Question from Doug: Hi,
Saw your website based on instructional videos that Stern Pinball has added. A year or two ago I wrote Gary Stern and asked him about instructional videos for repairing pinball machines and he forwarded it to his department reps. I’d like to own one but knowing they break down so much, I am intimidated by them and don’t want to be at the mercy of pricey repair vendor.

What I am looking for are:
Videos for replacing a switch
Video for replacing a coil
Video for replacing a light bulb
Recommendations where to buy parts; average prices for each typical part
Common problems for pinball machines and how to repair (e.g., weak flippers, flipper that won’t retract, up-kicker that is not strong enough – can you clean a coil instead of replacing, DMD problems and replacing, stuck switches registering points with nudges, drop targets that won’t pop-up, replacing a broken target)
Where and when to use solder for a connection
Repair tools a pinball machine owner needs to shop their own machine
Common repair faux-pas

Thank you very much,
Doug