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Hi all, after a break of a few years since my last once armed bandit, I've once again got the bug and have acquired another, an Aristocrat Quadreel/Hoots Mon. This one has a bit of a background story - my dad bought this in 1978 when I was 2 years old, and it was in the spare bedroom and played daily until the late '90s at which point it was relegated to the garden shed, where it has been ever since - until I rescued it last week....

It was fully working when it was put away, and I'm pleased to say that the mechanism is still fully working now. The only issue is around the electric hopper... initially it wasn't turning on a win, but on investigation I discovered the drive belt was very tight and rigid from not moving for so long. I loosened the drive belt, manipulated it and hey presto - it now works, sort of.... Firstly the good news, all wins pay correctly and when they should. The only issue is that the motor seems slow and weak initially, but after a couple of seconds speeds up to the normal (high) speed. So, for example, a 50 coin win would struggle for the first 7 or 8 coins then the remaining 40+ would fire out like a rocket!

So, after all that waffle, my question is - do electric payout motors need any sort of servicing, or after being unused for so long will more regular use help? If I play it for a while, after a few plays it seems fine - so I think it may just be getting "warmed up" after years of no play, any thoughts?

Amazingly I've worked out how to upload a small video to Youtube to explain what I'm talking about...




Best wishes, Mark

How fabulous to see that it still works. I can't comment on the speed of the hopper, however having grown up playing Ballys and the like in the mid-'70s, I would often find the payouts to start slow and pick-up. Why? I've no idea! I thought it was for dramatic effect but probably not. It was so common that I thought it was the norm. Maybe others can advise?

Naff condenser or even lack of one on the hopper motor?