The step-by-step mechanical logic of old pinball machines [video](youtube.com)
youtube.com
The step-by-step mechanical logic of old pinball machines [video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3p_Cv32tEo
43 comments
Of all things I think I liked his two on dishwashers the most. Did not expect that, but it just utterly demystified something, and it was refreshing to see someone go through a process, come to a conclusion, _admit error_, and go into thorough detail explaining it.
I follow his videos for years. I enjoy is quibbles with being in the US and constantly getting comments what is supposedly saner in Europe ;) (I’m from Europe). I started when his content was mainly about video/audio tech etc. But I also very much enjoy his videos from the last two years which show everyday or old time Technology.
He recently uploaded a video titled: "What's the deal with the popcorn button?"
Almost an hour of him talking about a button that pretty much only exists on microwaves sold in the US, and a warning only printed on bags of microwave popcorn sold in the US.
The guy has great skills in explaining technology, but it could reach a lot more people if he didn't target always target an American audience at the expense of broader appeal.
But that’s the thing. He is American and I guess his target audience is the US. And from his comments I think he likes where he lives and comes from. So what? I also follow a builder from New Zealand who started his channel showing the projects he gets contracted with and now shifted to a home renovation channel. But his content is from NZ and he only sometimes explains compares with other countries building houses with wood and only if he gets comments about it and reads up the differences. Because: why should he care how timber is treated compared to the country he lives in. All in all I have no issue with the content. I even watched the hour long ramble about EV charging status and the switch to the Tesla connector in the US. As an European nothing could interest me more. But I still find it interesting and entertaining.
His rant about US turn signals or why LED traffic lights are bad for areas with real winter are exactly my kind of relax content.
He seems to take inspiration from the things he experiences in everyday life or that he finds enjoyable (like his obsession with Christmas lights). It is understandable that being an American, and living in America, that he will tend to stick to topics relevant in that context. I’m sure there are lots of technological oddities in Bulgaria or Brazil for some upstart Bulgarian or Brazilian YouTuber to make content about.
He is getting millions of views on those videos, so I think he doing just fine and isn’t concerned with a “broader appeal”.
He is getting millions of views on those videos, so I think he doing just fine and isn’t concerned with a “broader appeal”.
The popcorn button is his most popular video of this year @ 3.7 million views. His one pedal brake video is next @ 3.5 M. If his most popular video only has an audience of the US market that seems okay if it resonates with the YT community and places it is shared.
He’s just talking about what he finds interesting, isn’t he?
Honestly how many people are the pinball videos useful to? Almost no one. Who cares. It’s really interesting.
I don’t know what the European/Australian/Chilean/Zimbabwean equivalent of a “popcorn button video” would be but I can almost guarantee I would want to watch it.
Honestly how many people are the pinball videos useful to? Almost no one. Who cares. It’s really interesting.
I don’t know what the European/Australian/Chilean/Zimbabwean equivalent of a “popcorn button video” would be but I can almost guarantee I would want to watch it.
So I’m not allowed to watch content specific to my country just because a person in another country says so?
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Who should make videos about the popcorn button?
While I absolutely love his videos, with this one he lost me. It’s very technical, doesn’t serve a bigger purpose apart from maybe “look at how much you can do with so little” (it’s literally just about the pinball machine), and it’s very long.
My favourite videos are about washing machines, electrical plugs, turning lights and such, where technology intersects with culture. I’m looking forward to his next project, because this one wasn’t for me.
My favourite videos are about washing machines, electrical plugs, turning lights and such, where technology intersects with culture. I’m looking forward to his next project, because this one wasn’t for me.
Agree. Think I peaked watching whole video on car indicators, filled with nostalgia and finally solving childhood mystery. There is something in his videos which teleports me to old times plus vids are packed with knowledge. Nerdiness is through the roof. HNY HN.
I discovered him only a couple of months ago, and have thoroughly enjoyed what he's got.
I've learned a lot about these old machines from Joe's Classic Video Games https://www.youtube.com/@LyonsArcade
There's several other channels that feature work on the old Electromechanical pinball machines like Goat Shed EM Pinball repair.
There's several other channels that feature work on the old Electromechanical pinball machines like Goat Shed EM Pinball repair.
"C'mon people, I'm not saying it's simple, but just follow the schematic. You don't have to know everything about electronics repair, you just gotta know enough to follow along to fix what's broke." - Ron
Those schematics look surprisingly similar to ladder logic. I always thought that ladder logic for programming PLCs makes absolutely no sense compared to a proper programming language, but now I see that it does make quite a lot of sense if you're trying to get electrical engineers who used to design actual physical logic circuits into programming PLCs.
Wikipedia says:
> The motivation for representing sequential control logic in a ladder diagram was to allow factory engineers and technicians to develop software without additional training to learn a language such as FORTRAN or other general-purpose computer language.
> Ladder logic can be thought of as a rule-based language rather than a procedural language. A "rung" in the ladder represents a rule. When implemented with relays and other electromechanical devices, the various rules execute simultaneously and immediately.
(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder_logic)
The combination of both statements entertains me, because while defenders of imperative languages might even admit that they are worse languages, they still cling on to the notion that imperative is easier to teach or understand and that other approaches requires genius level intellect. When it's mostly about what you are familiar with that determines what approach feels easy.
(Different approaches still differ in how well they can express or maintain your program whilst making errors harder to make, of course.)
> The motivation for representing sequential control logic in a ladder diagram was to allow factory engineers and technicians to develop software without additional training to learn a language such as FORTRAN or other general-purpose computer language.
