Episode 34 - Gigi and EM Adjustments

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·12m 31s·analyzed·Apr 14, 2015

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

EM restoration projects and comprehensive guide to Jones plug adjustments in electromechanical pinball.

Summary

Nick Baldridge discusses two recent EM pinball acquisitions—a Project GG (1960s Gottlieb) and Ticker Tape—detailing restoration plans and technical challenges. The bulk of the episode covers EM adjustment mechanisms, particularly Jones plugs used to configure settings like ball count, replay levels, and extra balls, with special attention to reflex unit adjustments in bingo machines.

Key Claims

GG is the first game with a countdown bonus
medium confidence · Nick Baldridge discussing Project GG features
Project GG has 10 or 11 pop bumpers total, but only 3 are actual pops; the rest are dead/passive bumpers
high confidence · Nick Baldridge describing GG playfield layout
EM adjustments are made via Jones plugs (typically 2, 4, or 6 prongs) or flat blade screwdriver adjustments
high confidence · Nick Baldridge's technical explanation of EM adjustment mechanisms
Jones plug adjustments are less prone to failure than screwdriver adjustments because dirt accumulation weakens connections over time
medium confidence · Nick Baldridge comparing adjustment methods
Single-pin Jones plugs for replay score thresholds are particularly tricky and warrant their own podcast breakdown
high confidence · Nick Baldridge noting complexity of replay EMs
Reflex unit adjustment via 4-pin Jones plug controls how fast the game steps up and down; more pins connected = faster stepping; fewer pins = game becomes tighter and requires more money
high confidence · Nick Baldridge's detailed explanation of bingo reflex unit mechanics
Gottlieb's Circus (1980) is clown-themed and was made when Gottlieb was owned by Columbia Pictures
high confidence · Nick Baldridge relating Circus to Project GG's clown theme

Notable Quotes

“Two games in two days. Yesterday I drove out near Lynchburg and picked up that ticker tape. today I picked up a Project GG this is all after returning from a very lengthy drive to return from vacation so I'm tired at this point but I gotta say I'm excited”
Nick Baldridge @ ~0:30 — Introduces the two machine acquisitions that frame the episode
“GG is an interesting game. It's the first game with a countdown bonus. It's also got a large number of pop bumpers. I think 10 or 11. Not all of them are pops, actually. Only three are pops. The rest are dead bumpers or passive bumpers.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~2:00 — Technical detail about Project GG's unique gameplay features
“The artwork is beautiful. 60s Gottlieb. It's got some clowns. Kind of matches with my other clown-themed game, Gottlieb's Circus from 1980, when they were owned by Columbia Pictures.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~2:30 — Establishes thematic connection between two machines in collection
“As you might know on a solid state typically inside the coin door, especially on a later model Williams system 9 and up, there will be switches which will be used to put the machine into adjustment mode. On an EM, adjustments are quite a bit simpler.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~8:00 — Key educational point contrasting SS and EM adjustment paradigms
“However it a little more difficult. You know it requires a tool but that adjustment is less prone to failure because with the Jones plug you have dirt, which of course will settle in over years and years, and then the connection will be weaker.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~9:30 — Technical trade-off explanation for adjustment method durability
“And the more pins you have connected, meaning on the female side there are actually wires attached. So if you have three or four pins connected, depending on the game, the reflex unit will step up and step down more crucially, faster.”
Nick Baldridge @ ~12:00 — Core mechanics of bingo reflex unit adjustment system
“This means that the game becomes tighter and requires more and more money to be fed before it will give you features and scores, all those kinds of things.”

