Star Tech Journal

4
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/SEPTEMBER 1983
NEW-TONE ELECTRONICS, INC.
QUALITY REPLACEMENT
SEMICONDUCTORS
AVAILABLE FOR THE
ELECTRONIC GAMES
INDUSTRY,
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING
MANUFACTURERS:
• ATARI
• BALLY
• CINEMATRONICS
• EXIDY
• GOTTLIEB
• SEGA/
GREMLIN
• MIDWAY
• STERN
• WILLIAMS
AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL
NTE DISTRIBUTOR
Rush me a FREE Electronic Games
cross reference Guide #CR10
LOCATION ADJUSTMENTS
* ATARI'S * ATARI'S
WARS CONTROLS/MONITOR HI-VOLTAGE BOARD
WILLIAMS' NEW FLIPPER ASSEMBLY
* * SEGA'S
KIT INSTALLATION
FOOD FIGHT
STAR
STAR TREK
By Todd Erickson, Summit Amusement, St Paul, MN
Atari's Food Fight Location Adjustments
The option switches are not always correct for every location as games are released
from the factory. Food Fight was released with a 90-second playing time. Many
operators would like this. The maximwn money is not produced running a 90-second
game today. Only with a top game like Atari's Pole Position or Star Wars can you run
short time. Many operators have commented about people playing a game for many
hours for a quarter. Adjusting the second threshold longer will hurt the advanced player
and eliminate the long game without hurting the novice. Adjusting the nwnber of men to
five on this game has turned it into an excellent earner. I feel it is the responsibility of the
operator to see that his games are adjusted for his location.
Atari's Star Wars Controls/Monitor HI-Voltage Board
COMPANY NAME
YOUR NAME
TITLE
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP CODE
PHONE NO .
CLIP AND MAIL TODAY TO:
NEW-TONE ELECTRONICS, INC.
DEPT G1/44 FARRAND STREET
BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY 07003
This game has to be the finest game Atari has ever created. The income is initially the
same as Pole Position. The massive amount of play it is getting has created a few
problems with the controls. The biggest problem is simple: loose screws. The cover
should be removed from the top of the controls. Inside are three screws that hold the top
assembly to the shaft. Make sure these are tight The screws on the handles must also be
tightened. Early production games did not have Ny lock bolts. Contact your distributor
for these bolts if you don't have them. This control has an excellent feel for the player
and wouldn't be as good a game without it. It would be wise to maintain this control
since its cost is approaching $500.
The monitor high-voltage board on the left side of the cabinet (from the back) fell
toward the picture tube when the upper wooden bracket broke. This destroyed my
picture tube. It became a rainbow of colors instead of specific colors. It would be wise to
add another screw to this board to bolt it in place. I also don't like the high voltage lead
touching other wires in the game!
WIiiiams' New Flipper Assembly
WE
REPAIR
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Board
Specialists
Video Games
Domestic & Foreign
Technicians
formerly with Bally
Send your
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REPAIRS
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3479 Parkway Center Court
Orlando, FL 32804
305/295-8827
The flipper assembly has been the weak link in all pin games. Little has been done in
many years to make things better. Williams engineering has done many things to debug
their flipper assembly. It will be released shortly. Starting with the front bushing, they
radiused the sharp edges in the bushing. More ribs were also added. Nuts have been
added to the screws on the bearing. Too many plungers have been rough. This will ruin
the coil sleeve. Their new plunger has a teflon film on it This has resulted in no wear to
the plunger or sleeve. The roll pin in the crank arm has been replaced by a shoulder
screw. The return spring is now a conical spring with a big base resting on the front coil
bracket The spring is held in place by four metal tabs on the front bracket The end-of-
stroke switch is now tungsten. The coil stop is now removable. They use three screws to
hold it in place instead of two. The coil stop also has two metal shoulders on the sides of
it. The shoulders touch the mounting brackets. This will drastically lengthen the life of
the coil stop and take much load off the screws. This is some very clever engineering on
the part of Williams.
With pinball coming back as strongly as it is, changes like these are very important.
These changes will eliminate at least 80-90% of the flipper service calls. These parts
will be available through your authorized dealer. I strongly recommend when shopping
( overhauling) older Williams pinballs, to replace the old parts with these new items.
Sega's Star Trek Kit Installation
The Star Trek Kit has to be one of the finest kits on the market. The big advantage it has
is that it includes a complete game that can be installed in any black and white or color
existing game. All of the side panels and top marquee are included to make it look like a
new game. The kit is basically straightforward. There is a small amount of wiring to be
done on a terminal strip on the card cage. This should take about half an hour to do.
I consider mounting the monitor the most critical. In most cases, the monitor can be
bolted in place where the old one came out With any special modification, I would use
bolts and metal brackets to make sure the monitor won't come loose while moving the
game. If any shelves are made, use ¾" plywood and not particle board.
My first kit was installed in an old Sega game. It now looks like a new factory game.