So, there you are, having the best game of your life on your “Fill in the Blank” pinball machine when . . Wham-o!! . . it resets the game to zero, eats your credit, and stops doing everything. Worse yet, on the best game of your life, your 10 year old takes his turn and without doing ANYTHING except hitting the flipper buttons, is racking up points faster than you can say Tilt! And he hasn’t even shot the ball yet! Your machine has fallen victim to the “Random Reset” and “Phantom Scoring” bug. It’s very annoying, and not always easy to find, but a curable malady for those with a little patience.

Almost all pinball machines have rolling ball and plumb bob type “Tilt” mechanisms. Normally, the tilt is set so that it takes three tilts in a specified period of time to give you a “Tilt”. A “Tilt” only stops the ball in play, and will allow the game to continue on with the next ball, or player as appropriate. These switches are NOT your problem.

There are other “tilt” switches in most machines that serve another purpose. Excessive force in an attempt to get the coin door open, such as might be caused by a hammer in the lock, or dropping the machine in an attempt to break open the cabinet, will cause another set of “tilt” switches to come into play. These switches are almost never activated and may become dirty over time. Whether they are normally “open” or “closed” will depend on machine type, but they will cause the machine to shut down completely when they either make or break contact, unlike the other two “Tilt” switches. The fix for this is simple - open the contact points up farther on the normally “open” switch style (better yet, put some heat shrink tubing on one of the contacts), or apply more tension to the normally “closed” switch. You can also utilize a short jumper wire to permanently connect the normally “closed” switch contacts together. For a game used exclusively at home, either of these methods should prove to be most adequate. Games in commercial service need to have these switches working, so just keep them clean and properly adjusted. There is usually a switch inside the coin door and another mounted on the underside of the playfield. Most often they will be referred to in the schematic as “Slam Switches”. An appropriate title, I might add.

The “Phantom Scoring” problem can be a little more difficult to track down. It is usually caused by a set of playfield switch contacts that are just a little too close and make contact from playfield vibration, such as that set up by the flippers or pop bumpers. To find the offending switch, first determine how may points are being awarded in the “auto-scoring” mode. Then consult your manual and locate all the switches that score that amount. Remove the playfield glass and with the game on and running, gently tap your finger in the area around each identified switch. Don’t forget to put drop targets down when you do this. I have found most of my “Phantom Scoring” switches to be the 10 point ones located behind drop targets. Another good candidate are switches connected to spinning targets. Sooner or later you’ll find the switch that is letting your 10 year old beat the socks off you. Re-adjust the switch and put them back in their place!

And don’t forget to reset their High Score!

Have Fun and Good Luck!
Allan