If I install sensors on key playfield components and selected devices (like the ball eject mechanism), would it be possible to completely bypass the original scoring reels, relays, score motors, and other electromechanical parts? Essentially, this would turn the machine into something like a solid-state pinball machine, which could be far more reliable.
That’s the approach I’m currently exploring.
The next step in testing is to see if I can accurately track the score by monitoring the pulses to the chime solenoids. For example:
- One pulse to the 10-point chime = 10 points
- One pulse to the 100-point chime = 100 points
- One pulse to the 1,000-point chime = 1,000 points, etc.
At first I thought this would be straightforward, but then I realized there’s a complication: when a score reel rolls over from 9 to 0, it triggers a carry-over that activates both the current reel’s chime and the next higher one. So a rollover on the tens reel might ring both the 10-point and 100-point chimes at the same time.
To handle this, I’m working on creating digital (software-based) scoring reels in the code (Grok is helping with the programming, since I’m not much of a coder). The idea is that when the tens reel rolls from 9 to 0, even though both chimes may fire, the software should only count the lower (10-point) chime pulse toward the actual score increase, while properly advancing the higher reel internally.
I’m not entirely sure yet if this is the correct logic, but it seems promising.
Another consideration is whether the new system needs to replicate the exact original scoring rules. If I create my own custom scoring rules and all players use the same modified game, it’s still “fair” — the game just plays differently from the factory original, which might be perfectly acceptable.
As a proof of concept, I’ve already added a “hurry-up” feature in the code: for a short time, an LED flashes, a specific target temporarily increases in value, and that bonus is added directly to the individual player’s total.
Another fun idea for revised scoring is negative points: certain bumpers, slingshots, or targets could subtract points during specific modes. To balance it, other targets could be worth even more during the same period, creating interesting strategic choices about which features to go for (or avoid).
That’s the direction I’m heading — modernizing the scoring logic while keeping the classic feel.