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That's Pinball! with Butch Peel: Unboxing Your Chicago Gaming Pinball Machine

Chicago Gaming Company·video·23m 8s·analyzed·Oct 11, 2022
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.013

TL;DR

Chicago Gaming unboxing & setup guide covering safe delivery, assembly, leveling, and first power-on.

Summary

Butch Peel from Chicago Gaming Company provides a comprehensive unboxing and setup guide for Chicago Gaming pinball machines, covering inspection, unpacking, assembly, leveling, and initial operation. The video emphasizes proper handling procedures, tool requirements, and safety precautions throughout the installation process.

Key Claims

  • Shipping damage does not typically occur with Chicago Gaming's packing methods using oversized pallets

    high confidence · Butch Peel statement about CGC packing quality and pallet-based shipping

  • Never accept a damaged shipment or sign delivery documents if box shows visible damage

    high confidence · Clear procedural advice emphasizing liability implications of signing for damaged goods

  • Chicago Gaming machines ship with free play setup and are ready to play immediately after assembly

    high confidence · Statement near end: 'Chicago Gaming Company pinballs all shipped set up for free play'

  • Factory recommended playfield pitch is 6.5 degrees based on bubble level markings

    high confidence · Detailed explanation of bubble level calibration and thick line marking indicating factory specification

Notable Quotes

  • “If you sign the receiving document and accept the delivery of a damaged game, you're essentially absolving the shipping company of any liability for the damage. It's virtually impossible to file a claim for shipping damage once a delivery is accepted and signed for.”

    Butch Peel @ Early in video — Critical consumer protection advice for pinball machine delivery

  • “Don't believe it. If there is obvious damage to the box, look inside the box through holes or tears on the cardboard and see if there's any damage to the game cabinet. If there is, snap some pictures and reject the shipment.”

    Butch Peel @ Early section — Practical guidance on handling damaged deliveries

  • “Rest assured Chicago Gaming Company takes great care in packing and protecting your game. We ship our pinball machines on an oversized pallet to better protect them on their journey to your home or business.”

    Butch Peel @ Early section — Company statement about packing standards and logistics

  • “Chicago Gaming Company pinballs all shipped set up for free play, so you are ready to challenge someone to a game.”

    Butch Peel @ Near conclusion — Confirmation of pre-configuration policy for CGC machines

Entities

Chicago Gaming CompanycompanyButch Peelperson

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: Chicago Gaming Company producing detailed educational video content for owners on proper unboxing, assembly, and setup procedures

    high · Comprehensive video tutorial covering all major setup steps with multiple camera angles and detailed explanations

