Boulder Dash Hopper Problem

nutrock87 · Post by **nutrock87** » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:05 pm

Hi all.
My names Amy and a few months ago i bought a boulder dash machine off of ebay for £40.

The only problem is that the pound coin hopper isnt working so i need to get a new one.
When i get a win and press collect, i get a message saying OBSTRUCTION ALM and a very loud alarm. im guessing its the hopper because i tried to empty the machine out and it says the same as when i go to collect.

i took the whole hopper unit out and made sure nothing was jammed in but it was all clear.

any advice? and does anyone know where i could get one from please?

Thanks,

Amy.

aaamusements.co.uk · Post by **aaamusements.co.uk** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:17 am

Sounds like the opto in the hopper. Take it apart again and clean the "eye" in the hopper outlet with isopropyl alcohol.

Vodka will do but some see it as a waste!

nutrock87 · Post by **nutrock87** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:26 pm

aaamusements - I have just done what you said but theres still no change.
Still says obstruction alarm.

Does the machine have to be full? because i only put a £1 coin and a few 50pence pieces in.
when i took the hopper unit back out i noticed that the £1 coin hadnt gone into the space to be shot out.

I think it might be the motor gone or something because theres no noise at all just an alarm as soon as i press collect.

nutrock87 · Post by **nutrock87** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:44 pm

heres a pic if it helps

aaamusements.co.uk · Post by **aaamusements.co.uk** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 3:47 pm

Yes, it does sound like the hopper has had it.

Float level is irrelevant in this situation as the machine would still turn the hopper if it was working, and then IOU if it was unable to eject any coin (due to not having any in the hopper).

Sounds like you have a routing issue too but this will probably be sorted if/when you successfully dump the hopper.

nutrock87 · Post by **nutrock87** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 4:21 pm

Do you know anywhere I could get a new one?

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

machine doctor · Post by **machine doctor** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:12 pm

Has the machine worked(payed out) at all since you bought it?By what you are saying it has never paid out in that case the Ebay seller may have disconnected it to conform with Ebay rules.And you do need to fill the hopper with a few coins as one is not enough.Check that the hopper is plugged in correctly,follow the wiring back from the hopper to the point of where it connects to the machine and make sure all is ok.

aaamusements.co.uk · Post by **aaamusements.co.uk** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:27 pm

machine doctor wrote:Has the machine worked(payed out) at all since you bought it?By what you are saying it has never paid out in that case the Ebay seller may have disconnected it to conform with Ebay rules.And you do need to fill the hopper with a few coins as one is not enough.Check that the hopper is plugged in correctly,follow the wiring back from the hopper to the point of where it connects to the machine and make sure all is ok.

Good point, it might very well be disconnected.

However I still say the coin level issue is irrelevant, as if the hopper was working then it would turn irrespective of whether there were any coins in it or not?

machine doctor · Post by **machine doctor** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:54 pm

Agreed coin level is irrelevant as to the hopper turning or not,but as posted a single £1 coin in the hopper is not ideal for expecting it to payout correctly

Does the machine have to be full? because i only put a £1 coin and a few 50pence pieces in.
when i took the hopper unit back out i noticed that the £1 coin hadnt gone into the space to be shot out.

aaamusements.co.uk · Post by **aaamusements.co.uk** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:19 pm

machine doctor wrote:Agreed coin level is irrelevant as to the hopper turning or not,but as posted a single £1 coin in the hopper is not ideal for expecting it to payout correctly
Does the machine have to be full? because i only put a £1 coin and a few 50pence pieces in.
when i took the hopper unit back out i noticed that the £1 coin hadnt gone into the space to be shot out.

Yeah, fair point.

nutrock87 · Post by **nutrock87** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:38 pm

To answer your question machine doctor, No, the machine hasn't payed out since i bought it.

So, i'll go and get £20 of £1 coins after work tomorrow and try the wiring.

Hopefully (fingers crossed) it will be ok after that.

i'll keep you posted

thanks again you two.

One last thing: If i want the machine to pay out do i need to fill the hopper (my machine hopper needs £125) Or could i just put the pounds in the coin slot as if i was playing normally?

aaamusements.co.uk · Post by **aaamusements.co.uk** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:39 am

nutrock87 wrote:One last thing: If i want the machine to pay out do i need to fill the hopper (my machine hopper needs £125) Or could i just put the pounds in the coin slot as if i was playing normally?

Simple answer:
It depends!

If the machine believes that the hopper level is sufficient then it will route all £1 coins from the mech straight to the cash box.
To remedy this you would need to dump the contents of the hopper (so the machine then knows it is empty).
All pound coins would then be routed to the hopper.

Unfortunately you can only dump the hopper if it is working!