17
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/JUNE 1982
* PINBALL SUGGESTION* LOCK GRIPE* GREMLIN REPORT*
By Todd Erickson, Summit Amusement, St. Paul, MN
Pinball Suggestion
For pinball to come back, not only must the games have
player appeal, but the games must be made to work better.
One problem that has existed from day one with pinball is
the ball getting lost. Simple to fix, but a $35 service call.
With electronics, the game can be made to operate with one
or two extra balls. The drain hole can do the ball counting. If
a ball gets stuck under a playfield rubber, the machine is
merely turned off and then on again to reset it. The game
can then be played as normal. When the operator collects,
he can remove the ball, cure the problem, and thus save a
service call.
Lock Gripe
One thing I don't enjoy is changing locks. Every door is a
little different. The operator must normally stock 3 lengths of
locks. Then he must stock several lengths and offsets of
cams. It would be much easier if all manufacturers went to a
Ys" lock with a straight cam. Time wasted changing locks
can be put to better use.
Gremlin Report
In 197 8 Gremlin was purchased by Sega. Sega is one of the
major manufacturers in Japan. Since I 978, they were known
for having numerous small problems with their games. In the
last six months, however, they have made many
improvements in the quality of their games.
"Monaco" and "Turbo" have made them the top
manufacturers of driving games. "Turbo" just made it to # I
on one industry survey. "Frogger" has also been an excellent
earner. (I do recommend, however, adjusting the point on the
joystick further back, so it is less sensitive.)
At the A.O.E. Show, Gremlin showed its latest hit,
"Zaxxon". My first one has been out well over a month and
has remained the number one game to date. The graphics are
truly outstanding. The only problem so far has been one bolt
in the joystick coming loose. Later games have this problem
resolved. The back of the cabinet is cut away for casters and
care must be taken when moving the game. The shoes on a
few hand carts are a little short for the back of the game.
Their coin mech is is made by Coin Controls Inc. This unit
is excellent. It will wipe a slug or Canadian coin, preventing
all those nuisance service calls for jammed mechs.
In February, Gremlin consolidated their operations into
one building. This will enable them to control the quality of
their games even closer. With the support of their mother
company, Gremlin is on their way to becoming one of the
major powers in this industry.
MODEL
ARTICLE
M-1
P.C.Boards
M -2
I.C. P-EROM
M -3
Power Supply
M -4
(A)
Power Supply
Remark
Main Goods
Various Kinds
27 16 .2732 etc
Various Kinds
¥7lll S34
1+5.-5.+121 3 terminals
In 1 OOvf---'--'-t------+--t-----,
1+5-1+1!-I~ 4 terminals
¥9Jlll S41
110 -
~~6~ !+5.-5.+ln
3 terminals
M-4
( B)
.ol MANY NEW KINDS OF
P.C. BOARDS PROD-
UCED BY MAMATOP.
¥6.200 S2B
¥9Jlll S41
240V
M-6
T ranceformer
Convertible to
100-240v
M -7
Color Monitor
14" and 20" monitor
3 terminals
¥1RIID S 82
4 terminals
V1QIID S 91
Auto Transformer
can be used as M -5
at the same time
¥W S18
V38.IOI S 113
vm
Table T ype 2ways, Our Original
¥1.700
changeable to
4ways,8ways
t - - - t - - - - - - + - - - -- - , 2ways , 4ways and
Upright Type 2ways,
by
exchanging
¥2.(0)
M -9
Joy Stick
..t. DISPLAY MONITOR
141NCH OR 201NCH
+ - - - -48Cm- - - + +
t 36Cm+
l
M -B
Joy Stick
~:n~r
4ways,8ways
M - 1 0
J:1PS~~~ chang1ng
M -1 1 Speaker
S219
S8
S g
so 5
M-8 & M-9(common)
¥100
80 diameters 1 28m m
¥350
S 2
¥700
S 3
Vl1.lUJ S 55
Harness(36&44)
36pins & 44pins
tt~~t~:rJ6&~
With M icro Switch
..t. VIDE O PARTS
• WE CAN GI VE YO U THE LATEST-
INFORMATION FROM JAPAN.
• WE ARE LOOKING FOWARD TO
YOUR CONTACT .
0WE HA VE MANY KINDS OF USED
P.C . BOARDS AND USED COMPLETE
MACHINES. TOO.
24mm
Launchin Button
Select Button
@- - ~
& MINI POKER14 "
COLOR28kg S 1400
WE HAVE ALSO UPRIGHT TYPE.
H I Cm
M~M~:Jio~
a ® ' •
- V
¥450
S 2
Payment can be
made in ye n or
in U .S. Dollar .
@ -B
~
eouR-ACCOUNT NO, IS 330-637139 WITHTH1:._a__.,..=--4a
FUJI BANK SHIZUOKA BRANCH OFFICE. l'l
CORPORATION
Japanese Time.
TELEPHONE 0542(46)7221 (ONLY FOR OVERSEAS CALLS.) Business Hours 9:00AM-500PM
CABLE ADRESS:MAMATOP OFFICE AND FACTORY: 3· 1-3 KITAANDO SHIZUOKA CITY JAPAN
a
l-l-----t----+--
eTELEX:3962-555TOPPU-J
•
*~