Star Tech Journal

4
STAR*TECH JOURNAL/JANUARY 1984
VALUE-PACHEO
COMPONENTS.
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QUALITY REPLACEMENT SEMICONDUCTORS
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• BALLY
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• CINEMATRONICS • STERN
• EXIDY
• WILLIAMS
• GOTTLIEB
Available from your local NTE distributor
NEW-TONE ELECTRONICS, INC.
DEPT. STJ
44 Farrand St. • Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(Formerly TCG)
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* AMOA '83 REVIEW
*
ATARI FOOD FIGHT JOYSTICK UPDATE
* CINEMATRONICS' DRAGON'S LAIR CONTROL PANEL GROUND LOOP
By Todd Erickson, Summit Amusement, St Paul, MN
AMOA '83 REVIEW
The AMOA of'83 was a very enjoyable show. New Orleans was a nice change oflocation,
although I did miss Chicago. If any show had a theme, this show had to be "The Year of the
Laser." Atari had their Firefox game displayed. This game was still in development As with
any high technology game, there can be problems. The game had trouble with the new disc and
wouldn't power up. It never bothers me to see engineers working to put out the best possible
game for the industry rather than shipping before they should Williams had the background of
their new laser game Star Rider on display. The game looked excellent but was not completed
yet Because of their past history of hits I feel Star Rider will probably be a success. Already in
a short time, Mylstar's MA. C.H. 3 has become the hottest game out Dragon's Lair, despite
many early problems, has become a very stable game. Midway's Astron Belt and the new
Stem Cliff Hanger are now proving their worth.
Atari showed TX- I, a new three-screen driving game. The game is similar to Pole Position,
but uses a Y intersection to split to 8 different tracks as a bonus. This game will compete with
any laser. It could lead the way to 75¢, 2/$1 play with a Rowe bill acceptor on it Centuri's
Track & Field looked excellent also. Raster games are not dead. Exidy showed a mass-
memory game called Crossbow. Mass memory will help rasterscan games come back. The
Pole Position II enhancement kit was shown by Atari. It was one of the best buys at the show!
Elevator Action by Taito is a must for everyone. Pac-Man Jr. by Midway looks terrific.
Donkey Kong III looks good also. All these are kits at a good price. Mr. Do's Castle appears
to be a strong sequel.
Williams showed their new shuflle alley, Tn"p/e Action. It will be available with an optional
dispenser, which opens up the possibility of placing this in arcades. The Big Ball Bowlers are
back. I liked the unit by G Manufacturing. This unit has pinball electronics.
Williams showed a Rowe bill acceptor in a metal box for installing on the side of the game.
The other coin door manufacturers, Coin Acceptors and Coin Controls, had the Rowe unit
installed in a door with a coin unit next to it
The best is last. Nolan Bushnell is back in business as of December 10. Noah Anglin, with
his new laser disc company, Simutrek, was at the show. Noah was vice president of
manufacturing and production for Atari several years ago. These two new companies should
help out the industry.
Our cash flow may be down from the peak of several years ago in this industry. Today, the
wise operator is getting a good guarantee or a 50/50 split on his lasers and other big games.
Games with longevity, such as shuflle alleys, pinballs, and the like are making a strong
comeback. The operator who buys wisely will be in better shape profit-wise than he's ever
been.
ATARI FOOD FIGHT JOYSTICK UPDATE
It is common knowledge that the Food Fight joystick has been a problem. The base plate was
too thin, causing the gimbles to come out of their sockets. The upper stop plate will also wear
out in a short time. Atari has just released a new updated unit The plastic has been upgraded to
a higher quality. The base plate is much thicker with big ribs. Mushrooming of the stop plate
has been eliminated by reinforcing it with the base plate. The gimbles now lock in place. The
best news is that Atari will be upgrading units FREE. Contact your authorized Atari
distributor.
DRAGON'S LAIR CONTROL PANEL GROUND LOOP
Cinematronics used solid wire for the ground loop on their control panel. This wire cannot take
the vibration of the panel or it will break. By rewiring it with stranded wire, the problem will be
eliminated
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"Oualltv Is o3,~1on"
FamllV rra
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HOFFMAN CJ HOFFMAN
CARMEL·BY·THE·SEA CALIFORNIA 93921 ·0896
***
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