Electromotion table
features copper top
Electromotion IV, the newest cock -
tail video game table from Electromo-
tion Inc. of Bethlehem Pennsylvania,
features a stylish copper laminate top
that fits into the most sophisticated
locations, according to Vice President
Eugene Smith .
The game is easy to operate and
rugged, Smith said, and the top is
completely sealed against spills and lifts
up for easier servicing .
The table comes in a two -player (25
cents) or four -player (50 cents) model
with a Motorola monitor. It operates on
120 volts and weighs only 125 pounds.
The table stands 28.5 inches high and is
32 inches in diameter.
M idwayWheels
Put on your goggles, turn your cap
around, step on t he accelerator, and
away you go w it h " WHEELS", M id-
ways new T .V . driving game .
Midway has put "WHEELS" on a
T.V. game tha t will give you the
sensational feeling of a race car driver
speeding down the race track against
time and traffic . The faster you go the
higher you score.
" WHEELS" features a gear shift and
tachometer that show s when to shift
into high gear, double 25 cent coin
chutes, solid state 23" M otorola T .V .,
extended play, motor and crash sounds
all placed in a beaut ifully deSigned
cabinet.
Improvement tips
offered on Gran Trak
Although Atari's Gran Trak 10 and
Gran Trak 20's have proven themselves
to be perhaps the greatest games of the
century, most all operators have ex-
perienced some mechanical problems.
The factory readily admits their ef-
forts at providing a new type front
door flopped and have a subst itute
now available to operators - at a cost,
of course, slightly under $50, but still
a good investment, since it should
reduce location headaches and lessen
downtime.
The new front door feature s direct
coin-entry chutes (like Midway's), ver -
sus the original ones that linked a
foot-long double chute from the top
instruction plate to the door's re-
jectors. When anyone would stuff
foreign objects, such as a coffee
stirring stick or even candy wrappers
in the chutes, it became a major
time-consuming job to remove them .
The four wing-nuts holding the steer-
ing assembly would have to be re-
moved, or the operator would have to
go in through the back of the mach ine,
just to get access to the original
double-chute, held by two screws.
Alterat ions to the cash box top will
be necessary after installation of the
new door to prevent coins from
jamming . Inspect a Gran Trak 20,
Quak Rifl e or other newer Atari pro-
ducts to note the different lips on the
cash boxes. Space for the coins to
drop in the box has been provided on
the newer models, versus the drop
holes cut in the early Gran Trak 10's.
A CCELERATOR BRACKET
Anoth er helpful im provement on
the Gran Traks which Atar i is now
providing distributors' parts depart-
ments is an L·shaped bracket that
holds the micro-switch that operates
the accelerator function. It can also be
used on the brake pedal side.
The new brackets are easily in-
stalled and make the original brass
accentuators obsolete. As most opera -
tors experienced, the heavy play on
Gran Traks caused the brass accentu-
ators to break frequently and the cost
was approximately $3.75 for the new
brackets, which sounds outrageous,
unless you weigh the dollars and cents
value of downtime protection that
these brackets afford.
SHIFTING GEAR
I t is a good idea to use a radiator -
type clamp around the shifting gear
housing in all Gran Traks. The round
plastic housings have experienced
many breakages, such as the micro-
switch holders and underside areas of
the cylinder being broken off . Also,
just the cylinder loosening can cause
. problems. Th is inexpensive clamp is
good insurance.
LOGIC BOARD CONNECTORS
One of the latest problems to de-
velop on many Gran Traks is the logic
board-harness. Its plastic connectors
are produc ing problems. Heavy use of
the games, moving them from loca-
tions or removing the connector peri -
odically to install logic boards damages
the edge connector's pins. There is no
way to properly spread the pins, which
develops the need to install new con-
nectors.
Symptoms of this problem may
incl ude the Gran Trak going to " game
over" prematurely while in play; the
car remaining stationary; loss of steer-
ing; game resetting itself; video hor i-
zontal lines or a plain white screen,
losing the video image completely .
Thus operators would be advised, if
they have been operating Gran Traks
for any length of t ime, to stock extra
edge con nectors.
NE W START BUTT ONS
Atari is also providing a new start
button housing that helps to recess the
button, protecting it from vandalism .
Purchas ing these and install ing them
before you have troubles may save you
more than $10 a machine - the price
of replacement for an entire start -
switch assembly.
Some people listen, some don't.
You owe it to yourself
to listen to Kiddierama.
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