Williams Reel em in

[pyrohobie]

Ok,

I have a machine that ALL 3 reels are about 1/8 turn off- I have turned off the machine and adjusted and when I turn it on-they all go back to where they were before I adjusted them. Did a clear chip-not.

Any help?

Thanks;

Doug

[knagl]

What did you adjust when you turned the machine off?  Did you just physically turn the reels a little and then just turn it back on?  That won't do anything.  You could turn the reel 180 degrees and it'll still go back to where it belongs.

On the sides of the reel baskets there is a little black flag that goes through an optical sensor, which is what tells the machine what position the reel is in as it spins.  You'll see that the flag is adjustable on a track of sorts to allow you to fine-tune the position of the reel stop.  Do one reel at a time since it might take a few tries to get it right, but, with the power off, remove the reel (carefully pull the wiring harness off, then lift up gently on the plastic tab that locks the reel assembly in place and slide the base towards you).  Once you have the reel out, carefully adjust the flag up or down the track to adjust the stopping point of the reel.  Be aware that the reel baskets and plastic flags are likely VERY brittle and can break easily, so be gentle.

Replace the reel in the machine, plug it in, and then turn the machine back on.  The reels will spin-up and then stop at their last position.  If you like where it's stopping now, you're done with that reel and can do the same thing with the other two reels.  If you're not happy with where it's stopping, adjust the flag again until you get it right.

Finally, if the strips are so far off that you can't get it right even with the flag all the way at the end of its adjustment track, it's possible that the reel strips were put on incorrectly, and you'll have to remove them and line them up correctly (there are little dots at the end of the strip that match up with small holes on the reel basket).  If you do that, put the flags back to the "middle" of the adjustment track before re-installing the reel.

Of note, also, because of the method used by the machine of knowing where the reel is, they won't stop spot-on 100% of the time.  Most of the time they'll be awfully close, but even with the flags adjusted correctly, you'll still get some spins where they stop a little bit off the mark, but it'll correct itself on the next spin.  If your reels are off all the time, though, as it sounds like they are, then you need to adjust the flag.