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Episode 387 - Multi Progress, New Bingo Discovered, Coin Lockout Buzzing, Bounty Backglass Reproduction and New EM Game Announcement

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·21m 39s·held·Jan 12, 2017
View original

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.023

TL;DR

Multi-Bingo at 105 games; unknown United prototype discovered; new EM game announcement.

Summary

Nicholas Baldridge reports significant progress on his Multi-Bingo homebrew machine (105 games implemented), discusses the discovery of a previously unknown United Serenade prototype bingo machine, announces a co-development project with Ryan Claytor on a new electromechanical arcade game, and provides detailed technical guidance on troubleshooting noisy coin lockout relays in Bally bingo machines.

Key Claims

  • 105 games implemented in Multi-Bingo, with approximately 28-30 games remaining to implement

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, speaking directly about his project status

  • United 3-4-5 was the first United game to use the standard Bally layout of 25 descending holes, not the roulette wheel tub design used in ABC and Bolero

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, clarifying his previous misclassification of United's early bingo machines

  • A previously unknown United Serenade bingo prototype was discovered and posted on Tilt Forums this week

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, describing a discovery by an unnamed collector who posted on Tilt Forums

  • The Bally Bounty court case outcome in Baltimore allowed Bally to sell Bounty in the United States after initially restricting it to international use

    medium confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, connecting previous episode dramatization to historical distribution decision; admits no legal knowledge

  • Nicholas Baldridge and Ryan Claytor are co-developing a brand new electromechanical arcade game

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge announcing the project, describing schematic design modeled on 1960s Williams or wood rail manufacturers

  • Coin lockout relay buzzing in Bally bingo machines is caused by residual magnetism and AC current chatter causing wear on the metal plate over time

    high confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, providing technical explanation based on EM machine operation principles

  • The United Serenade prototype appears to be the only known example and does not appear in any production records

    medium confidence · Nicholas Baldridge, speculating based on lack of documentation and production records

Notable Quotes

  • “I'm up to 105 games now implemented in the multi-bingo. That is almost every standard 25-hole bingo.”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~1:30 — Progress milestone on the Multi-Bingo homebrew project

  • “It's a brand new machine. It's one that nobody had known about previously. It appears to me that it was a prototype machine.”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~8:00 — Announcement of significant discovery in bingo pinball history

  • “Ryan and I have announced that we are co-developing a brand new electromechanical arcade game.”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~16:30 — Official announcement of new project collaboration

  • “I've really gotten kind of confident here doing the multi that I could actually do this.”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~18:00 — Expressing confidence in ability to develop new EM game based on Multi-Bingo experience

  • “Over time, because these machines are driven by AC instead of DC, there will be a slight chatter of that plate and that slight chatter will eventually develop into a much larger chatter and that's what causes the buzzing.”

    Nicholas Baldridge @ ~24:30 — Technical explanation of coin lockout relay failure mechanism

Entities

Nicholas BaldridgepersonRyan ClaytorpersonSteve SmithpersonMulti-BingogameUnited SerenadegameUnited 3-4-5gameBally BountygameFor Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball PodcastorganizationTilt ForumsorganizationUnitedcompany

Signals

  • ?

    historical_signal: Previously unknown United Serenade prototype bingo machine discovered by collector and posted on Tilt Forums; appears to be unique surviving example not documented in production records or IPDB

    high · Nicholas Baldridge discussing new machine discovery: 'It's a brand new machine. It's one that nobody had known about previously. It appears to me that it was a prototype machine.'

  • ?

    design_innovation: Nicholas Baldridge continues rapid implementation progress on Multi-Bingo homebrew, now at 105 of ~133-135 total games (28-30 remaining)

    high · Direct project status update: 'I'm up to 105 games now implemented in the multi-bingo. There are two games which have yet to be implemented... about 30 games left to implement somewhere in that neighborhood, maybe 28.'

  • ?

    announcement: Official announcement that Nicholas Baldridge and Ryan Claytor are co-developing a brand new electromechanical arcade game, modeled on 1960s Williams or wood rail design; circuitry schematic hand-drawn

    high · Nicholas Baldridge: 'Ryan Claytor and I have announced that we are co-developing a brand new electromechanical arcade game.'

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Steve Smith organizing reproduction of Bally Bounty backglass; gauging community interest via Pinside; original featured mirroring and reflective gold screened ink

    high · Nicholas Baldridge: 'Steve Smith is looking to get the Bally Bounty backglass reproduced, and he is gauging interest... If you are interested in getting that reproduced, please contact Steve and let him know.'

