Bingo Pinballs
Created
1-28-2018
Has
your bingo been cheating you?
By robertmedl
Pinside member
The reflex unit is part
of the circuits that award increased scores and features. The reflex unit tightens
up as the player wins games, and loosens up as the player spends credits or
coins. Some operators hacked this unit by re-orienting the wipers on the reflex
unit such that the wipers connected to fewer rivets than as was designed by the
factory. The result is increased profits for the operator because increased
scores and features are awarded less often than they otherwise would be
awarded.
Here is my write-up, with extensive photos, for how to detect if
your reflex unit has been hacked, and how to return it to as it was designed.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11r-PnhUqSbIRqbh5zcEL1dZNlMo7ztQ9-vz7Vou_Fjs/edit?usp=sharing
Robert
#2 1 year ago
Pinside member
Nice work Robert! I'll
definitely be checking mine out.
A couple things that may be worth mentioning. When the screws
are being put back into the disc, if it's at all like other bakelite disc
units, you may be able to rotate the disc slightly before tightening the screws
to precisely align the contacts and rivets. I'm not sure if that holds true on
the reflex units, but it might.
The other thing that can be done, but it isn't related to the
topic of your document, is changing the gears on the reflex unit. You can get
various numbered gears which change the gear ratio and allow the reflex to
tighten or loosen more or less quickly.
#3 1 year ago
Pinside member
When
the screws are being put back into the disc, if it's at all like other bakelite
disc units, you may be able to rotate the disc slightly before tightening the
screws to precisely align the contacts and rivets. I'm not sure if that holds
true on the reflex units, but it might.
It does hold true here as
well. You'd need to loosen the third screw in order to do this.
The other
thing that can be done, but it isn't related to the topic of your document, is
changing the gears on the reflex unit. You can get various numbered gears which
change the gear ratio and allow the reflex to tighten or loosen more or less
quickly.
Correct.
General procedure for adjusting the reflex unit in a Bally bingo machine.
|
Completely loosen the reflex unit by winding
the front gear clockwise until it stops. There is a stop-arm that you’ll need to move
off the gear as you wind it. See
the ‘Resetting the reflex unit manually’ section on Phil’s Reflex Unit page. |
|
|
Compare the position of the fingers to the
diagram. If they do not match up, then you’ll want to adjust them so that
they do. In this case, the reflex unit in the Cypress
Gardens is off by four positions. Surely, a previous operator did this to
increase his profits. See Phil Hooper’s Bally
Bingo site for reflex unit
diagram for your machine. If a diagram is not available:
|
|
|
Loosen the nut; here it is with a 5/16 wrench. |
|
|
Remove the nut.. |
|
|
Remove the wipers. |
|
|
Remove the screws holding the disc to the
unit; this is to provide access to the set screws on the shaft. |
|
|
Get your 5/64 allen wrench and loosen the set
screws so that you can rotate the shaft adapter on the shaft. |
|
|
You should now be able to rotate the shaft
adapter on the shaft. |
|
|
Place the wiper fingers on the shaft and
rotate so that they match the diagram. |
|
|
Holding the wiper fingers in place, tighten
the set screw. |
|
|
Remove the wipers. |
|
|
Tighten the second set screw. |
|
|
Place the wipers on the shaft and check your
work. Then remove the wipers again.. |
|
|
Clean the disc and the wipers. |
|
|
Get your teflon-based lube. Use a small dab of
lube on the disc. |
|
|
Attach screws to the disc. |
|
|
Place the wipers on the shaft; attach with
nut. |
|
|
Fin. Now I’ll still lose -- I’ll just lose more
slowly. :) |
|
You’re Damn Right Robert`
My Bingo has been Cheating me
http://danny.cdyn.com/reflex.mpg
~