Play Meter

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because they want to get into the business .
PLAY METER : But the standards would still all be at the
national level?
SEGLlN: Y es. the standards should be set at the national
level. But th e training should be at the state level.
PLAY METER : Who would do the screening procedure?
SEGLlN: That should be handled by a competent
educationa l t sting s rvice . I've had nothing but good
experienc . for instance , with Princeton University
which. fortuna t Iy for me. is right here in New Jersey .
Princeton has quite a bit of experience doing tests like
this . They can administer psychological tests , aptitude
tests. and so on so that th e students are adequately
scr en d b for the investment is made in them .
PLAY M TER: hould ther be programs to ed ucate the
other mploy e in the operation?
EGLIN: Yes. th re are a lot of thing that can be taught
b sides th technical nd . The rout emen , for example.
should b able to do minor repairs . They should be able
to chang lamp and clean out rejectors. These are things
they hav to be able to take care of because the cost of
repair ha skyrocketed so much that if you already have a
man in that location , you should try to make sure he can
handle minor repair problems to save your serviceman
the cost of a trip out there .
I think there's a need for a continuing education
program al
very I vel in the operation - including
bookke ping. busin ss practices. customer relations.
ev rything . Things like this would upgrade the business .
And Iittl things like cleaning edge connectors and so
forth can really help cut costs . To my knowledge, we
hav n v r had any sort of education program for
collectors . but today th eir jobs should entail more than
just counting the money and a " Hi , how are you today ."
Efforts should b made to upgrade all your em ployees . A
collector . for instance, shou ld know just what's expected
of him when he gets into a location . It's nice to say you've
worked at someth ing for thirty years. but have you been
doing it the right way? To date. we have never really
focused much attention on th collector . It's always been
catch -as-catch -can . And the employer rarely has time to
check up on him . ome sort of schooling - and I'm not
talking h r about a full -time school program. but rather
something that could be handled in a few sessions -
would probably yield gr at benefits .
PLAY METER : Moving off the subject of schooling , how
long do you think it should take to handle a service call?
EGLIN: In an urban ar a, you should try to keep that
around thirty to forty minutes per location . In a rural
area , because of the distance and you don't want another
callback in that area. you shou ld allow a little more
time - maybe around an hour per location .
PLAY METER: What type of testing equipment should a
serviceman hav with him for these on -location calls?
SEGLlN: For on -the-road service, I think the man
should be carrying a minimum amount of equipment with
him . He could really get by with just a probe and a pulser
In most cases. providing he knows how the game works .
H also n eds a volt meter as well .
PLAY METER: How much of his own repair should an
operator be abl to do in -house?
SEGLlN: The operator should be able to take care of
everything short of the MPU board . That's where he
n eds the distributor . A larger operator, however , might
find it worthwhile to invest in equipment for the MPU
board as well .
PLAY METER, July, 1980
ATARI
. ... on the SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA
... As the recognized leader in coin-operated
amusement machines, ATARI 's Coin-Op Divi -
sion can offer you the best move of your career.
Consider these advancement opportunities:
SR. ELECTRONIC
DESIGN ENGINEER
As a member of our innovative Coin-Op Division
Engineering group, you will be responsible for State·
of·the·Art conception of products, including design,
and will also be involved in software & hardware
(both analog & digital). You r BSEE/MSEE or equiv.
with 2-5 years in creative electronic and electrical
design combined with basic knowledge of micro·
computers & programming required. A well rounded
design background would be an asset ; mechanical
aptitude would be helpful.
MICROPROCESSOR
PROGRAMMERS
PartiCipate in the design and programming of coin -
operated video games . If you have 2·5 years pro·
gramming experience in mini -microcomputer pro·
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these rare opportunities . Hardware experience &
knowledge preferred . BSEE/CS or equiv.
DEVELOPMENT
TECHNICIANS
Join our innovative team and assist in the develop·
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components and electro-mechanical systems . You
will be responsible for ensuring that systems con-
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recommendations as necessary. 2-5 years related
exp o required ; AA/Electronics or technical trade
school expo preferred .
ATARI offers you rewards in salaries & benefits
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ical Leave Pol icy wh ich offers 7 weeks paid leave of
absence after 7 yrs. continuous service with ATARI.
Please send resume, including salary history, or
con tact Employment Department , ATARI , INC. P.O.
Box 427, 1265 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale CA 94086.
(408)745·2030. We are an equal opportunity employer.
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