Skeeball Model S ball question

musicman282

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I just purchased a skeeball model S machine and plan on putting it up at a local brewery for people to play. I'm trying to bullet proof the machine because I remember how the ones I used to wrench on at a few locations back in the day were a bit finicky.

I've got a couple of questions.

1. Is there any way to make a model S run on less than 9 balls? I only have the 9 composite balls and they seem to go for a fortune now. I'm just curious if there is a rom or something I can do to make it only need fewer balls similar to how an iceball is.

2. The scoring is acting a little odd and the 20 hole periodically scores 30 pts and the 50 hole periodically only scores 40. I ordered some new switches. I'm thinking this is probably a common issue?

3. Any suggested bullet proofing I can do to the game to make it more reliable and avoid service calls?

Thanks!
 
#1 - 9 balls only. That's what the mechanical ball release was designed for
so there was no point in modding the rom. The balls are going to walk, you'll
have to deal with it.

#2 - Yup, bad switches do that. They get oxidation on the contacts.

#3 - They're pretty reliable as they are. If you don't have the LED score
display, keep some spare #73 (or was it #74 ?) bulbs on hand. Also, make sure
the 4" box fan in the computer is clean and running.

JD

I just purchased a skeeball model S machine and plan on putting it up at a local brewery for people to play. I'm trying to bullet proof the machine because I remember how the ones I used to wrench on at a few locations back in the day were a bit finicky.

I've got a couple of questions.

1. Is there any way to make a model S run on less than 9 balls? I only have the 9 composite balls and they seem to go for a fortune now. I'm just curious if there is a rom or something I can do to make it only need fewer balls similar to how an iceball is.

2. The scoring is acting a little odd and the 20 hole periodically scores 30 pts and the 50 hole periodically only scores 40. I ordered some new switches. I'm thinking this is probably a common issue?

3. Any suggested bullet proofing I can do to the game to make it more reliable and avoid service calls?

Thanks!
 
Thanks for the help. One more question - how are the plastic balls vs the composite? They're cheaper but I don't want to sacrifice gameplay for price.
 
Thanks for the help. One more question - how are the plastic balls vs the composite? They're cheaper but I don't want to sacrifice gameplay for price.

This is way old, but in case anyone is reading this from a recent search looking for affordable skee balls, I'll chime in on this since I had the same question.

I recently took ownership of a couple of SkeeBall Too! machines and I'm using the brown composite plastic balls. They feel perfect to me. No issues. You can get them for $6 a piece at twistedquarter.com

If you are lucky enough to have one of the "post 80's" era machines like the Skee Ball Too or Lightning, you can get away with 5 balls and the machine plays a nine ball game with 5 balls. Basically the solenoid remains open until 4 balls have passed through the ball return chute (there is a ball sensor switch there) and then it closes.

Hope that helps anyone searching for this answer.
 
Skee put out a "one-ball conversion kit" for model S in the mid 90s. I converted a bunch of them over; it's a ROM change, removes the original ball release cradle mech, installs an overhead (?) ball catch instead and swaps the yellow plastic cover with a window to a solid yellow one without a window.


I recall that we ran them with 3 balls, but they'd work on any number of balls down to one.



Many sellers probably wouldn't notice the differences, so it's something where you have to know which version you'd want when looking at buying an S. Finding parts is probably tough, but most were probably converted over.
 
I did that 25 years ago at a part-time high school job. I have no idea.

Skees usually just seem to be scrapped - parts rarely seem to be removed and thoughtfully sold since they're reliable machines overall. Model S w/one-ball was only around a couple years before they came out with Lightning, so they might not exactly be easy to find.

Scour ebay.
 
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