The Art of LEDs – Warm, Cool, Sunlight Whites

October 9th, 2024

We are excited to partner with Comet Pinball, the leading purveyor of LEDs in pinball machines. Comet Pinball has a massive, and growing, inventory of LED bulbs and matrix units to bring pinball machines to life. Comet Pinball offers three different shades of white: Warm White, Sunlight, and Cool White. Which one is right for your game?  Click “Read More” at the top right for more info.

Posted in Knowledge Center, Pinball News

PinTip: How to Install Leg Levelers on your Pinball Machine

December 28th, 2022

Replace those old rusted leg levelers with new ones! Not only do they look nice, they’ll also help level your machine for the perfect gameplay. Kyle gives us some tips and tricks of the trade to make your leg leveler install easier. — (Coming soon… the PINJACK – “Save your back, use the PINJACK”: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/77-PINJACK) — Shop leg levelers at http://www.marcopinball.com: 3″ Standard leg levelers: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/LL3 2″ leg levelers (for older EMs): https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/LL2 Other leg leveler sizes/colors: https://www.marcospecialties.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=leg+leveler Don’t forget the jam nuts! 5/8″ standard jam nut: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/4422-01117-00 9/16″ jam nut: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/4422-01127-00 Need new legs?: https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/CABP-LEGS

Tags: leg levelers, ll2, ll3, Marco Pinball, MarcoTV, Pinball, Pinball Parts, pinball repair, pinball tech

Posted in Knowledge Center, Pinball News

Coil Substitutions and Equivalents

July 19th, 2022

We get a lot of questions from people asking about coil substitutions.  Let’s preface by saying we always recommend replacing a coil with the same part number as the original. Remember, a weak flipper probably won’t be fixed by replacing the coil with a stronger one, and changing to a non-factory recommended coil can cause damage to plastics, drop targets and ramps. Click “Read More” at the top right for more info.

Tags: coil chart, coils, Pinball

Posted in Knowledge Center

Learning about EOS Switches in Pinball

June 6th, 2022

The end of stroke switch (EOS) is your pinball flipper assembly’s best friend. The End Of Stroke switch keeps the flipper in check, but it does have a hard job. It gets beat up; many times per game, and eventually, you will need to repair or replace that old end of stroke switch. Which EOS switch do you need, and what is an EOS switch for? Click “Read More” at the top right for more info.

Tags: eos switch, flipper coil, Marco Pinball, Pinball, pinball repair

Posted in Knowledge Center, Pinball News

Join our Pinball Technician Database

May 31st, 2022

Are you a pinball technician? Would you like your business to be listed? Every day, we have customers that need help with their games beyond their scope of knowledge. We decided to create a “Rolodex” of vetted pinball technicians from around the world, so when our customers ask for repair help, we can send them your way! Please join our Pinball Technician database, today. Click the “read more” button at the top right.

Posted in Knowledge Center

How to Remove a Playfield – Stern Spike 2

April 6th, 2021

Here is a great tutorial from Charlie Danger of Dead Flip Pinball Streaming showing us how to remove a playfield from a new Stern Pinball game! Removing the playfield is sometimes necessary, do it with confidence and care. Watch the tutorial here! Another great tutorial video from Jack Danger, “Breaking Down a Pinball Machine for Transport: Follow Dead Flip on Youtube for more great tutorials! http://www.youtube.com/deadflip

Tags: charlie danger, dead flip, Pinball, playfield, remove playfield

Posted in Knowledge Center, Pinball News

The Bob-Math-Use Guide to Classic Pinball Machines

January 28th, 2021

Did you know that Bob Matthews made a comprehensive guide for playing in those “classics” tournaments? This is one of the most valuable compendiums we have ever seen in pinball history when it comes to game rules, details, and tips!! Check it out and cherish it. If Bob’s guide helps you in any way, he is asking for donations to Project Pinball. Happy Flipping!

Tags: bob matthews, Pinball, tutorial

Posted in Knowledge Center

How a Pinball Machine Works in Slow Motion!

December 2nd, 2020

The Slow Mo Guys created an amazing video showing the power of pinball through slow motion!  Click “Read More” at the top right to check out the video!

