Williams Aztec Pinball Executes Computer Logic Using Cams and Relays
Technology Connections
Williams achieved dynamic rule sets and variable scoring by routing electrical pulses through motorized cam switches and latching relays decades before microprocessor adoption.
AI-assisted summary of Old pinball machines are amazingly complex — original source. Check the original for full context.
Source published:
Key ideas
- Williams produced the electromechanical pinball machine Aztec in 1976, orchestrating complex game rules, multiplayer tracking, and bonus logic entirely through relays, stepper units, and switches without microprocessors. (1:50)
- Score reels create a six-digit scoring illusion using only five physical drum units per player, as Williams screen-printed a static '0' in the units place directly onto the backglass. (10:39)
- The score motor functions as the electromechanical equivalent of a CPU, using an electric motor, gearbox, and eight profiled cam stacks to generate timed pulse trains and execute complex scoring logic. (28:44)
- High-wear active mechanisms like pop bumpers and slingshots run on direct current through an under-playfield bridge rectifier, whereas the rest of the machine operates on 24-volt AC power. (23:43)
Detailed notes
## Background Published on YouTube by Technology Connections on October 14, 2023, this video explores the intricate mechanical and electrical design of vintage pinball tables. The description points viewers toward a follow-up second part, shares related channel links and asset attributions, and opens with the classic callout: "Shoot for the magic trunk!"
## TL;DR Using a 1976 Williams Aztec table as a centerpiece, the host explores how pinball machines executed complex game logic and scorekeeping prior to the advent of microprocessors. The breakdown covers the evolution of the medium from parlor bagatelle to modern playfields, examining components like scoring drum reels, chime units, dual-wound flipper coils, and active jet bumpers. Through schematic analysis and physical demonstrations, it reveals how self-holding relay circuits and a multi-cam score motor coordinate timed pulses to carry arithmetic digits, evaluate target hits, and alter playfield states purely through electromechanical hardware.
## Atmosphere & style The presentation is analytical, affectionate, and quietly enthusiastic, driven by the host's clear fascination with physical machines that reveal their inner workings to the naked eye. Pacing is deliberate and educational, balancing rigorous, hands-on mechanical demonstrations with witty, dry observations about the sheer audacity of 1970s wiring looms. Watching it feels like a cozy, late-night workshop masterclass, complete with rhythmic solenoid clatter, glowing incandescent bulbs, and playful outtakes that show the host filming in pajama bottoms.
## Bulletin - [01:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=110s) Williams produced the electromechanical pinball machine Aztec in 1976, orchestrating complex game rules, multiplayer tracking, and bonus logic entirely through relays, stepper units, and switches without microprocessors. - [10:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=639s) Score reels create a six-digit scoring illusion using only five physical drum units per player, as Williams screen-printed a static '0' in the units place directly onto the backglass. - [28:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1724s) The score motor functions as the electromechanical equivalent of a CPU, using an electric motor, gearbox, and eight profiled cam stacks to generate timed pulse trains and execute complex scoring logic. - [23:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1423s) High-wear active mechanisms like pop bumpers and slingshots run on direct current through an under-playfield bridge rectifier, whereas the rest of the machine operates on 24-volt AC power.
## Key takeaways - [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=6s) Late-era electromechanical pinball machines like Williams Aztec managed complex multi-player rulesets, scoring ladders, and light sequencing using purely physical and electrical devices instead of microprocessors. - [05:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=323s) Modern pinball evolved from 18th-century bagatelle and 1930s tabletop games like Baffle Ball, transforming into a game of timing and skill with the addition of player-controlled flippers in 1947. - [11:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=702s) A central cabinet transformer steps wall current down into isolated 24-volt AC circuits for relays and solenoids alongside 6-volt AC circuits for backbox and playfield lamps. - [13:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=792s) Relays use self-holding latch circuits wired through end-of-stroke switches to ensure momentary target hits reliably deliver full power strokes to mechanical actuators. - [17:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1052s) Score reels operate as modular, mechanically unlinked units that implement base-10 carryover arithmetic entirely through 9th-position cam switches wired to upstream score relays. - [21:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1314s) Active pop bumpers translate vertical solenoid pulls into forceful horizontal rebounds using a 45-degree beveled metal ring triggered by a floating skirt mechanism. - [25:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1559s) Flipper coils use a dual-winding design with an end-of-stroke switch that shifts current from a low-resistance high-power winding to a high-resistance hold winding to prevent coil burnout. - [28:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1724s) The score motor acts as an electromechanical central processing unit, utilizing an array of rotating cam stacks and leaf switches to generate timed pulse trains. - [32:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1944s) Score motor switches remain electrically inert during normal play until dynamic relay contacts bridge them into active scoring circuits on demand. - [38:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2280s) Relays feature make/break switch assemblies that divert electrical routing between destinations, simultaneously toggling playfield illumination states and multiplying spinner point values. - [43:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2604s) Dynamic scoring targets evaluate lit letters by scanning sequentially closed score motor cam switches against open or closed relay contacts. - [48:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2888s) Electromechanical pinball was not engineered from scratch as a monolithic system, but rather evolved as an iterative accumulation of relay and motor logic across several decades.
## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=6s) The Wonder of Pinball Machines: Old vs. New
The experience of pinball has captivated players for generations through tactile and kinetic feedback that video screens simply cannot reproduce. The host shares a lifelong fascination with these devices, describing pinball machines as elaborate marvels made by human hands: artists, musicians, designers, voice actors, machinists, and engineers working together to build contraptions meant purely to entertain—and to reliably collect pocket change. Opening up a modern machine like Bally's 1995 *Theatre of Magic* reveals what runs the show: a central computer motherboard. This microcomputer monitors the ball's location across the playfield, updates digital displays, orchestrates digitized speech and sound effects through speakers, and coordinates elaborate lighting choreographies.
Yet less than twenty years before *Theatre of Magic* arrived in arcades, pinball machines contained zero integrated circuits or computer chips whatsoever. The host sets out to explore how an entirely electromechanical machine can replicate complex game logic, scoring, and sequencing using purely physical and electrical devices.
