Era

Dot-matrix era (1991 to 1999) pinball machines

Data East put the first dot-matrix display in a pinball machine on Checkpoint in February 1991, and the dot matrix soon replaced alphanumeric displays across the industry. These are the games of the early-90s boom, when The Addams Family sold 20,270 units and Twilight Zone 15,235. Williams ran them on its WPC system, which keeps memory on batteries that always leak in the end. Check the CPU board first and the display second. The plasma screens run on over 100 volts, and a failing glass drags those voltages down. The era closes when Williams shut its pinball division on October 25, 1999.

19 machines we cover.