Mills high top

[dirk55]

Hi everyone,
I have just purchased my first slot machine - a Mills high top. I have seen quite a few photos of these machines. Some of them have visable jackpot showing the coins above the payout tray. Are these coins the actual jackpot payout or are they a dummy just to make the machine look more desirable to play? Mine does not have these, it just has a blank plate. There is no jackpot mech inside. Can anyone tell me if I can add one and if so are they available? I know nothing about these machines and I rely on you experts to guide me along. The mechanicals, I'm told, are Sega, but I don't know. I will post photos when l have learned how to do so from my phone.

Thank you in advance.

[badpenny]

Firstly .... congrats on your purchase.

The Hi-top was described as the most produced model ever.
Originally produced by Mills (you should find MLB set into all of the castings) it was also produced, mainly in the late 50s onwards by Sega (you should find SG set into all of the castings)

As they were identical, parts are interchangeable.
The machine could be supplied with Jackpot and Escalator or either or none.
Some that were fitted with escalators were later retro fitted with a simpler version made by Shefras.

It should be possible to remove the dummy box and fit a proper JP but be aware you'd also need special linkages to enable the slides to activate and reset a JP.

Without photos of the inside of the empty case and also the front of the mechanism and again a close up of the payout slides, it's difficult to advise further.
So get snapping!

BP

[dirk55]

Thanks B P for the info much appreciated.

[aristomatic]

Welcome to the forum.

Does the machine payout as per the award card especially with regard to the minor payouts, eg cherries? And are there any symbols on the reelstrips that are not also displayed on the award card?

The majority of hit-tops sold on the open market in England tend to be mongrels of varying % of Mills/Sega/repro old and repro new components. For a first machine it's probably more important that it works and pays out as per the award card.

GP

[dirk55]

Yes, all reel strip symbols match the payout card.
One cherry pays out 2 coins which is not shown on the payout card and 2 cherries pay out 5, not 3, as on the payout card. All other winning combinations seem to be OK.

[aristomatic]

Thanks for the answer on the cherries - it was a loaded question. I presumed that the cherries payout wouldn't match up.

After you kindly posted pictures, I'm sure BP will take you through the jackpot parts, issues etc. that he started initially. Jackpots are available via auction sites, possibly at the Coventry auction, (just search 'auction' on this site to see further details) or 'Elephant House auctions', again just search the site here for details. Members here may well message you to say they have a spare and there are specialist restorers / parts suppliers in England and in the States.

Listen to BP's advice as you need a number of parts and when sourcing the replacements make sure you get the supplier to confirm all parts are present and fully working. If you post in the thread whereabouts you are, there may be a member who is local to you who could assist you more fully or show you the parts on their machine or advise on fitting etc.


GP

[badpenny]

Tomorrow I'll post a picture of my Hi-top mechanism and talk you through the parts you'll need.

BP

[dirk55]

Thankyou for your time and advice.
I have been collecting allwins machines only for a couple of years. I have six so far, plus the Mills bandit, so I have got the bug. Saving up now for my second bandit. So glad ljoined this forum. If I can source the jackpot parts I will be back asking for advice on how to fit. I live in the north west, not far from Manchester.

[badpenny]

Righty Ho .... here we go ...........

So far as JPs are concerned there are a few variants, however the reserve jackpot is the one that should fit yours.
It's called a reserve because above the winnable coins there is another flap with a reserve of coins sitting there.
The idea is that the first pull after a jackpot drops the reserve into view so the machine never looks empty.
Cunning eh? but it does mean you need the chromed cover that hides the reserve from view.
You can see it here where they've written 777 $100 on it. It screws to the inside of the case and the jackpot attaches to the back of it. That way, from the front you can touch it as it's sandwiched between the JP and the case.

I don't know where you'd get one from, but it wouldn't be hard to make out of brass or copper and then have chromed.

This is the JP attached to the inside of the case .....

It screws at the bottom either side to the case and requires a bracket at the top to make it lean inwards slightly, again it could be easily made. If you look carefully at an enlarged picture of the above you might just make it out.


Because the JP remains inside the case (unlike most other bandits) it requires linkages to connect it to the mechanism when that is pushed back in.

You will see that there is a pillar sitting on the top slide. I believe you have that? However striding the pillar is an assembly holding a lever ( I don't believe you have that?) Because the lever has a ramp under it the pillar, upon retraction forces that lever upwards (that slide only retracts upon hitting the jackpot) as the lever is forced up it trips a latch on the side of the JP mechanism and dumps.
There is another substantial lever (sitting on end) at the side of the slides (I can't see if you have that) which on the next pull slides forward and resets the JP for the next play.

You'll see in the next picture that there is a shortened overflow chute at the top of the coin tube. It has three vertical holes down the front. It appears to go nowhere, that's because it marries up with the coin chute you can see attached to the side of the jackpot in my second photo. Thus coins overflowing from the top of the coin tube end up in the top of the JP assembly.

Here is a reserve jackpot, a jackpot reserve chute,a jackpot trip and a jackpot reset lever.

All snaffled over 30 years of serious collecting, even so the JP has been messed with and I really need one day to sort out the upside down lever someone has added to it!!!!?????
This next bit is of no use to you at all and will only frustrate you even more so.
We used to be able to order reproductions and N.O.S. from a company in USA called Metal Form Products, but it's now closed and I fear Jack may have shuffled off.

The last time I had contact with the old boy was Feb 2005 ..... Gulp!

Even then he was charging something in the region of £60 for a half JP Mech. Plus p&p and any import duties.

You may come across what you need at The Coventry Live Auction in Coventry. The problem is knowing exactly what you're looking for. I have about 4 Mills jackpots and they're all different.

I hope that's all clear as mud, I'm sure it is ...... questions?

ETA - Some photos duplicated because unlike good old slot machines my laptop has a mind of its own and decides to shove stuff as and where it feels like at any given time ..... Duplicates removed - Site Admin.

[dirk55]

Thanks BP. Looks tricky but I am going to give it a go.
I had a pm from a forum member who thinks he can help with parts. He's not far away from me. The chap I bought the machine from gave me the front plate and a very thick piece of glass. I will keep you informed with my progress.

Thank you for your time.

[badpenny]

Excellent news!
I hope my dribblings help you along the way, if you get stuck just shout.

It's good to have someone nearish to you.
BP

[chris rideout]

That upside down lever on the jackpot is infuriating for novices who can't understand why the mechanism won't work properly. When I lived on the Isle of Wight many years ago, I had the same problem because I thought something was missing from the reserve JP. A local slot repair man soon spotted a similar problem on mine and told me to take it off, turn it round, and refit it. Problem solved.

Henry Powell might be the best for parts missing... unless there are other suppliers I don't know about. Are there? I eagerly await replies from all who know something that I don't! I live on the south coast so a dealer in that area would be a godsend.

[dirk55]

Thanks chris