Crane Game repair

[RickDIII]

Ok, maybe this should be in Everything Else - feel free to bump it over.

Anyway, game room is almost finished   

I've been trying to get it put together for some time now, buying a piece at a time.  Got the bar in place, Starship Troopers pin is perfect.  Poker table arrives July 5th.  Slot machine is great!  Mame machine is in the home stretch...

Don't ask why, but I've wanted to throw a skill crane in as well...I know - 

But that aside, there is a local one on ebay that does not function.  I might be willing to take a shot at it if the bidding stays low.  Problem is I have been able to find very little resources on repair, parts, etc.  Anyone have any sites they can point me to?  Any experience with these things?  I'm wondering how complex they are and how difficult a task I am considering. 

Thanks for any input!

Rick

[Fozzy The Bear]

I maintain 4 of them at work..... The difficulty for you, is really dependant on who made it and how old it is.

If it's a fairly modern one then it's electronics.... if it's a fairly old one then it will be more mechanical.

You do know that they don't grab with the same amout of force on each grab, don't you...  and that on more modern ones you actually program the payout from them.  For example to pay out (Grab) a toy every 5 attempts or 10 attempts or 15 attempts or whatever you set it to.   

In the most modern ones you just tell it the cost of the toy and the amount you want to get in for it and it will work out when to grab and when not to.

Again if it's a modern one then you should have no trouble getting an opperators manual for it.

They're much easier to restore than a video game. There really isn't that much to them. Especially if mechanical stuff is more your thing. Post some pictures, and some manufacturers details and I'd guess several people on here will be able to help you.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[ahofle]

You do know that they don't grab with the same amout of force on each grab, don't you...  and that on more modern ones you actually program the payout from them.  For example to pay out (Grab) a toy every 5 attempts or 10 attempts or 15 attempts or whatever you set it to.   

LMAO I didn't know that.  I'll have to share that with my brother who claims to be 'good' at those crane games. 

[Fozzy The Bear]

You do know that they don't grab with the same amount of force on each grab, don't you...  and that on more modern ones you actually program the payout from them.  For example to pay out (Grab) a toy every 5 attempts or 10 attempts or 15 attempts or whatever you set it to.   

LMAO I didn't know that.  I'll have to share that with my brother who claims to be 'good' at those crane games. 

Yeah!! Most people never realise that, they just can't really win.  At the end of the day, arcade operators are in business to make money, just like everyone else.

That said, the ones in the arcade I work for are set to a very fair cost to win ratio.  Most operators do that, because if you don't ever win anything from them you wouldn't come back and play them again.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Kevin Mullins]

Which crane are you looking at on E-bay ?
That would help determine the "usual" problems you might find.
I know my older Greyhound Candyshop crane is even simpler than alot of the newer "smart" cranes. It generally has more of the mechanical variety problems.
(claw coil power supply was the first issue)
But as far as the rest there are replacement boards and such out there for many of the newer ones if it comes down to that on the one you are looking at.
Ex: http://lupinesystems.com/crane/
Just let us know what it is and I'm sure it'll be fairly simple to figure out.

Oh... and by the way.... the little crane I got for the house is one of THE most popular machines I have with the kids and adults alike. (if I can ever keep it full of candy)

[RickDIII]

Thanks for all the replies! 

You do know that they don't grab with the same amout of force on each grab, don't you...  and that on more modern ones you actually program the payout from them.  For example to pay out (Grab) a toy every 5 attempts or 10 attempts or 15 attempts or whatever you set it to.   

That's hilarious!  I had no idea.  I always wondered why some of the grabs seemed so weak, yet others appeared to work well!   

Which crane are you looking at on E-bay ?
That would help determine the "usual" problems you might find.

It's a tiger paw that seems to be doa.  Thought I'd take a shot at it if the price doesn't break the $75 mark (still a long way to go).  If anyone wants to jump all over this fabulous deal after reading my post go for it - 

Here's the link (sorry, don't know how to mask it in here so it is shorter):
eBay Link

Oh... and by the way.... the little crane I got for the house is one of THE most popular machines I have with the kids and adults alike. (if I can ever keep it full of candy)

I know this would be a big hit in my house too...it's the reason I've been watching for one.  The kids are 2, 5, and 12...and of course the oldest is 35 - uh, that'd be me.  I just haven't been willing to part with the $$$ folks want on ebay for a working one.  Thought maybe fixing up a beater might be a better option.  Not to mention I love the feeling of knowing how things like this actually work.

[ahofle]

I always thought it would be neat to get one of these and fill it with those little alien guys from Toy Story.  Rename it 'The Claw" and throw in a Buzz and Woody figure, hehe.

