Dumb pinball question #47 Bill Acceptors?

[Black Matrix]

Hey all,
I have a Midway Scared Stiff and a William's Gilligan's Island. I was recently contemplating adding a couple bill acceptors to increase that "Real" arcade feel. So my questions are:
1. What are the intended bill acceptors for the wiring harnesses found in these pinballs.
2. Is there a newer....better version of bill acceptors that would install just as easily.
3. Does anyone have any anecdotal experience with bill acceptors on your own pins that you care to share with the group.

I found this manual that I think was scanned by Ken Layton and posted to arcarc,
http://arcarc.xmission.com/PDF_Coin...er_Field_Instructions_(16-9832) July_1984.pdf

But I figure the information is out of date to some degree at the moment. So I thought it was worth posting a querry. Thanks in advance.

 

[Compute]

Bill acceptors have a standard connector, although their power requirements vary. 120vac, 12vdc, jukes use 24vdc. I have not had the pleasure of hacking a dba onto a game that did not already have a connector, though. If they have a harness for a dba you need to make sure you get one the right voltage. Aside from that the mounting is the same on damn near every dba I have seen. IF you want ones that take the newest 100's, 5's, etc you will pay more as the companies charge an arm and a leg for the programmer kits.

 

[ArcadeTechGW]

Oh heavens, why bother? Take the money you'd spend on these power users that have no value unless you're running them in the wild, and spend it on a new game!

They aren't cheap. Look at a price of $100+ each.

 

[LTG]

Mars or MEI acceptors work good. With or without stacker.

Keep an eye on Ebay for cheap ones, be sure they are for 110V, and many can't be updated to newer bills.

LTG : )

 

[KenLayton]

Bill acceptors mounting bolt pattern, connectors, and operating voltage all vary depending on manufacturer and vintage.

Many made today have a standardized mounting bolt pattern, but the faceplate (a.k.a. "snout" ) have different styles which may or may not fit through the hole for a bill acceptor in a particular coin door. Then you also have the "upstacker", "downstacker", and "stackerless" styles. Later Williams coin doors can accept all three styles.

Mars has several connector pinouts: 9 pin, 18 pin, and 36 pin. The 9 pin connector pinout can be different for 120 vac units vs. 24 vac units. The type used in pinballs is 9 pin, 120 vac.

Operating voltage of the bill acceptor depends on manufacturer of the bill acceptor and the specific model number of it. In general, these operating voltages apply in the USA:

120 VAC
24 VAC
24 VDC
12 VDC

ALWAYS read the label on the particular bill acceptor you want you use to be sure it is the right voltage unit for your application, lest the bill acceptor go ka-blooey when powered up!

This thread I wrote on the Pinside forums details how to wire the machine for a bill acceptor using the pre-made Mars or Pyramid Acceptors bill acceptor 9 pin harness:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/installing-bill-acceptors-on-wpc-era-machines

Most Williams bill acceptor coin doors will mount the Mars (a.k.a. MEI Global) model AE-2411-U3 bill acceptor directly.

 

[Wish]

Whatever happened to quarters?

I remember when a dime would buy you a game, and 3 games for a quarter.

You used to have to push the plunger in, to raise the ball into the shooter lane, for a dime too....we didn't need a solenoid to put a ball in play, and we could look in the window to see how many balls were left.

You kids take your dollar bill acceptors and get the hell off of my lawn!

*shakes fist*

 

[vipe155]

I wouldn't consider adding a bill acceptor an increase of "arcade feel." I've virtually never seen a pin with that takes bills. I use tokens on my games, and that is much more like what I've seen around in retail locations.

 

[Black Matrix]

I wouldn't consider adding a bill acceptor an increase of "arcade feel." I've virtually never seen a pin with that takes bills. I use tokens on my games, and that is much more like what I've seen around in retail locations.

A valid argument for sure, but if you think of it this way...Midway/Bally/Williams went to the trouble of putting the cut out panels on the coin doors from the factory. Understandably, at 300 bucks a pop for a new bill acceptor, it wasn't something they were just going to throw in with the game...In that regards, pin companies haven't changed much over the years. But it seems a lot like something left unfinished. Even if you don't need one for home use, I think it adds to the authenticity of the machine.....you know, like street cred. And considering that you can pick one up these days for 50-100 bucks on ebay, it seems like a small add on. Just look at all the other crap pinheads add to their machines. The toys, the LEDs, the mods that were meant to be on the machines, but too costly to add. At least a bill acceptor is a functional add on versus something for aesthetics. Like I said, it just seems like a logical cheap add on for a later model pin. Is it any different for the collector that restores the door from a pin in the 70s to include the Susan B. Anthony coin slot and matching stickers. Just kind of makes it more accuarate for the period.

Then again, I could just be full of crap....Wouldn't be the first time.....Probably won't be the last.

 

[ArcadeTechGW]

Well, if you have that much money laying around, forgo this nonsense and make a donation as noted in the header above. It's fully tax-deductable, and a better use for your money. It will get you KLOV = CRED.