The Penny trick...

[lokki]

Ran into this video

how to use pennies in arcade machines


wonder if it works.


Removed link.
Agree that this should not encouraged.

[crashwg]

Ok... I don't quite get it. 

You put the penny in the return slot?  How could that work? 

Anyone have a coin door they're willing to practice on and get back to us on exactly what's being done here?

[SirPeale]

From an operator's perspective, this video infuriates me.

Not only ripping the game off, but defacing the game as well to do it.

[AtomSmasher]

I once saw someone take a piece of bent wire, stick it into the coin slot and made the machine think he stuck in 3 or 4 coins.

[Ken Layton]

From an operator's perspective I feel this information and video about cheating machines should NOT be discussed (besides, it's illegal). I already know all the tricks people have used and when you defraud the machine that's less income the operator/owner has to pay employees and the location. Besides in some cases you damage the machine.

[missioncontrol]

from a missioncontrol perspective .....*burp*..... I need more beer...

[PCtech]

from a missioncontrol perspective .....*burp*..... I need more beer...

From a PCTech (former operators perspective), I agree on the beer.
On a side note, anyone needs their coin mech repaired, I charge very unreasonable prices...

[missioncontrol]

on a missioncontrol side note off of PCTech's side note if someone needs their coin mechs repaired I can come over and drink all your beer and tell you that it's a shame that your coin mech is broke........

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also I see no harm in the link.... didn't we do a thread a while back telling how we used to bypass coin mechs for free games when we were younger?

[Ken Layton]

When I worked for a large game operator, we prosecuted anyone doing this to our machines. We were instructed that if were ever saw anyone doing this (cheating/defrauding/using slugs) we were to call the police immediately. My boss played hardball on this matter and I don't blame him one bit.

[SirPeale]

My boss played hardball on this matter and I don't blame him one bit.

Hell no.  First, the doors themselves cost a decent amount of money, getting replacement parts cuts into your bottom line.

Second, this is how arcade operators make money so they can keep putting machines on location.  No money goes in it, operator doesn't buy new stuff.  Everyone loses.

[missioncontrol]

well I wouldn't try that crap now. I only tried it as a kid to get my pixel fix, you know when 25 cents was a whole lot of money. As you get older you respect things more.

Are you two saying as kids you never tried any tricks to score a free game? I think we all have more respect for the games now than we did back then.......

[Ken Layton]

When I was a kid in the early 1960's if we would have tried these tricks the machine owner would have simply beat the hell out of us. No cops would have been involved.

[shardian]

Personally, I think this is a neat trick. I wouldn't have done this as a kid as I would have been scared of getting caught. I have been practicing a little bit on one of my coin doors just to see if I can do it.
This is a knowledge sharing board, we are (almost) all adults here who own their own arcade machines. What reason would we have for actually doing this in a commercial machine? This is still a part of arcade history, and is neat to hear about.

Some people like to learn quirky tricks just for the knowledge of it, and this is how I look at it. I know how to make and use lock picks. Does that mean I use my skill? No.

Just my 2 cents. DO with it as you will.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Just my 2 cents. DO with it as you will.

That will get me two free games now that I have the know how! 

We would just say we put a quarter in and it didn't register. You could only get away with that about once or twice. I have to admit though, when I was about 8 or 9 I did stick sucker sticks in a Grand Prix pinball machine to try and get a free game and I got busted. Never did anything like that again. Seeing a coin mech now, I hope it was a fairly easy fix.

J_K_M_A_N

[shardian]

... I go into the arcade now and want to cry when I see an abused game. I would gladly adopt one to give it a nice home...

[toasty]

I'd never try to pull something like this now, but I agree that when I was younger, I didn't have the same level of respect I do now for the world around me, and was not above doing something along these lines, although a little different, as I'll explain.  Specifically:

I remember there was a jukebox at a pizza place I went to as a kid.  We were made aware that if you entered a particular code, it would give you free plays. 

