Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
- badpenny
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
Some superb sleuthing there chaps, this forum really is cracking.
Radio! Who'd have thought it?
Clearly not us.
Radio! Who'd have thought it?
Clearly not us.
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
Well done to all involved in solving this mystery but no points to the creative heads in the marketing department for taking an electronic dice game and calling it the remarkably accurate "Electronic Dice" - now if you'll excuse me I think I'll go off and design a one arm bandit and call it "one arm bandit."
Mike Jones
Masters Degree in the bleedin' obvious
Mike Jones
Masters Degree in the bleedin' obvious
- slotalot
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
WOW!! it just gets better....
I was told that the machine was not without its problems with regards to judging the payout amounts, and now having seen the patent I can understand why, quite advanced for its time..
I was told that the machine was not without its problems with regards to judging the payout amounts, and now having seen the patent I can understand why, quite advanced for its time..
- wembleylion
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
Regarding Rippys dice with holes in the spots; I wonder if these could have been read by pneumatic equipment.
If a table akin to a small air hockey game was used air could be drawn through the holes at a constant rate with a vacuum pump to create a vacuum below the table surface. If such a table had any part of its area covered air through the table surface would be restricted so causing a rise in the vacuum below the table which could be recorded by a vacuum gauge or sensors. Depending which way the holed dice fell the vacuum, air being drawn through the dice holes, would vary and could be measured.
I think it would only be possible to use one dice on its own table but two tables could be placed side by side and the pay-out equipment operated in a series configuration. I don’t think it would be possible to have two dice on the same table because a three spot and a five spot, eight holes, would have a vacuum reading the same as two four spots, also eight holes.
John
If a table akin to a small air hockey game was used air could be drawn through the holes at a constant rate with a vacuum pump to create a vacuum below the table surface. If such a table had any part of its area covered air through the table surface would be restricted so causing a rise in the vacuum below the table which could be recorded by a vacuum gauge or sensors. Depending which way the holed dice fell the vacuum, air being drawn through the dice holes, would vary and could be measured.
I think it would only be possible to use one dice on its own table but two tables could be placed side by side and the pay-out equipment operated in a series configuration. I don’t think it would be possible to have two dice on the same table because a three spot and a five spot, eight holes, would have a vacuum reading the same as two four spots, also eight holes.
John
Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
Going by the article in Coin Slot on the Mayfield electronic dice machine, my calculations result in the payout percentage being 66.66% - quite fair for the era I think.
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
Wembleylion, The Streets Spot luck with the dice that had holes in, did have 2 dice. These dice were thrown out on a flat surface one at a time on separate tracks, A metal bar then swept BOTH dice back in to their respective starting blocks, then the payouts kicked in, so your payout theory could have worked with this machine. Let's ask everyone now to search for a picture of Streets Spot Luck.
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
How gratifying! A name, maker, description, date, photo and patent! Well done to all who contributed, especially our resident sleuth for taking the initiative to chase it up with Freddy. Re-reading the thread, I must say your memories proved pretty sharp on the details. My jest about secret futuristic technology wasn't far off either! What an incredible device! It's astonishing that a British made arcade game of the '60s was so advanced.
When I was exploring the patent trail last night I found this 1948 counter-top payout dicer: US patent 2693962 A. It's also pretty sophisticated for its day. It simulates the game of craps and utilizes contact feeler switches which probe the indicia (pips) to read the lower faces of the dice.
No doubt the complexity (hence cost and unreliability) of the mechanisms limited their success in arcades, but I think the complexity of the rules of the games they simulated would also have been a deterrent to the average punter (who can rarely be bothered to read instructions).
OK - so now the hunt's on for a picture and patent for Streets Spot Luck!
And a bit modern for us, but someone at Wikipedia wants to know...
When I was exploring the patent trail last night I found this 1948 counter-top payout dicer: US patent 2693962 A. It's also pretty sophisticated for its day. It simulates the game of craps and utilizes contact feeler switches which probe the indicia (pips) to read the lower faces of the dice.
