1936 Bally Challenger One Ball Payout Pinball repairs

 Since the previous post

The cabinet was glued up. Looks like it was "repaired" at some point by a previous owner but ever since I got the game, the front left corner was split.

I got Challenger going. Fixing up the game wasn't really exciting stuff to write about.

All in all, there was 3 half ass days of work. Just basic stuff: clean, burnish, lubricate, look for obvious broken stuff then power up and troubleshoot. It's an exceeding simple game. My example of Challenger was fairly untouched, that helped a lot.

The game uses reed connectors that all need to be burnished. I use commercial grade green scotch brite pads I cut up into small squares.

Connections between head and body.

Took off the shutter to clean all the switches

I took out the payout unit, took it apart as much as I dared to clean and lubricate the moving parts. I noticed there was a seized sliding bracket. I had to let that marinate in oil for 24 hours and then with some patience and gentle persuasion managed the free up the part.

Embiggen for details

The payout drum has brass traces that needed to be burnished. I used a fiberglass sanding pen to clean the traces.

To help me with the repairs. I got a second Challenger parts machine from my friend Caitlyn. I don't know the machine's history or how she got the machine in the first place but it was very useful.

My Challenger

Cait's Challenger

The electromechanical bits in Caitlyn's game were completely modified. Apart from the odds drum unit, nothing was compatible with my example but the playfield was in a bit better condition than my example. My challenger has a dent in the playfield and most of the flag springs were broken. I decided to swap the best parts to the parts machine playfield and use that with my cabinet and head.

Batteries / Voltage:

Looking at the battery box in my Challenger and confirmed with Caitlyn's Challenger there were 10 batteries. Presuming that the machine used No 6, 1.5V dry cells, that would add up to 15 volts. Until I can find some suitable transformer, I will use a variac with a bridge rectifier and capacitor to power the game.

Looking at the playfield, I noticed a patent that wasn't mentioned in any of the ad's: 2,029,177 Game Apparatus by Bon MacDougall.

From what I understand from the IPDB entries Bon MacDougall was first employed, or at least designed for PAMCO then with Bally. That might explain the similarities between the One Balls produced by Bally and PAMCO.

Again, perusing IPDB, I found that the same game design was used multiple times by Bally and PAMCO...

Bally Derby, that conveniently has schematics. Speaking of schematics... also found a picture of the schematic for a Bally Prospector of the same era. Not exactly the same as Challenger but close enough to have a good idea of how it works.

PAMCO: Here are a few examples of one balls using the same electromechanical design and playfield layout.

Red Sails

Speedway

Parlay Senior, Notice it is almost identical to Bally Derby.

I think what differentiated Challenger from other similar One Ball games of the era is the multiplier.

How the feature works from the player's perspective, just like the red arrow says, first Nickel resets and starts the game. Manually raise the ball to the shooter lane. Then additional Nickels can be played to multiply the odds. Up to 3 additional Nickels for a 4X multiplier. Guaranteed step up for each Nickel played.

There are 6 odds steps: 2, 4, 6, 10, 16, 30

Payout odds are displayed for each numbered hole

The Odds Drum has a total of 24 odds combinations.

With a 4X multiplier, thats a maximum of 120 Nickels! Thats 6 bucks in 1936 money. Today that would be worth almost 113 dollars but consider that one play today would be worth about 1 dollar according to the US inflation calculator.

Electromechanically the multiplier is accomplished by way of a stepped plate that shifts 3 steps by way of a step up solenoid to push multiple payout slides. One slide pushes 2 Nickels at a time. There's a stack of 4 payout slides. At the start of a new game the multiplier is shifted to home position.

Game impressions:

The nautical artwork is absolutely beautiful. It's quality artwork that you would expect seeing as a framed print. The cabinet is tall and imposing. The diminutive head looks awkward on such a large cabinet.

It's as bland as you can imagine. Backbox lighting is minimal. The playfield layout, with all the flag springs makes it almost impossible to hit a hole that pays out. That's to be expected from a game that has all but one holes that pay out!

As for historical relevance, Challenger is an example of early games with changing odds. The "One Ball" concept is contrary to later One Balls. In other / later One ball games, only the lighted selections pay out, all the other holes lose. In Challenger, all the numbered holes pay. The Mystery Purse and the Grand Trophy hole pay an award of at least 10 nickels, all the way to 30 Nickels on a basic game. But the fact that's it's virtually impossible to hit a winner makes the game feel rigged and has little "play again appeal". I suspect the players who played these games when they were new caught on pretty fast. 

If you do manage to hit a winner. Coins drop into a spring loaded drawer.

The machine also has a EM sounder that knocks as coins are paid out. The sounder has an on/off switch for the operator.

Tilt Bob and Sounder

The game has a Nickel Validator (or would it be more appropriate to call it a conveyor or elevator... They call it an Escalator in the Flyer) To see if a player wasn't using wooden nickels or metal slugs. The coins drop into the payout tube at the end of the conveyor. Once full, excess Nickels drop into a cash box.