# Meet Evel Knievel - Pinball Expo 2023 - Pinball News **Source:** Pinball News (Pinball Expo 2023) **Type:** video **Published:** 2023-10-20 **Duration:** 7m 46s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MajuRdM85s4 --- ## Analysis A pinball restorer presented at Pinball Expo 2023 on his project converting Bally Knight Rider machines into Evil Knievel reproductions. The presenter, with 40+ years in pinball restoration, has built four complete conversions so far and detailed the engineering work required, including relay additions, playfield reproduction sourcing, and backglass mirroring. He also mentioned a prior project converting Team One games into Wizard-themed machines. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Only 155 original Evil Knievel EM games were made — _Presenter stated as historical fact about original production run_ - [HIGH] 4,000 Bally Knight Rider EM machines were produced — _Presenter cited as justification for sourcing Knight Riders for conversion_ - [MEDIUM] 85% of the engineering work between Knight Rider and Evil Knievel is identical — _Presenter's assessment of overlap in game systems (four-player, reset, scoring logic)_ - [MEDIUM] The original EM Evil Knievel used a six-flipper or ten-flipper board for the bus jumper feature — _Presenter mentioned in context of replicating the feature in conversions_ - [HIGH] CPR (Classic Pinball Restoration) produces reproduction Evil Knievel playfields — _Presenter explicitly cited as source for playfield reproductions_ ### Notable Quotes > "There's only 155 of these games made. So people love the old feel, the love of the feel of the old EM style." > — **Presenter (unnamed)**, ~1:30 > _Explains the motivation for the conversion project—rarity and collector demand for original Evil Knievel machines_ > "The Bally Knight Rider, there is 4,000 of the EMs made. So I don't feel too bad taking Knight Rider and carving it up and producing it as Evil Knievel." > — **Presenter (unnamed)**, ~2:00 > _Justifies the sourcing strategy: abundant Knight Rider supply relative to scarce originals_ > "It's amazing between Knight Rider and Evel Knievel, 85% of it was done for me. The four player, the reset, the over the top, a lot of it was done for me." > — **Presenter (unnamed)**, ~4:15 > _Key insight into the engineering feasibility—substantial overlap in game logic reduces conversion complexity_ > "I took a 5 bump and took adrenaline to it and made it a 4 bump. I'm an engineer. What are you going to do?" > — **Presenter (unnamed)**, ~3:45 > _Illustrates hands-on problem-solving approach to adapting score motor components_ > "I find, you know, a bunch of six, seven, eight things that I need to correct before we put it all together." > — **Presenter (unnamed)**, ~5:30 > _Shows testing methodology: assembling subsystems on bench before full cabinet integration_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Evil Knievel | game | Bally EM pinball machine from the 1970s; subject of presenter's conversion/reproduction project | | Knight Rider | game | Bally EM pinball machine; source platform for Evil Knievel conversions; 4,000 units produced | | Team One | game | AdWall pinball game with Abracadabra layout; presenter converted 28 units into Wizard-themed machines | | Wizard | game | Rethemed version of Team One created by presenter with new artwork by Wade Krause | | CPR | company | Classic Pinball Restoration; produces reproduction Evil Knievel playfields sourced by presenter | | Wade Krause | person | Artist in California known for reproduction playfields on EM games; collaborated with presenter on Team One/Wizard project | | Steve Young | person | Associated with PBR; had rare cog components (0-9 stepper unit alternating relay function) that presenter sourced | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Community event where presenter displayed multiple Evil Knievel machines; games featured both EM clones and home editions | | Pinball Expo 2023 | event | Event where this presentation was delivered | | Pinball Pimp | company | Supplies stencils for cabinet repainting work on converted machines | ### Topics - **Primary:** EM pinball restoration and conversion techniques, Evil Knievel machine rarity and collector demand, Sourcing and remanufacturing playfields and backglasses, Relay and electrical engineering in pinball machines - **Secondary:** Pinball machine assembly and testing methodology, Rethemed machines and art reproduction ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Presenter expresses enthusiasm for the project ('labor of love'), satisfaction with engineering solutions, and appreciation for collector demand. Tone is professional and informative without criticism. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Emerging boutique restoration business model: high-touch conversion projects with custom sourcing (CPR playfields, Netherlands backglasses, artist collaborations) (confidence: medium) — Presenter has built 4 Evil Knievel conversions, sold 28 Team One/Wizard rethemes (12 as kits, 16 as complete games), with ongoing pipeline - **[market_signal]** Strong collector demand for Evil Knievel machines driving secondary market for reproductions; 155 originals scarce enough to justify sourcing 4,000 Knight Riders as base platform (confidence: high) — Presenter states 'demand is there for these games' and has commissions for multiple builds; four completed, one in progress, four to five more feasible - **[product_strategy]** Presenter demonstrating systematic conversion of Knight Rider platform to Evil Knievel, treating it as an engineered reproduction/upgrade path rather than simple retheme (confidence: high) — Detailed relay additions, scoring motor modifications, and playfield reproduction work described as methodical engineering project - **[technology_signal]** Use of reproduction playfields from commercial suppliers (CPR) and