# Episode 248 - My EM Happenings week of 11-9-15

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-11-14  
**Duration:** 14m 46s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-248-my-em-happenings-week-of-11-9-15

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## Analysis

Nicholas Backbone reflects on his recent pinball activities, including joining the American Pinball League in Richmond and unexpectedly becoming the highest scorer in his first night. He discusses ongoing repair work on his EM games (Double Up, Nightclub, and Mystery), personal lifestyle changes affecting his work pace, and shares information about vintage bingo machines available in eBay auctions in Georgia.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Nicholas Backbone was the highest scorer on his first night at the American Pinball League tournament in Richmond — _Nicholas Backbone describing his first competitive pinball experience at APL event run by Johanna Taylor, James Rees, and another local friend_
- [HIGH] Nicholas Backbone rose from F division to A division after his first tournament night — _Nicholas Backbone directly stating his division placement after the tournament_
- [MEDIUM] There are approximately 36 vintage bingo machines being sold as a lot for $3,600 in Toccoa, Georgia — _Nicholas Backbone citing information from eBay auction listings with shrink-wrapped palletized games_
- [HIGH] The Nightclub game has a 40-step timer with randomized control unit cams that step up the timer periodically — _Nicholas Backbone describing technical specifications of the Nightclub machine he is repairing_
- [MEDIUM] Futurity was the last arcade one-ball horse race game — _Nicholas Backbone's assessment while describing games in the auction listings_

### Notable Quotes

> "I wasn't really sure what to expect...I actually was the highest scorer for the night. I'm not really certain of how the scoring works, and I was as surprised as anybody else."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, ~2:10
> _Captures his surprise at unexpected success in his first competitive pinball league experience_

> "it was more like brewing company or having fun together with pinball buddies than getting real intense into the competitive aspect"
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, ~3:30
> _Reveals his philosophy on competitive pinball—social rather than serious_

> "life intrudes into pinball"
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, ~12:45
> _Explains why his game restoration work will slow down due to lifestyle changes_

> "I just love fixing up games and playing them. So whatever excuse there is to play games, I'm happy to do it."
> — **Nicholas Backbone**, ~4:00
> _Core statement of his motivation as an EM enthusiast and restorer_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nicholas Backbone | person | Host of 4 For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast, EM game restorer and collector based in Richmond area |
| Johanna Taylor | person | Tournament organizer for American Pinball League in Richmond area, owns vintage EM games |
| James Rees | person | Co-organizer of American Pinball League tournament in Richmond area |
| Nate Shivers | person | Host at Coast to Coast Pinball, conducted interview with Nicholas Backbone about bingo pinball |
| American Pinball League | organization | Local competitive pinball league in Richmond area with division-based scoring system |
| Coast to Coast Pinball | organization | Pinball podcast/media outlet that interviewed Nicholas Backbone |
| Double Up | game | EM bingo game owned by Nicholas Backbone with faulty Tilt Forums relay and double-up drop target issue |
| Nightclub | game | EM bingo game owned by Nicholas Backbone with timer not timing out properly, 40-step timer with cams |
| Mystery | game | EM game owned by Nicholas Backbone requiring switch blade replacement after temporary repair months prior |
| Copacabana Beach | game | Solid-state bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia, features Magic Lines from Miss America with different card arrangement |
| Miss America | game | Referenced as source of Magic Lines feature used in Copacabana Beach; Miss America Supremes variant available in auctions |
| Futurity | game | One-ball horse race game, believed to be last arcade one-ball horse race game, available in eBay auction |
| Turf King | game | One-ball horse race game available in eBay auction in Georgia |
| London | game | 20-hole bingo game available in eBay auction, possibly part of large lot of 36 games |
| Mystic 8 | game | 20-hole bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia |
| Zodiac | game | 20-hole bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia |
| Carnival Queen | game | Bingo game available in eBay auction, sister game to Beauty Beach Tahiti |
| Beauty Beach Tahiti | game | EM bingo game, sister game to Carnival Queen, referenced in auction context |
| Hawaii | game | Bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia, possibly missing playfield glass |
| Nashville | game | Six-card bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia |
| Miss Universe | game | Bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia |
| Brooklyn | game | Solid-state bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia |
| Orient | game | Bingo game available in eBay auction in Georgia |
| Golden Gate | game | Bingo game possibly included in large lot of 36 games (backs of heads visible only) |

### Topics

- **Primary:** EM/bingo game repair and restoration, Competitive pinball tournaments and leagues, EM game collecting and auctions, EM game technical specifications and troubleshooting
- **Secondary:** Personal lifestyle changes affecting hobby time, Bingo pinball history and mechanics, Vintage pinball marketplace and availability

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Optimistic and energetic throughout despite acknowledging slowed work pace from lifestyle changes. Excitement about tournament success and appreciation for community outweighs frustrations with game repairs.

