(Topic ID: 148870)

1950 Bally Turf King One Ball Horse Race Game

By bingopodcast

8 years ago


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    There are 64 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.
    #51 8 years ago

    We worked a bit on the Turf King tonight. Pulled the shelf unit out.

    IMG_20160302_180621_(resized).jpgIMG_20160302_180621_(resized).jpg

    Here you can see all of the units, steppers, the rectifier, and the control unit. It all slides out on this massive bottom board. Pretty darn cool.

    Our first task was to clean the spotting discs:

    IMG_20160302_183051_(resized).jpgIMG_20160302_183051_(resized).jpg

    These are items that must be treated very carefully as they have several components that can be easily broken. Ava cleaned up the outer one, then told me that I needed to clean the inner one.

    I did so, and Ava applied a thin coating of lube.

    IMG_20160302_183142_(resized).jpgIMG_20160302_183142_(resized).jpg

    After that, Ava wanted to watch TV, so I spent a bit of time figuring out some of the issues with the game.

    1) What in the world do the wild selections at the bottom do? They will double whichever sections' wins are highlighted. For example, if the stepper moves enough to light purse, a winner in purse will be doubled.

    EDITED: I was totally wrong about this. The stepper on the wild sections moving to max only trips the fan relay, lighting all seven selections. It has nothing to do with score doubling. That was a red herring due to a funky switch - as you'll read in a later post.

    2) 3, 4, and 5 will hold, but rarely light without being held. This is due to an electrical issue. I will show Ava how to troubleshoot this, but I ruled out the spotting disc, and found a switch on the control unit was gapped a little too far.

    3) The schematic is helpful, but not everything is labeled.

    4) The manual does not have a diagram of the control unit (I've been spoiled by the bingos).

    So... Two units down and a few more to go, a switch adjustment or two, then we should be set electrically!

    The last things will be touch up followed by cabinet cleaning/waxing.

    Woo!

    1 week later
    #52 8 years ago

    More work to make the game reliable - any game with slip ring wipers that I've ever had (including any of the bingos or the Turf King), start building up a nice thick layer of crud in the slip rings.

    The purpose of the slip rings is to allow current to flow when the spotting or search discs turn. On Turf King, there is no search disc, only two separate spotting discs. The position of the wipers along with the position of various other switches allows the search to take place automatically.

    The slip rings have a wiper that rides inside, and as the disc turns, current can flow through the wiper (staying in the track via pressure), to the rest of the game. A really clever way to bring electricity from something that can rotate smoothly (unlike a stepper).

    So... the slip rings being filthy - what to do? You could, I suppose, take apart the entire unit enough to remove the search disc from the game, then pry apart the slip rings, after desoldering the wires that connect them. But I'm really supremely lazy.

    What I do is lift one of the pressure wipers (being VERY careful as they can break easily), taking a swipe at them with a green Scotch Brite pad, then setting into the next track. At this point, I take a piece of thick string (the thickness of one indentation), and wipe it all around, like flossing. This removes ALL of the crud, very much improving current flow.

    Next, I move the wiper back into the track and move to the next. Easy!

    IMG_20160303_191450_(resized).jpgIMG_20160303_191450_(resized).jpg

    Ava did this very well. To be quite honest, I was really worried that one of the wipers would break. These are slightly longer than the ones used in the bingos (at least to my eyes). If they broke, I'd have to teach her how to make a replacement, which wouldn't be the end of the world, but would be slightly irritating.

    After this, she wanted to clean the labels on the bottom board, since we were troubleshooting the # 3,4 and 5 selections.

    One came out. She cleaned it on my kitchen counter, but accidentally moved up and down instead of side-to-side, and the label ripped.

    IMG_20160303_193745_(resized).jpgIMG_20160303_193745_(resized).jpg

    I have a label printer that can do different fonts and print on stickers. Here Ava is printing out a new #3 selection label.

    IMG_20160303_193230_(resized).jpgIMG_20160303_193230_(resized).jpg

    I showed her how to find the issue when reading the schematics and looking across various discs. This can be confusing if you're just getting into schematics.

    Ava figured out that the problem (3,4,5 will not light unless held), and narrowed it down to two switches on the control unit. I showed her how to test with a wooden dowel. Switch located, but she and I have not had time together to show her how to adjust switches, so there it sits.

