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Chat Area => Archives => Topic started by: NHfoosguy on February 17, 2007, 12:29:23 PM
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Hello to all, glad to find this site.
I've been looking around for used Tornado coin-op off an on for a few years, but every time it seems like the vender is just trying to unload his/her junk. By the time I factor any bent rods, men, missing laminate, playfield, and whatever else it would take to get a decent-looking and playing table, I'm right back into the $900-$1200 range. I've looked at auctions, but by the time I pay shipping once again, too close to a new price to warrant the comprimise of buying used. Any home models I'v come across are the Whirlwind and the Twisters. NOT THE SAME THING I tell my wife.
So I found a T-2000 Home model, >2 years old, Mahogany, and by the looks of the balls and the handles I'd have to say the owner wasn't kidding when he said he played about 10 games. $800 bucks? What the heck. Let's live a little.
But I still want a coin-op. Maybe it'll help me save for my daugher's college (ironic, considering most of my college money was wasted in bars playing foosball) I haven't had my head inside a coin op table in about 10 years, but I remember it being pretty simple. Anybody got some pics or maybe some service diagrams so I could investigate this?
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I'm going to guess that the modifications are non-trivial.
The coin op mechanism, flips the foosball dispensor 180 degrees, bringing the balls to the top and dropping them into the tray where you grab them.
There is a counter that is incremented each time that the foosball dispensor rotates.
There is a sloped ball return that drops the balls to metal rails that lead the balls to the bottom of the foosball dispensor.
There is a coin box behind the coin mechanism that has a lock.
There is also one or two locks holding the top of the table down.
I think that just about covers all of the mechanicals. Other than the fact that some of the pieces are removable, like the foosball tray, the coin box and a short ramp on left side of the sloped ball return that is raised enough to let a ball pass underneath it coming the opposite way.
I was very fortunate about a year ago when I found a used coin op in very good condition that a local bar was getting rid of. I really lucked into it as I had only been looking for a few months. We completely wore out a cheaper table at work in about 3 months. My T-2000 has only had two broken players since I brought it to work.
I would have to see the inside of a non-coin op to figure out how easy it would be to convert.
What kills me is that I have hear of far too many people talk about pulling out the tray and blocking the foosball dispensor and then reaching way into the table to get a ball, which seems nuts to me.
I contacted the manufacturer of the coin mechanism and just got a few additional plastic plugs so that everything works as original except it doesn't ask for quarters to work. Everyone likes the sound of dropping 9 balls into the tray, and I don't see any reason other than laziness not to just adjust the coin mechanism this way. They have plugs for up to 4 coins of any type ( nickles, dimes, quarters, dollars ), but most have three quarter plugs and a plastic plug.
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You are barking up the wrong tree. It would be logical to buy a coin-op and sell the T-2000. You know that the complete vending assembly is available form the Tornado factory, don't you? Or if you are a real whiz kid, install a bill acceptor from a pop machine and construct a simple ball return with an electromechanical solenoid gate as in air hockey tables and vend by time, i.e. 10 minutes per $1 bill. With this set up you end up with a stack of cash instead of a bag of coins. Sounds to me like you need to go into the vending business. The way we do it is buy a new coin-op(s) before each tour event, now twice a year, and practice on the current equipment and balls like the other pros do. After breaking it in at home then the table goes on location to earn enough to buy some more tables. By the way, attending conventions (tournaments) is a deductible expense. If you need tables say so, they are avalable for a price.
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Hey NHFOOSGUY I can help you with some ideas as well as measurements if you want, I have built several of the Coin-Op assemblies in the past. Give me a call.
1-406-885-3100
Warner blake
FVF