Below is a diagram illustrating the pinball terminology used for the outside of a modern pinball machine...

Below is a diagram illustrating the pinball terminology used for the playfield of a pinball machine...

Transporting a Pinball Machine is not very difficult. But you will need a vehicle that has enough room - a Van, Ute, SUV, Truck, Wagon, or even a trailer (towed behind a car) will be fine.

Thankfully, the head box can be either removed or folded down, and the legs can also be removed. Which makes transporting a pinball much easier!

The average pinball dimensions are: 76cm (30") wide, 190cm to 200cm (76" to 80") tall, and 140cm (56") deep. Folded up it is: 76cm (30") wide, 76cm (30") tall, and 140cm (56") deep.

The average pinball weight is: 113.5 Kg to 136 Kg (250 pounds to 300 pounds).

So, on to how to prepare the pinball for transport...

"How do I open a Pinball Machine?" is a question we get asked a lot!

Most people who have a Pinball Machine at home don't know how to remove the Playfield Glass, or open up the Backbox, so this guide will teach you exactly how to do it.

But why exactly would you want to open a pinball machine? Good Question!!

There are a few main reasons to open your pinball machine: to change blown globes, replace broken rubbers and to clean the playfield. Doing these things will keep your pinball looking great and working properly.

Opening a pinball is also essential if you want to do your own repairs or transport your machine.

Do make sure you turn the power off to the machine before performing any maintenance or touch anything under the playfield or headbox. There are some high voltages in these places, and you will get an electric shock if you are not careful.

So, lets begin...

Pinball Rubbers are the "bands" or "rings" that the ball inside a pinball machine bounces off during play. Without them, the pinball game would become very boring to play... very quickly!

Pinball rubbers come in many shapes, sizes and colours. Their main function is to guide the ball down towards the flippers, while the ball bounces off them in random directions.

At some stage during the time you own your pinball machine, you will need to replace (at least some of) these rubbers. Over time they can become brittle and start to frey. Once this happens, the rubbers will start to break apart and cause problems with game play.

You will see Pinball Lamps all over the modern Pinball Machine. These globes are used to light up the playfield to make it easier to see the ball while it is in play, show you the features you need to shoot for, and also to draw attention to the machine itself.

The backbox is lit up by these pinball lights to also help draw attention to the machine. Although current manufacture pinballs use a fluorescent tube to provide the light for the backbox, when lamps are used it makes it easier to highlight specific areas of the back glass artwork.

Thankfully, there are not to many differnt types of lamps used in pinball machines. There are a few very common globes used (like the #44, #89, #555 and #906), and the rest are not so commonly used.

As these lamps do blow from time to time, it is handy to know which ones are used in your machine.

Since Pinball Machines became electronically controlled, batteries have been used to keep the settings when the machine was turned off. Batteries keep the "High Scores", "Game Adjustemts" and "Bookkeeping" from being lost when the pinball has been powered down.

There are 3 main types of batteries used by the different pinball manufacturers:

1. AA batteries (standard household type)
2. NiCad batteries (in AA size, 3 x button cell or plastic package types)
3. Button Cell batteries (watch battery type)

AA Batteries (a.k.a. LR6, FR6 and R6) are the most common battery to find in a Pinball Machine. These batteries are usually in a group of 3 to provide 4.5Vdc to the RAM IC, which stores the information needed to be saved when the power is lost.

To learn more about batteries in Pinball Machines, have a look at our Batteries page.

As all AA Batteries are located inside the headbox, you will need to know how to open it up. If you are unsure how to do so, check out Opening a Pinball.

On this page, we will show you where the AA Batteries are located in your machine.

We have circled the AA Batteries in RED for easy identification of the batteries.

So, click on the board generation of your machine to find out where they are, or just scroll the page...

Atari ('79): Generation 2
Bally (mid '89 - '98): System 11, WPC & WPC-95
Data East ('87 - '94): Data East MPU
Sega Pinball, Inc. ('94 - '99): Data East MPU & WhiteStar
Stern Pinball, Inc. ('99 - '05): WhiteStar
Williams (late '77 - '98): System 3 & 4, System 6 & 6A, System 7, System 9, System 11, WPC & WPC-95

NiCad (Nickel-Cadmium) Batteries are the 2^nd most common battery to find in a Pinball Machine. These batteries provide 3.6Vdc to the RAM IC, which stores the information needed to be saved when the power is lost.

To learn more about batteries in Pinball Machines, have a look at our Batteries page.

As all NiCad Batteries are located inside the headbox, you will need to know how to open it up. If you are unsure how to do so, check out Opening a Pinball.

On this page, we will show you where the NiCad Batteries are located in your machine.

We have circled the NiCad Batteries in RED for easy identification of the batteries.

So, click on the board generation of your machine to find out where they are, or just scroll the page...

A. Hankin and Co. ('78 - '80): Hankin MPU
Bally (late '76 - mid '89): AS-2518-17, AS-2518-35, AS-2518-133 & A084-91786-AH06 (6803)
Game Plan ('78 - '85): MPU-1 & MPU-2
Gottlieb (late '77 - late '89): System 1, System 80, System 80A & System 80B
Stern Electronics ('78 - '84): MPU-100 & MPU-200
Zaccaria ('78 - '87): Generation 1 & Generation 2

Button Cell Batteries (or Watch Batteries) are the least common battery to find in a Pinball Machine. These batteries provide 3Vdc to the RAM IC, which stores the information needed to be saved when the power is lost.

To learn more about batteries in Pinball Machines, have a look at our Batteries page.

As all Button Cell Batteries are located inside the headbox, you will need to know how to open it up. If you are unsure how to do so, check out Opening a Pinball.

On this page, we will show you where the Button Cell Batteries are located in your machine.

We have circled the Button Cell Batteries in RED for easy identification of the batteries.

So, click on the board generation of your machine to find out where they are, or just scroll the page...

Gottlieb (late '89 - '96): System 3
Stern Pinball, Inc. ('06 - current): S.A.M.