Star Tech Journal
Issue: 1983-May - Vol 5 Issue 3 - Page 5
5
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/MAY 1983
* NATIONAL LOCK
REPORTS ON LOCKOUT PROBLEM
* AOE
'83 IN REVIEW
By Todd Erickson, Summit Amusement, St. Paul, MN
NATIONAL LOCK REPORTS ON LOCKOUT PROBLEM
In February's issue, I infonned the industry of the problem of being locked out of
dollar bill changers with National Locks. I was recently contacted by the National
Lock Company. They responded immediately to the problem. The defect is being
evaluated now and changes are going to be made. In the meantime, the problem of
being locked out of the changers still exists. National Lock infonned me that there
is a 90% chance of getting back in if the key is held in place in the unlocked
position, then driven in with a hammer. Then the lock can be unlocked as usual.
AOE '83 IN REVIEW
AOE '83 has even managed to surpass last year's fabulous show. The show
started with the early bird session called "Meet the Manufacturers". The
operators have basically the same message as the manufacturers: How can the
manufacturers better help us?
Kits were a big item of discussion. Too many poor games on the market was also
a major concern. There were many criticisms for the distributors' ears. Many
operators are not buying from their authorized distributors and therefore are not
receiving the proper backup. Distributors are not furnishing all the necessary
service bulletins at times. (Receiving Star*Tech Journal would eliminate this
problem.) The ratio of hit games to dogs could be better. This has been improved
with proper game adjustments. (Williams has proven it by producing only six
video games in two years!) Closeouts were another sore subject of operators.
Many people purchase games for full price and a short time later the same game
could be purchased for half price. (Many of these games were excellent buys and
well worth purchasing more.)
The seminars were excellent again this year. A wide range of topics were
available, from technical to business. This is still a strong point of the AOE.
There were many pleasant surprises on the showroom floor. Several of the games
have been out for a while, though. The new video game I liked best was the sit-
down Sinistar by Williams. The best feature was the joystick by Williams.
Without this particular control the game wouldn't have the necessary player feel.
More sophisticated controls are going to be necessary to compete with the new
home games. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the cabinets a 9½. Williams
should have had the game open to reveal that they built the cabinet for the
operator. The only minor criticism I have of it is that there is only one coin entry.
As for the pinball industry, Joust has to be the finest game to come along since
multi-pinball was introduced. Two people can play at the same time on opposite
sides. Pinball is coming back and this game could precipitate it.
Atari's products are a strong as they have ever been. Pole Position speaks for
itself. Xevious is a super game that will be making money for a long time. Food
Fight will be another excellent game. Sega showed Congo Bongo which looks
very strong. Star Trek sit-down looks nice. The upright has been doing quite well.
Stern has made a strong comeback. Mazer Blazer looks good and Bag Man,
which has been out a few weeks, has to be the best game Stern has made to date.
Gottlieb's new video, Mad Planet also looks good. They also showed two new
pinballs that are convertible. Both of them, Super Orbit and Royal Flush DeLuxe,
are redos of their best electromechanical games. Midway displayed several games.
The one I liked the best was Professor Pac-Man. There are only 500 questions at
this point, but there is room for 2,000. Games like this will help give the industry
a better image. How well Midway supports this game could keep it on the street
for many years. Exidy had a good quiz game called FAX. Taito's Zoo Keeper
looks quite promising.
I feel a trend toward non-video. Sente showed their target ball game. With Russ
MacDonald and Fred McCord, fonnerly of Atari's field service group, this
company is gearing up for something big. People like Russ and Fred will certainly
support their products.
I purchased some Boom Balls at the show from Meltec. I am very enthusiastic
about them. The better the mix of games, the better I like it. I'll be looking
forward to the AOE '84 show to see just how far the industry will have come.
000
TIRED OF WAITING
FOR YOUR BOARDS?
HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU WILLING TO
HEAR, "YOUR BOARDS ARE NOT READY
YET'? MAKE THE CHANGE - COME SEE
US AND GET RESULTS - NOT EXCUSES!
"FLAT RATE"
prices for all repair and exchanges
on printed circuit boards:
In an effort to streamline the processing and speed up our
printed circuit board repairiexchange program, we have
established a "flat rate" price for all repair and exchanges
(Monitor PC Boards not included).
These rates will NOT apply: (1) II board has been
bruta!ized or damaged by the customer. Missing components
will be charged separately. (2) Two sets of boards in metal
cases.
