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Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:59 pm
by slotalot
PennyMachines wrote:Slick Chick sold on ebay a few weeks ago I think - twin sister of Cam Girl.
By-the-way, CAM Automatics also produced a line of tiny one-player penny pushers - Davy Jones Locker, Mini Pusher, Aladdin's Lamp...
Hi Pennymachines :D , Yes I saw Slick Chick for sale last week, infact I was bidding on it and lost out at the very last minute :oops: ... as for Davy Jones Locker & Aladdins Lamp pushers, I wondered if they were by Cam Automatics as they have the same shape case, I wonder how many variants were made, I have just found some more, not very good photos though!.... Batman & Robin...& Silver Dollar... :tarah:

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:39 pm
by fourfive
Here is a picture of a "Davy Jones Locker" that I have in my collection.

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:43 am
by pennymachines
slotalot wrote:as for Davy Jones Locker & Aladdins Lamp pushers, I wondered if they were by Cam Automatics as they have the same shape case, I wonder how many variants were made
I'd never heard of Cam Automatics before reading this thread, but I've often seen the machines. On present evidence it seems they produced only two games re-dressed with several picture glasses and backflashes. Batman & Robin has to be favourite.

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 1:33 am
by PSD
Penny Flash.

Excluding the pushers, that's 8 different types!
These machines could make a nice collection for someone :P

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:05 am
by operator bell
Now that gives me an idea. These Cam Girl types are nice, simple machines, and any reasonably competent handyman could build a replica, with perhaps a little bit of help from an electronics hobbyist. It would need a bit of artwork on glass, a simple wooden case, and some innards. The days are long gone when you could drop in at the local junk shop and pick up some relays and a uniselector for five bob, but it could be done with some nice, easy electronics costing no more than 20 pounds. It would be a lot less complicated than the Tooty Fruity project, and way cooler (and cheaper) than the Lego slot machines. If anyone else thinks this might be an interesting project for the "Build a Slot Machine" category, I'll contribute a circuit diagram and the necessary electronic design work.

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:38 am
by treefrog
Talk of the devil:
Item number: 290303414249

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 9:41 pm
by malcymal
tree-frog wrote:Talk of the devil:
Item number: 290303414249
Shame about the paint job

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:37 pm
by dej4y
Small world :shock:

So few years ago I bought a Batman & Robin Slot machine for my dad's birthday. Today I thought I would do a search on restorers of vintage machines in the UK, and came across this site, to make things stranger the machine pictured looks to be the exact one I got him, with the trim falling off at the top.

Hate to be a thread hog but where would be the best place to take this to get restored, it's fully working, just needs some tlc here and there.
Cheers,
Jay

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:04 pm
by slotalot
Operator Bell wrote:Now that gives me an idea. These Cam Girl types are nice, simple machines, and any reasonably competent handyman could build a replica,
Hi Opp Bell :D , I am ahead on you with this one ;-) , I started to make my own version called Wild West a few weeks ago, I did my own graphics with the aid of your clasic fruit symbols,this has now been put on hold till I get my crane machine sorted out, This is as far as I got :oops: , check out the photos, dont ask me for a wiring diagram :!?!:.... cos I made it out of my head!!!!! (Badpenny to insert inuendo here) :tarah:

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:23 pm
by operator bell
Nice job! :lucky:

But you know somewhere down the road, someone on "PennyMachines2050" is going to be asking "I picked up this old Wild West themed Cam machine, and it isn't working. Does anyone have a wiring diagram?!?"

Think of the children! :twisted:

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 8:34 am
by badpenny
"... (Badpenny to insert inuendo here)"

Thems is brave words from a man who's still waiting for the arrival of his owner's manual regarding his Imperator, yessiree brave words partner, yes indeedee! !COOOL!

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:52 am
by slotalot
Hi Jeremy :D , or should that be howdy partner! Yes the Imperator manual… I had forgotten that you were going to post it !SMILER! , but now that you have remembered that you had forgotten to remember to post it you had better post it now before you forget, as I might not remember to remind you… anyway that’s a lot clearer now we have sorted that out…or I think it is, to be quite honest I can’t remember :mad: …. Look after yourself, Stuart.

