Play Meter

l ETTERS Thanks for the memories e . . . VAN BROOK © Phone (606) 231-7100 • FAX (606) 231-7108 Purchase your used Equipment from: NmvORLEANs NoVELTYCo. ... ·.·.:-.·.·. ·.·.-: ·· .·.- . .· . ',', ',',' ·.:·.· .•• Inbi.tsiribssfof 6() yJ(:U-; · :::: -:::: . : .: .', .','. .: :. . .. •• • ••1I1t¢rn@ovat•l'epti1:a,ti()g•.for .·.· · · · · · • selifug••IBe fihesf lisec:I\iideos. flippers ·• &••amliserriefo:•· games available ariy\Vhere. and eveiygaine . i,eautifull)')"eP$ished 11}{~ new. ~Each '.Get on our IIlliilirlg .listfor ol.lr fa.test price blllletins or call fai:estprlces. Celie for 3030 No. Arnoult Ro ad Metairie, LA 70002 (504) 888-3500 FAX: (504) 888-3506 .. Many years have gone by since I entered into the coin-operated machine business, and I have seen many changes. After reading some of the fine articles in Play Meter, I decided to document a few of the memorable events from the past 25 years. I wonder how many readers share some of the same memories and can relate to such things as: Bingo pinball games had 20 to 25 holes and miles of cloth-covered wire , clacking relays , motors , cams, and about a zillion blade switches! These overweight monsters make a flipper game seem like a diet-weight pinball, especially when they were placed into heavy-gauge metal stands. The schematic diagrams were about 20 feet long and had only a partial listing of the actual internal connections. They also had quite a few wires that went nowhere on one end. Some law enforcement people claimed that these machines paid off cash for games and that these wires were for extra meters to record the illegal transactions. Can you believe such a thing? The flipper machines were also quite a challenge; they also had miles of cloth-covered wire, as well as relays, mechanical score reels, and a zillion switches, too l These games were known for the fact that they never worked when they were unpacked. You always had to "shop out" a new one and find the bugs that the factory had donated to your firm . This may sound like an exaggeration, but I do not remember ever getting to set up a new electromechanical flipper game that worked the first time it was plugged in! The shuffle alley / bowling games were so complex and problem-prone that I won't say anymore about them, as it would drum up some real bad memories for many an ole' mechanic-now called technicians. I was one of the few people who could actually fix one. I am not sure if this is somePLAY METE!l 12 JULY 1993 thing I should brag about as it might indicate that I was abnormal in some manner! The coin-operated phonograph followed suit with the civil rights rulings of the Supreme Court-the integration of the transistor and the vacuum tube in audio amplifiers and control units. This was the beginning of a new era in electronics. Seeburg was on the verge of making a magnetic core memory unit, which would alter jukebox technology forever. The new electronics influx into games and music was about to separate the men from the boys. And who can forget when the electronic ping-pong video game arrived! These video games used standard TV sets made for the home market. Most simply disabled the tuners and made PC boards to interface with them. The carbon and wirewound "pot" became a common replacement part in your tool box. The game business was in the real world now and a company named Atari was just about to get "seriously" into the video game business. I could go on and on, but why dwell in the past? Soon the cellular phone will be interfaced with the shop computer. I can see it now: at Joe's Place the illegal poker game has been reported to the police. Just as they arrive to confiscate it, the shop computer uploads a PacMan program via the cellular phone network. When the police arrive, Joe's customer is playing a legal amusement game. Maybe next time the squad car can beat the signal sent at the speed of light (but I doubt itl. The past was fun, but hold on to your seat ... It's been fun , Charles Gleason Tri-Tek Electronics McComb, MS It 's always fun to hear stories from our industry's past. If you have a story you would like to share, please send it to us and we will share it with the rest of the industry. Looking forward to hearing from you! 0