Play Meter
Issue: 1976 May - Vol 2 Num 5 - Page 3
ffi®O[f(] O[f(][])OJJrom'\J
PLAt' ItIETER
features
Flowing with Solid-State
23
Kurz -Kasch engineer-sales manager Jim Sneed discusses
th e need to "go with th e flow" in the solid -state
revolution that is still sweeping the games industry .
The Big Three
38
Three pinball manufacturers have dominated the field for
many years and three writers tell us what keeps th em
from tilting . Author of The Pinball Book, Rog er C.
Sharpe lifts the veil on Gottlieb, Chicago Daily News
writer Dick Griffin rolls up his sleeves with Bally's Bill
O' Donnell and free -lan cer Timothy Jarrell goes on a
mission with W illiams.
It's a Lega l Matter, Baby
42
An almost Kafkaesque comedy engulfs pinball opera tors
in Oxford , Ohio , where a campaigning county prosecu to r
has his eye on re -election and his own brand of preventive
law for the devil's idle boys .
Cut -Rate Games
43
M arketing commentator Robert Wi ck offers econol'1ic
medicine for operations with cut -rate-itis .
Some of My Best Friends ...
44
Humorist and operator Dick W elu otfers tips on
recog nizing some of your favorite customers.
departments
From the Editor .. .... ........ ........ .... .... ... .. .. . , ... 6
MEMBER
Volume 2/No. 5
may,1976
staff
Publisher and Editor :
Ralph C. La lly II
M anaging Editor :
Sonny Albarado
Interna tiona l Editor:
David Snook
Editor , Coin Slot
Technical Editor :
Perry M iller
Correspondents:
M arshall Caras
Robert Wick
Thomas Borden
Timothy Jarell
Tom Oliver
M ary Claire Blakeman
Circulat ion M anager :
Lyn Desmond
Product ion :
Steve Hebert
Roy W illis
Typography :
Ad com Inc.
Ph otog raphic Adv iser:
Paul Sylvester
Edi torial .. .. .... . ... ....... . .... ........ . ....... . .. .. .... 8
Mai lbox ......... .. . .. .. ........... ... ........ ... .... ... 11
Credi ts: Cover art and Coinman photos by
J ames Hamilton, courtesy of Roger C.
Sharpe. Last month 's Coinman photos by
Image Group, Dallas.
Coinman of the Month . . .... ... ...... .... .. .. . ... . ... . .. 12
Operating . .. , .... ... . . . , .. , .. . .. .. ... ..... ... . . . ....... 16
Dis tributing ...... ... .. ... .. . .... .... . .. ...... . .. . . ..... 20
On the Move .......... .. .. .. . .. ... . .. ..... .. . .......... 21
Manufacturing .. ...... ....... .. . .... ... ... .... ......... 24
Music Programming . .. ... .......... . .. .. . ... ..... . .. 27-33
Te chnica l Topics .. .... ...... . .... . ... ... .... ..... . ... .. 36
New Produc ts ...................... . .. . . .. . .. . ... . ... .. .46
Int erna tio nal News .. .... .... .. ... .... . .. .. ... .. . .. ..... 49
Classifieds .. .. ..... ........ . ...... . .. . ... ... .. . .. . .... . 50
PlAt' ItfETER
PLAY METER , M ay 1976, Volume 2,
Number 5. Publishing offices , 4136 Wash -
ington Avenue, P.O. Box 24170, New
Orl ea ns , La . 70184 . T elephone (504)
827-0320 . Printing Offices, Franklin Print -
ing Co ., 209 Magazine St. , New Orleans ,
La . Controlled ci rculation at New Orleans ,
La . Subscriptio n rates : U .S. and Canada --
$20; Europe and J apa n -- $35; Elsewh ere --
$40. M ultiple subscriptions (ordered at one
time ): 2-9, $17 eac h; 10·24 , $15 each ; 25 or
more, $10 eac h. Advertising rates on
request. Copyright 1976 by Skybird Pub -
lishing Company . No part of th is magazine
may be reproduced w ithout express
perm iss ion . The trad em arks , PLAY
M ETER and COI r.J INDUSTRY PLAY
METE R, are registered . The edi tors are not
re ponsibl e fo r unsolicited contributions .
