I just got a 2007 King Kong pachinko made by Taiyo and within 1 hour of testing the machine, the motor started grinding loudly and the drive gear suddenly would not turn. I had removed a few screws to clean the mildew-infested ramps and jackpots and thought maybe a screw had fallen into the ball launching gear system. However, after dissecting and reassembling the ball launching system, there were no foreign objects found in the assembly, the wiring // electrical contacts appeared in decent shape, but the motor could barely turn enough to activate the ball launcher. I decided to separate the motor from the launch assembly and run it by itself on on the pachinko. I first tested the motor without electricity, finding that the wheel had a grinding sensation and that it turned without resistance. However, when the motor was run, it did not always turn the gear and was quite noisy compared to other electronic pachinko motors that I have heard.

At this point, my most likely diagnosis is a burned-out motor. I am trying to find where I can get a new Taiyo motor (English only, please! I don't understand a word of Japanese!) and what this would likely cost me including shipping to the United States.

Last, because this was purchased on ebay, I realize that I have some protection. This is (well... was) a fun machine and I would rather avoid the hassle of re-crating it to send back for a refund. The seller, a well-known pachinko and slot machine resaler, said that this was the last of the machines in a lot he purchased a while back from Japan. He added that the warehouse was experiencing heavy rain, moisture, and although the machine did not have signs of water // flood damage, I am pretty certain this could have killed the motor and filled the inside tracks with mildew.

Notes // Questions regarding the refund:
---I paid approximately $450 for the machine.
---Would it be appropriate to ask for a refund equal to the cost of a motor replacement?
---What would be reasonable to ask for on a refund request for 4 hours of labor to clean and fix the machine?

Notes // Questions regarding what the Japanese buttons say:
---What are the two Japanese character buttons to the right of the red Chance button?
---What does the Chance button do? Does it spin the slot machine reels on the display?
---What does the switch do to the right of the volume control? Does this affect the odds on winning on the slot machine bonus program?
---Is there a debug screen on the machine where I can adjust odds, volume, or other factors (ie balls won vs balls lost back to machine)?

Notes regarding the Wake-the-Dead volume control system:
---Where can I find instructions on making a working volume control system? I turned the machine to silent, but a loud Japanese woman's voice always shouts some sorta gibberish when I turn the machine on or when I open the door // have an empty ball tray. I can only assume she is shouting in my ears that the machine is out of balls, the doors are open with the machine being out of service, or that she is yelling that the machine is turned on (she definitely does not say King Kong on start-up)