1933 Nervograph & Drivatest

[gameswat]

I have two of these machines by Nervograph Ltd (J G Brenner) to restore, one is fairly original, the other revamped into a shock machine. The Nervograph is the interesting one. The game play is to control a pen over a moving paper roll keeping the ink inside the lines, at completion the paper is sliced off the roll and vended to the player as a single sheet. In the original Nervograph format the player chose one of three tests via three different coin entries. Wave, Straight and Zig Zag. The machine would allow the position of the pen to change depending on which test was chosen, giving a certain range of movement, either left side of the paper, middle section or right hand side. And originally player control was with two handles either side of the cabinet, but this wasn't popular so they added a steering wheel as well. And then they came up with a conversion of the machine into a newer theme called "Drivatest" which added a larger marquee on top and blanked off two of the three original coin chutes, and used new paper which has 6 x different British race tracks to steer the pen over. My machine is a fairly original Nervograph that was altered slightly to use the Drivatest paper roll. And the two handles were removed leaving just the wheel. There is a fully converted Drivatest in Aust that has both the handles and steering wheel. I've also heard of one other Nervograph style cabinet in the UK but no idea what game it is?

My fairly complete machine has nearly all the parts for me to return it back to it's original Nervograph format using all three coin slots, except for the paper it used. I've only been able to find a very small photo showing the back of one original paper sheet, and a 1930's book description of the rear of the paper, shown below. I've been able to guess what the original Nervo paper would look like from the surviving parts in the machine as shown below. Because the player had the choice of any of the three tests that means every sheet has to be basically the same design with all of them shown. I do have maybe 1/4 left of the original Drivatest paper roll, but not really enough to keep the machine running that long. Maybe someone on the forum will have an original paper sheet from the Nervograph for me to look at, or there could even be original unused paper rolls for either game out there!? At the moment looks like I'll just have to take the Drivatest paper to a printer and have the roll copied.

Will appreciate any help that can be offered, cheers, rory.

[gameswat]

Description of the machine attached as written in the March 1933 Automatic Age magazine.

[moonriver]

Great! Something really interesting at last.

[gameswat]

Amazingly enough the other related Shock machine I have was revamped at least twice in it's life. There are remaining pieces of the full conversion to a Drivatest, then later into the Shock machine. This shows the larger marquee frame that was added and the name plate casting which covered over the unused coin entries for the Drivatest conversion. This name plate was later machined to remove the Drivatest name, but when I stripped back overpaint it can just be seen. Also they added newer side enamel wording plates to alter for the Drivatest. On the left it was altered from " Master your nerves - Take a test daily" as shown on the Nervograph, to " A test a day keeps the Bobby at bay" . Though this was then altered again when it became a shock machine, they covered the word "Bobby" with a strip of tin and painted "Doctor" over it! Similiar thing on the right side too. Even the two small triangular enamel signs that originally pointed to the Nervograph handles have been revamped with an over- coating of black enamel, you can still just read the instructions underneath it. The fact the whole machines are coated in vitreous enamel along with the newer side panels and overcoated black signs really made me wonder. And in later research I'm sure I came across some information that showed somewhere in the Brenner family, or companies, there was an enamel works, which made complete sense.

Shocker/Drivatest on rhd side

[moonriver]

The steering wheel looks huge. On average I wonder how long a roll of paper lasted? After conversion to a Drivatest would the paper roll printed with 6 different tracks and then repeat?

[gameswat]

On average I wonder how long a roll of paper lasted?

According to the article in Automatic Age it says the roll contains 5000 charts, so that many plays, then machine stops accepting coins once it runs out.

After conversion to a Drivatest would the paper roll printed with 6 different tracks and then repeat?

Yes, then back to the start again. Though I was mistaken, only 5 tracks: Belfast TT Test - Market Town Test - "Round The Houses" Race - A Quiet (?) Country Run - Brooklands Banking.

[moonriver]

Very cool. Not something I'd particularly want to buy, but fascinating all the same and it's great it's going to be restored properly.

[daveslot]

I used to have one of these very interesting machines. Think I have still got a reel for it.

[gameswat]

Just found the photo of the Drivatest in Australia. And two advertisement photos.

[ddstoys]

These machines are unreal. Can’t wait to watch you weave your magic.

[bryans fan]

I agree with Moonriver, something interesting at last!

Sadly I cannot help as I`ve never even seen anything like this before. I am glad that they are in safe hands, and will be returned to fully functioning. Please keep us informed as to the progress. I know it must be tricky if you ask for help!!
Can`t wait!

[bryans fan]

I can't help feeling I've seen something similar before........

But I am a bit biased!!

[special when lit]

What a cool machine!

[moonriver]

I love the top pediment with the car.

[gameswat]

I used to have one of these very interesting machines.

The only one I've heard about in the UK was owned by Clive Baker, is it the same one?

think I have still got a reel for it.

By reel I assume you do mean the paper roll?! I asked but really didn't believe that anybody would have one just laying around! Did your machine contain all the same tracks as mine, or were there variations? ?

[daveslot]

By reel I assume you do mean the paper roll?! I asked but really didn't believe that anybody would have one just laying around! Did your machine contain all the same tracks as mine, or were there variations? ?

I later bought two rolls from an arcade storeroom in Southend, gave one to Clive, kept the other.
Same 5 tracks as yours.

[gameswat]

Just came across this description of the Drivatest being shown at the April 1935 London Coin Machine Show, on the stand of The Amusement Equipment Company of Wembley. https://aa.arcade-museum.com/Automatic- ... 04-085.pdf

And this used Drivatest paper showing somebody who could not keep between the lines! This was obviously drawn with a biro, which my machine has been upgraded to. But the description of the original Nervograph in Automatic Age says the glass pen returns to an inkwell at the end of play. Possibly glass so it's easier to see the paper? Something else to research. My machine does have a small storage box built inside that is ink stained so obviously to hold spare ink.

[gameswat]

Result! Been six years since I had a good look at this machine and just now went through some junk in the cashbox I'd found laying inside. I'd always thought there were two small brass gears coated in old grease......except after cleaning they weren't. I have two glass dip pen nibs mounted into screw thread brass holders, both chipped, plus the original broken bakelite pen holder! Just looked and I can replace the glass nibs cheap enough if i want to go that route. But unless the game was being played a lot I imagine that ink drying up would become an issue? Maybe the pen seals up quite well into the original inkwell? Strangely for a machine with so much invested into it I can't come up with any Patents? And John Brenner wasn't shy about doing that with lesser machines.

[treefrog]

Bought an enamel slot machine topper from a fellow collector, but although it obviously relates to the machine in this thread, it appears not to be the shape of the machine in the advert. Maybe an earlier or later version of the machine.

[gameswat]

I've never seen that one Tree, interesting. What's are the dimensions as my guess would be it was made to bolt on to the top back edge of the marquee, note the three holes only along the bottom edge, and lack of any spare edging on top and sides to fit inside a frame. From the reasearch I've done I came across a related company they owned that was an enamel works. Which explained why the two triangular instruction plates inside my machine have been re-enamleed black over the original wording, never seen that anywhere before, why not just paint them black!? And never seen a machine with so many enamel panels either, much cheaper if you own the company.