custom digital scoring boards to replicate complex EM logic in conversion projects (confidence: high) — Presenter cites CPR playfield reproduction availability, custom digital board for bus jumper feature, and relay board modifications as enablers --- ## Transcript Clones set up at the Texas Pinball Festival last March. And then on the far left is a solid state game. And then actually somebody brought some of the home edition games. So we had quite a collection of evil games at the last TPF. So I have been commissioned by a couple people to build them some evil kenevals. Let me just advance the slides. and a quick bio, I won't bore you with this, but I've been in the pinball business since 1981. I've been restoring games heavily in the last 20, 25 years. And so Evel Knievel is a labor of love. Again, there's only 155 of these games made. So people love the old feel, the love of the feel of the old EM style. So to meet the need, I take Knight Riders and turn them into Evil Knievels. So the Bally Knight Rider, there is 4,000 of the EMs made. So I don't feel too bad taking Knight Rider and carving it up and producing it as Evil Knievel. So, so far I am up to four re-themes of the Knight Riders to Evel Knievel. So what does it take? Well, there's 13 relays added, 12 to the underside of the playfield, rewire some of the other relays, a little bit of rewiring to the score motor. Luckily there are reproduction playfields out there from CPR, and then I have a source in the Netherlands that can do me some mirrored backglasses. and why do I do it? Well the demand is there for these games so here a quick picture of the play field again wish I had a pointer Oh that is a laser pointer Now let see if I can figure out how to use the laser pointer Ah, there we go. So yeah, there is five relays added here, seven relays added there, there and then some more stuff on the bottom board. And basically just lead by lead rewiring these games to bring the feature set of Knight Rider to Evil Knievel. So bottom board updates added a couple relays. Works a bunch of other relays. There is a 4-bump score motor just needed for some of the bonus. As you can see on line 9. That was a 3 bump for Knight Rider. So I needed a 4 bump. Well, I took a 5 bump and took adrenaline to it and made it a 4 bump. I'm an engineer. What are you going to do? And then, of course, there's a little bit of light board work, but it's amazing between Knight Rider and Evel Knievel, 85% of it was done for me. The four player, the reset, the over the top, a lot of it was done for me. So it was not bad. So it was amazing when I finally got into it that it's all done. So as you can see, to get the evil jumping the buses, I did a little bit of cell work. I took some wood just to make the cells, a little bit of wiring, and coming up with a digital board. I think I've got a picture of a digital board here. Amazingly enough in the electromechanical Evel Knievel there is a six flip or I guess it ten flip board to do the continual bus jumper in there And I have done something similar, not quite the same, but I've done something similar to get the jumping Evel Knievel. And working on these valleys, they're always so hard to work once they're all put together, getting down inside the cabinet to try to adjust the relay. So what I did is I glued together all on the bench. I've got the play field over on the left, I've got the bottom board, I've got the light board, I've got the coin door, I've got the fuse block. It's all plugged together so I could make sure it all worked. And I find, you know, a bunch of six, seven, eight things that I need to correct before we put it all together. Just some of the things we do to make them work. So, and then downstairs on the floor you'll see my two latest games. So I built two games for the TPF show last March, and then I've got two more games delivered here. Then I've got an order for one more that I'll deliver in about the February timeframe. And I've got pieces to probably build four or five more games if I needed to. There are one or two unique pieces, and I've sort of scrolled away the unique pieces. there is a certain cog on the 0 to 9 stepper unit that does an alternating relay function. And Steve Young at PBR had four of them sitting on the shelf, and I sucked them all up and stuff. But that's basically it. And then here's my wizard stuff that they mentioned earlier. Another little project I did the year before last is there was an AdWall game called Team One. It had the same layout as Abracadabra but nobody liked the art on Team One So I worked with an artist called Wade Krause Everybody knows Wade out in California that has done reproduction playfields for a lot of these EM games. And so he produced 28 playfields and 28 back glasses for me. So I sold 12 as kits and then 16 as complete games. so I took basically a year and about every two weeks I took another team one and turned it into the wizard so you can see the artwork but it's basically a reskin of the team one and gave it a better artwork package so that was the prior project but that's me certainly any questions go ahead Did the original EM of Evo Knievel have a four-bump cam on the motor? Yes, it did. Again, they happened to use a four-bump. What's that for? It's actually the bonus. It's scoring the bonus. Yeah, so this is right off the Evo Knievel EM thing, so line nine. On the Knight Rider, it was a three-bump or something. Oh, it was the 3,000 at the top or something. And then Evil did four of them. So, go ahead. Are you painting the cabinets or using decals? I'm painting. I'm using pinball pimp stencils to repaint the cabinets. So, that's it, I think. So, what did I do, about eight minutes, ten minutes there? Right? All right, there you go. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you. you _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 585bc989-5adb-47b5-a872-c9eee870e1a8*