Just to make it even more random, Mills jackpots were adjustable as to the number of coins they hold, giving the operator another way to increase the profits. :!?!: Likewise the Sega jackpots. The adjustment was made by screwing in or out the back plate but you had to take the jackpot out to do it!

There was a laughing sailor at South Parade Pier in the 1960s. I think it spent some time at a retro arcade in Ocean Village, Southampton. Could this be the same one? Another collection of vintage machines can be found at Bursledon Brickworks Museum which is located at Swanwick. They work on old pe...

The usual problem with printed colours is that the inks don't fade at the same speed. Yellow fades fastest while magenta only fades slightly. Cyan in most cases seems to be immune from fading. Look in shop windows at displays that have been there for months and you will notice a blue tint caused by...

*update* So I found pre 1992 coins and all get accepted and then the game light shows but still can't pull on the arm unless I click the solenoid myself. Sounds like the solenoid is playing up. Check the feed wire to that solenoid. Also, if you have a circuit diagram, check everything possible rega...

My Sega is a Progressive Star with a Shefras escalator. This has been almost faultless ever since it has been in the machine. The only problems I had were: (1) Spitting out good coins. Cure: I very slightly bent the hinged part which opens and drops a coin if there is one stuck in the rejector. It ...

Time for me to try this. I have a bit of corrosion on my Sega Progressive where, owing to the lack of space, it had spent a few months in the bathroom. A certain dog of mine had treated the winnings tray as a lamp post! The machine has been covered with a nylon sheet and is awaiting the arrival of ...

Can anyone advise on any method of adjustment? I’m comparing it with a genuine Mills mech and cannot work out why one retracts fully while the other does not. I recall a similar problem when I lived on the Isle of Wight and collecting old bandits was in its infancy (mid 1970s). The stepped link arm...