The idler arm should stay level as the claw goes down and tension should release when the claw reaches the prize or the floor, causing it to swing down and press the switch to close the claw and start recoiling the string. Couple things it could be: 1. Seems like it was a little stiff off first glance of you grabbing it manually, I’ve had some where you need to replace the coiled spring that makes it spring down (couldn’t tell for sure though) 2. Could be bent causing it to slightly touch the limit switch, vibrations of the string dropping might be triggering it just enough to close early, check that it’s got a good amount of space between the idler arm and the switches trigger arm 3. That gantry was definitely gutted out of a bigger machine or something, the NC / NO / COM for the limit switch might be reversed for the machine it was in VS this one, in other words, you might have to switch the wires around, test with a multi meter first and see what the board is expecting the switch to change to (high / low) 4. It doesn’t look like a bad switch because it closed earlier when you manually moved it so I would be fairly confident the whole problem is mechanical. Good luck!!
I agree with everything you said. When I said bad switch, I was remembering incorrectly the way these work. I was thinking the swing arm kept the button depressed until tension came off of it, thus releasing the button on the micro switch. When Matt told me I had it backwards, that threw my whole theory out the window. Lol
I noticed what looks like, the word Guan Shing on the trolley which is another claw machine manufacterer. It appears someone has swapped the entire trolley, I can tell by the fact that the back cover is metal when it should be plastic, and the up/down gear is plastic when it should be brass on the stock trolley. As this is the case, the motors in that trolley would be rated for 48v which explains why they are running so slow as these machines run 24v motors normally. The reason for the claw not going down all the way is because it times out after not reaching the bottom soon enough, because of that slow up/down motor. There is a setting to adjust this and set the distance to the playfield on these newer PCBs but your best bet is to get an original replacement trolley with the correctly rated motors.
I’ve been infatuated with claw machines since I can remember, just loved the things. Once I got my first job making a little bit of money I realized I could literally buy one, so I did and it kinda started a bit problem, I just buy them whenever I see a decent deal when I can afford one. I really want to learn how to work on these things since I like fixing things on my own and just about all my searches don’t really seem to give me any answers on where I can go to learn how to work on these. Any help would we much appreciate
Would you happen to have a photo or video of the plastic assembly that goes forward and backward, I have one of these machines and it is not functioning correctly
I know the exact issue! The motor is too slow. When the claw goes down the motherboard is allowing about 3 seconds before it reverses the motor if no slack is detected. your slack detector for the string is perfectly good by the looks of it, so it means the slow motor is not allowing the claw to hit the bottom in that 3 second window. I hope this makes sense. If you need further explanation I can do that. Your next step can be trying the other gantry assuming it has a faster up/down motor. The slack switch is spring loaded to pull downwards once the claw hits the bottom so I can confirm that is not your issue.
Great info - unfortunately the parts gantry doesnt fit the machine for testing but what I will most likely do is a motor swap and see if that is the answer - this makes perfect sense!
@@GalaxyGames843 Let me know if a motor swap does the trick. I’ve been working on claw machines for 5 years now and I’ve had my fair share of part swaps like this too 😄
PLS CHECK BLUE COLOR SWITCH AT ROAP SET , I THINK IT WILL BE DAMAGED OR SHORTING , THATS THE CAUSE THE CLAW HANDLE NOT GOING FULLY DOWN AND REVERSING AT HALF WAY.
My guess would be a bad micro switch. As previously stated, that swing arm doesn't move until the claw reaches bottom or a prize and the weight of the claw is alleviated from the string, which then allows that arm to pivot, opening the circuit on the microswitch and signaling the claw to close. It wouldn't be a string length issue, because when they are too short, if it reaches the end, it would actually start pulling the claw back up. Something is telling that machine it has reached bottom even though the swing arm isn't moving to do so. I would think micro switch. Does it do it at different points or is it always the exact same spot? Different spots would lend more to my theory.
Thanks for the info. Yea it's the same spot every time. Switch tested good with a meter and does activate the claw if I manually hit the switch so I may work with that spring and see if that makes any difference
The part that pivots wont do it until the pressure is off the string by the claw hitting the plush or playfield. Since the claw isnt reaching the bottom check the string to make sure its long enough and isnt bound up on the wheel. if it still doesnt pivot, I did have to loosen the things that hold them on once.
I have a older style toy soldier machine that works good however the only issue is that the claw will not move front or back. It moves left and right fine. I checked the manual and I believe the issue is that the motor shaft pinion is not positioned correctly. The motor moves however it doesn’t touch the gear. I’m not sure how to reposition it. The gear looks fine too and it moves when I push the gantry manual so it’s not in the right position.
