Pinball Machines

After dabbling in vintage AM radios, arcade machines, a coke machine, and a jukebox, among other projects, I wanted to attempt working on a pinball machine. Specifically, pre-1979 electro-mechanical pins. No computers control the machines, the logic of the rules and scoring is controlled entirely by switches, relays, stepper units, and scoring motors. After now working on a handful of machines, electro-mechanical projects may be my favorite to work on. My childhood best friend's dad has been in the EM pinball scene for decades, and has been a huge help providing both troubleshooting advice and pinball history.

Toledo - Williams (1975)

Willams Toledo, ft. My Apartment Bedroom

The first pinball I purchased was a Williams' Toledo, in May of 2020. For $500, it wasn't a bad price as the hobby market was beginning to balloon due to Covid boredom. My roommate was a trooper helping me bring it up to the fourth floor city apartment and cram it into my bedroom. It wasn't a bad project for familiarizing myself with EM machines, either, as frustrations were minimal. Major repairs were resoldering a few cold joints, and cleaning and adjusting the jones plugs thoroughly. I can't recall any overly complex troubleshooting needed; the Williams manual and schematic were very beginner friendly as well. Waxing the playfield really allowed the colors to pop, and was very satisfying once complete. 

Gameplay was alright - there were a couple shots to make which I eventually got good at. The mini flippers (a feature which was initially exciting to me) were counterproductive, as they seemed to hit the ball at an angle which allowed it to drain. As a lot of projects are, to me, this one was more fun to repair and dial in than it was to play. It was the first pin I bought, and also the first I sold.

Cleaned & Waxed Playfield

Play Ball - Gottlieb (1971)

Solar City - Gottlieb (1977)

Atlantis - Gottlieb (1975)

Jacks Open - Gottlieb (1977)