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Cost: $112.50
Obtained from: Individual in Byron, GA on Dec. 11, 1999
Condition: Sold "As Is" to protect the seller. Machines looked very good but wouldn't play.
Current Status: Awaiting an order of tokens. Some lights need to be replaced and I'll probably be making a stand.
I'm not sure why this machine is called "taco slot" because there's not a single taco on it! Not even a Chalupa! There's a cartoon character octopus named "taco" instead. This machine is a "skill stop" slot, meaning that you have an element of skill (yah right!) by being able to press a button to stop each reel from spinning. There's a small two way joystick on the front that starts the reels spinning. The machine is very much electronic and the reels are driven by stepper motors. The EPROM's have gaming stickers covering them.
This machine most likely came from a cruise ship or a casino somewhere in Asia. It has gaming board/commission stickers on it with some type of Asian writing. Skill stops are legal in more places that non skill stops because of the element of chance. That includes the state I live in so please don't bother calling the gaming commission on me!
This machine really brightens up a room! |
I love the "nuts & guts" of machines. |
I didn't even bother cleaning the machine. I wanted to play right away! An LED display on the front indicates error conditions for the machine and it was currently reading HE (Hopper Empty). I obviously needed some coins! I had 1 whole token in the machine and it wasn't working in the coin mech. The machine was also making the loudest, most horrible noise you could ever imagine.
Through the process of trial and error, I finally figured out how parts of this machine work. First of all, the machine is very smart and remembers its current state between power cycles. It also remembers how many credits you have.
The HE error is cleared by putting some coins in the hopper and pushing the reset button. The hopper rotates and throws the coins all over the room (with the door open of course). The machine counts the coins as they're thrown out. Since I only had 1 token, I put it on the hopper and let it be thrown out 10-15 times. This cleared the HE error, although it kept coming back every time I won a jackpot.
I also figured out how to reset the machine through some strange combination of turning the key lock, pushing the reset button to make a function number appear and then turning the key, power cycling, etc. I really need to get a book for this!
The power supply has a double bitted key lock and I don't particularly like picking those. I opened the power supply and unscrewed the lock. Then I opened the lock and removed all the pins so it would turn freely. I thanked myself over and over for doing this as I've probably turned the key 50 times by now. Imagine picking it over and over!
The machine has a little tiny hasp on the outside that holds the door shut. It was obviously not the way the machine was locked in the casino. After closer inspection, I realized that there was a complex double latching system. The latches are moved by a standard game key lock, although it's about 2 inches long! I'll definitely be putting a key lock back on the door at a later time.
Right now I have to replace a fuse that I think I blew out. Some lights on the front aren't working anymore and the coin hopper doesn't work anymore either. I think this happened when the hopper jammed one time or when I turned the hopper by hand. I was putting all sorts of foreign coins in to see of they would work. Surprisingly, columbian, bolivian and phillipine money works as does a Sea World Token and Canadian money (if you give it an extra push). Anyway, one of the foreign coins jammed the hopper.
I'm missing a reflector/light cover on the top. I'll try to order that from a place that sells these machines. I also have at least 1 light bulb burned out. These bulbs aren't easily replaced because they come fixed in a small plastic socket.
Although you can't read it here, the counters insist that the machine has
received and given out roughly 3.5 million coins.