Free play or no?

westal_sage

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I'm a stickler for having working coin mechs and ya gotta feed the beast to play - so it's more like back in the day. Of course I have a big bucket of quarters sitting there for anyone to dip in to.

Anyone with me on that or do you like to just set it on free play and be done with it?
 
If a game has free play + attract mode, I set it up on free play to make it easier to play, especially for visitors.

If it doesn't, then I use the coin up button inside or feed a bunch of quarters in to rack up credits.

I love to occasionally slip a quarter in for that nostalgia but it gives me more game-playing time to be able to walk up to a cab, slam the start button and jump right in.
 
Oh yeah I forgot about that "stuck on push a player button" aspect of free play that alot of games have. Yeah I do the deal too where I'll open the game and tap the little wire on the coin mech to rack up a bunch of credits - mainly when we're having a little pinball tourney or something like that.

Oh and people like my poker tourneys cuz they can get in some play time on the games when they get knocked out waiting for the next game!
 
Definitely use Tokens! (or quarters)
Course if I put a bucket of quarters out, they would be missing quickly.
I've gone so far as to obtain a Rowe Changer..... for the total coin drop experience.
I've got it rigged so you just press the coin return button and it dispenses 6 tokens at a time.

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Oh awesome on the bill changer! Extra awesome cuz I'm pretty sure that's the exact model (or very close to it) that was in the mall arcade - the place I practically lived at.

When thinking about what non-game stuff I want in my arcade room - you know like jukebox, neon signs, etc - a bill changer was something I thought of that I would love to have. My big problem is space. I darn near want to build a whole separate building out back and totally make it an early 80s arcade - you know with the loud carpet on the walls and everything.

But really - kudos on that bill changer - totally cool!
 
Oh awesome on the bill changer! Extra awesome cuz I'm pretty sure that's the exact model (or very close to it) that was in the mall arcade - the place I practically lived at.

When thinking about what non-game stuff I want in my arcade room - you know like jukebox, neon signs, etc - a bill changer was something I thought of that I would love to have. My big problem is space. I darn near want to build a whole separate building out back and totally make it an early 80s arcade - you know with the loud carpet on the walls and everything.

But really - kudos on that bill changer - totally cool!

Thanks man... they make slim changers too.... ;)
Anyway, I use the 0.900 Tokens with this, very close to the quarter feel.
As half my fun is tinkering on machines, the changer has proven to be a good purchase, pretty cool mechanism inside.

Recently picked up around 2,000 more tokens for $30 off Ebay.
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I put $100 in quarters in a bowl two years ago. I have people over about once a month, kids, teens and parents. I counted up a few months ago and 2.75 was missing/lost under games. No real theft but I might just be lucky.

I do tell everyone that they have to jump up and down when they leave, and if they jingle they are in trouble. It gets a laugh, but maybe it helps too.
 
Definitely use Tokens! (or quarters)
Course if I put a bucket of quarters out, they would be missing quickly.
I've gone so far as to obtain a Rowe Changer..... for the total coin drop experience.
I've got it rigged so you just press the coin return button and it dispenses 6 tokens at a time.


Same here, same changer I believe. BC8 I think? Push the coin reject and get 4 tokens.

Other wise there are several chests around the arcade with piles of tokens in them. :)

Just doesn't feel the same unless you drop a coin in to play!
 
haha yeah I figure if someone feels the need to make off with a few coins, they prolly need 'em more than I do. But it's usually only close friends over and such that wouldn't dream of doing something like that. I've even had some first timers over offering me dollars for some change to play the games! I'm like "man you don't gotta pay!" lol

Hey Mac cool arcade ya got there! That's the kind of carpet I was talking about that I want.
 
found this small changer on ebay, won it for 99 cents local pick up :D it's about 18" high and 6" wide. extreme space saving :)

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Oh yeah that smaller bill changer would be a good one for me. I'm gonna start looking for one of those!
 
haha yeah I figure if someone feels the need to make off with a few coins, they prolly need 'em more than I do. But it's usually only close friends over and such that wouldn't dream of doing something like that. I've even had some first timers over offering me dollars for some change to play the games! I'm like "man you don't gotta pay!" lol

Hey Mac cool arcade ya got there! That's the kind of carpet I was talking about that I want.

You have good friends!
My bigger problem is I do have candy machines that run on quarters, but won't take tokens.... so I know where all the quarters would end up. The kids get quarters for homework well done.... thats my company store so to speak.

I got super lucky on the carpet, my wife bought it from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It was used and pulled out of a closed video store. It will look a 1000 times better once I get up there with a carpet cleaner. She got it for $200. :D
 
Wow there are tons of them on eBay! But yeah they seem pretty proud of them. I checked Craigs and it's kinda the same deal. I bet I could talk somebody down locally with cash in hand. I'm in DFW so there's always lots of cool stuff to find locally.
 
I've got a jar of quarters that lives on top of the Pac-Man. I sometimes use $1 bills in the Megatouch. Hopefully, one day I will be able to get a BC-3500 loaded up with tokens and only have to empty the buckets every couple of months. That would be nice.
 
i picked up a bunch of .900 mechs cheap (about $2-$4 each) and have slowly been installing them in my cabs. tokens were pretty easy to find (noice is a great seller when he's got your size in.) i even picked up a small coin changer off of a local collector that was modified with a small button where the service light would be, and it drops 4 tokens we pushed.

i love having the tokens (and all the procured Chuck E. Cheese cups,) and wouldn't go back.
 
I'm a stickler for having working coin mechs and ya gotta feed the beast to play

Very much agree. I'm proud that every coin chute in my arcade is clean, illuminated and is optimally adjusted. These machines were manufactured to make money.
 
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