Episode 446 - Coin-Op Carnival Tour Stops, Bally Circus, Robo-Frenzy Wiring, 1959 Gottlieb Hi-Diver

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·11m 48s·analyzed·Apr 25, 2019

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

EM podcast covers Coin-Op Carnival tour, restoration projects, and spotlights 1959 Gottlieb Hi-Diver.

Summary

Nick Baldridge hosts episode 446 covering Coin-Op Carnival tour stops and updates, restoration progress on Bally Circus and RoboFrenzy, a child helping restore Universal 5 Star, and a deep dive into the 1959 Gottlieb Hi-Diver with its unique backbox animation and advance-based scoring system.

Key Claims

Ryan Claytor presented Coin-Op Carnival at MSU Abrams Planetarium with several games on free play in the lobby
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, opening segment; documented on coinopcarnival.com
US Postal Service lost a box of 100 Coin-Op Carnival books in shipment
high confidence · Nick Baldridge, direct personal statement about production/fulfillment
Bally Circus had severe hardened grease buildup (spray-applied) and corroded lamp sockets in the backbox
high confidence · Nick Baldridge describing restoration work performed
RoboFrenzy restoration includes wiring 120-volt coils with individual fuses for safety, avoiding reliance on flaky switches
high confidence · Nick Baldridge detailing circuit wiring decisions and safety strategy
1959 Gottlieb Hi-Diver features moving backbox animation of a diving lady and clown in a circle, with advance-based scoring rather than direct point awards
high confidence · Nick Baldridge providing detailed gameplay and mechanical description

Notable Quotes

“Whatever kind of infestation had been in the game had corroded all of these sockets. So, some of the lamps didn't work, didn't work very well, even after squeezing the sides together and doing all the little tricks that I have.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~05:30 — Describes condition challenges encountered during Bally Circus restoration and limitations of socket repair
“If it doesn't, the worst that will happen is that the tentacles will be fixed in position and the game becomes unplayable. That's a far better scenario than the coil remaining engaged and of course blowing a fuse or catching fire.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~08:00 — Demonstrates safety-first approach to 120-volt circuitry restoration decisions on RoboFrenzy
“It's pretty amusing once the lady dives underneath the water to see a clown rise up from the other side”
Nick Baldridge @ ~18:30 — Describes unique visual mechanic and appeal of Hi-Diver's backbox animation
“The artwork is beautiful. It is Wayne Neyens and Roy Parker. So I know you're in for a fun time.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~24:00 — Credits Hi-Diver's art direction and endorses its quality
“I've always felt that the game was a little... other words if you're able to keep the ball in play for a sufficiently lengthy period of time your uh... definitely dinging at least one replay every game”
Nick Baldridge @ ~25:30 — Observation about Hi-Diver's replay frequency and relative ease for skilled players

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonRyan ClaytorpersonCoin-Op CarnivalproductRoboFrenzygameBally CircusgameUniversal 5 StargameHi-Divergame Gottliebcompany Wayne Neyens

Signals

?
product_launch: Coin-Op Carnival 2019 release tour progressing through multiple stops: MSU Abrams Planetarium, Pinball at the Zoo, Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo
high · Ryan Claytor leading tour stops; full write-up on coinopcarnival.com; event attendance documented
?
restoration_signal: Multiple active EM restoration projects: RoboFrenzy (advanced wiring stage), Bally Circus (cleaned and operational with lamp socket replacements needed), Universal 5 Star (playfield cleaning phase)
high · Detailed progress updates on each machine; specific technical challenges and solutions described
?
manufacturing_signal: US Postal Service lost 100 books from Coin-Op Carnival shipment; replacement shipments required
high · Nick Baldridge direct statement: 'The US Postal Service lost a box of our books. A hundred books have vanished into thin air'
?
community_signal: Young person (Sophie) being actively trained in pinball machine restoration and maintenance as educational activity
high · Detailed description of Sophie's progression from disassembly through playfield cleaning; host notes gratification of seeing work results
?
historical_signal: Deep analysis and appreciation of 1959 Gottlieb Hi-Diver; discussion of unique advance-based scoring, backbox animation mechanics, and artwork quality
high · Extended segment dedicated to Hi-Diver's features, gameplay, and host's personal experience playing multiple copies

Topics

Electromechanical restoration and troubleshootingprimaryCoin-Op Carnival publication and tour updatesprimaryCustom pinball machine builds and wiringprimaryClassic Gottlieb game history and mechanicsprimaryChildren's involvement in pinball restoration and learningsecondaryBook publishing and fulfillment logisticssecondarySafety practices in high-voltage electrical worksecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.78)— Host maintains enthusiastic, educational tone throughout. Positive about restoration progress, tour events, and game appreciation. Frustration briefly expressed about postal service loss and space constraints, but quickly reframed constructively. Overall optimistic and engaged with community and projects.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.035