  • ?

    historical_signal: Bally Bounty court case in Baltimore resulted in ruling allowing machine operation; outcome enabled Bally to expand US distribution despite initial international-only release

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.065

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 well it's been uh several weeks i guess four weeks since your last on air update on the multi and uh i'm up to 105 games now implemented in the multi-bingo. That is almost every standard 25-hole bingo.
0:39
There are two games which have yet to be implemented. One I had previously misclassified, and that was United's 3-4-5.
0:52
United came out with their first bingo, A-B-C, and their second bingo was Bolero. Their third bingo was 3-4-5, and I had assumed that it used the same playfield as ABC and Bolero. They used this really cool, pretty funky, and very difficult to control, at least from appearances, roulette wheel style tub, where you shoot the balls around in a circle, and gravity helps them settle into a hole.
1:30
If gravity doesn't do the trick, then there's a pop bumper at the center of the bottom of this bowl and they'll be popped into a different hole, depending.
1:44
So those aren't implemented, and I had assumed that 345 was one of those. As it turns out, that was the first game that United made that used the standard Bally layout of 25 descending holes on the playfield.
2:02
[name withheld pending review]
company
Williamscompany
Pinsideorganization

medium · Nicholas Baldridge connecting court case outcome to distribution: 'the outcome of that case actually allowed Bally to sell that game in the United States... On the flyer, it says that they were waiting on the outcome of a court case before they would open that up to U.S. distribution.'

  • ?

    operational_signal: Detailed technical guidance on troubleshooting and resolving coin lockout relay buzzing in Bally bingo machines; multiple repair approaches explained including filing, bending, replacement, and complete disabling

    high · Nicholas Baldridge providing extensive technical explanation: 'Over time... there will be a slight chatter of that plate and that slight chatter will eventually develop into a much larger chatter and that's what causes the buzzing.'

  • ?

    design_innovation: New EM arcade game schematic designed in style of 1960s Williams or pre-1960s wood rail manufacturers (Exhibit, United); hand-drawn schematic completed; parts accumulation underway (relays, score reels, transformers, score motors)

    high · Nicholas Baldridge: 'I've hand-drawn another schematic. This one was done in the style of a Williams game from approximately the 1960s... I have worked out how all the circuitry is going to function together and drawn it all out.'

  • ?

    product_launch: Multi-Bingo cabinet artwork has been started by Nicholas Baldridge; described as personal weakness but attempting it anyway with plan to solicit feedback before final spray application

    medium · Nicholas Baldridge: 'Artwork, as I've mentioned, is not my strong suit, but I'm giving it a shot. So we'll see how it looks. Hopefully not too bad. and I'm going to get several people's opinion before I actually spray the thing.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Discovery of United Serenade prototype challenges assumption that EM bingo machine documentation is complete; suggests gaps remain in historical pinball machine records

    high · Nicholas Baldridge: 'this is doubly interesting for that [in 2026, when] many of us thought that a lot of that information had already been documented.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Nicholas Baldridge's confidence in ability to design new EM arcade game stems directly from experience building Multi-Bingo; describes project as evolution from 'wouldn't it be cool if' to actionable development

    high · Nicholas Baldridge: 'I've really gotten kind of confident here doing the multi that I could actually do this. So I said, Hey, why don't I give it a shot and see if I can develop the circuitry.'

