earnings in all types of
locations.
demand is growing due to articles like the
one in the Minneapolis Tribune and other
similar positive publicity . It is excellent
for our industry, not only for growth of
the used game market, but it also
increases the overall player market for
newer games. People will enjoy the games
in horne rec roon1s, and then will go out
to try the newer ga1nes in commercial
locations.
Game Promotion (Continued from page 2)
EXAMPLE:
,GAME CENTER SCORE CARD
Score to
beat for
a star
l .
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
l 0.
STAR
,vhen
get
score*
Starship 1™
3,500
80
Super Bug™
Canyon Bo,nberTt11
400
Airborne Avenger™ 50,000
Breakout TN!
200
*
*
Sprint 2™
Tin1e 20QQTM
Destroyer TN!
*
Night Driver™
Ultra Tank 1' M
90
40,000
2,500
300
15
Ultra 1'ank (Continued fro1n page
has Atari's built-in self-test syste1n and a
remote volume control for adjustment to
the location needs with easy access
switches inside the coin door.
Ultra Tank is designed to be suitable
for all types of locations. Its sleek cabinet
design and modern explosive graphics are
an impressive attraction for players of all
ages. ''Ultra Tank has variety in gan1e
play featu res and location flexibility that
will bring strong consistent collections for
operators," said Frank Ballouz, National
Sales Manager.
*
*Garn e center attendant to put on star.
1)

\Vhen all ten ga,n es have a star, turn in card for
V ALUABL.c PRIZE!
Tl1ese scores are onl'y examples, and
sl1ould be ad~u sted to tl1e skill leve ls of
you r location.

Publisher - Atari, Inc.
Editor - Carol Kantor
Art Director - Evelyn Lim
Bulk !{ate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Sunnyvale, Ca.
Pern1it 317

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