Pinball University 2026 Seminars
Every year, we partner with the West Coast pinball community to bring you the Pinball University Series — educational content covering everything pinball, from game repair and restoration to building your own machine, pinball history lessons, and deep dives into the latest releases. Whether you're a new player or a seasoned collector, there’s always something new to learn. Special thanks to MarcoTV, Erika’s Pinball Journey, and DRI376 for recording and producing the content featured on our YouTube Channel!
Check out this year's line-up!
The Pacific Pinball Museum unveils the “Atlas Pinball Archive” preservation project
Speakers: Evan Phillippe + Michael Schiess
The Pacific Pinball Museum is pulling back the curtain on a major preservation effort: the Atlas Pinball Archive. Join Evan Phillippe and Michael Schiess as they reveal how this new project is being built to document, protect, and share pinball history—capturing the stories, artifacts, and technical details that too often get lost to time. Expect a behind-the-scenes look at what they’re collecting, how the archive is being organized, and why this work matters right now for collectors, builders, and future historians. Whether you’re into restoration, research, or just love pinball’s past, this is a rare chance to see what’s being saved—and how you can help keep the legacy intact.
Learn more about The Pacific Pinball Museum: https://www.pacificpinball.org/
The Little Flipper’s Tournament Strategy for Kids!
Speaker: Imoto Harney
New to tournament pinball (or ready to level up)? The Little Flippers’ Tournament Strategy for Kids! is a fast, fun intro designed for young players who want to feel confident before the action starts. Meet other kids who love competitive pinball, learn the basics of tournament etiquette and pick up a few simple strategy tips you can use right away—then grab snacks and drinks before we all parade over together to the game hall to kick off the Little Flippers Frenzy.
Learn more about The Little Flippers: https://thelittleflippers.com/
Butch Peel’s How to Color Match Your Playfield & Cabinet Art
Description: Bring your restoration touch-ups (and full cabinet repaints) to the next level with Butch Peel’s How to Color Match Your Playfield & Cabinet Art—a practical, step-by-step session on getting paint to disappear into original artwork.
Butch will break down the real-world process of matching colors the way restorers actually do it: evaluating the existing art under proper lighting, mixing paint to hit the right hue/value/saturation, test-dabbing and adjusting, and blending edges so repairs don’t “flash” from across the room. You’ll walk away with a clear workflow you can repeat at home, plus tips for avoiding the most common mistakes that make touch-ups stand out (wrong sheen, over-saturated mixes, mismatched undertones, and heavy-handed transitions).
EM Tech: Score Motors and Bonus Counts with Mark Gibson
Speaker: Mark Gibson, Fun With Pinball
Description: Bonus count circuits can be tricky, especially when multipliers enter the mix. Join pinball historian and educator Mark Gibson of FunWithPinball.com as he pulls back the curtain on the clever engineering behind electromechanical pinball machines. In this deep dive, you’ll explore how score motors, relays, and stepper units work together to calculate single, double, and triple bonus values with remarkable precision. Mark breaks down the logic and timing behind these fascinating circuits, making complex EM scoring systems easier to understand for collectors, restorers, and pinball enthusiasts alike. Whether you're troubleshooting a machine or simply curious about the ingenuity of classic pinball design, this session offers a fun and insightful look into the mechanical magic that powers bonus counting.
Learn more about Electro-mechanical Pinball: https://www.funwithpinball.com/
In Memory of Dan Fontes
Speaker: Michael Schiess
Description: Join us for a brief, heartfelt remembrance of Dan Fontes—longtime Pacific Pinball Museum board member and a celebrated mural artist whose work helped shape the look and spirit of PPM. We’ll honor Dan’s impact on the pinball community, from supporting PPM expos (including “Shoot the Moon” in 2016) to the unforgettable art that greets guests in the museum’s History Room, plus murals you can also find at Musée Mécanique and Free Gold Watch in San Francisco. We invite everyone to take a moment to appreciate Dan’s legacy and the joy his art continues to bring.
To see more of Dan’s work: **https://danfontesmurals.com/**
Meet the Homebrew Makers
Speakers: Adrian DeGroot, Dan Howard, Michael Latiolais, Alex Lobascio, Dan Massie, Michael Rausch, Kriss Wincentsen and more!
Description: Come meet the homebrew makers and get the story behind the games they brought to the show. Each builder will walk through what inspired their project, what makes their game unique, and the real process of bringing a one-off pinball machine to life—design, rules, mechs, art, sound, software, playtesting, setbacks, and breakthroughs. If you’ve ever wondered “how do people actually build a pinball machine from scratch?” this is your chance to learn straight from the folks doing it—and pick up ideas you can take into your own build.
Owning Your First Pinball Machine
Speakers: Imoto & Butch Peel
Description: “Bought your first pinball machine—or thinking about it? Learn the basics of pinball care and maintenance.” In this session, Imoto and Butch Peel walk first-time buyers and brand-new owners through the real-world basics of living with a pinball machine: safely taking the glass off, leveling the game, cleaning it properly, and handling the first common “what do we do now?” moments that come with owning your first pin.
Need help getting started with your first pinball machine? Reach out to the Marco Pinball team at marcoTV@marcopinball.com or visit their website: http://www.marcopinball.com
MFSunday School
Gameplay or repair sessions taught by the Monterey Flipper Pinball crew and other awesome pinball community coaches—covering game strategy, rulesets, flipper skills, and more. Come meet the crew, get hands-on guidance during class time, then wrap with a break and a fun graduation ceremony back in Jackson Hall.
12:30 PM: Meet-N-Greet
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: School in session (~1hr sessions)
Break + head back to Jackson Hall
2:15 PM: Students Graduation Ceremony!
More seminar info coming soon!
Watch previous Pinvvall University Seminars here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj3kvls3GhAWI5F04uQLgN7NMqBh-_8-a