    • Unfortunately, there's no good picture of 345 that exists anywhere that I can find on the internet. There's one collector that I know that happens to have a 345. Unfortunately, it is very, very deep in storage at the moment, So I'm unable to get a good source image to use to implement in the multi. I could implement something off of the flyer, but those are black and white. It wouldn't be the same. So I'll just have to wait on that one.
    2:38
    The other interesting news, very interesting, is that a previously unknown bingo pinball machine was found just this week. somebody posted on Tilt Forums, which is a competition-friendly forum for pinball people, and they posted that they had this game called United Serenade, but it wasn't the same flipperless game that was shown on IPDB. It was a different game, and did anybody know anything about it? the gentleman mentioned that it was a two-player game and that there were eight balls and immediately I thought bingo but the way it was pitched it sounded more like something like Twin Joker which isn't a bingo per It is a card-themed layout, kind of like Williams-Yukon, which I had talked about in a very old episode some time ago.
    3:50
    Those had a playfield that's similar to a bingo pinball machine, but not quite the same. And the post layout and hole layout is actually quite different.
    4:03
    So I had assumed, hey, maybe it's one of those. I didn't know that United made one of those, but interesting. So I end up talking with the gentleman, and as it turns out, he sent some pictures and uploaded some pictures to Tilt for him. It's a brand new machine. It's one that nobody had known about previously.
    4:25
    It appears to me that it was a prototype machine. I'm basing that speculation purely on the fact that it doesn't appear in any production records that anybody has found nor does anybody know about it there is one collector that I've talked to who says that they think they've seen one in the past but they're not sure and this one happens to be in excellent condition it's just, it's a really interesting and unique find, especially for this day and age, where many of us thought that a lot of that information had already been documented. So this is, you know, doubly interesting for that.
    5:17
    I be implementing that in the multi as well I got a very nice back glass image and I have a good feel for where this game fits in the chronology and what the internals will look like The beautiful thing about United games is that from game to game, unless they change the internals, which they did two times, there is very little that's different in the portioning circuitry. So if you look at a late model United game like Brazil, the portioning is very similar to something like Caravan. In fact, some of the same rivets on their version of the spotting disc function the same way. They'll turn on corners, for example, or they'll step up the selection feature unit. Uh, something of that nature. So, um, I should be able to implement that fairly well.
    6:27
    In other bingo news, because there's a whole lot of it here recently, um, Steve Smith is looking to get the Bally Bounty backglass reproduced, and he is gauging interest. Um, If you are interested in getting that reproduced, please contact Steve and let him know. He's posted about it on Pinside.
    6:55
    Or you can email me if you like and I'll get the message to Steve. That's something that is sorely needed for those who don't know. Um, bounty, uh, as I outlined in the last episode was the subject of a court case. And, uh, as such, there weren't a whole lot of them that were released in the United States. Uh, those that are, uh, many need a new back glass.
    7:28
    So this would be a great service if the back glass was available and the original back glass is quite beautiful. there is mirroring and this reflective gold screened ink that was used in several of the sections. It looks beautiful, so that would be quite wonderful if we had a new reproduction of that.
    7:58
    So speaking of Bounty, and getting a little more into it here, Um, the last episode was a dramatization of a court case, and of course I have no legal knowledge whatsoever, but, uh, I thought that was fun. Uh, the upshot of that court case was that the bounty was allowed to be operated in Baltimore, And the outcome of that case actually allowed Bally to sell that game in the United States. On the flyer, it says that they were waiting on the outcome of a court case before they would open that up to U.S. distribution. And as it turns out, that court case, which ruled that it was, in fact, okay to operate Bounty, made it so that games could be shipped in. So that answers kind of a long-running question that I've had, which is, if Bounty was only manufactured for international use, why are so many of them in the United States? Of course, there's re-imports. People could have them shipped in from Canada or brought back from Canada or the like. It's highly unlikely, though possible, that someone would ship one from overseas.
    9:25
    But that would only account for a very small number, and I've seen them popping up occasionally here and there, much more frequently than I have in the past. Um, and that just leads me to believe that there's more in the United States than previously suspected. Uh, so it's nice to have a little clarification there and, uh, be able to, uh, match point A with point B. Uh, in other news, uh, Ryan Claytor and I have announced that, uh, we are co-developing a brand new electromechanical arcade game. Uh, I'm doing this kind of on the side of the multi. I still have about, uh, 30 games left to implement somewhere in that neighborhood, maybe 28. total, and that requires me to develop all the additional playfields. So while I'm working on a cabinet stencil, which I'm going to do before I develop those additional playfields I working on creating a brand new electromechanical arcade game I sat down this weekend we had a nice snowy weekend where I played outside with the kids and had some very nice family time this weekend and during my downtime I was able to really think about the mechanics of the game and draw the schematic. So I've hand-drawn another schematic. This one was done in the style of a Williams game from approximately the 1960s, or even an earlier wood rail manufacturer like Exhibit or United. Not exactly like United, but something like that. So I have worked out how all the circuitry is going to function together and drawn it all out. And we'll see what happens when I go to wire it up. It's either going to work very well or not at all.
