Coins not going to hopper

[reefpatrol]

Why do some coins go to the hopper while others go to the chute going to the cabinet below ?
How do I change to make them all go to the hopper ?

Thanks

[StatFreak]

If your machine is operating normally, you have a metal probe in the hopper that sets the level. You can move the probe to the highest hole in the side of the hopper to minimize or eliminate coins going to the overflow.

Inserted coins will divert to the overflow when the coins in the hopper touch the probe. The coins complete a circuit to ground between the probe and the metal at the bottom of the hopper..

If your machine is behaving differently, we'll need more details.

[poppo]

If it's a random thing, then one possibility is the bottom part of the coin accepter assembly where it meets the coin chute going to the hopper (and has the diverter) may be bent a bit. One of my machines would randomly drop coins to the overflow. Once I bent it back, it was fine. It was bowed out toward the inside of the machine causing the overflow chute to be a little past the diverter. So once in a while a coin would slip past the wrong way.

[reefpatrol]

I will check in when I get home, but it seems like every other coin drops. It's a 2 coin machine.

[StatFreak]

The diverter might be out of adjustment, as poppo says, or there might be a problem with the coin acceptor or the harness.

The quick fix is to tie off the diverter so that all coins go into the hopper. The downside of this is that all coins will go into the hopper – slugs, dimes, pennies, quarters, etc., including excess coins played (more than 2 per pull). If you don't have kids and can count on players acting responsibly by only putting in the right coins, then this will work, but having different sized coins in the hopper will cause problems.

It's probably better to solve the problem IMO.


Please disregard. I was thinking of the wrong diverter, as poppo pointed out below.

[poppo]

Stat,

Shouldn't wrong or extra coins go to the tray via the coin comparator diverter?  And overflow coins go to the base via the big flapper one past the coin optics? It's the big flapper one that sometimes is not lined up with the two different chutes.

[stayouttadabunker]

Attached to the solenoid is a huge, black diode...
if it's out of specs, it will not pull the solenoid's plunger all the way in all the time
 and the chute gets kinda of stuck in between fully open and fully closed -
allowing some coins to go to the drop when you don't want them to.

Remove the coin comparator's harness and coin comparator itself from the coin mech bracket.
Undo the coin-in optics harness and loosen and remove the 2 screws holding the bracket.
Pull apart the coin divertor's 2-pin connectors too.

Now, check the divertor's solenoid coil for proper operation by submitting 12VDC to the 2-pin connector...
if it's working right - the plunger will full retract into the solenoid's body.

Remove all metal coin dust from the coin mech, chute and plunger spring
and check for smooth operation of the divertor chute.
Check the solenoid itself too...it may be showing signs of it starting to burn out on the plastic coil body.
Sometimes they overheat so much so the coil body is actually cracked and exposing the coil windings.
That definitely means it's reached the end of it's life.
If all looks okay, re-install the cleaned unit and you should be okay.

If you need a new diode/resistor
( whatever that black thing is...I'll check tomorrow at work as I had to buy a few of those for the machines on the floor.)
I can send you a new one for your coin divertor or give you the exact order numbers at a source I have.
Why not take the coin mech bracket out and show us some high-resolution photographs of the blue solenoid?

[StatFreak]

Stat,

Shouldn't wrong or extra coins go to the tray via the coin comparator diverter?  And overflow coins go to the base via the big flapper one past the coin optics? It's the big flapper one that sometimes is not lined up with the two different chutes.

My mistake. Thanks poppo.   

I was thinking of the main diverter instead of the overflow diverter. 
Tying off the overflow diverter shouldn't be a problem for a home user unless they have enough coins to overfill the hopper.

[Jim]

if you want to know what is going on with the diverter and its mechanical  linkage:( with the power off) remove the coin comparator and simply move the diverter flap with your finger, it should move freely, no binding or sticking along its open and shut positions. if this works then the linkage is doing what it should.

replace the coin comparator and get into the output tests. The set of tests where you have a 10 in the winner paid window, advance that number until it is #33, this is the diverter test, press the spin button and it should turn on the diverter ,you can do this test as many times as you wish to see that the diverter and its linkage is working. if this is good, then you can do one more test, and that would be to get into the input test # 15 ( winner paid 10_1) here you can short the probe(that STAT referenced) to any metal part and it should turn on the diverter and its linkage. If all these work then the problem is not in the diverter.
I would take a guess and say maybe the coin comparator assembly is not aligned with the inner door light panel. there is a spring loaded pin that goes into the hole on the bottom of the cc assembly, if that pin is not locked in place that could be causing the misalignment. Check that area.

Bunker, the black diode is actually a bridge rectifier, operates on 24vac, same principal as the bridge rectifier on the handle coil.

Jim

 

[stayouttadabunker]

Yes, thanks Jim...I wasn't nearby a machine last night - at home.
I'd forgotten that it was a rectifier that was attached to the solenoid.
Also, I just tested one just now - applying 24V to the 2-pin connector.

Thanks!

[reefpatrol]

Took it all apart and cleaned everything. It seems to be working correctly. I think it was the small pin on the inside.

Thanks everyone......

[StatFreak]

Glad you got it working! 
         


Stat

[reefpatrol]

me too, but could have never done it without you guys...

not sure what im gonna do once I get these three machines fully working.

[stayouttadabunker]

me too, but could have never done it without you guys...

not sure what im gonna do once I get these three machines fully working.

Tinker with them...      

[StatFreak]

me too, but could have never done it without you guys...

not sure what im gonna do once I get these three machines fully working.

Tinker with them...      

...or buy more, of course! 

Why do you think we tell all our new members not to leave their machines alone in the dark? Even one multiplies when its owner lets his guard down, and once two or three of them get together, the owner will end up with a roomful in no time.

"Slots are like potato chips. You can't have just one."


Stat