### Signals

- **[competitive_signal]** Nicholas Backbone entered American Pinball League tournament in Richmond and scored highest on first night, advancing from F to A division (confidence: high) — Direct statement about highest scorer status and division advancement
- **[community_signal]** American Pinball League established in Richmond area with organizers Johanna Taylor, James Rees, and another local coordinator (confidence: high) — Nicholas Backbone's participation and description of first tournament night
- **[restoration_signal]** Nicholas Backbone describes multiple EM game repair challenges: Double Up tilt forums relay switch issues, Nightclub timer malfunction, Mystery contact replacement needed (confidence: high) — Detailed technical descriptions of ongoing repairs on three owned games
- **[content_signal]** Nicholas Backbone appeared on Coast to Coast Pinball podcast discussing bingo row mechanics and skill in bingo pinball (confidence: high) — Direct mention of interview at coast2coastpinball.com
- **[collector_signal]** Large warehouse bingo collection liquidation via eBay auctions in Toccoa, Georgia: 36-game lot at $3,600 plus individual games (London, Mystic 8, Zodiac, Miss America variants, horse race games) starting at $100 each (confidence: high) — Detailed auction listing descriptions with specific game titles, starting prices, and condition assessment
- **[operational_signal]** Nicholas Backbone experiencing lifestyle changes (reduced caffeine, earlier sleep schedule, energy constraints) that will slow personal game restoration work (confidence: high) — Direct statement about being 'drained of energy' and working slower due to lifestyle adjustments
- **[design_philosophy]** Nicholas Backbone views competitive pinball more as social brewery gathering than serious competitive pursuit, contrasting with some players' intense tournament focus (confidence: high) — Quote: 'more like brewing company or having fun together with pinball buddies than getting real intense into the competitive aspect'
- **[machine_intel]** Vintage EM bingo game warehouse collection includes rare titles (Futurity claimed as last arcade one-ball horse race game, sister games to Beauty Beach Tahiti, various 20-hole and solid-state bingos) (confidence: medium) — Detailed auction listings with game identifications and cosmetic condition assessments

