Silverball News and Views - August 1999 - Review: Pinball Machine Care and Maintenance by Bernard Bear Kamoroff

Bell Springs Publishing has recently released a new pinball machine repair and maintenance book entitled Pinball Machine Care and Maintenance by Bernard Bear Kamoroff. Before getting into the repairs and maintenance the first 40 pages of the book provides a

• brief history of pinball,
• information on buying a machine and types of machines,
• brief information about manufacturers,
• a thorough discussion of electromechanical (EM) versus solid state (SS) machines,
• transportation tips,
• information about setting up your machine,
• general information about the machine and getting inside of it, and
• a moderate discussion of pinball components and features.

The final 60 pages then get into the more technical side. Kamoroff starts out by giving some repair basics - recommendations on getting organized, a discussion of safety and electricity, tool and supply recommendations, and finally soldering.

After the basics, Kamoroff discusses one of the most important parts of modern pinball machines, the flippers. 10 pages alone are dedicated to understanding how flippers work, what can go wrong, and how to repair them regardless of the problem (mechanical or electical but not computer logic).

The following 3 sections deal with maintenance and repairs that are specific to all machines, specific to only EM machines, and specific to only SS machines. Kamoroff then discusses lubrication with a pinball machine and when to get professional repairs.

Overall I would have to say that although this book does not have the greatest writing it shines in it information on repairs and insights. Bernard has done an excellent job of making the technical information rather easily understood and sufficient for those getting into the technical side of the hobby.