Why is there a WEIRD HOLE in the side of my 1984 Bally X's And O's Pinball Machine? Let's Play It! 

Buy our favorite wax we use on pinball machines here: amzn.to/2u1cH6M ANYTHING! you buy on Amazon after clicking that link doesn't raise your prices but gives us a referral tip, thank you!

Hi Joe, here's your answer: your machine is from Switzerland (and so do I), operators here used this frequently. It is actually a "safe"; the pinball machines keys were stored inside; then a lock with a common key came on top of it to secure them (which you are missing). It allowed the operator to go anywhere on his locations with only one key and retrieve the machines keys directly on site. Hope this clarified it ;) And if any viewer comes to Switzerland, my pinball club www.shootagain-fribourg.com opens one WE every month!

That's something german and it's called a Gauselmann key safe, what means that there supposed to be a cylinder in it wat holds all the keys of all the machine's on that location and that cylinder can be locked so only the serviceman on that location has acces for all the service keys. So in fact you're missing half of this safe👍

My theory is that borrowers live in this machine and when you reach a high score you are rewarded with a tuggie by inserting your member into said hole

😎 wish I could run down some old machines in need of rehab ... most of what I find is already done ... would be a fun hobby at my computer store 👍🏼

The best game I was happy to sell once I got it working. Bought it broken, fixed it only to see it light up and play it. Loved the BASS it had, nice sounds.

My two ideas are- 1. It's a security mount so someone would use it to hold the machine in place to keep it from being stolen. 2. a mount for a beer holder. It would slide in and hold up your beer as you drank and played.

Yes, a lot of my machines in the past, had this small safe . It is for the key from the machines. I had a central key for all safe´s, so only one key and many machines. This system came from the eighties and was from the operator where I bought the machines (in Germany ). Greetings

Hello Greetings from Germany. This Hole was a Key Safe. In Germany the Arcades are called Game Hall (Spielhalle) In the Spielhalle was the Problem that every Pinball Machine has his own Key. and that is the reasend . So the staff needs only one key for each machine in the arcade for the key safe and in it was always the original key of the machine.

That's a hotdog hole.

I'm from the UK and tic tac toe is known as noughts and crosses over here

That pipe had a cap/lock on it. The route guy could unlock it and keys for the location would be in there. He could unlock it, get the keys. Service the games. Lock the keys back up. And go to the next location.

I loved this video! 19:30 pro move people, I thought, scratching head , glass is off just reach over and tap it with your finger. LOL was that the best click bait title for a pin video or what!! Bravo Ron 👏

I’ve seen one of these. I know what that’s for several several several several years ago I remember being dropped off at an arcade with my older sister back in 86/87 The place was called stumps. Kind of a backwoods rule area place in Tennessee. AnyWho they had something very similar to this to where you could plug this pipe fitting into that hole and it would extend it self out at a 90° angle for a small shelf. You could put your drink or beer or food or ashtray up there that way you have a place to set your stuff instead of sitting it down on the glass

this reminds me of the pinball machine we had in our garage as a kid OXO by Williams. good times!

Those kickers were actually pretty affective, considering they're essentially just elastics.

I haven't had the chance to play one of these yet, but it looks a lot of fun. Difficult though to get a complete set of o's or x's. That pinging when waiting to launch the ball sure is annoying though!

There were dozens in the 70s and 80s that had safe lanes. Also if your ball went down the middle some machines you could bump hard in front and make your ball pop back in.

Fun times with X's and O's ! I always wondered if having more than 2 flippers was better? Was it useful ? Did it serve a specific purpose? Or just something to add to the play field? Either way fun to watch you play this. Heading to Vegas end of Feb and found out there's a Pinball Hall of Fame / Museum there. Do you know of it? Have u been to it? Going for like 4 days so I'll be dragging my buddies to this thing or I'll visit it alone.. I'm probably most excited about this than anything else! And I'm not ashamed to admit that. =) It's away from the strip but I looked it up and I'm beyond hyped to go spend some hours in there!