Best thing I would suggest is to take the gantry out of the machine and give it a visual inspection. I had one where the gear was missing a few teeth which caused it not to work like what you are saying.
@@GalaxyGames843 do you know how to remove the little yellow plastic parts that keep the cable connected to the gantry in there. I can’t seem to remove them to get the gantry out
@@GalaxyGames843 I was able to get the gantry off and now I need to figure out how to take the gear off. I have a spare one it’s one of those black cogs
Annoying? Nope I love machines with sound on I typically only play with sound on never off if I can play somewhere with sound on typically what can stop a claw on a toy soldier usually indicates that the string is either tangled up around where it shouldn't be or it's just not a long string and that arm isn't moving at all from what I saw when you dropped that claw once the claw is all the way down it should drop then raise and pulling the claw up and yes the directional motors do seem weak keep it up
Yea I definitely need to do some more work. I did pull the string all the way out and it is definitely long enough and not bound up.... So more work to be done!
Friend, I'm from Brazil, I have 4 machines and one of them has a problem. The play costs $2, but not every time we insert a $2 bill does it count correctly and release the play. Lately we have inserted $2 and it keeps indicating "Insert 1 coin", when we insert another $2 the machine releases 2 games. Could the problem be with the motherboard or the bill acceptor wiring? Have you seen this problem on any machine before? Can you help me?
Good evening, I'm not sure if the hardware is the same in other countries, but if I had that problem here I'd check to ensure the dollar bill acceptor was set to 4 pulses per dollar rather than 1 pulse per dollar
The idler arm should stay level as the claw goes down and tension should release when the claw reaches the prize or the floor, causing it to swing down and press the switch to close the claw and start recoiling the string. Couple things it could be:
1. Seems like it was a little stiff off first glance of you grabbing it manually, I’ve had some where you need to replace the coiled spring that makes it spring down (couldn’t tell for sure though)
2. Could be bent causing it to slightly touch the limit switch, vibrations of the string dropping might be triggering it just enough to close early, check that it’s got a good amount of space between the idler arm and the switches trigger arm
3. That gantry was definitely gutted out of a bigger machine or something, the NC / NO / COM for the limit switch might be reversed for the machine it was in VS this one, in other words, you might have to switch the wires around, test with a multi meter first and see what the board is expecting the switch to change to (high / low)
4. It doesn’t look like a bad switch because it closed earlier when you manually moved it so I would be fairly confident the whole problem is mechanical.
Good luck!!
Thanks for the info! I am planning on doing more work to it this week!
I agree with everything you said. When I said bad switch, I was remembering incorrectly the way these work. I was thinking the swing arm kept the button depressed until tension came off of it, thus releasing the button on the micro switch. When Matt told me I had it backwards, that threw my whole theory out the window. Lol
had similar problem with a coastal toy chest. had to replace and adjust the return spring behind the down switch lever
great video man
Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll take a better look at that area. I've never had this issue before so I appreciate the info!
I noticed what looks like, the word Guan Shing on the trolley which is another claw machine manufacterer. It appears someone has swapped the entire trolley, I can tell by the fact that the back cover is metal when it should be plastic, and the up/down gear is plastic when it should be brass on the stock trolley. As this is the case, the motors in that trolley would be rated for 48v which explains why they are running so slow as these machines run 24v motors normally. The reason for the claw not going down all the way is because it times out after not reaching the bottom soon enough, because of that slow up/down motor. There is a setting to adjust this and set the distance to the playfield on these newer PCBs but your best bet is to get an original replacement trolley with the correctly rated motors.
I’ve been infatuated with claw machines since I can remember, just loved the things. Once I got my first job making a little bit of money I realized I could literally buy one, so I did and it kinda started a bit problem, I just buy them whenever I see a decent deal when I can afford one.
I really want to learn how to work on these things since I like fixing things on my own and just about all my searches don’t really seem to give me any answers on where I can go to learn how to work on these. Any help would we much appreciate
Hey there! Any time I have a problem with a claw machine, I try to make a video on fixing it. I have a few in my video library!
Thanks for the update....i'm learning a lot!!
You got it!
Nice machine. Can't wait to see it fixed and on location.
You and me both!
Would you happen to have a photo or video of the plastic assembly that goes forward and backward, I have one of these machines and it is not functioning correctly
Im sorry I no longer have the machine
I know the exact issue! The motor is too slow. When the claw goes down the motherboard is allowing about 3 seconds before it reverses the motor if no slack is detected. your slack detector for the string is perfectly good by the looks of it, so it means the slow motor is not allowing the claw to hit the bottom in that 3 second window. I hope this makes sense. If you need further explanation I can do that. Your next step can be trying the other gantry assuming it has a faster up/down motor. The slack switch is spring loaded to pull downwards once the claw hits the bottom so I can confirm that is not your issue.
