Today I learned…

[iamCornhoolio]

Starting up a thread for fellow newbies for pinball facts that old heads have probably known for ages, but would be new to players like me.

My first is the “knock” that happens when you match for a free game during a game’s end sequence.

I’d never heard it outside an arcade and when it fired on my Stargate at home I very nearly shat myself, I thought something had hit the glass. Must be a solenoid walloping something.

I assume it’s to alert a player to the free game, in case they walk away without noticing, but I guess it could be for any number of reasons?

 

[JWG9999]

It also tells you if you win a free game during play because of your high score, and more importantly -

it tells everyone else in the arcade / games room / competition that you're playing a blinder.

 

[Taxiturn]

That’s the aptly named “knocker”, it’s a solenoid firing against a plate. Signals your success to the arcade! Modern machines often use a digital replica of the sound.

 

[Marvello]

My first is the “knock” that happens when you match for a free game during a game’s end sequence.

It's a rites of passage for any noobie Stern owner to post to the forum saying something is wrong with their Pin as it's just made a horrendous loud noise like something had blown. There has to be a better noise to replicate a physical knocker?

Been there, done that.

I've just learnt you can play the original Seawitch rules on Beatles by selecting it in the menu .

 

[steve brum]

Getting a grand champ triple knocker is awesome

Getting a system 11 alert knocker is horrendous!

 

[MarkS]

Some games like Addams Family use the knocker during gameplay - SEANCE, KNOCK 3 TIMES!

 

[Jay Walker]

It shouldn't just be for a match, but Replay, Special (provided this awards a credit) and Highest Score too. Early Williams solid-state games such as Firepower used to knock whenever a credit was posted, even from inserting a coin.

As Steve mentions, the advent of switch reporting with System 11 saw the knocker used to emphasise the report. Fire! was a particular nuisance, as the coin chute switches weren't masked out of the report software, and on 30 pence play, no-one used 10 pence coins. But there was a Yes/No adjustment, 'Switch Alarm Knocker', with the statement 'this is for when the knocker drive is used for a ticket or token dispenser'.

 

[steve brum]

You'd option it off but forget after a memory failure turn on game and it was like world war 3

 

[steve brum]

Nice discussion on knockers for a Thursday morning

Where's cooldan ?