Proud owner of Toyotec Rocky ... Now some questions

[MadMyers]

General question (maybe should be separate thread, but I'll try here first)...

In a parlor, how are the balls maintained in the machines? Do the operators just fill up the top hoppers after a fever or at the beginning of each day?

Or do they have some mechanical method to auto fill?

Does the hopper hold enough balls for a fever? I didn't think so. So would an operator almost always need to add more balls during a fever?

Beginner questions...

[Drunkenclam]

Huge conveyor systems collect the balls from each machine then recirclate them back to the top.

Some of us are mad enought to have some of the ball management system parts, But what people think is the easist, but is actually the hardest is raising the balls 3-4ft from a collection point back to the top. On individual set up you can get a ball lifter per machine. But they are really meant for vintage or early moderns. Seeing as some moderns can have 18 fevers in a row, Thats approx 36,000 balls depending on model.

http://www.nishijin.co.jp/supply-system/

[Drunkenclam]

[MadMyers]

Impressive stuff, those ball movers.

[MadMyers]

Sharing some more Rocky info...

Yesterday I realized the top right speaker wasn't playing. I opening up the cabinet and unscrewed a couple screws to remove a plastic plate. I found someone had disconnected the speaker. Luckily it's a simple spade connector, so I just connected it again.

It made the music sound better. The left and right speakers definitely play different parts of the tune. Oh, and it made the game even louder.

A bit later I noticed there was yet another speaker, this one somewhat bigger, down by the winning collection area. This one wasn't playing any sound either. I figured out how to open that area of the cabinet. At this point I found the speaker was disconnected...




Hooking that made a big difference... Even louder and much more rumble!

And now for a question...

In general, did pachinko games come with bent pins from the factory? Or is a bent pin a sign of wear (or more likely someone bending it)? I'm wondering about these pins just above the bottom rocky target. The left one is bent left and the right one is bent right.



Thanks again

[Drunkenclam]

bent to make it easier for the ball to go in the start pocket

[MadMyers]

With my 3 speakers going, this thing is crazy loud.

I'm wondering what a Pachinko Parlor sounds like? Is it crazy loud? I cannot even imagine having 30 of these guys making all this noise.

How do people even stay in there long enough to "win"?

[Moparformances]

With my 3 speakers going, this thing is crazy loud.

I'm wondering what a Pachinko Parlor sounds like? Is it crazy loud? I cannot even imagine having 30 of these guys making all this noise.

How do people even stay in there long enough to "win"?

my guess it there so loud the noise start to cancel out each other.. its like a bunch of kids in a gym.. no matter how may more ua put in there it does not get louder..

hear is what ya need

i love these.. my personal choice.. super small and easy to solder in place.. about the size of a dime..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Volume-Con...item1e6704b2ff

others swear by these (i have never used them)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Volume-Contr...item1e66dcd013

[lotsoballs]

With my 3 speakers going, this thing is crazy loud.

I'm wondering what a Pachinko Parlor sounds like? Is it crazy loud? I cannot even imagine having 30 of these guys making all this noise.

How do people even stay in there long enough to "win"?

Yeah, it is crazy loud, I've had people play 3 modern machines at once in my house (let alone hundreds of them at once) and it gets very hectic and loud, and it upsets my dog who starts running around barking ....lots of clanking pachinko ball noise and of course the ridiculously loud speakers! I'm guessing most are too busy immersed in the game and addicted to gambling to be worried about the noise; not unlike slot machines!

[MadMyers]

I played for 30 minutes last night and my ears were ringing when I stopped.

My volume pots have been ordered.

And my 1,500 pachinko balls might be here Friday. I need to add a pipe or other mechanism to better control balls falling from cabinet into hopper.

Oh, my Rocky page on my web site does not suck as much now

www.aaarpinball.com/Rocky/Rocky.htm

[mandoman]

Oh, my Rocky page on my web site...
www.aaarpinball.com/Rocky/Rocky.htm

Wow! Very nicely done. Good work!

[hanabi]

Great page / website

some really nice pinballs there, (I spy a couple I have too)

[Moparformances]

Wow! Very nicely done. Good work!

[MadMyers]

Thanks guys!

[MadMyers]

Added potentiometers to the 3 speakers to tame the volume. Turned out nice. I used those pots from the guy on eBay. They are pretty good, but the 500 Ohm range is way too high (at least for Rocky). I need about 15-20 Ohms for good volume. These pots are a little fussy to get that low of an Ohm reading. Still, having them mounted on the PCB was handy.

Below are some pictures of the modified upper right speaker.

[MadMyers]

I had a little problem with my Rocky and the cabinet it came with. Because of the location of the drain, half the balls make it to the appropriate basket but the other half get stuck.



I wanted a solution that only involved the cabinet, not the Rocky pachinko. I ended up making a simple diverter out of 2" PVC and attaching it to the cabinet. It sits about 1/8" below the drain, allowing the door to be opened a closed without getting in the way. Total cost was less than $5.

Here is what it looked like when I was working on getting the appropriate spacing.



I ended up attaching it to the cabinet with with 2 zip ties. It's not rock solid, but it's stable enough to work.



I've played a lot and it's working great. No more balls stuck in the back.

[MadMyers]

I made a video of the fever mode in Rocky (aka Fighting Bonus).

https://youtu.be/vyp0CipjYzM

I need some practice with my ball handling. When fever starts, both bins get full and it doesn't seem I can launch balls until I clear them. How do people normally handle this at a parlor? I assume the empty the balls into a basket...

[LynnInDenver]

I need some practice with my ball handling. When fever starts, both bins get full and it doesn't seem I can launch balls until I clear them. How do people normally handle this at a parlor? I assume the empty the balls into a basket...

There should actually be a "button" on the front of the lower tray. Pressing it until it clicks should open the drain in that tray, allowing balls to fall into a container you place below. To close it, press the button again, this should release the internal "catch" and allow it to close.

[Drunkenclam]

I know the vintage machines disabled the shooter if the payout trays are full. Never seen a modern do it, as all of mine give an audible warning and a message on screen, then stops payout out until the lower tray is emptied, but the shooter continues to work.

[MadMyers]

Thanks. Rocky certainly stops shooting the balls and doesn't give any visual indication.

Next time I hit fever I'll pay more attention to exactly what's happening.