Brains Beer! Slot/Fruit Machine

[pachiwall]

I was told that this was a Mills device. It is expected that Mills parts are correct for it. This big 220v solenoid attaches to what I was told was a payout arm.ElectroMechanical 002.jpgElectroMechanical 008.jpgElectroMechanical 001.jpgElectroMechanical 003.jpg The last pic is straight down at the lower right rear corner. The top bar with a hook attached to a spring. I'm told this is directly related to jackpots. Mine has empty slots, Different slots for different payouts.payout mechanism 001.jpgpayout mechanism 002.jpgpayout mechanism 003.jpgpayout mechanism 004.jpg I have 3 bars, with 4 empty slots. The paycard on the front only states that 3 of a kind wins, and token value in Brains trade. 1 jackpot is double. In pic's 7&8 you can see that the bar pulls in and allows a slide below the brass tube to dispense tokens. This looks like 4 springs pull the slide. This trips the switch shown in pic 8.ElectroMechanical 007.jpg Also shown here. The wires are enclosed and join a harness that goes back to a terminal block.

[pachiwall]

ElectroMechanical 005.jpgThis is the terminal block. I suspect the yellow wire attaches to the screw opposite its mate, I don't know why it was disconnected. The other switch I mentioned is hereElectroMechanical 009.jpgElectroMechanical 012.jpgand here as seen from behind.ElectroMechanical 004.jpgIt is mounted to the rectangle plate with 2 bolts at the bottom. This switch gets tripped when a bar that allows or stops the big music box fan spinning. I'm going to call this a clock mechanism because it is related to timing the stopping of the reels.
The other solenoid is attached to another brass tube.ElectroMechanical 006.jpgElectroMechanical 007.jpgIt is missing a spring on the front between the hooks on the end. I don't know, but this tube has no way to fill except manually from the top. Maybe it is a jackpot reserve...in case it is paying out more than it takes in. Or maybe it is part of the double pay for getting the dragon? I'm looking into a Mills service manual so I can learn how this works. I also need to wait for some tokens come in to properly test it.
I want to draw a schematic of the wiring and do a continuity test to make sure that wiring is not a problem. Especially this plug ElectroMechanical 011.jpg. I need to make sure that the short one makes electrical contact.
I don't know where to start, except cleaning, and electrical tests. Buy service manual and wait for tokens to arrive.

[pachiwall]

I mentioned that my coin acceptor was not electrical, then forgot to post pics.CoinDrop 001.jpgThe coin door closed with glass removed to show position of coin drop to mechanism. The next 3 show the 2 layers that are spring loaded. CoinDrop 003.jpgCoinDrop 006.jpgCoinDrop 005.jpg The plunger above is the coin return. When pressed down it separates those layers and coin returns out the side. The attached thumbnail is a glitch...I don't know how I keep doing it

[Moparformances]

is there a micro switch in there somewhere??? how does the machine know when a coin has been inserted???

there are 4 tabs on that coin mech.. the top two are held in by a swivel latch on them.. lift the swivel latches then swing the top to ya and lift the mech out of the bottom two studs..

im thinking theres got to be a micro switch in there somewhere that the coin trips...

[pachiwall]

None whatsoever! I didn't even see those catches!!! Not as east as looks...Attachment 42529 That little funnel above the bracket is stiff... it did not want to flex away. So then I broke my mini screwdriver (they don't call them BREAK NECK for nothing) trying the screws. The 1st spring door is a magnetAttachment 42530 it pulls a slug to the outer (right side) slotAttachment 42531 this sends it out the coin return on the side of the machineAttachment 42532 If it goes down the correct hole it can still be rejected by the shiny \ in the dark round hole in previous pic. I don't know what activates that slug rejector yet. If the token gets this far... then it lands in the bottom of the long slotAttachment 42533 A couple of things happen here. This finger touches the coin, It might be measuring it for correct size. Another wire rod pushes on the back of the coinAttachment 42534Attachment 42535 neither one is a good shot. If this rod passes through, A hook engages the arm and you can't pull. If it passes these tests, then the measuring finger pushes it down into the jackpot tube. At this point, the timer...or clock spins and a bar locks the reels. But no reel spin. I'm waiting for a token to arrive to test more.

