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Author Topic: The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics  (Read 6602 times)

Chris Kennedy

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« on: July 19, 2009, 05:50:23 PM »
Would anybody know where I can find the schematics of that show's pinball machine, as I'd like to build my own soon.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance,
Chris Kennedy

clemon79

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #1 on: July 19, 2009, 05:53:44 PM »
They very likely do not exist.
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WhirlieBird74

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #2 on: July 19, 2009, 06:35:44 PM »
I can't tell you how to build one, but I can give you the list of materials used to build TMMM, according to the 'Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows--3rd Edition', page 132-133:

- 250 lbs. of nails
- 21,120 ft. (4 miles) of electrical wiring
- 38 gal. of glue
- 23 coiled springs
- Enough glass for 10 car windshields
- 25 Two-lb. balls
- 14 gal. of gold paint (for the pinballs used).

The giant pinball set took over sixty days to build.  If someone could find the original blueprints, you probably could be able to build one to scale, using an electronic measuring converter, sold at architect supply stores for about $50-100.  FYI, Jim Newton designed the set.

Clay Zambo

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2009, 07:10:15 PM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'220503\' date=\'Jul 19 2009, 05:53 PM\']They very likely do not exist.[/quote]

But, damn, that'd be a living room-full of home-built replica amazement.  Or, more likely, high school gym-full.
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clemon79

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2009, 07:36:03 PM »
[quote name=\'Clay Zambo\' post=\'220507\' date=\'Jul 19 2009, 04:10 PM\']But, damn, that'd be a living room-full of home-built replica amazement.  Or, more likely, high school gym-full.[/quote]
I was giving him the benefit of the doubt and assuming he was going for something tabletop-sized.

It really wasn't all *that* complicated of a system (and I'm saying that from the position of someone who is confident enough to follow a schematic - lord knows *I* couldn't do it)...to build it today you'd really only need to design the scorekeeping logic. (And I'm not convinced *that* wasn't done manually from the control room on the show.) Everything else was just impact-of-ball-trips-circuit-which-then-makes-something-flash-and-boop.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2009, 07:37:22 PM by clemon79 »
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irwinsjournal.com

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2009, 09:35:17 PM »
This is a highly uneducated opinion as a pinball fan only and not an expert on how they work (not unlike my stature with respect to game shows, actually)...

Perhaps a schematic from another pinball machine of that era could be adopted to get the general idea of how they worked.  Machines of the time were more electro-mechanical than solid state (probably already obvious to the OP) so if the diagram of, say, "Fireball" could be borrowed and adopted, that would be a start.  The MMM machine, while very much larger than the usual, also seemed to me to be a lot simpler than the usual as well.  One hit, one score, no sequences, no bonus advance for getting drop targets, etc.

Which also makes me wonder the scoring was done manually; I hadn't thought of that, Chris, but now that you bring it up...

Off topic but perhaps of interest: Just opened is "Silverball Museum" of pinball machines and "Pinball Hall of Fame" of pinball in Asbury Park, New Jersey... just read about it from a clipping my parents sent this way.  (The band "The Smithereens" which remade "Tommy" posed at a few vintage machines for the story.)  

Partially constructed website at http://silverballmuseum.com ; no affiliation but hope to get there soon.
George in Ellison Park, NY

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dale_grass

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2009, 10:08:15 PM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'220509\' date=\'Jul 19 2009, 06:36 PM\']... impact-of-ball-trips-circuit-which-then-makes-something-flash-and-boop.[/quote]
David Carradine was hooked up to just such a device three hours before he died.

BrandonFG

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2009, 10:10:01 PM »
[quote name=\'dale_grass\' post=\'220522\' date=\'Jul 19 2009, 10:08 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'220509\' date=\'Jul 19 2009, 06:36 PM\']... impact-of-ball-trips-circuit-which-then-makes-something-flash-and-boop.[/quote]
David Carradine was hooked up to just such a device three hours before he died.
[/quote]
Wrong. Just wrong.

/Translation: I lol'd
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Sodboy13

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2009, 12:19:29 AM »
[quote name=\'dale_grass\' post=\'220522\' date=\'Jul 19 2009, 09:08 PM\'][quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'220509\' date=\'Jul 19 2009, 06:36 PM\']... impact-of-ball-trips-circuit-which-then-makes-something-flash-and-boop.[/quote]
David Carradine was hooked up to just such a device three hours before he died.
[/quote]

I just wet 'em.
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Mr. Bill

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #9 on: July 20, 2009, 10:17:28 PM »
Let's get back to the discussion at hand.  I, too, was a pinball fanatic starting when I was a teenager.  I then was lucky enough to get a job at a pinball arcade.  :)

Part of my duties were to make minor repairs to the machines when they broke down, so I got the see the insides of many a machine.  This was around 1980 to about '82, just before the electromechanicals gave way to computerized scoring, and the amount of interior wiring quickly became a lot less.

