# Episode 156 - Changing a Control Unit Motor **Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast **Type:** podcast_episode **Published:** 2015-08-14 **Duration:** 9m 2s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-156-changing-a-control-unit-motor --- ## Analysis Nick Baldridge provides a detailed technical walkthrough of replacing a control unit motor on a Bally electromechanical pinball machine (specifically a Gate Time). The episode emphasizes Bally's design thoughtfulness for technicians, covering motor removal, pin punch procedures, switch access, and reinstallation with practical warnings about tool selection and shaft management. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Bally designed the control unit so that the entire set of switches can be removed and folded back to access cams, clutches, and shaft — _Nick Baldridge explaining Bally's mechanical design philosophy in the episode_ - [HIGH] The motor connects to the main shaft of the control unit with a single roll pin — _Nick Baldridge describing motor-to-shaft connection method_ - [HIGH] Roll pins on machines installed 40-50-60 years ago require significant force to remove due to age — _Nick Baldridge explaining why hammering is needed to dislodge aged pins_ - [HIGH] Using a pin punch smaller than the pin diameter will flange out and fold the pin, making it impossible to remove from that side — _Nick Baldridge warning about proper tool selection_ - [HIGH] The game model being serviced is a Bally Gate Time with a non-functional control unit motor that was pre-purchased for replacement — _Nick Baldridge mentioning his acquisition and motor purchase in opening segment_ ### Notable Quotes > "Bally made it actually pretty simple the motor connects to the main shaft of the control unit with a single roll pin" > — **Nick Baldridge**, early in episode > _Establishes the core simplicity of the repair, reinforcing theme of Bally's design consideration_ > "you have to rotate the mechanism on the shaft for the two metal plates that attach closest to the motor itself until the pin is exposed" > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid-episode > _Critical procedural step in accessing the roll pin_ > "pin punches are cheap cheap tools" > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid-episode > _Practical advice that proper tools are affordable, removing cost barrier to repair_ > "the pin will actually fall out just right onto a little shelf that's directly below the control unit so it won't go far" > — **Nick Baldridge**, mid-episode > _Notes Bally's design consideration for technician convenience (preventing lost parts)_ > "once you take the motor off you can actually access all the cams on the shaft and doing this will allow you to change the clutches should you desire change out a broken cam or any other maintenance task" > — **Nick Baldridge**, late episode > _Demonstrates how motor removal enables broader maintenance access on control unit_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Nick Baldridge | person | Host of 4 Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; technician performing control unit motor replacement; provides detailed technical guidance | | Bally | company | Pinball manufacturer; noted for thoughtful design accommodations for technicians in control unit construction | | Gate Time | game | Bally bingo/EM pinball machine that Nick Baldridge recently acquired with a non-functional control unit motor | | Vic | person | Informed Nick Baldridge that the control unit on the Gate Time was not turning properly | | 4 Amusement Only | organization | EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge | ### Topics - **Primary:** EM Control Unit Motor Replacement, Bally Design Philosophy and Technician Considerations, Mechanical Repair Tools and Techniques, Roll Pin Removal and Installation - **Secondary:** EM Machine Maintenance and Access Design, Control Unit Cam and Clutch Access ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Nick Baldridge is enthusiastic about Bally's design thoughtfulness and speaks positively about the relative simplicity of the repair process. The tone is educational and encouraging, with practical warnings framed as helpful guidance rather than complaints. ### Signals - **[restoration_signal]** Detailed documentation of control unit motor replacement procedure on EM machines, including step-by-step pin removal, access methods, and reinstallation (confidence: high) — Comprehensive walkthrough covering pin punch selection, shaft exposure, motor mount removal, and power reconnection - **[design_philosophy]** Bally's deliberate mechanical design to facilitate technician access to control unit components through folding switch assemblies and organized layout (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge's repeated emphasis on Bally's thoughtfulness in designing the control unit for serviceability - **[operational_signal]** Motor replacement as part of routine EM machine servicing; availability and cost-effectiveness of replacement parts and tools (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge's pre-purchase of motor before acquiring Gate Time; emphasis on cheap tool costs - **[community_signal]** Podcast serving as knowledge repository for EM machine repair techniques and community education (confidence: high) — Detailed technical episode content presented in educational format for hobbyist/operator audience - **[restoration_signal]** Availability of replacement motors for EM