Buying Coin Mechanism

[Bigun]

I have the "Super High Impact Football" 4 player cabinet.  Is there a specific coin control mechanism I need to get for this, because the one I have did not come with one.  Or will any of them work?  Also, where would I get them?

[Ken Layton]

That game title is not familiar to me. If it's a Midway game from the late 1980's then you need "Coin Mech" (Coin Mechanisms, Inc.) brand coin chutes. You can't buy direct from them and you have to purchase through one of their distributors like betson.com

[SirPeale]

All the SHIF games I've seen have been Wrestlefest conversions.  I've got one.

Can't remember off the top of my head what coin door is in it.  It's either Coin Controls or CoinCo.

High Impact

Super High Impact

Mine resembles the first one.  Hm...I *thought* it was "Super" High Impact...now I'll have to go out to the shed and check...

[Bigun]

That game title is not familiar to me. If it's a Midway game from the late 1980's then you need "Coin Mech" (Coin Mechanisms, Inc.) brand coin chutes. You can't buy direct from them and you have to purchase through one of their distributors like betson.com

It's from the early 90's.  I'll upload a picture of where it needs to connect to.

[Bigun]

These are some pics of the inside of the door where the coin mechs would go.

[Fozzy The Bear]

These are some pics of the inside of the door where the coin mechs would go.

That's a standard Happ coin door.... It'll take any universal mount coin mech. There are a variety of coin discriminator mechs from several different manufacturers that you could fit in there.

You will find that standard Mechs from Coin Controls, Money Controls, Coin Mechanisms Inc., IL  and several other manufacturers will fit it. It really depends if you want a fixed or programable mech and if you want a programable one, whether you want an electronically programable or a mechanically programable.  There really is a lot of choice open to you.

Your easiest option though is to buy a fixed single coin discriminator mech. That means it takes only one type of coin and gives out one credit pulse when it gets the correct coin through, and Just rejects anything else.

Beware of second hand coin mechs!! they can be very worn out. If they're not actually in a machine and working, it's probably because they've been removed from one for not working reliably.

Hope that helps!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Ken Layton]

That is NOT a Happ door. You have a Coin Controls door. Coin Controls was bought out by Money Controls several years ago who promptly discontinued all amusement coin doors and coin acceptor mechanisms to concentrate on vending & dollar bill acceptors.

Happ Controls has the remaining new old stock parts inventory but it's dwindling fast. Coin Controls doors only work best with Coin Controls coin mechanisms because they have a 'shovel' extension at the top left of the coin mech itself to prevent the coins from bypassing the mech itself and falling into the bottom of the machine. This is also compounded by the fact that Coin Controls products are built to metric standards while all American made coin doors/mechs are normal USA standard threads/sizes/specs.

Good luck trying to find the correct mechs for this door.

[Fozzy The Bear]

That is NOT a Happ door. You have a Coin Controls door. Coin Controls was bought out by Money Controls several years ago....(Snip)

Quite correct Ken, as always...... But Money Controls also operate in the UK and Europe, entirely separately to Happ / Suzo ...  Where they do supply universal coin mechs that will fit this door. While he may not find them in the USA he will find them here in the UK.

Happ Controls has the remaining new old stock parts inventory but it's dwindling fast.

Which is why I pointed him to Happ, because they may be able to supply them by reference to their UK / European arm (Happ Suzo). If he struggles to get them to help with this then his best bet is to contact Suzo in the UK OR Coin Controls in the UK, directly, as they do stock parts to fit.

Coin Controls doors only work best with Coin Controls coin mechanisms because they have a 'shovel' extension at the top left of the coin mech itself to prevent the coins from bypassing the mech itself and falling into the bottom of the machine.

This is very true Ken.... However, they work perfectly well with almost any European or UK Universal Mech as well, and those mechs are very easy to obtain. They can also be programed to accept US Quarters, Tokens, Brittish 10p, Euros etc etc.... The scoop extension is usually only used on Fruit Machines and Bandits now, and is quite unnecessary on this door if he fits a standard Universal.

