Pinball repair instructions

Pinballs need repairs. It is important to understand a pinball machine needs maintenance, just like your car. Some repairs you can do yourself, others you don't. Some types of pinball machines need more attention than others. If you think you can buy a machine and it won't have any problems at all for the next 10 years, you're better off buying a Playstation.. it's a mechanical machine so a lot of things can break or wear and need adjustment or repairs.

Here are some links to websites which describe how to repair pinball machines. Read these ! Even if you don't want to repair your game yourself, reading it will make you understand better how a pinball machine works, and be able to understand problems.

Some things are really easy to troubleshoot and fix yourself. Others are not. You better know in advance so you don't make things worse. If you doubt about your repair skills, don't try it yourself but call someone who knows how to repair a game ! If you don't have a manual for your game, buy one.. you'll need it.

A lot of people would not buy a pinball machine if these guides were not available. However, some people really over-estimate their knowledge or skills and while trying to fix something, the do a lot of damage ! So be careful if you want to try something and if you have an expensive machine, it may be safer to get an expert to work on it !

Pinwiki.com is the website with all combined information. The operation of pinball machines and common problems and repairs are documented.

One rule: if your pinball machine suddenly develops some kind of problem, if a coil is locked on SWITCH OFF THE MACHINE IMMEDIATELY !! (yes I've probably said this also on my other page too but it is important).

And finally, one general, important rule: SAFETY FIRST !!! A pinball game contains lethal voltages. So be very careful ! Always unplug a game when you want to work on it. This is certainly true if you are working on EM games. These games don't have any protection around the transformer so be very careful what to touch. The old wires aren't as well insulated as they should be. With more recent games everything is more protected, but still, be careful when working inside the cabinet, or when you want to work on fuses. If you need to use a screwdriver, buy one for electrical work, with most part insulated and only the metal tip exposed. This way you have less chance of making a short by accident..

If you cannot repair a game yourself, you're going to need someone to do it for you. Either find someone who comes to your house, but most people I know who repair pins want you to bring the game to them. If there's an operators in your area he will probably also ask for this. Just be sure to get information about prices, travel, what if he cannot fix it,.. in advance ! And if it's an older game (before 1990 or before 1986) or not a Williams/Bally game, then be sure to specify this in advance to the repair person/operator. A lot of people only work or know on games from 1990 and up. You don't want to pay $200 to have someone come over to your house and then say to you 'it's too old it cannot be repaired', while it can but the guy just doesn't know how to. Older games usually can also be repaired but only by either very specialized people or people who do it as a hobby. The 'average' repair guy or operator only has experience with recent games, or at his hourly rate it may be too expensive.