PinTech LIVE: Tournament Techs in Action at INDISC 2025
Pinball Techs in the Trenches: Keeping INDISC Alive
Let’s be real—pinball is nothing but glorious chaos. You can prep for months, fine-tune every game, and the second a tournament kicks off, something will inevitably break. That’s just how it goes when players are grinding non-stop on these pinball machines for hours and hours. But that’s where the real MVPs step in: the tournament techs.
In this PinTech LIVE episode, we hit the floor at INDISC, following the pinball tech team, led by Jim Belsito & Jay Collins, as they fixed games in real time, keeping the action and tournament going.
During a major competition like the INDISC Tournament Series, every minute counts. If a game malfunctions, the players or tournament directors will pause play and call in a tech. The pressure is on to diagnose the issue, replace or adjust parts, and get the game back up and running—fast.
Some common issues include:
✅ Stuck balls in ramps, scoops, or the most random places you've ever seen... #stuckyballs
✅ Flipper failures from broken coils or leaf switches
✅ Slingshot or pop bumper misfires
✅ Drop targets not resetting properly
✅ Rubbers or plastics breaking from heavy play
Watch these awesome techs in action, learn from their troubleshooting skills, and get inspired to be better prepared for your own tournaments, too!
Thinking of running a big pinball tournament?
Here’s a must-have list of pinball parts to keep on hand so you’re always prepared:
Pinball Tournament Survival Kit: Must-Have Pinball Parts
Rubber rings (PRW premium rubber prefered, but Titan Competitive Silicone or Polyurethane Super-Bands will also work great)
Extra Flipper bats
EOS switches, microswitches, and optos
Flipper return springs
Coil stops & sleeves
Drop targets
Stand-up target switches
Extra coils (flippers, pop bumpers, slings)
Fuses (various ratings)
This is just the short list!
Even with tons of pinball pre-production of doing a full flipper rebuild, re-rubbering, switch adjusting, and a solid cleaning and tightening of nuts and bolts... It's always good to have spare parts for every manufacturer and era in your collection on hand just in case quick pinball surgery needs to be performed on-site.