Pinball Basics

Pinball Basics covers the things you should know as a pinball machine owner...

Pinball Terminology

You have probably heard words like "Backbox", "Spinner", "Drop Targets", "Plunger" and so on... But what do these words mean?

And more importantly... Where are they on your Pinball Machine?

If you would like to know what all this Pinball terminology is about, then click on the following links for the different sections of a Pinball Machine...

Pinball Cabinet Terminology
Pinball Playfield Terminology

Transporting a Pinball Machine

You will at some stage have to move your Pinball from one location to another. And this can be easily done with out the need for removalists.

There are some things to take into consideration, but moving a pinball is really quite straight forward.

Just follow the "Transporting a Pinball" guide, and you're on your way.

Opening a Pinball Machine

One of the questions we get asked the most is "How do I get inside my Pinball Machine?" It's really quite simple, and you have a surprising amount of access once inside.

Once you know how to slide out the glass, you will be able to keep the playfield clean. You will also be able to replace worn rubbers and blown globes.

We will also show you how to lift the playfield, and even get inside the backbox...

So, click on "Opening a Pinball" to get started.

Pinball Rubbers

There are "Rubber Rings" throughout a pinball machine's playfield. These rubbers enhance the pinball machine's playability, and also prevent the metal ball from breaking the plastic parts.

Over time, these rubbers become brittle and break apart. So, to keep your machine in top working order, the rubbers should be replaced.

Because the pinball manufacturers have their own part numbering system, we have compiled a conparison chart for the rubbers, along with their actual sizes and colours.

To find out more, click on "Pinball Rubbers".

Pinball Lamps

Lamps are used throughout pinball machines... To light it up and attract attention, to show you which shots to aim for, and to let you know when a ball is about to be shot out from under the playfield.

These lamps will eventually blow, so you will need to change them every now and again.

On our "Pinball Lamps" page, we have listed the more common lamps used, along with pictures of them so you know which ones you have in your machine.

Using the Test (Diagnostics) Menu

Solid State Pinballs have their own Test Menu to help with diagnostics and difficulty settings.

This diagnostic makes life much easier for us when we need to test globes, switches, coils, etc... And as pinballs became more sophisticated, so did the test menu.

We'll start with the main sections of each test menu system, giving you an understanding of how they work and the tests that can be performed.

These instructions have been written for the different variants of test menus used, so click on the one that is appropriate for your machine:

Sega & Stern "Portals" Menu System (Sega & Stern Pinballs from 1995 onwards)

Batteries

Yes, Solid State (a.k.a. Electronic) Pinball Machines have batteries. And batteries left for too long can leak battery acid. This can be very unpleasent!

Cleaning up battery corrosion is not an easy job, and is generally quite costly! To make things worse, the batteries are located on the MPU or CPU boards of the Pinball.

The MPU / CPU boards are the brains of the pinball, so battery corrosion can render the whole machine useless! While finding a replacement board is possible, it's much easier to replace the batteries regularily.

So, for descriptions on what batteries are used in the different pinball systems, click on "Batteries".

For battery locations and types, click on the following links...

AA Batteries

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 Batteries

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

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