Classic Mode

Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1986-September - Vol 8 Issue 7

STAR*TECH Journal
are difficult to keep clean and
attractive; 4) it is very time consuming
to replace a motor, even if you have the
replacerrent rootor in your hand; 5) the
SH players can dawdle and waste time during
game play.
I have spoken to Mr. Yaffe about his crane
at trade shows but all he wanted to do was
SELL me one. Since I have not heard one
good thing about his crane, I, as an
operator, certainly "40n't buy one, but
offered to do an l.ll'lbiased 60 day test and
report the findings to the trade press.
Mr. Yaffe obviously didn't have that nuch
faith in how his crane would "stack up
against the conpetition" and "40Uld not
make a crane available for a test. In his
article he ranarks that, "It is quite
obvious another coq,any obliged his (my)
offer", which I take to nean that he
thinks that the manufacturers and
distributors of BIG OIOICE, UAI, and BF.AR
CLAW shipped me games free of charge. Let
me say that this is conpletely false. I
bought each and every crane that I
operate. I do, however, have an option to
return the BE'AR CLAW I just ordered,
soould it not operate properly. I ordered
it on my own from a distributor, not the
manufacturer, because I have been
following the developnent of Gordon
Smart's BF.AR CI.AW for the past year and
I've been told by operators I trust, that
it now operates properly.
Mr. Yaffe thinks he was the first plush
crane redenption manufacturer in the USA
but according to "RePlay Magazine" this is
not true. Mr. Yaffe also states that
Showcase Inc. was the first manufacturer
of a single unit crane. How is it then,
that the BIG CHOICE has been available as
a single for 30 years and even ~ E R
has been making single units before Yaffe
got his amazing idea to make single units!
Yaffe goes on to say that Showcase Inc.
then applied for a patent (anyone can
"apply" for a patent but he didn't say
that he was granted one), and developed a
rotating turntable. It seems to me that
I've seen rotating crane turntables when I
was a kid! There are "no dead spots" in
the SHCl\CASE unit claims Yaffe, but Victor
Cook says that "there are nothing but dead
September 1986 (4)
spots in my SH crane is dead!"
I certainly do operate BIG CHOICE cranes
in anusement parks more than 1500 miles
away and service hasn't been a problem.
Mr. Yaffe twisted this statement to read
that I have had "no service problems". Of
course, there are coin jams and the claw
strings do wear out, but I have not had
any Belgium made motors go out.
I checked with Neal Rosenberg at Betson
Enterprises, Moonachie, W', and he said
that they have 200 BIG CHOICE irotors in
stock but have not sold any in the past
six roonths, except to a few operators who
wished to inventory a spare rootor "just in
case".
Mr. Yaffe's "horror story" about how it
took one of his customers (no name of
course), 6 weeks to get a rootor he had
ordered for his Belgiwn crane, could be
valid if the word "Belgium" was changed to
Spanish. ('llle Segasa cranes were known for
a while to have their irotors bum but this
has since been corrected). Note that Mr.
Yaffe didn't pick on the BIG CHOICE crane
by name because BIG OIOICE rootors just
don't bum up.
last question to Mr. Yaffe is: Why is
it that SHCWCASE's rootors, relays and
switches carry a one year guarantee by
W.W. Grainger and not a year guarantee
from,Showcase, Inc.?
I will continue to purchase BIG CHOICE
units and might even buy some BE'AR CLAW
cranes.
My
I thought that I would enjoy writing this
response but the truth is, that I did not.
I do not dislike Mr. Yaffe and I don't
like to say bad things about a conp:my's
advertising statements or their products.
I only like to focus on the good products
and hope that those manufacturers not
mentioned will continue to produce and
inprove their products.
The bottom line is that our industry needs
people like Mr. Yaffe and I truly hope
that he will continue to promote and
IMPROVE his unit. I hope that Mr. Yaffe
will realize that by writing the kind of
letter, targeted against me, that he did,
September 1986 (5)
STAR*TECH Journal
that there was "Little Choice" (that's
what I call the BIG OIOICE single player
crane), for me but to defend II'!Y position.
Get with it Yaffe! There are roore positive
ways to proroote your crane. As a licensed
optometrist, can you see what I mean?
Now, do you want to do a test?
Wells Gardner Sync Board Modification
by Victor·E. Schick
Bullseye, Inc.
Madison, Wisconsin
Re: Modification to Wells Gardner Color
Monitor Positive Sync Board, (vertical
roount boards), 85Xl40B.
PROCEDURE
To change this board from a positive sync
to a negative sync board do the following:
Cut the traces on solder side of board
between input pins 5 & 6 to the unbanded
ends of diodes X201 & X202.
Add MPSA56 transistor as follows:
Collector to unbanded ends of diodes X201
& X202, base to pins 5 & 6, emitter to
banded end of zener diode ZD201.
Place a IN4148 diode banded end to emitter
of MPSA56 and unbanded end to the base of
this transistor.
I •
Z•
J•
If•
MI'S
ltSI,,
//JC#-(f8
-S
I,.
_)(Z.02,.
tDzo1
SERVICE·IIAIUAL
Instructional and reference manual
entitled ELECTRONIC GAME REPAIR covering
such subjects as: Basic Electronics,
Semiconductors, Video Game Systems,
Electronic Pinball Systems,
Troubleshooting Techniques, Tools and Test
Equipment, Schematic Reading and more.
This B-1/2' 11 x 11 11 manual con ta f ns 65 pages
of technical information for the servicing
of electronic amusement games and is
priced at ,24.95 plus ,2.50 shipping.
Distributed by STAR*TECH JOURNAL.
The Player/ROCK
By John 'Root' Pilarchik
Pennsauken, New Jersey
This four-flipper game by Premier has the
standard two bottom flippers and a very
offset (one high, one low) set of flippers
located at the top right.
These flippers are poorly positioned; it's
a shame because they are the key to get to
what is called "Level 4", (4 targets that
llUSt be hit down in sequence several times
to get a game on special). Good luck to
all on this one!
By spelling out the "Rock and Roll Lives"
targets, you can light up your Free Ball
shot which is a nice loop shot. I
particularly liked the set-up and design
to achieve the Free Ball. The A-B-C lights
located at the top right offers the player
2X to 5X point values which I thought was
a fair play.
However, this player found the flippers to
lack the shooting power which
unfortunately, made this game a lot harder
to play and enjoy. I found this game to
have a balanced anount of shots to go for,
without becoming too janmed with
unnecessary shots, etc.
The score settings were set at 1,600,000
to hit for game 1, and 2,800,000 for the
second; both a fair challenge. All in all,
if the flippers had roore power, this
player would give ROCK a definite thunbs
up.
I'm coming across roore and roore new
pinball machines by Premier which is a
good sign that the player will always have
new and challenging games to choose from.
Keep up the good work.
Play on ..... Root
MURPHY'S LAW #807
Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.

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