Electric Amuser info

Somebody knows... Maybe you?
widget2k4
Posts: 1385
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:32 am
Reaction score: 0

Electric Amuser info

Post by widget2k4 »

I was just wondering if anyone had one of these machines and could shed some light onto wiring it up at all?
It's the first electric allwin I have had so not really sure what's meant to happen with it? There are two big knobs on the front which are not connected to anything - they are just bolted onto the door. Are these something to do with the electric?
Attachments
2016-02-13 14.13.46.jpg
glittering-prize67
Posts: 263
Joined: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:00 am
Reaction score: 0
Location: nottingham

Re: electric amuser info needed

Post by glittering-prize67 »

Not too hot on these but I think it is supposed to give you an electric shock. Back in the day it was said to be stimulating and good for you, but electric shocks in my view are not good. So the two knobs should be connected so when you deposit a coin it gives you a shock. Just buy old German machines, they do the same. :shock:
User avatar
moonriver
Posts: 930
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:56 am
Reaction score: 3

Re: electric amuser info needed

Post by moonriver »

The electric shock element of the game was used to get around the gaming aspect.
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by pennymachines »

widget2k4 wrote:It's the first electric allwin I have had so not really sure what's meant to happen with it?
Oddly, there's some uncertainty as to what made and broke the electric circuit on these. My theory was that the knobs would become live as soon as a penny was inserted, but this would require something to break the circuit when the game finished. As there's no evidence of timers on these, it would have to be the ball opening a contact after it fell into the lose channel. Others have suggested the circuit was made upon a win (and presumably unmade by turning the payout knob). But if you have to win to get your electrical fix, that would undermine the ruse that it was primarily a service machine with the game as a bonus.
For similar reasons, it seems unlikely that the knobs were permanently live, allowing anyone to complete the circuit by putting their hands across them, without paying for the 'pleasure'.

See 13rebel's post here.
widget2k4
Posts: 1385
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:32 am
Reaction score: 0

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by widget2k4 »

So am I right in thinking that you never actually got an electric shock but it just lit a bulb up in the centre when you touched the two knobs?
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by pennymachines »

No. You got a shock. Usually there wasn't a bulb or any indicator, an exception being the Electra Amuser which had a pointer indicating the increasing voltage as you turned one of the knobs.

Most lack a working shocker because the punters didn't want it and the operators were only using it as a get-out against anti-gambling enforcement. In so far as the ruse worked, it probably did so whether the shocker functioned or not (the operator could always claim they just needed to replace the battery). Although the feature was probably promoted by the manufacturers as a device which made their games legal, as far as I know, it was never tested in court. After this, some machines carried notices assuring the public "No Electricity. No Shocks".
widget2k4
Posts: 1385
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:32 am
Reaction score: 0

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by widget2k4 »

Oh really :) I need to get this working to give her a shock lol. Mine has a bulb in the centre.
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by pennymachines »

Can we see the front?
widget2k4
Posts: 1385
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:32 am
Reaction score: 0

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by widget2k4 »

There you go :)
Attachments
20160213_141404a.jpg
User avatar
paulbohlmann
Posts: 41
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2012 7:45 pm
Reaction score: 0
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by paulbohlmann »

Hi there,

what you miss is the "Rühmkorffsche Induktionsspule" or "Funkeninduktor"
see: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funkeninduktor

Indeed the electrical shock function was a trick to avoid the law in Germany,
so it was not a game of luck.


The electrical shock function is activated when a coin is dropped in the machine.
It will be deactivated when you release a ball or turn the knob for the electrical shock the full way...
(so this info is for the Jentzsch & Meerz version...)

elektrisier 1.jpg


Elektro B.jpg


elektro funktionen.jpg

Regards Marco
User avatar
badpenny
Forum Moderator
Posts: 7211
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 12:41 pm
Reaction score: 25
Location: East Midlands

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by badpenny »

Wow Marco, you've gone to a lot of effort there.
We need to ensure your diagram doesn't just get lost within the mass of pages. I've often thought we should have somewhere labelled "Gems not to be lost" where we can store such beauties.

Also I thank you for introducing us to the word "Funkeninduktor" I intend to adopt it and make it my personal ambition to use it at least three times a week.
In exchange I offer back to you "bindlestiff" which is a vagabond. Make of it what you will. !SMARTY!
User avatar
wembleylion
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:07 pm
Reaction score: 2
Location: Norfolk UK

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by wembleylion »

Looking at the electrical circuit on Widget's machine it looks to me as though only the bulb is lit on a win. The box, top right, holds a battery and the switch is below the box and the circuit is made by the payout arm moving to the right.

Attached is a simple circuit designed to give a single shock. The switch could be either a low torque micro switch located in the coin slide to give a shock every time the machine is played or the switch could be like that on Widget's machine to give a shock only on a win. I guess on the some of the cheaper original machines the coin slide consisted of two tracks insulated from each other so the penny itself completed the circuit. The circuit need only be closed for a short time to charge the capacitor and the capacitor will hold the charge for a few minutes or until discharged through the player ----- Ouch. :zapa:

Beware Electricity is Dangerous and this circuit can be arranged give substantial shock that may be painful / injurious to some persons. I can remember going to Paul Haskel's where he had his machines displayed in his garage. Paul had a selection of shockers in his collection including the well known Pig. Paul persuaded me, against my better judgement, to have a go on a Pickwick with a shocker. I had expected a small jolt but, by Christ, the belt nearly threw me across the garage and my arms felt like they had dislocated from their sockets.

