Well made bug

[coppinpr]

This is the most professionally made cheat bug I've ever seen, found on a Roll-a-Top (not a machine of mine - I just found this photo).

[humperdingle]

Any chance you could explain how that works (for us noobies).

[coppinpr]

Like most bugs on mechanical machines it's attached to a place on a reel that will upset the balance of the reel causing to it favour ending up in a losing position. I've found several on machines I've bought. Actually, their effectiveness is a little doubtful in my view as they only really work if the reels almost come to a stop before the reel brake cuts in.

[humperdingle]

Aah, so it's really just a strategically-placed weight?

Presumably if placed under a BAR symbol, so it ended up closer to the underside?

[coppinpr]

That's right. A far better way that you often see is to cut one of the teeth off of the star wheel so the bar simply never comes up.

[badpenny]

I've never seen that Paul, why doesn't that just give the stop a bigger 'ole to stop in?
I'd like to see how that works please.

I've often seen the the clip that screws into the star wheel preventing the stop from choosing it.
As mentioned in a similar thread recently.

Then of course Günther Wulf machines became blessed with a piece of metal bridging a payout gap while a non payout symbol was glued onto the reel.

Allwins would have little nails pinned above the cups as well as either side of a flag over the lose hole, thus taking the energy out of a speeding ball and knocking it out of play.

[coppinpr]

Ive had two machines with a tooth removed,both aristos(perhaps because they are not metal star wheels?)when the brake cuts in it forces the reel to (I think) the bottom position always missing the other option.

[gameswat]

Allwins would have little nails pinned above the cups as well as either side of a flag over the lose hole, thus taking the energy out of a speeding ball and knocking it out of play.

But this flag/flap isn't a cheat BP, purely to speed up the next play as the ball is already lost at this point. Those pins won't let the flap/flag lift enough for the ball to pass through, moving just enough to let it drain instantly. Set correctly the ball should take the outer track for repetitive looping, only once it's lost speed for another loop and missed or bounced off the gallery should it enter the inner track to touch the flag you mention. Otherwise I've seen the ball take up to 6 seconds or so to eventually stop rolling back and forth to drop into the hole.