On the Bench

We have been keeping ourselves busy over the last few months, perhaps a little too busy. A steady stream of new pinball machine acquisitions has meant that much of our time has been spent collecting, moving, setting up, and enjoying new additions to the lineup. While it has been great to see the collection grow, it has also meant that some of the maintenance work has not received quite as much attention as it deserves.

The workshop backlog has slowly grown as new projects arrived, but that is about to change. We are now making a concerted effort to get some of the machines that have been waiting patiently for attention onto the bench. There is something satisfying about bringing a machine back from the dead, and a few of our games are definitely due some workshop time.

At the top of the list is Star Trek 25th Anniversary, which did not simply develop a fault, it pretty much blew up. The machine suffered a significant failure that left it completely out of action and has since become a major diagnostic project. Between blown components, power supply issues, and the challenge of tracing faults through ageing electronics, it has provided plenty of opportunities to put our troubleshooting skills to the test. Thankfully, progress is being made and we are hopeful of seeing it boldly go once again in the near future.

Also on the bench is Road Kings, one of our latest acquisitions. The machine already plays well, but there are a number of smaller jobs that need completing before we can consider it fully finished. Some backbox lighting needs attention, the knocker assembly needs reinstating, and a general tidy up will help bring the machine up to the standard we want for regular play.

Rounding out the current workshop queue is The X-Files, which has a few issues of its own that need working through. As with many machines from the era, the challenge is often not finding a fault but deciding which fault to tackle first. A methodical approach, plenty of testing, and a bit of patience should see it back investigating unexplained phenomena before too long.

While we have thoroughly enjoyed expanding the collection, maintaining the machines is every bit as important as acquiring them. The good news is that the workshop lights are back on, the soldering iron is heating up, and the repair queue is moving once again. With Star Trek, Road Kings, and The X-Files all lined up for attention, there should be plenty of interesting repair stories to share over the coming weeks.