Ask Frank ‘the Crank’ Seninsky
Here’s the Ticket!
Service and modification tips are great time and parts savers and also help increase game revenues. If any of our reader technicians have a tip, please email it to Frank the Crank at [email protected]. Be sure to include your name, title, and facility. All tips are much appreciated.
American Changer CPU Protection Tip
(Dave Forlano, Regional Technician, Alpha-Omega Amusements)
Problem: CPU is not working (blown chips) due to a quarter or token falling into the gap between the cardboard insulator and the solder side of the CPU board. The CPU board is mounted to the top side of the cabinet with a thin cardboard insulator between the cabinet and CPU. Coins can get pushed out of the top edge of the hopper bin and once in a while one will slip into the gap and be the cause of an expensive repair.
Solution: Avoid this disaster by placing and securing a ‘deflector’ on top of the CPU, acting like a window awning, and any falling coins will harmlessly fall away from the CPU and drop to the bottom of the cabinet. (See picture).
There are many games, especially coin-action games, where sensitive circuit boards and power supplies are mounted in harms’ way of stray coins (and any loose metal parts), horizontally to the cabinet floor or on the cabinet floor. Once you encounter a blown board you will be highly motivated to cover these vulnerable boards with a piece of plexi-glass or cardboard. Make sure to put holes in your cover so that the boards can breath (permit heat to escape).
Increase Ticket Capacity on Coin Pushers (Ray Dachik, Technician/Manager, Alpha-Omega Amusements)
Running out of tickets on our high revenue generating coin pushers or having to frequently add more tickets is a headache most technicians can do without. Coming up with a simple way to install a larger ticket bin in the small space looked like a worthwhile project.
I chose an Atlantis 4-player because it has the least interior space per player station compared to Elvis or Gold Coast. Starting with a 3-stack ticket bin that I got from parts, I cut it down to 9.5 inch height which is enough to hold more than 4000 tickets. Next a 14 inch piece of 1” wide flat metal stock is used mount the ticket bin at a 130 degree angle. The angle is specific to Atlantis. Note that adding tickets is now easier because the new ticket bin is slightly tilted forward, towards the front. (See diagram and finished picture). These days, I like Atlantis much better!
Costs: 3-stack ticket bin is $19.95 (Benchmark, Part#THSHM002). Metal flat stock was $7 for 48” that will make 3 brackets. I used 2 small bolts with nuts, 2 screws. Cutting, drilling, bending, and installing took under 1 hour. The 2nd one took 30 minutes.
As other pushers have more interior space, there is a possibility that a 3-stack that holds 6000 tickets will work. I’ll let you know.
Monster Drop Ball Pulley Belt Stops When 3rd Ball is NOT in Place
(Ray Dachik, Technician/Manager, Alpha-Omega Amusements)
Problem: The Receiver Board optic sensor ‘sensed’ a blockage and stopped the Ball Pulley Belt even when there was no ball above it. When I touched the Receiver Board the red light would go off and the belt would start moving and deposit a ball onto the track, but then the red light would come back on immediately after the ball rolled past it and stay on. This stopped the belt even if there was no stationary ball above it.
When the game is working properly, the Receiver Board should stop the Ball Pulley Belt when the 3rd ball is in place above it when the game is awaiting a win. The Receiver Board has a red LED that lights up when a ball is detected above it. The red LED should come on briefly when a ball rolls over the sensor but the belt should not stop unless the sensor detects a stationary ball above it.
I pulled the Receiver Board and noticed that the receiver bulb was surrounded by a protective shrink boot that extended above the bulb. The little round opening left by the shrink boot was filled with dust. After cleaning off the dust, I peeled the shrink boot down permanently to expose the top of the bulb (See Diagram). The Receiver Board has worked perfectly now for several months and our Monster Drop is making more money. This leads me to believe that the Shrink Boot may have been responsible for causing many intermittent reported problems in the past as the dust buildup started getting worse.
I pass this information on because replacing the Receiver Board will only temporally solve the problem and the same problem will occur again.
