Name this machine?

[clemon79]

Hi gang!

I just inherited this machine from a friend of mine who is moving and didn't want to have to haul it across town with him. It's definitely a reclamation project, as it's pretty dirty and some of the mechs in the back need lubing or noodling with or whatever. (In fact, I'm not completely 100% sure I have them set up right, and could use some advice on that as well.)

Anyhow, I figure the first step is figuring out what I have, so attached are a boatload of pictures I took of it. I also have these and a few more posted on Flickr in full size at:

Pachinko - a photoset on Flickr

Thanks for any help! I assure you, there will be more questions forthcoming...

[daverob]

The third photo has the name of the game on the yellow label. It reads 'フィーバキングII' which translates as 'Fever King II'

[clemon79]

Excellent! That's why I took a shot of the label; I saw people read them in the past.

What're the odds of finding some kind of service manual, homebrew or otherwise, for it?

[dattia]

That is a nice looking machine. Are you still having problems with it?

[clemon79]

Actually, here's a better question:

There appear to be six target holes on the front: the one at the top by the two-digit "Fever" counter, the "Start" one under the reels, two on either side of the Fever gate, and the two round red things on each side. (with the two little tunnels above them...I'd call 'em "tulips" but they don't open, they're just there.)

So in playing with it, I'm finding that only the Start hole seems to have any effect (it starts the reels spinning, as expected.) The rest do nothing when I drop a ball down 'em.

Is that common? Should they do something? In my experience that's how you get more balls, right?
______________________________________________________

That is a nice looking machine. Are you still having problems with it?

Yeah, but I haven't sat down and given it a thorough cleaning yet...I suspect that will be a two-day project at the minimum to really do it right. (I did get it completely de-balled, tho.) Some of the mechs are a little sticky, too, so there will probably be some 3-in-1 oil applied, as well.

[luckydog]

some pockets may be dummies with no payouts,

others may bank your flipper openings.

clean it up good and we can work from there

[clemon79]

some pockets may be dummies with no payouts,

others may bank your flipper openings.

clean it up good and we can work from there

Yeah, clearly that's the first step. Hot water and a little dish soap, yes?

I don't follow what "bank your flipper openings" means.

[luckydog]

you should have a little flipper on each side of the start pocket, when you bank some openings these will open for a second to help balls go into the start pocket.

[Eddie]

DO NOT USE OIL ON ANYTHING!!! With the exception of the door lock mech and only a very small amount at that. A small shot of WD 40 and wipe off the excess.

You can use Windex to clean the machine and parts and then you can use a plastic polish to finish it off such as Brillianeze. WELCOME TO PACHITALK

[dattia]

Eddie would know...he has lovingly restored many vintage machines.

[compirate]

Released October of 1992

Japanese Wiki page (English translation, don't ask! )

The top and side pockets should pay out when balls are dropped in them. I don't see any tulips on the face, nor a pass thru pocket, so no 'flipper' openings. Just standard pockets.

In your last picture above, the wire is supposed to be to the right of the clear plastic piece, it prevents shooting if the lower tray is full.

Your 7th picture above (012 on Flickr) is the ball low switch. When the upper tray is low/empty, a light on the front of the machine should light and the wire rod moves levers to prevent the balls from going to the shooter.

200-500 balls will make a big difference in understanding the workings of the machine.There are a lot of mechanical cutoffs to prevent play when balls are low in the older machines.

The 1,3,5,7 and 2,4,6,8 on either side indicate what mode/type of bonus you've gotten odd numbers indicate 'big' (not sure that's the term) bonus, even regular. Not sure what combination of charactors on the reels give which bonus on that machine. 'Big' in this case means your chance a another bonus is good. This continues as long as they are 'big'. Once you get an even, it goes back to regular play.

[clemon79]

Wow, I'm pretty sure I bought a stereo with instructions like that once.

Okay, as one might expect, looking over the posts while I was out tonight, I have...still more questions! So, in order:

Eddie: Fine, I won't use oil, I promise. So, that said, if some of the switches have a tendency to stick, what do I use to loosen 'em up? I'm not sure I understand if that's what you were suggesting the WD-40 for or if you were saying I could use that. And by "using Windex" do you mean I can use it on the plastic ball tracks in the back of the machine, too? Like, the payout tracks?

Compirate, O Great Provider Of Much Useful Information: The top and side pockets...by "side", do you mean the round red ones beneath the tulipish things, or the ones on either side of the Fever gate? Because none of them are paying out right now (mind you, clearly I'm still getting it all configured, and it might be a dirt / dust issue. Electronically, how does it know a ball entered? I don't see a sensor in there.

As for the wire in the picture of the last clear switch: if it's to the right, I don't think it's going to move. Right now, that wire controls the motor (and attached mechanism) that releases the Start balls one at a time from their hopper into the ball bucket. That clear piece moves when the state of the ball low switch changes. I will look at it again tomorrow, but right now (at 4:00a, so season appropriately) having it to the right of the switch doesn't make sense to me. But I *will* look at that.