[pachiwall]

Don't fall asleep and try to post what was typed last night.Now the condensed version... Hard to squeeze outCoin mystery 001.jpg This is the magnetic slug rejectorCoin mystery 007.jpg This door is also spring loadedCoin mystery 008.jpg Coin mystery 011.jpg Of the 3 slots the coin must fall through the left side nearest the bottom of the screen. that way it falls into the left holeCoin mystery 009.jpg. Even then, there are other tests. It a small metal arm fits into the round hole... looks like a \ in this pic Coin mystery 016.jpgCoin mystery 021.jpgthis is the arm from the back. I don't know what activates this arm but if in the hole coin rolls out the side to coin return.Coin mystery 017.jpgOnce it gets this far it rests in the bottom of this slotCoin mystery 018.jpgWhere a rod pokes it from behind, if no coin...then a large hook catches the pull arm and prevents pull. The rod is visible in the pic above labeled "this is the rod from the back". If pull is allowed this lever comes down, touches the coin (measuring size),and pushes it into the payout tube

[Moparformances]

Once it gets this far it rests in the bottom of this slot Where a rod pokes it from behind, if no coin...then a large hook catches the pull arm and prevents pull. The rod is visible in the pic above labeled "this is the rod from the back". If pull is allowed this lever comes down, touches the coin (measuring size),and pushes it into the payout tube

not so much measuring its size.. its just making sure there is a coin there... the top mech, (that your are able to remove) measures its size to make sure its the right coin and not a slug..

now it makes way more sense...

[pachiwall]

I found a coin validator that will snap in place and work with dimes. Only $28. I have been playing with it, and when the wheels should be free... 1 seems very stiff, 1 seems stiff, and 1 spins free. My next step is to remove the reel assembly and see vwhat kind of dry grease is gumming it up.

[pachiwall]

I thought I had updated this thread, I guess not! I got the book, wasn't the same mechanism, but similar enough to take it apart. I 1st removed the reel bundle.ball lifter reel assy 007.jpgball lifter reel assy 009.jpgball lifter reel assy 010.jpg I carefully marked the position of the reels and took many pics so I could put them back exactly as removed. Otherwise, It wouldn't payout when 3 of a kind hit...and would pay on something stupid! Before removing, a correct coin or token would make the 3 reels spin...together, they were siezed together. They would turn, very stiffly if 1 was held and the others turned by hand. There was rust on the shaft and I cleaned, polished, & lubed it before reassembly. Had to be very careful because the reel strips are cardboard and already have slight damage, didn't want to get any solvent or oil on them and stain them, as they are clearly irreplaceable...unless I had reproductions made. After I was satisfied with the reel bundle I proceeded to remove a part, take a picture, put it in a Ziplock bag, and label it according to it's official name, or a name I made up. If I couldn't find an official name, or make up one that made sense...I would label it "pic # 215" So I could find it! Some stages of disassembly: disassembly 013.jpgdisassembly 017.jpgdisassembly 019.jpgdisassembly 021.jpgdisassembly 024.jpg Pic #8 is a major difference between Bell Fruit and Mills...this is the "brake" that stops the reels. When the handle is pulled and the machine "winds up", the 3 hammers pull back, and the hook moves to the left holding them back. As the clock unwinds, the hook slowly retracts to the right and drops the hammers, 1 at a time, to engage the gear plates...stopping the reels. Mills has 3 vertical brake arms between the reels that pull toward the front, and are dropped into a star wheel attached to each reel...once again timed by the clock. disassembly 023.jpg This is the clock, the shaft with a slot has a brass fan blade with weights on it...removed in order to get it out. An arm is pulled against spring pressure, and when the spring pulls it back a train of gears turn the shaft very fast. without the fan blade, the spring arm almost snaps back. the gearing provides some resistance. The fan blade causes resistance against the air and slows unwinding considerably! The book says that the blades can be bent to provide less air resistance, thus speeding up the braking mechanism. Does not speed up the spinning of the reels, as that is a separate mechanism. The book states that casinos would often bend the fan blades to speed up the machines to make the reels stop faster, causing more coins per hour to be fed into the machine! It also did NOT advise this, as it puts more stress on the moving parts!

[musky]

For a second there I thought it said Brian's Beer...WTH!!