"Flat rate" charges will appiy in ALL other cases.
LOGIC, CPU, Ml'U . .. $60
POWER SUPPLY
41
SOLENOID DRIVER ... 41
SOUND/AUDIO.
. . 41
ATARI AUXILIARY ... 70
SCORE DISPLAY
LAMP DRIVER . .
TRANSFORMER.
ATARI VECTOR
GENERATOR
. $41
. 32
. 34
70
Fastest Service ... Quantity Discounts ... Call Now!
FRISCO ELECTRONICS
& VENDING INC.
3299-19th Stree~ San Francisco, CA 94103
OPEN 24 HOURS!
DAY: (415) 648-5466 NIGHT: (415)359-5641
M
AMAZIN' AMUSEMENTS, INC.
IMPROVED REPLACEMENT PARTS
NEW ROLLER .
TRACK BALL
ROLLERS
Complete Set -
3 Piece Assembly
$12.95 per set•
(1·5 sets)
~
l3£J
ROLLER
BEARINGS
Now Available
$1.99 each*
p/us postage and
handling
0
THE SOLUTION FOR ...
Centipede & Millipede Track Ball Problems
• Games Down/Profits Down
.001" CONCENTRICITY
• Inaccurate Tracking & Movement NO WARPAGE
• Loose Track Ball - Worn Rollers
THESE WORK•!
TOP QUALITY- LONGER LASTING REPLACEMENT
PARTS-AT DISCOUNT PRICES! WHY PAY MORE?
C.0.D. and Credit Card Orders
QUANTITY
Call Any Time (313) 557-6037 DISCOUNTS
Same Day Shipment
Or Send Check or Money Order to:
AMAZIN' AMUSEMENTS
I
28145 Greenfield Road, Suite 22
Southfield, Ml 48075
I Please send _ _ _ Track Ball Rollers
I
Circle one: Cent. - Milli.
I
I
I
I
I Enclosed is Check or Money Order for $ _ _ _ _ I
I Mastercard# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
Exp. Date
I
Visa# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
1
Exp. Date
• Signature _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
I Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ,
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I Address
City/State/Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
Please send _ _ _ Roller Bearings
L ____________ __,
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/MAY 1983
* NATIONAL LOCK
REPORTS ON LOCKOUT PROBLEM
* AOE
'83 IN REVIEW
By Todd Erickson, Summit Amusement, St. Paul, MN
NATIONAL LOCK REPORTS ON LOCKOUT PROBLEM
In February's issue, I infonned the industry of the problem of being locked out of
dollar bill changers with National Locks. I was recently contacted by the National
Lock Company. They responded immediately to the problem. The defect is being
evaluated now and changes are going to be made. In the meantime, the problem of
being locked out of the changers still exists. National Lock infonned me that there
is a 90% chance of getting back in if the key is held in place in the unlocked
position, then driven in with a hammer. Then the lock can be unlocked as usual.
AOE '83 IN REVIEW
AOE '83 has even managed to surpass last year's fabulous show. The show
started with the early bird session called "Meet the Manufacturers". The
operators have basically the same message as the manufacturers: How can the
manufacturers better help us?
Kits were a big item of discussion. Too many poor games on the market was also
a major concern. There were many criticisms for the distributors' ears. Many
operators are not buying from their authorized distributors and therefore are not
receiving the proper backup. Distributors are not furnishing all the necessary
service bulletins at times. (Receiving Star*Tech Journal would eliminate this
problem.) The ratio of hit games to dogs could be better. This has been improved
with proper game adjustments. (Williams has proven it by producing only six
video games in two years!) Closeouts were another sore subject of operators.
Many people purchase games for full price and a short time later the same game
could be purchased for half price. (Many of these games were excellent buys and
well worth purchasing more.)
The seminars were excellent again this year. A wide range of topics were
available, from technical to business. This is still a strong point of the AOE.
There were many pleasant surprises on the showroom floor. Several of the games
have been out for a while, though. The new video game I liked best was the sit-
down Sinistar by Williams. The best feature was the joystick by Williams.
Without this particular control the game wouldn't have the necessary player feel.
More sophisticated controls are going to be necessary to compete with the new
home games. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the cabinets a 9½. Williams
should have had the game open to reveal that they built the cabinet for the
operator. The only minor criticism I have of it is that there is only one coin entry.