- **Human craftsmanship behind pinball**: Integrates game designers, voice actors, artists, fabricators, and engineers into a single machine. - **Modern pinball control**: Centralized computers track game states, drive audio/video displays, and direct solenoids and lights. - **Historical contrast**: Less than two decades prior to mid-1990s solid-state machines, games operated entirely without silicon logic or digital microprocessors.
```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Evolution of Pinball Control Systems accDescr: Diagram contrasting modern microprocessor control with electromechanical relay logic.
subgraph Modern["Modern Pinball (e.g., Theatre of Magic)"] direction TB M1["Microprocessor Motherboard"] --> M2["Digital Displays & Sound Board"] M1 --> M3["Playfield Matrix Switches & Lamps"] end
subgraph EM["Electromechanical Era (e.g., Aztec)"] direction TB E1["Relays & Stepper Units"] --> E2["Mechanical Score Drums & Chimes"] E1 --> E3["Direct Switch Stacks & AC Wiring"] end ```
[01:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=110s) Inside Williams Aztec: An Electromechanical Wonder
Williams released *Aztec* in 1976, right at the twilight of the electromechanical (EM) era. While electronics were already on the horizon—Williams actually built ten prototype units of *Aztec* utilizing their experimental System 2 microprocessor platform—the standard production model remains completely electromechanical. Operating the machine produces a distinct, rhythmic mechanical clicking sound in groups of five pulses, prompting a look inside to understand how it operates.
Accessing the machine begins at the backbox. Removing the rear panel does not expose clean circuit boards, but rather “an unholy mess of wires linking quite the assortment of oddball assemblies together.” The main cabinet below holds even more hardware. Gaining entry requires unlocking the coin door, releasing a latching lever that frees the heavy front lockdown bar, removing the bar, sliding out the tempered playfield glass, and lifting the hinged wooden playfield onto its built-in prop rod. Dense arrays of switch stacks, solenoids, and stepper mechanisms sit mounted to both the cabinet floor and the underside of the wooden board itself.
Despite lacking software, *Aztec* manages an intricate ruleset. Players hit specific playfield targets to spell out the letters A, Z, T, E, and C. Completing the sequence lights an extra ball opportunity. Targets advance an end-of-ball bonus ladder up to 50,000 points, which can be multiplied with a double-bonus feature. Maxing out the bonus ladder alongside completing the spelling of AZTEC illuminates a "Special" light to award a free game replay. The machine constantly alternates lit outlanes, awards configurable replay scores, supports three selectable difficulty settings, and accommodates three-ball or five-ball games. It tracks up to four distinct players, cycling turns, disabling flippers when the game ends, and resetting mechanical displays back to zero. Looking at the complex schematic sheet, the host jokes about the sheer density of the engineering:
> “I’m kidding, of course - and even if you studied this for hours, it’s not gonna make any sense unless you understand what these parts are doing and how they work together.”
- **Release date & significance**: *Aztec* was manufactured in 1976 by Williams at the very end of the EM era. - **Prototype electronic run**: Exactly 10 units were fitted with Williams System 2 microprocessor units as developmental testbeds. - **Accessing the cabinet**: 1. Unlock the coin door to access the internal release lever. 2. Pull the lever down to release the front lockdown bar. 3. Lift off the lockdown bar and slide out the tempered playfield glass. 4. Pivot the playfield upward and secure it with the prop rod. - **Game features managed without code**: 1 to 4 players, adjustable 3-ball or 5-ball games, 50,000-point bonus ladders, bonus doubler, alternating lit outlanes, extra ball logic, and replay awards.
[05:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=323s) A Brief History: From Bagatelle to Electromechanical Flippers
The term "pinball" traces back to literal pins and balls derived from the 18th-century French parlor game *bagatelle*. Originally, players rolled marbles down an inclined board studded with brass pins that deflected the balls into scored scoring pockets. These parlor games remained manual amusements for the wealthy until the Great Depression, when inventors recognized the potential of coin-operated public entertainment. In 1931, David Gottlieb introduced *Baffle Ball*, widely celebrated as the first commercially successful pinball machine.
Early tabletop games like *Baffle Ball* were purely mechanical and lacked flippers. Inserting a coin and pushing the mechanical coin slide opened internal trapdoors, dropping trapped marbles down to a lower trough where a manual plunger could launch them onto the playfield. Players tallied scores by hand, and the games quickly spread across bars, drugstores, and speakeasies nationwide—often accompanied by informal gambling. The runaway success of *Baffle Ball* sparked competitive imitators, most notably *Ballyhoo*, a game so profitable that its manufacturer adopted its name, becoming the Bally Manufacturing Corporation.
To outdo each other, competing amusement companies rushed to invent novel electrical and physical features, introducing electrically lit bulbs, scoring bells, dynamic bumpers, and automatic scorekeeping. The definitive leap forward came in 1947 when D. Gottlieb & Company released *Humpty Dumpty*, the first game equipped with player-controlled electromechanical flippers. Although *Humpty Dumpty* featured six flippers mounted facing outward along the sides of the playfield, it established the core mechanics that defined the industry for decades, culminating in late-era electromechanical titles like Williams' *Aztec* 29 years later.
- **18th Century origin**: Derived from *bagatelle*, an inclined wooden board using pins to deflect rolling marbles into scoring cups. - **David Gottlieb (1931)**: Invented *Baffle Ball*, introducing a coin slide mechanism that mechanically cleared trapped balls for replay. - **Ballyhoo (1932)**: Manufactured by Raymond Maloney; its extraordinary success caused the company to rename itself Bally. - **Electromechanical flipper introduction (1947)**: Gottlieb’s *Humpty Dumpty* debuted player-controlled flipper bats, forever changing pinball from a game of chance to a game of timing and skill.
[08:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=480s) Anatomy of the Aztec Playfield
At its foundation, the modern pinball playfield is a smooth wooden board set at a downward incline, flanked on the right by a dedicated shooter lane. A spring-loaded, player-operated manual plunger launches the steel ball into orbit toward the top of the board. A graduated gauge printed behind the shooter spring allows players to meter their release strength with precision, an essential mechanic for machines that incorporate a designated "skill shot" to award extra points right off the launch.
