Infrared Gaming Machine Emptier


I found this company spamming on the Internet recently, World Gaming Products, which supposedly sells "banned" devices which can be used to trick gaming/gambling machines into giving out more coins/tokens than they should.  Their products are so gay and retarded, they where just asking to be picked on.  This particular device sells for around $100.

Excerpt from their website, http://arcadenemy.freewebsitehosting.com/ir_device.html :

    The coin mechanisms and hopper payout counters on modern post-1996 machines all work by using infrared (IR) light systems - the beam sensor is cut whenever coins payout, or correct coins drop in the coin mechanisms to register credits.  We all know that laser pointers can be used on some units to "hit" the hopper sensor, thus meaning coins paid out aren't counted properly, thus emptying the machines.  This of course, is very conspicuous and hard to do, and is only achieved by the absolute professional criminals.  Imagine there was a way to spread an "invisible" (to the naked eye) light source, easily and from the OUTSIDE of the machine, to either the coin mechanism or the hopper payout!  Well, now the secret's out - this is how it's done!  I have obtained a device and tried it on my OWN machine, and cannot believe the results!  It started by inserting a coin into the mech., and quickly following it with the infrared generator shone onto the coinslot.  The coin clocked credits up, and was THEN REJECTED!  The machine obviously recognised the legitimate coin, and gave 4 credits, but when the IR light SHONE into the mech. it had made the light sensor confused and it spat the coin out!  The machine took 15 minutes to play until empty!  On other occasians, by moving the IR light device about outside the mech. rapidly, the machine (immediately after insertion of a coin which was NOT rejected) gave 12 -20 credits instead of 4!  This clearly turned the percentage of the machine significantly in my favour.  It was actually quite adrenalizing to watch, as if I'd discovered the "Holy Grail" of gaming!

    The next place I tried was the hopper payout.  I directed it down the glass past the 3rd reel towards the hopper sides.  Upon pressing "COLLECT" to take out my cheaply-created "bank", I found that £10 resulted in 46 coins coming out!  This was not consistent, sometimes it would be only double the bank, sometimes up to 6x as much.  The effect was reinforced when I actually directed it up the hopper chute - light is very penetrating, and it seems only a tiny amount has to transgress the anti-rodding shields and bends in the hopper payout to be effective, and achieve the results the same as above!

    This meant having to hold the IR device upright in the hopper coin exit in the payout tray, while holding "COLLECT" with the other hand.  To an onlooker, it would appear that I was simply catching my legitimate bank as the coins paid out!  In reality, I was holding the IR device upright to stop it being moved by the coins exiting the hopper!

    This device must be frightening to arcade and machine owners if used in their places.  I was shocked using it on my own Barcrest Jackpoteeers machine, plus two BellFruits and two Vivids were tested "in the field"!  This activity carried out on others machines would be considered very illegal, at best "theft" and at worst "fraud/obtaining credits or money by deception".

Infrared "Probe" Gaming Machine Emptying Device

Pictures from their website, http://arcadenemy.freewebsitehosting.com/ir_device.html :

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Their picture descriptions:

  1. Depress the switch to power up ...
  2. Aim into area required ...
  3. Shorter than a finger ...
  4. MULTI-FREQ. INFRARED LIGHT IS EVERYWHERE!!  (Yes, it says that)

It appears to just be a standard, long-lead infrared LED mounted in a cheap plastic case with a push-button switch.  The power is most likely a single, 3 Volt Lithium button-cell battery.  A red LED "on" indicator is provided to make sure you get your moneys worth...

Also on their website, the "Microwave/RF Machine Emptier" is most likely an RF interference device, like which we discussed in GBPPR 'Zine, Issue #4 (July 2004).

The "Electronic Coin Hopper Emptier" looks like it is just a common Piezo-electric gas grill/oven starter!  Lame...



Schematics

This is how I believe the "emptying" devices work.  I never have, and never will, try it out in the real world.  I'm much busy working and paying taxes, plus those Indian security guards are huge.

Schematics

When no coin/token is passing through the output chute, the infrared LED in an opto-coupler shines across the chute, to a phototransistor, unblocked.  This results in a LOW output from the phototransistor, as the phototransistor is biased-on (pulled to ground).

When a coin/token passes through the output chute, it is detected as a positive-going +5 VDC pulse.  This is because the coin/token is preventing the opto-coupler's internal infrared LED from biasing the phototransistor.  The phototransistor's output is HIGH (+5 VDC) via a pull-up resistor in the collector connection.  This "pulse" is then sent further down the line to any signal buffering and counting logic, which determines the amount of coins/tokens actually passing through the output chute.

The "con" works by shinning an external infrared LED onto the opto-coupler's phototransistor.  This way, the phototransistor is always biased-on, even as coins/tokens roll down the chute!  Of course, you'd have to be a complete fuck-nut to designed any gaming machine this way, but hey, $2600 subscribers are people too...

Here is an example setup and an application schematic of an Infrared Emptier.  There isn't much to it.  It is possible, but unlikely, that the machine's opto-coupler infrared LED is modulated at some unknown frequency (say 44 kHz) as part of a "theft prevention" or "anti-infrared emptier" scheme.  The use a single LM555 timer IC pulsing an external infrared LED will also "jam" anything like that, but will still need some experimenting to tweak.

Radio Shack Part Numbers

fear the shack.

Ultracompact Plastic Enclosure : 270-288    $1.99
      High-Output Infrared LED : 276-143    $1.79
    SPST Mini-Momentary Switch : 275-1549   $2.99
               82-Ohm Resistor : 271-1107   $0.79
    Lithium Button-Cell Holder : 270-430    $1.99
  (choose appropriate battery)