The majority of the wiring did deal with scoring.  There were wires that had to run from every single possible scoring location, all leading to the scoreboard mechanism.  There was also a rotating drum that kept track of special items such as when the chance for a free ball or "Special" lit up.  It also helped keep track of mulitple points, like a 50, 500, 5000, etc., scoring target being hit.

Now as to machines and schematics, there was at least one oversize pinball machine commercially released called "Superman" (naturally).  The ball wasn't a normal sized silver ball, but was a cue ball, and the flippers were very large -- almost like miniature baseball bats.  If you can find a schematic or at least a picture of it, it might help with your plans.

BTW, the machine's size was about 3 to 4 times the size of the regular pinball machine.
« Last Edit: July 20, 2009, 10:27:08 PM by Mr. Bill »

clemon79

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #10 on: July 20, 2009, 11:18:49 PM »
[quote name=\'Mr. Bill\' post=\'220641\' date=\'Jul 20 2009, 07:17 PM\']Now as to machines and schematics, there was at least one oversize pinball machine commercially released called "Superman" (naturally).  The ball wasn't a normal sized silver ball, but was a cue ball, and the flippers were very large -- almost like miniature baseball bats.  If you can find a schematic or at least a picture of it, it might help with your plans.[/quote]
"Hercules." "Superman" was one of Atari's wide-body tables.
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Mr. Bill

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2009, 08:35:14 AM »
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'220652\' date=\'Jul 20 2009, 11:18 PM\'][quote name=\'Mr. Bill\' post=\'220641\' date=\'Jul 20 2009, 07:17 PM\']Now as to machines and schematics, there was at least one oversize pinball machine commercially released called "Superman" (naturally).  The ball wasn't a normal sized silver ball, but was a cue ball, and the flippers were very large -- almost like miniature baseball bats.  If you can find a schematic or at least a picture of it, it might help with your plans.[/quote]
"Hercules." "Superman" was one of Atari's wide-body tables.
[/quote]
Sorry, Chris, I've never seen "Hercules" anywhere to date and probably never will now.  Yes, the one we had was Atari's "Superman" and it was an oversize pinball machine.  There may have been a later machine with the same name that's a wide-body table, but this one was produced in 1980 or 1981, IIRC.  It was electromechanical, not computerized.

TimK2003

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #12 on: July 21, 2009, 08:47:31 AM »
[quote name=\'Mr. Bill\' post=\'220696\' date=\'Jul 21 2009, 08:35 AM\']Sorry, Chris, I've never seen "Hercules" anywhere to date and probably never will now.  Yes, the one we had was Atari's "Superman" and it was an oversize pinball machine.  There may have been a later machine with the same name that's a wide-body table, but this one was produced in 1980 or 1981, IIRC.  It was electromechanical, not computerized.[/quote]

At last check Cedar Point amusement park had a handful of them.

You may also wish to try  http://www.pinballstore.com .  It is a huge pinball shop in Toledo, actually in neighboring Maumee, conveniently located off of the Ohio Turnpike @ Reynolds Road (I highly recommend visiting if you ever get out there).

They do have a Hercules for sale, and should have accompanying drawings, schematics & such.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2009, 08:48:11 AM by TimK2003 »

BrandonFG

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The Magnificent Marble Machine Schematics
« Reply #13 on: July 21, 2009, 09:10:29 AM »
Here's a little write-up on Hercules. Doesn't look like it fits the description of anything in this thread...
« Last Edit: July 21, 2009, 09:11:33 AM by fostergray82 »
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clemon79

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« Reply #14 on: July 21, 2009, 01:34:47 PM »
[quote name=\'fostergray82\' post=\'220702\' date=\'Jul 21 2009, 06:10 AM\']Here's a little write-up on Hercules. Doesn't look like it fits the description of anything in this thread...[/quote]
Not the same Hercules. This is the one to which I am referring, and the one I believe Mr. Bill has confused with Superman.

If there's an EM giant-sized version of Superman made two years after most of the industry went solid-state, I find it curious that none of the pinball databases know about what would be a pretty significant machine.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2009, 01:37:31 PM by clemon79 »
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