As for the pinball industry, Joust has to be the finest game to come along since
multi-pinball was introduced. Two people can play at the same time on opposite
sides. Pinball is coming back and this game could precipitate it.
Atari's products are a strong as they have ever been. Pole Position speaks for
itself. Xevious is a super game that will be making money for a long time. Food
Fight will be another excellent game. Sega showed Congo Bongo which looks
very strong. Star Trek sit-down looks nice. The upright has been doing quite well.
Stern has made a strong comeback. Mazer Blazer looks good and Bag Man,
which has been out a few weeks, has to be the best game Stern has made to date.
Gottlieb's new video, Mad Planet also looks good. They also showed two new
pinballs that are convertible. Both of them, Super Orbit and Royal Flush DeLuxe,
are redos of their best electromechanical games. Midway displayed several games.
The one I liked the best was Professor Pac-Man. There are only 500 questions at
this point, but there is room for 2,000. Games like this will help give the industry
a better image. How well Midway supports this game could keep it on the street
for many years. Exidy had a good quiz game called FAX. Taito's Zoo Keeper
looks quite promising.
I feel a trend toward non-video. Sente showed their target ball game. With Russ
MacDonald and Fred McCord, fonnerly of Atari's field service group, this
company is gearing up for something big. People like Russ and Fred will certainly
support their products.
I purchased some Boom Balls at the show from Meltec. I am very enthusiastic
about them. The better the mix of games, the better I like it. I'll be looking
forward to the AOE '84 show to see just how far the industry will have come.
000
TIRED OF WAITING
FOR YOUR BOARDS?
HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU WILLING TO
HEAR, "YOUR BOARDS ARE NOT READY
YET'? MAKE THE CHANGE - COME SEE
US AND GET RESULTS - NOT EXCUSES!
"FLAT RATE"
prices for all repair and exchanges
on printed circuit boards:
In an effort to streamline the processing and speed up our
printed circuit board repairiexchange program, we have
established a "flat rate" price for all repair and exchanges
(Monitor PC Boards not included).
These rates will NOT apply: (1) II board has been
bruta!ized or damaged by the customer. Missing components
will be charged separately. (2) Two sets of boards in metal
cases.
"Flat rate" charges will appiy in ALL other cases.
LOGIC, CPU, Ml'U . .. $60
POWER SUPPLY
41
SOLENOID DRIVER ... 41
SOUND/AUDIO.
. . 41
ATARI AUXILIARY ... 70
SCORE DISPLAY
LAMP DRIVER . .
TRANSFORMER.
ATARI VECTOR
GENERATOR
. $41
. 32
. 34
70
Fastest Service ... Quantity Discounts ... Call Now!
FRISCO ELECTRONICS
& VENDING INC.
3299-19th Stree~ San Francisco, CA 94103
OPEN 24 HOURS!
DAY: (415) 648-5466 NIGHT: (415)359-5641
M
AMAZIN' AMUSEMENTS, INC.
IMPROVED REPLACEMENT PARTS
NEW ROLLER .
TRACK BALL
ROLLERS
Complete Set -
3 Piece Assembly
$12.95 per set•
(1·5 sets)
~
l3£J
ROLLER
BEARINGS
Now Available
$1.99 each*
p/us postage and
handling
0
THE SOLUTION FOR ...
Centipede & Millipede Track Ball Problems
• Games Down/Profits Down
.001" CONCENTRICITY
• Inaccurate Tracking & Movement NO WARPAGE
• Loose Track Ball - Worn Rollers
THESE WORK•!
TOP QUALITY- LONGER LASTING REPLACEMENT
PARTS-AT DISCOUNT PRICES! WHY PAY MORE?
C.0.D. and Credit Card Orders
QUANTITY
Call Any Time (313) 557-6037 DISCOUNTS
Same Day Shipment
Or Send Check or Money Order to:
AMAZIN' AMUSEMENTS
I
28145 Greenfield Road, Suite 22
Southfield, Ml 48075
I Please send _ _ _ Track Ball Rollers
I
Circle one: Cent. - Milli.
I
I
I
I
I Enclosed is Check or Money Order for $ _ _ _ _ I
I Mastercard# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
Exp. Date
I
Visa# _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
1
Exp. Date
• Signature _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
I Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ,
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I Address
City/State/Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I
Please send _ _ _ Roller Bearings
L ____________ __,
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).