Star Tech Journal

Issue: 1996-March - Vol 18 Issue 1

March 1996
STAR* TECH
CD
Journal
~16l~RS t10 f-
~-· OPERATORS SHOULD DEMAND CHANGE
1
:: Si.R*TBC:H ofil::
The 1947 designed mechs should now be a thing of the past.
We need one coin mech that works properly!
~~-R '
,
•.·.,
l)iSCfllPTION OF .P RO~M
Alf previ().~$ editions of STAS.1'rTECH
Journa( V~lumes )1 •· 16 (Marc;µ 1979
Granted the Mars Cash Flow does
cost more, but it is worth it for
all your A+ games. I've ordered
them for all my Cruisin 's. They
can be ordered from Williams
Parts. Contact your Williams dis-
tributor.
What it gets down to is that if we
have a magnet, any Canadian or
iron coin will jam the mech. The
cradle stops the coin and the next
coin in causes a jam. Coin Con-
trols mechs will jam this way and
have been for years. Yet, it is the
most widely used unit.
Another alternative is the
Imonex. This mech sorts on size
only. It will eliminate 80% -90%
of the coin jams. The magnet in
them works like a Valley Pool
table ... no jams.
Some coin doors, though, must
be tweaked to use them. On old
Coin Controls doors, the back of
the entry is closed a little with a
quarter. The sizing entry on older
Bally doors must be opened a
little. Imonex will not pass paper
or wire the way the Mars Cash
Flow will, but a 90+% reduction
,-in jams for their cost is still an
., xcellent investment.
At the last Standardization Com-
mittee meeting, I proposed that
all games come with a coin mech
that doesn't stop the coin -ferrous
or not. (Remember the Mars
Cash Flow mech will pass even a
house key without jamming!)
The committee, which is made
up of mostly manufacturers,
refused to pass it. What we cur-
rently have is costing us big
money.
Februa.ryl995):have!qeen .seannec;l OI!t9
a ~ingl~ C~~ROM disc with a cust()m
Multi-Med(a Micr.1>soft WitulottJs Program
which places thousah~ of'articles•a.1;tthe
fingertip~ ofcoin•~p game techniciat>:~,
Po1N'.( ANO COCK MENUS
Select from a list of manufacturers:
Thehselectihe game or topic you want
to view~ From there, juslpQiQt andelick
~ndntlje i~~ue whf~h coptai~~ yo~r
choice througl)the pag~~ orgo directly to the
article oflnterest . '

REoulREMl:NT,S
Williams ships Europe with Mars
Cash Flow coin mechs. It is my
understanding that that you can
order your new pin games with
this mech installed. The Cash
Flow mech can be programmed
for 12 different coins. If ever the
new dollar coin comes, this will
be needed.
It's your money. Demand a
good electronic coin mech like
the Mars Cash Flow from the
manufacturer for your top games,
other games should be Imonex.
If the factories went this way, it
would eliminate multiple mechs
per game -a big savings. The 1947
designed mechs should now be
a thing of the past. We need one
coin mech that works properly!
No coin jams for a year shouldn't be totally unbelievable.
All thaes geededJs an'iBM,cotJlpatibl~
computer (386 or·t:>etter) wuHWihdows
3.1 (or lat~r) and a CD~ROMplayer.,AH
the technical ihformatiornpublfshed in
ST.fduring the pf,Jstsixte~rtyears wlJI
beVours,in secondsr
PRICE
$~88. OS funds. COO ok in USA. Priqe
includes shipping US and Canada.
Other cotmtries add $9 via ait:
NorE 'iw
Only 100 ST/on Ct>♦ROM discs were
mad~. by STAR~TECH tfpumal. The
nexffumwlU. be in March of 1997 and
W:111 be avaUabJe first to purchalS~rs of
the initi,al .d isc (at,h !lf pric;)· Once you
~re .a tegisfered'i us~r of 'B,TJ on· CD-
ROM you wlllwbe offered' future "PP-
ROM releases at 500/ooff.
MolNFo
For mcfre informatiomor to order call.,
faxt email or otherwise beam your re-
quests to ~tar Tech Journal. Inc. PO
Box 35, Medford, NJ 08055. Phone:
609/654-5544. Fax: 609/654-1441.
Email¥ startech@cyberenet.net
STAR*TEcH
Journal
CD
March 1996
Tips
'Wey Enzo, I can't find the self-test button on this Captain Fantastic!"
Douglas 'Enzo' McCallum • Shiawassee Technical Services• Lansing, Ml
THE TOOLBOX
(PART
1)
When /' m off to Seattle or Boston to rep a product,
the last thing I want is to find out I don't have all the tools I need for the job at hand.
Tools are just as important on a local service call. I think an organized toolbox and
the proper selection of tools is the key to good service.
The kind of toolbox you carry is
less important than the organiza-
tion within. I like a large box with
pallets (panels with pockets for
each tool), but I also use a soft
zippered case from time to time.
boxes have held up well, and
they make small things conve-
nient to store. 35mm film cans
are real handy for storing crimp
connectors, hardware and small
components.
Even a tackle box style toolbox
is fine. Pick a box that will keep
the tools in place so when you
go for a tool, it is still where you
put it last time.
Storing your tools in a consistent
manner does two things. First, it
enables you to find your tools
quickly without wasting time dig-
ging around in the box. Second,
it lets you tell easily that you have
picked up ALL your tools before
leaving the location.
There are many ways to anchor
tools and supplies: pallets, divid-
ers, rubber bands, little boxes,
Styrofoam, whatever works for
you. I use a number of small and
medium sized fishing lure cases
to keep my small tools, parts,
electronic components all neat
and tidy inside my tool case.
Plano makes a wide variety of
these and they are available in
many stores. Look in the sport-
ing goods section. My Plano
Looking for a good toolbox?
There are many sources. Your
distributor probably sells them,
and the big parts houses do. Lo-
cal electronics parts stores often
sell toolboxes. You owe it to your-
self to check out Jensen and
Techni-Tool. These two large
catalogs feature a range of tool
boxes as well as just every tool
imaginable. Talk to other techni-
cians about the pros and cons of
the various tool boxes they have
used.
My personal choice is a Jensen
deep two pallet case in heavy
duty plastic, but there are many
other styles and brands that will
serve you well.
Caution: the airlines are VERY
hard on toolboxes. If you fly with
your tools, I highly recommend
the heavy plastic models. This is
the same material the airlines use
to make the cargo tubs that ride
the conveyor belts. The fake
leather covered wood boxes look
good and are fine to carry
around, but the airlines will shred
them in no time . Aluminum
looks good, but it dents. Alumi-
num costs a lot more, too. The
catalog houses have sales engi- .
neers to help you select the best
model for your needs.
... continued on page 9

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