Episode 30 - High Voltage

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·6m 16s·analyzed·Apr 10, 2015

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.012

TL;DR

EM/Bingo safety guide: high-voltage hazards and proper troubleshooting procedures

Summary

Nick Baldridge discusses electrical hazards in EM and bingo pinball machines, covering dangerous voltages (120V AC in coin doors and flipper buttons), safe troubleshooting practices, and the critical importance of turning machines off before maintenance. He emphasizes that modern machines with DC current pose even greater risks than older AC machines, and warns against poking around in machines without proper precautions.

Key Claims

Early Gottlieb machines from the 1950s-1960s route 120 volts to coin doors and flipper buttons, creating shock hazards if original metal buttons haven't been replaced with plastic
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, EM/Bingo pinball expertise, direct technical description of wiring hazards
Fish paper (electrical insulation) in critical circuits of early Gottlieb machines degrades and should be inspected/replaced
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, discussing maintenance of 1950s-1960s Gottlieb machines
DC current in modern pinball machines is more dangerous than AC current because it stops the heart faster
medium confidence · Nick Baldridge, comparing AC vs DC electrical safety in modern vs vintage machines
Adjusting games, changing light bulbs, or troubleshooting while the machine is powered on creates risk of accidental arcing and severe shock
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, repeated safety warning based on personal experience
Cloth-wrapped wire in Bally and Gottlieb EMs/bingos typically carries lower voltage than plastic-wrapped wire, with plastic-wrapped wires primarily used for 120V circuits
medium confidence · Nick Baldridge, technical explanation of wire insulation types and voltage routing

Notable Quotes

“I really would rather not have killed by a pinball machine on my epitaph”
Nick Baldridge — Humorous but serious point about the lethal potential of EM machine electrical hazards
“DC does it faster. So be very careful and treat these machines as they are. They're commercial machines, they're not really meant for you to be poking around in, and they make no pretense that they're going to keep you safe while you do it.”
Nick Baldridge — Core safety philosophy: machines are industrial equipment with inherent dangers, not hobbyist-friendly
“Plastic-wrapped wires are basically a big screaming warning sign. Do not touch these while the machine is on.”
Nick Baldridge — Visual identification system for high-voltage circuits requiring special caution

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonFor Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball PodcastorganizationGottliebcompany Ballycompany

Signals

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restoration_signal: Detailed guidance on identifying and mitigating electrical hazards in EM/bingo machines during restoration and troubleshooting
high · Comprehensive discussion of fish paper degradation, voltage routing, insulation types, and safe maintenance procedures for 1950s-1960s machines
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historical_signal: Technical documentation of electrical design practices in early Gottlieb (1950s-1960s) and Bally EM/bingo machines
high · Specific descriptions of 120V routing to coin doors, flipper buttons, reset circuits, and wire insulation standards
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product_concern: Electrical shock and electrocution risks in vintage EM/bingo machines, particularly from degraded insulation and high-voltage exposure
high · Multiple warnings about dangerous voltage levels, poor insulation, and risks of accidental arcing and severe injury
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operational_signal: Proper procedures for troubleshooting EM/bingo machines while minimizing electrical hazard exposure
high · Detailed description of using wooden dowels to test relay operation, avoiding live circuit work except as last resort

Topics

Electrical safety in EM and bingo pinball machinesprimaryAC vs DC current hazards in vintage vs modern machinesprimarySafe troubleshooting and maintenance proceduresprimaryRestoration and repair of 1950s-1960s Gottlieb machinessecondaryHigh-voltage circuit identification and insulation materialssecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0)— Tone is serious and cautionary regarding safety hazards, with occasional dry humor to underscore severity. No negative sentiment toward manufacturers, purely informational about inherent machine dangers.

Transcript

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What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only, this is Nick Baldrige. Today I wanted to talk to you about what inside your game can hurt you or kill you. The main thing to remember about an EM is that they run off of AC current. Because of this, the full 120 volts available from the wall is often routed to multiple places within the game. In some instances, like in a bingo, it's routed to the reset circuit. So when you first start the machine, it will fire 120 volts to get the motors cranking, and also to reset the machine back to its default state. In other machines, 120 volts is actually routed to the coin door as well as to the flipper buttons. I had mentioned this on an earlier podcast, but it's worth repeating. You need to check the position and useful life of all the fish paper in those critical circuits, particularly early Gottlieb machines from the 50s and 60s will route 120 volts to the coin door where you push a button to start the game and to the flipper buttons If you have not replaced your flipper buttons that were originally metal with plastic then you have a very easy way to shock yourself silly. Another very simple way that you can injure yourself easily is by adjusting a game or changing a light bulb or doing much of anything to try and correct a problem while the machine is on. This is very dangerous, and as I've mentioned many times, I'm kind of a chicken about it, but there's a reason. It's very, very simple to accidentally create an arc somewhere that you don't want to create an arc that will allow you to get severely shocked and injured. so I don't take that chance because I really would rather not have killed by a pinball machine on my epitaph, but that said, I've taken many stupid risks in the past, which I'll surely get into in a later episode. another thing that I've seen some people want to do is try to stick their fingers in a unit when the unit is trying to step or touch the score motor in some way and this is also very dangerous and at a minimum you know you can get a pinched finger but at a maximum you know you can get really hurt there too So you want to avoid sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, and that basically goes back to turn the machine off before you start trying to fix something. It does not take that long to do, and it will save you considerable harm. Now, if you're troubleshooting something, like let's say I have a bingo where the red letter game is not firing appropriately, my switches are adjusted, but I need to make sure that the trip relays are tripping appropriately. Well, you can go back to the backbox while the machine is running. This is the only time that I do this, and I will take a wooden stick, a small dowel and push the actuator plate, and that will allow the trip relay to fall. And that'll show me that the unit is actually working appropriately and that the game is able to score. But I only do this, again, if I've already gone through and adjusted the switches, and I just want to check the operation while the machine is on because it's still giving me trouble. I don't do this as a first resort. It's basically a last resort. Be very very careful with your games And this goes for modern games It does not matter In modern games you have DC running around which is much more dangerous AC can certainly stop your heart but DC does it faster. So be very careful and treat these machines as they are. They're commercial machines, they're not really meant for you to be poking around in, and they make no pretense that they're going to keep you safe while you do it. So, Bally in particular, and Gottlieb as well, in their EMs and in their bingos, Bally's bingos. Cloth-wrapped wire is typically run at a lower voltage than plastic-wrapped wire. You'll only see that in a few circuits in a bingo, for example, like in that reset circuit that I mentioned, and that's because that's the only one that takes 120 volts. Those plastic-wrapped wires are basically a big screaming warning sign. Do not touch these while the machine is on. that's all for tonight thank you for joining me my name again is Nicholas Baldridge you can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com you can find us online at 4amusementonly.libsyn.com you can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, via RSS and you can find us online on Facebook thanks for joining me talk to you next time