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Episode 15 - Double-Up fixin and Jones Plugs

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·19m 52s·analyzed·Mar 26, 2015
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.019

TL;DR

EM restoration deep-dive: Double-Up repair work and detailed Jones plug maintenance guide.

Summary

Nick Baldridge discusses his work restoring a Double-Up EM pinball machine, detailing issues with the multi-play relay, anti-cheat mechanism, and feature lights. The bulk of the episode provides a comprehensive technical guide to Jones plugs—large electrical connectors that link the cabinet head to the body in EM machines—covering their function, removal, cleaning, maintenance, proper orientation, and transport procedures.

Key Claims

  • Jones plugs are not represented on pinball schematics, making troubleshooting them extremely difficult

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, describing Jones plug diagnostic challenges

  • No one manufactures new Jones plugs today; replacements must come from donor games

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, on Jones plug sourcing and availability

  • Bingo pinball machines can activate feature/score lights through two methods: spotting disc/switches attached to mixer, or through units controlling features

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, explaining bingo light activation mechanisms

  • EM pinball heads disconnect entirely from cabinets (unlike solid-state games which fold down), requiring disconnection of all electrical connections

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, describing EM cabinet assembly differences

  • Wire bends in circuits increase resistance, which can cause electrical problems analogous to adding a resistor

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, on electrical theory and wire management

  • Nick Baldridge owns a game called 'Twinkie' made by Chicago Coin, a 1967 machine

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, recounting a Jones plug troubleshooting experience on his personal machine

  • Plugging a Jones plug in backwards can blow fuses, melt coils, or cause other serious damage

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, on consequences of improper Jones plug orientation

  • Nick encountered a machine where Jones plugs were cut off for transport and then reassembled using 16 butt connectors per plug, creating multiple potential failure points

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, describing worst-case Jones plug mangling scenario

Notable Quotes

  • “The Jones plugs are very large sockets with a male portion and a female portion. Larger than your typical power plug.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 6:18 — Key definition of Jones plug physical characteristics for audience understanding

  • “The idea being that you want those plugs to transmit electricity as efficiently as possible.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 8:08 — Articulates the core principle behind Jones plug maintenance

  • “No one makes new Jones plugs today so the only way to get one is from a donor game”

    Nick Baldridge@ 9:01 — Critical constraint for EM collectors and technicians—parts scarcity issue

  • “They're not represented on the schematic. Again for emphasis they not represented on the schematic.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 9:49 — Emphasizes the diagnostic challenge unique to Jones plugs in EM troubleshooting

  • “I have a pretty bad meter, which I have a hard time believing half of the time what it tells me as far as continuity.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 11:06 — Self-aware humor about tools and methodology, relatable for DIY technicians

  • “Of course, as soon as I post something on RGP, I figure it out. That's generally the way it goes for me.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 11:48 — References RGP (Rec.Games.Pinball) forum culture and common problem-solving pattern in pinball community

  • “In the worst instance of Jones plug mangling that I've seen there was a machine that had the Jones plugs cut off so that the head could be removed for transport”

    Nick Baldridge@ 16:37 — Cautionary tale about improper EM disassembly and reassembly techniques

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonFor Amusement OnlyorganizationDouble-UpgameTwinkiegameChicago CoincompanyRGPorganization

Signals

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Detailed technical guide to Jones plug removal, cleaning, inspection, and maintenance for EM machine head disassembly and transport

    high · Comprehensive coverage of Jones plug care, female connector cleaning techniques, and proper reassembly procedures

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Discussion of continuity testing challenges when Jones plugs are not shown on schematics; emphasis on meter accuracy and methodical probe wiggling

    high · Nick's account of the Twinkie Jones plug repair where almost-broken wire was difficult to detect with standard continuity testing

  • ?

    community_signal: Nick Baldridge launched a Facebook page for podcast engagement and is actively taking listener questions for future episodes

    high · Final podcast outro mentioning new Facebook page and invitation for community questions

  • ?

