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BOOKS
- Pinball Books
Order them from links supplied, or just admire the handsome photos.
COLLECTOR SITES, PINBALL
- Jess Askey
Jess collects classic electronic pinball machines and stories about them. He's also assembled
a vast data base of pinball routines. He specializes in Williams' System 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11. Look for
copies of my manuals on his site. I wrote most of the books for Systems 7, 8 and 9.
- Ted Estes
Ted is a former pinball game designer for Williams. I didn't meet him until we worked
together at WMS Gaming. Today, Ted collects classic pinball machines.
- Directory of pinball sites
Nice compendium of Web information on pinball.
- Hyperball owners
Database of Hyperball owners. One of my favorite pinballs, Hyperball played like a video game.
Unfortunately 200 steel balls on the playfield rapidly wore the machine out. In 1982, the company actually
hired us technicians to play Hyperball for an extra shift. By quitting time, we were blistered, and
only a couple games still operated. Managers Dick Valosek and Herb Foss kept notes on the carnage. Overnight,
another crew repaired the damage. At our next demolition derby, better parts took up the challenge.
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GAMES & GAMING LINKS
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COLLECTOR SITES, VIDEO
CONTACT THE AUTHOR
- Contact the author
For further information about this site, or about amusement games and gaming.
DESIGNERS & PROGRAMMERS
- Ted Estes
Ted is a former pinball game designer for Williams. I didn't meet him until we worked
together at WMS Gaming. Today, Ted collects classic pinball machines.
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Eric Hujar
Eric Hujar and Bill Gwiasda designed user interface
and motor control programs for WMS Gaming. These programs brought WMS
Gaming's first slot machine to life. Both gentlemen helped me to describe the
system in our original slot machine manual. Today, the manual is a collectible, traded
on eBay. Eric's page describes his robotics avocation. Lately, he's fabricated
an ultrasound-guided, cybernetic lawnmower.
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Eugene Jarvis
An interview with Eugene, the co-designer
of Defender, Stargate, Robotron, Blaster, and more recently, Cruisin' USA. I had the
pleasure of contributing to manuals for Defender and Stargate. I wrote the Robotron
and Blaster books.
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Steve Kordek
This Pinball Expo page includes Steve Kordek's personal story about
his pre-Williams days at Genco. Steve's tenure in the pinball industry nearly covers its entire
history. He was there through the Great Depression, and left Williams after the demise of Pinball
2000 (1999). I first became acquainted with him in 1982, during Hyperball development and production.
Hyperball was Steve Ritchie's manic machine that played at the
speed of a video game. I worked on both the English and German manuals. Kordek, despite being in his 70's at
the time Hyperball came out, could play a mean game. In terms of innovation, Kordek is a giant. He was
the one who moved the flippers to the bottom of the playfield. That simple move made pinball a game of skill.
Also see... More classic Kordek.
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Tony Kraemer & Hot Tip
This site claims that Hot Tip was the first
solid-state pin. I remember Aztec as the first, but Williams didn't produce many of
the System 3, Aztec machines. Hot Tip was probably the first electronic (computerized)
machine that Williams produced in volume. It would have been a System-4 machine. Tony
left Williams for a few years, and then returned. Pool Sharks was one of Tony's games
from the later period. Tony is deceased.
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Pat Lawlor Design
I only had a nodding acquaintance with Pat. He joined Williams
during the Bally Coin-op buyout in 1988. I wrote the first Bally pinball manual after the
buyout (Truck Stop), but it was a Jim Patla game, not Pat's. My Williams contract ended a few
months later. During this contract, I wrote a service bulletin for Pat's Banzai Run. My
then-boss Fritz Runyon wrote the manual. (Unfortunately, Fritz died in 2007.) Pat also designed
the top-selling pinball machine The Addams Family. These days, Pat sells game designs
to Stern.
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Barry Oursler Games
A complete list of machines by the famous Oursler, creator of
Solar Fire, Star Light and Space Shuttle.
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Jim Patla's Truck Stop
After I returned to Williams in 1988, I wrote manuals
for two legendary games: Williams' Narc video and Bally's Truck Stop pin. Jim
Patla, the soft-spokenTruck Stop designer, was a pleasure to work with. Of course, the
Pat McMahon backglass sports the de rigueur Bally girls. Also note the grinning taxi driver. He's
none other than the late Joe Dillon, Williams' then vice president. Dillon had returned to
Williams after the company bought Bally coin-op. Now, he was my boss once again.
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Pfutz's Pinball Page
Bill Pfutzenreuter was one of the key programmers
for Williams' Star Rider (Harry Cline was another.) Bill also programmed
Wiltelco's 5000 phone. I composed books for both projects. (See the cover at left.) Pfutz
was also my main subject matter expert for several other Williams manuals. We first worked
together on Joust. As I remember, I prepared the first Joust literature
in 1982. Thanks, Pfutz! I always enjoyed working with you, Bill. Great page.