Pos tmaster: Send for 3579 to Play M eter,
P.O. Bo 24170, New Orleans , La . 701 84 .
5
PLAt' ItIETER
features
Flowing with Solid-State
23
Kurz -Kasch engineer-sales manager Jim Sneed discusses
th e need to "go with th e flow" in the solid -state
revolution that is still sweeping the games industry .
The Big Three
38
Three pinball manufacturers have dominated the field for
many years and three writers tell us what keeps th em
from tilting . Author of The Pinball Book, Rog er C.
Sharpe lifts the veil on Gottlieb, Chicago Daily News
writer Dick Griffin rolls up his sleeves with Bally's Bill
O' Donnell and free -lan cer Timothy Jarrell goes on a
mission with W illiams.
It's a Lega l Matter, Baby
42
An almost Kafkaesque comedy engulfs pinball opera tors
in Oxford , Ohio , where a campaigning county prosecu to r
has his eye on re -election and his own brand of preventive
law for the devil's idle boys .
Cut -Rate Games
43
M arketing commentator Robert Wi ck offers econol'1ic
medicine for operations with cut -rate-itis .
Some of My Best Friends ...
44
Humorist and operator Dick W elu otfers tips on
recog nizing some of your favorite customers.
departments
From the Editor .. .... ........ ........ .... .... ... .. .. . , ... 6
MEMBER
Volume 2/No. 5
may,1976
staff
Publisher and Editor :
Ralph C. La lly II
M anaging Editor :
Sonny Albarado
Interna tiona l Editor:
David Snook
Editor , Coin Slot
Technical Editor :
Perry M iller
Correspondents:
M arshall Caras
Robert Wick
Thomas Borden
Timothy Jarell
Tom Oliver
M ary Claire Blakeman
Circulat ion M anager :
Lyn Desmond
Product ion :
Steve Hebert
Roy W illis
Typography :
Ad com Inc.
Ph otog raphic Adv iser:
Paul Sylvester
Edi torial .. .. .... . ... ....... . .... ........ . ....... . .. .. .... 8
Mai lbox ......... .. . .. .. ........... ... ........ ... .... ... 11
Credi ts: Cover art and Coinman photos by
J ames Hamilton, courtesy of Roger C.
Sharpe. Last month 's Coinman photos by
Image Group, Dallas.
Coinman of the Month . . .... ... ...... .... .. .. . ... . ... . .. 12
Operating . .. , .... ... . . . , .. , .. . .. .. ... ..... ... . . . ....... 16
Dis tributing ...... ... .. ... .. . .... .... . .. ...... . .. . . ..... 20
On the Move .......... .. .. .. . .. ... . .. ..... .. . .......... 21
Manufacturing .. ...... ....... .. . .... ... ... .... ......... 24
Music Programming . .. ... .......... . .. .. . ... ..... . .. 27-33
Te chnica l Topics .. .... ...... . .... . ... ... .... ..... . ... .. 36
New Produc ts ...................... . .. . . .. . .. . ... . ... .. .46
Int erna tio nal News .. .... .... .. ... .... . .. .. ... .. . .. ..... 49
Classifieds .. .. ..... ........ . ...... . .. . ... ... .. . .. . .... . 50
PlAt' ItfETER
PLAY METER , M ay 1976, Volume 2,
Number 5. Publishing offices , 4136 Wash -
ington Avenue, P.O. Box 24170, New
Orl ea ns , La . 70184 . T elephone (504)
827-0320 . Printing Offices, Franklin Print -
ing Co ., 209 Magazine St. , New Orleans ,
La . Controlled ci rculation at New Orleans ,
La . Subscriptio n rates : U .S. and Canada --
$20; Europe and J apa n -- $35; Elsewh ere --
$40. M ultiple subscriptions (ordered at one
time ): 2-9, $17 eac h; 10·24 , $15 each ; 25 or
more, $10 eac h. Advertising rates on
request. Copyright 1976 by Skybird Pub -
lishing Company . No part of th is magazine
may be reproduced w ithout express
perm iss ion . The trad em arks , PLAY
M ETER and COI r.J INDUSTRY PLAY
METE R, are registered . The edi tors are not
re ponsibl e fo r unsolicited contributions .
Pos tmaster: Send for 3579 to Play M eter,
P.O. Bo 24170, New Orleans , La . 701 84 .
5
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).