6 replies to this topic

[myarse]

Hi Everyone,

 

First post and complete newbie to owning a fruit machine. Mrs bought me The Royal Family banker today for my birthday. The fruit machine is currently configured for 10p play with £8 jackpot. Would really apprecaite some assistance if someone could help me with the following:
 

1. In the unit there are labels implying that jackpot can be changed from £8 to £25. Does anyone know how I can check if this is possible and if it is can tyou advise on how I can to change it? Presuming its to do with the 8 switches that I can see when I lift the glass unit up? (I dont know what system is in the machine nor do I know how to check it)
    
2. Is there a way to change the stake from 10p to say 25p? If yes can anyone advise on how to do this?
    
3. Where is the best place to buy replacement bulbs?
    
4. When using the refil key when bottom board is out it seems to thing there is £64 in the hopper, how can I reset the count?

 

Im like a kid on christmas day and really eager to learn how to use my new machine so if anyone can help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Dale

[Bencrest]

Hi Everyone,

 

First post and complete newbie to owning a fruit machine. Mrs bought me The Royal Family banker today for my birthday. The fruit machine is currently configured for 10p play with £8 jackpot. Would really apprecaite some assistance if someone could help me with the following:
 

1. In the unit there are labels implying that jackpot can be changed from £8 to £25. Does anyone know how I can check if this is possible and if it is can tyou advise on how I can to change it? Presuming its to do with the 8 switches that I can see when I lift the glass unit up? (I dont know what system is in the machine nor do I know how to check it)
    
2. Is there a way to change the stake from 10p to say 25p? If yes can anyone advise on how to do this?
    
3. Where is the best place to buy replacement bulbs?
    
4. When using the refil key when bottom board is out it seems to thing there is £64 in the hopper, how can I reset the count?

 

Im like a kid on christmas day and really eager to learn how to use my new machine so if anyone can help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Dale

 

 

Morning! Just got back in from work (nightshift overtime!) but even though I'm shattered I'll try and help

 

Firstly your machine is on Bell Fruit Scorpion 4 hardware. Used to have one in the arcade I worked in, not a bad machine on lower jackpots IMHO, used to save up for some good streaks - although to be honest this is true of most Bell Fruit machines on £5. They can play really surprisingly horribly for ages, then do back-to-back invincible boards / jackpot repeaters. 

 

1) and 2) The stake and jackpot can be set according to whatever your software allows, however I believe you will need a variable stakes / prizes key to do so (I don't think you'll be able to use the DIP switches on the mainboard itself). Pretty sure that on these machines, the stakes / prizes key will be on a separate board, normally on the left hand side when you open the top (glass) door, towards the top of the cabinet, but could be totally and utterly wrong. My advice would be to take a photo of the machine with the door open so I can have a look. You should be able to upload a photo here, but if not, please use something like http://tinypic.com

 

Note that even though it's called a 'key', it's not a key. It's a plug. For fixed stakes it'll be a coloured plug (green, grey, e.t.c) but for variable stakes / prizes it'll have either 8 switches in a row, or 2 groups of 4 switches. Don't confuse these with the switches on the large Scorpion 4 mainboard attached to the back of the machine - those are for changing specific game settings and while you don't break the machine if you fiddle with them, you could get errors if you change to things the machine doesn't support. Ideally you'd want the instruction manual for game specific settings, unless you are lucky and there is a sticker on the inside of the machine listing them all.

 

Variable stakes and prizes keys are cheap, typically <£4 on eBay. 

 

You will also want the different artwork (also known as decals) for the jackpot settings you want, otherwise it'll just look weird.

 

From memory these machines should run £5 / £8 / £15 / £25 jackpot, and on the lower stakes (£5 and £8) you should be able to use any combination of stakes, from 5p all the way up to 30p play - if not it'll top out at 20p play. On the higher jackpots (£15 and £25) you'll be forced to run at 25p or 30p play, unless it has a multistake option (I don't think this did, but the original Royle Family did), in which case you can play less lines for say 10p play.

 

3) If you only need while bulbs, I've probably got new spares in a blister pack too. If not I'm sure a supplier on here will pipe up! The lamps for basically everything apart from the reels, buttons, and coin bezel will probably be 5mm 12V 1.2W wedge lamps. If you just type fruit machine bulb into eBay you'll probably get a few results too.

 

4) If you perform a hopper dump, with he machine empty, it should reset the hopper value to £0 and it'll ask you to insert whatever the normal float is, I assume it's £125 on a machine of this type.

 

Glad you are happy with it! I've owned machines on and off for 10 years now, and it's always exciting getting something new

Edited by Bencrest, 04 November 2013 - 08:17 AM.

[myarse]

Evening, thank you for coming back to me so quickly and apologies I didn’t do the same, have been waiting for the site to email me to let me know I had received a response but this didn’t happen so only just seen your message! Slowly but surely feel like I’m getting there, thank you for your explanations and for keeping things simple, I’m like a bull in a china shop and want to run before I can walk!