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## Transcript

 What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only, this is Nicholas Baldridge. Tonight I just wanted to go over quickly what's been kind of going on in my world in pinball. For those of you that haven't heard it yet, Nate Shivers over at Coast to Coast Pinball did an interview with me where I talked about the bingo row and kind of the thrill and skill involved in playing bingo pinball. So if you haven't yet, be sure to check that out at coast2coastpinball.com. now the other thing that's been going on with me is I joined a pinball league and uh if you've been listening for a while you know I'm not really a competitive pinball person or maybe I've never really voiced that on the show I enjoy hearing about it but uh I'm not super intrigued to do it myself as far as playing tournaments and all that kind of thing. So I joined this one that's run by Taylor James Rees and another friend here in the Richmond area, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. So I went out there for the first time this past Tuesday, and I played all the games that were assigned, and I actually was the highest scorer for the night. I'm not really certain of how the scoring works, and I was as surprised as anybody else. But I had a great time doing it and talking pinball and got to try out a new EM that Taylor had brought home. So that was all fun. And it kind of gave me a different outlook on the whole competitive thing because at least the way I was doing it, it was more like hanging out with pinball buddies than getting real intense into the competitive aspect. But everybody's different, and everybody enjoys different things. I just love fixing up games and playing them. So whatever excuse there is to play games, I'm happy to do it. That said, I'm really excited to go back and see if I can repeat that performance or if I tumbled to my rightful place at the bottom of the stack. But I rose from the F division to the A division, which I guess means that I'm, you know, doing pretty good. So I guess we'll see what happens next time, and I'll be sure to report back. Now, the other thing that's been going on is I've been doing a lot of repair work. around town and I've been working on some kind of lifestyle changes here Trying to get back into fighting shape So what that means is that I am less of a night owl than I have been in days, weeks, or months past because I'm just drained of energy. I'm also trying to cut back on my caffeine intake and that's not helping anything with my night owl tendencies, but I'm still awake and I'm still doing things, but I'm just not quite as fast as I was before. So what this means is that working on my own games is going to slow down a bit while I adjust to kind of what's going on. And as far as working on my own games, There's really only two problems that I have remaining. One is that double up drops straight into tilt. I know what the problem is there. The tilt relay has a switch, which is super funky. And as I've mentioned numerous times, you know, I just need to go in there and actually replace switches. And I'm thinking, I'm debating whether I should just go ahead and order the switches and do that. instead of just getting it to limp along until, you know, someone nudges it just the right way, or I move it, or whatever. So, we'll see, but that's a possibility. And then nightclub is stepping up the timer after the game ends, but it's not timing out. Now, on the nightclub, There's a 40-step timer, so every so often, as is randomized by the cams on the control unit. If you listen back to my control unit timing cams episode, you'll understand what those do. It's essentially just a couple sets of switches on the first two cams, and they step up the timer every so often when the timer has already reached a certain position. Now, that's stepping up, so that circuit's working, but the problem is that it's not actually shutting the game off. So, yet again, I think it's a problem with the tilt trip relay. When I turn the game on, it is in tilt. But, you know, I haven't heard if the control unit is still trying to run. Let me turn it on and see what happens. Well, that was the exciting sound of me grabbing the starter there and firing it up. And no, control unit doesn't run, so it is dropping into tilt properly. So, something is preventing that tilt from kicking in, and I've got to find what that is. There's a single switch that's activated when the timer reaches its full extension, and perhaps that's not being activated. I'm not certain how that could be unless the timer is resetting. The timer resets when you play for extra ball. So it's possible that one of the ganged switches behind the coin door for the extra ball button is messed up and it's causing that to continually reset. I certainly hear it step up. It makes a lot of noise I have a little bit of cabinet damage in the head so it fairly loud at the moment I clamp and glue that at some point At the moment it doesn affect anything and it's not getting worse. So that's on my eventually list. And then, if you'll recall, several months ago, I did a kind of quick repair on Mystery. That's still holding up for now, but the time has come for me to actually replace that contact, I think, and I'm going to go ahead and replace that whole switch blade, and that should take care of that permanently. And it's such an important switch, you know, there's no reason why I wouldn't go ahead and do that. It just takes time. So aside from that, everything's working good, and I've got everything stripped and cleaned and waxed, and it's all playing very well. I did end up sanding down that nightclub Varathane repair, so it's very smooth, and I have it leveled even with gate time, and both of those are playing very well. So, you know, all in all, I think everything is coming along pretty well, but life intrudes into pinball. So it shouldn't affect my podcasting schedule. I'll certainly, you know, make an episode if it does. But I don't anticipate that it will. In other news, a listener emailed me with information on several different auctions which are going on on eBay right now regarding some warehouse fine bingos. At the time of this recording, there's a little over three days left in each of the auctions, and there's a variety of 20 holes like London, Mystic 8, Zodiac, along with a few Miss Americas. Now, these are not the Miss America from 1957 from my recent episode. These are Miss America Supremes. But, let's see, is there anything else? There's a solid state bingo called Copacabana Beach. There's a Brooklyn solid state bingo. and I'm looking at the Copacabana. It has the Magic Lines feature from Miss America, but the card arrangement is completely different, and it has some unusual scoring opportunities, it looks like. There's an Orient A Carnival Queen Hawaii Which is the sister game to my double up Beauty Beach Tahiti And there are a couple of one ball horse race games Futurity Which I believe was the last one ball horse race game And Turf King There's a Nashville six card and a Miss Universe. Now each of these auctions is starting at a hundred bucks and the games look like they in relatively decent cosmetic condition especially the back glasses The playfield is hard to tell because it's been sitting for a long time, so there's a lot of dust, but it appears, from what you can see, that the colors are fairly vibrant even under the dust, so it looks like they'll probably clean up pretty well. Now, aside from that, they have a lot of bingos. I believe there's 36 of them, which they're selling as a package on pallets. Now unfortunately the photographs Show the backs of the heads And so I'm not certain which games those are I think I see That's either a Golden Gate Or a London There may be some okay Magic screen games Okay meaning red letter game Magic screen games there, but it's really hard to tell. Honestly, I have no clue. But they're asking $3,600 for the lot of 36 games. And these are in Tokua, Georgia. Which I'm not sure where that is. It's in Georgia in relation to somewhere like Atlanta or wherever, but they honestly look pretty good. They've been shrink-wrapped before they were palleted, so it looks like they're probably, as I say, going to clean up pretty well. Of course, it's really hard to tell looking at only the backs of the heads, but everything looks good as far as I can see. So you get your typical button wear on some of the others. I mean, that's really super typical on routed games. Pretty much all of it appears to have the playfield glass. I'm looking at a Hawaii now. It looks like the glass may be missing. But yeah, the back glasses appear to be very nice on most of these. So I'm going to have a link to the options in the show notes and check those out. So that's all for tonight. I know this It wasn't a super exciting episode, but I hope that gives you a little insight into what's going on behind the scenes here. Thank you very much for listening. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com, or you can call me on the bingos line. That's 724-BINGOS1, 724-246-4671. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, VRSS, on Facebook, on Twitter at bingopodcast. you can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge or you can listen to us on our website which is for amusement only dot libsyn dot com thank you very much for listening and I'll talk to you next time

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 3c90cbe0-3848-493a-99c7-9ff3e0507df0*