Hello, Pachitalk, from a curious pachinko repair novice that loves to learn!
While I can totally bore people about the fact that I am a vintage console game collector that runs an international Magic card, Pokemon card, and video game business while working in the daytime as a nurse, I think you want to hear about my pachinko history.
The first pachinko that I remember having was when I was about 5 years old and found it in my parents' basement and it was a fully working mid 1970's Nishijin pachinko with extra flower ball catchers. Shortly thereafter, my family had to move to a new military base and I was heartbroken to see one of my very favorite toys be given away. When I returned around the age of 8 years old, my uncle had an very old, very dirty, and badly mistreated 1970's Nishijin Super Deluxe Battle of the Monkey and Crab Pachinko! I really enjoyed playing with it so much, especially having an interest in all things mechanical, but wondered how the balls got stuck, finally figured out how to fix the machine when I was 13 years old. and my uncle gave me the machine that he would otherwise incinerate (heresy!!!). I eventually looked online about 15 years later on how to set up the wiring and properly clean the 40-50 years of mildew built up on the insides and front facing, while learning how to take the entire machine apart, then accidentally reassembling the pachinko's inside parts 1/2 inch lower than where they wers supposed to be placed. This opportunity to disassemble and reassemble the machine gave me a great understanding of how the fascinating machine worked.
My next goal was to get a modern Pachinko and I just bought a Sankyo Flying Carpet machine on August 13, 2012 for a mere $60 + back massage cushion trade at a local pawn shop. The pawn shop told me that it had been sitting there forever and was broken and reeked of a bottle of cheap cologne spilled down the insides, hence it would never sell. I then decided to take a similar, albeit much blinder approach on the electronics, to clean and gut this new model. At this point, I have fixed the botched plastic modifications (fracturing off part of the back ball basket track to redirect to lower tray :0!!! and the previous owners replaced some of the key tracks upside down). However, the electronics are my only remaining area (the launcher motor does not always turn on, some wires have a dead end with nothing to connect to, some lights do not work, and the carpet // victory tray don't move) and this is why I have come here to get advice.
Usually, I try not to post too much information about myself to save people the long, boring details of my background story + I am rarely online checking my emails // hobby websites from having to work multiple jobs. Beyond what I may have already said, I was a writing major in college at Virginia Tech (Engineering was out of the question due to having boring, incompetent math teachers.). I dual majored in both Spanish and Human Development - all of which are heavily research and essay based projects. I will post this shortly and hopefully figure out if I can get specific instructions on how to make a ball return. (If anybody has this, I would greatly appreciate it: Any drawing of ball lifter schematics, a list of parts I need to buy, and a picture + written instruction booklet would be great!
If I get these instructions, my plan is to find a way to design an upright cabinet with 4 Pachinko machines on either side or a cabinet with 1 machine each on 3 sides and a dollar to balls hopper on the 4th wall (Therefore allowing there to be a large hinge one can open to fix and refill the machines.)
The backs of each machine would face each other on the above plan in order to prevent dust // mold exposure, but I would love to try this some day.
I am definitely not the most mechanically gifted and have never had a formal class on pachinko repair, electronics, nor shop class. My Huckleberry Hound amateur plan here would be to then use a ball overflow ramp for balls that overflow in the jackpot tray or the recirculating hopper. The overflow balls would fall down a trough between the 4 games in the middle of the cabinet, where they would land ideally in an automatic ball ball purchasing machine similar to the slog and dollar change machine refilling mechanisms.
Interests Pinball machines, About any mechanical game, Video Games, Volunteering for community outreaPinball machines, pachinkos, gambling machines, and about anything else cool and mechanical that's coin operaged. I also am interested in vintage video games, entrepreneurship in running my own small game store, and routinely volunteering my free medical services to needy members of the community.
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Re: Hello, Pachitalk, from a curious pachinko repair novice that loves to learn!
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to Pachitalk!
