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Arcade Collecting => Miscellaneous Arcade Talk => Topic started by: rchadd on May 31, 2005, 07:53:30 am

Title: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: rchadd on May 31, 2005, 07:53:30 am
i see there is connection for a slam switch on the centipede wiring harness.

Does anyone know what the original purpose of this was?
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: SirPeale on May 31, 2005, 07:56:24 am
You abuse the machine (ie SLAM the machine) you lose any credits you put in already.  The machine resets.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Stingray on May 31, 2005, 08:32:38 am
Kind of like a "tilt" in pinball.

-S
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: 2600 on May 31, 2005, 08:56:21 am
Yep same thing, some cabs call it tilt.  Mame accurately maps these too, which if you haven't remapped and press it in the middle of a game is not fun.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Ken Layton on May 31, 2005, 11:11:11 am
The slam switch is a holdover from the electro-mechanical pinball machine days. It's purpose was to prevent players from obtaining free credits by beating/kicking/hitting the front door from the vibration of the coin switch contacts.

The switch has also been known as "anti-cheat", "anti-slam", "tilt", and "slap" switch. In the old days it was a normally closed switch and was wired in series with the coin switches. When banging on the door, it opened the circuit thus momentarily killing the coin switch circuit. Modern games that use a tilt/slam switch (like gambling/slot machines) are normally open switches and go to the game board. When the switch is activated the gameboard resets (just like you turned off the power then back on again) and ALL CREDITS are lost. Sometimes an audio alarm sounds! :o
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: ChadTower on May 31, 2005, 11:30:25 am
Seems to me someone willing to abuse the machine to get free credits would just abuse it more if they lost their credits.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Q*Bert_OP on May 31, 2005, 11:44:56 am
Actually in cerain games the slam switch does nothing except when a slam and a credit are registered, act as if nothing happened.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Stingray on May 31, 2005, 11:48:48 am
Yep same thing, some cabs call it tilt.  Mame accurately maps these too, which if you haven't remapped and press it in the middle of a game is not fun.

Really? What key is mapped to by default? I'm pretty sure I have a slam switch in my parts box. I might wire it in just for kicks.

-S
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: rchadd on May 31, 2005, 12:05:00 pm
also my centipede coin door has lockout thingies

looks like when electric is applied a little bolt comes out out it to prevent the coin mech from accepting any coins when they are accepted.

now when would that be required?

coindoors were pretty complicated things back in those days

Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: 2600 on May 31, 2005, 01:26:58 pm
Yep same thing, some cabs call it tilt.  Mame accurately maps these too, which if you haven't remapped and press it in the middle of a game is not fun.

Really? What key is mapped to by default? I'm pretty sure I have a slam switch in my parts box. I might wire it in just for kicks.

-S

I think the default is 'T', but some games may have it differently.  Quick Check of Centipede and NARC have it as 'T'.

I remember there being a thread on this a while ago, and people were describing the different ways the actual switch was implemented.

Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: clonestar on May 31, 2005, 02:02:22 pm
also my centipede coin door has lockout thingies
Most pinballs had lockout coils in the door, I think the purpose of this was to prevent credits being applied during the game, not sure why but as pinball didn't have any sort of "continue" option untill the 90's not a problem.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: clonestar on May 31, 2005, 02:07:12 pm
Ok, I looked a bit further, this lockout served two purposes,
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: rohan on May 31, 2005, 05:27:19 pm
I wonder of Midway's Space Invaders originally had one of these.  The one at a local arcade gives me credits if I tap firmly on the coindoor, but resets when I do it too hard.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Q*Bert_OP on May 31, 2005, 11:59:33 pm
Hey, I wired mine up, and it becomes anoying in games like tempest and space invaders.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Stingray on June 01, 2005, 11:09:43 am
I wonder of Midway's Space Invaders originally had one of these.  The one at a local arcade gives me credits if I tap firmly on the coindoor, but resets when I do it too hard.

I know for sure that the cocktail version has a slam switch, I assume the upright must too. I've never tapped on the coin door on mine to see if I can get it to register free credits. I'll have to try that next time I play it.

-S
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: rohan on June 01, 2005, 03:05:35 pm
The version I'm referring to was an upright SI, but I think the cocktails had the same coindoors.  I actually feel bad when I do this because arcades make such little money as it is, and games are only one token.  They're pretty cool tokens at that:
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: whammoed on June 01, 2005, 03:44:38 pm
Those are cool tokens...If I paypal you some $ will you send me a few (at your leisure)?


The version I'm referring to was an upright SI, but I think the cocktails had the same coindoors.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: rchadd on June 05, 2005, 05:09:13 pm
here is a picture of the slam switch on my centipede coindoor

the orientation is wrong - should be rotated 90 anticlockwise

the weighted actuator hangs downwards

presumably when the door is slammed it will swing and activate the switch
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Ken Layton on June 05, 2005, 10:40:44 pm
That slam switch with the blue microswitch must be for a foreign coin door. In all my years of coin machine repair, I've never seen one setup like that. All USA coin doors use a leaf switch with a weight on the end as a slam switch.
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: rchadd on June 06, 2005, 05:47:47 am
the coindoor was either from UK or Germany
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Stingray on June 06, 2005, 11:45:01 am
That slam switch with the blue microswitch must be for a foreign coin door. In all my years of coin machine repair, I've never seen one setup like that. All USA coin doors use a leaf switch with a weight on the end as a slam switch.

I've got  couple in my parts box and one installed on my SI. They're all the wieghted leaf type. Never seen one with a microswitch.

-s
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: M3talhead on June 06, 2005, 04:29:46 pm
That slam switch with the blue microswitch must be for a foreign coin door. In all my years of coin machine repair, I've never seen one setup like that. All USA coin doors use a leaf switch with a weight on the end as a slam switch.

Just so people known what Ken is talking about....I snapped a shot of my coin door as  an example. You can see the weighted leaf switch in the upper left corner.

(http://img292.echo.cx/img292/9463/s0505ar.jpg)

**Edit: fixt
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: RayB on June 06, 2005, 04:34:46 pm
?!?!
 ???
Title: Re: What is the purpose of a Slam switch?
Post by: Thenasty on June 06, 2005, 07:05:44 pm
?!?!
 ???

I know, you might go blind, M3talhead Slamswitch is Invisible