Slide identity

[treefrog]

Someone a while ago showed me the various numbers to identify the coinage on slides, I believe existed on Mills and Sega slides. This would help you tell the difference between say a 6d slide and a 5c slide. I know you can line up a stack of coins, but it would be useful for reference if anyone knows these. Also did they exist on other types. I have looked at Aristocrats, but can find no identity.

Also has anyone bothered to try and say grind down a 5c slide to match another coin, closest I believe is probably a 20p which is very close and works in the escalator. I would imagine this is what Henry Powell does as they have a number of 20p options. How difficult would this be? Overall, the difference appears to be 1 coin 20p coin to 20 5c coins.
Tom.

[Bent Copper]

Also has anyone bothered to try and say grind down a 5c slide to match another coin

Yes. I tried to say it once, but became hopelessly tongue-twisted. It's not as easy as it seems.

[malcymal]

From what I've seen, when slides are ground down to match the 20p coin, the payouts don't match the original odds. E.g., where 3 Bells should pay 18, Plums - 14, Oranges - 10, the 20p conversions only pay half - 9 x 20p coins on Bells, which is a bit pants in my opinion. I think they change the payout tickler gap to actuate the 18 slide on Plums (hence 3 Bells also pay 9). So I should imagine the depth of the slides remain the same, the width of hole bored out... On a 6d Sega the odds are about 70/75% on play, so on a 20p coin you can halve the returns (same odds of winning, but percentage payout about 35%). Therefore, the machine ain't half dull to play, not much fun in the home... a dream in an amusement arcade (but illegal, I imagine, due to the minimum odds by law of 70%). The most accurate payout I've seen is on Powell's modern 10p conversion Aristocrat. From what I remember, the payouts are spot on from the old 1p machines in the arcade. If you look at their 20p version, you can quite clearly see all payouts are halved: http://www.1armedbandit.co.uk
There looks to be a Powell's Sega conversion on eBay at the moment being sold by a private individual, on 20p play and payouts are totally wrong... dull dull dull.................

P.S. The only success I've had on conversion without chopping anything at all, is on my Jubilee Mk1 on the new 5p. All you do is cut a piece of card to the shape of the coin dud reject slot, slightly adjust the screw in the coin entry gate by about 1-2mm... they will go in perfectly every time... Instead of 18, 14, 10, 5 and 2, you get paid 14, 12, 8, 4 and 1. You can then change it back to 6d at any time in about 2 minutes.
On a Shefras coin mech, take the mech apart (just screws and easy), put in some fibre washers, about 2mm thick, then reassemble and tighten. Adjust coin detector pin very slightly and off you go. Payouts are the same as the Jubilee.

[treefrog]

From what I've seen, when slides are ground down to match the 20p coin, the payouts don't match the original odds. E.g., where 3 Bells should pay 18, Plums - 14, Oranges - 10, the 20p conversions only pay half - 9 x 20p coins on Bells, which is a bit pants in my opinion. I think they change the payout tickler gap to actuate the 18 slide on Plums (hence 3 Bells also pay 9).

Malc,
I believe the machines you refer to are the ones that only pay up to 10 coins and only have 2 and 5 on Cherries, and 10 on the rest. These appear to be quite common and on a few I have, either the fingers have been removed or slides. The machine I have is the standard 2, 3, 10, 14, 18 and 20 payout with 6 slides (2, 3, 5, 4, 4 and 2), the coin margin is small and would not change the odds if the slides had a fraction of metal removed. All I need is a micrometer and something to plane it with. I have a few machines where the original slides are in place, but never used because the upper fingers have been changed or removed.
See piccie of Powell's 20p machine with full slide selection, which I suspect was a 5c machine.

[malcymal]

You can get payout ticklers (forks) from Powell's. You will have to cut them yourself, so you could activate the other slides if you wanted to.
They are cheapish - I paid about £20 for five.