If you’re an operator or technician who wants to take a real deep dive into the technical side of amusements, look no further than AMOA’s Regional Tech School. Held this week Jan. 25-26 at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Downey, Calif., the tech sessions went in-depth on jukeboxes, cranes, pinball machines, card systems and ATMs.
On the first day, both TouchTunes and AMI Entertainment held jukebox tech sessions that covered everything from speaker installation and troubleshooting to music filters and setting up network wifi. There was also a crane session that detailed setting the right price, how to string a claw, checking wires for breaks and more.
On the second and final day, Patrick Powers (above, standing), the director of technical support for Stern Pinball, presented on all the nooks and crannies of making sure your pingame is working to the best of its ability. He went over a host of troubleshooting options, how to adjust the gamefield, flippers and much, much more.
The second session was led by John Bailon (below) of PS Vending, who detailed his experience installing “plug and play” Amusement Connect systems (he’s done four complete installations on his own and seven in total). The third and final session of the event was on ATMs from Jonathan Dunn (pictured below), Chris Hale and Randy Cesco of Venco Business Solutions.
About a dozen attendees were on hand to take in the extensive information. AMOA held its first Tech School in Charlotte, N.C., in November 2022 with more than two dozen in attendance. Those in the Midwest can expect the traveling school to stop by in late spring. There will also be one held in the Northeast in late summer and the Pacific Northwest this October. More details will be available at www.amoa.com/amoa-tech-school.
