Absolute Newbie, what do I have and why won't it hold the balls

[Alb0711]

My hobby is fixing EM pinball machines. Love em! A friend gave me this Nishijin Pachinko thinking that they can't be much different then repairing a pinball machine. I'm sure most of you already know, there is very little in common between Pachinko and Pinball with the exception of metal balls.

The only thing I know about this machine is that it is a Nishijin because of the sticker on the playfield. I'd like help identifying the model and the years this particular machine would have been made.

My second problem is that when I load the balls into the hopper on the top back of the machine, they all just fall through to the ball drain box I've got behind it. I downloaded a basic trouble shooting document made by Sutra Import but it's quite cryptic. For some reason the gates that hold the balls until they are needed seem to be stuck open.

Thanks in advance for the help!
Allen
IMG_8410.jpegIMG_8411.jpegIMG_8412.jpeg

[Silverballs]

Check the two finger gate/fork to the right of the balls jackpot/counter seesaw. It acts as a gate, open, or up it allows balls to drain out. Fork down, stops flow and a 14 count number of balls load in the plastic seesaw tray etc.

[Alb0711]

Thanks Silverballs! I think I'm looking in the area of the gate, and underneath it this blue plastic boomerang piece seems to just be hanging there not connected to anything else. Is it supposed to be like this? Are there photos of the back of a working machine similar to mine that I can study?
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[ebb]

Nice series modal A recycling machine.. perfect for home use
looks all there and can get working of full restore, always somewhere in between

[ebb]

Nice series modal A recycling machine.. perfect for home use
looks all there and can get working of full restore, always somewhere in between

you can adjust the tension on the break on top hopper so it closes and doesn’t spill then balls IMG_7561.jpeg

[ebb]

That’s the Jack pot lever that silver bar resets the jackpot
It’s in the right position

[Silverballs]

100_3202.JPG100_3206.JPG100_3205.JPGEbbs pics are on the lower hoppers feed wire. It's connected to the lower feed hopper and when the balls are absent the seesaw in the lower hoppers channel will rise and drop the wire allowing balls from the upper hopper to fill it back up to keep game play flowing.

[Silverballs]

https://rumble.com/vtu51l-technical-...o-machine.html

[takethecastle57]

and biscuits

[Alb0711]

Any idea when it was made? Pretty amazing technology! Gravity does all the work.

[Alb0711]

That video is just what the doctor ordered! Very well done. Thanks!!

[Alb0711]

As I work my way through the machine I've found a new issue. My center red tulip is stuck. I am afraid to force it open and I don't see any way to get into it from the back to see what's holding it open. Any ideas?

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[sparky kilowatt]

As I work my way through the machine I've found a new issue. My center red tulip is stuck. I am afraid to force it open and I don't see any way to get into it from the back to see what's holding it open. Any ideas?

IMG_8435.jpeg

Can you drop a ball in it to see if that will make it open or close? The mechanism that triggers the tulip to open & close is a little ramp inside of it, you may have a ball jammed inside the tulip. From you pictures it looks to me like your tulip is incorporated in your center attraction, looks like there are small nails on the outer chromed ring holding it in place. If you were able to remove those small nails, you should be able to remove the entire center attraction to get a better look at the back inner workings of the tulip.

To loosen the nails, you can try to slide something behind the outer trim ring, I use a small, thin putty knife and wiggle it back and forth to get them started, then pull them with a pair of end cutting nipper pliers.