Episode 262 - Listener Question - Finding the Power

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·6m 37s·analyzed·Nov 28, 2015

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.012

TL;DR

Safety guidance on 120V hazards in EM machines with kick-off switches vs toggle switches.

Summary

Nicholas Backbone addresses a listener question from Ryan Clader about safety when troubleshooting EM pinball machines, specifically clarifying the difference between machines with toggle switches (which cut power completely) and older machines with kick-off switches (which only disable the lock relay, leaving 120V present). Backbone explains the electrical hazards of working on machines where the transformer remains powered, even when the game appears off, and emphasizes the importance of unplugging such machines or using alternative power cutoff methods before performing maintenance.

Key Claims

Machines produced in mid-1960s and before did not have toggle switches on the cabinet bottom; instead they had kick-off switches activated by thumping the cabinet
high confidence · Nicholas Backbone explaining electrical safety in EM machines
A kick-off switch cuts power only to the lock relay, not to the transformer itself, leaving 120V present in the machine even when disabled
high confidence · Nicholas Backbone explaining functional difference between switch types
The lock relay (also called anti-cheat relay or hold relay in Bally bingos) allows power to flow to lamps and coils; a toggle switch cuts power to the transformer entirely
high confidence · Nicholas Backbone describing relay function and power distribution
Even with a kick-off switch engaged, a game can still be started via a start button or by dropping a coin if the lock relay is disengaged
high confidence · Nicholas Backbone explaining residual power availability
Machines converted from dry cell batteries to outlet power require careful evaluation of power flow before maintenance unless conversion is fully understood
high confidence · Nicholas Backbone advising caution on converted machines
12V shock from dry cell batteries is painful but manageable; 120V outlet shock is dangerous and 'not fun'
high confidence · Nicholas Backbone comparing shock hazards from different voltage sources
Safe alternatives to unplugging include using a power strip, remote start setup, or circuit breaker cutoff to disable outlet power
high confidence · Nicholas Backbone providing workaround methods

Notable Quotes

“the games that were produced, somewhere in the mid-sixties and before didn't have a separate toggle switch on the bottom of the cabinet. Instead they had a special switch which could be activated by thumping the bottom of the cabinet.”
Nicholas Backbone @ N/A — Establishes the historical distinction between machine types that determines electrical safety requirements
“What the toggle switch does is it actually cuts the power off to the transformer. It stops it from getting there. The source is cut off. In this case, the source is still present.”
Nicholas Backbone @ N/A — Key explanation of why kick-off switch machines remain hazardous even when disabled
“if you are messing around in a section that has 120 volts in it and you accidentally touch two pieces together that shouldn't be touched together, suddenly you become the path of least resistance while you're holding a metal tool and that 120 volts flows through your body, which is not a good thing.”
Nicholas Backbone @ N/A — Vivid explanation of electrical hazard mechanism
“being bit by 120 volts is not fun, speaking from experience.”
Nicholas Backbone @ N/A — Personal credibility and weight behind the safety advice
“to be safe you would unplug this type of game now an acceptable substitute is if you have the ability to cut the power off to the game elsewhere.”
Nicholas Backbone @ N/A — Clear safety recommendation with practical alternatives

Entities

Nicholas BackbonepersonRyan CladerpersonFor Amusement OnlyorganizationGame of ThronesgameAC/DC Pro Vault Editiongame

Topics

EM pinball electrical safety and troubleshootingprimaryKick-off switches vs toggle switches in vintage machinesprimaryLock relay function and power distribution in EM gamesprimaryDry cell battery conversions to outlet powersecondary120V electrical hazard preventionprimary

Sentiment

neutral(0)— Content is educational and safety-focused with serious tone. No emotional valence toward games, companies, or community members. Neutral technical explanation.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.020

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 we got a call on the bingos line hey nick this is ryan clader again just giving you a call i listened to your podcast on your particular technique for troubleshooting EM machines, and in it, you said, turn off your machine so you don't avoid this 120-volt shock. Good idea. Or if your machine cannot be fully turned off, then unplug it. So what does that mean exactly? How do you know if a machine cannot be fully turned off. Thankfully, we have you around to let us know about this. Can't wait to hear what you have to say. Thanks a lot for the podcast, man. Keep it up. Take care. Ryan, thank you for your call. And that's a very good point. Sometimes I just gloss over stuff and realize later I need to go back and kind of fill in the gaps. So games that were produced, somewhere in the mid-sixties and before didn't have a separate toggle switch on the bottom of the cabinet. Instead they had a special switch which could be activated by thumping the bottom of the cabinet. Now this is called a kickoff switch rather than a knockoff switch although I heard it called that before But a knock switch would actually knock the credits off of a game So this kick-off switch, what it does is it will cut the power to the lock relay inside your machine. Now, for those that have messed with an EM before, you know that the lock relay is all important. and sometimes it's called the anti-cheat relay like say in the Ballybingos. Sometimes it's called the hold relay and sometimes it's called the lock relay. In all cases what it's doing is allowing power to flow to certain areas of the game. What the toggle switch does is it actually cuts the power off to the transformer. It stops it from getting there. The source is cut off. In this case, the source is still present. It's actually running through the transformer, and all that it's stopping it from doing is turning on the lamps and the coils. So everything that's stepped down from 120 volts. Meanwhile, the 120 volts is still there. So you can still fire up a game if your game has a start button, or you can drop a coin and start the game that way, even if the lock relay is disengaged. So you may say, you know, why does this matter? Well, again, as Ryan points out if you are messing around in a section that has 120 volts in it and you accidentally touch two pieces together that shouldn't be touched together, suddenly you become the path of least resistance while you're holding a metal tool and that 120 volts flows through your body, which is not a good thing. Now, another thing to think about if you're working on a 30s game, or one that ran off of dry cell batteries that's been converted to run off of outlet power, unless you understand how the conversion took place and where the power is flowing, you need to be very careful about working on one of those games as well. getting shocked by a 12 volt dry cell battery is no big deal although because it's dc it's still quite painful but if you're shocked by 120 volt outlet power that's a whole different story so to be safe you would unplug this type of game now an acceptable substitute is if you have the ability to cut the power off to the game elsewhere. Say, for example, if you ran it through a power strip or some kind of remote start setup, anything of that nature that can actually turn the power off to the outlet or hey even trip the breaker any of those things will turn the power off to the game but without doing those things I most certainly would not be working inside of a game that has a kickoff switch like that because it way too easy to accidentally touch something and get hurt. Despite the wires being marked, you know, you're probably not going to accidentally touch something that you're well aware of. More likely you're going to touch something which you didn't realize had 120 volts in it, or you weren't paying attention to that, you were paying attention to the thing right in front of your face, and all of a sudden you've got a really big shock on your hands. And being bit by 120 volts is not fun, speaking from experience. So you really don't want to do that if you don't have to. So, great question, Ryan. I really appreciate it. And that's all for tonight. 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 us on the bingos line. That's 724-BINGOS1. 724-246-4671 You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, via RSS, on Facebook, on Twitter, at Bingo Podcast. You can follow me on Instagram, at Bingo Podcast. Or you can listen to us on our website, which is formusementonly.libsyn.com Thank you very much for listening, and I'll talk to you next time.