Tags: Pinball, slow mo guys, slow motion

Posted in Knowledge Center, Pinball News

Fastener Part Numbering System Explained

April 15th, 2020

When dealing with screws, nuts, and bolts, understanding the cryptic part numbers can simplify ordering. The last 2 digits (XX) of the 4 digit fastener part numberprefix (40XX-12345-12) indicates the standard stud size of the bolt or screw. For example, part #4006-01030-12 indicates a #6 stud diameter (.138″) fastener. The 2 digit part number suffix for bolts and screws (-12, -04, -16, etc) indicates the number of 1/16″ length increments of the fastener. For example, part #4004-01003-04 indicates a screw that is 4/16″ long or 1/4″ long.  Click “Read More” at the top right for more information.

Posted in Knowledge Center

How to Stream Pinball by Jack Danger

April 1st, 2020

Stuck at home with your games? Start streaming pinball now! There are multiple outlets you can stream on for free. Twitch, Facebook LIVE, Youtube, or even just using ZOOM to stream with your personal family & friends! Streaming pinball is the latest way to share pinball gameplay, rules, and even repair tips! Don’t know where to start? We have you covered! Jack Danger paves the way for pinball streamers with his professional and entertaining pinball streams on twitch.tv, Dead Flip Pinball Streaming. Always keen about sharing his knowledge, Jack created a comprehensive breakdown on “How to Stream Pinball”.

Tags: dead flip, jack danger, stream pinball, twitch.tv

Posted in Knowledge Center, Pinball News

Buying Your FIRST Pinball Machine

February 28th, 2020

On Saturday, August 1st, 2020 California Extreme will host Tim Showalter’s presentation on “Buying Your First Pinball Machine.” Watch it LIVE on Twitch.tv at http://www.twitch.tv/caextreme Open the twitch link and click “Follow” with “notifications on” to get notified on when they go live! Marco Pinball presents: Buying Your First Pinball MachinePresenters: Tim Showalter, TJ Beyer, Kyle Spiteri all skilled pinball aficionadosModerator: Imoto Harney, Marco PinballJoin Tim, TJ, and Kyle as they teach us “almost” everything you need to know about buying and owning your first pinball machine! Besides our presentation, California Extreme plans to have a full day of digital read more…

Tags: california extreme, Pinball

Posted in Knowledge Center, Pinball News

Stern Pinball packing guide

December 16th, 2014

Have you ever had to put a game back in the box? This guide from Stern Pinball gives you all the information you’ll need to pack like a pro. Stern Pinball’s guide to re-packing your pinball machine.

Posted in Knowledge Center

Marco Specialties introduces Super-Bands™ high-reliability pinball flipper bands

October 4th, 2013

Lexington, SC — Marco Specialties, a leading pinball parts e-retailer, today announced the new line of Super-Bands™ high-reliability pinball flipper bands. Super-Bands™ are advanced, custom-formulated, polyurethane rings (a.k.a. urethane flipper rings) designed for pinball machine flippers and bumpers. Super-Bands™ are superior to traditional flipper rubber with better durability and better ball control, translating to increased reliability, reduced operating costs, and better player satisfaction for pinball machines in both commercial and collector environments. Super-Bands are available in a wide variety of original equipment and unique colors.

Tags: press release

Posted in Knowledge Center

Custom fabricate your own wire gates and wire forms

August 22nd, 2013

Pinball machines use many interesting custom wire parts that are often hard to find when they break.  While Marco stocks a huge variety of prefabricated and industrially hardened wire-form parts, inevitably you will run across a rare part that is keeping your game from working correctly. The magic material to use is piano wire, which is strong and will retain its shape. Marco carries several diameters of Piano Wire, including: 0.031in – #12-WS-031 0.040in – #12-WS-040 0.051in – #12-WS-051 0.063in – #12-WS-063 0.080in – #12-WS-080 To make bending wire simpler, try a #77-8593 wire forming jig.  

Posted in Knowledge Center

#44 vs #47 Miniature Pinball Lamps

March 15th, 2012

Historically, the most common miniature incandescent lamp/light bulbs used in pinball machines are the venerable #44 and #47 bayonet-style miniature lamps. While many collectors are putting LEDs in their machines, purists still prefer miniature lamps for the classic look, color temperature, and color-rendering of miniature lamps.

Posted in Knowledge Center