Pachinko newb - Sankyo Star Wars not paying out anything

[ChadTower]

Hi! I am in MA and just bought my first pachinko. I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about these games. I usually work in pinball and video but a nice Star Wars machine fell into my lap so I grabbed it. So far, we're having fun with it, but it doesn't pay anything out whether we win or not. Still trying to figure that out. We did win once and we can hear a mechanism trying to pay out. The payout bin is full. I think it's jammed and haven't quite figured out how to clear a jam yet.

11745410_1034995793179683_5106781124464916798_n.jpg

EDIT: Just found the error code and it's a 3. "Payout count switch abnormality"

[Drunkenclam]

Welcome Aboard

As for pay outs. If a ball goes in the start pocket under the screen, it should trigger the video reelsand dispense 3 balls. If its not. Follow the path of balls from the rear ball tank, down the channel going down to the right and check that the metal forks are in the up position and the balls can flow into the payout assembly. If thats fine, Yoiu might have to remove the payout motor and make sure nothing is jammed in it. Like fluff or and over sized ball, or a forign object of some kind.

Daverob translated the manual for this frame, its on his website.

http://pinballdave.co.uk/pachinko/tech.html


Although cels aren't as common to find as they used to be, It is possible and quite quick to do, to change the game cel for a different one, There are loads for the lumina frame.

http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43312

But you might have to fight some of us for the most desirable ones


Any problems, just ask

[ChadTower]

Just so folks can see the specific game:

11742850_1034995779846351_319843454831945272_n.jpg

I am new to the forum and to pachinko but am learning quickly. I'm used to working on pinball machines and do have decent mechanical/electrical skills. Electronic is a bit less. I just picked up this machine from a gentleman who didn't use it much himself.

I found the translated manual on this site and found the error code. It's a 3: "payout count switch abnormality".

I turned the the ball dump knob and some M+Ms fell out. That's at least an explanation. Should the payout switch be set to open or closed for typical operation? That is not quite clear. And is there a way to force a payout so we can test this? It took literally a few thousand balls shot in to get a match so we could discover it doesn't pay out.

Thanks so much for any help given. This game is pretty cool but rarely hits so we need it to actually pay out when it does.

[ChadTower]

UPDATE:

Power cycled the machine and now it gives a 7 "balls cut off (out of balls)". The hopper above is full so there's got to be something else going on in there. Trying to figure out how to get the plastic form to swing out so I can look through the whole path.

[Drunkenclam]

pop open the front glass and drop a ball in the start pocket,

To remove teh covers, its all in the manual listed in the link above

[ChadTower]

Thanks guys, I'm poking through those manuals now. It's definitely not paying out anything if it should be paying every time you hit start. It is not doing that. The guy who sold it to me didn't even know that so I bet he never saw it pay out either and just didn't think anything of it.

[Drunkenclam]

Make sure the balls make it through to the payout motor and get past the 2 white switches located in the black square channel (I think going from memory) are any of the round red lights on the frame above the glass on?

[ChadTower]

You're not talking about the color changing lights inside the frame itself, are you?

[ChadTower]

HA! The manual helped me figure out how to properly get my eyes on the payout track. Check this out!

stuck_candy.jpg

That is an M+M!

So the next thing I need to resolve is how to get into that track properly so I can get the darn thing out.

[Drunkenclam]

They do come apart pretty easy, although it's been years since I had one of these in pieces. But I can have a look at my hot springs machine tomorrow (Time difference ) and have a look. But it's normally only a couple of Philips head screws. I'm guessing you took the pic with a mobile phone and the image is reversed.

Either side of the glass at the top there are 2 perfectly round lights about 1/2" big, they light up if the payout tank is empty (or the machine thinks it's empty) or if it's awaiting payouts to complete, yours might be doing both.


Oh if you do clear the jam, without doing a memory reset (holding the reset button during power up) you might have a lot of payouts to catch up on. Might be in the thousands of balls. So expect that when it's fixed.

Also so you can check the frame lights by holding the chance button directly after you turn the power on.

[ChadTower]

I did manage to get the blockage fixed. It was SIX screws. I had to pull the black half of the lane guide for the balls as well as the tank empty switch. I no longer get the 3 or 7 but it's also still not paying out. This time I KNOW it's not paying out. The machine must have been grateful for getting that M+M out of there. In the ten minutes I tested it I completed both red and blue fever modes and got into blue fever again when the wife called for dinner. Not a single ball paid out during all 15 rounds of either one.

[ChadTower]

Hrm. The "empty hopper" switch is working correctly. I can get it to a 7 error by dumping all the balls. If I refill, 7 turns to 4. Still hasn't paid anything out. If I watch the electric motor inside the payout unit it almost looks like it's restricted somehow. I wonder if one of the pieces of candy is stuck inside that thing. I guess I'll have to pull it out and see.

[ChadTower]

Okay, I think it's paying out now! After many rounds of feeding the trough and paying right out I tracked down the reset button. That cleared the payouts up and now it seems to be paying out when we think it should.

One more question: That arch on the lower left? Should the game pay anything out when the ball passes through that? If not what function does it serve?

[MrGneiss]

One more question: That arch on the lower left? Should the game pay anything out when the ball passes through that? If not what function does it serve?

If you're talking about the pass through I think you are then I think this old post of mine might help!!

Sub Roulette

Each time a ball goes through the pass through pocket, then one of the 4 leds will light..those are stocked chances of getting the flippers around the main start pocket to open for less than a second, theoretically giving you a better chance to get a ball in the start pocket for a spin..there is usually also 2 symbols somewhere on the play field or on the screen that are usually an X and an O that will flash back and forth and then stop on one of them..if it stops on the right symbol then the flippers will open..if it stops on the other symbol then they won't open..Then if you have anymore stocked it will start again!!

On some pachinkos it will always stop on the winning symbol and on others it rarely does..like on Star Wars!!

It is often referred to as the 'sub roulette' on these forums!!

I hope I explained that ok...Its a feature on most modern pachinkos!!

[Drunkenclam]

Star Wars is known to be really stingy in opening the flippers during normal play, Others machines are more generous.

[ChadTower]

Okay cool, thanks for the tips, guys. I'm going to write up the solution here so the ticket is closed.

SOLUTION: I had to clear blockages from the payout track. In order to do that I had to remove the backside of the upper part of the track in the area of the hopper full switch. That gave me access to the inside of the track and once the blockage fell out balls were moving through easily. After that I had to pull out the payout unit and clean that out too. I did not disassemble the payout unit. I used Q tips to clean it through the track holes and to force the plastic gears to unstick. They had probably not moved properly in years so they just needed a little nudging.

[takethecastle57]

I did a bunch of Sankyo Lumina Frame maintenace youtube videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mf_2rXbZ0g


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al1QYFkDMQI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY9xfOmGY3g

I hope this helps folks