If you want to give your pinball machine's playfield a spot-clean, or if whilst playing your pinball machine, your ball gets stuck in an unintended location, you will need to remove the playfield glass. Pinball machines are inherently designed to prevent this as much as possible, but it does still happen from time to time and it’s annoying when it does during a good game.
Thankfully, it’s easy to put this kind of problem right. All that needs to be done is to remove the playfield glass, free the stuck ball and then replace again to be back in the game again. This guide will detail set by step how to remove the glass on your pinball machine.
- Note 1: This guide will cover most pinball machines, but newer STERN pinball machines may use a different locking system than what’s covered here. Check out our guide for STERN Pinball machines here.
- Note 2: Be aware of any moving parts that may be near your stuck ball. It is best to power the machine down in the interests of safety due to the number of high powered components on the playfield.
How to remove the playfield glass from a pinball machine
To get the glass out from your pinball machine, open up the coin door, and look for the lockdown bar release latch. This latch is a simple lever that is found in the top right of the open coin door, usually with a yellow sleeve over it.
To release the latch, pull the lever all the way to the left. This will release the lockdown bar above.
You can now lift the lockdown bar up and away. When you remove the lockdown bar, keep an eye on the playfield glass, as it may begin to slide out under its own weight. Take hold of it to stop it from sliding out on its own. Put the lockdown bar to one side.
Take hold of both edges of the glass, and slowly slide it free, towards the front of the cabinet. Once the glass is out, stand it up out of the way. With the playfield accessible, you can recover the lost ball easily. You can then return the ball to the trough at the bottom of the playfield, or to the game’s shooter lane where possible.
You can then slide the glass back into place using the grooves, then secure in place with the lockdown bar. Don’t forget to slide the lockdown latch back into place before closing the coin door. You’re ready to play again!
Eventually, you will find that removing the playfield glass is incredibly quick and easy to do with some practice. If you need any more help, then feel free to give us a call on 0800 622 6464.
