New Ball Lift Design by Rockston Engineering !

[rockston]

thanks Shark


This would be a great option for the lifter > 24 Volt LED PWM Dimmer DC Lighting Dimmer Controller for LED Incandescent Auto RV Marine Aircraft Interior Lighting : Amazon.com : Automotive

[cardwwi]

Build what works best for you and your machine, and that will be the design that work for others. Most people have only one or two machines so keep it simple. I would hate to see you get burnout before it's done, so make it for your self and that the model you offer to others, you can always go back modify it later for high speed.

[cardwwi]

thanks Shark


This would be a great option for the lifter > 24 Volt LED PWM Dimmer DC Lighting Dimmer Controller for LED Incandescent Auto RV Marine Aircraft Interior Lighting : Amazon.com : Automotive

Will these work I have 12 of them

MXA066 PWM DC Motor Speed Controller

[Card Shark]

As far as speed goes. Now that I have the lower hopper feeding my ball lifter. I have not run into a situation with fevers that it did not keep up with. I really think as long as you are in the speed range of the orange ball lifters you should be fine. Mine is set up on a modern and does really well.

I do think though I will be adding the tube to allow me to send winnings to the lower hopper. That should make mine complete.

[rockston]

Will these work I have 12 of them

MXA066 PWM DC Motor Speed Controller

Looks like they would, I'll pm you, thanks

[Denhomer]

Just adding my 2 cents here about the last couple of posts...
'Large hopper on top, bottom empty' doesn't really work in my case, I feed multiple machines with the same lifter, and I have around 15000 balls for that, the weight of that tank of balls is not something I want to keep above the machines all the time.
Maybe it would work for 1 machine... The BallDozer has the same idea... there is 1 switch in the lifter tray, when there are balls on the bottom, they get lifted, until empty.

In my system, I keep around 1000 balls in the top reservoir, the rest stay down

[daverob]

I'm of the same opinion, and prefer a large hopper under the pachinko machines, and only a few up top. But it's quite easy to make a cut-off switch for the top ball tray and wire it in line with the power supply to the ball lifter.

Get an old empty make-up compact case and a small (subminiature) microswitch. Wire the normally closed contact of the microswitch into the positive wire to the ball lifter and hot glue it in the compact case furthest away from the hinge. Place in top ball tray and gasp in amazement when the weight of the balls on top of the compact case triggers the microswitch and cuts power to the lifter.

[Drunkenclam]

As above, my plastic tank is currently under construction. Hope to hold over 20,000 balls under the machines being fed by an orange ball lifter. Each machine will have 2 switches. One to detect if low on balls, the other is a door open sensor, so the lifter doesn't start by accident when an machin is opened up.

[rockston]

With all do respect guys, I am looking at it the way water is distributed to houses, the water is slowing pumped to the top of the holding tank slightly faster than the average demand/usage. There is always enough water already there in the tank to cover sporadic high demand. I can't imagine a home parlor that would be busy enough to need more than a 3000 to 5000 ball payout hopper that slowly filled. What the sense in having all those balls if they are just sitting below the machines in a hopper?

[Drunkenclam]

Sure. It's no problem. All cabinets and hoppers are different. Me personally, I'm trying to match everything up in my triple cabinet. Same ball trays, same battle counters and stools. Just to get it close to parlour feel. Although it might seem odd to want so many balls, after back to back fevers its good to have a couple of thousand in reserve. As not wanting to refill the tank halfway through the action.

Don't forget the weight though. 5000 balls weighs 27.5 KG That's about the same as another machine. Approx just over 60 lbs.

[compirate]

I try to think of it this way - The Japanese have had decades to engineer this and if they have the balls in hoppers on the bottom, there must be some reason

Of course, running a few machines at home without them all going off at the same time or retaining winnings in trays behind players to show how great they're doing doesn't require that many balls or a very complicated system. Just imagine having multiple aisles with cross races so that if one aisle runs low it can get them from another.

[rockston]

"I try to think of it this way - The Japanese have had decades to engineer this and if they have the balls in hoppers on the bottom, there must be some reason"



Hmmmm I have heard that rationale before...aren't you the guy that talked me out of patenting the first coin-less
slot machine ?


Of course there is a reason for collecting all the losing balls down low where they drop at a casino, they have guys working back there and they physically move them around on carts so they can be re-sold at the cage. That's an operation and ton of balls that I personally don't need to replicate.


What I was asking is why keep the bulk of your balls at the bottom in your home set up? What good are they there?

[Moparformances]

i would ahve to agree that a hopper on top is the better way...

a slow machine can lift for an hour to feed one fever.. but a fast lifter machine will strugle to keep up with one good fever mode much less a back to back for two machines at the same time..

[candyflip]

Of course there is a reason for collecting all the losing balls down low where they drop at a casino, they have guys working back there and they physically move them around on carts so they can be re-sold at the cage.

Huh???


that is not how a pachinko parlour operates - who gave you that info?

[rockston]

Good, Why don't you describe the back room for us?

[rockston]

Do I have this right now? You can buy balls right at the machine, dispensed to your shooter tray.


Winners are actually taking balls out of the system in exchange for prizes, those balls then need to get returned to the system.

[candyflip]

It would be my pleasure.

There are no 'backroom boys' as such.

The modern parlour system is an intergrated, entirely automatic, circular fed system connected to each machine and is a complex construction of sealed pipes running all through the parlour.

When you buy balls, you are buying them straight from this system, to your machine. When they exit the back of the machine, they go directly back into the system. When you win balls, they are from the top tray, fed by the integrated ball system. When you claim prizes by taking up your 14 buckets of balls and exchanging, the balls go out of the counter, directly back into the system.

No human hands touch these except when there is a problem, or for maintenance.

Compirate probably has a link somewhere for the graphics on these (on Japanese sites). I can't lay my hands on them now. But all modern parlours run this way - ball lifters (the kind we are familiar with) are pretty much ancient technology.

If I find a link in the next 24 hours, I'll chime back int.

cheers

[rockston]

Thank you!

[Drunkenclam]

There is no right or wrong way of doing it. Only ways that work and those that don't. I'm still not sure if my method will work until its all put together and tried out. Needless to say. I'll be making a thread about it

Keep us updated. As we all want to see how everyone gets on.

[Card Shark]

I agree that there really is not a right or wrong system for ball management. Only systems that work and systems that do not work. These machines were were not designed or intended originally for home use. In the short time that I have been involved in this hobby (just a little over a year). I have seen various different set-ups that members have come up with for home use.

As far as how this applies to designing a ball lifter. I really think that as long as the lifter has the ability to lift the balls high enough and the speed is quick enough, then it should be able to work with lower or upper reservoirs. This would also make it most appealing to more potential buyers.

I see no reason why your design wouldn't work with either style set up. Keep up the great work. I am very anxious to see how it turns out.