What are these three for?

[aristomatic]

I spent a little time today watching the youtube vids once again of a forum member. They are very informative and a great collection of all different types too. Some I played and some I cannot recall.

Here's one of a 3d Challenger.



I have no experience of these machines apart from what I have read on the forum. I can see that the left and right columns have been changed to 'lose' from the original and know from the other threads I have read on other Challenger variants it was common to blank out the centre column too as a lose column. However, what are the three round silver plugs for on the drop down section, just below the last row of normal pins? I thought at first the ones on the right and left were to do with the revised lose columns at each end, but there is a third plug in the centre too? But all the other columns are as original, unless the centre was re-converted back from lose to its original win? Or are they nothing to do with the lose lanes at all..?

GP

[aristomatic]

This didn't come up in my search previously. This also has the two outer wins now lose and the same three silver plugs in the same position: 1960s rarities

[gameswat]

I don't know this later model version but I can only assume that those three silver circles you mention are the heads of blind bolts to hold the internals in place? If that pinfield is thin plywood then they would probably have needed a stronger mounting system.

[rippyspennyarcade]

I own one of these 3d Challengers and up to this topic being mentioned i had never even noticed those 3 Silver Circles, Iv'e just had a look inside my machine to check, and they do appear to be just holding the middle part together, as a member suggested, they are nothing to do with the game play of this machine, There were No lose columns on this machine, so the 2 on the video must have been added, Because of the age of the machine eventually those columns aren't strong enough to hold the coins, so blanking those weak columns out as LOST seems like a good idea