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.069

0:00
Hey there pinball fans, this is Butch Peel with Chicago Gaming Company. So, a big truck pulled up to your house today and unloaded this giant box from Chicago Gaming Company. You've been waiting for this. Not much compares to the excitement of taking delivery of a new in-box pinball machine, that's for sure. What to do next? Well, we've made this video to make it a little easier to get you from this point to actually playing and enjoying your new machine. Let's not waste another minute talking about it. Let's get right to work. A very important first step. Thoroughly inspect the shipping box, all four sides and the top, before accepting the shipment or signing anything. If you sign the receiving document and accept the delivery of a damaged game, you're essentially absolving the shipping company of any liability for the damage. It's virtually impossible to file a claim for shipping damage once a delivery is accepted and signed for. Delivery personnel sometimes tell you to sign and accept the damaged goods, that you can file a claim and get reimbursed for the damage later on. Don't believe it. If there is obvious damage to the box, look inside the box through holes or tears on the cardboard and see if there's any damage to the game cabinet. If there is, snap some pictures and reject the shipment. You'll be saving yourself a load of headaches. Rest assured Chicago Gaming Company takes great care in packing and protecting your game. We ship our pinball machines on an oversized pallet to better protect them on their journey to your home or business. So shipping damage does not typically occur. To get your game unpacked and set up you'll need a heavy-duty pair of wire cutters, a number two Phillips screwdriver, if you need to move your machine before setting it up a dolly or hand truck, a razor blade knife or box cutter, a 5 8 inch wrench or 5 8 inch socket and ratchet, a small torpedo size bubble level, and a 9 16 inch open end wrench. The shipping box is labeled on two sides with the game model, serial number, and other pertinent information. If your game has a topper, it will be in a separate wooden box strapped to the top of the game box. If you have no topper, you can skip ahead a little.
2:25
Use your wire cutters to cut one of the straps holding the topper box in place. The strap will be very tight, so use your free hand to protect yourself as you cut it.
2:35
Then cut the other topper strap. Use the number two Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws attaching the topper box to the wooden side supports, one on the left and one on the right.
2:57
Carefully slide the support pieces out from under the topper box and set them aside. Then bring the topper box down. Use your wire cutters to cut the two straps holding the box to the pallet. Again, use your free hand to protect yourself from the sudden snap. Locate the ends of the shipping straps that have the fastening clips attached to them. Use the clips to pull the shipping straps completely out from underneath one side of the pallet. Then do the same for the other side of the pallet and dispose of the straps.
3:39
Slowly and carefully spin and walk the shipping box off one side of the pallet. Rest one edge of the box on the ground then spin the other edge off the pallet and onto the ground also. And remember it's never a bad idea to get some help. If you'd like to move the shipping box indoors or into another room, you can use a hand truck or a dolly.
4:05
However, there is one and only one safe side for trucking the shipping box, and it is very clearly marked.
4:14
Center the dolly against this side and push it firmly up against and under the box. With the help of another person, lean the box back onto the dolly and carefully roll it to the unpacking site.
4:28
Your unpacking site should be cleared out so you can easily move all around the outside of the box. We will also need enough space to lay the box over on its trucking side to slide the machine out.
4:39
Use your wire cutters to remove all of the staples holding the box lid closed. Firmly grasp each staple and pull it completely out. These staples are very sharp, so dispose of them properly just as soon as you remove them.
4:55
As you can see, it takes quite a few staples to securely seal the shipping box. And we need to remove each and every one to keep from scratching our game as we remove it from the box.
5:10
When all of the staples are out, the lid flaps will both lift freely and easily. Spread some old blankets or cardboard out around the box to protect the floor and the underside of our game. We're preparing to lay the box over onto its truck side. Fold the truck side lid flap down and hold it there as you tip the box over on top of it. Again, never a bad idea to get some help doing this. Open the remaining box flaps to get the first look at your new game Make sure your cardboard or blanket is completely under the front edge of the box as shown here Remove all of the packing material around the game
6:04
and the documentation bag. Using the shipping strap as a handle, slide the machine completely out of the box. Remove the game's legs and their packing material from the bottom of the shipping box. Using your razor blade knife, carefully slice the tape holding the legs in place at each end. Then unroll the cardboard protector and remove the legs. There will be two on each side.
6:37
Note the added packing foam behind the game. It really helps to protect the back of the cabinet when it stands on its end. And that's precisely what we're going to do to the game before we truck it into the house. Using the shipping strap as a handle, lift the game up high enough to support it with your legs, then move your hands to the underside of the cabinet and carefully raise it to a fully upright position. Remember, the cabinet's resting on that foam, so it'll be a little wobbly.
7:07