[pachiwall]

Just a few more pics I took back when I disassembled and cleaned this filthy beast! 1st is this cool mechanical counter.disassembly 056.jpg It counts every time the mechanism cycles. The reels were almost completely seized, and all moving parts were stiff from the grease and oil that dried and gummed up. Most pics are probably boring as they are an assembly guide. This one, for example disassembly 018.jpg is a closeup for me to know what position these springs go back to, along with the washers and cotter pins. Notice how on the mainspring there is a wingnut for adjustment of tension that is almost at its max. the hook on the opposite end can be twisted in a few coils to increase tension if the spring stretches beyond what the screw can compensate for.disassembly 050.jpgThese are the vertical payout arms. They retract during wind up, then after the reels stop, they spring back and pass through holes in the gears attached to the reels. the depth that they go and in what combination determine the jackpot. Sadly, this machine seems to have only 2 jackpots, and is very stingy. As you can see in the previous pic. there are 3 horizontal payout arms, and 3 empty slots. My Mills has 6 and pays 2,5,10,14,& 18. As far as I can tell, this machine pays 2 6D coins for any 3 of a kind beer labels, and if you hit the "doubles your money" dragon, ( I believe it is the Brains Family Crest) you get 2 6D coins and the electric solenoid pays out 5 tokens which can be exchanged for Brains Beer. Tokens can also be used to play the machine. I haven't tested any of the electrical, except to give it the "smoke test". I added a 220V plug and plugged it into my dryer outlet...NO SMOKE! One of the florescent lights came on and flickered. No other tinkering with the electrical has been done.disassembly 014.jpgThis is a closeup of the cast bronze payout slide assembly. The slides are steel, and were rusty. I cleaned them with SOS pads and when reassembled, they are put back DRY. Use NO lubricant on payout slides, the book says it creates problems...so I did it by the book.I took it apart as far as I dared, and it looked like this when I stopped removing things.disassembly 058.jpgdisassembly 059.jpgdisassembly 060.jpgdisassembly 061.jpg The vertical and horizontal payout arms with springs were left intact because they looked pretty intimidating. I didn't want to get them wrong and have incorrect payouts. I sprayed the assembly down with engine degreaser and scrubbed the nooks and crannys with a tooth brush, then hosed it off. Followed by spraying it with carburetor cleaner, and hosed it off again. Then sat it in the summer sun to dry. When dry, I used synthetic oil with a needle point applicator to lube all pivot points and sliding parts. Time to reassemble. I had all pics loaded into my hard drive, pulled them up on a 17" hi rez screen, went to the last pic, backed up one page, whatever is on the pic that wasn't on the previous one was cleaned, lubed, and added to the frame. Repeat, repeat, etc. When completely reassembled, it functions correctly!

[pachiwall]

I found a coin validator that will snap in place and work with dimes. Only $28. I have been playing with it, and when the wheels should be free... 1 seems very stiff, 1 seems stiff, and 1 spins free. My next step is to remove the reel assembly and see vwhat kind of dry grease is gumming it up.

I eventually bought enough lots of 6D coins, and tokens to play. I have decided NOT to convert it to dimes! I got lucky on the tokens. One seller had a lot of 45 with outrageous shipping, I contacted the seller and got a much more realistic shipping price. I was the only bidder...probably due to the high shipping listed and not updated. Total cost with shipping was about $0.10 each. Another seller was selling lots of 5 and I noticed that he had several listings at 5 tokens each. I contacted him telling him I needed lots for a fruit machine and didn't want to wait weeks and frustration bidding. He had about 75, and agreed to sell all of them to me at the priceof my winning bid. Let me restate that...I won 5, take winning bid X 15 and adjust shipping accordingly. Again, somewhere around $0.15 each. Only problem was he glued them to cardboard in rows and columns with a gooey substance that didn't dry...just stayed sticky. I tried a few cleaners, but the best was Hopps #9 gun cleaner! I contacted the seller letting him know that this would be a problem to coin collectors where condition is everything! I was polite and gave him a 5 star rating because I was very happy with the sale, and using solvent shined them up a little, which didn't bother me because I'm not into their resale value...I just wanted the correct tokens that functioned properly! I just didn't want him to use that stuff on some valuable coin that would ruin it's value!

[luckydog]

the guys at the local coin shop had someone come in to sell their grandmas 50th anniversary gift.

a silver dollar book with 50 morgan and peace dollars glued in it

all they got was bid silver melt value, coins were all ruined

they would have been worth a lot more if they were just pressed in the album

[pachiwall]

Seems like if glue was carefully cleaned off...more than melt value. But if you don't try...melt value! I try to buy ALL my coins at...or just above melt value.

[luckydog]

removing glue will still leave staining right into the metal, cleaning anymore than that would ruin the coins further.

[pachiwall]

That is why I contacted the seller. Like I said on the tokens...I wasn't worried about resale value. I had previously only been able to get these tokens singly, pairs or lots of 5 at about $2 each after shipping! These last 2 sellers were a blessing!