The advent of motors in pinball

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cait001
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The advent of motors in pinball

Post by cait001 »

Hey peeps, anyone know which machines were the first to include scoring motors in them? Like the kind with timing diagrams?

Any idea what the first pinball machine with a motor was?
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by pennymachines »

I don't know, but motors were used in the early 1950s to drive animated backbox features which accompanied the score lamps on Gottlieb and Williams pinballs. I believe these pre-date electro-mechanical score reels.
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coppinpr
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by coppinpr »

Actually I don't think pinballs used motors to handle the scores, ever. They used solenoid step units. I believe a few early '50s machines used motors to raise and lower or rotate features while still using advancing lights to handle the score.

I believe Bally Bingo machines sometimes used motors to rotate the bingo card options on the back flash, so these might be the earliest.
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by cait001 »

coppinpr wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 8:56 pm Actually I don't think pinballs used motors to handle the scores, ever...
EM pinballs would frequently use motors to solve problems like scoring something 5 times. Score 5000 points? You have to cycle the 1000 increment 5 times.
Want to count down a bonus stepper? Scoring cycles.
Complex reset cycle? Scoring motor cycles.
coppinpr wrote: Sat May 25, 2019 9:09 pm I believe Bally Bingo machines sometimes used motors to rotate the bingo card options on the back flash, so these might be the earliest.
Heh, I doubt there is a single bingo machine without a motor.
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bob
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by bob »

Bally pin ball machines of the thirties used a motor in their payout unit. Skipper brought out in 1936/7 was the first to use this unit.
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by pennymachines »

Thanks Bob. Your depth of vintage slot machine knowledge never fails to impress. !WORSHIPFULL!
I notice Bally's first payout pinball, the Rocket of 1933, appears to use a similar motor.
This game also has an electrified anti-tilt mechanism.

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bob
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by bob »

Thanks Mr Pennymachines for resolving the correct date of the first use of a motor in a pinball machine. Rocket which showed the score on the playfield would have had a similar payout mechanism to Bumper and Skipper with a motor.
Bally's Bumper and Skipper came out with coiled bumpers on the playfield which displayed hits on the back glass by a new scoring mechanism which used relays to advance and reset the scores displayed. Bumper enabled replay games and Skipper paid out coins or tokens.
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by cait001 »

pennymachines wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 8:34 am I notice Bally's first payout pinball, the Rocket of 1933, appears to use a similar motor.
Very cool to know! But in my mind the 1933 Rocket isn't really a motor, it just a cylindrical stepper disc.
Perhaps my definition is a bit too limiting though, considering how motors evolved in usage from the very simple like this to complex multi-step timings.
bob wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 1:51 pmBumper enabled replay games and Skipper paid out coins or tokens.
BTW I am pretty sure Bumper does not award replays. I have played 2 different copies and none had replays awarded anywhere. A pic on IPDB shows a typed scoring card with replay awards, but I assume that was the code for the local off-game payout.
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by bob »

The illustrations accompanying my first posting show the payout mechanism from a Skipper. This is activated by what is unmistakeably a motor. Rocket would have had a similar motor driven payout system.
The illustrations accompanying my second posting show the scoring system from a Skipper and Bumper. This was actuated by relays.
Rocket would not have had such a mechanism as the scores could be seen from the playfield mechanism, as Rocket had no backglass. The smaller illustration from the IPDB accompanying this posting shows the same Rocket pinball machine clearly illustrating the motor used in the payout mechanism.
A Bally Skipper advertisement may be of interest.
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Bally Skipper Advertisement
Bally Skipper Advertisement
Rocket pinball showing the playfield
Rocket pinball showing the playfield
Rocket pinball showing motor in payout mechanism
Rocket pinball showing motor in payout mechanism
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Re: The advent of motors

Post by pennymachines »

bob wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 2:22 am Rocket would have had a similar motor driven payout system.
You can also see it next to the coin hopper in this screen grab of the video I posted.
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by bob »

cait001 is "pretty sure that Bumper does not award replays" and has "played 2 different copies and none had replays awarded anywhere." But that does not mean that they were conserved or restored correctly or that either current owner of these machines understood their operation fully.
I have owned both Bumper and Skipper and was fortunate to have all the considerable amount of paperwork that Bally shipped to the original operator for both these machines. I still have copes of this paperwork although it has taken me some time to locate these among all my printed material.
Included in these these is a full page of instructions for Bumper entitled "Free Games Adjustment" another sheet entitled "Instructions To Merchant (i.e. the operator) concerning the Free Games Meter and a number of Instruction cards to use on the machine. All of these are clearly marked Bumper and item number in small print at the left bottom corner. I will scan these items and add them to this posting. There are also sheets dealing with Adjustment of Score Projector, Operating Instructions to set up the machine, Adjustments of Contacts in Lightbox as well as a Wiring Diagram.
Playing or owning a machine does not always mean one understands its operation fully. In my time I have come across some quite knowledgeable people who were not aware of their machine's complexities. I owned a Bally Mazooma Bell "flasher" for many years until I was able to find a Manual and schematic for it and only then did I understand some of its workings.
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Bumper-Instructions-to-Merchant04a.jpg
Bumper-machine-operating-Instruction-Cards03a.jpg
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Free-Games-Adjustment--for-Bumper035a.jpg
Last edited by bob on Tue May 28, 2019 6:41 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by cait001 »

The men in that Skipper advertisement totally look like they're about to do CRIMES
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by cait001 »

bob wrote: Mon May 27, 2019 1:08 pm cait001 is "pretty sure that Bumper does not award replays" He has "played 2 different copies and none had replays awarded anywhere." But that does not mean that they were conserved or restored correctly or that either current owner of these machines understood their operation fully.
SHE, please.
Thanks for the documentation, but why are you presenting it like a prosecutor giving opening arguments to a judge? ;)
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bob
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by bob »

Skipper pinballs were common in the "pinball parlours" (penny arcades) of my youth in 1940s Melbourne. Whilst there were sometimes some scary characters, the guys in the advertisement looked more like the policemen of the time who gave the owners of arcades a hard time.
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by bob »

Dear "SHE" I am delighted to learn that I am talking to SHE, what a stupid presumption for me to have made.

I didn't think I had presented it like a prosecutor giving opening arguments to a judge but rather that I could back up my beliefs and memories by some documentation and memories of my youth. Do cut me some slack at age 88 when I can remember things clearly from over 75 years ago but not what I did five minutes ago.
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by cait001 »

88! dang !!THUMBSX2!!
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by ddstoys »

Midway used motors to control the score reels in some of their games. My 1966 Captain Kidd shooting gallery has a motor. I'm starting to wonder if my Midway Raceway uses a motor for the scores but it does have two to drive the back boxcars.
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Re: The advent of motors in pinball

Post by ralph »

Speaking of early em pinball motors, a machine over here needs a new motor. The machine is a 1935 Bally Jumbo.


Jumbo Payout Motor
Jumbo Payout Motor


Jumbo Payout Motor
Jumbo Payout Motor

The coin payout motor is burnt out.
Trying to help out an old repairer I know that has it in for repairs. I was looking for any tips for either re wiring it or another motor.
The flyer states that you can order either the coin payout or tickets payout model.
Lovely looking machine this one is, cool little slide out draw that opens out to collect won coins.(Flyer pic).
Thanks in advance .
All pics are from the IPDB
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Cabinet front
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