What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only, this is Nicholas Baldridge. In coin op carnival news, Ryan Claytor presented a planetarium presentation on coin op carnival and Wayne Nyans at the MSU Abrams Planetarium. And after the presentation in the lobby of the planetarium, there were and there were several games set up on free play. There's a full write-up on coinopcarnival.com under news and I would encourage you to check that out. It looked like a great event with some great attendance even though the Carl Weathers turned out to be not so great. So thanks everyone for coming out for that and look forward to the next tour stop which is actually this week at Pinball at the Zoo. Again, Ryan is flying solo for this one and following this directly, he will be attending the Small Press and Alternative ComicsExpo as the fourth stop on the CoinOpCarnival2019 release tour. So good luck Ryan with those tour stops and I look forward to hearing how they went. In other news, the US Postal Service lost a box of our books. A hundred books have vanished into thin air, but luckily we were able to get some more shipped and I've been and Shippin Like a Madman. So there are just a few more orders that are waiting to be shipped, but everything is wrapped and ready to go and everything should be out by the end of this week and I will be up to the minute on shipping. Thank you very much for everybody who supported us and this venture. It means an awful lot and we have really enjoyed putting the book together and I've enjoyed very much getting it into people's hands and hearing the reactions. So thank you all for your kind words in KAT sexy I was able to get the machine going and cleaned it up It required several interesting tweaks Someone had sprayed something which had hardened almost to a rock in there some kind of grease but it was definitely propelled from some kind of spray can And of course that all had to be cleaned off And once everything was cleaned up fired right up It was pretty great The only issue that I had were the lamp sockets These are the Bally FlatPak sockets, which are essentially mounted in cardboard and stapled to the backbox. Whatever kind of infestation had been in the game had corroded all of these sockets. So, some of the lamps didn't work, didn't work very well, even after squeezing the sides together and doing all the little tricks that I have. Nothing short of replacing the socket would totally fix that, but other than that I was very pleased with how the game played and everything functioned. In other news, I've been working on RoboFrenzy and I only have a few more circuits left to wire. I wired in the 120 voltrorséfjours which was not used. That switch in particular tends to be pretty flaky anyway, so I wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of using that as a gauge as to whether that coil needed to fire again. Instead I'll be going on best effort of that coil and hoping that everything works out okay. If it doesn't, the worst that will happen is that the tentacles will be fixed in position and the game becomes unplayable. That's a far better scenario than the coil remaining engaged and of course blowing a fuse or catching fire. So I've wired in extra fuses. I intend to have a separate fuse for every 120 volt coil in the game. That's probably overkill. I could probably do every two 120 volt coils with a single fuse and that's how my original design was set. But upon further reflection, if I I have one coil go bad or burn out, I don't want it to take out the fuse and knock out that part of the game. So just being extra cautious with 120 volt circuitry, which I'm sure you'll agree is probably a good idea. In Universal 5 Star News, I mentioned that Sophie is learning how to take the game apart, clean it, fix it, and put it back together. So she has done a lot of taking apart and cleaning and putting back together so far And after last episode she has taken apart the playfield and is working on cleaning that she done some of that with me in the past that is generally work which I think kids of any age can really help with as long as they are conscientious and it so gratifying to see you know the graphics come back to life if they you know a little dingy or faded once you put The coat of Wax on it really shines up the game makes it look like new. It's great so Of course with kids that's I think an important thing to being able to see the effects of your work more quickly than most of this mechanical work and of course they can see that too, but It's a little more abstract than you know saying oh this green is now much brighter and shinier and Looks good. So Anyway, that's going well and all we have left to do really is to clean the plastic posts and reassemble and then polish all the metal which is underneath the playfield so the playfield has all these different ball trails where the balls can go when they fall in different gobble holes in the playfield and the trough requires some careful polishing but once those are done the game should be ready to playtest and hopefully everything will be Just great. Bit of a short episode today. There's an awful lot going on if you couldn't gather from some of the updates that I just talked about, but I did want to leave you with a game and that is 1959's High Diver by Gottlieb. High Diver is a beautiful wood rail that I've had the pleasure of playing. It has back glass animation of a young lady and a clown which are both and they're moving in a circle so you can only see one or the other It's pretty amusing once the lady dives underneath the water to see a clown rise up from the other side But it's it's a neat game Unlike most of the games of the period instead of awarding points on Rollovers or various switches on the playfield you're awarded advances these advances move those divers in the backbox a certain amount and and once the diver disappears from view you awarded a point And at 15 17 or 19 points you awarded a replay Now you can also win on score and with thresholds beginning at close to 6 million or at 6 million depending on the scorecard you using you have more opportunity to earn some replays there Now unfortunately there not an on playfield special I think that is the one thing and that this game lacks that would be beneficial However the gameplay is unique enough that I think we can allow it right This game has four flippers and several passive bumpers and a few kickout holes each of which advance that diver in the backbox a certain amount Sometimes it one advance sometimes it five sometimes it ten and it depends on if the kickout holes are lit or not and which of the other targets which I mentioned that you hit. The upper flippers are great for bouncing back and forth between the pop bumpers and hopefully back up into the holes which allow for multiple advances. There's also a rollover switch in that upper area which awards one advance every time you hit it. Can ada same sucksing online mise to aHub at Bazaar Are hypothesis® Joe Toro Islander, 1944 YouTube channel that Medienand Joshua Clay-Max Morgan'sBest is at the time. which will either turn on or turn off the pop bumpers and that alternates with each bit of score that you achieve. These slingshots also alternate which one scores higher. So there's a bit of a game involved in the lower playfield in making sure that you're achieving the highest score and not turning off the pop bumpers. One side will turn them on, one side will turn them off. So hitting the appropriate target is very important. As I mentioned, this game is a lot of fun. The artwork is beautiful. It is Wayne Neyens and Roy Parker. So I know you're in for a fun time. And the one thing I'll say, and this probably speaks to why there's not an on playfield special, is that at the show when I've played it before, and I think I've played a couple different copies over the years, but I've always felt that the game was a little and other words if you're able to keep the ball in play for a sufficiently lengthy period of time your uh... definitely dinging at least one replay every game perhaps that's just me maybe i just connect with this game an awful lot uh... one came up for sale recently and i really considered seriously purchasing it unfortunately has always there's a lack of space so that's all for tonight thank you very much for listening my name again is nick baldrige you can reach me at 페ague Learning stupid protest Campbell skipperpen木械이 đыр mister, P disrupted Pinball,