Always hand truck a pinball machine against the underside of the cabinet. Slide the dolly completely up under the game as you lean it slightly backward. Hold the wheels in place with one foot as you lean the game back onto the dolly. Ready to roll. Once inside, use your 5 8 inch wrench or ratchet to loosen and remove all four front leg bolts, two from each side of the cabinet. Install the two front legs to the cabinet. The four legs that came with the game are identical, so it doesn't matter which two you use. Each leg gets two bolts. Start the bolts by hand to get the threads lined up properly. Then use your ratchet or wrench to tighten them down. As you tighten the bolts, apply constant pressure to the leg, as shown, to ensure that it doesn't settle over time under the weight of the machine. When attaching a pinball leg, don't start with one bolt and tighten it down completely. Instead, tighten the two bolts in tandem, especially as they get close to the end. Tighten a bolt until it's snug, then switch to the other bolt and snug it up. Then back to the first bolt and get it a little bit tighter. Continue alternating between the bolts until both are really good and tight. Once both front legs are firmly attached, slowly and carefully lean the machine forward, allowing it to rest on them. With the help of another person, lift the back of the machine up onto some sort of support. A stool or chair works well. I've done this a few times, so I made a brace of my own. Before installing the back legs, extend the threaded levelers a bit. Unscrew the levelers about an inch and a half, then bring the leveler nut up to the base of the leg. Finger tight is fine for now. Remove the rear leg bolts and install the back legs, again keeping upward pressure on the legs as you tighten the bolts. Then remove the rear support.
9:02
Cut the last shipping strap protecting yourself with your free hand. Then remove the packing material around the back box latch. Move to the front of the game and carefully remove the packing material there. And finally, remove the plastic bag protecting the back box. Dispose of the bag immediately. Using your number two Phillips screwdriver, remove the four screws holding the topper box lid down. If you don't have a topper, skip ahead a bit. When you open the topper box, make sure your dogs have a good view. One of their jobs is to inspect new things coming into the house and it's very important to get their approval. Hmm, interesting. Looks like it's unanimous. We're good to proceed. The topper is actually mounted inside the box to protect it during shipping. Use your number two Phillips screwdriver to remove the four screws holding it in the box, two per side. Close the topper up and out of the box, then remove any additional protective material. There are four plastic plugs installed in the top of the back box covering the topper mounting holes, two on each side. Remove all four plugs. They come out quite easily by hand. Now let's get ready to raise the head of the game. First, we want to ensure that no stray wires in the back box are hanging out where they can get pinched. Then we'll check the bundled wiring harnesses to make sure that they are loose and free, not snagged on anything inside the back box or the lower cabinet As we raise the back box we need to make sure the wiring harness bundles remain free and fold smoothly into the lower cabinet neck hole Nothing gets trapped under the back box
11:40
When the bottom of the head is resting on the lower cabinet, we can latch the back box in place. Next, get the coin door keys out of the documentation bag.
11:50
Open the coin door and get the key to the back box. It will be hanging on a hook next to one of the coin mechs. Unlock the back box and carefully remove the back glass assembly. There is a large white plastic light enclosure behind the glass on most of our games. Carefully rest the back glass assembly on the game as you locate and unplug the connector for the back glass lighting. Firmly grasp the cable connector, not the wires, and pull straight out from the circuit board. Carefully set the back glass assembly aside for now. Look inside the coin door opening and locate the clip holding the coin box in place. Remove the clip then lift the coin box up and out of the cabinet. You'll need to lean it to the right a bit to avoid wiring harnesses and brackets. Slide the coin box lid off to remove the contents, the game's power cord, and a padded bag of accessories. Inside the bag you'll find the pinballs, the back box wing bolts and plumb bob tilt, and the line cord cover for your game. We'll start with the wing bolts and washers. Lower the speaker panel. Using both hands, lift it straight up then carefully lay it down onto the game. It has a hinge feature at the bottom. Install the right side wing bolt and washer through the hole in the bottom of the back box. Thread it all the way in and then tighten it down by hand.
13:22
Then do the same for the left side. Okay, if we're putting a topper on, it's time to get a stool and set it in place. If there's no topper, you can skip ahead again. Tip the topper forward a bit as you stuff all of the cable connections through the hole in the top of the back box. Carefully lean the topper back and into position making sure that none of the cables get pinched in the process.
13:50
Start all four topper mounting screws by hand then use your number two phillips screwdriver to firmly tighten them all down.
14:10
The next step is to connect the topper cables inside the back box to the controller boards already mounted there. The connectors have labels on them to aid in this process. The labels match the silk screen header text on the circuit boards. Motor connects here. Flash connects here.
14:38
Inputs connects here. COM connects here. EXTRA connects here. Solenoid EXTRA connects to the EXTRA header on the solenoid power board below. Make sure the cables aren't stretched too tightly. The last step is to connect the two sets of inline power connectors.
15:19
Okay, time to close the back box up. Grasp the top edge of the speaker panel and pull it toward you, then upward as you raise it to the upright position. Then slide it straight down over the two support posts left and right to lock it in place.
15:33