No doubt the complexity (hence cost and unreliability) of the mechanisms limited their success in arcades, but I think the complexity of the rules of the games they simulated would also have been a deterrent to the average punter (who can rarely be bothered to read instructions).
OK - so now the hunt's on for a picture and patent for Streets Spot Luck!
And a bit modern for us, but someone at Wikipedia wants to know...
Circa 1990, in British amusement arcades, there was a coin-op machine offering Chuck-a-Luck, although the dice weren't in the usual "birdcage" but were each in its own tube, and were "thrown" by being blown upwards (and tumbled in the process) by jets of air. I think the stake was 10p, which would be about average for British AWP machines at that time. Unfortunately I can't recall anything else about this machine, such as what it was called or who made it.
- slotalot
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
Is this the one you mean??? Sorry it's not a very good photo, but beggars can't be choosers...rippyspennyarcade wrote:Let's ask everyone now to search for a picture of Streets Spot Luck.
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Re: Who remembers this amazing dice gambling machine?
Hi Slotalot, yes, that is Streets Spot Luck - well done! The two dice were kicked out one at a time from their respective traps from the right hand side as we look at the image, then a bar swept them back in to their traps, and then the payout was activated. Very nice to see a picture, it was just as I remember it!
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Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
Hi all,
I am the inventor of this machine. I have details of all aspects of the making, sale and progress to the market.
If anyone is interested just ask I would be more than happy to tell all..................
Thanks for your interest.
JT
I am the inventor of this machine. I have details of all aspects of the making, sale and progress to the market.
If anyone is interested just ask I would be more than happy to tell all..................
Thanks for your interest.
JT
Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
Hi JT,
Welcome to the site, I'm sure many of us would love to learn from your knowledge. Please go ahead and tell us as much as you can. Thank you.
Welcome to the site, I'm sure many of us would love to learn from your knowledge. Please go ahead and tell us as much as you can. Thank you.
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Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
You bet! We'd be fascinated to hear, no detail spared.
and
- badpenny
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Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
Hi JT .......heenehenry wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2019 2:31 pm Hi all,
I am the inventor of this machine. I have details of all aspects of the making, sale and progress to the market.
If anyone is interested just ask I would be more than happy to tell all..................
Thanks for your interest.
JT
Welcome on board, we spend a lot of effort trying to track down chaps like you.
If you feel up to writing a bit of an article about your experiences and life, and send it to the site owner Pennymachines (you can do so here ) I'm sure he'd consider posting it in The Arena which is special, kept forever treasure chest.
BP
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Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
Over several months heenehenry (John Tafft) corresponded with me about his experience of inventing, building and exhibiting the Spot Luck dice machine which was produced and sold by Streets Automatics. He also kindly sent me paperwork relating to this project. It's most unusual to get such a first-hand, behind the scenes account. Thanks John! The full story, together with descriptions, pictures and videos of the other amazing payout dice games is now in the Arena.
Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
What a wonderful collection of posts and so readable. Just to throw a spanner in the works, the machine in Barons Arcade in Great Yarmouth was a different one to those shown so far. The dice machine I recall was about 7 feet in height with a massive domed glass. It contained two dice, that floated in the air and then after a predetermined time, dropped to the base. It was in a very old case and was converted from pre-decimal currency. It fitted in very well with the Ahrens machines on display. Can anyone remember this one?
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- coppinpr
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Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
There is a modern coin operated dice machine that sounds much like the one mentioned of old. (I took a photo once but can't find it). This has six play stations and blows large dice into the air in a sealed glass tube before letting them settle and electronic readers set above the dice read the result and makes the payouts. The game it plays is "Sic Bo" the very popular Chinese (3) dice gambling game and the machines are common on cruise ships in the Far East. Sic Bo has many and varied payout options and the game is very addictive and playable.
Re: Mayfield Electronic Dice & Streets Spot Luck identified
I just noticed that, in a video uploaded to the site via YouTube, the Mayfield Electronic Dice game is featured in action, allbeit briefly, towards the end. Take a look!
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