Another problem I'm having (which may go away after a proper cleaning) is that if I dump too many balls into the hopper, the I-think-the-15-ball-payout mech basically keeps paying out until it can pay out no more. So I'm having a hard time keeping 500 balls IN there to check this stuff out.

I have never seen the 1-9 lights set on anything besides 7.

(And the white light in the upper left is the ball-low light, I've figured out that much. What's the green light just below it for? I've seen that on a couple times in noodling with it, but I'm not sure what controls it.)

Anyhow, thanks again for the continued dialogue, everyone.

[Eddie]

The WD 40 is to be used only for the Lock Mech.

Yes you can use windex on the plastic and to clean the tracks.

If you use Q-tips with the windex you can really get the dirt off more than you can with just paper towels or cloths. I use the Qtips for the final cleaning. Sometimes you may have to rub a spot for awhile to finally remove the dirt/tar stain. Eventually it will come out. Hint(Keep rotating fresh Q-tip heads and spray the windex on them not on the area your trying to clean. You will get the track lines removed this way for sure.

[compirate]

Compirate, O Great Provider Of Much Useful Information: The top and side pockets...by "side", do you mean the round red ones beneath the tulipish things, or the ones on either side of the Fever gate? Because none of them are paying out right now (mind you, clearly I'm still getting it all configured, and it might be a dirt / dust issue. Electronically, how does it know a ball entered? I don't see a sensor in there.

Any pocket other than the start pocket is a side pocket (except the top most center one ).

It sounds like it actually is paying out (see next problem down), it just needs to catch up. Side pockets pay out 15 on this machine. In your picture 019 showing the payout mechanism you'll note 3 catches. One is for starts (7 balls) the other two are for bonus and side pocket payouts (15).

Not sure on this particular game, but on some, the spin is triggered with a micro-switch in the start pocket, the payout is mechanical

Another problem I'm having (which may go away after a proper cleaning) is that if I dump too many balls into the hopper, the I-think-the-15-ball-payout mech basically keeps paying out until it can pay out no more. So I'm having a hard time keeping 500 balls IN there to check this stuff out.

The payout problem means it's catching up on payouts. On your Flickr page, pic #019, are any of the lower hooks caught on the upper hooks when the machine is on? If so, hold the upper catches out of the way of the lower hooks (with a pencil or small screwdriver) till they stop jumping up and down. With no balls in it, give the machine a good shake. Sometimes if a lot of balls go into the pockets but you don't have enough balls for payouts, they gather in the machine and jam up a bit. This should clear all the balls that have gone through pockets in the front.

As for the wire in the picture of the last clear switch: if it's to the right, I don't think it's going to move. Right now, that wire controls the motor (and attached mechanism) that releases the Start balls one at a time from their hopper into the ball bucket. That clear piece moves when the state of the ball low switch changes. I will look at it again tomorrow, but right now (at 4:00a, so season appropriately) having it to the right of the switch doesn't make sense to me. But I *will* look at that.

Nope, it needs to be to the right of the clear plastic piece. It's connected to a plastic flap in the overflow tray area so that when that tray gets full, the balls push against it and it stops balls from getting to the shooter and turns the payout motor off. The payout motor is supposed to run all the time.

I have never seen the 1-9 lights set on anything besides 7.

This will change if you ever get a bonus. A 7 is good, means it should 'Fever' again soon.

And the white light in the upper left is the ball-low light, I've figured out that much. What's the green light just below it for? I've seen that on a couple times in noodling with it, but I'm not sure what controls it.

The green light indicates that it's paying out. Should light once for every payout.

Anyhow, thanks again for the continued dialogue, everyone.

That's what we're here for!

[clemon79]

It sounds like it actually is paying out (see next problem down), it just needs to catch up.

Okay, but wouldn't cycling the power clear that? Or, here's another possibility...since I was having problems with balls backing up in the start-ball-motor-system, could a ball that was in that system be holding the payout switch open, causing the 15-catches to go nuts? (And/or, causing the 7-ball Start not to pay out at all?)

(Now that I *know* the start-ball mech is completely empty, it's probably more feasible to look into that.)

Not sure on this particular game, but on some, the spin is triggered with a micro-switch in the start pocket, the payout is mechanical

That would make sense, since spins trigger fine. I wish I knew what actually triggers the mechanical payout, though...but I suspect it's tied to that motor.

On your Flickr page, pic #019, are any of the lower hooks caught on the upper hooks when the machine is on?

No. I know those need to be out of the way, and I know that there is a pressure switch in the ball hopper that moves them. So provided the ball hopper is full of payout balls, they should never catch, and when it's empty, it should, and something should happen so that it tells me it needs to be filled.