Great info - unfortunately the parts gantry doesnt fit the machine for testing but what I will most likely do is a motor swap and see if that is the answer - this makes perfect sense!
@@GalaxyGames843 Let me know if a motor swap does the trick. I’ve been working on claw machines for 5 years now and I’ve had my fair share of part swaps like this too 😄
Certainly will!!!
Can you adjust the speed of any motor on the gantry?
PLS CHECK BLUE COLOR SWITCH AT ROAP SET , I THINK IT WILL BE DAMAGED OR SHORTING , THATS THE CAUSE THE CLAW HANDLE NOT GOING FULLY DOWN AND REVERSING AT HALF WAY.
Thank you! Fortunately this machine was repaired and traded!
THATS GREAT , i was also dealing these machines and hydraulic kiddies rides . India
Got to love the videos
Thank you!
My guess would be a bad micro switch. As previously stated, that swing arm doesn't move until the claw reaches bottom or a prize and the weight of the claw is alleviated from the string, which then allows that arm to pivot, opening the circuit on the microswitch and signaling the claw to close. It wouldn't be a string length issue, because when they are too short, if it reaches the end, it would actually start pulling the claw back up. Something is telling that machine it has reached bottom even though the swing arm isn't moving to do so. I would think micro switch. Does it do it at different points or is it always the exact same spot? Different spots would lend more to my theory.
Thanks for the info. Yea it's the same spot every time. Switch tested good with a meter and does activate the claw if I manually hit the switch so I may work with that spring and see if that makes any difference
The part that pivots wont do it until the pressure is off the string by the claw hitting the plush or playfield. Since the claw isnt reaching the bottom check the string to make sure its long enough and isnt bound up on the wheel. if it still doesnt pivot, I did have to loosen the things that hold them on once.
I definitely need to look more into that area. Thanks for the info!
I have a older style toy soldier machine that works good however the only issue is that the claw will not move front or back. It moves left and right fine. I checked the manual and I believe the issue is that the motor shaft pinion is not positioned correctly. The motor moves however it doesn’t touch the gear. I’m not sure how to reposition it. The gear looks fine too and it moves when I push the gantry manual so it’s not in the right position.
Best thing I would suggest is to take the gantry out of the machine and give it a visual inspection. I had one where the gear was missing a few teeth which caused it not to work like what you are saying.
@@GalaxyGames843 do you know how to remove the little yellow plastic parts that keep the cable connected to the gantry in there. I can’t seem to remove them to get the gantry out
@@Melo23982 they unclip from each other to reveal the screws attached to the gantry. They are a pain in the butt honestly
@@GalaxyGames843 I was able to get the gantry off and now I need to figure out how to take the gear off. I have a spare one it’s one of those black cogs
@@Melo23982 probably held on by a set screw that requires a small Allen wrench to remove
awesome video buddy and how to diagnose machines
Thanks man!
Would love more repair videos.
I do like making repair videos when they come up!
Annoying? Nope I love machines with sound on I typically only play with sound on never off if I can play somewhere with sound on typically what can stop a claw on a toy soldier usually indicates that the string is either tangled up around where it shouldn't be or it's just not a long string and that arm isn't moving at all from what I saw when you dropped that claw once the claw is all the way down it should drop then raise and pulling the claw up and yes the directional motors do seem weak keep it up
Yea I definitely need to do some more work. I did pull the string all the way out and it is definitely long enough and not bound up.... So more work to be done!
Where did you get that claw machine
th-cam.com/video/MA8WTGdtJcw/w-d-xo.html
I have a problem with power getting to the motherboard. Any idea why?
Check for cold solder joints at the power header pins
Friend, I'm from Brazil, I have 4 machines and one of them has a problem. The play costs $2, but not every time we insert a $2 bill does it count correctly and release the play. Lately we have inserted $2 and it keeps indicating "Insert 1 coin", when we insert another $2 the machine releases 2 games. Could the problem be with the motherboard or the bill acceptor wiring? Have you seen this problem on any machine before? Can you help me?
Good evening, I'm not sure if the hardware is the same in other countries, but if I had that problem here I'd check to ensure the dollar bill acceptor was set to 4 pulses per dollar rather than 1 pulse per dollar
@@GalaxyGames843 I agree with you. I think the problem is in the bill acceptor configuration. I’ll try to solve it. Thank you very much!
More videos like this and less collections. Please.
Thing is I do multiple collections per week but will go many months without a claw machine repair. So my content is what I can do!
The string is not right
Ask claw kicker
@@cameron62349 I know Aaron, but sadly this this machine was sold