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 3:41 pm
by slotalot
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CAM AUTOMATICS
I have been doing some research into the history of the Cam Automatics slot machine company of Seaham Harbour, and I have managed to find and email Mr Craig Murray the son of the late owner of Cam Automatics, details are as you might expect after 50+ years a little hazy but this is what Craig told me;

Yes, it was indeed run by my father. Unfortunately I was born in 1958 myself, so I am afraid my personal knowledge is very limited as I believe my father's ownership of Cam ended about 1965. I know the entire industry was only just legalised, and was in danger of being taken over by organised crime in those early days. I also know my father managed to make and to lose a substantial fortune in very short time. I have spoken to my mother who didn't ever visit the premises in Seaham, but like me did not recall that they made their own machines at least I don't think they engineered the gaming mechanisms. I am pretty sure the machines were all Bell Fruit. My guess is that only the artwork was specific to Cam, and may have been ordered customised from the manufacturer. I have no memories of these machines without reels at all.
My father who’s middle name was Cameron hence the name Cam Automatics had been civilian entertainments officer at RAF Lakenheath, a then enormous USAF base where US law applied - and still does today. Gaming had been legal in the US while still illegal in the UK, so he had managed many slot machines on the base and when gaming was legalised in the UK; he was one of very few British people with experience of the industry. So I am pretty sure Cam started by modifying American made machines. That there was also a link to Bell Fruit I am sure.


I asked Mr. Murray if he would like to add a photo to this article, as of yet he has not replied.
I have also contacted Bell Fruit but unfortunately the company records do not go back that far so they could not tell me if they made the machines or not.
Maybe we will never know the truth of who made this range of small machines but it looks as if Cam Automatics was not the manufacturer after all, and the Cam Girl Machine may be the only one accredited to them.

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:53 am
by wb
slotalot wrote:
Operator Bell wrote:Now that gives me an idea. These Cam Girl types are nice, simple machines, and any reasonably competent handyman could build a replica,
Hi Opp Bell :D , I am ahead on you with this one ;-) , I started to make my own version called Wild West a few weeks ago, I did my own graphics with the aid of your clasic fruit symbols,this has now been put on hold till I get my crane machine sorted out, This is as far as I got :oops: , check out the photos, dont ask me for a wiring diagram :!?!:.... cos I made it out of my head!!!!! (Badpenny to insert inuendo here) :tarah:
Hey, I like the graphics you did for your machine, how did you print them? are they professionally screen printed or done with a printer??

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:45 pm
by slotalot
WB wrote:
Hey, I like the graphics you did for your machine, how did you print them? are they professionally screen printed or done with a printer??
Hi WB :D , I had forgotten all about this machine, never got it finished, I used the parts for another project !PUZZLED!
As for the graphics? I did the design in word on my computer !!JUNK!! You could use a fancy program like Photoshop if you wanted to :!?!: I used a mix of clipart and some fruit symbols that can be found in the forum Resources. These symbols were done by our very own "Operator Bell" !THUMBS!

Once I got the design ready, I decided on the finished size and converted it to PDF. I took the PDF to our local print shop and had it laser printed onto white crack-back plastic (sticky back plastic). I stuck this print to a sheet of 3mm glass, I then put a second sheet of 3mm glass over the print, sealed the edges of the 2 sheets of glass with a very small amount of clear silicone sealant and let it dry. Once dry, the rear of the glass should be blacked out in the areas where you don't want any light to shine through :~: You could use paint or thick card to do this :tarah:
P.S. don't forget to post your results on here for all to see once you have had a go :oops:

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 6:14 am
by wb
It looks fantastic, very neat job there. It's a shame you didn't finish it.

I came across this post as I've just bought a Treasure Island and was hunting for circuit diagrams for it as it's been butchered for arcade use and been dramatically rewired so it only pays out about once every hundred goes!

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:34 am
by slotalot
WB wrote: and been dramatically rewired so it only pays out about once every hundred goes!
You will find that most of these type of machines only have a very low payout ratio anyway. I was looking at a machine for a friend only last week !PUZZLED! , it had a uniselector inside that gave the machine 50 light change combinations on the glass each time the uniselector did 1 revolution. Out of that 50 possible stops only 3 were payouts !!GRUMP!! so it almost never landed on a win :oops:
But then they were made to give you hope :D and at the same time take all your money :-(
Do you have any photos of your machine that you can post on here? !!CHEERS!!

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:53 am
by wb
Yeah, I've just taken some. It doesn't work yet, will have a look at this machine next. It doesn't have GPO Strowger Uniselectors in it, just motorised cams and the wiring is horrendous for what it does!

.... Just rebuilding a Jubilee International at the moment. It used to be a Pot Black machine, but converting it to a Rainbow Falls.

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:05 am
by gameswat
Hey Slotalot, did you end up adding any more winning combos to your friend's flasher? Was it possible to do this easily enough or not? Often I've either made a game harder or easier depending on what it was like when it arrived here so that the players actually get some decent fun and thrill.

Re: CAM AUTOMATICS?

Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:55 pm
by wb
If a machine is too tight, people don't play it, and if it pays out too much, then it's boring. The happy medium is a tricky one.