# Episode 26 - Drop Targets

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-04-06  
**Duration:** 7m 54s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-26-drop-targets

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## Analysis

Nick Baldridge explains the mechanics and design of drop targets across pinball manufacturers (Gottlieb, Bally, Williams), detailing how they function and their engineering differences. He then provides a detailed technical guide for replacing drop targets on Gottlieb machines, including step-by-step instructions for removal, cleaning, and inspection of related components.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Gottlieb invented the drop target and perfected them in the 1970s — _Nick Baldridge stating as historical fact about Gottlieb's design innovation and refinement_
- [HIGH] Bally drop targets are thicker than Gottlieb's, causing more impact absorption and ball bounce-back issues — _Nick Baldridge providing technical analysis of Bally vs Gottlieb design differences_
- [MEDIUM] Bally reproduction drop targets have more bounce-back problems than originals, possibly due to material differences — _Nick Baldridge noting this issue is more pronounced on repro targets and speculating about material factors_
- [HIGH] Williams drop targets were much larger than Gottlieb's, as seen in Grand Prix — _Nick Baldridge using Grand Prix as specific example of Williams' design approach_
- [HIGH] The reset arm on drop target banks can wear a hole through from metal-on-metal contact over many years — _Nick Baldridge describing wear patterns he has observed during maintenance_
- [HIGH] Grease applied by operators to drop target arms can gum up over time and cause reset failures — _Nick Baldridge citing specific cases from his maintenance experience_
- [HIGH] Steve Young at Pinball Resource can help with replacement fingers or reset arm components — _Nick Baldridge recommending Steve Young as resource for parts across Bally, Williams, and Gottlieb machines_

### Notable Quotes

> "When you strike a drop target with the ball, it pushes a ledge that you can't see from the player's perspective off of part of the playfield and allows the target to fall."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, early
> _Clear explanation of fundamental drop target mechanism_

> "Gottlieb invented the drop target and so they came to perfect them in the 1970s."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, mid
> _Establishes Gottlieb as innovator and refinement authority on drop target design_

> "I don't want to say they're inferior because that'll ruffle feathers, but they're not quite as simple in their design."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, mid
> _Diplomatically positions Gottlieb as superior while acknowledging sensitivity in the community_

> "Bally drop targets are typically thicker, and the problem with their drop targets is that because they are thicker, there's more surface area to absorb the impact."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, mid
> _Technical explanation of why Bally targets bounce back more frequently than Gottlieb's_

> "This is much more of a problem on repro new drop targets than it was on the originals, and this may be down to the type of material that's used or some other factor that's invisible, because they appear identical."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, mid
> _Points to quality/material issues in reproduction targets vs originals_

> "Williams drop targets were much larger so if you look at a game like Grand Prix which was one of their last EMs the drop targets have a much larger surface area"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, mid
> _Specific example of Williams' distinct design philosophy from Gottlieb_

> "Over many, many years of doing this, it'll start to wear a hole. It's metal-on-metal contact, and you may run into a situation where one target doesn't reset all the time, but it does other times."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, late
> _Describes common wear failure pattern observed in field maintenance_

> "I've had games where the operator has put grease on the arm, and of course that becomes gummy over time and then sticks."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, late
> _Real-world maintenance issue caused by well-intentioned but problematic operator maintenance_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nick Baldridge | person | Host and expert on EM pinball and drop target mechanics; provides technical guidance and maintenance advice |
| Gottlieb | company | Pinball manufacturer credited with inventing drop targets and refining them to their peak in the 1970s |
| Bally | company | Pinball manufacturer with thicker drop target design that causes more impact absorption and bounce-back issues |
| Williams | company | Pinball manufacturer with notably larger drop target design, exemplified by Grand Prix |
| Target Alpha | game | Gottlieb game mentioned as example with multiple drop targets in single bank |
| El Dorado | game | Gottlieb game mentioned as example with tons of drop targets |
| Grand Prix | game | Williams EM game cited as example of their large drop target design; noted as one of Williams' last EMs |
| Steve Young | person | Owner/operator of Pinball Resource; recommended source for replacement drop target fingers and reset arm components |
| Pinball Resource | company | Parts supplier and service resource for pinball machine components across multiple manufacturers |
| For Amusement Only | organization | Podcast focused on EM and bingo pinball; hosted by Nick Baldridge |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Drop target mechanics and design, Manufacturer design philosophy differences (Gottlieb vs Bally vs Williams), Drop target maintenance and replacement procedures
- **Secondary:** Reproduction target quality issues, EM pinball engineering and mechanics, Field maintenance best practices, Wear patterns and component failure modes

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Nick Baldridge is enthusiastic about drop targets as a design feature and respectful of different manufacturer approaches while expressing preference for Gottlieb's engineering. The tone is educational and helpful, focused on sharing maintenance knowledge with the community.

