GAMERA - THE INVINCIBLE...My new weekend purchase w/issues. Hopper/HC code

[BC3]

I have finally gotten over to the other side of Pachitalk... I cant find anymore room for Pachinko games (7 is enough for now)

Long story short is that I picked up this game up at a Flea market for $20. LCD works and everything is reasonably clean and appears to be in working order. "GAMERA the invincible" is the game, the name TAKADEN is on the top of the hopper, and on the front it says TYPE-A. I dont know who the manufacturer is, but there is a date inside next to the serial number that says 4/21/2001.

I have no idea how what the buttons and switches on the powerbox are for. I would be interested in what it says next to the lights at the bottom left hand corner as well. At some point someone was nice enough to include instructions (in English) on how to do a reset...but the hopper motor still will not shut off. The hopper runs constantly even after all the coins have been ejected. I did a search and even called the place that imported it, but they were not able to help me find the "off" button for the hopper. I do have a HC code as well.

Thanks again!!!

bc3IMAG0061.jpgIMAG0062.jpgIMAG0063.jpgIMAG0064.jpg

[BC3]

Here are two more pics..the piece of pink paper interests me because 1) it has an exclamation point and there is "HC" next to it?? and 2)...is the red/black switch supposed to be the volume control? The speaker wires were disconnected when I got it. There are 3 settings that dont seem to make it louder or more quiet.


btw my 8 yr old is chompin at the bit to play it..lol. bc3

[BC3]

I did clean the hopper and wiped the sensors on the underside..but forgot how to test them. I think they are working as the mechanism fires when I slide the metal armature into the sensor itself.

[Meathead]

You have a Gamera, made by Rodeo. Generally, the hopper switch is on the power supplies. Have you played with the switches? Also, do a search for error codes on this site. HE means your hopper is empty, I am not sure about HC. Maybe do a reset?

I have the same machine and I will be glad to help you figure things out. You are correct about the volume switch, and yes, the three positions on the switch are "LOUD", "WHAT DID YOU SAY?", and "MY EARS ARE BLEEDING"

[yose]

It acts like the credit or token counter isn't working to stop the hopper after a payout.

[BC3]

Yose - Thats a difficult question as I am unfamiliar with Pachislo machines... this is "baptism by fire" for me. Is there something on the front of the machine that may show that it is trying to payout? I thought a reset may get rid of it. The process I am using is : power off, turn key to right, turn on, wait for lcd, push down the joystick and turn key back. The game quiets down until I flip the switch on the left from off to on, then the machine starts making all sorts of what sounds like "alert" type noises. Keep in mind the hopper is still spinning.

bc3

[BC3]

Meathead -I sent you a pm..not sure if it went through once (or 3 times due to my laptop). Tanks bc3

[yose]

Did you unplug the hopper then plug it back in. Will it accept tokens,or do they fall through to the front tray.The code HC could be hopper connection. There is a reason why the hopper stays running. The token counting sensor on the hopper may not be working.When you insert the tokens does the led for credits count them until it hits 50,then it shouldn't accept any more. If it's not counting them , it's not working.The problem acts like the hopper isn't getting the connection to turn it off and on.

[Meathead]

I will have to look at my machine. There is a hopper open switch I believe, but I think it's a momentary switch. I'm not sure why it would be trying to dump tokens. Yose is right, start checking connections. Pull them, clean them if needed, and reset them, making sure there are no bent pins.

[BC3]

Ok, so it does accept and recognize up to 50 tokens. I have unplugged the hopper din plug and the connections appear ok. I can place bets and play the game..I have even seen a game character challenge on the LCD. I noted that the " game count" led is dark even after playing through the credits. The hopper continues to run even when the switch is off. When it I turn the left switch to "on" I get an alarm type noise that I can turn off by pressing the round flush button. At this point the hopper continues to get power even when though the switch is "off". The hopper switch must be affecting something because the alarm goes on and one of the red lights on the power supply turns on.

???

Bc3

[Meathead]

So the hopper switch is to the left of the power switch and looks the same, not a momentary switch. We know the switch works, because despite the fact that the hopper spins when it is off, the switch does set off the audible alarm as it should. You should be able to turn off the alarm by turning the hopper switch back to off, and then pressing the small gray button underneath it.

Establishing the switch is working, we know that something else is telling the hopper to spin. I'm curious, if you do drop fifty tokens into the machine and it shows in the credit window, do this window countdown as the tokens are spit out into the bottom tray? Possibly it is the hopper that is faulty. Maybe you can find someone nearby with a similar hopper to swap temporarily to confirm?

BTW, the game count window won't activate until you hit the bonus modes.

[yose]

Iwas going to ask that question too does the hopper continue to shoot the tokens out until it is empty,even when the reels are spinning.Idon't understand how the token counter can count the full amount of 50 if the hopper is shooting them out at the same time.I'm confused sorry.

[BC3]

The hopper spits them out without counting down the credits shown. I can add a token, it registers it and then ejects it showing the inserted amount. Should it be counting down?

[yose]

If the token is being counted and showing 1 to 50,50 being the max the machine can credit, but it is not subtracting back down as the hopper shoots them out, thats a problem. I would say the counting sensor is not working right.They are usually at the token insert mechanism, it's a sensor that the token passes thru when you insert it. the bet button should subtract the count as you bet. if thier not counting down,the problem has to be in that area.Check the bet buttons for loose wires or if it's stuck. check the insert sensor and clean .it good .The hopper should not run until a payout at all.

[BC3]

The game recognizes inserted tokens for credit as well as deducting credits based on the bet amount. With respect to the hopper, it continually spins, but the eject mechanism portion is not working until a coin is dropped in...then it activates and ejects.

[yose]

Is the inside of the hopper always spinning.And does the hopper enpty code show up HE.

[yose]

Also unplug the hopper and insert the tokens up to 50, after that the tokens should just fall into the front tray. Hit the bet button and the reels should spin, stop the reels , play until you hit a winning combo, with no hopper it should error showing He and warning sound because no hopper.

[Meathead]

I'm reasonably certain the problem lies with the hopper. The hopper is the unit that subtracts credits in the credit window when the token return button is pressed. Likewise, it counts payed out credits after the 50 max is reached by the machine. I think it is highly likely that the counting mechanism or something else within the hopper is faulty.

Do a search for someone nearby that has a similar machine. Remember, it does not have to be a Gamera, Rodeo made many machines with the same hopper. Also, although I don't see it much, you may be able to swap hoppers between different manufacturers. I'm not sure if Gaku is still a possible source for hoppers, or maybe Stealth, but I would encourage you to test a swap before you buy a hopper.

[yose]

I think it's the hopper mech too meathead thats the reason to unplug the hopper and see if the machine does everything but payout. If all else is working but the hopper it almost has to be the problem.

[BC3]

I took the hopper out and tried playing a game..I was given a HE code and bunch of alarm type noises when I did. I spoke with someone who said some of the hoppers have a circuit board contained somewhere on it...mine does not. It says Takaden on the plastic and "Juki" down on the metal base. Is that the same brand as yours Meathead?