The Internet Pinball Machine Database
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The following list are common questions that we often
receive from site visitors, so to make answering them
easier, we've put them and their answers here for
reference.

If you've been referred to this page by us, please
don't be offended.  It is merely the clearest way to
answer your question.

  1. Can I use pictures from your web site?
  2. Are there new pinball machines being manufactured?
  3. Do you have any info on <some game>?
  4. What do I do with these ROM files?
  5. Where can I buy a paper manual for my pinball machine?
  6. Where can I buy a pinball machine I remember from years ago/when I was young/in college/etc.?
  7. Where can I buy a new pinball machine?
  8. Where can I get parts for my pinball machine?
  9. Can you tell me the email address (or other contact info) for someone who's name I saw on the site?
  10. Can I download/copy the site?
  11. I got a message displayed that said I was using too much bandwidth!  What's up?
  12. Where can I communicate with others about pinball?
  13. Why don't you list the game I'm looking for?
    Why don't you list the game I have?
  14. Do you have an API interface to the site?
  15. Can I submit pictures of my pinball machine?
    What pictures do you want?
  16. I made some neat modifications to my pinball machine, can I send you pictures of them?
  17. Why do the Gottlieb files all say "Availability limited by copyright" ?
  18. I need a photo/file/manual/ROM/detail/etc. for <some game>. Do you have it?
  19. Do you buy or sell games?  Does your web site buy or sell games?  Can I buy a game shown on the site?  I need some parts?
  20. Can you tell me how much <some game> is worth?
  21. Can you tell me how to fix my game?
  22. How do I play these ROM files on my Personal Computer?
  23. Email issues! Why did I get this email from the IPDB? How do I stop these emails from the IPDB?
  24. Where are the photos/files/etc. I sent you/submitted? Why aren't they shown on the site?
  25. Serial Numbers: Where do I find mine? Why is mine higher than the production count? etc.

If you question is not answered here, please see our Contact page.

  1. Can I use pictures from your web site?

    The pictures on the site remain the property and copyright of the original photographers.  We only get permission (license) to use them on the site, therefore we cannot give you permission to use them.

    We strongly suggest you do not just take them and use them in an auction, as you will likely be accused of fraud by the many pinball collectors who are aware of this site and who also frequent eBay.  This may result in your auction being pulled.  Also, do not link directly to the pictures from your eBay auction, or you may find we've replaced them with a less than flattering image.

    Before asking us for contact information for the photographers or to contact them for you, please see Question 9.

  2. Are there new pinball machines being manufactured?

    Here is a list of the only remaining commercial manufacturers of new pinball machines of which we are aware:
    USA -
     
    Spain -

  3. Do you have any info on <some game>?

    All the information we have on the games is on the site.

    Search for the game name using the quick or advanced searched.  All information we have will be displayed.  You are not required to register to access any data available from the quick or advanced searches.  We do require you to register to vote or to access the database lists, but doing so will not give you access to any information not already available from the quick/advanced search screens; it merely presents the information in different sorted lists.

    Also remember that we don't own all these games.  If something is not on the site, we can't, for example, take a particular picture you need.  We don't have access to the game.

  4. What do I do with these ROM files?

    Generally, you need to use a ROM burner and ROM burning software to write them to an appropriate size and speed PROM or EPROM.  For specific information, including where to obtain PROMs and EEPROMs, replacement part numbers for no longer available parts, and sources, try asking in the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.pinball

    The editors on this site know very little about the ROMs or how to use/burn them, so please don't ask. They are included here as a reference.

    For additional ROM information and a service to burn them for you, try a service such as Action Pinball & Amusement, LLC.

    You might also try asking in the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.pinball for someone who will do it for free, as people make this offer from time to time.

    Limited availability Gottlieb ROMs can be purchased from John Robertson's 'Flippers.com', a licensed reseller.

    Also see Question 22.

  5. Where can I buy a paper manual for my pinball machine?

    Several well-known pinball part sellers also sell manuals.  For Gottlieb manuals, you can purchase copies from Steve Young's The Pinball Resource, the only licensed Gottlieb distributor.  For Williams and Bally manuals, Planetary Pinball is licensed to sell them.   Additional places to try are For Amusement Only and Marco Specialties.

  6. Where can I buy a pinball machine I remember from years ago/when I was young/in college/etc.?

    We are a database of games that were produced. We do not buy or sell any games, and we do not have any repair parts for games.

    One place to purchase used games is eBay, but be very wary of bogus sellers.

    A better place to buy (or sell!) is the Mr. Pinball Classifieds or to watch for games for sale in the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.pinball.  Many locations may have local arcade auctions; try Super Auctions for these.  Also watch your local classifieds.

  7. Where can I buy a new pinball machine?

    We are a database of games that were produced. We do not buy or sell any games, and we do not have any repair parts for games.

    For a list of new pinball machine manufacturers, see Question 2.

