Troubleshooting Bally Slot Machines
Owning a vintage slot machine is one of those fun yet daunting ideas. Many old school one-armed bandits are beautifully designed and instant conversation pieces. Plus slot fans who own a machine don’t ever have to worry about losing money to the house.
Bill Validator – Bally Pro Slot 6000 and Game Maker machines utilize a WBA or MEI Cash flow acceptor. WBA acceptors have more memory to recognize a greater variation of bill types. Most are programmed to recognize new $5, $10 and $20 bills. They can be removed by pulling down on the hinge below the bill bezel. Hi, picked up the Slot Machine above. It is in a very good condition I hate surprises and before plugging in, want to chcek some items and for complete repair it would be nice to have the Manual/Repair Guide/Schematics or similar as a pdf file. Could anyone send it to me or knows where to.
Charles August Fey, a Bavaria-born inventor, was living in San Francisco when he invented his first gambling machine in 1984. His games grew to be so popular at local bars, he quit his day job and opened a factory to start mass producing them, most notably the Liberty Bell machines in 1899. A lot of the functionality from that early game remained in place through much of the 20th century. Watch this video to see the seven mechanical actions set into motion when you pull back the bandit’s arm. The inner workings are probably a little more complex than you expect.
- The BALLY ELECTRONIC SLOT MACHINE is equipped with two types of test functions. First, a diagnostic self-test on POWER UP. This test is primarily used to localize a problem in the MPU BOARD.
- Slot machine shuts off during a payout Ratchet cam switch adjustment Timer motor circuit (red light is on) Improper adjustment of the timer cam Intermittent short may be causing the 110 volt fuse to blow Relays buzz or chatter Check distances (NO: 1/32 inch; NC: 1/64 inch when open) Clean relays with white paper soaked in contact cleaner.
- Thankfully, antique slot machine enthusiasts have figured out how to use the internet and uploaded plenty of great information about repairing these mechanical marvels. Newer slots will require you to know a bit about computer circuitry, but the classics just need a screwdriver, wrench and a magic touch.
Given that a lot of old slot machines are hand built, it isn’t surprising that coins can get jammed on their way through the mechanism. Big warning: If your machine jams, don’t force the arm or you can break, twist or damage a part inside. Different models and makes tend to have common jam points. The Mills model shown in the above video can have coins stuck in the “elevator” section that displays the last five coins dropped into the machine. Getting the slot working again can be as simple as cleaning the gunk off of an old part. You just need to be smart when you’re disassembling and reassembling the machinery.
Okay, there are plenty of more places where a coin can get stuck and the above video demonstrates how to fix a variety of jams. It also explains how to disassemble the major parts of the machine and where common problem areas are.
Curious how an antique slot machine knows how much money a winner gets? This video shows the punch-card like communication that trips payouts and how. If you ever need to replace the reel symbols or calibrate the machine you’ll need to understand how these work. Even if you don’t ever plan on owning a machine, the metallic “circuitry” is interesting to see.
Troubleshooting Bally Game Maker Slot Machines
Want to own a modern slot machine? New ones have plenty more bells, whistles and dings, and also a lot more advanced parts. If you plan on getting one, you may want to have an idea of what’s inside. In addition to the classic reels, there are speakers, motherboards filled with programming chips and plenty of wires. Unless you have a way with a soldering iron you probably won’t try and fix it. But in case you do, here’s a clip from Discovery showing what’s inside.
Troubleshooting Bally Slot Machines
Did you know newer slot machines are smart enough to test themselves when a problem happens? This video shows you the procedure for having the machine check its own system. The host’s desert dry delivery is also enough to make this vid worth a watch.