Play Meter

T[]P~CS
[Continued From Page -48)
then raised and lowered between these
two values of voltage every 30 seconds
for two m inutes. The current var ies
from 4 to 8 amperes. A temperature of
128°F \l\(a s measured at the si te of a leg
electrode 15 m inutes after the e ectro ·
cution, and blood was found to be
, , pro f 0 un d I y a It ere del e c t r o·
chem ically . "
Does th is send sh ivers up and down
you r spine? It was meant to . If you are
in an auto acc ident you may come out
of it in vary ing stages of disrepair.
Broken bones, muscle pulls and pos·
si ble d isf igurement may result. Trag ic
- but you surv ive . With electr ici ty -
you live or you d ie. No alternatives .
Here are some saftey t ips wh ich
may keep you out of trouble when
work ing w ith electr ical circu i ts.
(1 ) D isconnect the equ ipment you
are work ing on from the power source .
(2) Remove all r ings, watches and
bracelets . These metal conductors
make excellent electrodes to the skin
area of the body.
(3) Keep your left hand in your
pocket or beh ind your back.
(4) Stand on insulated mater ial
such as a rubber mat.
(5) Keep ch ildren away from ex ·
posed electr ical equ ipment .
(6) Know where the ma in power
switch is so if a person does get "hung
up" you can turn off the electric ity as
qu ickly as possible .
(7) If a person is experienc ing an
electr ical sho ck DON'T touch h im or
her. Turn off the electricity f irst .
(8) If you must work on a live
circu it , use the back of your hand
when touch ing any metal parts.
Should any metal part be electri cally
"hot" then your muscles would con ·
tract , throw ing your hand backwards
instead of grasping the metal part and
rece iving a severe electrical shock .
(9) The Red Cross has som e fine
courses on what to do in case of
electrical shock and card iac arrest.
Contact your local Red Cross Chapter
for details.
Next month I will talk about how
to d iscover if your equipment is free
from shock hazards and how to pro·
vide a safe, shock free installat ion .
This column is for your service
problems. We answer all questions
individually by mail, free of charge
and the more interesting ones will be
printed here. If you're really stuck,
write us. We'll do our best to help you.
Don't forget to enclose a stamped,
self·addressed envelope . If return
postage is not included, we can not
process your question. Write : Play
Meter Service Editor, Electronic
Games Technology, 16 Belmont Drive,
Chelmsford, MA 01824.
Serve successfully: Coin secret
From the manufacturer on down to
the location, says Jon Brady of Brady
Distributing Co . in Charlotte, N .C., the
coi n operated amusement industry is
service oriented .
To be successful at any stage of the
games game, you've got to give your
customers topflig ht service - efficient,
economical and estimable .
On that point , everyone in the
industry seems to agree.
" To be successful," Brady says,
" you've got to provide the service ." Of
course, depending on what level you
exist, servi ce may mean different
things . Betw een the manufacturer and
the distributor, service means efficient
delivery of new equipment from the
factory and rapid replies on requests for
new equipmen t or new parts. Between
distributor and operator, it can mean ,
the availability of parts, the promp'tness
with which deliveries are made, techni ·
calor financial advice, the ability to
pick up trade-ins. Between the operator
and location owner, it means well -kept
machines, cu rrent and popular music,
clean glasses and tables, good cues,
fresh foodstuffs.
As Don Van Brackel , president of the
Ohio Music and Amusement Associ -
ation , tells it : " A distributor's like an
operator . He's got one thing to sell you
and that 's service because if all
distributors have good equipment, then
their real strong point has to be service .
Parts are a very im portant part of
service . When I order equipment, I like
to get it as soon as possible and the
men in Ohio are good about that ."
As far as the operator's service
relationship with the location owner is
concerned, Van Brackel feels the same
way . " Any yo -yo can put out equip-
ment . If we don't give service, what
does a tavern -keeper need us for?" The
operator has as much responsibility to
the location owner as the distributor
has to the operator, he says. With the
more sophisticated electronic games
populating the industry now, Bill
O'Connor of O'Connor Distributing Co .
in Dallas, Texas, says, both operators
and distributors have to keep spare
units and parts handy. " You've got to
have service, " he adds.
Some operators feel more compe-
tition would get them better service
from their distributors, who may hold a
virtual monopoly over an area . Location
owners, who don't make money if a
piece of junk detracts from their decor,
sometimes think the same thing . They
agree that, as Stephen Lieberman
described what makes for a successful
distributor: " A whole menu of ser-
vices" have to be offered "to justify our
existence and to justify making a
profit . "
We have a 10110 say.
Why nol lisllm In
K IIJIJIERAMA.
Won'l (:osl anything 10 lislen.
55