Bally EM Hopper Question - First Time Owner

[VinceK]

Hi NLG EM pros,


I have a pair of E Series machines, but just came across my first EM machine (1019).  This machine had been sitting for some time, but using the old EM forum posts the machine is now working.  (What a great source of information.)  It was a whole new learning curve from the E Series machines.


My question is regarding the hopper.  The machine has been paying so far correctly, however the hopper runs for a short period of time on each pull.  From about the time the first reel stops until the third reel stops I can hear the hopper turning and quarters tumbling.  It does not pay anything out during this time.  The hopper then stops, and about a second later pays out correctly on winning combinations.

Is this normal?  It would seem strange to me that they would create all of the extra wear on the hopper motor.  So, although I thought I got them all, I am assuming that I have one more switch or connection to clean.  Has anyone seen this before?

Attached are a couple pictures.

[rdaniel]

I am by no means an expert on Bally EM's, however, I have a Bally 831 JPO and the hopper coin disk periodically mixes the coins on its own. My understand that this is done in order to keep the coins  from jamming up the hopper during a payout


This might apply to your machine as well.

[The Fatman]

Rdaniel has it right and the reason for it is correct as well. I wondered just like you if that would cause excessive wear. But after seeing the age of these machines, and the shape of the majority of the ones I have seen, I dont see any resulting damage to the motor or connected parts due to that. I see this on most JPO machines and Continental machines too. I have had one that was a JPO machine and it didnt mix the coins every pull, and the coins did pile up at the entry point on the hopper. There is a need for that feature I feel and would not try to disable it.
Nice looking machine. 
Dave

[VinceK]

Thanks for the responses.  If this is normal for some machines to mix the coins on every pull then I will leave it as it is.  All that is left if a little more clean up, and then move it into the game room.


Thanks for your help.


Vincent

[The Fatman]

I have not seen any other machines other than the JPO machines with the mixing of the hopper on every pull. I do see that your machine is a 3 coin max play machine and it is not a JPO machine. Either this newer model 1000 series machines has it on all machines or it is possible to have a hopper from a JPO machine in this one. I do see the need for it in a 5 or 6 coin machine that doesnt have the smaller pays to keep the coins from piling up in the hopper. This might be a question for Oldreno to chime in on. A lot more experience on these than I do. 
Dave

[Op-Bell]

I've seen poker machines where the hopper turns on each play. They were made by Bally Distribution Co, which is what Si Redd's company was called before it became IGT, and I guess it was done to give some appearance of activity in a machine with no moving parts. The hopper motor gets turned on, but not the kicker solenoid, so it runs without paying out. I've never heard of it before on a Bally EM, nor have I ever seen it mentioned in any of the manuals, so I suspect what you have there is an experiment, an after-mod. Look for an extra relay tacked onto the hopper somewhere that only connects to the motor.

I suppose it really is a standard EM, and not a Summit rework?

[Thompy]

Hi all,


I have a Bally Bonus Line, it has a mixer relay on the hopper as well, it is not JPO but has a very low percentage payout.

[VinceK]

In regards to Op-Bell's question on whether it is a standard EM or Summit rework:  since I am not familiar with the Summit reworks, I have added pictures of the reels and hopper to help identify.


On the hopper for both the motor and the kicker solenoid there is a green wire and black wire.  There is one main coil (on top close to the motor) that has a bunch of switches, and this closes the circuits going to both green wires on two different switches.  Underneath the hopper bowl there are two coils.  One of them has two switches.  There is a blue and white wire going from one of these switches to just one of the green wires.  I am assuming that this is what is powering the motor for the mix.


Since this machine pays on the cherries about every 6th or 7th pull I don't know that we need the mix.  Could I potentially hurt anything by disconnecting the blue and white wire?

[Op-Bell]

Thanks Vince, I appreciate the pictures. This is not a Summit conversion. I'm pretty sure the extra relay on the hopper is an after-market mod, and it won't do any harm or change the operation at all if you disconnect it. Make a drawing first showing where the wires go that you disconnect, in case you need to put them back for some reason.

[VinceK]

Disconnecting the blue and white wire did the trick, no more mixing.  Thanks everyone for your help.

[RiseLikeRa]

Like Thompy my Arrow Line 8 coin game and sister to the Bonus Line, has a mixer in it as well.  I thought that the machine was defective and used the mixing as a point of negotiation to get the price lowered from the seller.  When I found out that the condition was normal I felt kind of bad.  Enjoy your new Bally


Ra