  8. Where can I get parts for my pinball machine?

    We are a database of games that were produced. We do not buy or sell any games, and we do not have any repair parts for games.

    There are many locations for getting parts.  Some locations stock general pinball parts for any game.  Other stock specific parts for specific games.  Yet others sell and/or manufacture custom or remade parts for fixing up games, adding new toys, or replace damaged or weak systems with better ones.  See the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.pinball for more information.  Eventually, we'll have a list of common sites here.

  9. Can you tell me the email address (or other contact info) for someone who's name I saw on the site?

    Sorry, other than the email addresses of the site maintainers and editors, we do not make available ANY email addresses of anyone connected with the site, for privacy reasons. (And beyond email addresses, we just don't have any other information on our users.)

    And while it might be possible for us to shuffle email between people without sharing the email address of either one of them with the other (i.e. forward their email), we're already quite busy just updating the site.

    Finally, many of the email addresses we have are old and no longer known to be valid, and not all pictures on the site were taken by people with direct access to the machines (some were taken by the editors at pinball shows, for example).

    You might try searching for them in Google or posting a request to contact them in the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.pinball.

  10. Can I download/copy the site?

    We don't support any method of copying the site, and in fact there are a number of automated defenses meant to prevent it from happening.

    The site itself simply cannot be downloaded with the many mirroring or copying programs that exist, whether standalone or within a browser, because there are so many different links to display a particular game (i.e. search by name, search by manufacturer, search by feature, etc.) and none of the mirroring programs can comprehend the structure of the query links with the result that they download the same information over and over as they try to fetch each different link they see on a page.  Any attempt to download the site invariably causes each game to be fetched many many times, wasting extreme amounts of bandwidth.

    Since so much of the site's value is in the information and more importantly the images, bandwidth is very important to us, and since "downloading the site" makes no sense as indicated in the paragraph above, we've found we need to enforce guidelines that ensure everyone has fair access to the site, especially since so much of the site (in funding as well as information and pictures) comes from the users themselves.

    Therefore, attempts to download the site in any automated way may result in your being banned from the site, which can include disabling your login, blocking your IP address, and in extreme cases even blocking your entire domain from accessing the site.

    For a portable pinball guide, we'd suggest getting one of the price guides, which has much game information in alphabetical order.

  11. I got a message displayed that said I was using too much bandwidth!  What's up?

    We have put in place bandwidth limits to prevent excessive site access (also see Question 10). These limits are set to stop attempts to download the site, early in the process.  The limits are based on several months of usage by thousands of visitors.  If you've exceeded the limits and are trying to download the site, then stop, or you may be permanently blocked from accessing the site.  If you've exceeded it in real, normal (but heavy) usage, then we're sorry; please wait a few hours and you should be able to access the site again.  Until that time, further attempts to contact the site will count further against your limit.

    We do not support downloading the web site because it is an extreme waste of bandwidth; see Question 10 for further explanation.

  12. Where can I communicate with others about pinball?

    In the USA, two places would be the Usenet newgroup rec.games.pinball (aka "RGP", which has several years of archives with repair advice) and www.pinside.com.

    RGP is also available in a bulletin board format at http://rgparchive.com/rgpforum/.

    There are many non-English forums in Europe and South America. Below is a partial list.

  13. Why don't you list the game I'm looking for?
    Why don't you list the game I have?

    First, try different spellings.  We try to have many alternate spellings in the database, but we can't get them all.  Then, try simplifying the search, using less or shorter words, or less fields if doing an advanced search.

    If you still can't find the game, send us as much information about it that you have, with a few pictures of any names or sticker you can find on or within the cabinet.  See the Contact Us page for contact information.

  14. Do you have an API interface to the site?

    No.

  15. Can I submit my pictures of my pinball machine?  What pictures do you want?

    Yes, you can submit pictures of your games if the games are unmodified and unrepainted.  Just click on the "Update Game Information" link displayed to the right of each game entry and you can upload and submit your pictures over the web using the Update Tool!

    We prefer to have a good selection of pictures for each game.  We'd like to have:

    • Cabinet - Front, Left, Right side    (no repaintings)
    • Backbox - Front, Left, Right side    (no repaintings)
    • Backglass/Translite    (no reproduction pieces)
    • Inside Backbox    (original circuit boards and controls)
    • Electronics
    • Playfield - Full, Upper Half, Middle, Lower Half    (no playfield "overlays" or repaintings)
    • Any interesting or complex playfield details    (no owner modifications)
    • Playfield toys
    • Any interesting backglass details

  16. I made some neat modifications to my pinball machine, can I send you pictures of them?

    Sorry, no.  The database, by clear desire of the users, contains only pictures of unmodified games in original form whenever possible.  It is meant to be a database of games as they were released.

  17. Why do the Gottlieb files all say Availability limited by copyright?

    To protect their copyrights and trademarks and therefore protect the income of their licensees, Gottlieb Development LLC has required that we remove all Gottlieb manuals and ROMs from the site (even though – in our opinion – this just makes it harder for owners to determine part numbers needed to order licensed parts).

