Back Pipeline

Sources

IPDB and Flipcommons Catalog contributed to this record.

Conflicts resolved (2 fields)

gameplay_feature
IPDB Spinning Targets ×2 used IPDB Kick-Out Holes ×2 used IPDB Standup Targets ×3 used IPDB Messenger Balls ×3 used IPDB Solitary Drop Targets ×3 used IPDB Star Rollovers ×7 used IPDB Slingshots ×2 used IPDB Pop Bumpers ×2 used IPDB Flippers ×2 used
theme
IPDB Surfing IPDB Recreation used IPDB Happiness used IPDB Water Sports IPDB Sports Flipcommons Catalog Water Sports used Flipcommons Catalog Surfing used Flipcommons Catalog Sports used

Sources agree (3 fields)

technology_generation
solid-state IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
player_count
4 IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog
ipdb_id
5275 IPDB, Flipcommons Catalog

Single source (8 fields)

ipdb.corporate_entity_name
IPDB Atari, Incorporated used
ipdb.image_urls
IPDB ["https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-1.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-3.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-2.jpg","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-6.png","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-7.png","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-8.png","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-4.png","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-5.png","https://www.ipdb.org/images/5275/image-9.png"] used
ipdb.notes
IPDB This surfing-themed game was never produced. We have been told of the existence of two additional backglasses beyond the one shown here, and of a box of parts that had included a PC board, drop targets, wiring harness, and some documents for it. If a full game was ever made as a prototype, only stories of parts for this game are what seem to have survived. Dan Kramer is a former Atari employee and owner of the glass pictured here. We asked him to comment on this game. He replies:I got this backglass from another former Atari employee in the late 1980s. Actually, I was told that a pilot build of 50 units was planned and parts were allocated. I tracked down a [different] guy around the late 1980s who had saved for ten years everything to build one, except a backglass and cabinet. A month before I ran across him, he got tired of hanging onto the stuff and took it to the dump. He gave me a single drop target with the imprint of a naked foot ("Hang Five"), which I still have. The engineering drawing pictured here indicates it was drawn by C. Fernandez and the Engineer was the last name of Slater. We know Claude Fernandez as a designer for Williams and Bally starting in 1980. The playfield layout of this game is nearly identical to the production game, Atari's 1978 'Space Riders', credited to Gary Slater as its designer. Pictured together in this listing are two MPU boards. The owner described for us the provenance of these and other items pictured with it: There is a picture of both boards, essentially identical except for wear and tear. In that picture is also the display adapter to run the score displays in the head and the power distribution adapter and some wiring harnesses that plug into the main board as well as other things. There is a picture of a bag of drop targets with the two bare feet. I found the first board about 20 years ago [would be about 2003] and only new it was Atari pinball as that is what is said on the board. But I kept it. The second board and a box of parts to build a Pipeline came from an ex-Atari employee who also had the Alien Space prototype game. The box of Pipeline parts had "Pipeline" written on it. From the looks of all the wiring harnesses, it appears these were never installed in a game as there is absolutely no wear on them as they were kept in plastic bags. The PC board however had some wear and bent pins as it wasn't kept in a protective bag. It is possible that this Pipeline stuff was forgotten about and is actually the stuff that was thought to have been thrown out by the person that Dan Kramer had visited. And maybe the only thing actually thrown out was the original playfield. He further describes the MPU as follows: There was another System between after System 1 and before System 2. This was used for Pipeline. One difference is that the Gen-1 aux board which provided audio amp and power, hi voltage power for the displays, and the lamp drive muxes was eliminated and incorporated in the CPU board. Also most of the connectors were changed from edge connectors to pin/socket connectors similar to System 2. We don't know the official designation given this MPU by Atari. used
ipdb.notable_features
IPDB Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (2), Slingshots (2), Star rollovers (7), Solitary drop targets (3), Messenger balls (3), Standup targets (3), Kick-out holes (2), Spinning targets (2). Dual inlanes. used
corporate_entity
Flipcommons Catalog atari-incorporated used
title
Flipcommons Catalog pipeline used
name
Flipcommons Catalog Pipeline used
slug
Flipcommons Catalog pipeline used