Expert: Rodger Knutson - 3/14/2011

Question
Hi Rodger,

I have purchased a Mills FOK and I am in the process of rebuilding it.

I have bought it in a couple of crates and boxes.
There is no problem rebuilding it.
There is a problem though.
The previous owner had removed the reel strips.
I've bought new ones, but I have no clue on how to fit the new strips so that the symbols line up correctly with the pay out.

Hope you can help me.

Thank you

Rudolf Ebbelink
Voorburg
The Netherlands

Answer
Hi Rudolf,

Having the reels with no strips on them can be a problem. First I hope you have the old strips so you can compare the new one with them to be sure you have the right symbol combinations that will match your old strips or your reel disks. Lets assume you do, then you strips will be numbered on the bottom, the numbers may be different but what your looking for is 1, two and three, so at the end of the strip number it may say sp-1 or strip one, sp-2 for two, and so on. Strip one with be for the left reel at your in front of the machine, the 3 reel disks on the very right, at the very left of the reel bundle is reel one, center is reel 2, and the right reel closest to the reel disks is reel three. First you need to open the reel tin edges up to clean any paper out from under the edges of the reel from the last strips. Now locate the slots across from each other to or for sliding the strips into the reels and open the top edge of these a little so you can slide the strips in. Once the strips are in and lose enough so you can turn them on the reels, put the reel bundle back in the machine, locate the jackpot or bar symbol holes on the disk's and line the three bar symbol disk holes, these are the holes closest to the center reel Axel, once you have a horizontal payout finger going through all three of the jackpot or bar symbol holes in all three disks you have found one set point. Now, on the front of you mechanism have an idea of where your bar symbol needs to be, to be lined up with the pay-line and set you first bar there. If your right reel only has one bar symbol on the strip you can crimp the strip a little to hold this tape some, and go to the next reel "the center one" and do the same with this one, if one or two reel tapes have more then one bar symbol on the reel strip, then you have to check to see if the other bar lines up with a disk hole, if not, you have to spin the tape on this reel until both bar symbols link up with a bar disk hole. Once all three tapes are close you have to put the mechanism back in the cabinet to line up the tapes with the pay-line before crimping them tight for the last time. This takes time and can be complicated, but after doing a few of them you get better at it. There is a section in a mills book that explains how to do this in detail, if you would like this manual you can get it here:

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


Thank You

Rodger Knutson
http://www.coinslots.com

And look for this manual:

Mills Slot Machine mechanical repair and fully illustrated Manual, The Big One.

This manual has about 8 pages devoted to doing just this.