I know this having fitted several of these doors here in the UK, to be honest they really are quite common here. We do struggle at times with compatibility between US and UK doors and parts and fittings.

This is also compounded by the fact that Coin Controls products are built to metric standards while all American made coin doors/mechs are normal USA standard threads/sizes/specs.

Which is precisely why they work well with UK and European Universal Fit Mechs.

Good luck trying to find the correct mechs for this door.

True! it's Difficult inside the USA......... Not at all difficult if he orders them from the UK or Europe.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Ken Layton]

Yes, Money Controls discontinued all support for these in the USA. That's why it's so hard for us in the USA to obtain new parts. Shipping parts from the UK makes it prohibitive---it's cheaper to just buy a brand new Happ door with mechs already fitted!

I know you folks in the UK have electronic mechs that fit these doors quite nicely. However, here in the USA I have found through my many years of experience with these doors out on the route, that coin problems are fewer with genuine Coin Controls quarter mechs installed. When other brands are used, coins fall out the entry trough and bypass the mech. That's why there'd always be a boatload of quarters laying in the bottom of the machine. The location would put out of order signs on the machine because the machine "ate" quarters. One in 10 quarters would slip out past the coin mech when other brands of coin mechs were fitted. Then the customers would get mad and proceed to kick the crap out of the coin door.

Here's an experience I had a few months ago with a Coin Controls door: A friend had one of these Coin Controls doors on a video game on location in a bowling alley several months ago. It had nothing but troubles with coins bypassing the mechs because all we had to put in were common Coinco and Coin Mech brand mechs. The door and the front of the machine were getting so bashed in from pissed off customers that we ended up buying a new Happ Controls over/under door assembly for this machine. The result of changing doors: ZERO service calls. This location is quite a ways away from me (100 miles out in the sticks).

The vast majority of coin operated video arcade games in the USA (probably 99%) all use mechanical coin acceptors. Only a few of the very large route operators use any type of electronic mech on their machines. Electronic ones cost much more than a standard mechanical one plus they need a technician to install. Virtually every route operator here in the USA likes mechanical mechs cause their routeman can easily swap out a bad mech during routine coin collecting/maintenance.

[Fozzy The Bear]

All noted Ken,
                         We do tend to use electronic mechs over this side of the pond and for a few good reasons.  Regrettably our coinage is not as stable in design as the US Quarter... the 10 pence piece has changed design 3 times in the last 15 years... the 50 pence piece has changed in weight and size and the one pound and two pound coins have also changed in size and weight.  Not to mention the number of changes that have taken place in the composition of the metals in them. 

It's pretty essential for us to be able to re-program the mechs both to ensure that they accept the correct coins, and to avoid them being defrauded. This is even more the case with fruit machines where we can have upto £500 (that's just under $1000 USD) jackpot payout on the section 16 rulings and where we have that happening in a relatively small arcade almost every day on almost all of the section 16 machines.

Anyway...... that apart, I'd guess that you're right that he's going to have a tough time finding suitable mechs in the US..... One thing that occurs to me is that the more recent Stern Pinball machines eg: Simpsons Pinball Party, use a very similar coin door mount. It may well be that he needs to be looking at similar pinball mechs.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Bigun]

Any recommendations on the one's listed here:

http://www.happcontrols.com/cc/mechs.htm

[Ken Layton]

None of those have the "shovel" on the entry part. They will fit, but you'll have the problem of coins occasionally bypassing the mech altogether.

[Bigun]

None of those have the "shovel" on the entry part. They will fit, but you'll have the problem of coins occasionally bypassing the mech altogether.

Ok, any links to a store that sells them with the "shovel"?

[Ken Layton]

Nobody in the US or Canada sells brand new what you need. You'd have to order from Money Controls in England the genuine Coin Controls acceptors for "US 25 cents". Or you could search on ebay for used ones.

