Star Tech Journal

4
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/NOVEMBER 1983
NEW -TONE ELECTRONICS, INC .
QUALITY REPLACEMENT
SEMICONDUCTORS
AVAILABLE FOR THE
ELECTRONIC GAMES
INDUSTRY,
* ROWE OBA 1/5 BILL ACCEPTOR/ATARI POLE POSITION II
* JOUST PINBALL BY WILLIAMS: PROBLEMS AND PERCENTAGING
By Todd Erickson, Summit Amusement, St. Paul, MN
AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL
NTE DISTRIBUTOR
ROWE OBA 1/5 BILL ACCEPTOR/ATARI POLE POSITION II
I just received a new Rowe OBA 1/5 bill acceptor after much waiting. This unit is designed for
video games. The kit consists of a bill transport and control unit. The control unit pulses the
game to stimulate the coin switch. The unit can be installed in most video games. It is necessary
for the game to be capable of accumulating credits. The list of games in which the kit can be
installed is not complete. This kit is a natural for all high-earning games. It can be installed in
Atari's Pole Position, Star Wars and Cinamatronics' Dragon's Lair. I will be installing my
first one in a Dragon's Lair. My feeling is that I will get a 15-25% increase in game earnings.
This kit will give me the option of having three plays for a dollar bill or fifteen for a five dollar
bill.
Rush me a FREE Electronic Games
cross reference Guide #CR10
Atari is releasing Pole Position II as a kit. From what I am hearing, it is earning better than
the original. It would be a natural to install the two kits together for 50¢, three for $1 to play.
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING
MANUFACTURERS:
• ATARI
• BALLY
• CINEMATRONICS
• EXIDY
• GOTTLIEB
• SEGA/
GREMLIN
• MIDWAY
• STERN
• WILLIAMS
COMPANY NAME
YOUR NAME
TITLE
This kit is made to be installed with the base plate in the front of the cabinet. The bill entry is
not illuminated. I would also like to see game pricing in an illuminated entry. The board gives
five times more dollar plays for a five dollar bill. I would like to see a bonus for a five dollar bill.
The kit does not have a bill stacker, but they will be available in December. I would also like to
see an optional side mount box for the kit. This would be handy for many sit-down
applications.
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE
ZIP CODE
PHONE NO
CLIP AND MAIL TODAY TO :
NEW-TONE ELECTRONICS, INC.
DEPT. G1 / 44 FARRAND STREET
BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY 07003
WE
REPAIR
EVERYTHING
FAST!
Board
Specialists
Video Games
Domestic & Foreign
Technicians
formerly with Bally
Send your
repair work to:
REPAIRS
UNLIMITED
3479 Parkway Center Court
Orlando, FL 32804
305/2,5-8827
The beauty of this kit is that it can be changed from one game to another. The life of this unit
should be at least 5-10 years. This unit will be even more valuable in many good one- or two-
game locations where change may not always be readily available. I will be giving further
information in next month's issue regarding this unit.
JOUST PINBALL BY WILLIAMS: PROBLEMS AND PERCENTAGING
Unveiled at the 1983 AOE show, Williams' Joust had the potential to be a super game. The
Joust theme gave it immediate recognition. One or two people can play at the same time, which
means 50¢ play for two people. Williams Pinball Electronics gave the game superb
electronics. Six months down the road, however, this game is a dead issue! What happened to
the game is important to the entire industry. My Joust has always out-earned all pinballs with it
including (Pinball of the Year) and the number one pin on the Play Meter Chart. In many
cases, the income has been over half again the number two pin game. The industry cannot
afford to lose any top game, pin or video, in today's market. The blame has to go to the
manufacturer, the distributor, and the operator.
The game has a series of small errors. The biggest of them is the three-bank drop targets not
always resetting. This has been an intermittent problem that was difficult to pinpoint. The
problem appeared to be too short a pulse in the software. This was caused because a
mechanical relay was used to activate two banks at one time and no extra time was added for
relay time. I corrected my game by adding two small washers under the plunger to raise it
higher into the coil. This gave me more starting torque, thus requiring a shorter pulse.
Percentaging a pinball is a necessity. The formula is as follows: Total games= games won
+ games matched+ paid games. The match will be l 0%. Games won+ games matched= the
percentage ofreplay. A game should be around 25% replay when new for a top game. An older
or marginal game should be around 40-50% replay. Joust was set at 2½ million for a replay.
The percentage of replay was 11 ½%. This includes l 0% for match. Out of 200 games, three
games would be won by beating the 2 ½ million. This is not enough to give the player a fair
return for his quarter. Games are not set from the factory for every location. Every operator
must learn to give the correct percentage of replays for his location. Many operators complain
that pins are not earning. They must all be adjusted for maximum earning. This error in
percentaging the game, I feel, goes back to the drop targets. ~very time they would go up and
down, 30,000 points would be added. This could immediately add a much higher score than
the player earned.
The flipper assembly will become a problem in time. They should be upgraded to the new
Firepower II flipper assembly, not including the new coil (See S•TJ, On The Service Trail,
Sept. '83).
A few playfield contacts needed to be adjusted on my game. The mini-post in the center of
the game must be kept tight. They may loosen as the moisture content of the playfield drops.
Many people in this industry feel that the laser discs will be the saviour of this industry. The
operator who places all his eggs in this basket is taking a large risk. Buying good pinballs like
Joust, shuffle alleys, pool, and jukes makes sense for the operator. With the price of the laser
discs, only the best location will justify them initially. The operator must still take care of the
other 90% of his locations.
***