New Life Games Tech Forums

How do you know when your hopper needs new knives or something else? Our hopper will generally spit out the coins,--, but,--it will also jam and error core 3300 appears. Take the hopper, tilt is on it's right side, reinstall, out comes the coins. What's up with that?

R.

What coins or tokens are you using? Is this a new problem or has it all ways done this? Are you sure you are using the correct coin or token for the hopper wheel and knife that is installed?   Just a little info to start...

 3300 is the error for empty hopper. I would think your tipping the hopper on it's side is just stirring up the coins that are still in it. You can reach in and stir the coins with your finger without removing the hopper, guess I should caution you don't stick your fingers in the hopper if it is running. althought Bunker does, might be the reason he is missing a couple of fingers. You might try keeping more coins in the hopper.

It takes Quarters, and has only happened a few times. I usually have about 700 or 900 coins in the hopper. Is that too many/

R

Not too many... it will hold a few thousand. But is it a quarter hopper wheel? Again has it done this since you bought it or a new problem?

i believe it's a quarter hopper wheel. How would you tell the difference?. it has always done this but i've only had it a short time.

Renee

Basically a hopper is a bowl with a motor.
Attached to the shaft of the motor are first, the "pinwheel." (Quarters go in between the nipples)
On top of that is the "shelf"( Quarters ride on top of the shelf)
On top of that is the "agitator"( Think of a washing machine that stirs up your clothes)
On top of the "shelf" at roughly 11 O'clock is a set of optical eyes that "read" each coin passing through between them.
There is a "knife" right under the optics and the pointed tip of the knife sits upon the shelf.

The motor turns the whole thing-a-ma-jig counter-clockwise.
The "pinwheel" picks up the coins from the bowl at around 4 or 5 o'clock and ride up to the top.
Once they get to the top at 12 o'clock, they start to ride up upon the pointed tip of the knife.
The knife is shaped so that it's fairly flat on top of the knife so the coins stay on
it as they travel even higher under and in between the hopper optics to be "read" as 1 credit back to the computer.
As they continue along toward 11 o'clock, they eventually ride down the back of the knife and out into the tray.

To check to see if your hopper is a quarter sized hopper or not.
Pull the whole thing out and dump the hopper of all coins.
Manually place 2 couple of coins on the pinwheel on top of the shelf at about 1 and 2 o'clock.
Behind the hopper is a motor with an electric magnetic brake mechanism.
With your left hand, push the brake mechanism against the motor.
That will release the brake pawl so you can turn the hopper with your right hand.
Turn the hopper wheel with your right hand counter-clockwise very slowly by grasping the rubber agitator.
Closely observe the 2 coins you've placed on the pinwheel at 1 and 2 o'clock.

You will see them ride up onto the knife and pass between the black plastic tang of the hopper optics.
If the coins continue through and fall down off the back of the knife. Everything should be okay.
Look at the knife too.
The pointed tip of the knife should be resting snug against the top of the shelf and flat against the pinwheel.
If the knife is bent or not sitting flat, then I'd get a new hopper knife.
Some times the pointed tip is worn out and the coins fall off the knife too soon and
fall back into the bowl instead of riding over the top of the knife like it should.

I had a video of this but that was a while back.
I could make a new one for you Monday if you'd like.