Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

  1. #1
    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    99
    Thanks
    66
    Thanks Received
    190

    Default A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Now that I have 4 pachinko machines (at least I will come Christmas), I'm starting to put serious thought on how to display them, and automate ball return to the payout hoppers, especially on the fever machines.

    My idea is for an expandable cabinet system where several machines can share ball-lifting infrastructure, and possibly, dedicated 24VAC power.

    I have been spending the past week planning the cabinet details out in Blender 3D, with input from a friend more experienced in woodworking. It is still a work-in-progress, with the most attention still needed in the ball handling system.

    Here is a concept rendering of what this would look like:
    Concept photo 2.jpg

    To flow the balls from one cabinet to the next to/from the ball lifter, a ramp would start at one cabinet and would slope gently downhill through each successive cabinet. The current cabinet design will accommodate up to 12 machines, 6 on each side of a shared ball-lifter module. (Probably the design can be modified to accommodate more, but after 24 linear feet of pachinkos, you'd probably want an aisle break anyway in a home, no?

    To ensure gravity can do its job properly, and account for the inexact nature of wood and warps, the cabinets would have furniture levelers, which they should have anyway to keep the pachinko itself level . I've run simulated tests of my ramp designs for both the ball return and ball feed in a game engine, and they both seem to work well.

    Here's a couple of questions I have to start out:

    If I want to wire the cabinets with 24VAC, where would I find the hardware to do that? I understand that modern pachinkos have significant 24v power needs. For instance my "CR Galaxy Railways" is rated at 200VA, which is roughly 8.3A. I've found power supplies for closed circuit TV equipment and such, but those seem to top out at 3.5A per output, and 600VA overall. Where can I find equipment to handle power for 6-12 modern pachinkos at 200VA each?

    My understanding of ball lifter systems is that the biggest challenge is preventing clogs of silverball. Has anyone experimented with using the guts of an unsalvageable pachinko to handle this problem? It seems to me the top part of the payout tract would be perfect for funnelling down to a single stream of balls without clogs.

    I plan to share all plans on this forum publicly once I make a few more revisions. For now though, my wife really wants to see the new Thor movie, so gotta go!

  2. The following 6 users say "Thanks" to DukeOfDelmar


  3. #2
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey
    Posts
    28,495
    Thanks
    13,435
    Thanks Received
    18,805

    Red face Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Well after a hard night out partying for my brothers 40th birthday. This might not make sense

    Parlour machine power.
    From reading machine frame manuals and what's being sold by parlour recyclers. They use multiply 100v to 24v transformers rated at 500va or 1000va (1kva) to run either 2 or 4 machines. Although if you go to a good electrical shop you can buy transformers rated at 2kva and higher. (8 machines or more) Although one of our resident experts once advised me against doing so as during low power consumption, you can get raised voltage levels. The data counters all have their own 24v supply per aisle and not shared with the machine supply.

    As you say. The hardest part is getting balls to flow smoothly. You have 3 different ways of storing balls. Above or below the machine in a huge tank. Or both above and below. Storing above is easier on a lifter as it can keep plodding along whilst balls drain into the top of a machine. Below is safer as you don't have a huge weight sitting above the machines 7ft in the air. But if you have multiply machines hitting fever at the same time. Your going to need a fast ball lifter to keep up. One down side of a tank above the machines is to isolate the balls when you need to access the machine. Do it wrong and you get 20,000 balls falling on your head. Using old rear top tanks should help to channel the balls into individual streams to feed each machine in turn. It's getting the tanks and the first section of tank rail that may take a while (In the UK anyway)
    Last edited by Drunkenclam; 11-09-2013 at 07:42 PM.
    Ian #UKPachinko

  4. The following 2 users say "Thanks" to Drunkenclam


  5. #3
    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    99
    Thanks
    66
    Thanks Received
    190

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Quote Originally Posted by Drunkenclam View Post
    One down side of a tank above the machines is to isolate the balls when you need to access the machine. Do it wrong and you get 20,000 balls falling on your head.
    Lol, I had thought of that. I am planning on using storage above, mainly to reduce capacity needs of a ball lifter. I'm hoping a spring-loaded trap door actuated by the pachinko frame will do the trick.

    Thanks for all the great info on the power systems. Still not sure if I want to mess around there, but more motivated to after learning that the conversion kit transformer on my "CR Galaxy Railways" is being seriously overloaded! (Machine rated at 200VA, transformer at 125VA)

  6. #4
    Pachi Puro pachiwall's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Dayton, Ohio
    Posts
    3,235
    Thanks
    4,680
    Thanks Received
    4,663

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Quote Originally Posted by Drunkenclam View Post
    Using old rear top tanks should help to channel the balls into individual streams to feed each machine in turn. It's getting the tanks and the first section of tank rail that may take a while (In the UK anyway)
    I'm not sure what you mean by "old rear top tanks"...are you referring to some type of ball storage tank from a parlor?

