New Acquisition: 1950s Nishijin "Tarantella" Single Shot

[DukeOfDelmar]

This just arrived at my doorstep today:

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It is mostly in working order, needs a good lube, and I had to jury-rig a jackpot chute cover and a repair to the jackpot lever using masking tape for now. That's all it took to get it paying out unassisted. Overall the machine appears to be in great shape. Glass does not appear to be original, but I wouldn't expect it to be.

I noticed a secondary jackpot cache with the typical "elevator" lever I have seen referenced in other posts about single-shot machines. Alas, the elevator does not seem to be hooked up to anything. Should it be for this model? What was done in the parlors when these machines hit double jackpots? Was it an event requiring attendant assistance?

I'll have to fashion a more permanent jackpot chute cover, as I imagine my odds of finding an original part are very slim. For the jackpot lever, it looks like a solder job; the part where the lever attaches to the underside of the jackpot holding chute is broken. It looks like a solder repair was attempted before, so I might try to add a small vertical plate this time to reinforce the connection, unless someone has a better suggestion.

My eventual goal is to own one pachinko machine from each decade. Of course, I already owned my 1970s machine , and now I have my 1950s machine. I'll have to wait a bit to get another one. I'm eying the 80s or 00s next, but that would be a subject for a different forum...

[mxfaiman]

Do post some more pictures please. I was eyeing this machine off ebay, It has to be like the second oldest Nishijin machine I have seen (other than mine which I think is the oldest). I never put a did in as I thought the start price was too high and the machine doesn't seem that interesting to me. But if you like it that is all that matters.

That is too bad about the dump flap missing from the back there though. You won't find another so you will have to make one yourself. I'm not the super expert about single shots but member Pachiwall is highly knowledgeable about how these all work (he should be along shortly).

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

[Card Shark]

Beautiful machine. I was tempted to bid on that one. I am glad it went to a member.

[DukeOfDelmar]

More pics, as requested:
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It is indeed that ebay machine. I've actually been trying to pick up a 50s machine for a few weeks now. I was eying this one a couple of weeks ago.

One other thing that floored me about this machine is how the ball runs around the ramp twice before dropping into the main area of the cell. Now I see this is normal for machines of this era. I've always wondered why the ramps in newer vintage machines continued to wrap around to the bottom. I guess it is vestigial, like the appendix.

Thanks!

[The13bats]

Congrats,
I love single shots to me they ask for more skill from the player, an elegant machine of a more civilized age.

Mine had that broken solder joint not too hard to fix just use good flux and clean it well...

[pachiwall]

VERY NICE looking single shot! I can't tell about the elevator...but the way the system works is different from others from this era. I LIKE IT! I would love to see closer up pics of all areas of the back. Especially any areas you have questions about, as I'm not sure what part was soldered.

[DukeOfDelmar]

Thank you everyone for the congratulations. You've requested even more pics, so...

Here's a closer shot of the elevator. Also pictured, I found that putting 3 balls inside the jackpot lever added ballast and made it much more reliable:
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The lever on the elevator looks to me like it wants to be hand-operated.

And here's the part that needs soldering:
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My masking tape fix works surprisingly well, which is what got me thinking about putting a plate where the masking tape is:
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And here are some various shots of the back:
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Notice the separate dump chutes for win balls and lose balls. And a third separate dump chute for clearing the hopper. I guess I need more tubs. The center feature also spins when the jackpot immediately above it is hit.

Thanks again, and enjoy the pics!

Duke

[pachiwall]

Thanks for the pics! That machine is different than most from the '50s that I have seen! In the 1st pic...I have no idea what it is. The part that I call the "elevator" lifts a ball from the "jackpot reserve chamber" and puts it in a winning ball path to get a jackpot that was already won.new prince 002.jpg To the left of the left brass rod, is a slot with a green slider in it. Activated from the linkage to the left...lifts a ball up to the orange plastic above it, to drop the ball down a path that rolls into the seesaw. Usually there is a rod, below seesaw and to the right of the seesaw pivot pin, that resets the seesaw to the UP position.okumurayuki 003.jpg This one is reset by the backwards L bar. The lever in pic#1 if pushed, sets the seesaw to the down position. I don't have any idea why.
in pic#2, I haven't had much luck with a fine flame torch...I'm gonna try a full size soldering gun next time. A plate epoxied will probably work fine, if you don't get bothered by it. If it works...that is most important. If I can fix it like original...I prefer that...but I'm guilty too.copper fix 002.jpg I smashed a copper pipe and epoxied it to the jackpot tray to add enough weight to reset it on its own. Before I had to reset it each time by hand. every time I look at the back, my eyes fall on it and I remind myself that it is not correct.'
The roller in #4 & #5 is different...COOL.
What is the sliding thing above the jackpot in #8? A silver plate with slot, and a brass washer with screw to lock it in place.
A number of other tiny details make this a very interesting machine! Thanks for sharing the pics!

