Roma Flotilla

American, British, French or German? We want to know about it.
User avatar
treefrog
Posts: 4813
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:46 pm
Reaction score: 31
Location: Suffolk

Roma Flotilla

Post by treefrog »

Finally got around to completing a few Vale Roma’s I have had for many a year. The first bought 12 years ago and most had issues with mechanisms and coin delivery. Stupidly I took 4 apart without finishing the previous ones and ended up with boxes of bits I had forgotten where they came from. Then I stupidly in helping other collectors with issues sold parts forgetting where they came from. So after many many hours all are rebuilt with working lights, just a few tweaks to do. Why do I have 5, I have no idea....one has odd memories, as I was picking it up 9 years ago when I got a call that my old man was rushed into hospital, by the time I got there he was dead....

Anyway as you can tell I like Romas, anything that lights up and glows, also collect light up signs for same reason. Someone visited recently, a non-slots collector, saw the machines and said “they are ugly !PUZZLED! nice machines have lots of chrome....”. Maybe he was right...

I want a blue one, someone told me they had seen one, but I never have. I did have a blue curved front Vale version Manhattan with the top box...

86A09CAB-927B-4D0E-93D9-56B510BB0099.jpeg

Next onto the 6 Duomats !PUNISH!
User avatar
moonriver
Posts: 930
Joined: Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:56 am
Reaction score: 3

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by moonriver »

They look quite nice all lit up in a row
User avatar
badpenny
Forum Moderator
Posts: 7211
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 12:41 pm
Reaction score: 25
Location: East Midlands

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by badpenny »

Yes I like those too.
I remember them well as a child, plus they have one of my favourite mechs.
Excellent stuff TF

BP !THUMBS!
tallstory
Posts: 180
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:57 pm
Reaction score: 2

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by tallstory »

Any chance of seeing inside one? Pretty please.
User avatar
dutchboy
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Oct 19, 2014 8:28 pm
Reaction score: 0
Location: Netherlands

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by dutchboy »

Very well done! Looks very nice, be carefull to run out of machines with the second wave of corona. !!ESCAPE!!
malcymal
Posts: 849
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:58 am
Reaction score: 0
Location: Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by malcymal »

Fabulous. I got mine out the other day from loft eave, the yellow one. The inner coin slide fell out when I opened it up as the rubber band holding the two halves together had perished. I think it was you who came to my house to examine mine. I seem to think we ended up using a rubber band on yours too for something?

A quick rummage in my wife's drawers and then a look in the kitchen draw, new band fitted. Penny in and off she went, albeit the fascinating 15 second spin cycle. The top win of 10 is incredibly hard to win, in fact any win is pretty hard to win. I worked out the average return was 60% on mine. It's amusing too because 4, 6, 8 and 10 wins give a very positive clunk on payout, the 2 win is just a plink. Often as not on a 2 win nothing happens for about 10 seconds then the two old pennies trickle out.

Mine lights up too after rewiring and replacing the old Phillips' chokes. I'm just trying to convince my wife that it's okay to put in our newly renovated lounge as it would fit the yellow ceiling light shade and Ikea cushions. She might buy it.

What was the cheapest you paid for one? I think mine was 140 quid. Bought it blind in a flea market as the locks had no keys so couldn't test it.

Whilst going through the loft eave, i also got out my German bergmann Hobby machine out which was one of Harold English's. Regrettably shes not working correctly. Im hoping that some switch cleaner might sort her out. Thats the trouble with the german electro mechanicals from the 50s, with people like Harold no longer with us its pretty hard to get help to work out whats going on. Theres three spinning discs, you choose your number you are going for and the first and second reel stop with a number, the total is what you win. You then have to stop the middle disc, or leave it to stop on its own and if its your selected number you win. My right disc stops, the middle disc stops and the first just pootles to a stop without the brake kicking in. All the other machines worked fine, by rialto bingolette, the jubilee mk1 and a jap pachislo too. thanks for sharing your marvelous flotilla of Romas!!
User avatar
treefrog
Posts: 4813
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:46 pm
Reaction score: 31
Location: Suffolk

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by treefrog »

Wasn’t me that came to your house. What is broken on your machine......

Funny today I picked up some handy spares for Beromat machines and apart from coin chutes etc, I also now have 26 full sets of slides without breaks........think there won’t be a shortage for a while. Oddly I had used up all my spares as virtually every machine I go near has one or two broken...
Attachments
76535AE9-C5E7-4CE7-A6A2-A52F2CE42EF5.jpeg
3A19D549-13BB-4FDD-99DB-B2356C8351B9.jpeg
geofflove
Posts: 429
Joined: Sun May 03, 2020 2:01 pm
Reaction score: 10

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by geofflove »

malcymal wrote: Wed Jul 22, 2020 5:30 pm Theres three spinning discs, you choose your number you are going for and the first and second reel stop with a number, the total is what you win. You then have to stop the middle disc, or leave it to stop on its own and if its your selected number you win. My right disc stops, the middle disc stops and the first just pootles to a stop without the brake kicking in.
I don’t know this specific machine but have worked on a few other German ones. Pop a volt meter across the brake solenoid. If it’s receiving voltage at the appropriate time when it should operate it’s likely a broken coil wire on the brake solenoid. They sometimes break between the terminal and the main part if the coil and can sometimes be repaired or if not rewound. If there’s no voltage there then it’s likely the cam switch that operates it.
User avatar
special when lit
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:46 pm
Reaction score: 2
Location: Derby

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by special when lit »

treefrog wrote: Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:49 pm Wasn’t me that came to your house. What is broken on your machine......