Is this stealing/cheating?  There's no manipulation of the mechanics, nor is there any damage done to the machine -- it is simply taking advantage of information regarding a backdoor the creators of the machine used to award free credits.  Is it dishonest because we should be paying for it, or is it the jukebox owner's fault for not turning off this feature before setting it out in his establishment?

[saint]

Of course it's dishonest. Just because I don't lock my door doesn't mean you are allowed to come take my stuff.

[missioncontrol]

Of course it's dishonest. Just because I don't lock my door doesn't mean you are allowed to come take my stuff.

does that mean I have to return your curtains?

[toasty]

^^

Seriously, though, I seem to recall that there were tricks -- some glitches, some programmed into the game -- that existed with some classic arcade games like the ones we all play that would result in free credits being issued.   For example, in Tempest, if you could get your game to end on a particular score, you'd get a number of free credits.

(See http://www.gamearchive.com/Video_Games/Manufacturers/Atari/tempest.html )

Was it dishonest to try to achieve such a score to take advantage of the trick?  I dunno, but I don't put it on the same page as dropping a slug into a machine or otherwise making it think I've paid through mechanical manipulation.  If I'm doing something specifically anticipated by the programmers and it gives me free credits as a result, fair game IMO.

[Thenasty]

I use pennies back then with Pacman/Ms.Pacman, Space Invaders type coin doors only. I use to FLICK the penny thru the coiun entry and somehow it goes thru the coin switch and triggers it. Sometimes it misses. Then, operator caught on (coin couinter did not match with coin in) so, they did something to it and somehow it felt like it was WIDEN or some sort, then it a Quarter on a string was born and got 99 credits on one quarter on this machines including Asteroids/Delux type Up/Down coin doors. Ahhh the memories.  That what kids do when they have no $$ to spend . Come up with ways to cheat the system. I'm sure lots of young lads out there today still do some sort of getting FREE credits.

[Hoagie_one]

I thought coin doors were designed to alony allow one way access to avoid the whole quarter on a string thing

[shardian]

hmmm, I do have a memory of a skeeball machine at Billy Bobs that you could bump the machine near the coin mech to get a credit.

Another memory was an aftershock/earthquake redemption game where the vibrating motors were bad, so you could put a quarter in, wait for the machine to think the play was over, scoot your quarter down to the 60 ticket hole, insert another quarter and collect your 60 tickets. Every 5 quarters, we would get the jackpot.

I guess you could say I was being dishonest, but there is a slight difference here: the operator was not maintaining his games. I mean, come on. Wouldn't you unplug a redemption game that you had to refill with tickets several times a day?

[saint]

I never liked those curtains.

Of course it's dishonest. Just because I don't lock my door doesn't mean you are allowed to come take my stuff.

does that mean I have to return your curtains?

[Shape D.]

I'd think most people here could figure out how to trip a small lever anyways, but I would paper cut the space between somebodys toes who broke a coin mech of mine doing that. 

I never liked those curtains.

Of course it's dishonest. Just because I don't lock my door doesn't mean you are allowed to come take my stuff.

does that mean I have to return your curtains?

You wouldn't want them if you've seen how he's been wearing them anyways.

[horseboy]

I'd think most people here could figure out how to trip a small lever anyways, but I would paper cut the space between somebodys toes who broke a coin mech of mine doing that. 

That is brutal. Go for the corner of the mouth.

[Havok]

Hopefully they don't use ass pennies...

(Upright Citizen's Brigade reference)

[PCtech]

when I was about 8 or 9 I did stick sucker sticks in a Grand Prix pinball machine to try and get a free game and I got busted. Never did anything like that again. Seeing a coin mech now, I hope it was a fairly easy fix.

I tried (twice...duh) to use the little metal circle popouts from old industrial electrical outlets (looked like slugs to me)...jammed up the coin slot both times.

Yeah I was a stupid 8 year old, but the physics made sense at the time.