Tilt mechanisms on pinball machines
You're in the middle of a great game on a pinball machine, fully immersed and racking up points, then suddenly: TILT! What just happened?
The machine detected excessive shaking and responded by ending your ball. Pinball machines, while not gambling devices, are coin-operated and share some protective features with gambling machines to prevent cheating and damage. If a player kicks, lifts, or handles the machine too aggressively, it will trigger a tilt, sometimes even a slam tilt, ending the ball or game entirely.
Regular tilt typically ends only the ball in play. It serves as a warning that the player is being too rough or attempting to keep a ball on the playfield that should have drained. Tilt mechanisms help ensure fair play and maintain the integrity of high scores. If you're comparing scores with others, it's only fair that everyone plays under similar conditions—without illegally preventing the ball from draining.
Tilt mechanism
One of the most common tilt mechanisms is the classic pendulum-style tilt. It's usually located inside the cabinet on the left side near the front. This mechanism consists of a metal weight hanging from a rod, swinging freely within a metal ring. When the weight touches the ring, it completes an electrical circuit, signaling the machine that the tilt switch has been activated.
Tilt mechanism on a 1950ies Gottlieb.
So what happens when you tilt? The flippers and other playfield features go dead, the ball in play is lost, and any accumulated bonus is forfeited. Older machines would tilt immediately upon the first contact. Newer machines often provide one or two warnings before tilting the ball.
Tilt mechanism on a recent Stern pinball machine.
Adjusting tilt
Machine owners or operators can adjust the sensitivity of the tilt mechanism. The conical weight is typically secured with a screw, either through the weight itself or beneath it. Raising or lowering the weight determines how much it can swing before making contact, thereby adjusting the sensitivity.
As shown in the photos, my machines are set up with a lenient tilt, but I tend to play gently. Does a strict tilt mean you can't interact with the machine at all? Do you need to treat it like fragile glass, even when pressing the flipper buttons?
Well, yes and no. It depends on your playing style. How aggressively do you press the buttons or nudge the machine? It's normal for the tilt weight to move during gameplay, especially during intense multiball sequences, which can sometimes trigger a warning.
Most beginners are actually too gentle. It's perfectly acceptable to nudge the machine or attempt to save a draining ball. Skilled players can perform impressive saves. One common technique is to slap the machine to one side to save the ball, then immediately slap it from the opposite side to counter the tilt weight's movement.
When setting up a game, inspect the tilt mechanism and ensure the bottom ring is properly centered. If the back legs are raised too high, creating a steep playfield angle, the ring may be off-center. Adjust it so the weight hangs in the middle, not toward one side.
My Alice Cooper Nightmare Castle by Spooky has an adjustable ring.
Tip: Always verify that the machine is level. If one leg is extended too far, the game may wobble during play, causing the tilt weight to move constantly and increasing the likelihood of a tilt.
Slam Tilt
Most pinball machines also feature a slam tilt switch located inside the coin door. This is a leaf switch with a weight attached. If you kick the machine from the front, whether out of frustration or in an attempt to force a ball back into play, it will trigger a slam tilt. That’s game over, instantly.
Other tilt mechanisms
Older machines, especially those made before the 1990s, sometimes used a different tilt mechanism: a pinball inside a metal frame. If you lift the front of the machine, perhaps to alter ball movement or attempt to roll a ball that passed the flippers back into play, the ball rolls to the end of the frame, contacts a switch, and triggers a slam tilt.
Tilt on a Bally Fireball.
This Zaccaria Pinball Champ 82 has 3 types of tilt.
Historic tilt mechanisms
The earliest pinball machines had unique ways to detect rough handling. The pendulum style of tilt had not been invented yet. This 1936 model, for example, used a metal ball placed on a post at the start of the game. If the machine was shaken too hard, the ball would fall off. There was no electronic detection, just a visual cue. As long as the ball remained on the post, your score was valid and eligible for payout.
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