The open areas of the board are divided by physical obstacles that guide the ball's trajectory. These boundaries consist of plastic posts screwed directly into the playfield, wrapped with resilient rubber rings. Rings stretched between adjacent posts form linear rebound walls, sending balls ricocheting across the wood and occasionally tripping underlying leaf switches worth 10 points. To protect the underlying electrical components, decorative screen-printed plastics sit atop the posts, matching the visual theme of the cabinet while safely sheltering incandescent playfield illumination bulbs from high-velocity ball strikes.
*Aztec* combines a balanced assortment of mechanical playfield mechanisms to award points and activate game rules:
- **Rollover buttons**: Three small plastic discs set flush into the wood, depressed as the ball rolls over them. - **Rollover lanes**: Eight wire-form gate triggers spanning designated ball channels. - **Stand-up targets**: Six upright plastic targets that close internal electrical leaf switches when struck head-on. - **Spinning target**: One rotatable metal target suspended on a wire axle, spinning rapidly to rack up points with each revolution. - **Kickback lane**: One isolated return lane designed to propel the ball back into active play. - **Slingshot kickers**: Two triangular electromechanical rebound arms situated just above the flippers. - **Jet Bumpers**: Three high-powered active pop bumpers (branded by Williams as "Jet Bumpers" for trademark purposes) that fire a solenoid ring downward whenever their perimeter skirts are nudged.
[10:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=639s) The Backglass and the Fake-Digit Scoring Illusion
Scores are presented on the illuminated backglass inside the backbox head unit via mechanical rotary drums known as score reels. While looking at the backglass of an electromechanical machine like *Aztec*, players see what appears to be a six-digit score display for each of the four possible players. However, opening the back of the backbox reveals an amusing manufacturing secret: there are only five functional score reels installed per player.
The final digit on the far right of every score display—the ones position—is completely fake. The "0" digit is simply screen-printed directly onto the glass to visually inflate player scores by a factor of ten, turning a 1,000-point play into an impressive 10,000-point display. To preserve the illusion and prevent the printed zero from looking out of place alongside real mechanical tumblers, Williams cleverly printed the very bottom edge of a "9" and the very top edge of a "1" above and below the dummy zero, perfectly mimicking the visible edges of the physical drum reels adjacent to it.
Beneath the glass, the actual scoring work relies on Williams' individual "drum units." Each unit consists of a molded plastic reel numbered 0 through 9 around its perimeter, advanced one step at a time through a solenoid coil, an armature, and a mechanical drive pawl.
- **The dummy zero illusion**: Scores show six digits on the backglass, but only five physical drum units exist in the backbox per player; the units position is permanently painted onto the glass. - **Visual detail**: Williams printed faint portions of a 9 and a 1 above and below the painted zero so the stationary digit matches the physical reels beside it. - **Drum unit assembly**: Each Williams score drum is an electromechanical module combining an actuating solenoid, drive linkage, and rotary number cylinder.
[11:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=702s) Electromagnets, Power Delivery, and the Chime Unit
The heart of an electromechanical score display is a ratcheting mechanism designed to advance a numbered drum by exactly one-tenth of a full rotation per pulse. This motion is driven by a small solenoid—a type of electromagnet—that pulls on a plunger whenever current flows through its coil. Technology Connections quips about the machine's heavy reliance on electromagnetic actuators: “By the way, I hope you like electromagnets ‘cause this machine is chock full of ‘em.” Power for the entire game is supplied by a massive transformer mounted in the bottom of the cabinet. This transformer steps wall voltage down to 24 volts AC for the game circuitry and solenoids, alongside a secondary 6-volt AC tap used for all the playfield and backbox illumination lamps.
All playfield scoring targets are fundamentally simple mechanical switches that become connected into the active scoring circuitry once a game is started. For instance, the 100-point rollover buttons on the playfield are physical plastic buttons resting above a pair of flexible electrical contacts. When the mass of the pinball presses the button downward, the contacts close. Rather than directly energizing the score reel solenoid alone, pressing this switch simultaneously fires an auditory indicator: the chime unit. Located in the main cabinet near the coin door, the chime unit contains three tuned metal chime bars, each paired with its own dedicated solenoid positioned directly beneath it. Energizing a chime coil shoots a plunger violently upward to strike the underside of the chime bar, producing a bright metallic ring reminiscent of the iconic three-note NBC chimes.
- The cabinet transformer converts line voltage to 24 V AC (logic and solenoids) and 6 V AC (general and feature lighting). - Scoring switches are passive contacts wired into the circuit only while the game is on and in play. - The chime unit houses three separate bars and solenoids, providing distinct acoustic pitch feedback for different scoring point values.
---
[13:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=792s) Relays, Arcing, and Self-Holding Latch Circuits
Because registering a single 100-point hit requires simultaneously firing two separate, high-current solenoids placed far apart from one another—the score reel drum up inside the backbox and the chime unit down inside the lower cabinet—the small switch on the playfield cannot handle the load directly. Instead, closing the playfield button energizes the 100-point relay located in the backbox. When current passes through the relay coil, its magnetic field pulls an armature plate that physically actuates a stack of switch blades. While relays in some industrial applications are straightforward, Technology Connections stresses that pinball logic pushes them to extremes: “Pinball pushes relays to their conceptual limit using them to create the game logic and do countless other tasks, but that’s a big part of why I like these machines so much.”
A single relay can host various configurations of switch leaves: normally open (NO), normally closed (NC), and make/break switches. On the 100-point relay, hitting any 100-point target closes contacts to energize both the hundreds score drum solenoid and the small chime solenoid in parallel. Routing this current through relay-grade contact points protects the delicate playfield switches from the heavy electrical arcing generated by collapsing inductive solenoid fields.