    technology_signal: Jones plugs are no longer manufactured; replacement parts must be sourced from donor games, creating a scarcity constraint for EM collectors

    high · Nick's explicit statement: 'No one makes new Jones plugs today so the only way to get one is from a donor game'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: EM machines require complete head disconnection from cabinet (unlike solid-state) using multiple large Jones plug connectors; this is fundamental to EM design and affects transport, maintenance, and restoration

    high · Extended explanation of head removal process, Jones plug function, and cabinet-head separation in EM vs. solid-state architecture

Topics

Jones plug maintenance and careprimaryEM pinball head disassembly and transportprimaryEM machine restoration and repairprimaryElectrical troubleshooting in vintage pinballsecondaryBingo pinball feature and score light activationsecondaryWire management and electrical resistancesecondaryPinball community resources and forumsmentioned

Sentiment

positive(0.75)— Nick expresses satisfaction with his restoration work, enthusiasm for technical problem-solving, and good humor about his mistakes. The tone is educational and patient. Minor frustration expressed about lazy repairs and wire issues, but overall constructive and encouraging toward the listener community.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.060

0:00
what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is nick baldridge i'm back in the arcade again after a short absence and feels pretty good spent a bit of time tonight working on double up and I found a few problems. The multi-play relay was an issue,
0:30
as well as the anti-cheat. And both of them together were causing significant issues with the reset circuit. One of the switches on the replay register is also a little flaky, and it has been from the beginning. it's probably about time to replace the switch but I'm just so lazy so I've kind of rigged it back into working
1:04
in the process of doing so I managed to knock out all of the feature and score lights on the game and so I've been restoring those the score lights were easy, that's again part of the anti-cheat so one of the switches started making poor contact I just touched it up a little bit and now everything's good there the problem with the feature lights is more difficult
1:38
so in a bingo there are two different ways that feature or score lights can be activated One is through the spotting disc and the switches which are located there. That's attached to the mixer which is tied to the back door. The other is through the units themselves that control said features. So as the unit steps, a chase light is supposed to light.
2:10
And what's happening on my game right now is that they're not lighting. But I'm out of time for working on it tonight, and I'll look into it more tomorrow evening, hopefully. So, that brings us to our tech for tonight. and I thought since I had not described Jones plugs in detail, I would get into what they are, where they're located, what they're for,

“Bends in wire cause resistance. And just like a resistor causes resistance in a circuit, a bend in a wire increases the resistance in that circuit.”

Nick Baldridge@ 13:48 — Educational moment explaining electrical theory principles to EM technician audience

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Instance of machine with Jones plugs cut off and replaced with 16 butt connectors per plug during reassembly; creates multiple failure points and diagnostic complexity

    high · Nick's anecdote about encountering a machine with poorly executed Jones plug replacement using butt connectors

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Bingo machines have two distinct pathways for feature/score light activation: spotting disc/switches on mixer, and step units with chase lights

    high · Nick's technical explanation of bingo feature light activation methods while troubleshooting Double-Up

