Expert: Rodger Knutson - 12/11/2010

Question
My machine is jammed with the handle about 3/4 of the way down. I looked inside but don't see anything obvious. I don't want to break anything so I thought I would ask the expert. Can you help, please. Thank you Steve Krisiloff

Answer
Hi Steve,

First off I want to say your are doing the right thing by asking someone first that know's slot machines. 99 percent of the time jammed slot machines are caused by the coin, and it takes place in the coin escalator, on a watling like yours, it is in the round coin escalator, you will probably find a jammed and maybe bent coin at the bottom on your coin escalator, at the last stop and just before the coin drops into the coin tube. Pull your mechanism out of the cabinet and have a look in this area. One other problem that happens depends on if the machine was moved or not. When people move their slot machines, sometimes they lay them on their back or side, and the coins in the coin tube will tip and fall on their sides inside the coin tube, then when you set the machine back upright, if the coins in the coin tube don't fall flat inside the coin tube again, and it rare that they do, they will go into the coin slides at the bottom of the coin tube on there edges, then they will be get jammed up in the slides, because the coin slides can't slide back when making payouts unless the coins are flat. If the machine was not moved, this will not be your problem, if it was moved and maybe laid down, then this could be your problem if there no coin caught in the coin escalator. If this is what may of happened then it's going to take a little doing to fix it, as all the coins have to come out of the machine first. If this could be what has happened then let me know and we will go through the procedure to get this problem fixed, and this takes a bit.

Good luck and if you need a manual for it, There are slot machine manuals located at:

http://jackpot7.freeyellow.com/page21.html

However the Watling manual is not listed there just yet, but I can have it scanned, converted and posted there if you do need one, let me know and I'll have this done ASAP for you.

Thank You

Rodger Knutson
Http://www.coinslots.com