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonProject GGgameTicker Tapegame GottliebcompanyGottlieb's CircusgameThe Pinball PodcastorganizationSpooky PinballcompanyCoast to Coast Pinball Podcastorganization

Signals

?
restoration_signal: Nick acquired Project GG and Ticker Tape; detailed restoration roadmap including playfield cleaning, post/spring restoration, clutch washer checks, cabinet work, and eventual refinishing
high · Specific restoration steps outlined for both machines; spare playfield and parts already obtained
?
design_philosophy: Educational breakdown of EM adjustment mechanisms and their design trade-offs, particularly Jones plugs vs screwdriver adjustments and reflex unit tuning in bingo games
high · Detailed technical explanation of how pins/connections affect game difficulty and operator profitability
?
technology_signal: Nick checks fish paper condition in 1960s Gottlieb machines as preventive maintenance (fish paper prevents 120V reaching flipper buttons)
high · Reference to High Voltage Podcast discussing fish paper inspection in 1960s Gottlieb machines
?
community_signal: Growth of EM and bingo-focused podcast ecosystem including Coast to Coast, Spooky's EM Dungeon, Coinbox, and High Voltage podcasts; cross-promotion and community support among hosts
high · Nick's detailed recommendations of 4-5 other active pinball podcasts with specific praise for content quality and release schedules
?
historical_signal: Gottlieb was owned by Columbia Pictures in 1980 (evident from Circus production); confirms corporate ownership of classic manufacturers during specific eras
high · Direct statement about Circus production during Columbia Pictures ownership

Topics

EM restoration and acquisitionprimaryJones plug adjustment mechanisms in EM machinesprimaryReflex unit adjustments in bingo machinesprimaryProject GG (Gottlieb 1960s clown game) features and restorationprimaryComparison of EM vs solid-state adjustment systemssecondaryBingo pinball game mechanics and difficulty tuningsecondaryPinball podcast community and recommendationssecondaryEM game technical maintenance and troubleshootingsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Nick expresses enthusiasm for new acquisitions and genuine passion for EM/bingo restoration. Educational content delivered in approachable, conversational tone. Strong community support and appreciation for fellow podcasters. No complaints or negativity; tone is encouraging and informative.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.038