Funny today I picked up some handy spares for Beromat machines and apart from coin chutes etc, I also now have 26 full sets of slides without breaks........think there won’t be a shortage for a while. Oddly I had used up all my spares as virtually every machine I go near has one or two broken...
Hi T/F. Don't suppose you have a handle plate in that useful pile, do you?
User avatar
treefrog
Posts: 4813
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:46 pm
Reaction score: 31
Location: Suffolk

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by treefrog »

special when lit wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:40 pm Hi T/F. Don't suppose you have a handle plate in that useful pile, do you?

Hens teeth comes to mind as with a few other parts,

no, just what is in picture.....main parts here often break being slides and the coin acceptor frame....

The handles assembly takes a hammering and the weak pot metal seems most affected here, especially the internal clamp which crumble. I have broken up at least 6 machines to use as parts over the years, often ones with too many issues like rotten cabinets....

It’s funny these spares came from an operator who I know had quite a few british converted machines and looking at the coin chutes, I reckon these conversions were often done by operators as these parts look like complete items to convert a machine to old penny and are new old stock.
santelmann
Posts: 84
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2018 12:07 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by santelmann »

treefrog wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:53 pm

The handles assembly takes a hammering and the weak pot metal seems most affected here, especially the internal clamp which crumble.
Hi Treefrog!
The clamp is a typical problem part on Novomat and later machines. Are this parts also recycled in the Roma?
DSCN5700.JPG

User avatar
dickywink
Posts: 156
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:50 pm
Reaction score: 4

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by dickywink »

I totally agree with you TF ... looking at the line up there is something magical about them ... thats why i like Ditchburn juke boxes and Jamiesons machines ... not the prettiest things compared to a Wurlitzer or a Caille but there is something magical about them that i love ... enjoy them
Dicky
User avatar
treefrog
Posts: 4813
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:46 pm
Reaction score: 31
Location: Suffolk

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by treefrog »

The Roma’s have standard handle assembly’s, so yes and I had to change two of them. Sometimes it is best not to even touch the bolts and leave alone as if working it may carry on for a while, the risk is when you take of the back plate and it all goes wrong !PUNISH! I like to do it to check any issues and take a chance...

Interesting one of the handle plate fronts I changed and not because of metal fatigue was the below shiny one, which I am sure is a recast and very good at that. The only issue when they did this the bearing was too large and the handle rattled around so I changed it. I was going to see if I could punch out the steel bearing and insert an original Gunter Wulff one shown, but suspect they were cast around the bearing and will probably just break up. I have see some people on Facebook groups make new plates using aluminium sheet and tubing for the stops and make a good job.
Attachments
5ADBEA5E-1771-4FE6-A099-D648F1A279B7.jpeg
B1648422-7E38-4DD5-9281-F00E799768B3.jpeg
User avatar
treefrog
Posts: 4813
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 2:46 pm
Reaction score: 31
Location: Suffolk

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by treefrog »

dickywink wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:25 pm I totally agree with you TF ... looking at the line up there is something magical about them ... thats why i like Ditchburn juke boxes and Jamiesons machines ... not the prettiest things compared to a Wurlitzer or a Caille but there is something magical about them that i love ... enjoy them
Dicky
The collectors world is an odd one as for me most of my favourite machines are the cheapest ones, I would rather have a glowing Roma in my room than a Mills Rock-Ola bandit......
User avatar
badpenny
Forum Moderator
Posts: 7211
Joined: Thu May 05, 2005 12:41 pm
Reaction score: 25
Location: East Midlands

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by badpenny »

^^^^^ What he just said :didact:
tallstory
Posts: 180
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:57 pm
Reaction score: 2

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by tallstory »

special when lit
Hi T/F. Don't suppose you have a handle plate in that useful pile, do you?
I noticed that one restorer used a 3D printer to make a similar part https://www.foghandersen.com/en-rotomat ... problemer/ This must be the future for us restorers.
User avatar
special when lit
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:46 pm
Reaction score: 2
Location: Derby

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by special when lit »

tallstory wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:28 am
special when lit
Hi T/F. Don't suppose you have a handle plate in that useful pile, do you?
I noticed that one restorer used a 3D printer to make a similar part https://www.foghandersen.com/en-rotomat ... problemer/ This must be the future for us restorers.
That's a good idea. I've got a mate with a 3D printer...
santelmann
Posts: 84
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2018 12:07 pm
Reaction score: 0

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by santelmann »

special when lit wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:40 pm
Hi T/F. Don't suppose you have a handle plate in that useful pile, do you?
Do you need the complete assembly or only the plate?
User avatar
special when lit
Posts: 495
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:46 pm
Reaction score: 2
Location: Derby

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by special when lit »

santelmann wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:24 pm
special when lit wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:40 pm
Hi T/F. Don't suppose you have a handle plate in that useful pile, do you?
Do you need the complete assembly or only the plate?
Not sure, I've not taken it to bits yet.
User avatar
dickywink
Posts: 156
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:50 pm
Reaction score: 4

Re: Roma Flotilla

Post by dickywink »

I have been using 3d printers for over a year now .... not a thripenny joe printer but one from the 3rd dimension ...
I have been making tools for my good Fruit Machine Friends over at MPU mecca ... yes the place where slot machines use that electrickery stuff and puters to make the reels spin ... my second printer is on its way as the first one runs full time ... check out my thread on the MPU forum " Dicky tool box" and befor you say its too difficult .... it is not ... anyone can do it

Firstly ... the link to dickys toolbox

https://www.fruitemu.co.uk/ib/index.php ... c&id=23180

and secondly ... if she can do it ... anyone can do it ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fVP1VckD2U


all the best .. Dicky
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Semrush [Bot] and 28 guests