    • 2:46
    how to clean them, how to disconnect them, and just general Jones plug care and maintenance. So when you bring your first EM home, you'll notice a few things right off the bat. The first would be that the head totally disconnects from the cabinet. This is different than a modern solid state game where the head just folds down. You actually have to disconnect all the electrical connections between the head and the cabinet.
    3:21
    And then unbolt the head and physically remove it. This task is challenging, partially because the back glass, which is typically irreplaceable, is installed in the head, and also because the head is usually filled with units and other items which are very, very heavy. Now I'm not even talking about a bingo, I'm talking about a flipper game.
    3:55
    So what do you do? What I do is I remove the Jones plugs, I tuck the cables back inside the cabinet, I finish loosening the bolts one at a time while keeping my arm basically wrapped around the head to prevent it from moving back and forth or falling over. I have a place typically on my person, so a pocket or a bag or something similar that I don't have to move very much to put the bolts into.
    4:36
    and then I have to have a place for the ratchet itself or the wrench and more often than not I end up just dropping it on the floor once that's done it just a matter of muscling the head onto the floor making sure that the back glass is facing away from anything that could run into it Children pets the cabinet when you wheel it forward, anything of that nature. In my arcade, I
    5:14
    pull the game out to take the head off and then turn the head around backwards once it's removed and faced the wall to prevent something from ricocheting into it and smashing the back glass. That would be pretty disheartening. So, once the head is removed, then you can take the legs off and transport the game. But, what are those Jones plugs that I kind of breezed over? And what are they for?
    5:44
    Well, their purpose is to connect electrically the cabinet body to the cabinet head. And that allows feature and score lights to illuminate. It allows score reels to turn. It allows for power to flow from the transformer down in the body to the head. Now the Jones plugs are very large
    6:16
    sockets with a male portion and a female portion. Larger than your typical power plug. And they are normally a certain number of male plugs goes into the same number of female plugs. That's not always the case. But typically if we're talking about disconnecting the head from the body. So, you may have three or four Jones plugs of between eight and twelve prongs that need
    6:57
    to be disconnected before you can remove those bolts and take the head off of the body. to remove a jones plug you need to very carefully wiggle the bakelite disc not disc but surface that is attached to the male portion of the jones plug and as you wiggle just be sure not to apply too much force
    7:27
    because the bakelite is pretty thin and it's very old you should start to release it. When you remove it, you can inspect the Jones plug and see if it is rusted or needs cleaning and other attention. To clean, either use a stiff wire brush or scotch brite pad or a high percentage isopropyl, 91%, and a Q-tip.
    8:05
    It just depends on what the gunk is that's on it. The idea being that you want those plugs to transmit electricity as efficiently as possible. So on the female side, and this is typically the weak point, you've got small metal rectangles that the male prongs fit inside. And those small metal rectangles can get very dirty as well.
    8:37
    Cleaning inside one of those is a lot trickier than cleaning the male portion. you have to ensure that you don't deform the female portion or the Jones plug will never plug in appropriately and you don't want to bend that metal too much or it will break and then you'll have many problems no one makes new Jones plugs today so the only way to get one is from a donor game so cleaning those again you can clean the outside with a stiff wire brush
    9:17
    or scotch brite pad but one thing to note with a stiff wire brush is that you have to ensure that all of the bristles have been removed after you finish cleaning you don't want arcing between prongs on the Jones plug where you will spend the rest of your life tracking down that problem. Thankfully that's never happened to me, but I have had Jones plug problems and they are very difficult to track down because the Jones plugs
    9:49
    are not represented on the schematic Again for emphasis they not represented on the schematic So in order to track down a problem or something that acting odd you have to set your meter to continuity and make sure that from point A to point B, which may be feet and feet away from point A, your continuity checks out. That's pretty tedious.
    10:20
    So, my favorite Jones plug problem that I've run across is on my game Twinkie, which is made by a Chicago coin. That's a 67 game that I kept getting confused with the year. In Twinkie, there's a female Jones plug, a set of female Jones plugs, down in the bottom back of the cabinet. and the issue was that one of the wires under one of the sets of the female Jones plugs
    10:57
    was almost entirely broken, but not so much that it would throw off my continuity reading. So I have a pretty bad meter, which I have a hard time believing half of the time what it tells me as far as continuity. And I typically have to wiggle the probe around a bit in order to hear it beep that there's continuity. And I'm always careful to make sure that I'm not touching something adjacent
    11:29
