Five-pin Bowling - Mechanics of The Game (pin-setting)

Mechanics of The Game (pin-setting)

All modern bowling centres use automated pin-setting machines (first used in 1957) to reset the pins after each ball is thrown. In five-pin, two types of pinsetters are used - "string" and "free fall".

The "string" pinsetter is known for each pin having a string attached to the head. These pinsetters were first invented in 1963 and are characterized by a shield that descends and covers the pindeck while the pinsetter is working. This type of pinsetter has a low operating cost, so it is the most commonly used type of pinsetter. There are three families of string pinsetters.

• The PBS family of pinsetters are the most frequently used, and many consider the PBS as the workhorse of the industry. The PBS family includes models made by Schmid & Company (sometimes branded as BowlOMatic) as well as the CA-1. These machines are straight electrical and do not require air compressors unlike pneumatic machines. The Schmid machines ran using relays while the CA-1 used circuit boards. The PBS brand was bought out by Brunswick, who introduced a second generation Schmid pinsetter dubbed the 81-5 as well as a 10-pin string pinsetter and a convertible five-ten pin machine marketed as the Chamelion.
• The Mendes family of string pinsetters is not as common as the PBS family. Mendes machines are easily spotted for its shield that descends on a hinge like a closing door. The machine may immediately start up if all the pins are knocked down. The early Mendes string pinsetters were pneumatic. They released an electrical version of the machine known as the ME90. Mendes was bought out by Qubica - now Qubica/AMF. The machine is now marketed by Qubica/AMF under the TMS name. These machines are available for five and ten pin, but there is no convertible version.
• A third family of pinsetter was recently released into the market by Paule Systems. The machine - marketed as the Merlin - is a convertible five/ten pin string pinsetter that uses 15 strings. The changeover time of this machine is quick. The PBS version uses 12 strings - a changeover requires the headpin and the two corners to be restrung.

The most common stop on string pinsetters is a string tangle.

The "free fall" pinsetter works like ten-pin. A reset is completed by sweeping the old pins off the pindeck and setting a fresh set of pins in its place. The swept pins are elevated back to the top to create the next setup. Free fall pinsetters for 5-pin are no longer made due to high operation and maintenance costs.

There were three common types of free fall pinsetters:

• The Double Diamond was the first pinsetter invented for five-pin. This pneumatic machine was characterized by a sweep that did not stay descended while the pin table was moving. The pin table is similar to a candlepin tube board with a protective front plate that was often used for advertising. This machine was known for many peculiar sounds; including a hiss on the descent of the pin table and a "clang" when the pin table is hit by a pin. The elevator and pit floor is similar to the Brunswick GSX. The pins and balls are elevated to an upper carousel, where the balls are separated from the pins. When five pins are aligned in the carousel, they are lowered into five chutes leading to each pin position. The machine is loaded with 21 to 22 pins.
• Brunswick offered free-fall machines for five-pin before buying out PBS. To the average bowler, the machine has a look and behavior similar to tenpin's A-2 pinsetter. There were two models, each having a different type of elevator. The A-50 used two different belts to grip pins and balls. The A-51 used an oval shaped elevator. Most lanes equipped with these machines have been upgraded to string pinsetters.
• A less commonly found machine was the Strickland pinsetter - a pneumatic machine characterized by separate pinsetting and pin pickup tables. Its behavior is similar to the A-2. On a reset, it can be difficult to see the actual pinsetting table. The pins rest on forks on the pin table. When the pins reach the deck, the pinsetting table shifts back several inches before rising back to its position. When the pins are cycled back to the top, they actually hang from supporting forks positioned such that the next rack of pins is in position. The pinsetting table then rises to pick up the hanging pins. The elevator for this machine is oval in shape. When balls reach the top of the elevator, gravity takes the ball to the ball track.

Bowlers must initiate all free-fall pinsetter cycles. The five-pin free-fall pinsetter does not automatically react to a ball rolled or pin knocked down. When bowling on free fall pinsetters, the bowler would have to press a button to initiate a pick-up cycle to clear downed pins lying on the pin deck. If automatic scoring is in use, all automatic resets are actually initiated by the scoring computers.

The lower operating and maintenance costs of the string pinsetter eventually led to the demise of free-fall pinsetters. When a bowling centre retires free-fall pinsetters, the old machines are usually bought by other free-fall equipped bowling centres and are disassembled for parts.

Free fall pinsetters are still in service in some bowling centres in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. There is one bowling center in St. Catharines, Ontario that runs Strickland pinsetters while most of the remaining free fall pinsetters are Double Diamond.