Posted 9 years ago
Dr._Spa
(1 item)
Virtually NO info on this Skee Ball on the net...other than a few adds in Billboard from Feb 1945 to ~1948. Someone was actually about to take it to the dump, when I saved it. Needs a LOT of work. The backglass needs to be reproduced and it currently doesn't even work. Still just getting it cleaned up...got rid of the rat nest ;-) It measures only 7' long, 7-1/2' counting the coin mechanism on the front. 24-1/2" wide, including the legs 27"
Victory Roll by Pan Coast Amusement Co. N.Y.C. The only information I can find on the company is their invention of an automatic shoe shine machine.
This is electrical, with switches, contacts and lights (120v and low voltage lighting the backglass)...my understanding Skee Ball wasn't electric till about 1950. There's a ton of patent numbers on the nickle coin mech...all dated 1933 - 1936...found a nickle under the coin box dated 1944
Anyone have ANY clue what so ever on this?
Thanks
Any insight? Best guess? Advise?
I know pinball machines...not this old though. This thing has some weird stuff on it I'm going to need to figure our. I should get a pic of the electronics in the back. It actually has a model railroad speed adjustable transformer...and another WEIRD transformer (3 different voltage outputs...one may not be working). Replaced a few contacts already, with pinball parts. Perfect fit and replacement
A little light bulb went off in my head and all of a sudden, I have a vague idea how this thing works. There's no no numbers on the "field" to indicate the value of the holes, but the scoring is in hundreds. When the ball goes through a hole it runs down a short channel to a main ramp (leading to where the balls come out for the played to grab then to throw). The main ramp has a number of switches, wired in parallel, that the ball will roll over and activate. Ball goes in the first hole, down the channel, onto the ramp and it will run over one switch, call it "A". Ball goes in the second hole it runs down the channel, onto the ramp and it will run over a switch above switch "A", call it "B", then over "A". This continues up to the top hole, where it then runs over a total of 5 switches on the main ramp. Ok, so 100 points for the first hole, 200 for the second, up to 500 for the top, fifth hole (ball will run over 5 switches).
There's a large rotating mechanism in the back with a ton of wires going to the lights (there's also a second, smaller, rotating mechanism, also going to the lights) . Each switch on the main ramp advances the rotating mechanism one position, which advances the scoring lights. Seems a pretty basic operation. The mechanisms have 2 coils with plungers. One coil, with each electrical pulse, advances the wheel one position (thereby advancing the lighting to indicate the score). The other coil, when activated, allows the wheel(s) to return all the way to the start position. I would think, that the electrical contact on the coin mechanism powers these coils to reset the machine to 0 (zero) to start the game. (I need to figure out how to clean these as they do NOT rotate freely enough for normal operation..and most of it is RIVETED together, making it pretty much impossible to disassemble to clean)
Now there's 2 aspects to the power supply. A main transformer that I believe has 3 outputs (a most bizarre transformer in deed. Looks like a regular transformer, but sitting on top is a set of 3 coils, powered by the "main transformer" underneath. My guess would be the main transformer puts out a single voltage, feeding the upper 3 coils, each of which then puts out a different voltage) . The second aspect, and this is VERY weird, is a model train, "variable" transformer. Yup, think old fashion HO train with the transformer control that had a handle you rotate to make the train go faster or slower. Where the wires are connected It's labeled, 7 - 12v For Tracks.
Ok. so that's as far as I've gotten ;-). It's late. I think my first step is to check that the transformers are putting out voltage. Sure wish I had a clue what that voltage is supposed to be....and how to clean the rotating switches...Tomorrow
Figured the large rotating mechanism is for the scorring lights and the small rotating mechanism is for the Balls Played count lights.
So, I have almost everything figured out...except for where the wires are that send power to the rotating mechanisms to power the light are (You'd think that would be simple...I'll figure that out tomorrow).
Turns out, the train transformer powers the 4 magnetic coils. I tried momentarily powering each of the coils, and all 4 are shot....and they're SEVENTY years old. I don't even know if I can get replacements anymore (and there's NO markings on them).
So big question. I have a PILE of pinball machine parts and know I can retrofit the skee ball with , and get it working as "good as new". I can replace the power supply (multi voltage transformer) with one from a pinball and it'll supply power to the lights and coils no problem. Question is, would doing so vastly devalue the Skee Ball machine?
And, if I'm doing all this, and remember I have to make a reproduction backglass, I could also change out all the light socket and lights to LED's.