The key safe might just be so they could use secured collectors. That means you have one keyed-alike lock on all machines (your arcade location has "OWNER KEY"). Then you would have a "OWNER KEY" inside the key safe (putted on ONE machine only at that location).The secured collector, would have a "SAFE MASTER KEY" that would fit ALL arcade locations enroute. The secured collector, could then with one single key, go and collect all the arcade locations in one go. I think the tube is possible to unscrew from the inside, or it have an opening somewhere. So you could put the owner key inside without having a key to the cap. Think like the door tubes on some apartment doors, where you can put your apartment key so the landlord can access for service. The problem with using a keyed-alike lock on ALL arcade location, is that you as a single arcade owner, would be able to access ALL arcade location enroute, even those that you don't own. The reason this system were used, is that wafer locks are difficult to master key without introducing security risks. In TSA locks master keying are done by having 2 different profiles for the user key and master key, and then have a wafer with a cutout that is different on the left and right side. But that requires manufacturing a lot of wafers, it would actually require creating X * Y different wafers, where X is number of key positions, and Y is the number of key depths for a single position. (number of different wafers required: X*Y manufactured, and number of different key combinations become X^Y) Nowadays, in arcades that use secured collectors, they use a master keyed lock instead on the cabinet (ASSA DESMO). Secured collector then legally owns the lock/cylinder, and then the secured collector has 1 key that goes to ALL locations enroute, and the arcade owner has 1 (or more copies) of a key that goes to HIS machines ONLY. usually the wafer lock is removed and then stored inside the machine, so if machine changes owner, the original wafer lock can be replaced. Technician usually don't serve multiple arcade locations, so he have only OWNER KEY.

I can translate it for you dad 😊 Looks nice and it's sure fun to play, my favorite flipper was the Adam's Family flipper maybe you come across it one day I recommend you to play it's a load of fun. 👍👍👍👍👍

I was eyeing off this machine on your website. Unfortunately shipping to Australia would be prohibitive on a pinball machine...... That pipe on the side looks like a security device some places use with multiple machines. They sometimes use a pole that ties the machines together

Can you put a metal tube through it from side to side? I think it’s a really heavy way to stop tilting the table even a millimeter. The tube is then bolted to the ground, maybe several machines in a row.

Ron when you first pointed out that hole out I kept thinking "Man, some drunk sure missed the placement of his glory hole".

It's a "Key Safe" it's hard to explain but it's found in Germany, some parts in France and I think Netherlands tho not sure if it's like France and only found in different areas of the country. Think of it as a Skeleton Key to access other keys...IDK how to explain it...

For some reason, the sound this thing makes after the last ball reminds me of _Why can't this be love_ by Van Halen... Similar synthesizer effect... Cheers,

The magic of the third flipper is you can swing at the ball as it is on the way up, not just on the way down

I've seen pinball machines being lifted for transport using holes like that ... but then again, those used four of them.

the hole is for the stick from the backglass. if someone gets too good you smack them on the head with it. ✨ pioneering 4D gaming tech 😄

Who designed the FABULOUS sounds in this game and then added that TERRIBLE annoying dinging? As always, thanks for the video.

I want the FIREPOWER machine next to it!

That's the kind of pinball game that is specifically designed to eat the customer's quarters.

I was wondering about the crazy futuristic sound of this game... The story on the back panel has to be TIC TAC TOE through the ages... So, the solitary “space dude” at the top has to be your “opponent’’ of the 80’s version of the future?

Oh God I’ve played that one. Hated it. In fact EVERY pinball I’ve played thats had that mechanic (was a much older one) you know Xs and Os I never cared for.

I first played this game in November of 1983 on my 11th Birthday at an Aladdin's Castle. I know that the pinball database states it was made in 1984. so I am a bit confused. Not unless they do the years like they do new cars.

Play however you wanna play Ron... no cheating the glass off for example... seeing you not get multi-ball on flight 2000 is a very funny video

Nice machine i have play this x&o few times my friend have one 👍

That machine has some cool sounds.

The arcade where I grew up had several tables with holes like these. I always figured it had something to do with moving them.

I love the sound FX in this game. VERY 80s!

love the sound effects

It's a safe for the pinball keys. We had the same safes in pinballs and gambling machines when I repaired them in the early nineties in the Netherlands. This safe uses an universal lock so we could access the pinball cabinet keys at different customers by using one universal key. Unfortunalely the locking part is missing with your pinball machine

Could have for a side mount box for an electronic multiple coin acceptor because the acceptor wouldn't fit in the existing coin door. The would be for the harness connector to fit through. Also maybe for a ticket dispenser.

Hi Ron - A request, if I may; I truly enjoy the the game demos you do for us (both pinball, and video), and I was wondering if you might consider, for the pinball demos, filming the gameplay with the playfield glass removed, so that the reflection of the backglass doesn't distract from the action. This may also afford you the opportunity to manually demonstrate certain features of the game(s), without having to rely on... let's go with luck... to activate a particular feature (By all means, when demonstrating actual gameplay, refrain from cheating in this manor). Thoughts?

The hole is the "o" part of X's and O's. But in all seriousness, it might be a place to put a coin holder. Looks about the same size as a coin holder.

