New Addition - Bally Sir Prize

[badpenny]

Twelve hours have now passed since we last heard from urban_paranoia.

Here's hoping the official switching on ceremony didn't involve the Emergency Services

[urban_paranoia]

Don't panic - yet!

All is well...ish... there's good news and bad news...

I've got it working!

Primarily, this seemed to be an issue with gunky old grease gumming things up. Following a bit of fettling, it now seems to coin-up OK (other than the fact that the coin mech doesn't seem to be fully functioning) and it works... after a fashion.

Say 6 or 7 times out of ten, all seems well and everything starts and stops as it should.

The other 3 or 4 times, you get results like these:



and these:



(sorry for the cr*ppy video/audio quality!)

That's about it (so far!)

By the way... the centre line on the front glass doesn't pass through the reel symbols... they sit above/below the line.

I take it that something is out of alignment?!

[badpenny]

Perhaps the mech is from a different case?

Like most electro-mech gubbins the more you play it will probably improve things as the contacts will clean off.

I also suggest you move the scales away from it, they might be unbalancing it. Especially if they're pre-decimal and your bandit isn't.

[raj]

Well done so far - you have identified the problem in a nutshell... crap, or solidified grease to be more specific. The 3 arms that stop the reels will be gummed up and sticking, by the look of it. Take out the reels and thoroughly degrease every single moving part that you can see. WD spray to get things running smooth and then relube with 3 in 1 or light grease as appropriate. Don't file the contacts, they will have bedded into each other and should work correctly unless contaminated or have lost some spring tension! The Coin Control coin mech is fairly easy to tweak to take different coins; the magnet can be cut off if it is causing trouble on new steel coins (a common issue on Bally's).

[urban_paranoia]

Cheers!

I'll do some more degreasing then...

[urban_paranoia]

Incidentally... having now looked at pics of other Bally machines of the same era, I see that the centre/payout line SHOULD pass through the fruits on the reels...

[urban_paranoia]

UPDATE - as Sod's law would have it...since giving the mech another (careful) degreasing/lubricating, Reel 1 doesn't stop.

It fires/spins OK, but the brake stays off (closes if you nudge one of the levers underneath).

[coppinpr]

Does the clock fully finish its cycle? A stuck fan or clock would result in this free running reel problem.

[urban_paranoia]

Do you know, I think it does... I'll double check when I get home.

It's reel 1, and the 2nd and 3rd reels lock in the right order. That one should stop first (well, it was earlier!)

[urban_paranoia]

Right... I'll do my best to describe the "new" fault and see if anyone has any ideas...

The clock/fan appears to be running fine, BTW...

Once I had undertaken further degreasing/re-lubricating (carefully), the following happens:

Reel 1 fails to brake.
When in this condition, Reels 2 and 3 often brake differently (both together or in reverse, i.e., 3-2). Reel 1's associated levers stay in the cocked position.

If I take the mech out and tilt it backwards (I noticed this first when looking underneath), Reel 1's associated levers/brake will suddenly activate. Also, while manually operating the Trip lever, everything fires and brakes normally (in the correct sequence, i.e., 1-2-3). Put the whole mech flat on the table and lo and behold, Reel 1 won't brake again.

Obviously, something is getting a wee bit of help from gravity when tilted, so it works fine... When horizontal, that assistance isn't there, so it sticks.

Other than carrying on degreasing in the vain hope that whatever clag is causing this disappears, does anyone have any suggestions?

[coppinpr]

I've only ever had 2 of these type machine; they are not really my style, so I'm working from memory only (not a good idea with my memory). When the machine unwinds, the main bar retracts, releasing the star wheel brakes in the correct order. When yours fails, does the bar retract and leave brake one hanging clear of the bar? If so, then something is clearly trapping brake one, as (I think) nothing else is attached to the brake. If this is the case, it could be gunk or indeed an actual piece of something (screw, coin etc) moving about when you tilt it. Either way, this would be easy to fix. If the other two are working, then number one MUST be failing to follow the main bar all the way down.

[urban_paranoia]

I'll have a look tonight!

Incidentally, is there a resource somewhere (or a manual?) which clearly describes the operating sequence/logic of the mech? (preferably visually!)

[coppinpr]

You can buy the complete Bally manual from Mrslot (Bernie Berten) in the States: $20 (page 17 of Dave's on line catalogue).

[urban_paranoia]

Thanks!

[raj]

http://rwatts.cdyn.com/Machines/download_area.html there is a free troubleshooting guide on this site that may help, as well as a Bally parts manual.

[ballymad]

Make sure you have cleaned every bit of gunk off. Also check the bars underneath. They should be in different holes: 1st reel in hole 1 nearest the front, and then the second and third reels accordingly. And most of all, and it can be boring, keep playing it. They seem to get better the more you play them.

[urban_paranoia]

I'll get on the case tonight!

[badpenny]

Pledge should do that.

[urban_paranoia]

Well...that's me well and truly baffled.

Tonight, I removed the reels themselves, so I could get at stuff.

Further (careful) cleaning/degreasing/lubricating has now caused Reel 2 to stop braking, FFS!

However, I get exactly the same response as before when the mech is tilted backwards at about 45 degrees - works absolutely fine, triggering in the correct order (1-2-3).

No sign of any foreign body (bolt/screw/nut/washer) which may be causing a problem. Everything seems to move freely. Everything seems to be in the right place.

This MUST be:

a. Something stupid I have done without realising it when cleaning/degreasing.
b. Some mechanical uber-simple fault which I'm not spotting through inexperience.
c. A combination of a. and b.

By the way - I also haven't worked out why the fruits on the reels don't line up with the centre line on the glass - is this something as simple as the Reel strips needing realigning?

[raj]

Mmm, you may be onto something here. The reel bundle may be from a different machine, or even model, which could explain the temperamental nature of the problem. I would get the fault cleared first, then worry about the symbols which can be realigned. 3 Bars are best to use as reference. I still think gunk is the problem; turn it upside down and see if there is an area you have missed and that all levers move freely, without causing movement in another part. On some machines, the reel stop arms seize onto the shaft and do not move independently from each other, causing sloppy reel operation.