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Pinball Art
All about the artists who provided that special,
pinball ambience. See how pinball changed over the decades. Lots of Williams and Bally
guys that I remember well. Photos and bios.
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Python Anghelo's artwork for Pin*Bot
What a ace team that Pin*Bot group was: •Python Anghelo, Art; •Joe
Joos Jr., Mechanics; •Fritz Runyon, Manual; •Chris Granner, Music & Sound; •Bill
Pfutzenreuter, Software. I'm pleased that I was at Williams for Pin*Bot. I was writing
manuals for the Wiltelco 5000 phone at the time. Actually, the phone was a Pin*Bot
sibling. Bill Pfutzenreuter wrote the original phone software, too.
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Mark Ritchie's Big Guns
A playfield closeup of classic Big Guns: The machine with the towering
backbox. A brilliant, 1987 machine by a splendid team: Mark Ritchie, Python Anghelo,
George Petro and Chris Granner. I directed the AMOA show video on the game. Manual
by Fritz Runyon. Today, Mark parks his hat at
Raw Thrills.
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Steve Ritchie's F-14 Tomcat
Photos and statistics about the famous game, including design team names.
HISTORY
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MAGAZINES
- Play Meter
Number-one trade industry magazine about coin-op amusement games.
I published my first magazine article here, back in 1982.
- RePlay
A monthly magazine on coin-operated amusement games. Published on
the West Coast. In 1990 or so, my article on Williams' new pinball
factory appeared here. The factory is gone. RePlay is still going strong.
- Star Tech Journal
The magazine for coin-op technicians. In the Eighties, Star Tech published a
few of my game servicing stories.
- Vending Times
A monthly magazine on coi-operated amusement games. Published on
The latest on the shows, the games, the personalities and the machines. A
fine magazine that picked up my Williams factory process engineering article.
MANUFACTURERS & DEVELOPERS
- Cashbox Games
Ken Fedesna's Chicagoland game design outfit. Ken is another of my
former bosses at Williams, Bally and Midway. In fact, he became the
general manager of the whole shebang, Mr. Games himself. The very idea
of Cashbox Games, Fedesna at the helm, sets off the
imagination. I can't wait to see what comes out of the Cashbox!
- Coin Mechs Inc.
No coin-op device can function without a coin mechanism. Coin Mechs Inc.
(CMI) manufactures some of the best coin mechs. When I started at WMS Gaming,
Rick Currie was our President. Nowadays, Currie is CMI's vice president of
CMI marketing and sales. The link takes you to an issue of Slot Tech Journal.
For an interview with Currie about CMI and coin mech technology, see page 24.
- GTech Holdings
GTech manufactures slot machines. During my tenure at WMS Gaming, Jim Breindel
was our marketing manager. Today, he's GTech's retail business manager.
- Happ Controls
Happ supplies the pinball, video and gaming industry with parts such as buttons and
joysticks. After Midway quit the coin-op video business, Happ bought Midway's parts
and service divisions.
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Innovative Gaming Corp. of America
IGCA produces gambling machines based on the Linux operating system. WMS Gaming
veterans recall Jerry Flynn, premier account executive for our outfit in the 1990s.
Today, Jerry is IGCA's vice president of sales and marketing.
- Interblock USA
At various times during my relationship with Williams, Marty
Glazman was my boss. In those days, he ran the marketing and sales department. I
fondly remember planning AMOA presentations for him and our team. AMOA speeches,
displays and AV shows became my Halloween activity through the late Eighties.
A few years ago, I touched base with Marty again. This time, he was Wells Gardner's
executive VP. Today, Marty is Interblock's General Manager, Sales Operations.
Interblock is an international, gaming technology company.
This article
introduces multi-player gaming technology and mentions Interblock's Organic line.
- Incredible Technologies
The great Chicago triad, Williams, Bally and Gottleib have left arcade game
manufacturing. Today, Incredible Technologies carries the torch. IT has a local
Chicagoland office in Rolling Meadows. Some of my Williams and Midway buddies
now work for IT. Keep those fabulous arcade video games coming, guys!
- Leading Edge Design
Larry DeMar's design house in Wheeling, IL. You may remember Larry as one
of the designers of Defender, Stargate and Robotron. He also created much of
Williams' Pinbol/PERC macro language that operates Williams pinball machines.
Today, Larry and his associates design gaming equipment for IGT.
- Midway Amusement Games
Midway designs and publishes video games for home consoles. The company
left the coin-op video game business in 2001. The company offices
remain where I once worked, on Roscoe and California in Chicago. The
manufacturing plant is gone.