 

Looking at all of the stickers in the machine, the metal tray that holds the hopper implies its running scorpion IV, presuming that’s the operating system but would be lying if I said i know what I’m talking about. I’ve taken a few pictures and attached to this message. Since emailing you I have managed to get the bulbs sorted and have had a play around with what I think is the variable stakes / prizes key but can’t be sure (it’s the pic with what I would call an 8 part switch and is in top left like you mentioned in your last reply). I’ve tried all sorts of combinations and come to realise that for some reason only the first 4 make a difference, the final four do nothing. Using various combinations I have been able to get the jackpot to change from £8 to £15 which has in turn automatically changed the stake from 10p to 30p (I haven’t been able to suss out if / how you can change the stake manually. All other combinations raise the alarm advising incorrect..... Just below the key there is blue chip that’s plugged in and says 78 can only presume that is the percentage switch/key. Even though it says 78, since receiving the machine I must be about £150 up having won continuous jackpots, 6 in succession from separate boards at one point!
 

Leading on I could do with your assistance and expertise with the following:

1) from the picture are you able to confirm if what I have been fiddling with is indeed a stake / Prizes Key? If it is any ideas why only the first 4 make a difference, any idea if I can buy a different key so that I can change the stake to say 30p and JP to £25+ and is there any way to check exactly what the system will allow? You also mention that you can buy a stakes and prizes key on eBay, are there any in particular that you recommend? I’m presuming regardless of the number of switches they will only work based on what the scorpion machine will allow?
 

2) On the main scorpion board there is a connection point at the back with what I believe are the DIP switches below which you mentioned and said they can change settings. I have added a picture, can you confirm if they are DIP switches and if there is any way to find out what they do / can do (Unfortunately there was no manual in the machine just decals for £25 jackpot which makes it me think it must of been configured for £25 at some point...) Also perhaps one for further down the line what is the purpose of the connection point?

3)Decals - Where’s the best place to purchase decals from your experience?

Images

 

The hopper count is now as expected following your advice. Thanks for your help with this it’s much appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Dale

[NickYerPesos]

This should help.. its the stake and prize combination chart. Also head over to www.arcadespares.co.uk for some cheap parts aswell.

Attached Files

•  Lotelle Prize Stake Key Sticker.jpg   61.05KB   1 downloads

[Bencrest]

Hi Dale,

 

1) Yes, that's a variable stakes and prizes key. They are all basically the same thing, just slightly different looks (like I said some come with a single block of 8 switches, some have 2 blocks of 4 switches, and some use pretty coloured switches - they all do exactly the same job though!). The switches will only allow you to set stakes and jackpots which are allowed in the machine software itself. Since you don't need a variable key there's no point in me suggesting one on eBay, and to be honest you might get a better deal on the forums for little spares like that anyway

 

2) Not sure which part you mean, but I have circled a door on one of your photos, and under this is where you will find your TEST button (green), RESET button (red) and DIP area (often multicolored). To get into it, use a screwdriver or similar flat-ended object to turn the 'screw' I have pointed out with an arrow, and the door normally just 'flops' open!

 

I don't have a manual for the machine here, I can have a dig around and see what I can find, it was quite a common machine so I'm sure there will be one, or if not, there might be one for a 'clone' of this, since it was a very common base game at the time, and Bell Fruit just re-released with different graphics and different names. In all honesty, if the machine works as-is, I wouldn't worry about the DIP switches. The only useful ones are ones that enable note changers (if you plan on fitting one) and ones that change game profiles (there's sometimes a low-high jackpot frequency switch).

 

3) The best place to buy decals is from whoever has them. It's a pretty old machines in arcade terms now (must be over 10 years old now!) so you'll be relying on someone just 'having them on a shelf / in a box' rather than someone still operating a machine with the spare decals in it. Failing that you can try and get colour scans / photocopies of the decals. I've run machines with photocopies before and if done well, they can look absolutely fine.

 

As for why your machines is playing so well - don't worry, it'll calm down. I've had machines delivered before in the same state. Note that changing the jackpot amount on the stakes / prizes key should clear the game history and it'll play like it has just come from the factory, so that should also calm it down.

Attached Files

•  fnhag0b.jpg   84.51KB   1 downloads

Edited by Bencrest, 07 November 2013 - 09:34 AM.

[myarse]

Thanks guys,

I'll play around the key to see what I can change stakes too.

Re point 1: thanks for confirming. Out of interest is there anyway to check what the maximum stake and jackpot can be without just having to trial and error with the key? Also any reason why only the first 4 work, will that just be because of the age of the machine and what it allows based on what you said above?

Re point 2, I'm glad you pointed it out I thought it was the white tabs under the connection point on my second picture! What is the connection point above "mind your head" for? Also what is the purpose of the reset button and test button. Appreciate these are real newbie questions so if this has been posted elsewhere let me know.

Re point 3 - ill post on forum to see if anyone has anything if not I might just make my own .

Thanks again fry out help.

Cheers
Dale

[jovialmonk]

Morning. I have a really good one of these but tech guy says we need the software for the roms (or proms ) specific to this machine. Any idea where I can get this as he says Bellfruit no longer have it. Thanks in advance!