    #53 8 years ago

    The final bugs have been resolved in the Turf King! Ava and I worked today to troubleshoot some odd scoring bugs and gameplay hiccups.

    1) Winning a Jockey Cap would step the wild stepper to the top, but all seven selections would not light.
    This was caused by a broken wire between a single pole double throw switch on the wild stepper and the fan relay. Ava troubleshot, but Dad had to be involved to fix. I had to stitch in a small extra wire, and the soldering was in an area where solder could have dripped on Ava easily. Rather than have this inexperienced solderer drip molten metal on herself, I went ahead and did it (with her permission, of course).

    2) Odd scoring issues:
    There were really two small issues here - one was that occasionally, I would get a double win on something that should not have been doubled. Even stranger, sometimes I would get 1.5 times a win, when that should not be possible. This was caused by a switch that was open when it should have been closed on the A-B-C-D stepper in the head. This switch allows for double scoring when you complete the bumper sequence for your next win. Switch adjusted (again, Dad had to do).

    Final issue was the clover button could not be played sometimes. This one made no real sense without the new score and instruction cards. The issue is that the game will not allow you to get quadruple wins when you have completed A-B-C-D. It disables the clover button play (which allows for doubled wins in purse or show), when you complete the sequence. This is also controlled through a 'limit' switch on the A-B-C-D stepper.

    With that, the game is 100% functional and fun. Very pretty, but now we have cabinet touch up and cleaning! After that, we are done with this restoration, and Ava feels confident to take on another game.

    Expect to hear more from Ava on the podcast soon and more photos here during the last of the cosmetic changes. Lots of newfound knowledge to discuss.

    For those that have not played one (like me until recently!) - this game is fantastic! Knowing when to put in nickels and when to stop is really key with this game. Careful play of odds and selection buttons is important during coin up. You only have one shot, so you need to be pretty darn good at gauging where the ball is going to go and willing to nudge a bit to keep it out of certain areas. I am now able to fairly consistently get it to the bottom of the playfield, but I am not yet good enough to really steer it far left or right. I played several dozen times today just attempting to complete the ABCD sequence, so I have learned where to plunge to send it straight to A or B and how to nudge to get it to move over a bit to hit C or D, but no major moves yet. I'll get there!

    There's a Universal Winner in a thrift shop near me with fantastic cabinet and backglass artwork, and my younger daughter wants to try her hand at a restoration...

    1 week later
    #54 8 years ago

    Ava finished the touch-up on the cabinet:

    IMG_20160320_130924_(resized).jpgIMG_20160320_130924_(resized).jpg

    There's always more that can be done, but for now, she's looking (and playing) good!

    The plan is for next episode of the podcast to be all about Turf King (episode 367)! We'll do a quick recap, go over the latest in Ava's 'pinball school', and then discuss the gameplay and features that make this game so fantastic.

    #55 8 years ago

    Quick overview of the gameplay and rules:

    Your overall goal: to plunge and nudge your ball in such a way that it lands in one of the holes corresponding to the lit numbers on the backglass.

    There are a total of five player-controlled buttons on the footrail.

    1) Play All: This is automatically played with the first coin of a new game. Otherwise, it will not have any visible effect unless you have replays on the register.

    2) Star: This will play for a chance at increasing your odds. It will also potentially grant you 'Purse scores win odds' or 'Show scores win odds'. These are extremely powerful features, and can both light at the same time.

    Your odds are stacked as follows: Purse (top of playfield) scores the fewest amount of replays (from 3 - 64).
    Show (next section down) scores more (3-96).
    Place (next section) scores even more (5-128).
    Win (final section) scores the most (8-160).

    There are a total of 10 odds steps on the machine. Some of the numbers are repeated (the first two steps score 3 on purse, for example, and the last two steps score 160 for win). We'll dive into strategy shortly, but I'm sure you've made a few assumptions. There is the equivalent of an 'extra step' relay that will kick the odds up multiple notches in one coin. I've had it jump up 6 steps on a single coin before.

    3) Horseshoe: Selections. This is the heart of the game. There are 7 horses total, and each horse can be awarded individually, or with multiple. The selection button will also randomly award the jockey cap feature, which will alternate (by coin) between red and yellow (right and left) playfield holes, down below the winner section. The jockey cap can be removed if you play for the selections again.

