Active Bumpers

The generic category for powered Bumpers that kick the ball away on contact, driven by a solenoid triggered when the ball depresses the skirt switch beneath the bumper cap. Active bumpers are the most common bumper type, appearing on the vast majority of pinball machines since the 1950s. Each major manufacturer marketed the mechanism under its own brand name: Gottlieb called them Pop Bumpers, Williams called them Jet Bumpers, Bally used Thumper Bumpers, and Sega branded them Turbo Bumpers. Despite the different names, the underlying design is functionally identical — a ring-and-rod assembly that fires upward to repel the ball with a distinctive percussive snap.