Roto-Pool, Roto-Fruit, Rotolite, Electrodart, Bingola, etc.

[malcymal]

You could try posting on a German site, using freetranslations.com I've used it for communicating with French, German and Spanish ebayers and is surprising how you get by, they sort of get the idea. Just use as many simple English words as you can when you use it.
I will try it for you. "Can you tell me what is missing from this picture?" = Können Sie mich was verpasst von diesem Bild erzählen“?
Reversing the translation German to English, it comes back "You can tell me what missed of this picture "? oh and say "Vielen Dank" thank you.

Good luck

[Rotomole]

Yes - not too much help from Germany -

They do seem to have a fantastic machine also called a Rotofruit but as it's some kind of enormous tractor based harvesting device. I have decided not to ask them for help just yet.

[stoxman22]

Here we are!
I took some pictures of a working Rotolite last week, (thanks bits & bats), to help me re-wire the one I have in my collection. My first thought is they are a current overload but I have never seen a 3 wire version so don't bank on that. I won't be getting round to starting mine for a few weeks as I have another project ongoing. If I figure them out I will post it here, unless someone knows what they are here on the forum.

Stoxman

[Rotomole]

Thanks Stoxman,

That is a great help - good luck with your Rotolite and I'd love to hear how it goes.
Now I've seen them in situ I recognise them from the Electrodart post that Bell linked to in his reply above. Will have to have a good few days to ponder these, as that post seemed to hint at these being pretty unobtainable and not replaceable with a modern component. Not giving up though.

Becky.

[operator bell]

I'm sitting here studying those things and somehow I don't think they're overload cutouts - I think they're oscillators, like old fashioned car flasher units. They click on and off to generate pulses for the steppers and payout circuits. That means we could make a modern electronic replacement with one chip and a relay. Heck, we could even make a "steampunk" version where the electronics are hidden by bakelite and brass, for purists. But in order to do that I would need a schematic.

[stoxman22]

I like the idea of steppers. I may have to go back to the one I photographed and watch them while it is playing.

[operator bell]

I may have to go back to the one I photographed and watch them while it is playing.

Would you? I think that's a wonderful idea. One may be for the payout solenoid and tick about 3-5 times a second, the other may either tick quite fast (10 a second) for the main stepper or else be a long timer for the game period.

The three contacts, from the top down, will most likely be (1) break contact, (2) common of contact and heater and (3) heater. I would expect (1) to switch a solenoid or relay coil, (2) probably goes to power supply common, maybe through a relay contact, and (3) will need some kind of ballast, like another relay coil in series, as applying 50V otherwise will give it a brilliant but extremely short life. If possible, could you take a meter along and find out the resistances of whatever is in series with each heater?

[pogjones]

Hi Folks
I recently bought a Rotolite from the Central England auction in Coventry. The machine may be known to someone on this site. Anyway it worked for five minutes and now when switched on a couple of lights come on but nothing else happens. Does anyone have any ideas or is there maybe a wiring diagram in existence. Any help at all would be appreciated.

Slotalot's Roto Pool Wiring Diagram now in Resources - Site Admin.

[badpenny]

Until someone who knows better comes along
I've never had one of these ............ but!

If the two lights that come on are the end result of the previous game, then I suggest the machine isn't recognising you've inserted a coin for a new game.
Being ever mindful that old English electro-mech machines often have screw driver melting voltage pulsating through their veins: -
Try manually flicking the micro switch that the coin hits after insertion.
Check the wire to and from the micro switch.
Look for any internal fitted fuses that are either blown or not a good contact.

[rippyspennyarcade]

Hi , I own a ROTOLITE and had exactly the same problem! The 2 lights were lit, yet everything else was dead. The answer was as Badpenny mentioned - THE 3 AMP FUSE in the machine (which is easily spotted) HAD BLOWN. Will be surprised if it's anything more sinister than that!!! By-the-way, does the BELL actually ring when a win is achieved? Let me know, rippyspennyarcade.

[pogjones]

Thanks for the advice. I will have a look and let you know how I get on. For the short time it worked the bell did ring when a win was secured.

[pogjones]

Rotolite is now working, the problem was a broken solder joint on the rectifier. Thanks for the support.
Bill

[badpenny]

Hooray for that! Old electro-mechs don't like being moved around too much, it jolts connections and knocks dust down into leaf springs.
Still at least it wasn't the nuclear phase director out of synch they can be a right swine on Rotolites.

If the back pedalling mudguards become misaligned you'll need to regrind the underhand valves before hooking up the waffle baffle.

[slotalot]

Being the little eco-worrier that I am, I have just made my weekly pilgrimage to the local “dump it site” with a generous offering of old newspapers, plastic bottles and empty beer cans for gods of recycling , and as I was walking from my car to the skip I noticed the chap in the next parking bay, he was struggling to remove an old cooker from the back of his car, hang on mate I will give you a hand I said, and as we slid the cooker from the car I spotted a cardboard box behind the drivers seat, are you dumping this box as well I enquired, yes its all got to go he said, would you mind if I take it home with me I said, he gave me a puzzled look and said yes its yours if you want it mate. And with that I put the treasure in the boot of my car and took it straight back to my nest for further investigation. And if you look at the photo you will see the contents of that box, and the moral of this story is it pays to be green!

[john t peterson]

We are all green now, with envy.

[badpenny]

I don't believe any of this, whoever heard of a Yorkshire man throwing anything away?

[slotalot]

It's true I tell you!.... mind you he did have a Coventry accent...

[pennymachines]

Obvious questions - did you ask where he got them and if he had more?

[slotalot]

Hi PennyMachines , when I first saw the box in the back of his car I could only see a couple of GPO relays and lots of old newspaper, it was not until I got home later that day that I found the uniselectors and all the other relays under the paper, some of the newspapers were dated 1986 so I think they had been in the box for a long time... as for asking if he had any more, I did not get the chance as he was in his car and away before I could ask anything, so I will never know.... not a bad find nowt though!...