Building a pinball machine is an incredibly complex process. The difficulty multiplies when the goal is rescuing and restoring old models, but we enter a completely different dimension when it comes to pinballs. The folks at The AV Club shared a visit to the Stern Pinball factory in Chicago, which teaches us all the steps in the construction of a pinball, from sorting parts to final evaluation.
Sadly, I can't remember the last time I played a pinball—and I mean a real one. Anyone can quench their thirst with classics like Space Cadet, but we all agree it's not the same. Maintaining a pinball requires a lot of dedication and money, plus parts that are not always easy to obtain. The DIY world is full of projects that help us build pinballs with simplified designs, 3D printing, CNC, virtual reality, Arduino hardware, and the occasional Raspberry Pi. However, in the professional realm there is no room for shortcuts. As the new video from The AV Club shows, dozens of people are involved in the construction of a pinball, and each step is a challenge.
Once the designer and programmer decide what the pinball will do during a game, it's time to gather the parts. An average pinball requires 3,500 parts, and Stern Pinball has very strict quality control. Many parts are inspected one by one (depending on how critical they are), or in batches. The general sample is usually 20 percent, and if 3 percent of that 20 percent shows defects, they reject the entire batch.
The wiring is, for lack of a better description, a nightmare. All configurations are hand-tested, and a machine needs between 400 and 800 meters of wire to function properly.
Applying artwork to the cabinets is a wet process using soapy water. The mechanisms are assembled and tested separately, then installed on the playfield. The technicians use a special rotating structure that resembles a horizontal rotisserie, providing quick access to both sides of the playfield.
Once the hardware is installed, they move on to general testing, install the playfield into its corresponding cabinet, and verify everything again. So, how much does a pinball like this cost? The Star Wars model is one of Stern Pinball's most recent releases, and its Pro version goes for $6,200. What a bargain—we'll take two.
