Found this on a Mills Reel Pack

[RameGoom]

Not sure why, but these parts are blocking two different openings on the payout wheels of reel 1 and reel 3 which has nothing to do with high wins. It seems the reels had the open holes in the wrong places, and by putting the blockers in, they prevent a payout that isn't in the payout card. Anyone ever see anything like these before? Doesn't appear to be your run-of-the-mill bug since it doesn't hold off a normal payout. The first one blocks what would be a single cherry pay.

[SLOT DYNASTY]

These are the ultimate in 'Cheapie-Bugs'. I have seen them often, and not always on the
high-pay holes. This is what's called, "let's screw the player just a little". May have been
in a small 'Mom & Pop' store. Does your machine have single cherry pay? If not, it could
have been put there because of a mis-drilled hole. What pay holes are the other ones
blocking?

[RameGoom]

The first one blocks a lemon on the first reel (there are no lemon wins on reel 1) but the hole is there...must have been a mistake. The second one is on an orange stop on the 3rd. reel, but it's next to the orange win - seems it would allow a PLUM win with an orange showing on the pay line.

So it looks like they both must be in place for the machine to operate and pay correctly.

Might have been a mix and match set of reels at one time in its life? No idea.

[marsonion]

I've often found first-reel payout wheels with a plug (usually in the form of a soldered-in sheet metal disc) and a lemon patched over a cherry on the first reel strip. At least one manufacturer provided operators with a "loose" or "tight" hold/payout option using a plug and alternative first reel strip as indicated in the 1937 Caille Commander back door notice below.

[oldslotman]

Not sure why, but these parts are blocking two different openings on the payout wheels of reel 1 and reel 3 which has nothing to do with high wins. It seems the reels had the open holes in the wrong places, and by putting the blockers in, they prevent a payout that isn't in the payout card. Anyone ever see anything like these before? Doesn't appear to be your run-of-the-mill bug since it doesn't hold off a normal payout. The first one blocks what would be a single cherry pay.

bug01.jpg

bug02.jpg

There should be single cherry payout on a ten stop mech. There should be no single cherry payout on the award card either.

[RameGoom]

Aha! That would explain the block on the single cherry. But why didn't they post it on the payout card? Was it some sort of special win thing? It is a 10 stop mechanism so I just might pull that piece off

There are four stopped-cherries on the first strip, and one non-stop, so odds are 40% win on a single cherry? Blocking one of the four would give you only 30% odds which would explain why they put it there.

I think I'll just remove the bug, maybe re-do the payout card to add a single cherry win?

[marsonion]

Aha! That would explain the block on the single cherry. But why didn't they post it on the payout card? Was it some sort of special win thing? It is a 10 stop mechanism so I just might pull that piece off

There are four stopped-cherries on the first strip, and one non-stop, so odds are 40% win on a single cherry? Blocking one of the four would give you only 30% odds which would explain why they put it there.

I think I'll just remove the bug, maybe re-do the payout card to add a single cherry win?

As oldslotman pointed out, there are no single-cherry pays on those old ten-stop mechanisms; single cherry payouts first showed up many years later, on 20-stop mechanisms. We can see by the starwheel in one of your pictures that you have a ten-stop mech. All cherry payouts should require two cherries on the payline. What about the situation you describe makes you believe that unblocking the single cherry hole on the first wheel will payout all by itself ("single cherry win") without a second cherry also on the payline?

[RameGoom]

Would this be the way to cover it?

[marsonion]

Would this be the way to cover it?

award_card_comparo.jpg

No. If it didn't payout on single cherries before, nothing about removing the plug will make it payout on any single cherries after.

[RameGoom]

Ok, I'm gonna just leave it alone. I need to stop "re-inventing" these machines....!