BeTheClaw Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 My old Japanese crane has kicked the bucket... I think it's a relay issue, but I've tried replacing them with no luck. Probably not worth wasting too much time on it. I'm wondering if it's possible to completely rebuild the crane using kit, simlar to the one linked below. This one is likely a tad too big for my cabinet. The distance between rails in my crane is about 21"... I'm guessing most mid-sized cranes are at least 27" or so. Can anyone recommend a site? Something like this, but smaller... http://www.coastentertainment.com/cranekits.html Thanks in advance! Allen K BeTheClaw.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 You won't find one that size import cranes are pretty much all standard sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Thanks... what about some of the older ones? Any idea what the track width is on the Grayhound cranes? You won't find one that size import cranes are pretty much all standard sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Thanks... what about some of the older ones? Any idea what the track width is on the Grayhound cranes? grayhound and united cranes are all standard size usually 31 " . you would probably have to get something machined special or try to trace out the problem. my guess is the problem is not so complex to fix assuming the crane has few ICs and is mostly relays and wires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 You're right... There's one control board (left) and a board with 6 relays. Thing is... for a while, some of the relays would trip prematurely. For example, I could bang on the cabinet, and could hear the relay click and open / close the claw that instant. Or if the assembly would get to the end, hit against the back wall and immediately begin reversing back from impact causing vibration that trips the relay. When it used to work correctly, pressing the forward button caused the top left relay used to close and allow the claw to move forward. Now, when I press the forward button, nothing happens... but if I manually 'close' that relay with my fingers, claw moves forward as it should. Then I release it and close the 2nd relay in the top row, and claw goes to the side... but relays don't respond if I try to operate them with the actual forward / side buttons of the machine. From that test alone, I would think that was a control board problem not sending the signal to trigger the relays, but I had a spare board that I swapped it with and it didn't make a difference. It's possible the spare is bad too, but I don't know of a way to test it, unfortunately... grayhound and united cranes are all standard size usually 31 " . you would probably have to get something machined special or try to trace out the problem. my guess is the problem is not so complex to fix assuming the crane has few ICs and is mostly relays and wires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 also - Ebay auction for a Grayhound crane indicates that it's 24.5" wide, so It's not possible for it to be 31". I'll ask the seller to measure the track width, but it sounds promising grayhound and united cranes are all standard size usually 31 " . you would probably have to get something machined special or try to trace out the problem. my guess is the problem is not so complex to fix assuming the crane has few ICs and is mostly relays and wires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Oh may be the real old school grayhound before it used the world crane board,had one in the warehouse but I threw it away because it didn't use the parts I needed I paid about 7 bucks for it. Smart makes 24in cranes also but ur looking for 21in not 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Yeah, the one I saw was the kind that goes forward and then to the right, without a joystick. That's how my crane is, so I wouldn't mind if it was like that. I think 24" might work. I just measured the width of the moving assembly (gantry? truck?), and it's 23 3/4", and the inner width is 24 1/4", so as long as it doesn't exceed that, I should be ok... You mentioned about world crane boards... Will the old school Grayhound not be able to use a newer board? I had considered getting one cheap and then upgrading to the Jernie board that was reviewed on this site. I figured I'd probably have to install a joystick, but if you don't think that board will work with older Grayhounds, then I might need to find a newer one. Thanks for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 The jernie board replaces either,you just have to go in the options and change the bridge setting from classic to grayhound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Thank you! The jernie board replaces either,you just have to go in the options and change the bridge setting from classic to grayhound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronsidney Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 why not cut rods on gantry to make it fit?? You can take out gantry,,aka trolley, bridge whatever... and you will have 3 or 4 long rods from left to right of machine cabinet...you can take them out and cut them to length you need to fit the cabinets rails,,you'll have to be precise but on my 24" feiloli and 31" feiloli (smart toy chest) it has same gantry just those rods from left to right are shorter,nothing else.. there are no electronics involved in cutting the rods/metal tubes..just a good hacksaw and your done. your maybe different but most ive seen this can be done. ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share Posted January 3, 2013 Definitely doable... just a little more complicated, since all rods have to be cut precisely to same length, etc. It's an option, but last resort. Thanks why not cut rods on gantry to make it fit?? You can take out gantry,,aka trolley, bridge whatever... and you will have 3 or 4 long rods from left to right of machine cabinet...you can take them out and cut them to length you need to fit the cabinets rails,,you'll have to be precise but on my 24" feiloli and 31" feiloli (smart toy chest) it has same gantry just those rods from left to right are shorter,nothing else.. there are no electronics involved in cutting the rods/metal tubes..just a good hacksaw and your done. your maybe different but most ive seen this can be done. ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 why not cut rods on gantry to make it fit?? You can take out gantry,,aka trolley, bridge whatever... and you will have 3 or 4 long rods from left to right of machine cabinet...you can take them out and cut them to length you need to fit the cabinets rails,,you'll have to be precise but on my 24" feiloli and 31" feiloli (smart toy chest) it has same gantry just those rods from left to right are shorter,nothing else.. there are no electronics involved in cutting the rods/metal tubes..just a good hacksaw and your done. your maybe different but most ive seen this can be done. ron thats what i was trying to say, you said it a lot better . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Oh I know, not a bad suggestion, but it seems a little more involved, since cutting has to be very precise. I checked with the seller of a Grayhound locally, he said the track is 22", which is exactly the same as mine. It is a little taller, so I'd have to raise up the top lid a little bit, but that's much easier than hacking at the claw assembly. Going to check it out tomorrow to get a better feel for the project. If I can get it to work well, I might upgrade to the Jernie board. Part of the reason I want the Grayhound is their popularity and availability of parts. I never cared for cabinet design, but since I won't be using it, doesn't really matter. Thanks again guys! thats what i was trying to say, you said it a lot better . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 united cranes use a LOT of wires and unnecessary harnessing so make sure to label everything because it may not be so clear how it goes back together. i found that out as ive been building a new board as a test project. as far as parts available , i guess they are more out there than what you have but the old coils are no longer being made, even some of the older "classic" style machines made under the treasure chest label you cannot get coils for. I've tried swapping with a different coil of similar vintage and the coil quickly burned out. Coast to Coast said they are not currently making replacements and are considering it but no immediate plans to make replacement coils for the older machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 I looked at that Grayhound today. It's in very good shape, has "copyright 1986" on the board and 6/2/87 label on one of the chips. It has a brand new power supply and coil. The claw assembly appears to be exactly the same size as mine, so it should drop in nicely. Oddly enough, it only has 1 wheel to adjust the claw, while all of the documentation I've seen showed 2. As far as coils, shoudl this new one bite the dust, I suspect I'd be able to just replace the entire claw/coil as long as it uses same voltage? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogcow Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I looked at that Grayhound today. It's in very good shape, has "copyright 1986" on the board and 6/2/87 label on one of the chips. It has a brand new power supply and coil. The claw assembly appears to be exactly the same size as mine, so it should drop in nicely. Oddly enough, it only has 1 wheel to adjust the claw, while all of the documentation I've seen showed 2. As far as coils, shoudl this new one bite the dust, I suspect I'd be able to just replace the entire claw/coil as long as it uses same voltage? Thanks! thats my point, the more common models use a different voltage, so you can replace the coil but it will burn out within a few weeks. for home use you may get a lot of life out of it but for commercial use , while i love the united machines, in terms of design and how they are built i am trying to move away from using them. there is only 1 claw control on everything from the grayhound series up to the "Classic" united series. its a voltage you can use a multimeter to adjust it, but generally i just have a list of products and settings, like for knobby balls i set it about 9 o'clock and tweak it until i get it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeTheClaw Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Oh yeah, this is definitely for home use. I make Youtube videos, since there's a ton of peopleout there that love watching videos of people play / win. I prefer to play and demonstrate various techniques and tips on customizing / upgrading cranes using on my own machine rather than spend money on someone else's thats my point, the more common models use a different voltage, so you can replace the coil but it will burn out within a few weeks. for home use you may get a lot of life out of it but for commercial use , while i love the united machines, in terms of design and how they are built i am trying to move away from using them. there is only 1 claw control on everything from the grayhound series up to the "Classic" united series. its a voltage you can use a multimeter to adjust it, but generally i just have a list of products and settings, like for knobby balls i set it about 9 o'clock and tweak it until i get it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.