WMS stroke of luck value question

[Blythe1566]

Found a local add for this stroke of luck William's machine, I am totally unfamiliar with these machines, what would one like this missing the coin tray etc be worth?  I feel like they are priced right but want to make sure they are not a bad purchase.  Thanks!

[rickhunter]

These are the older Dotmation machines, Williams 40x stepper slots.  They are usually good machines, their main issues are the power supplies, which are easy to fix, you can even replace them with regular pc power supplies, there's a thread on this forum on how to do that if you should ever need to, and the plasma display on the top, they are becoming difficult to find and can run you a couple hundred dollars when you find one in decent shape.  The price depends on the area of the country where you are.  In the east coast, these machines from a reputable dealer with a warranty around $500-$700.  From a guy out on the street, around $400 I would say.  It's missing the coin tray, so I would dock around $30 for that. Then you need to find out if the validator and the coin comparitor and  hopper work correctly as those are the other parts that typically have issues on a machine being sold.

[Blythe1566]

The local add says:
Reels work
Has coin comparator
Needs to be reset
Missing coin tray
Supposedly they bought for someone else and have just been storing it etc.....


Would you drive 2 hrs and pay 200 for it?  I may be able to get it lower than that too....what do you think?

[rickhunter]

My criteria when buying something like this is:

1.  Is the game one I played at a casino and enjoyed it enough to buy one to play at home.
2.  If I get bored with the game, how easy is it to get a new game for it (you can change the theme on any slot cabinet provided you get the right parts for it).
3.  If it breaks, can I get parts to fix it without breaking the bank.

These are my observations:

$200 is certainly not a whole lot, but is this a game you really want to own?  Getting kits to change the theme on this particular cabinet are not impossible to find, but they are also not plentiful enough where you can ask and get an immediate response.  Parts for this machine can still be found without breaking the bank, other than the plasma display, which could be a tough find.  Do you have any experience with slot machines at all?

[rokgpsman]

.....Would you drive 2 hrs and pay 200 for it?  I may be able to get it lower than that too....what do you think?

I would buy it at $200 (or less since it needs some work/parts) but I'm a fan of this type of older machine. As mentioned, with other machines such as IGT and Bally brands you will find more helpful support and parts available. If your interest is financial you can buy it and part it out, sell the main assemblies and most likely make a profit.

[Blythe1566]

Yeah my thought is more buy it get it running perfectly keep and play it, but perhaps sell it in the future etc.  I think I will throw an offer at it at the very least

As for Rickhunter's question.  I am a degenerate gambler lol, I love slot machines and so does my wife, would I rather have a Jackpot party or cleo etc sure, but if I can not get hurt buying and fixing I don't see a down side.  Slot machine wise I only recently started tinkering and that's with a IGT S+.  However I have a 20 year background as a automotive mechanic and now teach for a community college, so electronics, computers and mechanical ability etc are there and I like a challenge

[rickhunter]

Well that answer that then.  I would say you are well on your way to experience what a lot of us fanatics go through.  One night you will turn off the lights in your slot room.  The next morning, by some act of magic, they will reproduce, and where there were once 2 machines, all of a sudden 3, then 4, then ....

[knagl]

If you can get it for under $200, go for it.  Stroke Of Luck is a rare theme for the Dotmation platform -- the glass/strips/chips alone are worth that.

[Blythe1566]

I got it   I put a board battery in it and it was basically good to go!  What does everyone use to replace the white screen in the newer cabinet?  Mine is all coiled up and shrunk making it hard to read payouts.  I was considering removing it and just applying contact paper.....

[tollguy316]

You definitely came to the right site. I'm a huge fan of Williams Dotmation machines and you got it for a steal. Congrats. They are a lot better than standard slot machines due to the bonus rounds that they have, Imo. Issues that arise on these machines are the upper and lower power supplies, the CPU and I O boards. I, like most other dotmatian owners have a stash of spare parts so if any of those should happen to go bad, I can probably help you out. The sound system on the dotmatian is years ahead of its time. Finding game kits can be difficult and piecing together a game tit can be extremely challenging. Your machine has a 9-inch top, the most common are the 16 inch tops. They also made round tops too. The belly glass on a 9 inch game will be different than that of a round top or 16 inch game because the pay scales will be on the belly glass unlike the 16 inch and round tops. Plus you have the 2 coin and 3 coin variations, so as you can see it can be quite a frustrating past to put a kit together. I have extra sets of strips and software so you could still play different games but you would have to locate the glass to match to make a complete kit; although I have seen several people play a different game with just the strips. Regardless congrats on the new game, I'm sure you'll be very happy with it. Bill