18 replies to this topic

[d0uga1]

hi just thought id ask this here

does anyone have any tips on how to secure a job at coral island in blackpool ive got a job interview for a trainee fruit machine technition but i dont have any experience in this line of work but i really want to learn how to do the job and thats what they will give me. the advert i saw for the job stated the experience is prefered but they are willing to train the individual who gets the job.

any tips from anybody will be apreciated.

please help if you can

[skabaz]

trust is a huge factor because your dealing with money.

when i became an engineer i had to be able to solder components but its not major issue.

working in a big arcade like coral island you should also show that you enjoy working as a team and with the public.

also show that you are willing to do heavy lifting and unsociable hours.

the majority of repairs you will have to do is clearing jammed coins and replacing bulbs.

any more questions let me know:)

baz

[d0uga1]

thanks bazpeeb

that info should help me loads

[Dougald]

Ahh. Barry Nobels Coral Island related to Funland. Used to work in funland from last august until january this year. My best advise is to try somewhere else as on the job training NO! I trained myself how to fix machines plus you have to fix all other arcade machines and 9 times out of 10 you work on ur own as everyone else buggers off and has fag/coffee breaks every 5 mins. Beside the fruit tech. boss is a grumpy old bastard and Royston Taylor (Area manager) Likes 2 see all his machines Spick and span or your in for the chop.

[impact]

as baz said most of the job in the game now r just clean coin mech clean or replace button lens replace mpu`s power supply units change software in the machine people like me and baz ect will always help to give any info needed just ask i have been in the game for 13 years as of next march .i think baz have been in the game round about the same time too.beleave me only knowning a bit about machine as i had own 2 at the time i was play the machines in an arcade when i should of been in school all started from the there i work for a big company now

A good thing what may help in the interview you know abit about impact ,bfm sorp2 and the mpu4 from the emu`s sit down with them and play about so you have got a good bit of the in`s and out`s of a machine and final .-= GOOD *UCKING LUCK =-.

[Dougald]

They use the old metalic token coin mechs in the bar x machines. Usual cleaning machines inside, lamp changing, mpu changing, coin mech cleanleness, 2p pushers not jamed and operational at all times with agian metalic coin mechs, crains fuctional, the usual stuff. I wasn't been nasty in my first post but you would be better off trying a different arcade in blackpool as the have mainly 80's / 90's machines in there and the have 2 many problems with their machines and it's the same machines with the same problem time and time again, but the best of luck 2 you if you want to learn about machines. I learnt quite a lot myself.

[d0uga1]

cool thanks impact and doug4daz info much appriciated
ive been play the machines for about 16 years now and still carnt get them out of my system i just luv playin the damn things i did hope that playing the emus would help me quit my addiction of playing the machines but those lights just attract my pocket full of cash

at least if i get the job in coral island ill get banned from playing their machines. lol.

anyways thanks again for the info.

[skabaz]

fao impact

do you mainly get fruit machine calls with your company.

at the moment about 50% of my calls are now jukebox or pc related.

i'll have been an engineer for 13 years in february.

also can you remember the first fruit machine you worked on??
mines was a maygay spotlight machine.

baz

[impact]

jpms mp2 bank roll which i own from an early age working in an arcade indian jones march,april 1993 (IMPACT SYSTEM)

[mikey95]

fao impact

do you mainly get fruit machine calls with your company.

at the moment about 50% of my calls are now jukebox or pc related.

i'll have been an engineer for 13 years in february.

also can you remember the first fruit machine you worked on??
mines was a maygay spotlight machine.

baz

Has to be leisurelink/gamestec u work for then?

When i started as an engineer, the only machines i knew about were fruities, my first callout was for an old series 3 sound leisure jukebox which was skipping. It took me about 10 mins to figure out which key to use and where to put it to open the thing!
Nowadays the industry is moving towards pc based machines so a new skill set is required from all the engineers, the days of soldering battery's onto boards and bridge recs have gone, everything is so cheap nowadays, its all panel changing, which is a shame because it takes a lot of skill out of the job. but anyway....

[lincs leisure R us]

the first ever machine i worked on was a bell fruit super nudge gambler the original one with the old relays :? now how many years ago was that? opp's i must be showing my age now.... i have seen the tech change alot in so many years.

all the repairs i do are mostly on monitors eveything else is mainly advance replacment


:xmas:

markus

[impact]

not the nugde gamble with the relays on the back door and on the inside of the machine and them being open relays with the 240 going strate to them NOWAY

[d0uga1]

well back to my original thread

i didnt get the job
can someone tell me how the fcuk can you not get a job in an arcade fixing fruit machines when they train you up to fix machines to play shite to the the public

man im so pissed off
what does it take to get a bloody job.

ps if anyone owns a business and would like to employ me dont bother because if coral island wont employ me then hey i must be fcuking awful

arrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[ady]

Don't be too hard on yourself fella........If you haven't a job can you not get some assistance in getting you to a college course on something, say a basic electrical course or similar?

This'll sure help with the CV.........Then this may sound a little silly but buy a machine and learn it's workings and then tell them that.

If I was an employer in whatever field and someone had done some practical homework on the subject i'd sure give them the time to tell me what the have learned off their own back, it demonstrates that your really interested in the subject.----Take pics and make a portfolio.

[Bencrest]

well back to my original thread

i didnt get the job
can someone tell me how the fcuk can you not get a job in an arcade fixing fruit machines when they train you up to fix machines to play shite to the the public

man im so pissed off
what does it take to get a bloody job.

ps if anyone owns a business and would like to employ me dont bother because if coral island wont employ me then hey i must be fcuking awful

arrrrrrggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

If you don't mind working at somewhere crap, relatively little.

Obviously, when you find a job like Arcade Engineer come up, loads of people will apply, and you need to make yourself stand out from the crowd. Even basic till experience helps, as they like people they can trust with money!

[skabaz]

i dont work for a national company like gamestec or leisure link.

i work for the largest independent machine supplier in scotland.

faircity amusements

baz

[americancola]

I had a similar problem with a local arcade where i live.

There was an advert in the local paper for a technicians job.

So naturally i aplied, explained that i know a bit about the different techs, own my own epoch machine and know my way around it and i'm keen to learn and it'd be a perfect job till when i go back to college.

But like you i was turned down.

Because, technician, apparently means, goon who's there to clean the machines, kick the little shits out, and just walk around and look threatening. So being 17, and most of the people i'd have to kick out being as old as me that's pretty much why they wouldn't give me the job.

I saw the person they gave it to, he's about 65, and has absolutely no idea what to do. his idea of unjamming a coin mech is bunging a screw driver up it forcefully :roll:.

Still i suppose that's why they're all run down nowadays.

Cheers.

Russ

[mikey95]

i dont work for a national company like gamestec or leisure link.

i work for the largest independent machine supplier in scotland.

faircity amusements

baz

i know it! you can't be too far away from me then

[skabaz]

the thing is when you apply for a technician job in an arcade you dont really learn much more than clearing jammed coins,jammed hoppers and fitting bulbs.so basically anyone with commen sense should get the job....but they seem to pick people who are semi retired so they don't have to pay them too much money.

when it comes to a company that deals with jukeboxes,fruities,videos,pool tables,trivias and now in my case plasma tv's,it seems to be down to experience rather than what qualifications you have.

we just employed a service engineer in glasgow that has no major qualifications,i.e highers or better,but has worked as a service engineer for the past 6 years.
we turned down guys who had degrees in electronics and who were looking for 22000 a year.

baz