    The selection button will also randomly step the 'Wild Stepper', which, when all the way at top, will trip the fan relay, lighting all seven selections!

    It's worth noting that each number has a 'HOLD' underneath it. This gives the appearance that each number can be held individually, meaning that the number will always be selected for this game. In reality, unless the fan relay is tripped (holding all selections), only three numbers can be held: 3, 4, and 5.

    4) Clover: This will give a chance at doubling your win in Purse or Show. If awarded, this advantage can be removed if you play for the Star or odds increase. I assume this is correct operation, but I haven't verified on the schematic yet. It seems like the machine would need to re-portion if you get an odds increase. In practice, only one at a time can be lit. I believe both can be lit, but I've never seen it happen.

    Finally, 5) The Pennant: This will light the Feature pennant on the backglass, which has its own separate portion control. Our game is set to award 160 replays if lit and you land in the hole (bottom center of the playfield). It can be adjusted to 320 replays. It is a REAL feat to get it to go in that hole.

    There are two carry over features:

    1) Jockey caps: if you hit the lit one, it will step the wild selection stepper to the top, tripping the fan relay. This gives you a guaranteed all selections for the next game! Every ball is a winner, unless you are unlucky enough to land in the caps again or the feature hole.

    2) A-B-C-D bumpers. There are four passive bumpers on the playfield. You have to hit each one, sequentially (across any number of games). When you light A, then B, C, then D, it will have stepped the ABCD stepper to the top, which will double your next win (whatever that may be). If you land in the minimum odds winner in purse for 3 replays, you'll get 6 instead. Pretty cool! Doing this disables the clover button as there is no 4x mechanism in the game.

    Strategy:
    Your first coin will reset the game to default odds and pick a random selection. Everything on the backglass will flash, but I've never had the clover features award, nor the feature flag from the initial coin.

    You must understand, as the player, what's happening to get the best advantage. My bingo background helps a bit here: the machine will 'tighten' as it awards various features or odds jumps, making future feature or odds jumps less likely.

    So, my second coin is almost always played to get better odds. If I'm lucky, I'll get that 'extra step' jump of one or more steps on the odds stepper.

    My third coin will either be in the odds, or to try to light better selections. I am not confident enough to play with a single selection lit, I generally prefer to light two or more. If I am able to light #4, I will typically stop playing for selections, as I tend to hit that number the most. It is in the center of every section.

    From here, if my odds are ok, and if my selection is ok, I will put a coin in for clover or for feature. I typically don't play a ton in either feature, as it normally isn't worth the money. But I'll sacrifice 5c.

    It's important to know when to stop coining, as you could have five selections lit, then your next coin brings it down to one selection.

    This game has guaranteed advancing odds, which means that your odds will not reset or move to a random position with each coin. They will never decrease, which is a great comfort to a player, and something that is not guaranteed with the selections (as you can see above).

    If feature lights (a RARE event), I will try to steer the ball all the way down the playfield. If one of the clover advantages lights, I will attempt to get a winner in purse or show. If I have the odds advantage of purse or show scores win, I will definitely try to get in those holes.

    If the jockey cap is lit, I will attempt to get a winner first (it's dangerous to go for the holes all the way at the bottom of the playfield), I'll try to hit that. If you hit the lit jockey cap hole, it will step the wild selection stepper all the way to the top, tripping the fan relay, and lighting all 7 selections for the next game.

    I am not a good enough player to consistently hit the place or win sections, but I do very much enjoy the challenge of this game.

    I hope this motivates those of you with these games to get them going - an 8-year-old child was able to bring this game back to life! I am extremely proud of Ava - I'm really surprised that she kept with it all the way to the end. She really understands the game, too. I need to film her giving one of her patented tutorials.

    #56 7 years ago
    Quoted from bingopodcast:

    Ava finished the touch-up on the cabinet:
    IMG_20160320_130924_(resized).jpg
    There's always more that can be done, but for now, she's looking (and playing) good!
    The plan is for next episode of the podcast to be all about Turf King (episode 367)!

    Don't forget to talk about serial numbers!

    #57 7 years ago

    Will do, and I still owe you lots of serial numbers from my collection. Thanks for the reminder!