    or something of that nature. But in this instance, the wiggling was causing the almost broken wire to connect. and it's embarrassing how long that took me to figure out. It took me forever. And of course, as soon as I post something on RGP, I figure it out. That's generally the way it goes for me. So the way I fixed it,
    12:00
    it's about a five second repair. I unscrew the female Jones plug, desolder the old wire, solder a new wire in, tuck it into the bundle, run it over to the switch that it attached to, all is well. The game operates completely flawlessly now, where before it wouldn't score in the outlanes. So how do you detach them for transport?
    12:30
    Again, I breezed over this just a moment ago, but you pull the male end out of the female end, You tuck the Jones plugs back into the cabinet, and then you should be ready to go. They're not going to move around but so much, and I've never had a Jones plug fall out and get sheared off. I'm sure that it's possible, so you want to exercise caution, but common sense wins the day as it does in most things.
    13:04
    so after you remove the head if we're not talking about a bingo still we're talking about a flipper game the power cord is run through the neck and into the cabinet and that's because the transformer is inside the cabinet it's very important when you reassemble that you run the power cord through the noted space in the neck the slotted space or else you risk shearing the power cord off or causing increased resistance in the power cord,
    13:41
    which is not something that you want from your 120 volt source. Nor do you want that really anywhere. Remember that bends in wire cause resistance. And just like a resistor causes resistance in a circuit, a bend in a wire increases the resistance in that circuit. So you want to try to prevent making hard bends or you'll wind up causing yourself electrical problems down the road.
    14:15
    And the same goes for Jones plugs. When you're unscrewing and re-screwing a female side of a Jones plug, you want to make sure that none of the wires are getting pinched. or you'll wind up with something truly infuriating to troubleshoot. Now, Jones plugs are typically marked. So if you have multiple of the same size that are right beside each other,
    14:47
    normally they marked with a color on the end and it the end that is plugged closest to the protrusion which tells you that that kind of like the keyed side So it tells you that you plugging it in correctly Plugging a Jones plug in backwards is incredibly inadvisable. Depending on what it's carrying, it can cause all kinds of really bad problems.
    15:21
    Anything from blowing a fuse to, you know, melting a coil or doing something else that you really wouldn't want to see happen. So it's important that you have them aligned appropriately. And normally, again, common sense rules the day, the bundle of wire is not going to be sliced in the middle by this metal protrusion that shows you which end to plug it into.
    15:51
    Now, if your Jones plugs are not marked and they are similar sizes and you feel like it's going to be possible for you to mix it up when you reassemble, it's advisable or mandatory. we'll just call it mandatory that you mark both the plug and the protrusion so that you know which is which I tend to use a symbol just any kind of mark will do
    16:22
    on my games that I own personally they all still have the paint attached that tells me which is which but I've certainly worked on games where that's not the case in the worst instance of Jones plug mangling that I've seen there was a machine that had the Jones plugs cut off so that the head could be removed for transport and I've got to say I'm highly impressed
    16:57
    that they were able to put it back together again because we're talking about a very large number of wires now unfortunately what they did was to put it back together again by slicing the wire bundle on each Jones plug and installing 16 butt connectors to each plug. That was horrifying to see because, of course,
    17:27
    each one of those butt connectors is a potential problem. open in that circuit. So figuring that out when the schematic doesn't show the plug or its orientation or really any data about it is going to be very difficult. So it's important to know how to remove these plugs so that you can transport your EM
    17:59
    with the head off of the cabinet body you don't want to transport a game with the legs on and if people would like I can go into more basics on how to transport a game but I figure most of whom I'm talking to have moved at least a solid state game in the past so you're probably familiar with unbolting the legs and putting it up on end and all that kind of stuff
    18:32
    It's the same process for an EM, but again, you do have to remove the head. You don't just lay it down. Even with ratchet straps and all of the shrink wrap in the world, I would never transport my game that way. Well, that's all for tonight, and I want to thank you for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldrige. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com. You can find us online at forumusementonly.libsyn.com.
    19:06
    You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, via RSS. And, although I said it would never happen because I'm not huge into the Facebooking, I actually made a Facebook page. And I'm keeping an eye on it, and I'll be posting in there. if there's community engagement. So if you have any questions, feel free to post them there,
    19:37
    and I'll be happy to answer them and possibly incorporate them into the next episode. Thank you very much, and I hope you've enjoyed listening, and I'll talk to you next time.