  7. #5
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey
    Posts
    28,495
    Thanks
    13,435
    Thanks Received
    18,805

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    The frame manuals call the rear payout hopper on the back of the machine tanks. So I continue to do so too
    Ian #UKPachinko

  8. The following user says "Thanks" to Drunkenclam


  9. #6
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey
    Posts
    28,495
    Thanks
    13,435
    Thanks Received
    18,805

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Last edited by Drunkenclam; 11-10-2013 at 06:49 AM.
    Ian #UKPachinko

  10. The following 3 users say "Thanks" to Drunkenclam


  11. #7
    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    99
    Thanks
    66
    Thanks Received
    190

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Quote Originally Posted by Drunkenclam View Post
    Although if I can find some of these. I'd prefer them
    Agreed, however since I am releasing these plans for general use, I'd like to keep the base specs using more easily acquired parts, like 1970's Nishijin or Sankyo tanks. Of course, those with the skills to navigate the labyrinthine system of getting these parts from Japan would be free to respec their rigs.

  12. #8
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey
    Posts
    28,495
    Thanks
    13,435
    Thanks Received
    18,805

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    In the pachinko baron lands of the UK. We don't have that luxury
    Ian #UKPachinko

  13. The following user says "Thanks" to Drunkenclam


  14. #9
    Gibisans - Japan West compirate's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Down in da Holler, WV
    Posts
    9,106
    Thanks
    8,726
    Thanks Received
    18,435

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Quote Originally Posted by Drunkenclam View Post
    Those are the "shoot" shown on this page. They attach to the Supply Gutter, come in lefts and rights (both sides of gutter), used for double sided aisle or extra feeds for ball loaners. Better would be the "Cross cutting base (supply vessel)", automatic cutoff when machine is opened. Something homemade shouldn't be too difficult.

    img_silk_04_up.jpg

    人生は恐れなければ、とても素晴らしいものなんだよ。
    人生に必要なもの。それは勇気と想像力、そして少しのお金だ。

  15. The following 3 users say "Thanks" to compirate


  16. #10
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey
    Posts
    28,495
    Thanks
    13,435
    Thanks Received
    18,805

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Yes. I have 5 of those already . Just need something to make the balls go single file into each machine. So was thinking about putting the shoots in to the gutter then a small length of hose to the supply vessel.
    The switches on mine are rewired to prevent the lifter from working if any machine is open.
    Ian #UKPachinko

  17. The following 4 users say "Thanks" to Drunkenclam


  18. #11
    Blind Shooter DukeOfDelmar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    99
    Thanks
    66
    Thanks Received
    190

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Quote Originally Posted by Drunkenclam View Post
    In the pachinko baron lands of the UK. We don't have that luxury
    Yes, across the pond here in the States, we are fortunate that pachinko machines were imported by the boatload in the '70s.

    At any rate, I'm making the ball-feed mostly independent of the cabinet structure itself, so any adopters will really be free to use whatever is available. The only ball-moving parts that are integrated into the structure are the ball return ramps to the lower tank the lifter will work from.

  19. The following user says "Thanks" to DukeOfDelmar


  20. #12
    Pachi Puro pachiwall's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Dayton, Ohio
    Posts
    3,235
    Thanks
    4,680
    Thanks Received
    4,663

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    Quote Originally Posted by Drunkenclam View Post
    The frame manuals call the rear payout hopper on the back of the machine tanks. So I continue to do so too
    It seems to me that a "tank", or upper ball hopper, is very small when talking about a ball handling system. How they can be used to feed multiple machines intrigues me! They are considered too small for ONE machine...that is why we build cabinets with extended ball hoppers on top. Am I missing something...I feel lost.

  21. The following user says "Thanks" to pachiwall


  22. #13
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Guildford, Surrey
    Posts
    28,495
    Thanks
    13,435
    Thanks Received
    18,805

    Default Re: A Home Pachinko Cabinet System

    I think it's more of a way to get a large quantity of balls to go from a heap to single file run of balls. Build your large storage vessel with 3,4 etc rear ball located at the bottom. Then the balls will flow nicely to each machine. In theory.
    Ian #UKPachinko

  23. The following 3 users say "Thanks" to Drunkenclam


Similar Threads

  1. Arcade Cabinet - MAME - Video Game System Tempe, AZ
    By phunk311 in forum FB Marketplace, Craig's List and Other Listings
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 08-27-2010, 12:54 PM
  2. pachinko ball management system
    By owennewton in forum Ball Lifters/Ball Management
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 11-12-2007, 08:52 PM
  3. Home Depot Cabinet?
    By tornadoclaw in forum Pachinko Cabinets
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 08-23-2006, 11:04 AM
  4. Pachinko game system
    By luckydog in forum eBay - General Auction listings
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-31-2005, 08:30 PM
  5. Pachinko ball supply and return system
    By RKnarr01 in forum Pachinko Modifications
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 03-21-2005, 02:14 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •