FORUM

Hello,
Thank you very much for your time and help with my problems. I have spent quite a long time operating the machine watching each part move and how it interacts with other levers.
There are a number of parts which appear to be not used and for some reason are not connected! I know you mentioned that perhaps in the dim and distant past it had been modified.
I have attached a photo to show the payout levers which appear to have been modified. There really is so much to learn, it reminded me of when I first got a Japanese Pachinko mechanical machine working.
All the best from Neale.

You say parts don't seem to be used, so we need to know which parts. The photo you show may or may not show modified parts. What it MIGHT show is that some horizontal fingers are missing.
Bottom line is the machine only does three things, accept a coin correctly, cycle a game and pay out on a winner.
So what does it do or not do?

1. We are pretty sure it will not accept a coin correctly because part of the coin accepter is missing and this may mean it's been modified to free play and not require a coin. Is this the case? Will it simply run when you pull the handle? If so, then we can leave that side alone till the rest is working correctly.
2. Does the machine cycle correctly when the handle is pulled? Do all three reels spin and settle one after another with a sharp stop?
3. Does the machine pay any winners at all on a winning line?

Once we know the answers to these questions we can move to the individual problems.

coppinpr wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 9:10 am You say parts don't seem to be used, so we need to know which parts. The photo you show may or may not show modified parts. What it MIGHT show is that some horizontal fingers are missing.

I disagree - it also shows that the vertical fingers governing the higher payouts have been shortened.

BP

You're right of course, I didn't take note of the two to the left. I was thinking more about if some horizontal fingers had been removed. Now BP has taken an interest things will move quicker.

You must be joking Paul!
All I can speed up is concern and desperation amongst those within a diameter of 50 feet.
Regardless of where I'm standing.

BP

Hello, I have been checking the items as you've suggested:
Item 1, Yes, when the handle is pulled the reels spin without needing a coin to be used.
Item 2, Yes, the reels spin and stop sharply from the left to the right.
Item 3, Yes, on 3 bars the bottom 2 horizontal levers moved out and paid 2p.
For 3 plums, the left-hand vertical lever moved inwards but the horizontal lever didn't move, no payout.
For left and middle cherries the right-hand vertical lever moved inwards and the bottom horizontal levers moved out with 2p paid.

The attached photo of the reels shows that on the left-hand reel a 'patch' of a lemon has been added and the two other reels have had patches of oranges added.

The other photo shows the green shaded lever which when pushed in gives a 6p payout as it pushes out all the horizontal levers, but isn't connected to anything!
Thanks again,
Regards from Neale.

The Sega has been butchered by someone. You're trying to understand its workings but parts are missing, including payout slides and levers modified. I am not far from you in Crosby; I could show you a (complete) working mech and explain its operation. I think it’s far easier to understand the operation when you see a working mech.

Hello,
Thank you for your kind offer. I'd like to accept your offer of seeing a correct mechanism working, as you say mine has been butchered. I did wonder why the levers had been modified quite crudely and also it appeared that some of the horizontal sides were missing etc. I assume it was done by the arcade or fairground people so it didn't pay out the higher payouts!
It may well be (as suggested) cheaper and easier to buy a complete bandit, but firstly my main aim is to understand how they work and then go by the advice I have received on this excellent site.
Regards from Neale.

Pm sent to you Neale.

Hello radiochrissie,
I can't find your PM to me, unless I'm looking in the wrong place! I've tried to send one to you.
Regards from Neale.

PM’s not working at the moment, leave it with me and I will sort it.

Thank you radiochrissie for getting back to me about the PM not working.
Regards from Neale.

The chopping of the upper fingers is standard when a machine has been reduced to pay lower awards, probably done when the slides were converted. The strips have probably had changes done to cover awards not paying e.g. are there Melons under them, which were paid on the same lines as oranges? I cannot see how many slides there are, but it looks like a reduced stack.

Hello,
There are 3 slides. The 2 vertical fingers (ringed yellow) have been shortened; the other ones have had the ends crudely modified. I haven't a clue why?
You're correct that the extra stuck on lemon and two oranges all had melons underneath them!
It's slowly making sense. I think I'll have to bid on a complete machine at the Elephant auction this month.
Regards Neale.

It would be possible to return to higher payout. I have made up lots of mechanisms recently, but if you're going to buy another mech, why not just get a complete machine? Would be easier and cheaper.

I am still trying to work out why there are 5 springs for the slides, if only 3. One of course would be used for the safety slide if there, but who knows where the other goes?

Hello,
I've just had a proper look at the payout slides (photos B & C). There are 4, not 3, as I first thought, and there appears to be a thin slide beneath the others and it is connected to a weak spring under the other springs (photo A). It has a large hole in the middle - but due to lack of space I'm not sure.

In my previous post I mentioned it would be better getting a complete machine, as per all the suggestions on this site. I may try the Elephant auction next week as it appears to be well run and used by this forum users.
Thanks again for all your kind help, regards from Neale.

It's true what you say about getting a complete machine (the first of many I'm afraid to tell you, one is never enough) but the mech you have is a great test bed. If you're looking for a new machine then treat this mech as a teaching aid. Give yourself projects to teach you the workings. Some ideas might be:

Remove all the slides and coin tubes, clean them and replace with stronger springs if needed (this will show you just what's going on in there and is an easy starter).

Remove the reel bundle and clean it and all the areas it reveals (this is fiddly but not difficult and will answer a lot of questions about how it all works).

Remove the clock, open it up, and clean all the parts (more of a challenge but more daunting that it really is, you will be stunned at the gunk inside and how well it cleans up, but take photos as you go so you know which cog goes in which position. Servicing the clock is surprisingly rewarding once you have it all back together).

With a better view of slides, it looks like standard 20 to 10 conversion. This one looks to pay 2 coin, 5 coin, 8 coin and 10 coin... Some when converted to decimal just went up in twos... Mech looks complete, just needs fettling.