Hope this helps. John.
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by pennymachines »

Wunderbar Marco! It's great to have that cleared up at last. It all makes sense now.
badpenny wrote:We need to ensure your diagram doesn't just get lost within the mass of pages.
I've copied the post to Resources.
wembleylion wrote:Looking at the electrical circuit on Widget's machine it looks to me as though only the bulb is lit on a win. The box, top right, holds a battery and the switch is below the box and the circuit is made by the payout arm moving to the right.
I think that's right, but surely the circuit must be made by the ball falling into a win. The lamp lets you know you've won and the machine is waiting to pay out. Turning the payout handle would switch it off again. I don't think it has anything to do with the shock feature (except it uses the same battery) and you will find it on some allwins without shockers. I've seen it on Birmingham made Quested Automatics games and believe it may be a characteristic feature of Birmingham made allwins.
wembleylion wrote:Attached is a simple circuit designed to give a single shock.
Your diagram didn't attach for some reason. Could you try again? (Wait until the green tick indicates it's fully uploaded before submitting the post).
User avatar
wembleylion
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:07 pm
Reaction score: 2
Location: Norfolk UK

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by wembleylion »

Sorry for the confusion Mr PM, I'm not sure what happened here but I thought I had deleted my post when I realised that I had attached a duff circuit diagram.

I made a shocker when I was at school in the 1950s and the diagram was from memory. I thought I had got it right but quickly making up the circuit I found it didn't work because a few bits had got lost in my brain box; old age striking back again. :#:
On thinking more about it I'm sure I used some parts from an early battery portable radio; these used valves that had a 90 volt heater circuit and I think I used the 90 volt battery together with some of the paper wound capacitors plus other bits. I think the design came from an American boys comic.

John

PS; I notice on YouTube that there are numerous shockers made from single use camera electronics. I don't know how powerful these are but if they are any good they have the advantage that they would be small enough to hide inside a wood and cardboard tube finished to look like an original shock coil.
Last edited by wembleylion on Tue Feb 16, 2016 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
widget2k4
Posts: 1385
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:32 am
Reaction score: 0

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by widget2k4 »

Ah, that all makes sense now - thank you for explaining it clearly. I'm still left wondering what the two big knobs are for though?
User avatar
wembleylion
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:07 pm
Reaction score: 2
Location: Norfolk UK

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by wembleylion »

widget2k4 wrote:I'm still left wondering what the two big knobs are for though?
It's also possible that the knobs may have been connected at one time and due to the cost of replacement batteries for the shocker it was removed and sold on.

John
widget2k4
Posts: 1385
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:32 am
Reaction score: 0

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by widget2k4 »

I am going to get this wired up and give it a try sometime, any recommendations on a battery?
pennymachines
Site Admin
Posts: 6638
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 12:12 am
Reaction score: 56
Location: The Black Country

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by pennymachines »

Something like this if the bulb is 6 Volts?
Attachments
6voltB.jpg
User avatar
wembleylion
Posts: 184
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:07 pm
Reaction score: 2
Location: Norfolk UK

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by wembleylion »

I found this American patent for a Bunny Shooting Game.

The player holds the rifle which has two metal plates mounted on the rifle in the normal holding position and these plates are connected to a transformer. The Rabbit passes across the front of the target box and the player attempts to shoot the rabbit and if he succeeds one hit is recorded on the players counter but if he misses the rabbit turns raising the rifle he is carrying and a bulb lights in the rifle barrel and the player receives a shock through the metal plates on the rifle. What a brilliant game!!!


From the patent drawing the shocker is shown as just a transformer to raise / lower ? the mains voltage and I think this must have been the principle behind my school days shocker and the perhaps the reason for the 90 volt battery.

Here is the relevant excerpt from the patent
When the rabbit is turning the arms 4l and rifle 43 will be elevated as previously explained and the main electric switch 5B will be closed for energizing the circuit for illuminating the lamp in the miniature rifle carried by the rabbit and at the same time the relay 51 will be energized for closing switch 58 (Fig."7) and transformer circuit 59.
When the transformer 59 is charged, a mild shock will be transmitted to the gunner through wires 25 and 26 which are respectively connected with 'the transformer circuit and the switch 58.


This is the link to the full patent.
https://www.google.com.au/patents/US240 ... KYKHX4LB70
John
Attachments
Rabbit Game Schematic.JPG
Rabbit Game Target.JPG
User avatar
john t peterson
Posts: 1334
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 5:40 pm
Reaction score: 7
Location: USA

Re: Electric Amuser info needed

Post by john t peterson »

Now, if we could just teach the bunnies to pull a trigger, we'd really even up the odds. !!SUICIDAL!!

A shock to the shooter for a missed shot is a nice alternative.

I'm still holding out hope for open season on politicians. !SHOOT!

J Peterson
Straight shooter from USA
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 21 guests