I love all the spend that you get through arcade with the rows of crane machines inside. I always find it a bit frustrating though, I never seem to get the prize.
I don't really know why people bother with these machines and yet there are hundreds of them on the front there.
In the trade, crane machines are called redemption machines. In Church redemption involves being from hell. Here I guess it's just the prize that's being redeemed.
I am on in Southwell now, and Matt is opening up one of these crane machines so I can get inside. They are really quite simple, there are just some motors and switches that control the crane going up and down, and then an electromagnet that close the jaws in. Well, I can see that first thing that I need to do to make it a bit easier is to make the jaws fully close, and I could do that with a this iron key by just adjusting this thing. Now it looks good. Now the jaws will close completely.
Nearly, or I would say you need to do something else to make it a bit easier. In here there is actually a control box that controls the strength of the electromagnet, which I thought, if I put these on maximum I should be able to guarantee a win.
Every arcade has coin pusher machines. The Coinslot Magazine claims that pushers can provide up to 40% of summer arcade income. They are really quite simple inside, there is just one motor that pushes all the trays out, in turn. They are a slightly more settled; I look at this. If I put out this cover, you can see that as the crane pushed forward, some of them fall into these hidden slots on the side. The coins that throw out to front, come out in the tray here, but the coins that go into the hidden slot, go down in these sheets and into the box at the bottom, the profits for the arcade.
I have made my own slot machines occasionally for many years. The first one was a very simple electromechanical thing, no more complicated than the cranes and pushes. For about 12 years ago I started using little industrial computers and programmable logic controllers made mainly for factory automation. They are wonderfully versatile and let me make machines that would have been impossible without them like the popcorn maker.
Of course electronics and computer have transformed real arcades completely. This machine made in the 40s is completely mechanical, no electricity at all, wonderfully satisfying noises it makes. You'll hear good news from a good looking school teacher, who will be a downfall. Inside there is actually a top class motor and that controls the delay from when the wheels -- to when the wheels actually stop moving. This one is from 1960s; this one has got an electric motor to drive it around but it's still quite mechanical.
Modern arcade machines are completely electronic; all controlled by computer. There is not a single one in the arcade in Southwell that has still got a handle attached. All of this elaborated lighting display is all controlled by the computer inside. The wheels are turned by stepometers, which intern, are controlled very precisely by the computer. Now the big difference is it's not at all random. The computer controls the odds precisely and they can actually be adjusted using these very little switches here inside the machine. The highest odds are 92% of the cash put in. So it's much more satisfying to just put the machine into test mode.
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