```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Score Relay Latch and End-of-Stroke Break Circuit accDescr: Shows how a playfield switch triggers the score relay, which locks itself on until the score reel's end-of-stroke switch opens.
subgraph Trigger ["Playfield Input"] SW["100-Point Target Switch"] end
subgraph RelayHold ["100-Point Relay (Backbox)"] R_Coil["Relay Coil"] R_Hold["Relay Self-Hold Switch (NO)"] R_Chime["Chime Switch (NO)"] R_Reel["Reel Drive Switch (NO)"] end
subgraph Actuators ["Outputs & Feedback"] Chime["Chime Solenoid"] Drum["Score Reel Solenoid"] EOS["End-of-Stroke Switch (NC)"] end
SW -->|"momentary pulse"| R_Coil R_Coil --> R_Hold R_Coil --> R_Chime R_Coil --> R_Reel R_Chime --> Chime R_Reel --> Drum Drum -->|"plunger reaches travel limit"| EOS R_Hold -->|"latching loop"| EOS EOS -->|"breaks holding circuit"| R_Coil ```
Beyond triggering outputs, the 100-point relay contains six distinct switches to solve mechanical timing issues. Solenoids require a finite amount of time to pull a plunger completely through its stroke. If a fast-moving ball merely grazes a target, the momentary closure would not supply current long enough for the score drum to index a full step. To prevent partial steps, one of the relay's internal normally open contacts acts as a lock-in (self-holding) switch. Once energized, this contact closes and feeds current back into the relay's own coil, keeping the relay pulled in independently of the playfield target. To prevent the coil from locking on permanently, the self-hold circuit is wired in series through a normally closed end-of-stroke (EOS) switch mounted directly on the score reel frame. Only when the score reel solenoid plunger reaches the absolute end of its mechanical stroke does it push open the EOS switch, cutting power to the relay coil and releasing the mechanism.
- The 100-point relay features six switch blades handling triggering, chime actuation, holding logic, and carryover. - Self-holding circuits guarantee that fleeting ball impacts still provide a full, complete stroke to electro-mechanical actuators. - On schematic diagrams, electrical current paths run horizontally across the sheet between AC rails, with targets wired in parallel and safety/EOS switches wired in series.
---
[17:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1052s) The 9th-Position Switch and Decimal Carry Logic
The score reels operate as entirely modular, mechanically independent units; there is no mechanical odometer gearing tying the tens, hundreds, thousands, or tens-of-thousands drums together. To handle standard base-10 arithmetic, the machine uses electrical interlocks to carry the one. Technology Connections points out the necessity of this design: “The score reels are not mechanically linked - each one operates entirely independently of the others.” When a player sitting at 900 points hits a 100-point target, the display must advance the hundreds drum from 9 to 0 while simultaneously advancing the thousands drum from 0 to 1.
This carryover is coordinated by a switch stack mounted near the top of each score reel mechanism. A pivoting cam arm rides the reel drum and drops into a specialized profile only when the drum rotates into the 9 position, closing a normally open "9th-position" switch. This switch is wired directly to an extra set of contacts on the 100-point relay. When the active player's hundreds reel is resting on 9 and another 100-point score is scored, current passes through the 100-point relay contacts, flows across the closed 9th-position switch, and energizes the 1,000-point relay coil at the same time. Both relays pull in together, causing both the hundreds and thousands score drums to increment alongside their corresponding chimes. Because every digit reel incorporates this exact electrical handoff, an unbroken chain of carries functions seamlessly: hitting a single 10-point switch when the machine sits at 99,990 will trigger a cascade across five relays and reels, rolling the entire display over to 100,000 points with an emphatic, simultaneous clatter of solenoids and chimes.
---
[19:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1168s) Passive Playfield Targets: Rubbers, Stand-Ups, Rollovers, and Spinners
The playfield populates its scoring grid using a variety of passive electromechanical target styles. The simplest form consists of contact leaf switches tucked directly behind the white rubber rings stretched across structural posts. When a ball impacts the rubber band, the deflection pushes the leaf contacts together, energizing the 10-point relay, dinging the bell, and stepping the machine's internal number-match unit. Stand-up targets work on an identical principle, but feature an upright plastic target face fixed directly to one of the switch blades. Calibrating the air gap on stand-up leaves is crucial: if the contact gap is adjusted too wide, hard hits fail to register, but if spaced too close together, ambient vibrations from nearby ball bounces can trigger phantom scores.
```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Target Switch Varieties and Activation Methods accDescr: Classifies four passive target types by how ball interaction is translated into contact closure.
subgraph Direct ["Direct Deflection Targets"] Rubber["Rubber Ring Bumper"] -->|"ball flexes rubber"| Leaf1["Rear Leaf Switch"] StandUp["Stand-up Target"] -->|"ball strikes plastic face"| Leaf2["Integrated Leaf Switch"] end
subgraph Mechanical ["Linkage-Actuated Targets"] Rollover["Rollover Lane / Button"] -->|"ball depresses wire / button"| Leaf3["Sub-playfield Contacts"] Spinner["Spinning Target"] -->|"ball rotates eccentric axle"| Leaf4["Pulsing Leaf Linkage"] end ```
Rollover lanes rely on shaped trip wires extending upward through precision slots cut into the wood playfield, pressing leaf contacts beneath the board when depressed by the ball's weight. While typical rollover lanes allow bidirectional actuation, designers occasionally implement one-way gates or directional trip wires. The outlanes in the Aztec table feature one-way wire profiles bent to yield exclusively when the ball rolls downward toward the drain. If an erratic bounce off the lower apron propels the ball upward into the outlane, the ball hits the rigid backside of the wire and drops back down into the trough.
The spinning target uses a freely rotating metal plate mounted on an eccentric wire axle. As the ball blasts through the spinner, the eccentric bend translates rotational inertia into rapid up-and-down oscillations via a vertical wire linkage extending through a hole in the playfield. This linkage pulls against a leaf switch, making and breaking contact with every revolution to rack up rapid-fire points and chimes.
- Contact gaps on leaf switches dictate the mechanical sensitivity and force threshold required to register a valid hit. - Aztec outlane trip-wires are mechanically biased downward, preventing upwardly rebounded balls from escaping the drain. - Spinning targets transform rotary motion into reciprocating linear motion to pulse a single score relay repeatedly.
---
[21:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1314s) Williams Jet Bumpers and Active Ball Repulsion
Active playfield targets differ from passive switches by actively projecting the ball away with high kinetic force. Foremost among these are jet bumpers (frequently called pop bumpers), which Williams pioneered in 1948. A jet bumper is triggered by a floating circular plastic ring called the skirt, which sits flush with the playfield surface and connects to a downward-pointing rod seated in a conical cup mechanism beneath the board. Regardless of the angle from which a ball strikes the skirt, the tilting action pushes the center pin outward, forcing the cup downward to close a sensitive leaf switch.
Closing this switch immediately supplies high-current power to a powerful solenoid positioned directly under the bumper assembly. The solenoid plunger draws downward, pulling a spring-loaded metal ring suspended above the skirt violently toward the playfield. Because the inner rim of this ring is beveled at roughly a 45-degree angle, its rapid downward stroke strikes the top curvature of the pinball while the ball is wedged against the skirt, violently firing it outward across the board. The mechanical shock is so extreme that modern restorations install clear Mylar protective rings around the bumper bases to prevent the metal ring and ball impacts from destroying the wood playfield over time—a protective measure that was not standard when these machines were manufactured. To register scoring, jet bumpers either incorporate a secondary switch actuated at the bottom of the solenoid bracket's travel, or employ an auxiliary pop bumper relay that latches on to pulse the scoring drums and chimes.
- Williams introduced the jet bumper design in 1948, transforming bumpers from passive rebound posts into active solenoid-driven slings. - The 45-degree beveled metal ring strikes the upper hemisphere of the trapped 1-1/16 inch steel ball, translating vertical solenoid pull into horizontal ball velocity. - The severe downward force of pop bumper rings frequently caused playfield paint and wood wear on classic machines lacking protective Mylar rings. - Point scoring from a jet bumper is decoupled from the skirt trigger, using either a dedicated travel switch beneath the bumper or an auxiliary latching relay.
[23:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1423s) Pop Bumpers, Slingshots, and Kickbacks
Different pinball manufacturers tackled pop bumper activation in slightly different ways. While some designs use an end-of-stroke switch to release a relay after the bumper fires, Williams opted to power the solenoid directly from the bumper's skirt switch. As the host points out, “The main downside of this approach is that occasionally the ball will just brush against the bumper, so it kinda-sorta half-fires and it doesn’t award points.” Down below, flanking the flippers, sit the slingshots. Described as “dastardly things,” they are hardly worth hitting deliberately because they award a meager 10 points while possessing “a nasty habit of flinging the ball right into the outlanes.” Mechanically, a slingshot consists of three posts arranged in a triangle surrounded by a large rubber ring. Behind the long edge sits a kicker flanked by two switch contacts. When a ball impacts the rubber, closing either switch, an under-playfield solenoid fires, thrusting the kicker outward, stretching the rubber ring, and launching the ball away. As with the pop bumpers, the switches behind the rubber solely trigger the coil, while a secondary switch mounted underneath actually registers the score.
Near the slingshots rests the kickback lane, which functions as an ingenious hybrid of a slingshot kicker and a rollover lane. When a ball rolls down the lane, it depresses a trip wire that triggers scoring, immediately followed by an under-playfield solenoid that fires and bonks the ball straight back up into the active playfield. An unexpected technological detail lurks beneath the surface of the Aztec machine: both the pop bumpers and the slingshot solenoids run on direct current rather than alternating current.
Williams mounted a bridge rectifier and a filtering capacitor to the underside of the wood playfield, introducing solid-state electronics to an otherwise electro-mechanical machine. As the narrator quips, this setup “means that there is in fact a single semiconductor in this machine! Or four depending on how you wanna define things.” DC-driven solenoids generate noticeably more punch than AC coils, prompting Williams to experiment with them during this manufacturing era. Aside from the pop bumpers and slingshots, every other component in the cabinet—including the flippers—operates on standard 24 volts AC.
- **Slingshot Structure:** Three posts in a triangular configuration enclosed by a rubber ring, with two leaf switches flanking an internal mechanical kicker. - **Scoring Value:** Slingshots score only 10 points each. - **Power Architecture:** Solenoids for pop bumpers and slingshots use rectified DC power for snappier actuation; the rest of the machine operates on 24V AC. - **Semiconductor Count:** A single bridge rectifier component (internally containing four diodes) mounted beneath the playfield.
---
[25:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1559s) Flipper Solenoids and End-of-Stroke Switches
Like almost every moving mechanism in the cabinet, the flippers rely on solenoids, but their player-controlled nature presents a distinct engineering hurdle. Pressing the exterior cabinet buttons pushes leaf switch contacts together, sending power to the flipper coils to pull a mechanical linkage and snap the flipper bat upward. However, while most game solenoids fire in short, transient pulses, players frequently cradle the ball by holding the flipper button down. A powerful solenoid sustained under high continuous current generates rapid heat, meaning “coils that overheat tend to get melty, then smoky, and on rare occasions, firy.” While slow-blow fuses protect the cabinet from a catastrophic fire if a coil locks on, the flippers must remain elevated safely for extended periods without melting.
To solve this, Williams utilized specialized dual-wound coils with three electrical terminals. The long coil of continuous wire features a center tap that effectively divides it into high-power and low-power stages:
```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Flipper Coil Power Circuit accDescr: Circuit path showing initial high-power stroke switching to low-power holding circuit via EOS switch.
subgraph RestState["Rest Position (Button Pressed)"] A["Cabinet Button Closes"] --> B["Power routed to Center Tap"] B --> C["Current bypasses half of coil turns"] C --> D["High Current / Maximum Stroke Power"] end
subgraph FullStroke["Full Stroke Reached"] D --> E["Flipper linkage opens EOS switch"] E --> F["Center tap disconnected"] F --> G["Current travels through entire coil length"] G --> H["Low Current / Sustained Hold Power"] end ```
When the flipper bat is resting and the player first hits the button, current flows directly into the center tap. By bypassing half of the total windings, the electrical resistance is halved and current increases dramatically, producing the high magnetic punch required to flip a heavy steel ball. The moment the flipper linkage reaches the end of its stroke, it physically pushes open an end-of-stroke (EOS) leaf switch. Opening this switch cuts off the center tap, forcing the current to pass through the full resistance of the entire coil winding. This drop in current produces just enough magnetic pull to hold the bat up while preventing the coil from burning up. The host vividly demonstrates this behavior by manually overpowering the raised flipper bat with his fingers while holding the cabinet button; the machine hum shifts from a quiet buzz to a ferocious, loud rattle, visibly dimming the cabinet playfield lights from the massive current draw.
---
[28:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=1724s) The Ubiquitous Number Five and the Score Motor
Beneath its flashy lights, the game relies on complex layers of physical logic built atop primitive scoring mechanisms. The machine must count down the player's allotted three balls per game, track which player is up, index the active score reels across multiplayer matches, and ignore ball advance cycles whenever an extra ball is earned. Central to this logic is the recurring appearance of the number five. The bonus ladder begins at 5,000 points and increments in steps of 5,000; the stand-up target awards 500 points; certain lanes and kickbacks deliver 5,000 points; and the title theme itself, "AZTEC," consists of five letters whose lit values scale point awards.
When a 5,000-point switch is hit once, the score reel clicks forward five times in steady rhythmic quintuplets. This automated cadence is produced by the "score motor"—a device the narrator describes by stating: “This wonky looking contraption is the closest thing this machine has to a central processing unit.” The score motor consists of a small electric motor coupled to a speed-reduction gearbox that rotates a drive shaft bearing eight distinct cams, each operating a tall stack of leaf switches.
``` [ Cam Stack Arrangement: Left to Right ] (Index) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (Impulse) (Impulse Forward) ```
The cam stacks perform distinct mechanical timing functions: - **Index Cam:** Located on the far left; features the critical Motor Run switch on the top of its stack. - **Cams 1 through 5:** Staggered cutouts or bumps that actuate switches in a sequential 1-2-3-4-5 rhythm. - **Impulse & Impulse Forward Cams:** Outfitted with five distinct teeth that pulse their switch stacks five times during each rotational cycle. The Impulse Forward stack contains a single switch dedicated exclusively to the machine reset cycle.
On the index cam, the Motor Run switch acts as a self-holding circuit analogous to relay interlocks. Once any game event nudges the score motor away from its resting home position, the Motor Run switch rides out of its notch and closes, feeding continuous power to the motor until the cams rotate through an entire operational cycle and drop back into the home detent. Yet, manually nudging the cam shaft to trigger a rotation produces a clattering burst of switches without changing the score. As the host explains, almost all switches on the score motor sit on isolated open circuits during normal play; the machine only performs work by using relays to dynamically rewire these revolving switch contacts to other circuits on the fly.
---
[33:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2027s) Executing the 5,000-Point Sequence
To illustrate how relays harness the score motor, the host traces the activation path of a 5,000-point rollover switch. Hitting the rollover wire does not connect directly to the scoring reels or bells; instead, it energizes the 5,000-point relay mounted under the playfield. This relay contains three sets of switch contacts that bridge into the score motor:
1. **Motor Start Switch:** Bridges contacts to supply initial power to the score motor, starting its rotation so the index cam can engage the Motor Run interlock. 2. **Relay Interlock Switch:** Closes to form a latching circuit that keeps the 5,000-point relay energized after the pinball has rolled off the lane trip wire. 3. **Scoring Pulse Switch:** Bridges the 1,000-point relay in the backbox directly to the cycling switch stack on the score motor's impulse cam.
To make the sequence clear, the narrator physically unplugs the score motor to freeze it midway. With the motor stopped, the 5,000-point relay remains locked on, unable to clear its state because the mechanical cycle cannot finish. When power is restored to the motor, the impulse cam spins past its switch stack, pulsing the closed circuit to the backbox 1,000-point relay exactly five times in rapid succession, chiming the bell and stepping the 1,000s reel forward five positions.
Just as the fifth pulse finishes firing, the self-holding interlock on the 5,000-point relay hits a normally-closed leaf switch located on cam stack 5 of the score motor. As cam five reaches its cutout, it pushes that switch open, severing the relay's holding power. The 5,000-point relay drops out, the score motor notches into its index home position, the Motor Run switch drops into its park detent, and the machine returns to its resting state.
[35:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2156s) Hand-Cranking the Score Motor: The 5,000-Point Timing Sequence
To demonstrate the exacting mechanical precision inside the Aztec machine, the host turns the score motor slowly by hand rather than letting it fire at full operational speed. Because the entire sequence usually resolves in a fraction of a second, manual rotation lets viewers see and hear every individual contact event: the loud mechanical dings, the buzzing, and the solid clunks of solenoids pulling in. The cycle begins when the 5,000-point relay energizes and immediately locks itself on through a dedicated switch riding on cam 5. At the same time, this relay connects the score motor's impulse switch directly through to the 1,000-point score reel relay.
As the score motor rotates through its stroke, the impulse switch stack rides over five successive lobes, pulsing the 1,000-point relay five distinct times to ring up the score. Throughout these five pulses, the 5,000-point relay remains firmly locked on. Only when the fifth impulse has finished does the switch stack on cam 5 fall into its cut divot, opening the circuit, cutting power, and letting the relay drop with a sharp mechanical click.
The mechanical synchronization between these separate cam profiles is remarkably tight. As the host notes, “As you can imagine, the timing here is critical and the cams are aligned so that the fifth bump of the impulse switch happens just before cam 5 actuates its switches (which also happens just before we get back to the start point and the index switch actuates).” Once electric power is restored to the motor, this intricate mechanical choreography plays out automatically in a split second. Reflecting on the sheer physical ingenuity, the host remarks, “I hope you can appreciate how amazingly bonkers this is.” Yet this intricate dance represents merely one of the machine's simplest relays performing one of its most basic automated tasks.
```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 5000 Point Motor Timing Cycle accDescr: Sequence diagram illustrating how the score motor and cam switches cycle through 5000 points.
subgraph Trigger["Initiation"] A["Target Hit"] --> B["5,000-Point Relay Energizes"] B --> C["Relay Locks On via Cam 5 Switch"] B --> D["Impulse Switch Connected to 1,000-Point Relay"] end
subgraph Cycling["Cam Rotation"] D --> E["Impulse Cam Pulses Switch 5 Times"] E --> F["1,000-Point Reel Advances 5 Times (5,000 Pts)"] end
subgraph Reset["Sequence Completion"] F --> G["Cam 5 Stack Drops into Divot"] G --> H["5,000-Pt Relay Drops Out"] H --> I["Index Switch Reached; Motor Halts"] end ```
[38:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2280s) The AZTEC Letter Relays and Make/Break Switches
With over thirty additional switches on the score motor and scores of relays still unaddressed, the machine holds far more logic than can fit into a single video, necessitating an upcoming second installment. Turning to the five standalone letter targets—A, Z, T, E, and C—the host highlights that striking each target energizes a corresponding relay. In a nod to service technician ergonomics, Williams mounted these relays side by side in neat alphabetical order on a wooden structural rail beneath the playfield.
