Pinball training course in Victoria

[Toads]

Norbert is doing a training course in Moorabbin if anyone is interested....

PINBALL MACHINES
How They Work & Troubleshooting
TWO DAY INTENSIVE COURSE
 
WHERE
Sandbelt Club Hotel, 630 South Road, Moorabbin VIC 3189
 
WHEN
Saturday, FEB 20, 2016,  9am to 4pm
Sunday, FEB 21, 2016,  9am to 4pm
Please arrive 15 minutes before the course starts to sign in.
 
CLASS SIZE
Maximum 12 Attendees
 
WHAT IS INCLUDED
All course material and stationery, course certificate, coffee & tea on arrival, Morning Tea, Lunch & Afternoon Tea is provided on both days.
 
COST
$595 (incl GST) per person.
 
THERE ARE LIMITED NUMBER OF PLACES AVAILABLE
Click here to register!
Please note that your place in the course is not held until we receive your payment!
You will receive confirmation by email within 24 hours and a Tax Invoice for your payment.
 
There is no need to bring anything however you may like to bring your multimeter if you are not sure how to use it.
 
LINKS TO MORE INFO:
http://pinballtroubleshooting.com/   (this website has been designed in MS FrontPage, which is no longer supported by Microsoft and could not be updated for some time. However, it contains useful info about this course).
http://www.pinballhq.com.au/#!how-to-fix-pinball/c10ob
TESTIMONIALS
 
Please feel free to call me if you have any question  0403 003 966.
 
Kind regards,
 
Norbert Snicer

[McKie1]

This would be great. Have been hanging out for one of these :)

Hope Norbert can do another one for the other side of Melbourne in the not too distant future if this is a starting point :)

Thank you for the info.

[Strangeways]

Fantastic to hear that these have finally made it to Melbourne (albeit the outer SE suburbs).

[Caveoftreasures]

I attended one of these courses in Sydney at the tail end of it as AMD was doing a new pinball launch & all the people who attended the full course said they were extremely happy & felt it was $ well spent.

I know that Norbert is a very busy guy so I would jump on that course if I was in VIC even if you had to travel to the other side of town etc cause Norbert is flat out in Sydney so getting with him for that course sooner than waiting til later might work out in your favour.

Norbert knows his stuff and is a great teacher with loads of talent/experience.
I think it's great he is doing these courses now in other states.
Have fun to those who attend.

[Freiherr]

Yes, I attended one at AMD about a year ago.
Great hands on training, we used an Indi 500 for our testing and it survived after 2 full on days.
Some nice tips from Norbert to make troubleshooting quick and easy.
Norbert is a great guy to talk to with many years of pinball passion and experience.

[McKie1]

Wife and I even contemplated asking for a course at our place for western suburbs but hoped maybe one of the commercial dealers would volunteer :) course does look great.

[pinsanity]

In an online world, training courses like this are about as relevant these days as VHS players.

All of the generalised info that is covered in these courses is readily available at the ends of your fingertips.

Fine for those who work in the industry as their main source of income and want to write it off as a tax deduction though (or generate a bit of extra income on the side ;)).

For everyone else just use google or ask in this forum. Clay's repair guides as one example covers 99.9% plus any troubleshooting problem you think might be unique has been experienced by other machine owners before you.

[McKie1]

Agreed YouTube and the like are great resources. Personally I just like the hands-on training old School style :) probably just me. Rofl

[Crashramp]

Agreed YouTube and the like are great resources. Personally I just like the hands-on training old School style :) probably just me. Rofl

Agreed, nothing beats hands on experience. Forums, YouTube and books are fantastic but the experience gained from learning first hand and doing it yourself is invaluable.

[Strangeways]

In an online world, training courses like this are about as relevant these days as VHS players.

All of the generalised info that is covered in these courses is readily available at the ends of your fingertips.

Fine for those who work in the industry as their main source of income and want to write it off as a tax deduction though (or generate a bit of extra income on the side ;)).

For everyone else just use google or ask in this forum. Clay's repair guides as one example covers 99.9% plus any troubleshooting problem you think might be unique has been experienced by other machine owners before you.

I concur, but this course is more aimed at newbies and would be a sound introduction into pinball maintenance and repairs. Having aid that, some sellers might want to send their lackeys and part timers for an introduction to shopping out a pinball. But I digress..

clay's guide is the bible. That info ha been around for years, and Clay was the only person willing to put the time into documenting pinball repairs and restoration. I'm sure many would agree, that if it was not for his guides, there would not be as many techs around as there are now.

forums and youtube cover a lot of info, but nothing beats the hands on approach of a course like this.

[Caveoftreasures]

One thing the Clays guides won't tell you (or any online resource) until it is too late, is that for the untrained and newbie, a pinball machine can be extremely deadly because it's obviously a 240 volt electrical item. That lesson may not be the first thing you read online but it needs to be.

If someone has told you, and u keep the coin door open, the high voltage mostly is disconnected "generally" but I have seen brand new people lifting the playfield with the coin door closed, screw driver in hand and totally unawares that they are seconds away from serious injury or death because they don't understand that 240 volts is not like 12 volt toys and they don't know what is or isn't safe under a playfield or in a backbox.

This is why the hands on courses (no pun intended - shock shock electrocute) are the answer for people who are not electronically or from a background dealing with electricity).

This makes these courses extremely relevant.
I saw an injury a fellow sustained from his first pin and the burns and scarring on his arm from an electrical mishap were pretty serious.
He just thought he would have a poke around and understandably he didn't know he was playing with something dangerous.
Even experienced people sometimes take shortcuts and forget coin doors and the basics.
That's where the AMD course is relevant cause it opens with safety first and the basics of all pinball power supply etc.
$595 to learn how not to get electrocuted sounds reasonable for people new to their own maintainence.

[pinsanity]

Having said that, some sellers might want to send their lackeys and part timers for an introduction to shopping out a pinball. But I digress..

It's still only a two day course isn't it? 

People that are tempted to go poking around the innards of any live 240v plugged in electrical device are living on borrowed time as it is and a two day course is not going to change Darwinism from winning out in the end.

[GORGAR 1]

I've heard nothing but great feedback from these course :) sounds like money well spent for those that attend.

[Brettski]

Now you tell me how dangerous they are! Actually I worked it out after the first time I was thrown across the room so the point about newbies being made aware is quite valid. I think the course would be a great idea as it can confirm things you already know and maybe show you some things that just make life easier. Unfortunately I am in Qld.

Cheers: Brettski... :)

[Freiherr]

Hands on with an instructor is still the best way to learn. In this high tech era, kids still attend class with teachers and other pupils....there must be a reason for that.