Fantastic sound effects.

i love that 80's Synthwave the Pinball machine has

I've seen these on pinball machines , we had a cinema with 4 in a row and it kinda stopped kids going to the back of the machines and stopped you tilting it, also they were all connected together with the end side bars curling back round to the wall like a hand rail.

No matter the real use the hole is a great place to rest your cigarette when playing. 😁👍

It's got some pretty cool sound effects.

Maybe the hole in the side was for a rod to connect the machines together so they didn’t move? Or as an anti theft measure?

Head phone jack for in the noisey arcades so you can hear your game play sound

It was a fence that went around all the pinball machines in a row so u couldn’t get to the back of the machines

That backglass is kinda reminiscent of MAD MAGAZINE. And how do I like that. X X X & O O O

Yup bet they slid a smaller i.d. pipe in it and locked it to a wall. Is there anything on the back leg same side?

a drink holder slides into it

Looks like it used to be for a lock barrel of some type

awww this machine ...never seen or played 1in reallife though,only emulated..thanks guys for the video x

Its for the key to open up the machine, hopefully its still in there, if not it might be hanging inside the coin box if u can access to open it...

Side loving

Always go of midle and the ball make move strange in the down side of playfield, have magnet ¡?🤔

35:24 Heyyy... we have (and certainly had in the past) our flaws, but we do not rig your pinball machines. Well... other than putting weird holes and metal dishes on one side. ;)

cool machine! love the gimmick, but the sfx seem totally wrong. but I'm bias, I still love my bells a thousand times more than sfx or beep-boops.

I’m looking to buy a pinball machine what are good ones to buy ?

It's glorious

laptops have a thing called a "kensington lock" its a hole to attach an anti-theft chain. maybe the hole is to attach an anti-theft chain??

Probably a mount for a beverage holder

Maybe the machine used to be a bong?

im assuming a bar would go through it and another pinball machine to keep them locked together for security or no tilting

Hey have you ever heard of a game called Meta Fox? Lemme know if you ever have one for sale, I wouldn't mind picking it up. Also just realized I grew up pretty close to you in Kannapolis, small world

Is that german writing KRUPP ESSEN ? (reference to famous Czech comedy duo V+W, thinking in one of their pre-war shows that can with KRUPP ESSEN on it is actually food - KRUPP ESSEN (eat groat in english, famous german weapon manufacturer Krupp from city Essen.

Every one knows that hole is for the mouse that resets the pinball machine

Why did the ball always move like it was being affected by magnets hidden in the board

Why does the playfield remind me of Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man pinball??

5:42 Space guy vaporized his opponent into a ball of mush...or is that smoke?

These guys look like British politicians, and our Prime Minister is at the back.

Tried to us a strong magnet to keep the ball from going down the center. The ball came up so fast it broke the glass. Don't try this a home.

That hole was somebody's attempt at making a glory hole.. they didn't realize at the time you need another person on the other side of the glory hole for it to function properly.

I was stationed in Germany from 85 to 89 the hole was used to put a pipe that loosely linked machines to each other making them harder to bump. the germans did not like it. When we bumped the machines they called it cheating and that it potentially broke the machines.

I wonder if its for better bass sound. It seem to me there was another game that had that type of thing with a tube on the inside.

Please record in 1080p or even 4k. We need those detailssss. :)

Hello Ron i have since i was a child been in love with pinball but they are not that common where i live, iam thinking about at some point saving up the money for one. my dream would be owning one or both of the Super Mario Bros machines, but right now iam thinking about maybe getting the star track one as it is a bit cheaper and easyer to find. what would you recommend as once first pinball machine. And a bit about me iam a 29 year old electrical engineer / electrician, so i would not have a problem trobleshooting abit.

"I Feel This GAME IS mOCKING ME" lo!

Drunk mouse is too funny. Too bad we cant have images like that on good things anymore cause of society nowadays

So if its a key safe, anyone with the simple key that allowed access could open any machine in the country....lol......Great idea.....I think not.

i hear super mario world in the background

On the Gauselmann website there is a picture of their key safe. Looks like it could be it. www.gauselmann.de/Downloads/Kurzportraet-Gauselmann-Group-2019-E.pdf

My cousin has a data east Batman

Awesome machine! Is the hole just some place to fit a handle for transit? 👍😎🤔

You have everthing? Hehehe

2nd like for ya Joe 👍

drink holder , customize ( someone made that).

If you upload an Image of the german writing, I can translate for you

Cigar Holder?

Cigarette holder

This is truly a mystery🤔

likely anti tipping mount, probably connected it to a wall or another machine.

The hole may be a port to enhance the Bass.

おお！ピンボールまで お持ちでしたか！(≧▽≦)ピンボール大好きです 仲間ですね

But u didn’t show the hole 🕳 lol