The "Free Play" Lemon

[marsonion]

I got hold of a derelict FOK Vender mech over a year ago and got the thing working with lots of effort. It is now running fine from within a broken-down Skyscraper cabinet I bought more recently... let's call the result a "FOK-Scraper." (No, I don't intend to sell this monster to anyone.) It only pays out hole-tokens and sends all nickels straight to the cashbox because I put that rod in there that does that.

While cleaning the tin reels up, I found that there was a patch over a section on the first reel, covering a lemon with the words "FREE PLAY" written across it, with a plain lemon. Nothing mechanical appears to be associated with that stop position. Curious as to what this FPL symbol is supposed to do for anybody, I searched the web and found this article from a 1932 Modern Mechanix which insists that "FREE PLAY" will never appear on the payline, as it is nothing but a dead ten-stop symbol put there just to fake everybody out, making 'em think that they "just missed" enjoying a "free" pull on the machine (see how they get ya?) because these slot manufacturers and operators are all a bunch of lowly, nefarious bastards. That sounded like a likely explanation, except the article includes several factual errors and even illustrates an impossible ten-stop symbol order with no active plums on the first reel:

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/machines ... t/2/#mmGal

Be that as it may, on my machine, the FPL symbol is definitely in an active ten-stop position, straddled by two inactive cherries. All payouts are consistent with this order of symbols; the symbol order on the first reel makes no sense at all unless the "FREE PLAY" position can register on the payout line. I recently got hold of an extra Mills ten-stop bundle with exactly the same tin-reel symbol order as my FOK-Scraper.

Will someone explain to me exactly what the "FREE PLAY" lemon is all about? (Sorry if this is covered elsewhere on this forum or is common knowledge, I just couldn't turn up any handy info.)

[watlingboy]

Put quite simply, the Free Play on the first was just an enticement to play the machine. "Maybe I'll get a free pull." Operators frequently took off the free play gimmick and put a patch over the free play symbol. I once had an almost new out of the box Mills Poinsettia that had that feature, complete and working. I'm sure a Forum member can take a picture of the levers that make it work as this feature is not rare. It works off the coin detecting arm as I recall. You will notice a small hole in the pay disc of the first reel. A lever with a point would go in that hole on the pay disc to trip the free play when hit and allow you to play the machine again without putting another coin in. The free play is also very common on Mills Baseball slots which are 4 column venders with the baseball conversion added.

Watlingboy

[oldslotman]

There is some additional hardware that is needed to activate the free play. It is attached to the back of the gooseneck and when the free play is on the payout line there is a lever that enters a small hole on the first disc which when this happens the free play hardware will hold back the sensing rod that senses a coin and the machine will free play since the machine thinks a coin is in the coin played position. These were used quite often on the Pointsettia machines.

[oldslotman]

free play.jpg (8.38 KiB) Viewed 8305 times

Here is a picture.

[marsonion]

Put quite simply, the Free Play on the first was just an enticement to play the machine. "Maybe I'll get a free pull." Operators frequently took off the free play gimmick and put a patch over the free play symbol. I once had an almost new out of the box Mills Poinsettia that had that feature, complete and working. I'm sure a Forum member can take a picture of the levers that make it work as this feature is not rare. It works off the coin detecting arm as I recall. You will notice a small hole in the pay disc of the first reel. A lever with a point would go in that hole on the pay disc to trip the free play when hit and allow you to play the machine again without putting another coin in. The free play is also very common on Mills Baseball slots which are 4 column venders with the baseball conversion added.

Watlingboy

Ah, so there really is a "free play" arrangement of hardware to go with the symbol! There are indeed three odd little holes in the first payout wheel, one elliptical and two round, but all too small for a typical payout finger.

Yes, I'd really like to see a shot of the FP mechanism. Thanks Watlingboy for the info.

[Late Added note: thanks also to oldslotman for the pic of the gimmick. Can anyone show me a picture of how the item is mounted to the mech?]

[altort]

I have three free play slots complete and working as they should, if I can get one of my kids to pull the mech out and take some pictures I will post them, I cant pull the mech out my self at this time since I have a cast on
my arm.

[marsonion]

I have three free play slots complete and working as they should, if I can get one of my kids to pull the mech out and take some pictures I will post them, I cant pull the mech out my self at this time since I have a cast on
my arm.

Thanks! I'd really appreciate getting a look at the device. (Hope you heal up soon.)

Right now I'm looking at interior pics on eBay, and think I found a FOK with a view of the thing:

eBay item number:131513015962

[oldslotman]

The attachment IMG_1811.JPG is no longer available

Here are a couple pictures with the mech in free play position

[marsonion]

IMG_1812.JPG

IMG_1811.JPG

Here are a couple pictures with the mech in free play position

Many thanks again, oldslotman! I just fiddled with the remains and see some of the mounting hardware on the mech. If I can't find the original parts somewhere, I'm pretty confident I can make a functional replica.

[altort]

I see pictures have already been posted but I'll post them any waystwo are oc the mech wound up just before it kicks the reels the third is of the free play ha rd wear holding back the coin detection lever.

There was one of these on ebay for a wile and dont think it sold you migh want to check completed listings and conta selees to see if still available