New Addition: Monako Hanemono "Pyon Pyon Maru"

[JACKSJE4]

Thanks to good ol' craigslist, I found and picked up the second hanemono machine for my personal collection - one I wasn't looking for and didn't know I needed. This one is made by Monako and I believe it is called "Pyon Pyon Maru", although I have no clue what that means. I spent the better part of the afternoon researching it and trying to find any information about it on the net, but came up empty. I would appreciate any info our members might be able to provide.

The machine works very well, although I had to disassemble a ball path on the back to clear some debris to allow the jackpot counter to work correctly. All of the lights work and it is just as loud and noisy as my other hanemono. The center feature has a mechanical frog who's eyes light up and head moves back/forth when you get a ball in the "V" pocket. There is a magnet that catches a ball in front of his mouth and moves it around in a circle until the fever ends, then the frog's tongue sticks out and he "eats" the ball as if it were a bug.

The machine was advertised for $50 and it came with about 1,200 "like new" balls that I think are worth the $50 on their own. The seller received the machine in 1994 as a gift from his brother, who bought it in Japan and had it shipped. The machine is very dirty and smells like it came from a smoker's home (which it did), so I will need to do a bit of cleaning and deodorizing before I can move it into the house with my other "personal" machines.

Although I have been a "vintage" collector for quite some time now, the hanemono machines are really starting to grow on me.


Manako Hanemono - Frogs 006.jpgManako Hanemono - Frogs 002.jpgManako Hanemono - Frogs 004.jpgManako Hanemono - Frogs 003.jpgManako Hanemono - Frogs 008.jpgManako Hanemono - Frogs 005.jpg

[JACKSJE4]

Ok... I think I spoke too soon.


I was playing the machine and having a great time, when I noticed a ball jam in the back. After taking it apart a bit and clearing the jam, I noticed that the jackpot payout sensor isn't working. When I briefly played the machine at the sellers' house, I know it paid out at least one jackpot during play, but now I cannot get it to payout at all.

I traced the wires and checked all of the connections that I can find and reseated them all, but I am still not getting any payout activity. There are magnetic sensors that detect a winning ball, which then triggers a relay to release the ball and jackpot, then there is another magnetic sensor that detects when the winning ball exits the machine and into the collection bin, resetting or turning off the relay. It appears that the two magnetic sensors and the relay are not working and/or do not have power, yet they are connected firmly to the lower circuit board (I can only assume at this point that the circuit board is working properly).

Anyhow, I decided to set it aside, sleep on the issue, and try working on it again in the morning. I am not well versed in electronics and do not have any testing equipment (not that I would know how to work it if I did have it). Hopefully the solution is simple and will become clear to me in the morning.

[alphaminor]

What a great looking machine! and that price is unbeatable!
hopefully its not anything too difficult to fix since it worked before,
good luck!

[pachinkojeff]

Exciting!

[candyflip]

There are a couple of Pyon Pyon Maru machines from Monako/Okamura, and your's is actually : ピョンピョン丸 2 or Pyon Pyon Maru 2.

http://www.mansai777.com/machine/det...el_id/m0001160

ピョンピョン (or 'pyon pyon') is the Japanese onomatopoeic katakana word for the sound of a frog (in this case) jumping or hopping.
丸 (Maru, as this kanji refers) is round or circular, a term frequently found in pachinko machine names, due to the use of spheres (the balls!).

Loosely, this could be said as 'jumping around' in English.