Focusing in detail on the A relay reveals that this single unit contains three distinct contact blade arrangements: - **Normally Open (NO):** The three leftmost blade pairs remain separated at rest; when the relay coil energizes and pulls its armature plate, these contacts push together to close circuits. - **Normally Closed (NC):** The next switch maintains continuity at rest and opens to sever a circuit when the relay pulls in. - **Make/Break (Form C):** The two rightmost blade assemblies use a moving center blade that disconnects from one stationary outer blade and transfers to another, steering an electrical path between two destinations rather than simply toggling power on or off.
When the A rollover lane is struck, power triggers the A relay, which immediately closes its leftmost normally open switch to create a hold circuit. As the host explains, “And this relay will stay locked on until the end of the ball-in-play.”
The make/break switches on the relay radically alter both the playfield's visual state and its scoring behavior. The first make/break switch manages illumination. Before the target is struck, 6 volts AC passes through the normally closed side to light the "Lites A" lane insert. Once the A relay trips and locks on, that light extinguishes as power is switched over to illuminate the two "A" inserts on the playfield alongside the spinning target.
Concurrently, the second make/break switch switches the value of the spinner from 100 points to 1,000 points per rotation. Tracing the physical wiring harness demonstrates this hardware logic: - The spinner switch connects to a gray wire with a red stripe (`gray/red`). - This wire enters the wiring harness and travels directly to the A relay's center blade. - At rest, current routes through the NC contact out a white wire with a red trace (`white/red`) routed up through a Jones plug to the backbox's 100-point relay coil. - Once energized, the center blade shifts against the NO contact, routing the pulse along a brown wire with a yellow trace (`brown/yellow`) up to the backbox's 1,000-point relay coil.
[41:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2492s) The Center Target: Dynamic Series Logic
The A relay modifies far more than just the spinner; it also works alongside the other four letter relays to dictate the values of the center target and the kickback lane (labeled as the "shooter" on the factory schematics). Both of these field features scale dynamically: when no letters are lit, they award a fixed base score, but once any letters are lit, they award points for *each* individual letter collected. For the center target, that means 1,000 points per lit letter; the kickback lane awards 10,000 points per lit letter. Each target can evaluate to six distinct scoring values (from zero up to five letters lit).
Achieving this variable scoring without a microcontroller is handled by two parallel circuit paths. Hitting the center target energizes the center target relay, which locks itself on, starts the score motor, and ties the impulse switch to the score reels.
If no letters in AZTEC have been collected: - Power from the impulse switch follows a gray-and-white wire on the schematic to coordinate B-19. - It encounters a daisy chain of five normally closed switches wired in pure series—one across each of the A, Z, T, E, and C relays. - Because all five letter relays are resting unenergized, this series chain remains unbroken. - The five pulses from the score motor's impulse switch route straight through to the 100-point relay, awarding 500 points. - If even a single letter has been struck, however, its respective relay pulls in, opening its NC contact and breaking this series path entirely, silencing the 500-point payout.
```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Base 500-Point Series Interruption Circuit accDescr: Circuit path showing how five normally closed relay contacts in series must all remain closed to pass 500 points.
A["Impulse Switch (5 Pulses)"] --> B["A Relay (NC)"] B --> C["Z Relay (NC)"] C --> D["T Relay (NC)"] D --> E["E Relay (NC)"] E --> F["C Relay (NC)"] F --> G["100-Point Relay Coil (500 Pts Total)"]
style G stroke:#2b822b,stroke-width:2px ```
[43:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2604s) The Score Motor Scanning Sequence
When letters *are* lit, the machine calculates the boosted score through an electromechanical scanning sequence. On the Williams schematic, a bank of five normally open switches on the A, Z, T, E, and C relays sits beneath five distinct circles indicating contacts actuated by cams on the score motor: - **A Relay Switch:** Paired with the score motor's Index stack, switch B (`Index-B`, the second switch from the bottom). - **Z Relay Switch:** Paired with cam stack 1, switch A (`1-A`, bottom switch). - **T Relay Switch:** Paired with cam stack 2, switch A (`2-A`). - **E Relay Switch:** Paired with cam stack 3, switch A (`3-A`). - **C Relay Switch:** Paired with cam stack 4, switch A (`4-A`).
Because the score motor's cam lobes are physically staggered around the central shaft, these switch stacks close sequentially, one after another, as the motor revolves. The host describes this process: “So you can imagine what’s happening here as a sort of scanning sequence.”
```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Score Motor AZTEC Letter Scanning Sequence accDescr: Flow diagram showing how sequentially actuated score motor cam switches pulse letter relays into the 1,000-point coil.
subgraph MotorCams["Sequential Motor Cams"] M0["Index Cam (Stack B)"] M1["Cam 1 (Stack A)"] M2["Cam 2 (Stack A)"] M3["Cam 3 (Stack A)"] M4["Cam 4 (Stack A)"] end
subgraph Relays["AZTEC Relay NO Switches"] R0{"A Relay Closed?"} R1{"Z Relay Closed?"} R2{"T Relay Closed?"} R3{"E Relay Closed?"} R4{"C Relay Closed?"} end
subgraph Output["Chime & Reel Action"] Out["1,000-Point Relay Coil (+1,000 pts per closed letter)"] end
M0 -->|Pulse 1| R0 M1 -->|Pulse 2| R1 M2 -->|Pulse 3| R2 M3 -->|Pulse 4| R3 M4 -->|Pulse 5| R4
R0 -->|Yes| Out R1 -->|Yes| Out R2 -->|Yes| Out R3 -->|Yes| Out R4 -->|Yes| Out ```
When the center target relay pulls in, it connects the output of these scanning circuits to the 1,000-point relay coil. The Index-B switch fires its pulse immediately. As the motor continues its rotation, that switch opens and cams 1, 2, 3, and 4 fire their pulses down the line. If a given letter's relay is energized, its normally open contact is closed, allowing that specific cam's pulse to reach the 1,000-point relay.
