Thursday, May 19, 2005
Let em spin...
Modern fruit machines use electronically controlled reels, they are not like in the
dim and distant past when they used reels with carefully machined metalwork, and
springs, weights etc.
They use "stepper" motors, which are motors which are capable of being turned very precisely in small defined increments.
In the case of machines like the pie factory, the reels are controlled by a reel controll board (which translates signals from the main mpu board, into the electrical signals to turn the motors to a certain position). The mpu talks to the reel board via a serial link, which keeps wires in the machine to a minimum.
Reels have a plastic tab on them, which breaks a sensor once per revolution, this is used as feedback so the fruit machine knows the reel actually has turned a full revolution, and so it can find out the position of the reels when turned on.
The graphics on the reels are illuminated by fixed lamps, just under the plastic reel bands (strips of plastic which go around the reel, and show the reel graphics).
Here are some photos of reels, from various angles, so you can see what I am waffling on about.
dim and distant past when they used reels with carefully machined metalwork, and
springs, weights etc.
They use "stepper" motors, which are motors which are capable of being turned very precisely in small defined increments.
In the case of machines like the pie factory, the reels are controlled by a reel controll board (which translates signals from the main mpu board, into the electrical signals to turn the motors to a certain position). The mpu talks to the reel board via a serial link, which keeps wires in the machine to a minimum.
Reels have a plastic tab on them, which breaks a sensor once per revolution, this is used as feedback so the fruit machine knows the reel actually has turned a full revolution, and so it can find out the position of the reels when turned on.
The graphics on the reels are illuminated by fixed lamps, just under the plastic reel bands (strips of plastic which go around the reel, and show the reel graphics).
Here are some photos of reels, from various angles, so you can see what I am waffling on about.
You can often see people peering into the machine, trying to see what symbols are next in line when the machine offers nudges, usually you can make out the next symbol, which can be helpful sometimes.
# posted by fruityarcade @ 6:10 PM 
