Sega Bell Slot Lucky Devil Restoration

[coppinpr]

OK, we shouldn't be too far away now. Just to clarify the photos a bit.
In photo 3 the finger looks to be held back because the payout disc is slightly in the way. Is this the case?
In photo 2 the lined up three bells appear to be at the back of the machine not in the payout position at the front. Why is this?
In photo 1 the finger seems to have gone through two holes but not gone far enough to go through the third hole. If you push it by hand is it stopped solid or will it push all the way quite easily?

If the answer to question 3 is that it will move when pushed, then the finger springs are the first (but not the only) possible culprits combined with dirt and old grease spread along the payout train.
If the answer to question 1 is yes then the payout discs are slightly out of line and the easiest way to fix MIGHT be to slightly bend the finger (bending parts, slightly and with care, has always been an acceptable method right back to when they were made at the factory).
If the answer to question 2 is "I thought you just needed to line up a winner anywhere", you're wrong. They need to be in the payout position. I think you already know this, but I can't make sense of the photo as it is.

[brigham]

Picture 2 looks to be upside-down.
All 3 images now flipped - Site Admin.

[treefrog]

The bells in picture 2 look roughly in the right position, but looking at picture 3 I assume this is the last reel disc (so left hand facing front) then it needs marginal adjustment up. Looking at picture 1, I see disc 3 is out by 3 or 4mm, so needs to be adjusted up. This may be an issue with the reel stops not locking correctly - check right stop pivots on the end.

Did you (using a long instrument) check every combination of wins on every reel to ensure they are all correct? Takes no more than 20 mins if not done...

I got my machine out of storage, so going to have a play.

[brigham]

I've got mine on the bench again.
I'm delighted to see 'Instone and Ashby' on the control box; A known quantity at last.
Now to draw out the wiring diagram...

[thndrr]

The bells in picture 2 look roughly in the right position, but looking at picture 3 I assume this is the last reel disc (so left hand facing front) then it needs marginal adjustment up. Looking at picture 1, I see disc 3 is out by 3 or 4mm, so needs to be adjusted up. This may be an issue with the reel stops not locking correctly - check right stop pivots on the end.

I think you are on to something.

I assume the notches on the outside of the disc are a give-away that the payout disc aren't aligned, since every pay-line has a notch on the disc and they aren't lined up. The stops are all properly seated in the teeth. I see the teeth have set screws (non-accessible). It looks like to adjust those teeth (and in turn the payout disc final position) I need to remove the reel bundle, and separate all the reels and adjust one by one outside of the mech, which seems like it may be difficult to get correct.

The payout finger would not budge until I lifted the lever (in the below image, green arrow) that released the stop bar (red arrow) that pushes on the fingers. Sorry I don't know the proper terminology, I have, however, purchased the famous Mills service book to rectify that! Once I unlatched that bar, the finger went all the way through and 10 coins came out, but the reels also straightened out. It doesn't appear the finger was restricted beforehand, but the disc is definitely off, so that is where I need to go next.

[thndrr]

In photo 3 the finger looks to be held back because the payout disc is slightly in the way. Is this the case?
In photo 2 the lined up three bells appear to be at the back of the machine not in the payout position at the front. Why is this?

Question 2 - The image was flipped, thanks admin for fixing. That was the front of the machine!

Question 3 - It would not move at all, but didn't appear to be restricted by the disc itself (in person at least). When I unlatched the bar (above post) It paid out fine, but the disc may still be the culprit.

[treefrog]

You do not need to remove the reel bundle, you can align the reels by loosening the nuts on the reel hubs. If you look on the main spindle of the left hand and centre reel tin you will see a clamp held by two nuts. Be warned though, do each one at a time and hold onto the discs, so you marginally move each reel disc to be aligned and tighten.

I see you're missing part of the reel strip on reel three. I may have spare strips and will check. Almost finished checking wiring on my machine and added some earthing points, especially on handle assembly and this old stuff is well dodgy. Will see if I have any life

[treefrog]

Have checked and seem to have quite a few new old stock strips. I think the below are third reels for these machines.

Also as per Brigham, have Instone and Ashby on the control unit as has been discussed on all other threads and recently about the recent death of the creator Peter Instone...
Re: Looking for information about a Berkeley machine

[coppinpr]

I could be wrong on this as I no longer own one of these and the photo that might make it clear is not showing all of the area but I think the reason the finger wouldn't move forward till you released the bar, and then it paid, is because the "anti-check payout" hook is coming into play. As far as I can tell from the photo, this is the bar marked in green (but it's not clear). This assembly is a pain in the arse and is often removed as it is (usually) not needed.

The Mills manual says this about it:

Generally speaking this device is rarely used and is often more trouble than it's worth. Its main function is to inhibit payouts from occurring when tokens are played rather than coins.This assembly is extremely susceptible to sticking and jamming and if it is left in place it must be thoroughly cleaned so all parts move freely.

I know this may not be the main problem but it might be confusing the issue. Some people wire it in the open position rather than remove it. I suggest you do this while working on the machine so it won't come into play while testing.

Also, be careful in using BELLS as your test payout unless you are sure the reel strips are now in the correct positions. There is more than one option for three bells; unless it is the right three bells only that one payout would work. Use the BARS or MELONS where there is only one winning combination. If you are sure the strips are correctly set you can use anything.

[thndrr]

Thanks, I think this is what’s happening. I adjusted the reels still hitting the same wall.... as soon as I trip that bar, I can push the finger the rest of the way and the reels don’t move at all, and the machine pays out.