    11:52
    I have a good feeling about this game. Ryan and I have been talking about it for quite some time. And kind of in the realm of, wouldn't it be cool if... we did this one day and, uh, I've really gotten kind of confident here doing the multi that, uh, I could actually do this. So I said, Hey, why don't I give it a shot and, uh, see if I can develop the circuitry. Um, and, uh, we both have quite a lot of hobby irons in the fire and, uh, You know, this is going to happen on a fairly slow time scale, but I'm accruing parts at the moment.
    12:40
    I've got relays and score reels on the way at the moment, and I'm working on making a deal on some transformers and some score motors and a couple other things.
    12:53
    I'm going to need to find some good trip banks and get those set up. But other than that, I'm off to a very good start indeed. And as far as cabinet artwork I mentioned for the multi, I've started on that. I haven't gotten very far, but I have started on that.
    13:16
    Artwork, as I've mentioned, is not my strong suit, but I'm giving it a shot. So we'll see how it looks. Hopefully not too bad. and I'm going to get several people's opinion before I actually spray the thing.
    13:37
    So that's what's been happening with me. Matt K. writes in and asks, What can you do about a noisy coin lockout coil? And for those who don't know, there is a coil which is behind the coin mechanism in Ballybingos that will pull in when it's ready to accept coins.
    14:09
    And it pulls out, or releases, when it shouldn't accept coins. now unfortunately when it's ready to accept coins what happens is it generally starts buzzing after a period of time this is the same uh issue that happens in flipper games with hold relays over time just about any uh flipper pinball machine will get a buzzing in the hold or lock relay and this is because this is a constant duty relay so it is typically of a higher resistance than the coils which are beside it and therefore stronger and because it's a higher resistance more heat is generated and some of the energy which is typically used to move the relay is expelled as heat. But at any rate, over time, because these machines are driven by AC instead of DC, there will be a slight chatter of that plate. and that slight chatter will eventually develop into a much larger chatter and that's what causes the buzzing. Now because of the nature of AC, it changes direction 60 times a second. I mean that is much faster than the human eye can really detect or the human ear for that matter. So what you're hearing is really that change. and it's only because of wear in those components now the coin lockout relay is comprised of a coil and a big metal plate and this big metal plate and the coil bang up against each other those 60 times a second Now because of residual magnetism it is not going to let that plate go in the down times, the negative part of the arc of electricity, but it will make that chattering. So, how do you stop it? Well, one thing you can do is disassemble that unit completely. To do that, you have to take the coin mech out. You may have to remove several screws so that you can free up the relay. This sometimes requires loosening the entire unit that surrounds the coin reject return button.
    17:01
    But once you do that, you have access to the relay. and at that point you can inspect it to see if there are grooves being worn into the metal plate, and if so, you can do a couple different things to stop or lessen the buzzing. One thing you can do is put a piece of cardstock in there. This is for home use. I wouldn't recommend doing that if you were putting it out to be used by the public but for home use you could probably get away with that the other thing you could do is take a file to the metal plate and try to smooth that out or a grinder the idea is that you would very very lightly grind it until the metal is even The other thing you could do is just replace that metal piece with another. You can also replace the coil. You can also bend that metal piece so that it is closer to the horseshoe part of the coil that's exposed at the top. this would give it less freedom of movement and prevent it from buzzing a whole lot one other thing I've seen done is electrical tape I wouldn't recommend that because it's going to leave a big sticky nasty mess when you go to remove it later on but that's something else that could be done the last thing you could do is just disable it And that was most frequently what was done with these games on the road.
    18:53
    You just desolder one of the wires and cap it off to the coil, and then you don't have to worry about it.
    19:04
    Now, the thing about this coil is that it is player-friendly. So if you put money in and the machine can't accept it for whatever reason, for example, you have replays on the meter, or the game is not in a state where it can accept money, for example, if it's in replay reset, then it returns your money to you directly without you having to press the coin return. But it won't pass it all the way through to the coin switch. If you disable it completely, what's going to happen is that the game will always accept the money, and it won't care. So if you put in a coin with replays on the meter, you will automatically play off one of the replays when you drop your coin.
    19:57
    So that's an interesting question, and one that occurs frequently. I mean, if you own a bingo for really any length of time, you'll probably end up hearing that coin relay, the coin lockout relay, start buzzing. And that's why. Now, one thing is you have to decide, does it bother you?
    20:20
    Because there's also, you can just leave it alone for a little while. of course the longer you leave it alone the more likely it's going to be to wear and then cause more noise to occur so basically if it bothers me I'll take the thing apart and inspect it and then from there I'll decide what I want to do usually I end up bending the metal slightly closer to the horseshoe but not in every case so it all depends so I hope that answers your question Matt thank you for listening and thank you all for listening that's about it for tonight my name again is Nick Baldrige you can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com or you can call me 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, also at Bingo Podcast, or you can listen to us on our website, which is foramusementonly.libsyn.com. Thank you very much for listening, and I'll talk to you next time.