ToddWebb

I'm modifying my two current Tractor Time machines' tractor claws. I'm welding a piece of metal over the teeth so that the toys (LEGO) I'm dispensing don't get stuck in the teeth (and thus render the machine non-functional because the jaws no longer close). I'd like to have original jaws so I can swap back and forth when needed. Where should I look for such parts? Thanks! PS: the machine:

Oh yes! I forgot that part! I've checked and only the white and black wires are needed to effect that trap door. So yes, power to the coin mech is needed for this unit. Thanks again board!

Ohhh. So I don't need to be cutting into my wires at all? Good to know. Thanks!

brmorr thank you so much. I now have working pushers again. I wish I'd made this upgrade sooner. Now, if this board can tolerate yet another dumb question... what exactly are these wires doing at all? After fixing my units, I tested, then turned off and unplugged the units, then tested again. Works fine without power. What am I missing?

Thank you brmorr. Pictured is my new Imonex. The connectors are marked "C", "NO." and "NC." Can you clue me in to their meanings? Also, is it just as good for me to carve up the existing wire in my units? Or should I be shopping for some small adapter in order to keep my in-unit wires intact?

I've ordered R9 mechs from amusementsplus. Thank you brmorr for the info. I appreciate it.

Yes they have the size-setting quarter in them. Although I may have removed it when I took the photo - don't recall.

Thank you brmorr. Recommend a vendor? When you say "two wires" is there some standard adaptor wires I should be shopping for? Or must I get MacGyver on these?

There's a "setting" at the back labeled "Sensitivity" but I cannot figure out where/how that's supposed to work. The black "hammer" at the back, near that label, flops freely.

I have 4 pushers from Blazing Quarters. All units have operated only about 500 hours (they're used in traveling shows a few weekends per year). All the coin mechs are rejecting every quarter. Last show I had to pull all my pushers. Is this just normal wear from use? Any recommendations for replacements/upgrades? Thanks

So, in my post I was subtly asking for hints as to why so many of my customers did not understand (or see?) the label instructing them to place 4 quarters, two in each side. Any ideas? I wonder if the normal rack, with small on bottom and larger on top, tend to be more clear? As in, the whole top row is $.75 and the whole bottom row is $.50? Or maybe the pretty little Beaver stickers simply aren't enough? Perhaps if I place a big, bold simple black-and-white sticker that reads "[b]3 Quarters[/b]" then at least the user would have to pause and ask themselves, "[i]Where does the third quarter go?[/i]" Not sure. But I have pre-packed a helluva lot of $1 capsules I'd like to still use.

[quote name='dogcow' timestamp='1345150396']seriously tho u should change it out to a mars stacker validator that will solve your problems there.[/quote] Thanks - but once I removed the little metal bin, the money had plenty more room to pile up. Especially once I shoved the pile to the back.

Ten days ago [url="http://www.BrickFair.com"]BrickFair VA 2012[/url] finally came and went. [u][b]The sad news:[/b][/u] The candy machines were a flop by any measure. Upon setting up I sadly discovered that one of my 1" machines had a $1 coin mech; it should have been only $.50. So right away I left that machine filled, but put a sign on it that it was out of order. Not the end of the world, but disappointing. By Saturday night my brother noticed ([i]from behind; the machines bordered our t-shirt/hat tables, facing outward[/i]) that the machines were nearly full. It turns out someone had placed a "out of order" post-it note on the fronts of nearly all the machines. And sure enough, many were jammed. Why those people didn't ask my sister-in-law for assistance (she was manning the t-shirt/hat booth), I don't know. I quickly opened the machines and discovered that in most cases, kids had tried using only 2 quarters were 4 were required. And they had forced them turned, so they jammed. In some cases I could simply force it backwards and pull the quarters out. In other cases I had to open the machine to un-jam them. But even fixed, they still didn't get much use. Kids just did not flock to them as I'd expected. I wonder if I should have purchased different colored machines? Or different colored 2" caps? Or it might just be a bad idea all around. It's very disappointing because those machines and my damn red boxes took up most of my past 4 months of time, and a helluva lot of money. But I plan to try again next year with the minifig parts - [i]build your own random minifig[/i]! We'll see if that fares better. [u][b]The good news:[/b][/u] The cranes were wildly popular - among adults, kids, my paid exhibitors and the teeming public visitors. They were far more popular than I had predicted. The cranes did give out far more prizes than I'd expected. I practiced in advance a lot, and set the machines to my liking. I had marked the control panel next to the dials with permanent marker, so I could remember my settings (there was not even a pre-drawn 1-2-3-etc numbers on there). But somehow people were better at the game than me. I suppose that's because they had real money invested, so they tried harder, paid closer attention. On Friday I let them have their fun. The machines grew more difficult as the prizes depleted. On Saturday morning when I refilled the prizes, I also adjusted the settings to make it slightly more difficult to win. Then the public poured in. They still won often. The machines were directly across the aisle from our info booth, where I spent most my time. My brothers and I sat and watched people play. On Sunday morning, before the doors opened, I re-filled and toughened up the machines again. I've marked the new settings - they were nearly 25% off from my original settings, yikes. Next time I'll start there. My very rough estimate ([i]because I didn't keep track at all, but I know that each machines holds ~120 four-inch balls[/i]) is that I gave away [color=#006400][b]~240 prizes[/b][/color]. On Saturday evening one exhibitor played the game. She stuck in a dollar, and not only did the machine reject her dollar, but it spat back another dollar at her. She informed me of this, and gave me the dollar. I immediately knew the cause. I opened the machine and the dollar bills had been piled up high against the door of the machine. I pushed the mound of green back deep into the machine, and also pushed back the little metal box that was meant to hold them. My brother came back after me and emptied the cash. The two machines, for Friday and Saturday together, had amassed $[color=#006400][b]1,417[/b][/color]. I'm not sure what Sunday's take was, as that money is still sitting in the machines, now in the warehouse. Mathematically, there should be nearly $[color=#006400][b]700[/b][/color] in them now, for a total of about $[color=#006400][b]2,100[/b][/color]. I only paid $1,700 for both machines, including gas. And I still have boxes of 4" balls I've already filled, waiting to be used. So next year's three shows will probably have a cost of $0 to run. So there you have it - my great LEGO experiment. The cranes were enjoyed immensely; people told me often during the weekend. The candy machines were a bust I'm wondering how Beaver machines ([i]requiring 3 or 4 quarters[/i]) function during normal use, on location, when there's no one around to immediately fix them? My current plan for next year is to switch to all $.50 machines, so this jamming issue should be greatly reduced. Todd

In my living room, the closest-to-complete setup yet. The 2 left-most machines have 2" caps filled with "LEGO candy" for $1. The 4th machine is 2" caps filled with LEGO arches, bricks and slopes, as you can see from my Photoshopped sign which is hanging in the machine. Machines #3 and #5 are set for 1" caps at $.50, which I'm still stuffing. The bill changer is at my bro's shop, where I'm still building a deeper red box to accommodate it. These machines are bolted to the box tops [i](you can see pairs of unused screws atop the right box)[/i]. The handles facing front are less than ideal. But the loaded machines [i](and empty boxes themselves)[/i] are pretty darn heavy. So I don't expect too much trouble from horseplay. The latches on the sides [i](not seen)[/i] are locked, so kids can't un-secure the lids, making them wobbly. I am having second thoughts about all my machines being the same green color. It might be boring. And the same thing - especially - for all the 2" caps being the same yellow. Also, the AA 2" caps are not very transparent. I would rather the kids could see more of what was in the caps when looking into the machines. [color=#0000cd][i]Finally! Closing in on the end game.[/i][/color]