[Fozzy The Bear]

It's a tiger paw that seems to be doa.

OK! Well that should be a fairly easy fix.... If it's DOA it's more than likely to be the power supply. You might find a few mechanical bits that need attention and some new string but it shouldn't be anything beyond home repair as long as it's complete.

It's a mid to late 80's machine, so you should be able to track an owners manual down.... you may even find it has one sitting inside it when you open it up. That's quite often the case.

I don't know the Tiger Paw well as I'm in the UK and not the USA, but it seems to be very similar to most other cranes. The ones I deal with are bigger and have multiple cranes in them, but they all work the same way.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Kevin Mullins]

Just looked at the E-bay pics for that crane.... that one is very similar to size and style of mine.
Simple enough to work on.
And the perfect size for home use.
Fixing it shouldn't be too big a deal. But if it's really close enough I'd go take a look at it and get a good idea the overall cosmetic condition. The auction mentioned some "swelling" on the front door. (water damage maybe) (maybe just a coke spilled across the top) Still looks like a deal from what I can see at the moment.

And like Fozzy said...."complete" is the key word.
No missing boards or major hardware.

[RickDIII]

Thanks all for the advice gang.   

I'll keep watching it and see if I can score it for a low bid.  I do quite a bit of woodwork so I'm not woried about cab condition, I can usually fix things up...I'm also pretty good with mechanics/electrical motors/etc...more worried about boards etc - those are way out of my comfort range. 

Auction ends on Tuesday, so I have to wait and see if someone comes in and puts some ridiculous bid on it before then.  You know how things on ebay can skyrocket senselessly some times.

[RickDIII]

Hey all - if I can ping you yet again on this topic:

I emailed the seller asking for more details on exactly what was happening when/if they tried to power it up. 

Here's the response:

Lights came on. Motors hummed. It came with extra new belts and so we put them on it and it still did not roll. The claw button to make it go up when pressed made a humming sound from the wiring below like it wanted to work but just didn't. So at that point we decided to sell it as not working since we do not know enough about electronics.

Anyone care to venture any guesses?  I know you can't predict it with this info...but feel free to throw a shot out there.  This would sound mechanical to me (having never even looked at one)    Initial guess off this description would be something in the motor/drive mechanism itself.  Anyone care to shoot me down?  Are these items fixable/replaceable?  All opinions welcome!

Thanks,
Rick

[Kevin Mullins]

Sounds like something is stuck....
Those cranes usually have to "reset" when they are first turned on.
Otherwise you should never hear the motors humming just by plugging it in.
Could be a jammed motor, stuck switch, claw coil, etc.
You'd have to physically see if the trolley mech will roll by hand and start with it in the attract position.
But still could be a number of little things.
Shouldn't be too terribly hard to diagnose from that point.
If ya get it, we'll be glad to help out........

Note: Looking at the pics on e-bay I see that the claw is already in the down position.
It could also be the fact that the claw (string) motor or gearbox is jammed not allowing the claw to raise. The claw should immediately go back up and the machine will then reset when the power is plugged in.
I've dealt with that issue before - was a stripped gear in the motor gearbox for the string/claw assembly.

[Fozzy The Bear]

I emailed the seller asking for more details on exactly what was happening when/if they tried to power it up. 

Anyone care to venture any guesses? 

Yes... This sounds mechanical....  Should be exactly what you're looking for.

There's probably nothing at all wrong with the boards. The most likely culprets here are.... worn out string, belts, stuck gearbox, Motor Brushes needing replacement etc etc etc.....

One other possible fault is the wiring loom, they often have intermittent faults on them from the constant wear and tear of moving the head about. Easy job to cut and replace!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Kevin Mullins]

Did they end the e-bay bidding early on this one ??
(or did I just miss something here)

[RickDIII]

Did they end the e-bay bidding early on this one ??
(or did I just miss something here)

It ended early....not sure why.   Sent a note to the seller to try and find out, but I have a feeling I've lost this one.  I HATE it when sellers pull items early.  I've had this happen before when an item wasn't generating enough interest. 

[RickDIII]

Did they end the e-bay bidding early on this one ??
(or did I just miss something here)

It ended early....not sure why.   Sent a note to the seller to try and find out, but I have a feeling I've lost this one.  I HATE it when sellers pull items early.  I've had this happen before when an item wasn't generating enough interest. 

Seller responded that someone came into her shop and bought it outright.  Shady if you ask me...if you are gonna' offer an item for auction you should leave it there until the end.   

At least let people know there is a store that they can go to!!!