rico_vancouver

Well, I finally got the table home... it is really heavy! Not to mention that it only fits thru doorways on it's side! Anyhow, after a couple of skinned knuckles, it has found it's new home in my basement. I was concerned about something clunking around inside while we were moving it around, and it turned out to be a bag full of parts! So we plugged it in, and everything still worked. That evening, I cleaned it up, used some contact cleaner on the pots, and replaced a jumpy controller with one of my spares (I only have about 7 to choose from). One of the pics below shows the instructions for adjusting the pots, but it was pretty simple to figure out. There are still a couple of quirky behaviours (like the ball sometimes goes "out" the bottom of the screen and returns out of the "top" instead of bouncing off the side of the court), but everything seems fine. The unit is made by "Meadows", and was made in Winnipeg in 1975 - the final checklist was dated and left inside the unit. The model and type of system are shown on the "PONG ENTERPRISES" label on the inside of the coin door. It is a crazy version of PONG that I've never played... 4 player capable, with fore and aft movement, not just side to side. With Novice, Expert and Pro settings (paddle size reduces to just slightly larger than the ball), it is surprisingly entertaining to play. There's also a little "spin" button on each controller, allowing you to give the ball a little english as it heads towards/past your opponent's paddle. The screen itself has a simulated green court border, using translucent green tape strategically placed on the screen. Pretty much the only thing I can't get to work is the coin function... I fired a quarter in and it got stuck. We toggle the little relay to start the game manually. I have another coin mechanism in the bag of parts, but for now, manual operation is fine. Rich

Turns out there is a second identical table in the garage I am able to use for parts, so I might be better off than I thought. R.

Hi - newbie here that posted this in the wrong section. I got a reply already, but thought I'd check this section to make sure there isn't any other feedback. Thx. ---- Hi, I am a newbie here - my experience with pong started with a cocktail table at our tennis club back in the 70s. It turns out my in-laws have a similar table, and they want to get rid of it. I have attached a pic of the exact same table I found on the web. I went to see it today, to see if it worked, and if I really wanted it in my basement. It is a doubles pong game which I have never seen before. Not only are there two sets of paddle controllers, but the controllers are small joysticks, not the old knob I was familiar with. The controllers allow you to move your paddle back-and-forth as well as side-to-side. Anyhow, it functions and the video display seems to be ok. One or two of the controllers are a little "jumpy" however. Is it possible to remedy this with some disassembly and cleaning of the contacts on the controllers? If not, is there a source for these as replacement or aftermarket parts (e.g. other joystick controls from similar dedicated systems)? I was thinking about doing a full dissassembly, cleaning and reassembly and hope that this might clean up some of the erratic behaviour. Any gotchas taking these units apart? I am relatively handy with tools, and am not scared by most computers. Thanks, Richard

Hi, I am a newbie here - my experience with pong started with a cocktail table at our tennis club back in the 70s. It turns out my in-laws have a similar table, and they want to get rid of it. I have attached a pic of the exact same table I found on the web. I went to see it today, to see if it worked, and if I really wanted it in my basement. It is a doubles pong game which I have never seen before. Not only are there two sets of paddle controllers, but the controllers are small joysticks, not the old knob I was familiar with. The controllers allow you to move your paddle back-and-forth as well as side-to-side. Anyhow, it functions and the video display seems to be ok. One or two of the controllers are a little "jumpy" however. Is it possible to remedy this with some disassembly and cleaning of the contacts on the controllers? If not, is there a source for these as replacement or aftermarket parts (e.g. other joystick controls from similar dedicated systems)? I was thinking about doing a full dissassembly, cleaning and reassembly and hope that this might clean up some of the erratic behaviour. Any gotchas taking these units apart? I am relatively handy with tools, and am not scared by most computers. Thanks, Richard