Sometimes if a lot of balls go into the pockets but you don't have enough balls for payouts, they gather in the machine and jam up a bit.

Yes, this was the problem I was having before. Yesterday I worked through it and can confirm that there is not one single ball currently in the machine at this moment, so I'm starting from scratch.

(By the way, is the ball-low switch set up right? It's in two pieces, one for the 7-track and a larger one for the 15-track. The 15-switch is the one that controls the payout motor. The 7-switch is to its right. Only when BOTH switches are depressed do the leafs on the microswitch next to it open, turning off the ball-low light. I just want to be sure that the placement of the leafs (above both switches, so that both switches have to be down for the leafs to actually trigger) is correct, because that is something I changed when I got the machine.)

Nope, it needs to be to the right of the clear plastic piece. It's connected to a plastic flap in the overflow tray area so that when that tray gets full, the balls push against it and it stops balls from getting to the shooter and turns the payout motor off. The payout motor is supposed to run all the time.

I agree. So, dig: That wire has two states: if the ball hopper is full such that the motor is on, the pressure switches in the rear of the hopper lift up the little arm on to the darker wire on the left side of that clear switch. That causes the wire in question to be pulled on, and that turns the motor on. If the hopper empties, everything else goes slack, the wire (which has one of those little swingy plastic weights with a ball in it attached to it) falls back, and the motor turns off. If the wire is on the right side of that clear plastic piece, the wire is never pulled on, and the motor never turns on.

(And I don't think either state prevents balls from being fired, but, again, I can check that now too.)

If I need to take more pictures so this makes sense, let me know and I'll be happy to do it...I need another excuse to get annoyed with my camera so I buy a new one when my tax refund hits.

This will change if you ever get a bonus. A 7 is good, means it should 'Fever' again soon.

Mm-kay. Again, is this persistent between power cycles? I only have the machine plugged in when I'm working with it right now. (Indeed, I don't think it has its own on/off switch. I'm not seeing it, if it does.)

The green light indicates that it's paying out. Should light once for every payout.

...and going back to the payout blockage problem, I see why that light lighting has been intermittent at best.

Alright, more to look at. First order of business today, I think, is to try to get a full hopper of balls into a completely empty machine and test payouts.

I shall return, I'm sure. Thank you again!

[dattia]

We'll be waiting I am glad you are making some progress and getting a better understanding of this machine. Did I mention that it is a good lookin' pachinko?

[clemon79]

The WD 40 is to be used only for the Lock Mech.

Ah, ok. (I don't have a key for it, anyhow...it was long since lost by the machine's previous owner, and I don't really need it since the latch is easy to bypass and it's in a standalone frame. I'd need one if I ever wanted to mount it in a closed cabinet on the wall, though. Is there a source through which I might be able to acquire one?

So what can I use for lubrication? Or can I at all? Graphite, maybe? Definitely some of the mechanisms sometimes stick (the wire discussed above that turns the payout motor on and off can be a little tempramental, for example) and I'd like to fix that, if I can.

If you use Q-tips with the windex you can really get the dirt off more than you can with just paper towels or cloths.

Good to know. I'm thinking I might need to get some pipe cleaners as well to get to some parts of the ball-track system that are more enclosed.

[clemon79]

We'll be waiting I am glad you are making some progress and getting a better understanding of this machine. Did I mention that it is a good lookin' pachinko?

You did, and thank you. I'm really absolutely fascinated by all of this, speaking as a guy who has been obsessed with arcade games since I first laid eyes on one at age six or so. I'm getting the same charge out of this that I did when I built my arcade control panel that I use with MAME.

[clemon79]

WOO IT'S WORKING!

Cleaning out the ball jam backup was the key, and that's what was causing the 15-catches to pay out ad nauseum, too. So, for educational purposes (and once the Research Center is back up and running reliably, I should probably add the info on this machine to that as well), here're the payouts:

Start pocket, "In" pockets (on either side of the Fever gate): 7 balls
Side pockets, pocket above Fever counter on top: 15 balls

Gotta tell you, the game is infinitely more interesting when it's actually paying out balls and you're not just playing for slot spins.

[Eddie]

Some stuck mechs such as your having, can be due to the wire your writing about needing a cleaning. Im not sure how it does is job on your machine but sometimes they have a certain shape that slides over a peg or something on another piece.

If it is having problems doing that it may be because the wire or the part its connected to had been bent just a little bit from its desired shape or it has some slight rust,dirt, minor corrosion,tar.. etc that is causing just a little bit of friction .

These machines and parts are designed to be lubrication free for ease of maintenance and to keep the tracks and balls clean from the dust /dirt that would accumulate from lubrication residue.
If anything is sticking the above would be the problem.

If your up to it instead of using Pipe cleaners try to remove the part or panel that is obstructing the area that you need to clean.