Mills Compulsory Skill Console ca1940

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Mills Compulsory Skill Console ca1940

Postby oldpinguy » Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:31 pm

Hi
Just picked up an example of this machine and wondering if anyone else on the forum has one.

This one is 90 plus percent complete but I need help with a couple of things. The basic Jumbo Parade mechanism is complete and working smoothly, but there are sone bent and dirty leaf switches that need to be dealt with to get the payouts, jackpot, and lights working correctly. The small pinball playfield with its “impossible to miss” skill shot is in place and I freed up the fingers that hold and release the ball. However there appears to be a linkage missing between the slot mech and the under playfield lever that works the fingers. Apparently it was associated with the bracket in the foreground of the attached photos. Also there is a solenoid on the side of the slot mech with an armature that currently connects to nothing. Maybe related items ?

Can anyone help?

Thanks

STAN
Attachments
C545E717-4C78-43CC-9FF0-ED4A13CC7AEF.jpeg
Solenoid with arm to nowhere?
863D5960-A0A2-43C4-93FC-178D91F41E99.jpeg
Bracket to pinball unit.
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Re: UPDATE - Mills Compulsory Skill Console ca1940

Postby oldpinguy » Sat Jun 13, 2020 3:31 pm

OK
No helpers so far, so I guess I have to solve this on my own. After lots of meaningful staring at the mechanism, I guessed at what was missing on the link to the pinball release fingers , and I made the linkage as shown in the photo. Works great and, as shown in the video ,surprise-surprise, I made that “Skill” shot on my first try(Oh sorry, I guess I can’t attach a video)

The N/O skill roll over switch is a the 34volt circuit with the, do nothing, solenoid, along with a N/C leaf switch which is closed by a post on the rear of the payout slides. Roll over switch closes the circuit and the solenoid pulls in, but that armature closes about 1/2 inch directly towards the A-Frame on the mech. Hard to see anyway it could make a link it to the payout slides on the other side of the mechanism. Machine instructions say “when any Winning combination is made, shoot skill shot to collect payout”. However I pulled the mech, unjammed a nickel at the bottom of the slides and now it pays out correctly, even the jackpot, purely mechanically, with no apparent need for the skill shot.
I’m confused, maybe, since that current solenoid was obviously spliced in at some point, perhaps something else entirely is supposed be there with a link to somehow hold back the payout slides ?

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks
Stan
Attachments
A4158373-FFCA-406E-BA02-BB1D15D2E656.jpeg
New Ball Lift Linkage
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Re: Mills Compulsory Skill Console ca1940

Postby Lol » Mon Jun 15, 2020 12:00 am

I found the machine in Dick Bueschel's book "Mills Consoles". It is called the "Square Bell". There is a comprehensive 11 page article that includes various images - instructions - flyers. I have scanned the first page. There is a note by Roger H Weisensteiner "The manual that served the SQUARE BELL throughout its entire one year career. Manual D.S.4 12-7-38 1M was produced on December 7 1938 in a print run of 1,000. The relatively low quantity suggests a small machine population". Another note said "Making the skill shot on the SQUARE BELL was a snap. There was only one place for the ball to go. Hope this helps.
Laurence U.K.
Attachments
Mills Square Bell.PDF
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Re: Mills Compulsory Skill Console ca1940

Postby clubconsoles » Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:19 am

Oldpinguy
i have sent you a pm.
i have very similar Pace console with the skill feature and, i too, have found it difficult to get help with pictures of missing parts. I believe the paces reels and your Mills Compulsary skill used identical parts.
Hopefully, we can help each other out here?
Attachments
05b9b472-3d2b-4338-b4a3-b59d728bbc33.jpg
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