    #58 7 years ago
    Quoted from bingopodcast:

    Quick overview of the gameplay and rules:

    Okay, first of all, I just wanted to mention that at least one person has now read through the entirety of those rules and strategies. ...and I must say, that completely demystified the playfield and BG which, while GORGEOUS, were sort of a collage of colors and misunderstood information (for me).

    Quoted from bingopodcast:

    Your overall goal: to plunge and nudge your ball in such a way that it lands in one of the holes corresponding to the lit numbers on the backglass.

    So, this is one of those cabinets that extend all the way to the floor. I've played one of these in a Miss America bingo at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas (as you're privy to) and I could not nudge that machine for the life of me (and I'm not a slight man). How are you able to move that cab to bump and nudge the way you need the ball to go? ...let alone Ava??

    Just out of curiosity, are you still pumping in nickels to this machine, or have you switched it over to button-coin-up, as you have your bingos?

    - -- ----- -- -

    In closing, just wanted to say thanks for posting this thorough write-up, Nick! I feel like I'll have to study this a few more times to get an even better understanding of gameplay, but this was really fascinating! Makes me wish I had one of...

    Quoted from bingopodcast:

    ...these games to get them going.

    Congrats on the amazing find with this machine, the tenacity to get it functionally and aesthetically sound, and the patience to take Ava on the ride with you. I'll bet she's pretty invested in this machine now! Can't wait to hear...

    Quoted from bingopodcast:

    ...her giving one of her patented tutorials...

    ...on episode 367!

    Enjoy,
    Ryan

    #59 7 years ago
    Quoted from RyanClaytor:

    How are you able to move that cab to bump and nudge the way you need the ball to go? ...let alone Ava??

    Hey Ryan, I'm not sure if I answered these questions well in the episode (367), but the cab is actually pretty easy to nudge vs one of the floor length bingo cabs with the hopper installed. I can tell you that the lockbar plays a good role in the ability to nudge and on a bingo, the lockbar is slighter to make up for the difference in weight. In the episode, Ava talks about nudging. She is a person that can gauge from the plunge.

    Quoted from RyanClaytor:

    Just out of curiosity, are you still pumping in nickels to this machine, or have you switched it over to button-coin-up, as you have your bingos?

    We have it on nickels at the moment. Ava likes putting in money - it'll be up to her if we put it on free play or bring it to a show.

    Quoted from RyanClaytor:

    In closing, just wanted to say thanks for posting this thorough write-up, Nick! I feel like I'll have to study this a few more times to get an even better understanding of gameplay, but this was really fascinating!

    Thank you for following along! It was a fun journey. I intentionally only did the work that Ava could not complete. She's got the makings of a very good technician!

    Quoted from RyanClaytor:

    I'll bet she's pretty invested in this machine now!

    You've got that right!

    #60 7 years ago

    I also wanted to say a huge public 'thank you' to Dennis Dodel, who sent Ava and I a care package of score and instruction cards, schematics, and manuals to use for the Turf King.

    He said, 'keep what you need (of the cards), send the rest back when you're done.'

    Thank you very much Dennis. The help was invaluable, as Ava had a lot of fun picking out her favorite set of cards and installing them.

    They look great, and like with most things on this project, Ava tried to pick ones with a little bit of patina to complement the rest of the game.

    We have quite a lot of fun with the game, and have played it several times together on this busy weekend. She marvels at the instruction cards every time we play. Thank you again, Dennis.

    3 months later
    #61 7 years ago

    Very nice thread. If it hasn't been mentioned previously, Joop has a wonderful software emulation of Turf King. Download it here:

    http://www.bingo.joopriem.nl/

    #62 7 years ago

    Thanks BlackCatBone - that game is modeled on the Turf King in this thread!

    #63 7 years ago

    That's cool! I did not know. You explained the mysterious "wild, purse, show, place, win" at the bottom of the backglass, where the extra balls would be on a bingo. Thanks for that explanation, I was trying to figure it out. (Seems like a real sucker bet.) Turf King is on my want list!

    #64 7 years ago

    It's a great game. I really like having it in my collection. It's so unique and fast, and the rules are really deep - much more than you would expect for a single shot game.

    There's as much or more planning that goes into that shot as goes into a shot on a bingo. At least you know if you flub a bingo shot you generally have more! Not so on the Turf King.

    There are 64 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.

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