So many questions....

[arrgee]

Thanks - I will take a look. I think I am also going to subscribe to mechanical memories magazine as well.....

And you will not regret it, sign up today my boy, it's worth every penny.

[freddykrueger]

Help! I have paid my £2 for the Arena and it won't let me look at most of the links...when I click on one it just comes up with a login page again and invites me to upgrade my subscription????

[badpenny]

You've passed the initiation test that's all............
I'll have a word with Nursey before she takes Mr Pennymachine's hot malted milk up to him.

Badpenny

[pennymachines]

Sorry Mr Krueger... don't know why it failed, but you should be able to log on now. Thanks for subscribing.

[bryans fan]

Perhaps you could see why I can`t access the Arena? What is in there that you don`t want me to see?

[pennymachines]

Hey Bryans Fan, pull your pants up again. The Arena is your oyster.

[badpenny]

........ keep talking to him Mr P ..... I'm frantically deleting all those stories about him ......

[bryans fan]

Ohh it`s lovely in the Arena! Great stuff on Oliver Whales.

[toibs]

I have two really nice hardwood stands for sale if you want to go quality stand, PM me if you interested (im in London or sussex if you need to collect) Ill get a photo to you if you interested. by the way you already have a lot to answer for... after chatting about aristos on your thread I went and bought a Aristocrat Scatterbrain yesterday just so i could see how the £26 jackpot worked!!!!

Ahh you won it did ya... was watching that one!! As per usual - outside my price range Cheap and cheerful else i'll end up getting divorced for the 2nd time.... ;)

[badpenny]

Second time?

Light weight!

[coppinpr]

No, actually I've had them some time. I bought a Golden Falls and a friend bought a machine from the same guy and we bought 5 hardwood stands at the same time, cheap... ish.

[treefrog]

Those Scatterbrains are big old things, when I went to the Fieldings auction last year there was one there, it reminds me of some of the larger Bally's, where the mechanism looks tiny inside the case. I chose not to bid on it and from memory no one did, but I guess someone bought it as it sold for 20 quid......

They are electro mechanical and guess have hoppers for the larger payout, not for me, but I guess if you have the space its ok. It is a bit like the Sega floor standing units like the Buckingham, I am often tempted but just don't have the room.

I wonder what the little red light on the top is for

[coppinpr]

Actually the Scatterbrain is a bit of a surprise inside. It's almost all mechanical. The coin drop is a simple coin past a switch but, other than that, only the jackpot and the change giver have any electrical parts. The jackpot is very interesting; no hopper, 5 hand filled coin tubes one of which dumps the jackpot as the result of the mechanical top finger moving forward as a result of it moving forward in the usual mechanical manner only instead of releasing the jackpot slide it hits a switch firing the jackpot solenoid once, advancing a cam one position and dumping one tube. The next time the jackpot comes up, the cam dumps the second tube so the jackpot only need refilling every 5 jackpot payouts. The red light comes on after the last JP tube empties. The change giver is also a mechanical operation fired by one pulse of a solenoid. You put in a 50p piece and a solenoid at the back of the mech (only there for that reason) fires the normal mechanical payout slides dispensing 5 X 10p. Lots of lights but very little electro action. I guess an attempt to use outgoing mechanical mechs in a fast advancing electro age. I like it much more than I expected to. It's big though, influenced by the Bally of the time I suspect.

[treefrog]

Ah so that is what the red light is for, very interesting Jackpot, although I am surprised they didn't have a coin feed from the overflow to fill up, unless the jackpot is a different coinage, probably one of the last mechanical Aristocrats.

[andydotp]

I can't recall from my Rhyl fairground days (when we ran a bunch of Arcadians) but those reel symbols are very close. It suggests a 20+ stop mech,,,,,,,,,,, my memory must be failing me

[coppinpr]

Ah so that is what the red light is for, very interesting Jackpot, although I am surprised they didn't have a coin feed from the overflow to fill up, unless the jackpot is a different coinage, probably one of the last mechanical Aristocrats

Yes the jp is actually shaped to take the old 50p, would have been a quite a thrill in those days when almost 50 X 50p came crashing out in one great crash!

[andydotp]

So, a 25 quid jp would suggest 20+ reels then - assuming it's on what? 10p play?

[coppinpr]

Yes, a 20 stop machine and a good payer, what Vegas would call a "loose slot". Always sounds a little rude to me.
I've finished the Scatterbrain now. All it needed was a good service and the payout/change cards renewing,. It really is in mint condition, lots of chrome and not a mark on any of it. As usual with late Aristos the reels are in perfect condition with no wear and the mech looks brand new. Came with its own original stand and 200 old 10p. I'd actually like to keep it, but no room so it's going back on ebay at the weekend. Just want to cover my costs. It was well worth a look.

[andydotp]

Another oldie restored, well done coppinpr.
You confirm 20 stop mech but I believe Aristocrats went to 22 or 25 stops... just had me thinking, that's all.
Cheers.

[malcymal]

Out of interest, how close is the old 10p size to the new £2.00 coin width and diameter?