Before automatic pinsetters, people reset pins and returned balls by hand. Automation transformed that work into a mechanical process, allowing centers to operate with different staffing and equipment needs.
Free-fall pinsetters collect, lift, and position pins for the next frame. String pinsetters use cords attached to the pins to help recover and reset them. Both approaches have their own mechanisms, maintenance requirements, and operating characteristics.
This introduction is the starting point for future articles on specific manufacturers, mechanisms, safety systems, and generations of pinsetter design.
Introductory overview. More detailed, source-checked historical articles will be added as the library grows.