Newbie looking for info

[mkarabinus]

I am an arcade machine guy, but I picked up what i believe to be a Bally 5500 last week. (it was so cheap, i just couldn't say no...$10) It is is in PERFECT working condition, as long as I have tickets loaded in it.  (without tickets i have to hit reset button after any win before it will accept coins again)

I really haven't been able to find much on this particular machine though. But it appears to have been converted to a redemption ticket payout machine sometime in the early 2000's. (the slide in MPU says SKILL STOP REV A...GAMES INTERNATIONAL INC.  2002, while the main board on the back side of the cabinet says Bally 1993)

I am wanting to convert it back to a coin hopper for home use, but really don't what parts i will need, or how the dip switches might need to be adjusted to let it happen.

Any tips or help is greatly appreciated!

I have attached a few pictures, if specific closeups will help more, just let me know!

thanks

[rokgpsman]

Welcome to NLG, glad to have you here!   

That's an interesting find, and you can't beat the price. The main logic board (called the mpu around here) looks sparse, maybe due to the nature of it being a ticket-only redemption game. Hopefully you can install a "normal" Bally mpu board and hopper to make it into a typical Vegas-style slot machine, but I'm not familiar enough to say if that is possible. Others here will be able to give advice & suggestions.

I think a skill-stop machine is a slot machine that has been converted so that the player can press a button and stop each reel separately, thereby satisfying the state regulators that it is not a pure gambling machine left completely to chance, that the player can use his "skill" to affect the outcome. It is a way around the ban on gambling machines in some jurisdictions. If it was originally a normal Bally slot before it was converted then it would seem that it could be converted back.

Does that "Ticket Outlet" assembly that is sitting down in the lower cabinet on the left normally get mounted behind the "Ticket Outlet" slot that is located to the righthand side of the spinning reels?

[mkarabinus]

Yes, that is just an extra ticket assembly that it came with, just sitting in there. 


It came with a hand-full of tokens, but I love that it has a "coin comparitor" so i can switch from tokens to nickles, or quarters, or anything else i feel like.

[rokgpsman]

It looks like the original hopper plug is down there, so maybe you can convert it to a normal slot by adding a hopper and probably a normal mpu board. There may be other things, let's see what the experts say, you'll want to know what all will be needed to see if it is feasible, costwise and timewise.

[mkarabinus]

If worst comes to worst, I guess I would end up trading it off for arcade related goodies....but I'm pretty stoked about the idea of tinkering with this and learning along the way!


Thanks again.

[rokgpsman]

Could you post a few more photos, showing the main door wide open so we can see the insides, and one or two of the inside of the door showing the coin comparator and other stuff? It is always helpful to see what is and what is not installed.

Also, any idea where it came from,,, a casino or cruise ship near you maybe?

Thanks!

[mkarabinus]

sure thing...

[mkarabinus]

Could you post a few more photos, showing the main door wide open so we can see the insides, and one or two of the inside of the door showing the coin comparator and other stuff? It is always helpful to see what is and what is not installed.

Also, any idea where it came from,,, a casino or cruise ship near you maybe?

Thanks!

sorry, I really have no idea where it came from.  It was in an auction, so i don't even know who owned it before.

[rokgpsman]

I'm not 100% sure but I do agree with your thought, your photos remind me of a Bally 5500 machine. Here is a manual for the 5500, see if you think it is similar to your machine. On page 2-5 there is a drawing of the 5500 showing an overview of the machine.

[mr-monoxide]

That MPU is definitely not a Bally board. This machine has obviously been converted by the other company Games International Inc. Pretty much the same thing Summit Systems used to do with the old E-series Ballys. They would change the MPU/logic boards and wiring to their own system. I would try to look up the other company and see if it still exsists, if so they may be able to direct you to wiring schematics and other valuable information regarding what has been changed and what hasn't. If it's anything like a Summit machine there isn't much compatibility with Bally hardware any longer.