My kids presented me with a Black Knight (1980) for Christmas, Obviously pinball machine ownership includes maintenance, and joining this forum completes my first bullet as a new owner of an old machine.
The thing plays, but it has many many issues--perfectly reasonable for its age. I'll itemize and investigate problems as they present. I have the Instructions Manual, Operators Handbook, and Schematic Diagrams. Hopefully most problems are mundane and the various Williams' documentation provide resolution. I'll use online resources for any vexations that stump me.
I suspect much of the playability and weird game logic issues are due to dirty contact switches, and I'll address each as my first maintenance chore on this machine. Sluggish performance, flaky illumination, and other miscellaneous whatnots I'll take on after some research. I'll likely remove and rebuild each of the 15 solenoid actuators as a casual activity when time permits. And one day... I really, really want to install a new hardtop, perform a full cosmetic refresh, and install a few mechanical modifications that complement gameplay.
I'm a child of the 80's. Black Knight was my favorite pinball machine. Tempest was my favorite video game. I now own both. My collection is complete, to the bemusement of my family.
The thing plays, but it has many many issues--perfectly reasonable for its age. I'll itemize and investigate problems as they present. I have the Instructions Manual, Operators Handbook, and Schematic Diagrams. Hopefully most problems are mundane and the various Williams' documentation provide resolution. I'll use online resources for any vexations that stump me.
I suspect much of the playability and weird game logic issues are due to dirty contact switches, and I'll address each as my first maintenance chore on this machine. Sluggish performance, flaky illumination, and other miscellaneous whatnots I'll take on after some research. I'll likely remove and rebuild each of the 15 solenoid actuators as a casual activity when time permits. And one day... I really, really want to install a new hardtop, perform a full cosmetic refresh, and install a few mechanical modifications that complement gameplay.
I'm a child of the 80's. Black Knight was my favorite pinball machine. Tempest was my favorite video game. I now own both. My collection is complete, to the bemusement of my family.
