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Just a couple of ads from late 80s..

I've never been in the industry either but my first vivid memory that got me here some 60 odd years later was being at the local funfair in Haying Island. I remember the machine hadn't paid out or something similar and when the engineer opened the back and I saw all the coloured wires and relays I can't tell you how excited I was. The funny thing is I was only really ever interested in the innards, playing the games had no interest for me and still doesn't. Folks on here give me an odd look when I tell them that. Keep the stories coming Frank, it's always a good read and the techy stuff is a bonus.

I worked for First Leisure Corp on Eastbourne Pier from 1986 to 1992 on and off and also 1 on-site company Davis CR Tubes in Eastbourne. Davis CR Tubes was a TV repair shop that also installed and ran the cable TV company in East Dean. The son got into amusement machines and I worked along side Big Mick and Dennis. Dennis had a 1980 Astra estate and that thing could swallow a FULL size video or 2 AWP no problem. He also thrashed the shit out of that thing and it actually died due to gearbox main bearing failure.....fucker howled the last few weeks until it was too noisy to drive in LOL. I drove one of the legendary Bedford CF vans, one of which was painted up as a space invader. Empty you would win a drag race from the lights every time....except in the wet. So much power, so little grip. One day I was having a shitty day, a low life had broken into several machines. It was the physical damage that pissed me off more than the money. Anyway, I was looking through Coin Slot and saw an ad for travel the world with a ship casino operation. I applied and 3 weeks later with shiny new passport in hand I was flying for the first time in my life to Miami to work for Oceanic Leisure onboard the Commodore Caribe1. BTW does anyone have a copy of Coin Slot from the late 80's with the ads in the back ?

ive never worked in the industry , i havent even got my own machine maybe one day .... anyway keep the stories coming please frank .. and thanks for what youve contributed already

I worked for Bell Fruit in Birmingham, from 1980-82, as a workshop engineer. They were still operating electros in those days, as well as the early MPU machines. They were also buying machines from JPM, Barcrest and others, as well as videos - Space Invaders, Sting, Galaxian, etc. I loved it, but I ended up leaving after they relocated to Bilston, near Wolverhampton, and my 14 mile round trip commute became 60 miles. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to keep doing it on what they paid me. The service engineers were on more than double what I was getting, plus a car. I did ask about transferring, but I was only 19 and I think they thought I was too young. Anyway, after doing a TOPS course in computer engineering, there didn't seem to be many openings in that field, so I applied for two service engineers jobs with different amusement companies and was offered both of them. I joined MAM Inn Play in 1983 but then got a job with a computer company at the beginning of '85, bringing my career in amusements to an end.

I haven't worked in the industry, the closest I got was when I was doing a Software Engineering degree and asked the Placements team about working for a fruit machine manufacturer during the 3rd year. The Placements team told me "forget it, they only take graduates" so that was the end of that. I dropped out of university not long after, then went back to college to do electronics instead!