### Signals

- **[design_philosophy]** Gottlieb's drop target design emphasizes simplicity and refinement vs Bally's thicker construction and Williams' larger surfaces (confidence: high) — Detailed technical comparison of design approaches across three manufacturers with specific examples
- **[product_concern]** Reproduction Bally drop targets have higher bounce-back rates than originals; material or manufacturing differences suspected (confidence: medium) — Nick notes repro targets play differently than originals despite appearing identical, specululates about material factors
- **[restoration_signal]** Detailed technical guidance provided for drop target replacement on Gottlieb machines, including inspection of reset mechanisms (confidence: high) — Step-by-step instructions for removal, cleaning, and inspection of drop target banks and related components
- **[operational_signal]** Improper operator maintenance (applying grease to arms) causes gumming and reset failures over time (confidence: high) — Nick describes specific cases where operator-applied grease became problematic and caused sticky reset behavior
- **[historical_signal]** Gottlieb credited with inventing drop targets and perfecting them in the 1970s; establishing them as design authority (confidence: high) — Nick explicitly states Gottlieb invented drop targets and came to perfect them in the 1970s
- **[content_signal]** Nick Baldridge established as authoritative voice on EM pinball mechanics and maintenance through detailed technical knowledge (confidence: high) — Demonstrates hands-on maintenance experience and detailed mechanical understanding across multiple manufacturers

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## Transcript

 what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is Nicholas Baldridge today i thought i'd talk about drop targets drop targets are a favorite target type of mine and the way that they work is pretty neat and also pretty simple. When you strike a drop target with the ball, it pushes a ledge that you can't see from the player's perspective off of part of the playfield and allows the target to fall. The falling action happens because of gravity and also because of a spring that's hooked up to the target. When the target falls, it pushes a switch. the switch allows the game to score and it also tells the game that this target sequence has been completed. So for each additional target in the same sequence group when they fall it scores and once the game sees that all the targets in that sequence have fallen it will trigger some special action of the sequence. Perhaps it will reset the target bank. Perhaps it will give you a double bonus. Or perhaps it will do something else entirely. This depends on the manufacturer, also the game, of course. Every game is different. Drop targets between manufacturers were also different. Gottlieb's drop targets are pretty simple. There a space in the target body that a little arm goes through There a place for a spring to hold onto And there a nice ledge and then a very nicely shaped target Now Gottlieb invented the drop target and so they came to perfect them in the 1970s. Other manufacturers also use drop targets, but their drop targets, well I don't want to say they're inferior because that'll ruffle feathers, but they're not quite as simple in their design. So, bally drop targets are typically thicker, and the problem with their drop targets is that because they are thicker, there's more surface area to absorb the impact. So, sometimes you will hit the ball into a bally drop target, and it'll just bounce right back. This is much more of a problem on repro new drop targets than it was on the originals, and this may be down to the type of material that's used or some other factor that's invisible, because they appear identical. However, when they're in the game, they do not play identically. Williams drop targets were much larger so if you look at a game like Grand Prix which was one of their last EMs the drop targets have a much larger surface area Gottlieb's original drop target design was not that dissimilar however they quickly improved and improved and eventually got to the point that they were at their peak in the 1970s. So for tech today, I wanted to talk about replacing drop targets. And this is a frequent topic of consternation And specifically we going to talk about Gottlieb drop targets Again I prefer the way that they engineered However similar techniques can be used for Bally or Williams drop targets. Just depends on which game that you're looking at. But for Gottlieb drop targets, they were fond of including many, many multiple drop targets in a single bank. If you look at a game like Target Alpha or El Dorado, those games have tons of drop targets. So the first thing you need to do is loosen the entire bracket that contains the drop targets from the playfield underneath. When you do so, it'll pull the targets through the playfield and you'll be able to access them from the top. However, you can't just remove the targets now that you have it loose from the playfield. The next step is to loosen and remove a bottom plate that's underneath all the targets. and that's held in by four or six, maybe eight screws. It depends on how long the bank is. Once you've removed that, you'll have access to the targets underneath. From there, you need to remove the spring that holds each target and helps it to drop. Then you'll be able to remove it from the arm that helps it to reset. And from there, you can pull the target out from the top. Once you've removed all the targets, you'll want to clean them, of course. If you're replacing them, you'll just want to clean the area where the new ones are going in So all the arms that stick through the targets You want to clean the arm that raises all the targets at once You want to change the coil sleeve on the coil that does the resetting And you want to inspect that coil and make sure it's good and doing its job. The last thing you want to check is the reset arm itself. is a little plate that is actuated by a solenoid, and it pushes all the arms at the same time and raises all the targets. Now, over many, many years of doing this, it'll start to wear a hole. It's metal-on-metal contact, and you may run into a situation where one target It doesn't reset all the time, but it does other times. And this is either due to gunk. I've had games where the operator has put grease on the arm, and of course that becomes gummy over time and then sticks. You want to clean that off and then check. But if it's worn a hole through, then you're going to need to replace the fingers if possible. and I would check with Steve Young at Pinball Resource if that were the case. And it doesn't matter the make. You know, it could be Bally Williams or Gottlieb. You just want to probably check with him first and see what he's got. All right, well, that's all for tonight. Thank you for joining me. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can find me online at foreamusementonly.libsyn.com. you can reach me at for amusement only podcast at gmail.com you can listen on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts RSS or you can find me on Facebook thanks 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: f47d991e-9e38-4843-ab89-51d13bb46970*