TECH OF THE MONTH – JANUARY 2023
LAUREN CUGLIOTTA – JUPITER, FLORIDA
Q: Where are you located, how long have you been around pinball and how long have you been working on games for?
A: My name is Lauren Cugliotta, and I have been working in pinball for 3 years, and as a technician for 2.
Q: How did you first get into the hobby?
A: When I was a teenager, a pinball arcade called “The Pinball Gallery” opened up nearby my house. I learned all about the hobby when I would go there to play after school.
Q: Did you jump right into repairing machines or did you learn under someone else?
A: When I was a junior in college, I needed to do an internship as part of my graduation requirements. That same year, The Pinball Dudes opened in Jupiter where I had just moved a couple years before. Eric Francis, one of the co-owners of the store, took me under his wing and taught me how to shop games, and eventually beginner tech work. I learned even more under the master techs here at the shop. After I graduated in 2020, I came back here full time to work!
Q: Did you have a background in another field that made that transition easier?
A: I am a college graduate with a Bachelor’s in computer engineering. While they don’t relate 100%, I’ve taken a lot of the skills I learned in my electronics classes (logic, schematics, etc.) to learn how to troubleshoot!
Q: Some techs have a particular aspect they really enjoy working on or they have a specialized set of skills (ie: boards, EMs, new Sterns, restoring cabinet art, etc) – Do you specialize in something? What’s your favorite aspect to work on?
A: I don’t have a particular specialty as I am still learning, but so far I have found that I really enjoy working on circuit boards (such as component replacement), and I really love shopping playfields as well!
Q: What are you working on now? What has been your favorite project/game that you worked on?
A: Right now I am working on a Strange Science, and I just finished up a Whirlwind! My favorite project was the most recent Taxi I did. Taxi was the first game I ever played, the first game I started working on as a tech, and the first game I own! It was a gift from the owners for Christmas last year, and it felt really special knowing I had worked on my own game.
Q: What is the best way to contact you and what areas do you service?
A: You can contact me/The Pinball Dudes at [email protected]. I am an in-house technician, but The Pinball Dudes services southeast Florida.
Tags: Florida, Lauren Cugliotta, Marco Pinball, Pinball, pinball repair, pinball tech, tech of the month, Technician