- NEP Electronics
NEP manufactures and acquires parts for pinball and video games for sale to
game manufacturers.
- Play Mechanix
George Petro's game design outfit. Back in 1984, George worked for me. By night, he programmed games.
After college, George returned to Williams and then Midway
and became a famous designer. He was one of the programmers behind Narc,
Williams' first game on the Texas Instruments 34010 microprocessor. I've had the
pleasure of writing manuals for George's games Narc and Invasion. More recently,
I wrote the manual for CoinUp, the tournament game feature. In a 2006 merger,
Play Mechanix became a subsidiary of Raw Thrills.
- Sigma Game
Well, this isn't exactly Sigma Game's web site. This page describes the resolution
of a lawsuit between WMS Gaming and Sigma. The story also quotes Sigma President
and CEO Jim Jackson. It's a small world! For a short time at WMS Gaming, I
worked for Jackson. Also see: Sigma
Game. Sigma is now V3 Gaming.
This page concerns Multimedia Games' 2005 buyout of Sigma.
- Raw Thrills
Eugene Jarvis' design house in Skokie, IL. You may remember Eugene as one
of the designers of Williams' Defender, Stargate and Robotron.
Or maybe you know him as the wizard behind Midway's Cruisin' USA.
Today, Eugene's company carries on the tradition with new, world-class
video designs.
- RightHand Technologies
Mark Loffredo's Chicago hardware design house. Mark designed the electronics
for Narc and many more classics. In California, you can visit the San
Andreas Fault. Here in Chicagoland, you can visit the speeding, bleeding,
leading edge. It runs right through RightHand Technologies.
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- Stern Pinball
Like Elvis, Bally, Gottleib and Williams have left the building. If you
want a new pinball machine, Stern is your exclusive choice. Fortunately,
the games are splendid. See them at this year's Pinball Expo in Rosemont,
Illinois. Many of my former Williams cohorts design and build games for Stern.
- Wells-Gardner Electronics
Most Williams video games of the classic period contain a monitor by one of these
manufacturers: Wells-Gardner, Electrohome or Hantarex. WMS Gaming video gaming
devices use Kristel or Wells-Gardner monitors. During the classic period, Wells
occupied a Kildare Street plant near Fullerton and Pulaski. From Williams' point
of view, Kildare was the ideal spot. A mere, two-mile scooter ride would speed us
to Wells' doorstep. Today, Wells resides at more spacious quarters
in McCook Illinois.
- Wico
Wico has been a leader in the replacement parts business for many years. Wico also
supplied the OEM joystick for Williams' MakeTrax game.
- Williams Electronics
Until 1999, Williams manufactured pinball games. While I worked at Williams, we built games downstairs,
at 3401 North California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618. Later, manufacturing shifted to a new facility in
Waukegan, Illinois. Today, the California Avenue plant is gone, replaced by offices.
Waukegan is home to the WMS Gaming slot machine factory.
- WMS Gaming
WMS Gaming is the descendant of arcade greats Williams, Bally, United and Midway.
Today, WMS Gaming designs and manufactures gaming devices such as slot
machines and video gaming devices. The former Williams plant on California Avenue
has become office space. The former Williams and Midway manufacturing facility in
Waukegan now turns out hit slot machines. As tech pubs manager at WMS Gaming, I
wrote the company's first slot manual. That machine's weathered a
lawsuit from IGT.
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MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEMS
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6800-09 Tech Details
All about the Motorola microprocessors
that were the brains of Williams' pinball and video classics. You'll find a
6808 in most System 7 pins. In videos like Defender, look for the 6809. The
6809 was also the sound board microprocessor. Williams also used CMOS 6809s in its
coin-operated pay phones.
MUSEUMS & SHOWS
- AMOA Show
The AMOA show is the biggest annual amusement game show.
- Pinball Expo
Annual, international collectors' show held in Rosemont, near Chicago. The show
includes games from the Thirties to the present. Designers autograph memorabilia.
Partake in seminars, a plant tour and a themed banquet.
- Pinball Hall of Fame
Las Vegas site of a gigantic pinball museum. Machines by every
manufacturer. And you can play all of them!
PARTS & SERVICE
PHOTOS
TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS
TECHNICAL SERVICE GUYS
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Tom Cahill & Barnacle Bobs
If you ever called Midway or Williams for service, you probably talked
with Tom Cahill. He also taught service seminars all over the world.
Today, Tom and his wife Claudia run Barnacle Bobs resort in
Antioch, IL. I don't know if the resort has any pinball machines. If it
does, the machines probably work like new. I understand that the resort
is quite a place. The fishermen love it. If you're ever near Antioch, pay
a visit. You'll enjoy the scenic waters of nearby Lake Marie. Tom will
even rent you a boat.
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