Techno Stuff
How They Work - Score Disc/Replay Counter

Replay Counter Feed

surf club
replay counter - click for big version

Once a winner is detected by the search relays and search disc, then the score disc gets back into the picture. It's job is to energize the correct printed circuit traces on the replay counter disc. As credits are added to the replay register, the replay counter is stepping up (though not necessarily at a 1-1 rate with the replay register). Eventually, the replay counter wiper steps off the "hot" trace, the payout circuit is broken, and payout stops.

surf club
score disc/replay counter schematic

So let's assume we have a 3-in-line winner detected and the odds are at 36. Since there is a 3-in-line winner, wire #65 at the top left will have 50V on it. The trick now is to get that 50V through the score and replay counter discs and down to the replay counter step-up coil at the bottom (and also left along the wire marked A, which connects off to the replay register step-up coil, the search index coil, and the replay cam index coil.

The odds are at 36, so the score unit has stepped up six times. If we look at the score unit disc, we see that the wiper connected to wire #65 would be sitting on the 25-5 rivet at position 3. We then notice that wire #25-5 is connected to the 12 trace on the replay counter unit. Hmmm...we want a payout of 36, and we appear to be powering the 12 trace. OK, let's go with that and see what happens. We now have 50V at wire #10-8 (assuming the "open at 96 replay counter switch is closed. This switch is a failsafe to cut off the payout once the replay counter has stepped all the way up, and also is responsible for the 92 and 192 level payouts). Since we aren't collecting a corners score, the search disc is connecting #10-8 to #40-6 (and #10-8 to the junk tied to the A wire).

Now we have 50V going back into the score disc again. This time it's routing through the score disc and powering one of the circuits hooked up to the control unit cam 10A, 11A, 12, or 13A switches. A peek at the manual shows that at this score step, wire #40-8 is connected to wire #91-8, which is cam switch 11A. Now you gotta make an assumption. The replay register is stepped up by control unit cam 13B. If cam 11A closes at 1/3 the rate of 13B, then the replay register will add three for every step that the replay counter makes. Replay register steps up 36 times, replay counter steps up 12.

The lobes on the cams are arranged such that on the 36th pulse to the replay register, the wiper steps off the 12 trace on the replay counter disc. This breaks the 50V power to the stuff over at A, and payout stops.

That is basically how payout works for all games. Magic screen machines add some complications in the winner detect circuits, but the the score disc/replay counter stuff is the same. Various replay cam switches provide pulses at a different rate from the pulse stepping up the replay register, but the payout levels are some multiple of the base numbers established by the length of the traces on the replay counter disc.