    Gottlieb manuals, ROMS, and other parts are available from several officially licensed manufacturers:

  18. I need a file/manual/ROM/etc. for <some game>.  Do you have it?

    All the information we have is already on the site.

    Also see Question 3.

  19. Do you buy or sell games?  Does your web site buy or sell games?  Can I buy a game shown on the site?  I need some parts?

    We do not buy or sell games; we are only a database of the games.  We do not buy or sell any materials at all.  We do not buy or sell parts, manuals, games, roms, or anything.  We don't know if any of the games shown in the pictures are on sale, nor even if the photographers own them.  If you're trying to contact the photographer of a game, please see Question #9.

    The purpose of this site is to catalog information about every pinball machine ever manufactued.  We are a repository of information about pinball machines, who made them, their features, historical information about them and their features, their designers, etc.

  20. Can you tell me how much <some game> is worth?

    We don't track pinball machine prices in any way. Selling prices of games already sold can be found at www.pinballprice.com.

    There are several price guides available, such as The Mr. Pinball Pinball List & Price Guide and the PinballEric Pinball Price Guide.

    Also, check the recent selling price of games on eBay and the Mr. Pinball Classifieds. But be warned that the eBay prices are often unusually high and you will probably not get those prices yourself.

    If you're going to sell on eBay, you may also want to be aware of scams involving overpayment by cashiers check, such as those noted at the Mr. Pinball Classifieds site.  (Cashiers checks are *not* guaranteed funds, and can be forged or cancelled in various circumstances!)

  21. Can you tell me how to fix my game?

    For repair information, ask in the Usenet newsgroup rec.games.pinball or see if there is a repair manual for your game at Pinball HQ.

  22. How do I play these ROM files on my Personal Computer??

    We only deal with full-sized arcade pinball machines.  The ROM files on this site can be used to update the ROM programs on those machines to get a particular set of features and/or bug fixes.

    While we are aware of a group that has written pinball simulators called Visual Pinball and/or VPMAME that allow running these ROMs in a pinball simulator, we're not familiar with that group nor how their simulator works.  We cannot help you to run these ROMs on your PC.

    You might try checking out the web sites VPForums or Visual Pinball for additional information.

  23. Email issues! Why did I get this email from the IPDB? How do I stop these emails from the IPDB?

    The IPDB seldom sends out email, and only in a few situations. If you are getting email from us selling a product, it is a fake email! Nothing on this site is for sale, and we do not sell or buy any products (see other questions in this FAQ).

    The IPDB may send limited emails for the following situations, all of this which originate from a request made by your email address:

    — Requests for list/ratings passwords
    When you request a password to access the lists screen or to add ratings to games, we will email you your password once for each request. This email will contain the password and instructions on how to use it. If you are receiving these emails and are not requesting a password yourself, then someone else is submitting your email address. We can block your email from this service if you email us and let us know the email (you will be unable to access the list screens or ratings once we do so); see the contact page for our email address.

    — Questions/responses for submissions
    If you provide your email address when you make a submission to the site, you may receive emails with questions about the submission (if we have any), and you may receive an automated response once your submissions are accepted.

    Nearly any other email you might receive from us has been forged and is really from someone else; there is nothing we can do to stop forged emails. If you view the detailed message headers, you will find the message has originated from a different site; you need to complain to that site's staff (often abuse@<thesitenamehere>).

    Be clear that any email you receive from the IPDB that has an offer to sell any product of any kind is absolutely a forgery. We do not sell or buy any products!

  24. Where are the photos/files/etc. I sent you/submitted? Why aren't they shown on the site?

    First, if you emailed the items to us, be sure you received an email auto-response. If you did not, they may have been blocked by the anti-SPAM or anti-virus filters. Only if you get a response from us can you know that we received your email.

    Then, if you submitted the items via the web interface, you may be able to go to the my settings screen to check on the submission status (on the right-hand side), as long as you used an email address and did not block or erase the cookies set with your email address when you submitted the changes.

    In either case, if we did not add your information to the site yet, it normally comes down to a busy schedule and lots of changes to process. We will get to your submission as soon as possible.

    If you gave us information or images from an ebay auction, then we are most likely waiting to hear from the owner of the images, and we will not use them unless they email us back and give us permission.

    It may also be possible that we did not use your information if it was found to be a duplicate of information we already have, if the quality was lower than we already had, if they were images of non-factory changes, if we could not verify the information, or other similar situations.

  25. Serial Numbers: Where do I find mine? Why is mine higher than the production count? etc.

    For information on where to find your serial number, try the information at The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database. For information on the numbering used by various manufacturers, see the additional info on their SN formats page.

    Overview: Manufacturers started serial numbers at different numbers, and some manufacturers apparently skipped blocks of numbers, possibly to confuse their competitors about their sales counts.