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. I gotta tell you, I must be crazy. Two games in two days. Yesterday I drove out near Lynchburg and picked up that ticker tape. today I picked up a Project GG this is all after returning from a very lengthy drive to return from vacation so I'm tired at this point but I gotta say I'm excited this Project GG has graffiti carved into the cabinet it's missing a couple of inserts of plastic and the game while it resets keeps resetting constantly thankfully as far as repair goes it's not going to be too bad and it will clean up quite nicely the cabinet will have to be redone, but it's no great hardship. On top of this, I found the sling plastic I needed on eBay, so I should be in pretty good shape. GG is an interesting game. It's the first game with a countdown bonus. It's also got a large number of pop bumpers. I think 10 or 11. Not all of them are pops, actually. Only three are pops. The rest are dead bumpers or passive bumpers. And it's a sequence-driven game, so the goal is to light bumpers, and then you'll light special. The artwork is beautiful. 60s Gottlieb. It's got some clowns. Kind of matches with my other clown-themed game, Gottlieb's Circus from 1980, when they were owned by Columbia Pictures. This being a 60s Gottlieb, as I discussed in my high voltage podcast, one of the first things I'm going to check is the condition of the fish paper, which prevents 120 volts from running to the flipper buttons. I also need to check the coin door where there had been some hacked wiring previously. Aside from that, the back glass is in pretty good shape, a little bit of light flaking towards the bottom, but not too bad. And the playfield is in really good shape. I received a spare playfield and a box of parts so I should be in relatively good shape to get this thing restored fairly quickly At least to playable condition and then eventually I get it repainted But that'll take some more time. Something of which is in shorter and shorter supply recently. I don't know why. Meanwhile, ticker tape I have stripped down the playfield, and I've already cleaned it. Now I need to clean the posts and the metal rebound springs that go in front of the lamp housings. Once that's done, I'll reassemble and then it's on to checking the clutch washers, doing a little bit of light cleaning in the backbox on some of the units, and then that one should be good to go. that's quite a fun game I've been enjoying it you'll hear the interview with my buddy here soon where we went to go pick it up but today I'm sorry to say you're just stuck with me so for today I thought we could talk about adjustments on an EM as you might know on a solid state typically inside the coin door, especially on a later model Williams system 9 and up, there will be switches which will be used to put the machine into adjustment mode. From that mode, you can change various settings on the machine, the number of balls, what the levels you need to achieve via score to get a replay, all that kind of stuff. On an EM, adjustments are quite a bit simpler. You have the same kind of adjustments, number of balls, replay levels, extra balls, match. However, these are adjustable via Jones plugs. Typically, the Jones plugs for these type of adjustments are just two prongs, and you move it from one side to another, whether you want the feature on or off. In some instances, you have four prongs, and maybe in some instances, you have six. However, it's generally smaller than any of the other Jones plugs that actually carry the signals from the cabinet head to the cabinet body, and vice versa. In some EMs, adjustments are made via a flat blade screwdriver. You stick it into a small middle piece and rotate, and it'll change the circuit path from one side to another. This is essentially exactly the same thing as moving the Jones plug from one side to another However it a little more difficult You know it requires a tool but that adjustment is less prone to failure because with the Jones plug you have dirt, which of course will settle in over years and years, and then the connection will be weaker. Most of the time there's not a whole lot of cleaning or adjusting that you need to do on these adjustment Jones plugs. I do it just to make sure that it's not a problem. However, most of the time it's not really necessary. The one thing which is a little tricky are the single pin Jones plugs to handle replay score thresholds on replay EMs. And those are tricky enough that they deserve their own podcast breakdown. However, generally, the adjustments are very simple. They're either on or off. Now, there's always an exception, and aside from the replay values, the exception resides in a bingo. Now, I had mentioned in a previous podcast about the reflex unit, and again, that one deserves its own podcast episode, because there are a variety of really interesting tricks involved with the reflex unit. But, one of the adjustments in the backbox is called the reflex adjustment. And it's a Jones plug that's four pins. And the more pins you have connected, meaning on the female side there are actually wires attached. So if you have three or four pins connected, depending on the game, the reflex unit will step up and step down more crucially, faster. If you have it adjusted so that fewer pins are touching then it will step up faster than it steps down. This means that the game becomes tighter and requires more and more money to be fed before it will give you features and scores, all those kinds of things. Remember, the reflex unit is an auto-portioning unit, so based on your winnings, it's going to tick up and make the game tougher to award those mystery interval features and scores. Well, that's all for tonight. my name again is Nicholas Baldridge and before I go I wanted to give a shout out to all the different podcasts who have been so supportive of me in this effort again I like to thank the pinball Podcast with Don and Jeff Great folks And if you enjoy modern pinball and pinball talk with two good friends I highly suggest that one or at least non-enemies. Spooky Pinball, manufacturers of their own modern games, and the EM Dungeon Master from their EM Dungeon segment. It's a fantastic show. The EM segment is always very informative. He talks about various toys and repairing bingos. So he's got my heart instantly. And Spooky is always very entertaining, and they always release on the first of the month. It's quite commendable. Nate Shivers from the Coast to Coast Pinball Podcast he's got an excellent show as well I love hearing him talk about all the machines he travels from coast to coast and stops in at different arcades does trip reports on machines on location that's always fascinating to me and of course I don't discriminate, I love the modern stuff too pretty much all pinball is something that excites and interests me. So his show in particular has been interesting to listen to as he's come into the competitive scene and has been playing more competitively. And recently he played in a classics tournament that had several EMs. So that's always good to hear. It's always interesting when you hear of a classics tournament and they're all solid state machines. That's not what I think of when I think of classics necessarily. But thank you, Nate. One other new podcast which I wanted to recommend was the Coinbox Pinball Podcast. This is a couple of hobby operators who have several machines, and it really sounds like a labor of love, something which I'm way too chicken to do. but it is quite commendable what they're doing. So always interesting to hear about their trials and tribulations. They're on episode three right now, I believe. But that's a good listen. All these are great listens, and when you're in a pinball mood, check them all out. So that's all. My name again is Nick Baldrige. you can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com you can find us online at 4amusementonly.libsyn.com and you can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts via RSS right on our website or via Facebook thanks for listening and I'll talk to you next time