Digger project

Building a slot machine from scratch? You're not alone in your madness.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

Post by yaksplat »

I'll take as many pictures as I can get.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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I've got the cabinet well under way. I need to get the digger calibrated, so I can determine the height of the prize tray and then build the chute.
I was surprised that there were no real details in the plans for the chute or tray. Other than the basic dimensions, I ended up not following the plans at all. Too many math errors. Once I complete my cabinet I'll upload a set of plans here for everyone.
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ddstoys
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Re: Digger project

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Looking good mate. Damn, I wish I had your motivation and skills.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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I'd gladly build anything for people, but everyone lives on the wrong side of the ocean :!?!:

It would be about 100 GBP to ship over.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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Getting closer. But I still have to figure out the coin mechanism.
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ddstoys
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Re: Digger project

Post by ddstoys »

It’s looking great. I planned on using the mechanical slide mechs on mine but how to activate the trip rods on each machine will be different and tricky.

Someone suggested to use a slide mech and a chain / pulley type set up.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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I've got a 25 cent slide mech that I'll be using. But I still have to figure out the linkage. That's really the only outstanding item. Everything else is working perfectly.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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I noticed a lot of friction when turning the handle counter clockwise. This uses the reversing gears right by the handle. Upon further inspection, the gears are extremely worn and I think they've been trimmed and shimmed, quite badly even. I was able to hunt down new old stock of the gears on ebay and should have them today or tomorrow. I'll have to replace a one way needle bearing in one of the gears which will require some machining, but based on the original specs of the gears, they'll fit in, near perfectly.

They're Boston G464Y gears:
https://www.bostongear.com/-/media/File ... gears.ashx
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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IMG_20190210_131123a.jpg

Some nicely aligned fresh new gears. Not perfect, but without making a new cage, they'll never be perfectly aligned. This one has a slight bend to it. I'll put it on the list of things to do if I get bored.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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Finally done.

IMG_20190210_164542a.jpg

The kids have been playing it non stop. Of course they're using my quarters and not their own. I may carve a Marquee for it and add in some lights. It gets quite dark in there. Is it okay to have an attractive mode on a machine from the '60s? :lol:
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pennymachines
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Re: Digger project

Post by pennymachines »

yaksplat wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 5:43 pmThe kids have been playing it non stop.
The ultimate accolade! Nice work.
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

Post by yaksplat »

pennymachines wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 10:00 pm
The ultimate accolade! Nice work.
Thanks!
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treefrog
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Re: Digger project

Post by treefrog »

That is one great project we have been watching, started almost 5 years ago and fantastic outcome, well done !!THUMBSX2!!
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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treefrog wrote: Mon Feb 25, 2019 11:33 pm That is one great project we have been watching, started almost 5 years ago and fantastic outcome, well done !!THUMBSX2!!
I had to do some digging to see when I actually bought the crane as eBay no longer keeps records before 2017. Turns out that I bought the digger in February 2014. So this does mark almost exactly 5 years.

Total Cost: $706
  • Mechanism: $459
  • Chain: $22
  • Glass: $67
  • Wood: $65
  • Paint: $5
  • Hinge: $5
  • New Gears: $50
  • New Handle: $14
  • New clutch bearing: $19
Elbow grease and time in the workshop are free, but now i can see when these go for $1300+. There will be more projects to come. I think a coin pusher would be a fun and easy machine to jump on.

Now that I've done this, if anyone needs to fix a crane like this, I know the mechanism inside and out and will surely be able to help you out. I still have to finalize my cabinet plans, but I'll make those available as well. Thanks to those of you that have provided information, pictures and other help along the way.
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ddstoys
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Re: Digger project

Post by ddstoys »

Great work looks unreal. How did you overcome the coin mech set up?
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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It was quite simple actually. I just used a chain...

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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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While I'm uploading videos, here's one of the reversing gears. The nice, brand new old stock gears, adjusted as perfectly as they could be with shim washers due to the bent cage that they're in. The middle gear has a new one way needle bearing pressed into it. The old one was slipping quite a bit and it would spin 1/4 to a full turn before the clutch dug in. You'll notice the dog on the gear keeping the assembly from turning counter-clockwise. The old one was shot, barely attached and was prone to missing the teeth. I cut a new one out of some of the steel from the new bracket that it's mounted to. The main shaft is 1/4" steel and is spinning inside the first quarter inch of the 5/16" shaft that goes through the rest of the assembly. This too needed to be replaced as the old one had suffered from too many slipped set screws grinding the metal away combined with heavy usage.



If anyone wants a video of something else on the machine, let me know and I'll make it.
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bryans fan
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Re: Digger project

Post by bryans fan »

I think you should be extremely proud of what you have achieved, and only five years! I have some machines that I have been thinking about what to do for that long.
WELL DONE! !!GOODJOB!!
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yaksplat
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Re: Digger project

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Thanks!... I just got a notification that my Win A Crunch was just delivered, so that should be the next thread up later.
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ddstoys
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Re: Digger project

Post by ddstoys »

Well I finally had a crack at one of my cabinets. Still needs more love but with my timber skills I’m pretty happy with it. lol
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