[mxfaiman]

I might need to get some measurements from you about the rear tray because my machine is missing it. I also noticed there isn't much different between yours and my machine. (seeing I think yours was built about 2-3 years after mine.)

Here are the pics from the back of mine if you want to compare things.

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If you want some better pics of an area let me know I'll be happy to get them for you.

[pachiwall]

Very similar indeed! What are those red things on the back?

[mxfaiman]

What are those red things on the back?

I'm not quite sure. I think they are stoppers to keep things from moving but otherwise I don't think they have much of a point.

[DukeOfDelmar]

In the 1st pic...I have no idea what it is. The part that I call the "elevator" lifts a ball from the "jackpot reserve chamber" and puts it in a winning ball path to get a jackpot that was already won.

Yes, that is also what I mean by elevator, but in my case, there is no linkage connecting to it at all - just a little lever sticking out that you lift up on to manually feed balls from the jackpot reserve chamber into the winning ball path:
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mxfaiman's is like mine, except his has linkage attached. I don't really see much place for linkage on mine.

What is the sliding thing above the jackpot in #8? A silver plate with slot, and a brass washer with screw to lock it in place.

The only function I can discern is to keep the balls from jumping the track as they flow into the jackpot dump chute.

Thanks for sharing the pics!

You're quite welcome!

[DukeOfDelmar]

I might need to get some measurements from you about the rear tray because my machine is missing it.

I assume you mean the hinged wooden piece on the bottom, as that seemed to be missing from your photo:
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The wood is 1 3/8" wide. The length, of course, is the inside length of the cabinet, and the height is the same height as the wood of the cabinet. There is a corner cut from the right hand side. The cut starts 1/2" from the machine, and ends 1 1/4" from the right of the wooden piece.

Hope this helps.

Duke

[mxfaiman]

I assume you mean the hinged wooden piece on the bottom, as that seemed to be missing from your photo:

No I need the measurements of the tin tray at the top on the back side. As you can see I have the chute but the tray is gone.

[DukeOfDelmar]

No I need the measurements of the tin tray at the top on the back side. As you can see I have the chute but the tray is gone.

Ah, sorry, I thought since the hinged wooden part kind of makes a tray... anywho...

That will be a bit more complex to measure but I will get to it soon.

What IS the function of the hinged wooden part? It doesn't seem to add much stability...

[naha13]

Looks like an add on to support a ball tray at the bottom to keep it from falling backwards once the balls start dropping down.

What IS the function of the hinged wooden part? It doesn't seem to add much stability...

[mxfaiman]

What IS the function of the hinged wooden part? It doesn't seem to add much stability...

I don't think it really has a purpose. I think it was used as just an addition to the frame so your ball bin wouldn't fall off. It was done when it was imported I think.

[mxfaiman]

What are those red things on the back?

Little off topic on the thread but I figured out what those red things do. They are covers that hide secret nails beneath them that a parlor could deploy to block off certain pockets.(Kinda an evil thing to do. )

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[oauggieo]

Little off topic on the thread but I figured out what those red things do. They are covers that hide secret nails beneath them that a parlor could deploy to block off certain pockets.(Kinda an evil thing to do. )

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but could those nails be the Anti-Cheating device under the *Dad you Won* Machine mentioned in this post http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/vint...volution.html?

If so, Do you have a magnet? Try getting a ball in one using the magnet. I'm curious if it works.

-Auggie

[mxfaiman]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but could those nails be the Anti-Cheating device under the *Dad you Won* Machine mentioned in this post http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/vint...volution.html?

If so, Do you have a magnet? Try getting a ball in one using the magnet. I'm curious if it works.

-Auggie

I'm not quite sure what your saying. But I do know that they aren't an anti-cheat device. I think they were used to block off pockets, It would be right up a kugushi's alley to block off pockets so the parlor would profit even more. Plus using a magnet anywhere around there won't do much as the nails are brass (and brass isn't magnetic).