As the host remarks on the resulting audit: “Despite just being a tangled mess of wires, relays, switches, a motor and some cams, we have a machine which methodically checks whether each of the five letter targets has been hit and awards points if it has been.” Because the score motor sweeps all five positions in fixed succession, the chime unit plays back rhythmic audio patterns directly reflecting which letters are collected—such as quick double-dings, syncopated triplets, or pauses where unlit letter switches fail to pass current.
The kickback lane (the "shooter relay") operates on an identical scanning premise, with two functional variations: 1. When unlit, its base pulse routes to the 1,000-point relay to award 5,000 points; when letters are lit, the scanning pulses route to the 10,000-point relay instead of the 1,000-point relay. 2. At the conclusion of the cam cycle, score motor switch `4-E` closes to pulse the high-voltage shooter solenoid, kicking the trapped ball out of the lane and back into active play.
[46:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2796s) The Elegance of Electromechanical Logic
The host previews what lies ahead for Part 2 by running an advanced automated cycle: the machine rattles through a 25-step, five-revolution motor sweep that tallies 25,000 bonus points onto the score reels with a rapid sequence of chimes, resets, and steps the ball-in-play display from ball one to ball two. Furthermore, the backbox reels mechanically track point thresholds; crossing 350,000 points fires the knocker coil to award a replay credit.
Reflecting on the nature of electromechanical pinball as a whole, the host pushes back against the perception that these wire harnesses are hopelessly convoluted junk: “The thing is, though, it’s not nonsense - it’s logic! And that’s part of why I like machines like this so much. You can actually look at them, pick it apart, and understand what it’s doing and why.”
The engineering sophistication becomes even more striking considering the historical timeline: though this Williams Aztec was built in 1976 on the cusp of the solid-state microcomputer revolution, nearly all of its core electromechanical technologies—score motors, stepping units, leaf switches, and relay logic—had already been developed and deployed in commercial amusement devices as early as the 1930s.
[48:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2888s) The Relative Complexity of Electromechanical Pinball
Reflecting on the sheer density of switches, relays, stepper units, and score motor cams, the machine's intricate design was not conceived all at once from scratch. Instead, electromechanical pinball architecture evolved incrementally over decades, built up layer after layer until reaching the late-era electro-mechanical designs of the mid-1970s. Despite how bafflingly elaborate the wiring harness and mechanical logic appear to modern eyes, Alec emphasizes that this particular machine is actually modest by historical standards. There are numerous electromechanical machines boasting far more ambitious rule sets, additional playfield targets, and sophisticated mechanical subroutines.
In fact, the mechanical ingenuity of earlier eras often exceeded this game's layout: two decades before this unit was manufactured, Bally had already introduced an electromechanical pinball machine featuring multiball play. While exploring an even more convoluted electromechanical machine remains an enticing prospect for a future installment, Alec admits that after walking through the labyrinthine mechanics of scoring motors and stepper units, it is time to call it a night. Wrapping up the technical journey, he signs off to get some sleep: “Maybe one day we can take a look at a more complex machine but for now… I need to go to bed.”
- Electromechanical pinball design was built iteratively over decades rather than designed as a single monolithic system. - Despite its apparent intricacy, Aztec has a relatively straightforward ruleset compared to peak electromechanical designs. - Bally had engineered electromechanical multiball mechanisms roughly twenty years prior to this machine's production era.
[48:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=2926s) Outtakes and the Pinball Wizard Parody
As smooth, coin-operated jazz begins to play over the credits, Alec breaks character to reveal behind-the-scenes wardrobe secrets. Stepping away from the cabinet, he points out that he has been filming the technical deep dive in pajama bottoms the entire time, noting that viewers never really know what he is wearing out of frame beneath the desk or hidden behind the pinball cabinet. The sequence then transitions into a montage of flubbed takes, manual misfires, and production struggles.
Operating the teleprompter controller with his non-dominant hand repeatedly throws off his delivery, leading to dropped props, mangled tongue-twisters, and botched sentences. At one point, he attempts to describe removing the cabinet glass, stating it will "simpy" lift right up before immediately stopping himself to lament botching the word "simply." Other outtakes capture him dissolving into vocal warm-up gibberish, struggling to describe playfield rubber rings without sounding awkward, accidentally talking about rings having their own rings, and clumsily slipping while trying to manually step an electrical mechanism.
The blooper reel culminates in Alec singing an autobiographical parody of The Who's classic track "Pinball Wizard" from *Tommy*, reflecting on falling in love with pinball well past the golden age of arcades: “Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball. But sadly I got started long into its downfall and you really couldn't find 'em in many amusement halls but that wouldn't stop me: just hadda play pinball!” The performance wraps up with an imagined electric guitar riff that clashes directly against the smooth soprano saxophone soundtrack.
## Notable quotes > [13:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg&t=792s) Pinball pushes relays to their conceptual limit using them to create the game logic and do countless other tasks, but that’s a big part of why I like these machines so much. — Alec
## Mentioned Technology Connections, Alec, Aztec (pinball machine), Williams Electronics, Theatre of Magic, Bally Manufacturing Corporation, David Gottlieb, D. Gottlieb & Company, Baffle Ball, Ballyhoo, Raymond Maloney, Humpty Dumpty (pinball machine), Williams System 2, The Who, Pinball Wizard
## Video description Shoot for the magic trunk! PART 2: https://youtu.be/E3p_Cv32tEo
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Image credits: "bagatelle" by Nikki Tysoe, used under Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en "Fortuna game at Media museum" by Olimar, used under Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en "Compiègne, France: Château de Compiègne. Les appartements historiques" by Andreas Praefcke, used under Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en
00:00 Intro 01:50 Aztec overview 05:23 A bit of history 08:00 An overview of the playfield 10:39 The scoring mechanism 19:30 The targets on the playfield and how they work 25:59 The flippers 28:44 Automation and the number 5 30:31 The score motor 33:47 5,000 point sequence 38:00 The AZTEC targets 41:32 The center target 43:24 The scanning sequence 46:36 Conclusion 48:46 Bloopers
[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-1JoJQaEg)