Lay the back glass assembly on top of the game with its base all the way up against the back box. Plug the lighting connector back into the CPU board. The two key tabs on the connector should be on your right as you install the plug. Tuck the excess wiring harness in behind the speaker panel. Slide the back glass back into place, up as far as it will go, then drop the base into the top of the speaker panel. Lock the back glass and remove the key. And whatever game you're working on, always put the key back on the hook inside the coin door when you're through with it. Slide the lid back onto the empty coin box and return it to the inside of the game. Then reinstall the retaining clip. Yes, I'm changing games on you every so often now because most of these setup steps are the same for all CGC pinball machines. Next step is to remove the lock down bar. Open the coin door, then slide the yellow handle inside to the left and hold it there to release the bar. Slide the playfield glass up all the way with your free hand, lift the lock down bar up and out of the cabinet, then release the yellow handle. If you don't slide the glass up first, this foam can catch on its edge and make it difficult to remove the bar. Close and lock the coin door. Warning, it's not a good idea to leave your machine in this state with the lockdown bar removed and the playfield glass still in place. Gravity is not your friend here. The glass can slide right out of the end of the cabinet. So let's remove that glass. Ensure that the coin door is closed. Then use your hands to slide the glass toward you Most people like to slide the glass completely out against their belly and hold it halfway down under either side as they carry it to a safe place I use a different technique I was blessed with long arms so I always been more comfortable holding and carrying the glass at each end. And if I get fingerprints on the glass at the top or the bottom they're easy to clean off even with the glass in the cabinet. By all means use the method that you're most comfortable with. Take great care when you're handling the glass. The edges and the corners are the most susceptible areas. Avoid any kind of sharp contact there. Always set the glass on a soft surface. Definitely no concrete or tile. Let's connect the power cord to the game next. Firmly plug the 3-pin IEC connector into the back of the machine.
18:12
Locate the line cord cover and screws. Slide the cover over the top of the power cord. Use your number two Phillips screwdriver to install and start each screw.
18:28
Then tighten them both down securely and plug in the game. Before we proceed to the final setup steps, ensure that the machine is in its final position in your game room. That is, you won't be moving it around anymore. Locate the bubble level on the right side of the playfield next to the ball shooter lane. It's there to help us accurately set the playfield pitch front to back the way we want it. The cylinder is marked with six equally spaced lines. One of the lines is thicker than the others. When the top of the bubble is on the line closest to you, the playfield is at a pitch of six degrees. Each line above represents an increase in pitch of 1 half degree, so the top of the bubble on the thick line provides the factory recommended pitch of 6 1 half degrees. The bubble is currently a bit above the 6 1 half degree mark, so we need to lower the back legs of the game just a bit. We do this by making the leveler on each back leg a little shorter. Have someone help you lift each corner of the cabinet while you twist the leveler up into the leg. When you're done, the bubble should look just like this. Now that we have the pitch right, let's level the game side to side. Place a torpedo level on the playfield surface near the flippers. Make sure it's parallel to the front of the cabinet, perpendicular to the sides. Adjust one or both of the front leg levelers until the bubble is centered. Now move the level as high up the playfield as possible, keeping it on the playfield surface and perpendicular to the cabinet sides. Adjust one or both of the back leg levelers until the bubble is centered. Once the playfield is all level and pitched properly, let's make sure it stays that way. Use your 9 16 inch open end wrench to firmly tighten the leg leveler nuts up against the bottoms of all four legs. We need to raise the playfield to install the last couple of components. Firmly grasp the center of the bottom arch and lift straight up until the two support bars clear the front edge of the cabinet. Then slide the playfield back toward you until you hear or feel the two playfield support locks engage. Each lock will click into position. Carefully lean the playfield backward against the front edge of the back box. On the left side wall of the lower cabinet, locate the plumb bob tilt assembly. Then find your plumb bob weight and clip. Slide the weight up onto the hanger wire and fasten the retaining clip underneath it. Squeeze the tabs on the clip as you install it and set it at the desired height. For a less sensitive tilt, lower the weight. Raise it for a more sensitive tilt. Using the support rods as handles, carefully lower the playfield down onto the front edge of the cabinet. Again, firmly grasp the bottom arch and slide the playfield back inside the cabinet. Make sure both hanger brackets drop into their slots in the lock-down bar receiver. And yep, I changed games on you again. We're getting close now. Time to put the pinballs in the game. The balls are shipped from the factory with a light coating of oil. Use a paper towel to wipe each ball thoroughly clean as you remove it from the bag. Then simply set the balls on the playfield and allow them to drain into the ball trough. You can always tell how many balls are supposed to be in our games by checking the label on the lock down bar receiver. Reinstall the playfield glass next. Hold the glass parallel to the cabinet top as you get one edge then the other started in the glass channel, then slide it straight into place. the lock down bar. Open the coin door, ensure that the glass is all the way in the cabinet, then drop the lock down bar tabs into the slots in the receiver. Pull the yellow handle to the left and hold it as you press firmly on the bar. Slide the handle to the right to lock it in place. Then close the coin door. Now for the exciting part. Flip the power switch on. It's under the cabinet just behind the right front leg. Give the game a few moments to boot up.
22:31
And there you go. Chicago Gaming Company pinballs all shipped set up for free play, so you are ready to challenge someone to a game. Enjoy, folks. We'll see you in the next video.
23:01
Thank you.