How to make your pool table free-to-play or change the price of play ?

Ok so here’s a question we hear being asked fairly often in the pool table market : I have a coin-op pool table, and I want it to be free-play.

Simple request but as many pool tables don’t come with any instructions, one which can be quite difficult to answer!

Today we’ll show you how to do it for a mechanical coin mechanism.

Luckily like most things that seem complicated its actually quite simple, and this is how you do it:

1. You’ll need access to the coin mechanism, this varies depending on the table but it will generally involve opening up the ball return draw using the supplied keys.
2. From the top of the coin mechanism you will be able to see the different ‘lanes’ for the coins, you will probably have some blanked-off and some left open where the coins currently get placed to release the balls and commence the game.
3. Hopefully you will still have some spare blanking plates from when the coin mechanism was supplied (if you don’t then please call our pool table supplies department on 0800 612 8180 who will be able to supply some for a very reasonable charge).
4. Simply blank off the remaining lanes in the coin mechanism so that all lanes are blanked.
5. Now to release the balls you simply push the mechanism through with no coins in.

Hopefully you will find that reasonably easy. However in case you need to change the price of play, or need some pictures to show you we’ve scanned in the manual to the Essex coin-mechanism for you below:

Best of luck!

In case you are having trouble viewing the images, the text instructions are:

Slide Change:

1. Remove any actuating bracket attached to the end of the slide.
2. Remove slide back-stop and return spring.
3. Pull out slide.
4. To enter new slide, turn mechanism onto its left-hand slide and push slide in.
5. Replace slide stop and return spring. Remember to use LOCTITE on side stop screws.

Price Change

1. Carry out operations 1-3 of slide change then:
2. Undo stop plate screw. Use a LARGE screwdriver.
3. Take off stop plate.
4. Remove ratchet pawl and spring.
5. Remove nylon moulding.
6. Re-arrange block out cams to suit your new price, taking additional cams from under cover plate (a.k.a. blanking plates).
7. Replace cover plate LOCTITE screw.
8. Replace moulding.
9. Replace ratchet spring and ratchet pawl. (Note: Ratchet pawl goes with swaged side up). Take care not to strain ratchet spring.
10. Replace stop plate. LOCTITE SCREW.
11. Make sure stop plate locates the ratchet pivot, before replacing screw in countersunk hole.
12. MAKE CERTAIN LOCTITE is used to hold stop plate fixing screw vibration proof.

Now follow 4 and 5 of slide change instructions.

Products featured in this blog post:

• Essex Mechanical Pool Table Coin Mechanism