Help with groetchen sparks champion

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Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby d12bn » Sun Jan 15, 2017 8:55 am

I purchased one yesterday that was locked/no key and pull arm would not engage. Good news I picked the lock and fixed the arm. Now reels are not centered and when you win nothing happens. Not sure what supposed to happen but no coin in side window and gold tokens don't move. Can someone share a manual or link to instructions? Don't have gumballs so not sure how that part should work, can someone explain what happens?
Thanks for your time
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby nvmos2 » Sun Jan 15, 2017 3:41 pm

Looks like a really nice machine;
looks like that could be original paint job; if so, it is in GREAT shape!
You also have some of the correct Gold Award (GA) tokens; that is a bonus; they are usually missing and are hard to find.

There are no manuals for most trade stimulators.
If you were able to pick the lock, I think you are fully capable of working on this mechanism.
If you have tokens in the payout tube, one will drop to the side window ONLY if you line up one of the combinations shown on award plate.
If you don't have any tokens in the payout tube, you can use quarters; they are same size.
The GA tokens should not move unless you line up 3 bars on the reels; in which case 1 token will drop into the small window below the GA viewing window.
That allows the location operator to inspect the winning and pay the player before releasing the winning GA token into the machine for future use.
When 3 bars are lined up on the reels, you will see notches on the reel discs into which the levers on front of mechanism go to detect a GA winner and activate the GA dispenser.
Assuming all the parts are there and not broken, with a little tinkering and you will have it figured out.
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby d12bn » Sun Jan 15, 2017 4:05 pm

Thanks for your response. The paper is not glued down on the reels and as you can see in this video it dropped a token without winning which means the reels/paper need to be adjusted? How do I correct it? And it also randomly drops a token in the front which I have to figure out.
If someone could help thanks. I will continue to research for solutions and tinker. I will figure it out but would be faster with guidance.
Thanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTTnTwUbjNM
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby nvmos2 » Sun Jan 15, 2017 4:39 pm

Activate mechanism.
Stop clock.
Align 3 bars on reels.
When bar is aligned, there should be a hole in the reel strip and disc for the detecting lever/finger on front of mechanism to go into.
The hole is 3 symbols below the bar.
Each reel has 2 bars but only one has the hole beneath it; the other is a dummy.
If you don't see the hole in the disc through the reel strip, that strip is out of position and you need to rotate the strip/disc until the hole in the strip is over the hole in the disc.
Once aligned, glue loose strip(s) to disc.
The rest of the payouts should then be properly aligned.
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby d12bn » Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:06 pm

Does this look right? I'm learning but still confused
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby d12bn » Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:07 pm

I also found this note inside from a previous owner
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby nvmos2 » Tue Jan 17, 2017 9:19 pm

Yes: the reels looked properly aligned in the photo;
you can see the distinct oval hole in the reel strips and it looks like they are right over the hole in the reel disc.

It looks like you have new replacement reel strips;
apparently whoever installed them made some notes from the reels as he was working on it.
Hopefully, he used the right strips and put the right strip on the right disc or payout will not be right.
That's about all I can say;
truth be told, I have never replaced the strips on a Sparks machine;
I just had a look at one of mine and suggested how I would go about it.
Maybe someone with more experience on this model machine can add some comments.
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby SLOT DYNASTY » Wed Jan 18, 2017 1:32 am

OK d12bn:
Here is the straight scoop on your newly acquired Groetchen "Champion". First, it is not original paint. It is too new looking.
Although, whoever restored it, did an excellent job, and used the correct colors of Hammertone paint. Now for the bad news.
Those fruit symbol reel strips, are my reproductions, and have been replaced. Whoever ordered them, may not have told me
what machine they were going on. Groetchen made more than one change in their reel strip layouts over the years. More-so in
fruit than cigarette. If the machine had real bad strips, with missing symbols, or worse yet, no strips at all, it posses a big problem
when replacing. It takes a very long time from scratch, to figure out each symbol notch, to correspond with the new reel strips. I
do not have every variation of replacements, but can compensate by sending symbol paste-overs to make the correct layout. The
strips shown on your bundle, are for the Groetchen "Zephyr", as witnessed by the Green star seen on the first reel. The "Sparks"
machines that did have a star, were Black, and that was only on one of their special layout variations. Also, these holes would
have been cut into the strips after installing, as none of my strips are pre-holed. So, having no way of knowing which strip layout
was originally on this machine, it all boils down to how perfect you want this machine to be. If you do, it will mean the long and
tedious job, of figuring out the correct layout, and seeing if I have a set closer, or can send you the symbol paste-overs to get it
set up right. For the time being, do not remove the current strips, just in case they are close, as I will send you the individual cut
symbols you need at no charge. Even though the person took the time to line-up the three bars, and punch the holes for the gold
award token, they most likely did not check the rest of the layout, as seen in your U-Tube video, of the machine kicking out a token
on a non-winning combination. If you care to send me your info, and phone number, via my direct e-mail, (slotdynasty@sbcglobal.net),
I will see what we can do to get your machine set up properly.
With most Trade Stimulators, it doesn't matter how the strips are replaced on the reel, as long as they line-up straight in the window.
But with all of the machines that are token-pay, it matters greatly. The Daval machines don't pose as big of a problem, because they
did not have but a couple of layout changes to contend with. But with Groetchen machines, it was a bigger problem. Many people do
not know if the machine is working properly, just as long as it looks good, because it is placed on a shelf, to look at only.
Bill
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby d12bn » Wed Jan 18, 2017 6:22 am

Thanks for your responses everyone.
Bill I sent you a email, thanks

I'm enjoying my new toy and appreciate your time
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Re: Help with groetchen sparks champion

Postby d12bn » Fri Jan 20, 2017 3:12 pm

I have 7 symbols on the reels, Star,Bell,Chery(3 cherries leaf and branch) Lemon, Orange, Something looks like a blue plum and the word Gumball.
These are not the symbols that came originally. How many should it have?
I'm trying to figure out when it should drop a side coin and when it should drop a front gold token?
I don't think its showing the right symbols, either the reel strips are wrong, wrong position or on the wrong reel.
Any advice is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Jack
Still having fun but getting nowhere
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