Star Tech Journal
Issue: 1989-June - Vol 11 Issue 4 - Page 13
Willia1ns
Earthshaker! Notes
Pat Lawlor
Williams Bally /Midway
Chicago, Illinois
Atari 720° Faulty
Steering Tip
Matt J. Mccullar
Forum Fair Arcade
Arlington, Texas
Since our 7200 games receive heavy play, I
mistakenly thought some extra oil on the
control shaft would make them last longer
and play smoother.
That After Some Time, Earthshaker! Will Sim-
ply Begin To Fall Apart From The Shaking:
We literally ran games here at the plant at
twice the vibration that they are shipped at,
and not one electrical or mechanical failure
occurred. No loose screws, no broken solder
~ints, no electronic boards malfunctions.
lBY the way, non-stop means that these were
run 24 hours a day for over 4 weeks ... just
sitting there vibrating like crazy.)
I did get one thing right: if the shafts don't get
some kind of regular lubrication, they will
tighten up and jam. The problem was I put
on too much. Soon after I "greased" one with
3-in- l oil, the game no longer responded to
the control stick.
It turned out that the excess oil had been
flying off from the chain because of centrifu-
gal force and was flying into the optocoupler
assembly. Boy was I surprised to open an
optocoupler and have oil pour out of it!
That The Cabinet Design Is One-Of-A-Kind:
The cabinet of Earthshaker! is a complete
redesign for another completely different
reason, that reason being playfield depth.
Earthshaker! requires approximately two
more inches of depth at the rear of the
playfield to fit all of the play components.
Most Williams games from now on will use
this cabinet.
Incidentally, in this business, theory or
opinion or guessing on potential problem
areas without firm evidence doesn't do the
operating community at large any great
service.
~or the record, I designed Earthshaker!. I
.,1ope these comments are informative, and I
welcome comments from people operating
Earthshakers!.
Naturally, the oil blocked all the light from
reaching the receiver. A new coupler cured
all, but it taught me a lot about how much is
"too much!"
000
Murphy's Law #1104
Earthshaker! Notes
Pat Lawlor
Williams Bally /Midway
Chicago, Illinois
Atari 720° Faulty
Steering Tip
Matt J. Mccullar
Forum Fair Arcade
Arlington, Texas
Since our 7200 games receive heavy play, I
mistakenly thought some extra oil on the
control shaft would make them last longer
and play smoother.
That After Some Time, Earthshaker! Will Sim-
ply Begin To Fall Apart From The Shaking:
We literally ran games here at the plant at
twice the vibration that they are shipped at,
and not one electrical or mechanical failure
occurred. No loose screws, no broken solder
~ints, no electronic boards malfunctions.
lBY the way, non-stop means that these were
run 24 hours a day for over 4 weeks ... just
sitting there vibrating like crazy.)
I did get one thing right: if the shafts don't get
some kind of regular lubrication, they will
tighten up and jam. The problem was I put
on too much. Soon after I "greased" one with
3-in- l oil, the game no longer responded to
the control stick.
It turned out that the excess oil had been
flying off from the chain because of centrifu-
gal force and was flying into the optocoupler
assembly. Boy was I surprised to open an
optocoupler and have oil pour out of it!
That The Cabinet Design Is One-Of-A-Kind:
The cabinet of Earthshaker! is a complete
redesign for another completely different
reason, that reason being playfield depth.
Earthshaker! requires approximately two
more inches of depth at the rear of the
playfield to fit all of the play components.
Most Williams games from now on will use
this cabinet.
Incidentally, in this business, theory or
opinion or guessing on potential problem
areas without firm evidence doesn't do the
operating community at large any great
service.
~or the record, I designed Earthshaker!. I
.,1ope these comments are informative, and I
welcome comments from people operating
Earthshakers!.
Naturally, the oil blocked all the light from
reaching the receiver. A new coupler cured
all, but it taught me a lot about how much is
"too much!"
000
Murphy's Law #1104
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