Why are Arcade and Pinball machines so prone to failure?

Azureth

Azureth

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I see it all the time, many are either almost non-functional or completely dead. I've heard that they require lots of maintenance and everything, but why?
 
Azureth said:
I see it all the time, many are either almost non-functional or completely dead. I've heard that they require lots of maintenance and everything, but why?
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they don't require much maintenance, most places just don't give a shit. I love going to family arcade type places with my kid and its not surprising when I see ~25 percent of the games are broken or failing in some way. I keep losing tokens in them but its rarely worth the effort to bitch about it...
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Cause kids (and adults) beat on them thinking the staff is just going to make sure it stays in great condition, then like ocellaris said, most places don't give a shit and the machines wear down and break :(
 
the biggest problem is there just arent that many companies that work on them.. so when you do run into a problem your usually stuck on a waiting list.. i worked for a place that had this problem and this was 6 years ago.. probably even worse now..
 
Pinball games have lots of moving parts. Moving parts make them much more prone to damage.

Arcade games -- standard cases without special controllers -- they just get beat up while getting played. The ones I've worked on have actuators in the joysticks. These are like little buttons that get pressed when you move the joystick in a certain direction. They're designed to be easily replaced and are usually pretty cheap. The cheaper the stick and actuator, the quicker they wear out.

If you're considering buying one for home, you're probably going to take better care of it than the ones you see in the local "arcades". You won't have problems like you see, and when you do, you'll be able to quickly replace them. The normal machine doesn't experience a lot of electrical problems -- it's usually mechanical, which can be easily diagnosed and replaced.
 
They also have a ton of wires inside connecting all the doohickies. I'm betting there not the best wires and are probably prone to corrosion, this could create breaks in the flow of electricity causing a short circuit. Also some could use fuses, and we all know those don't last forever.
 
Krenum said:
They also have a ton of wires inside connecting all the doohickies. I'm betting there not the best wires and are probably prone to corrosion, this could create breaks in the flow of electricity causing a short circuit. Also some could use fuses, and we all know those don't last forever.
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You heard it here first people, The doohickies.

Unless you're considering machines close to open sea water i wouldnt worry about corrosion of the wiring. Likely, just people beating on the mechanical parts and poor maintenance availability as before stated. Just like if you were to drop your mouse a few times a day, everyday, so would it start to breakdown..
 
No one mentioned the steal ball being slung around the machine at 10 times the speed fo light
 
And if you do get one for your home make sure your idiot friends don't slap the damn button's with the palm's of their hands when they get drunk.;)
 
I use to work at a game room at the movie theater. Most of the time the machines where broke due to lil kids or people kicking them etc. We did have to turn some off because we would put them in free play mode and play on our down time.
 
Don't most arcade machines just use regular PC parts now, other than the case and controller?
 
I have a pinball machine and I can say that it's seen wear just from normal play in my house. Some of the solder connections needed to be reset from the vibration of the board itself when the kickers pop and such. The launching mechanism got worn down to the point where the autolaunch was not launching directly vertical, and ended up failing to launch the ball onto the playfield. The lights burn out. Plastic pieces that are hit crack. Constant adjustments to the poppers are needed to keep them in line. Solenoids wear out etc... Parts are NOT expensive and are very available online now. However, time for a store owner to do them himself after-hours would probably be very ery limited.
 
i feel like arcades always just end up closing down anyway, so they don't bother. not even the gameworks could survive.
 
BladeVenom said:
Don't most arcade machines just use regular PC parts now, other than the case and controller?
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Yes arcades use motherboards and VGA displays. There basically a computer with a wooden exterior.

ChucklesC6 said:
i feel like arcades always just end up closing down anyway, so they don't bother. not even the gameworks could survive.
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Yeah it sucks. The internet killed the arcades. Arcades used to be a social hangout for videogame geeks, ever since people figured out they don't have to leave there houses to socialize with others arcade rooms have been empty. Its a shame.
 
Worked at an arcade for 3 years.. 90% of the time is was dirty or broken coin mechs that caused arcade machines to be put out of order. Either someone jammed something in there or the mech was dirty and coins were getting stuck or not registering. As far as switches wearing out, arcade controls are switches, never seen one that wasn't. There are different quality parts but the lower quality ones still last a while and can be changed in mere minutes. Laziness or short on staff are the biggest problems.
 
I remember pumping quarters into Street Fighter and can not ever remember a machine that did not have at least 1 working slot. If there was damage it would be a stuck nickel in a slot or something.

I do remember beating the ever living shit out of the joystick to get the allyoucan punch :) and other moves though.
 
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