Coins won't drop!

[Keather]

Thanks for any help you can give me.

I have been rebuilding a 1930 Mills Slot Machine and its been a great learning process and this site has been a great help. I have one last issue!! When the machine cycles and lands on a payout, the coin holder springs forward but doesn't release the coins. I have found if I grab the two little silver tabs (See Picture) and pull back, it springs forward again and drops the coins. Any idea why the coins don't release when the holder springs forward on its own??

Thanks

[radiorich123]

HI You have dirty slides,week slide springs, or the coin stack slides are too tight or the coins are too new and have sharp ends.

Good Luck

[oldslotman]

You could also have a weak clock spring that is not pulling the slide release lever back to release the slides.

[mechanic]

IF IT PULLS BACK BUT THE COINS DO NOT RELEASE UNTIL YOU PULL BACK ON THE TABS THEN CHECK THE COIN SAFETY UNDER THE SLIDES. AFTER SO MANY YEARS THE TIP BECOMES WORN AND IT CAUSES THE COINS TO HANG UP BUT NOT RELEASE UNTIL YOU PULL IT BACK A FUZZ AND LET THE TENSION OFF SO THE COINS CAN DROP.

[Keather]

Hi. Thanks for all the replies.

It’s definitely something to do with the safety stop. I’ll keep working on it and let you know what I find.

[Keather]

After watching the timing of my machine, it seems the release of the payout slides happens before the arms engage the bars for the different payout slides?

Is it possible to adjust the timing sequence?

Thanks.

[mazzeosa17]

I had a similar problem with one of my Mills slots, where the payout slides released before the 3 reel stop levers engaged the 3 star wheels. The way I fixed that was to bend the linkage bar connected from the clock to the Reel Stop Timing Lever, as described in the Mills Mead and Geddes repair book (Owner's Pictorial Guide for the Care and Understanding of the Mills Bell Slot Machine) in Figure 14-10 on page 131 (Chapter 14 – Machine Adjustments), and that fixed the problem. Before my fix, the linkage bar was bent in a reverse “Z” shape, which was keeping the reel stops from stopping as quickly as they should have. So, I bent it into more of a “Z” shape, with the top part of the linkage bar facing the front of the mechanism, as it should have been.

[Keather]

Thanks mazzeosa17, that was the problem. All fixed and working 100% now. She an oldie but a goodie.....