machines; pre-planning repairs ahead of acquisition (confidence: medium) — Nick Baldridge obtained replacement motor before purchasing Gate Time with known motor issue - **[design_innovation]** EM-era design consideration for modular control unit architecture enabling component-level access and replacement (confidence: high) — Control unit switch assembly can fold back; entire shaft accessible; individual cams, clutches replaceable --- ## Transcript The The The 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. So last night I talked a bit about Bally's thoughtfulness towards the technician. Today I want to explain how i put some of that to use in changing the control unit motor on my new gate time so i mentioned yesterday that when i picked the game up i had been informed by Vic that the control unit was not turning as i mentioned yesterday i had pre-purchased a uh... new motor to put in the game uh... so i was all ready to get that done so, in order to do this bally made it actually pretty simple the motor connects to the main shaft of the control unit with a single roll pin now the construction of the control unit is such that you can actually remove the entire set of switches and fold them back so that you have full access to all the cams, all the clutches, the shaft, everything. Now, once I did this, there was a bit of grease on the bottom plate which is not at all unusual for a bingo This one was in really really good shape I seen some which are just completely covered in crud But expect to get dirty if you messing around with the control unit in order to remove the motor you have to loosen a couple of screws which hold the motor mount in place but before you do that yet punch out the role pen now the reason that you should punch out first is so that the shaft doesn't jump around and possibly damage your search wipers so the shaft runs the entire length of the control unit as you might have wagered and it goes all the way from the search disk through all of the cams and up to the motor all that is held in by a single roll pin in order to punch it out you need a pin punch which is a specific tool along with the hammer you have to rotate the mechanism on the shaft for the two metal plates that attach closest to the motor itself until the pin is exposed you take your pin punch and you make sure that it is lined up exactly in the center of this pin it needs to be exactly the diameter of the pin if you have a punch which is smaller it's going to flange out and fold the pin up which means that you won't be able to punch it out from that side anymore so you need to be careful and choose the appropriate punch if you don't have the right punch then stop and go to the store get the appropriate one pin punches are cheap cheap tools uh... once you've got the right punch and you've got a hammer then you start thwacking away and uh... it'll take a couple of really good thwacks to uh... start moving the pin mostly spins have been installed for you know forty fifty sixty years so uh... there's some some age that's kept them there so they need a little encouraging and uh... the hammer will provide that once you've got the pin out and it should land on the uh... the bottom of the game if you don't have something there to catch at the bottom of the uh... control unit tray that the control unit basically sits on so you don't have to worry about losing it in the game so let me go back here, the pin will actually fall out just right onto a little shelf that's directly below the control unit so it won't go far but once this is done then you can loosen the motor mount that holds control unit in place two screws then you can slide the whole thing out and uh... take it out of the game now there are two or three wires which provide power to the motor and those have to be desoldered or cut uh... if you do cut them then you want to make sure that you leave enough wire so that you can reattach it installing it installing a new motor rather you have to install the pin through the shaft and through the uh metal coupling and again you use a pin punch and a hammer that's all there is to it and then you screw the motor mount down oil your motor and then turn it on and you have to solder the wires back onto it to provide it power but uh... hopefully you've done it correctly the motor spins and all is well with the world if not now you know it's relatively easy to take that apart once you take the motor off you can actually access all the cams on the shaft and doing this will allow you to change the clutches should you desire change out a broken cam or any other maintenance task you can think of that involves shaft cleaning it it's pretty pretty easy If you were to change a can, you have to make sure the alignment so that when it rotates it is actually bumping the switches at the appropriate time but uh... other than that it is pretty straightforward Thank you again for joining me. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail dot com or you can call me on the bingos line at 724 bingos 1 724 246 4671 you can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocketcast, VRSS, on Facebook you can find me on Twitter at bingopodcast you can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge or you can listen to us on our website which is foremusemonomaly.libsyn.com thank you very much for listening and I'll talk to you next time Timing and Subtitles by the Amara.org community _(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: f90d9583-65a0-43f5-ade4-df94520ae00d*