I just finished restoring the back assembly on my 1962 Williams World Series. In powering it up to test it, I found that the credit unit starts at “-1”. It is a blank spot, two positions before the number 1. I was wondering if anyone could provide a sanity check on that as compared to their machine.

I took a few videos. If at position 1, I can reset the machine “for free”. Same If at position “0” at which point it decrements again. At that new position I am calling -1, I can’t reset the game and have to load a credit before I can reset.

It feels “off by 1” but I don’t understand how that can be given the “keying” of the gear unit and the reel. Any advice appreciated.

First video shows me repeatedly resetting:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g1WNChHq7FFT3e59Nd-0bKfGHl5oyyXR/view?usp=drivesdk

Second video shows me loading the first credit but still being at 0 position.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13M4DNK_GrxjKR_2afOzmvYr_gTnnYWfi/view?usp=drivesdk

That’s actually a great point I hadn’t thought of. Even though the gears and reel are keyed, if the switch is slightly maladjusted it could trigger one click too late. Let me see if I can prove that out and it should be a simple fix.

So I took a closer look, and it seems like the switch is correct. @gutz, or @steveintexas, or anyone else with this machine - could you give me a quick sanity check. If the credit wheel shows “1”, I get the gap shown in the first photo. If I decrement by one I get the second photo. If I decrement again I get the third photo.

Also, I notice after the second decrement (my so called “-1” position), that I can’t decrement further due to the flat spot in the gear. So it really seems like that is supposed to be the “final position”.

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One other thing worth noting - when this machine worked during my childhood I remember it being “free to play”. That said, I’ve yet to locate where they enabled that. Also, I seem to remember that it used to clear all “free credits” when you hit the reset button. Either of those could have just been the machine not working 100% correctly. It now seems to handle the free credits correctly, but doesn’t actually default to free play.

I’m restoring the base assembly in the main cabinet next, so maybe that will reveal more.

Mark - very keen eye . I actually loosened that screw to use a little play to try to adjust the switch to trip at 0. Nothing I did there seemed “organic”. If I tighten it down and everything is square, it seems to want to trip at -1.

Also… you are right about the lower stop. It’s not the flat part of the gear - it’s a peg on the back side of the gear that catches on a metal plate. In any case, that stop catches at -1 as well.

The credit wheel has an oval-like slot, meaning it only mounts two ways (180 degrees apart). So you don’t really have fine adjustment. I thought after marks first response that maybe it was adjustable but it isn’t.

Anyone have the same system or assembly to compare on. My next step would be to pull the assembly out and take it apart, but would love a sanity check first

Thanks guys. Gonna take it out and give it a closer look to make sure I’m not missing something.

Regarding original credit wheel - my dad acquired this system sometime in the early 70s and it has been in the family since. I don’t think any major mods were done, though it doesn’t mean it’s impossible that it isn’t the original credit wheel. We had the machine repaired in the mid 90s and it could have been swapped.

I have not resolved it yet but had a potential theory. In taking apart another stepper I remembered there are two hex set screws on the gear mechanism. The credit wheel was the first stepper I ever took apart and at the time i thought I needed to free these. If you loosen those, is it possible to rotate the gearing (or keying of the center post) by one position ? Maybe I accidentally did that.

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Thanks Mark! When I get a moment to remove this from the system I’ll try to check it and report back !