> Ladder logic can be thought of as a rule-based language rather than a procedural language. A "rung" in the ladder represents a rule. When implemented with relays and other electromechanical devices, the various rules execute simultaneously and immediately.
(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder_logic)
The combination of both statements entertains me, because while defenders of imperative languages might even admit that they are worse languages, they still cling on to the notion that imperative is easier to teach or understand and that other approaches requires genius level intellect. When it's mostly about what you are familiar with that determines what approach feels easy.
(Different approaches still differ in how well they can express or maintain your program whilst making errors harder to make, of course.)
> I see that it does make quite a lot of sense if you're trying to get electrical engineers who used to design actual physical logic circuits into programming PLCs
It was specifically designed for electricians (sparkies), not electrical engineers. And indeed, it’s intuitive with that background. Junior engineers struggle at first, but ladder logic is an elegant language for the problem domain.
It was specifically designed for electricians (sparkies), not electrical engineers. And indeed, it’s intuitive with that background. Junior engineers struggle at first, but ladder logic is an elegant language for the problem domain.
Tim Hunkin did a video on PLCs and the like, and talks about precisely that, as memory serves. His videos are also a treasure.
Not so much the EEs, but the techs who are troubleshooting/tweaking in the field
I absolutely love this kind and era of electrical technology. It’s so clever and creative. There’s complexity but none of it is complicated. Any reasonable person can understand what’s going on. Microchips, to me at least, are black boxes. I can’t open one, understand it, fix a few things, make a few changes, then boot it back up.
If you live in the Bay Area, go to the pinball museum in Alameda. Over a hundred machines, all free to pay along with the fixed entry fee. They vary from old style to new. Every one has info on the designer and artists plus other history.
Boston area folks should similarly head down to the Electromagnetic Pinball Museum in Pawtucket. Same deal and feel (I've been to both).
There’s also one in Seattle.
https://seattlepinballmuseum.com/
https://seattlepinballmuseum.com/
I'm moving away from Seattle literally tomorrow morning, and just finding out about this now :-(
there's another one in Munroe (east side) http://www.letsplaycafe.com/
Nice! My family has a "Spirit of 76", inherited from my father-in-law who bought it new. It's always fun to open the machine up and trace through all of the connections.
About ten years ago we hired a pair of local guys to replace some worn-out bits - nothing major, just bumpers and light bulbs. They were exactly what you would hope for in such a duo: their initial evaluation step was just one guy playing (the guy with long hair), while the other guy (the guy with glasses) watched closely. During this phase they communicated in grunts and monosyllables, a tight code borne of years of shared experience between them.
[update: The Spirit of 76 gameplay is nearly identical to the Aztec shown in the vid]
About ten years ago we hired a pair of local guys to replace some worn-out bits - nothing major, just bumpers and light bulbs. They were exactly what you would hope for in such a duo: their initial evaluation step was just one guy playing (the guy with long hair), while the other guy (the guy with glasses) watched closely. During this phase they communicated in grunts and monosyllables, a tight code borne of years of shared experience between them.
[update: The Spirit of 76 gameplay is nearly identical to the Aztec shown in the vid]
once had the pleasure of learning a bunch about these machines from the operator of the pacific pinball museum (then called the lucky juju) in alameda, ca about 20 years ago at a class at an early proto-makerspace in west oakland called the crucible.
the scoring motors and relay logic were fascinating, but if you want to see even more interesting electromechanical logic check out the turing bombe and collosus rebuilds at bletchley park. that em logic was credited with shaving years off of wwii and came many decades before.
the scoring motors and relay logic were fascinating, but if you want to see even more interesting electromechanical logic check out the turing bombe and collosus rebuilds at bletchley park. that em logic was credited with shaving years off of wwii and came many decades before.
I love mechanical pinball machines. My cousin used to restore them. I remember visiting him and he'd have them all over his house.
They're so noisy. I can't imagine the sound of a pinball arcade back in the day when they were all mechanical.
Also, did you know the qbert arcade cabinets contained a the free game wood block traditionally found inside pinball machines.
They're so noisy. I can't imagine the sound of a pinball arcade back in the day when they were all mechanical.
Also, did you know the qbert arcade cabinets contained a the free game wood block traditionally found inside pinball machines.
> Also, did you know the qbert arcade cabinets contained a the free game wood block traditionally found inside pinball machines.
I did not know that and still am not sure that I understand, after Googling: is this a wooden block that provides audio/haptic feedback for "specials" (usually free games) unlocked in pinball games by achieving certain scores? If so, what was its use in QBert?
I did not know that and still am not sure that I understand, after Googling: is this a wooden block that provides audio/haptic feedback for "specials" (usually free games) unlocked in pinball games by achieving certain scores? If so, what was its use in QBert?
In QBert it "knocks" when the QBert character jumps off the edge of the grid. First, there's a sound effect that sounds like QBert falling, then a short time later a loud knock that sounds (and feels) like hitting the bottom of the cabinet at the end of the fall.
They're called "knockers"; generally the score threshold for a free game or "replay" isn't hard-coded but is instead based on the grand champion score, so depending on location they can very from very low to very high.
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Wait for it …
I've been a supporter of TC for many years, he has a fantastic backlog of videos on many topics. The series that hooked me (especially since I do a lot of work around broadcast software) was the one about the technology of television.
Give yourself a gift in the new year of watching through his backlog, you will not be disappointed!