Fixing Tilt Problems In Your Pinball Machine

The tilt in a pinball machine helps keep it safe from damage by overeager or angry players. However, if your machine's tilt is acting up in your arcade, it is going to require this simple repair procedure.

Understanding The Tilt

The tilt is a small hanging "bob" that dips through a small loop. It hangs straight down and moves only when the machine is tilted. If the bob touches the loop, it tells the machine that it is tilting too much and activates the tilt warning. Usually, players get a few warnings before tilt is activated. This immediately stops the game and costs the player a ball.

However, over the years it is possible for your tilt to go out of alignment for various reasons and, as a result, it may be easier for your customers to tilt the machine (making it more frustrating to play) or made more difficult (which will give them longer games and cost you money).

There won't be any visible change in your pinball machine when this problem occurs. Pay attention to your customer's comments and take any complaints about faulty tilt seriously. If you get enough complaints, try the machine out yourself. Move the machine around as you play to see if you receive early tilt warnings or if the machine refused to tilt. If it has any trouble, it's time to open up your machine.

Opening Up Your Cabinet

Opening up your pinball cabinet is something that any pinball owner can do and requires the following steps:

• Open the front coin door with the key included with the machine
• Find the small lever inside and pull it to the left to unlock your lock down bar
• Lift the lock down bar (a long bar attached near the lever) and move it to the right
• Move the lock down lever back to its original position and close the coin door
• Carefully slide the glass top of the playing field toward you to remove it
• Place the glass against a wall to keep it safe
• Lift the playing field up, holding near the bottom of the pinball exit area
• Push the field vertical and hold it in place with the support bar, typically located on the right of the machine

Adjusting Your Tilt

Once your cabinet is open like this, look for the tilt, which is usually located on the left of the cabinet. Most tilts look like the one described in the first section, and includes simple weight adjustment controls. Adjust these properly to add a little more weight to the tilt if it doesn't activate and decrease the weight if it activates too easily.

Close the cabinet by reversing the directions above and try out a game. The tilt should be sensitive to your actions against the machine, but should give out a few warnings before tilting. If further adjustment is necessary, open the cabinet back up and adjust it some more.

This relatively simple repair should be easy enough for most pinball machine owners to complete on their own. However, if your adjustments don't seem to make a difference, there might be a more complex problem that requires a professional repair. Contact a service like Great Selections for more help.