Help me make a Slot Machine???????

[markymark]

Hi, Just joined the forum, although had you bookmarked for a year or so. I'm currently trying to build a wooden money box type slot machine as a project.
I'm not an expert at woodwork, but prepared to give it a go.. However I'm fascinated by the mechanical aspect of slots. I've owned a couple in the past. Electronic chip controlled stuff does nothing for me.

I've posted a video on youtube, not sure if I'm allowed to put this here, but hope so. If you can give me any ideas it would be great.
All I would like the money box to do is: Accept a coin in a slot, this then allows a handle to be pulled, spin some reels and make a payout (simple one off payout!). What you think?


mark

[Bent Copper]

Interesting project. You'll probably need some basic metalworking facilities as well.

I made something similar in the 60s, 30 years before I'd ever seen the insides of a one-armed bandit.

Firstly, you don't need 2 coin input chutes (which probably wouldn't work well anyway) the microswitch can detect the coin as it passes down a single chute (you need to think in 3 dimensions here).

I like your escapement mechanism for the payout, that should work well and only require a very light solenoid. Stacking the coins edge-on makes the payout and coin separation much easier, although takes up much more room than stacking them on top of one another.

Your reel spin method is unnecessarily complicated, with the moving rim drive. All you need to do is to couple the reels to the central shaft with very light springs, and spin the central shaft. You will need to stop the reels individually instead of all together, otherwise you will find that they remain more or less in phase with each other all the time if you are starting them all together and stopping them all together. This would be easy to accomplish with 3 separate solenoids, although I used 3 cams mounted on a common shaft and driven from the main sequencing motor. Each cam had slightly more dwell than the previous one, so the reels would stop in sequence.

You will probably find that the whole thing will cost you more than a basic 'real' fruit machine, although I assume that's not the point!

[markymark]

I like your ideas of the reels and the coin shaft. You're right its not the cost but just a challenge, although it'll be nowhere near as complex as genuine slots! I have always been amazed how one pull of a handle (before electric) can make so many things work!
thanks for the response. keep watching the movies to see how i progress

[Bent Copper]

The mechanical one-armed bandit mechanism is probably one of the most amazing mechanical contraptions ever invented, and it didn't change much throughout its history. With a single pull of the handle it has to spin the reels, stop the reels one by one, detect the position of the reels, work out the payout and pay out the required number of coins.

This is all complicated by the necessity to process and handle coins and test them for validity, reject faulty coins, return duplicate coins to the player to prevent them from jamming the machine, display the coins on a moving escalator (and sometimes a jackpot) on the front of the machine, distribute them to the various storage chutes and cashbox, separate tokens from real coins and to modify the payouts accordingly. The coin-handling side is almost as complicated as the mechanical side.

On top of this, the machine has to be reliable, fairly compact, look attractive, be resistant to theft and accidental or deliberate mis-operation, easily maintainable, and the entire mechanism is removable in a few seconds.

This only describes the basic machine. Some machines were also fitted with front jackpots, sweet vendors, gold award payouts, skill stops and novelty play features. Even jackpots would be doubled up to provide a reserve jackpot, with the machine automatically switching between them (as if it wasn't already complicated enough).

All this from a pull of a handle, and a clockwork motor! They are mechanical marvels.

Good luck with your project.

[trevmo]

You will need some sort of timing mechanism (clock) in order to delay the brake, or brakes coming on. As you describe it your coin operated microswitch will only operate the motor briefly as the coin passes it - you need a latching relay to hold the motor on until it is released by the timer - a simple method of timing may be to use a mechanical program timer which is a series of adjustable cams on a motorised shaft, each with its own microswitch, these could be set up to stop the motor, release the brake(s) and then operate the payout. Have you had any thoughts about how to "sense" a winning line?

Good Luck - I'll watch with interest.

[markymark]

Oops, didn't think about the timing... I think I'll use a motor with a cam on that holds the switch on for enough seconds for the reels to stop.. As for pay out, I was gonna have 3 reed switches in line, stick small magnets on the reels so if the winning symbols line up, the magnets will operate the reed switches thus making the circuit complete which should operate the solanoid to lift the payout contraption! What You think?
Thx for advise. Will start making in next week.

[trevmo]

I can see two problems with what I think you are suggesting. Firstly, you must have some sort of mechanical brake on each reel in order to ensure that the reel stops on a symbol - if you just disconnect the motor after a period of time the reels will slow down and stop anywhere. With brakes comes the need for some form of timing to apply them!
Your payout method is ok but the payout solenoid will remain energised until the reels are re-spun, which if you walk away after a payout could be some time, coil overheating may be a problem.
I think you need to think again about some form of cam timer as both these problems can then be solved quite simply.