Top Machine-Specific Problems
Solid-state pinball machines ushered in an era of unique playfield mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms are tricky to make work. And some are difficult to access. Here's our rogue's gallery of the toughest mechs to service. These are all tough enough to get their own pages, and they also link from their respective machines.
A nifty - and long-unavailable - cam is subject to wear. The important parts are all at the back of the playfield, and imporssible to access easily without pulling the playfield.
Overheating electronics and borderline design practices, coupled with big wiring and a tendency to work for 30 - 45 mins without trouble.
Sophisticated closed-loop controller with several places to go wrong, all buried under a model engine.
An elegant locking ring requires decent operation of two separate, motorized systems. Not only do they wear, the crane can get tied up between the cabinet and playfield and get badly bent.
Other Tricky Mechanisms
Easier than the first set, but still a little tricky in their own right because of complexity or unavailable parts.
Full of tricky, but now-available, parts, these heads are straightforward to service. There still seems to be an issue with poorly-made jaw gears that fracture early in service.
Worn parts make the castle towers lean. Spares are hard to come by, so fixing this one often requires some DIY effort.