kent@sunfs3.Camex.COM (Kent Borg) (04/08/91)
This afternood I bought an "AMI Music" jukebox controller--you know
the kind: a chrome plated cast box, one in each booth at the diner,
there is a coin slot at the top, a glass window with these lit pages
you can flip back and forth, and buttons down the sides next to each
selection.
With all the innards looking intact and in good condition I couldn't
resist buying it for $100.
*Now* what do I do?
I think I want to figure out how to get RS-232 out of the beast, then
I can "do anything" with it.
I know what the four terminals are: AC/DC Common, AC, Signal, and AC
Control. I don't know what they mean, but I know where they are. I
know the wiring does not look like 120 V. (Plus, the wiring diagram
to a "Model G" jukebox makes it look like the AC comes from a power
transformer.)
I also know that this beast is complicated enough that I would rather
not reverse engineer it.
(If someone knows what kind of volts this thing takes, I might figure
out a lot experimentally.)
General question: Does anyone out there have experience hacking these
contraptions?
Some specific questions: What information was sent to the jukebox by
this box? When? Who counted whether the four selections for the 25
cents had all been choosen? Who buffers the selections? How does the
"data link" between the two boxes work? What unexpected warnings
should I have before applying power to it?
(I admit I have not been a reader of these two groups, so forgive me
if this turns out to be an FAQ. Please flame me with no mercy if I am
polluting the wrong groups--but trim the followup line first.)
Thanks for whatever wisdom you might offer.
--
Kent Borg internet: kent@camex.com AOL: kent borg
H:(617) 776-6899 W:(617) 426-3577
"We foolishly did not realize that he was stupid." - April Glasbie 3-20-91reid@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (Reid Trimble) (04/10/91)
In sci.electronics, kent@sunfs3.Camex.COM (Kent Borg) writes: > (If someone knows what kind of volts this thing takes, I might figure > out a lot experimentally.) You can probably figure this out by looking at the light bulbs it uses. I'd guess it's about 24 VAC. > General question: Does anyone out there have experience hacking these > contraptions? I've never played around with AMI wallboxes, but I have worked on a few Seeburg's of the same vintage. With that in mind, I'll guess at some answers to your other questions: > Some specific questions: What information was sent to the jukebox by > this box? When? Who counted whether the four selections for the 25 > cents had all been choosen? Who buffers the selections? How does the > "data link" between the two boxes work? What unexpected warnings > should I have before applying power to it? Since you only have a few connections, it's obvious the data link is serial. Seeburg's only have 3 wires: 24 VAC, common and data. The data stream is a series of pulses, like a rotary dial telephone would generate. The data line is either floating (actually, it's pulled up at the jukebox, sort of a "wired-or" configuration) or connected to common. In the Seeburgs, you get two "packets", separated by a few milliseconds of dead time. The jukebox decodes the data stream by applying it to two stepping relays (it knows to switch from one relay to the other during the dead time.) After that, it's "parallel loaded" into the selector matrix just as if you had hit "A" "5" at the jukebox itself. The data is sent from the wallbox between the time you press the final key of the selection sequence and when the button pops back out. The wallbox counts selections. Remember, with a box at each booth the next table over could use up your money if the jukebox kept track of selections used. The jukebox "buffers" the selections by setting a mechanical "flip/flop". If you watch the old jukeboxes select records, you notice they don't necessarily play in the order selected - just the order they happened across a selection during their scan cycle. Also, you can't select the same record 4 times. Once the flip/flop is set, it's set and won't be cleared until the mechanism picks up that record. I think you'd be surprised how simple the thing really is if you pull it apart. Most of it is the coin separator (slug rejector) and keyboard. You can get a service manual for it from AMR Publishing Co. Call them at 206-659-6434. You'll need the model number or a good description (like number of selections). Probably cost you about $25. Have fun, Reid