Amazing pinball tilt sensor technology.

Pinball is the ultimate analog gaming system

I build those virtual pinball machines, where everything is simulated digitally. You'd be surprised how many actual mechanical parts are whirling around inside, producing the actual correct motor / solenoid sounds. Also, all these same tilt sensors of course

My very VERY first tech experience was repairing these in the early 70s. Family owned an amusement company. pinball machines, jukebox, pool tables etc.

I have 8 pinball machines, all em machines from the late 60's-mid70's. I remember the first time lifting a play field my eyes opened so wide. I learned how to read schematics and have repaired all of them to working order. Most were rescued from garages sitting for decades.

I fight these sensors every Thursday at Pinball League

So I'm 19 years old playing pinball and I remember my dad suggesting putting the machine on my toes to slow the angle and I realize I'm wearing steel toe shoes so I decide to try it. The machine was in a corner of the bar with a mounted bison head above it and when I lifted the machine it lifted the buffalo head up by the chin loosing it from its mount. The head rolled forward onto the machine miraculously not breaking the glass. It continued to roll forward hitting me in the chest and knocking me over backwards. I landed on the floor with the buffalo head on my face and my toes still under the machine. In front of 100 drunk people at the bar. Quite the scene.

❗️ p.s. Technology Connections did a series of pinball videos. They are the double-dutch chocolate dive into pinball tech for fans:

This is where we got a the fancy haptics in phones and other devices from, right? Has to be 😹

The plumb bob is also adjustable for height. Raised, it's more sensitive.

I grew up in bowling alleys in the 60's. I got to the point that I could play for hours on a quarter.

💕💕💕

Pinball has all these tilt sensors and yet our AI customer service calls can't tell when we are irrate and get an operator on the line.

Omfg I never even considered “TILT” literally meant like the table was tilted. I thought it was its own error jargon.

Simple, but highly effective 🤣

I used to own several pinball machines. My favorite was the Addams Family. They are all a work of art.

we discovered that on our favourite pinball machine that if the switch on the plug socket was turned off/on at the same time as the start game button was pressed, then the score counter didn’t reset to 0. So it was easy to keep racking up high scores to get free games.

so what happens when it's tilted? game over?

It worked whether you tilted it or not!

I loved pinball !!

Wild

Your either on the tilted side Or You’re on the fabricated side

someone should open a new bar called pinballs n pints with a bunch of pinball machines and you earn beer by scoring points in pinballs.

A good player knew how hard to shake the machine without tilting… all part of the game.

i'm looking for a fully restored creature from the black lagoon

Zaccaria? I had a Supersonic that had those same tilt setup.

That's interesting. Why was so much effort put into detecting tilt on these things though? Did people really spend nickels just to get a legit high score?

Oh yeah, some old pinball machines would give you a free game if you slapped the front just right.

Yeh these are cool.

Le TILT, cette sentence qui a torturé des générations.

Pinball!!!! I love those... I loved them even on the early computers :)

The Egyptians would be proud of this solution.

You left out the little mercury vial switchs

😅