First Job of 2026: A Snowy Start with a Classic

There is no better way to start the year than working on a true classic. My first callout of 2026 took me up into the snowy mountains near Llandeilo, Wales. The mission? To rescue a beautiful Gottlieb ‘Capt. Card’.

In my opinion, Gottlieb single-player card games are simply the best of their era, but they need precise adjustments to keep running smoothly.

The Problem: Post-Christmas Blues This machine had seen some heavy action over the Christmas holidays (plenty of kids playing!), which is great to hear, but it eventually refused to reset properly. The game would not start a new cycle, leaving the owner stuck.

The Diagnosis & Fix Troubleshooting EM (Electromechanical) games is all about tracing the sequence. A quick check of the score reels and the relay bank pointed me to the culprit: the Reset Relay (specifically the latch relay mechanism) was sticking.

This is a common issue with vintage machines when they get warm or see heavy use after sitting for a while.

• I performed a precise adjustment on the relay switches to ensure crisp movement.
• Verified the motor sequence was clicking through correctly.

The Result With the latch relay moving freely, the game now resets and plays like a charm. I finished off the visit with a general cleaning of the playfield and replaced a few worn rubbers to ensure it plays fast and responsive for the rest of the year.

Another classic saved and, most importantly, one very happy owner.

Sorry.. I forget to take a picture of the jammed relay.