Play Meter

It has often been maintained that the unsung heroes of this industry
are the service technicians. That statement is more valid now than ever
before . The challenges facing today's technicians are far greater than the
challenges faced by their predecessors . Space age technology and rapid
changes in the state of the art have enabled manufacturers to produce
equipment with more play appeal and earning power than ever before . On
the other hand, these same technological advances have brought with
them a multitude of service problems. And therein lies the problem .
For the most part , operator and distributor service departments have
done an adequate job in keeping pace with the ever-changing times . For
some it has been a nightmarish struggle . There are some who are still
saying , "Give me the good old days when I could fix anything with a pair of
pliers and a screwdriver." Yet to dwell in the past is to forsake the future .
And the future of the industry lies in the ability of the industry's technicians
to meet the challenges of this new technology .
The responsibility for meeting these challenges lies not with the
technicians alone , however . It is going to take a concerted effort on the
part of the entire industry . Operators should make every effort to provide
their service people with up-to-date information and equipment.
Equipment manufacturers should strive to promote more field service
schools, provide detailed technical information on every unit they
produce, and beef up existing warranty programs . Distributors and
independent service organizations can do their part by providing faster turn
around time on PC boards and by maintaining adequate supplies of
common replacement parts .
ImproVing the service network within this industry has probably been the
most overlooked problem facing the industry today . The solution to the
problem is not a simple one ; it will take a good deal of cooperation and
dedication by all those involved . Other problems may seem more
important , but when you get right down to it , there's nothing more
important than service in this industry .
One can have the best equipment available in the hottest location in
town , but if it's down, it's not making a single cent. Don't just think about it,
do something about it .
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For this , our Service Issue , we are fea turing a wide range of opinions-
from the cold , hard look at the effect of technology on coin-op games in
the Eighties by James Fox , to the humorous, but urgent plea for service by
J .W . Sedlak .
And , of course , you can expect our "Technical Topics" section to be
packed . It's filled with detailed servicing tips for videos and pins, all of it
written and illustrated by our capable technical editors .
And there's our ever-popular "Technician's Reading List ," for those
who wa'lt to read even more technical informat:on .
And to cap off these features and more , we present a
thought-provoking interview with Art Seglin , who has some quite
interesting ideas on the subject of educating servicemen : See Coinman of
the Month .
In all , it's quite a jam-packed issue with pages and pages of good
reading on an essential part of this industry - Service .
~~
--
Ralph C . Lally 11
Editor and Publisher
4
PLAY METER, July, 1980