[Fozzy The Bear]

None of those have the "shovel" on the entry part. They will fit, but you'll have the problem of coins occasionally bypassing the mech altogether.

Ok, any links to a store that sells them with the "shovel"?

Be very careful about buying second hand mechs on ebay..... They can be very worn out, and cause many more coin acceptance problems than having the odd coin miss the slot in the mech.

Your other alternative, that we so far haven't mentioned is to use one of the happ mechs that you linked to and make your own little shovel piece from a bent up bit of aluminium or steel to guide the coins in the right direction. It can be done, in fact... been there, done exactly that on a couple of occasions in real arcade situation.

That would in fact be your cheapest option.  But if cost is not a concern then your best option, as Ken said, is to contact Money Controls and order the correct mech for the door.

There is a US distributor for the UK based Money Controls (coin controls) mechs that you need and having questioned the UK head office of Money Controls today, on your behalf, they tell me that the US distributor will be able to obtain and supply the mechs you need in the USA either reconditioned or brand new. Although I personally suspect that they may not be cheap! you need to contact:

Coin Acceptors, Inc.
300 Hunter Avenue
St Louis, MO 63124
Tel: +1 314 725 0100
Fax: +1 314 725 7198
Website: www.coinco.com

Your best bet is to telephone or email their technical support department, and explain in detail what you are looking for.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Ken Layton]

Money Controls bought out Coinco at the same time they bought out several other coin door/mech manufacturers. I don't think Coinco can do much for you, but it may be worth a shot.

[Bigun]

I'll just go ahead and buy the coin mechs from Happ Controls.  It seems it is a bit too much trouble to get the needed coin mechs from the UK. 

Also, I am assuming these things are *not* sold in pairs and to make both coin slots work I need two coin mechs?

When I get them in, I may need some help in identifying what you huys mean by the "shovel".

[Ken Layton]

Attached is a picture of a genuine Coin Controls unit. Notice the very upper left sticks up higher than the rest of the chute.

[Bigun]

Ahh, I see, a funnel of sorts.  Yeah, I can mod that.

*EDIT*

The coin mechs are ordered, I'll let you guys know how it is going.

[MonMotha]

My Imonex token mech has a similar feature (the "shovel"), but it doesn't protrude quite as far.  I have it in a coin controls door on an MK2 cabinet and haven't had any problems with coins missing and bypassing the mech to land in the bottom of the cabinet at all.  Now, I don't put tokens in it that often, but I've probably run a couple hundred through with no problems with such a thing happening.  YMMV, of course, but IIRC you can still buy Imonex in the USA.

[Ken Layton]

Yes, Imonex are still widely available and are still in business. I just don't like their products much.

[SirPeale]

Yes, Imonex are still widely available and are still in business. I just don't like their products much.

Really?  What's your beef?  Boss loves them and won't buy anything but.  Loves the whole 'no moving parts' thing.

[Ken Layton]

In Rowe CD jukeboxes and in Merit Megatouch machines, the Imonex always give me problems with jamming coins. The "no moving parts" doesn't mean ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, they still jam.

[Bigun]

Ok, the coin mech's are in, installed, and tested with 14 test drops.  Not 1 coin fell to the side.  I'll keep you posted if this changes, but so far, the happ coin mechs are golden as is.

[Fozzy The Bear]

Ok, the coin mech's are in, installed, and tested with 14 test drops.  Not 1 coin fell to the side.  I'll keep you posted if this changes, but so far, the happ coin mechs are golden as is.

WAHEY!!  Glad you got it sorted out.... I had a feeling that the Happ ones might work well for you in a domestic environment.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Ken Layton]

Yes, Imonex are still widely available and are still in business. I just don't like their products much.

Really?  What's your beef?  Boss loves them and won't buy anything but.  Loves the whole 'no moving parts' thing.

Updating this old thread with some pictures. Here are some actual coin jams.

There is a design flaw in which the gate does not swing open far enough to clear a jam when the customer pushes the coin reject button. This flaw causes a service call for a technician to come open the coin door and clear the jam.