help from old school electronics wizard

[the13bats]

I guess its an exacting mix of covid restrictions and OCD but ive been jumping around to my various hobbies and have a bit of a dillima,

I restore some old arcade machines and in this case its a Japanese pinball "pachinko" that in the 70s was converted to coin operation for American arcades and bars,

Center theme piece removed for restoring.

 

One switch , 3 solenoids and a board full of ICs controll the play action.

 

The computer board is a bunch of obsolete IC chips and other fun stuff and most of it doesnt work, the led score and credits light up, the credits light up but they dont function and the solenoid that returns a scoring ball works

So could a savvy person take just the board and figure out whats bad on it? Or is it pretty much a lost cause, would arduino be a better option? all i know about them is people use them to control stuff,  Im hoping to find a savvy hobbiest who can give me opinions on the board in it or pay someone to fix the board,

I used to have a buddy he was the kim peek of electronics mixed with tesla, he did amazing  things right out of his head he would have got it working but he vanished.

Thanks

cheers

b

Thanks,

B

 

 

[Taun]

At one time I could have fixed (or at least troubleshot) this, but to do an effective job a tech would need an Oscilloscope, Multi-meter, soldering station and schematics.. A soldering station I could get, but the rest, well - either too expensive or not available. As for repair parts, that could be "problematic". Some of those - if old enough- are extinct now. There are probably Antique Electronic repair shops out there, But be prepared to pay well for their services.

I wish you luck!

[+Desertrat56]

3 hours ago, the13bats said:

I guess its an exacting mix of covid restrictions and OCD but ive been jumping around to my various hobbies and have a bit of a dillima,

I restore some old arcade machines and in this case its a Japanese pinball "pachinko" that in the 70s was converted to coin operation for American arcades and bars,

Center theme piece removed for restoring.

 

One switch , 3 solenoids and a board full of ICs controll the play action.

 

The computer board is a bunch of obsolete IC chips and other fun stuff and most of it doesnt work, the led score and credits light up, the credits light up but they dont function and the solenoid that returns a scoring ball works

So could a savvy person take just the board and figure out whats bad on it? Or is it pretty much a lost cause, would arduino be a better option? all i know about them is people use them to control stuff,  Im hoping to find a savvy hobbiest who can give me opinions on the board in it or pay someone to fix the board,

I used to have a buddy he was the kim peek of electronics mixed with tesla, he did amazing  things right out of his head he would have got it working but he vanished.

Thanks

cheers

b

Thanks,

B

 

 

My nephew rents part of his shop to his friend that restores and rents arcade machines.  I could ask him about it.

I'm sorry your friend vanished.  I hope he is ok.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Desertrat56

[SHaYap]

Pachinko is still very popular and well in Japan. 

Quote

https://asia.nikkei.com › Coronavirus

Japan struggles to shut down pachinko parlors as it battles virus - Nikkei Asian ...

 

24 Apr 2020 · TOKYO -- Municipal governments in Japan are criticizing pachinko parlors that have remained open despite requests ..

~

If the machine can be identified to a period when it was made,  chances are replaceable parts are not too difficult to source. 

Good luck 

~

[the13bats]

6 hours ago, third_eye said:

Pachinko is still very popular and well in Japan. 

~

If the machine can be identified to a period when it was made,  chances are replaceable parts are not too difficult to source. 

Good luck 

~

Thanks all,

True pachinko is very popular still, heres pointless trivia, i have owned cast off machines for about 45 years been restoring them about 35 ( on and off, one of many hobbies ) i have about 40 ranging from early 50s single shots to 90s 2000s fully computerized, i like the old antique mech machines best.

In japan these are almost like america slots but you win balls not money and trade the balls for prizes like chucky cheese or dave and busters, i have heard that black market type things go on and balls are traded for money, smokes or food, here balls sell for about 8 cents to a dime if i buy enough in bulk i can get them for about 4 cents each, real pachinko balls have engravings usually the parlors name, an old mech machine takes about 1000 to 1200 balls for fun playing where the modern machines when you hit fever pay out 1000s,

A Japanese friend told me some players there place a ball in each ear for luck and to help with noise, took a magnet to get out of my ear, lol.

Japan made these machines very well but their regulations only allowed machines to be licensed a short time making them junk to the parlor owners, the money had already been made like arcade machines here, around 72 someone had a bright idea lets wipe them with Windex call them refurbished send them to the U.S. and make more off them,

Several outfits imported them by the 1000s selling them around the holidays at places like sears, kmart and Woolworths with prices ranging from 12.99 to over a 100, the vintage machines are fully mech the wires are just for 2 lamps not needed to play, however if the rear hopper isnt full of balls the machine wont work, 90% of used machines i bought being told they were broken simply needed balls and cleaning.

The Nishijin gen machines were very common,

This is the base for the coin op conversion my threads about, from my research around 75 to 78 down in south fl someone wanted to be able to place these in bars and arcades but people would have swiped the balls so the machines were highly modified, they were made to recycle contained balls, they still payout and keep score but the player cant touch the balls, the tray is covered.

I dont believe these converted machines were ever as popular as the modifier had hoped, they are a bit hard to find now days but im not sure i would call them "rare" i speculate it wasnt much more than a few people working out of a garage or small shop, they converted them and just plugged in that farmed out brain board, i have 4 one doesnt work but in time all will suffer brain damage.

Taun confirmed with the correct terminology which is above my sercurity clearance what i thought that even if i find a wizard who can talk to this brain board as there are no schematics finding the brain board parts is all but impossible, i looked up the numbers on several of the chips and they havent been made in decades,

So  3rd eye while normal Nishijin machine parts are not a problem its that special purpose built farmed out aftermarket brain board thats the problem,

DRat, who knows the friend might know old school stuff but for example modern pinball is like car repair you plug in a reader and it tells the tech whats wrong, i have a 50s pinball im slowly restoring, 6 little horses race in the center and finish win place show, its random win the machine is very rare as they were banned as folks in bars gambling with them because it was far more chance than skill,

This old pinball is amazing to me it works off only switches,  gears, cams , relays nothing solid state, that i can work with.

Anyhoo again thanks all confirmed what i feared.

 

 

 

[the13bats]

Oops forgot

9 hours ago, Desertrat56 said:

I'm sorry your friend vanished.  I hope he is ok.

I do too, he has a very common name and i never could find him, his house was more less abandoned,  when it went up for sale the realtor claimed she never heard of him, i named his mom i asked is that who is selling her reply was only mom passed away, thats all ill tell you, wouldnt tell me anything.

He was very aspergers, he couldnt change the front brakes on his cycle and had issues placing a food order but as i did the brake job for him from scratch just from his brain he whips together a tiny fm transmitter,

His whole livingroom was a tesla dream or nightmare, lol, he loved electricity and gadgets, he had made a pirate radio station where he broadcast sermons, he was very religious yet never once preached at me.

My real fear is he passed away or got killed.