Hole - slot is preferred for tight fits as the pin-hole positions or locates and the pin-slot stops the rotation and allows for easier installation due to the clearance along the slot length. Oh ya - Welcome to EE! A 'Pin-in-a-Slot' Mechanism You may think a 'Pin-in-a-Slot joint' is a special joint. It is not the RPR or RPP Dyad. Note: A Pin-in-a-Slot is generic term we use for a joint where it seems that a Pin-Joint moves along or parallel to a Slide-Joint.
Slot machines are one of the most popular parts of a casino. Whether you’re a professional or a gambling newbie, slots are the perfect opportunity to try your luck, promising fast-paced thrills with no skill involved. But have you ever wondered how these well-loved machines work?
The roaring success of online slots is a testament to how much we enjoy the slot machines in our bars and casinos. The technology may have finally made the shift into the digital world, however, this is simply the latest development in the long history of slot machines.
If you want to find out more, read on. In this article, we’ll be explaining how slot machines actually work – and why these games of chance are even harder than you thought!
How many parts does a slot machine have?
In general, traditional slot machines are made up of six parts. When you insert your money, these parts work together to activate the mechanism:
- The coin slot. Modern slot machines also usually have an in-built card machine.
- The lever. On early machines, pulling the lever would physically trigger the reels to spin, but this is now motorized.
- The reels. Slot machines contain three reels, each one notched so that it can spin around a metal shaft (and eventually stop at the desired position).
- The brakes. The braking mechanism causes the reels to stop one at a time.
- Payout trigger. These are a series of metal pins that can ‘read’ the depth of the notches on the reels in order to work out the required payout amount.
- Winning line. This is the combination of symbols that you’ll need to get to win the jackpot.
What happens when you pull the lever?
When you insert your money, the lever is unlocked so you can start to play. Once you pull the lever, a motor automatically causes the reels to spin (on some old-fashioned machines, the lever itself spins the reels).
A braking system brings each reel to a stop, one at a time. At this point, the metal payout trigger pins are used to detect the depth of the notches on each reel. This means the machine is able to identify the reels which the player has spun, triggering the correct payout. (The notch that signifies the jackpot is often a lot deeper than the other notches).
What are computerized slot machines?
Today, most new slot machines use a computerized system, rather than the motorized mechanism which drove more traditional machines.
These computerized slots rely on a random number generator, which means that each spin has a truly equal chance of hitting the jackpot. As soon as the machine is switched on, this generator is constantly cycling through a wide range of numbers. When you pull the lever, it stops suddenly and ‘remembers’ the last three numbers it cycled through.
These numbers will determine the position of the reels, with each number divided by a set amount in order to reach a value which corresponds to one of the notches on the reel.
This technology means your chance of hitting the jackpot is staggeringly small – but if games of chance are how you get your thrills, this should only add to the fun!
Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
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The Scotch Yoke (also known as slotted link mechanism[1]) is a reciprocating motion mechanism, converting the linear motion of a slider into rotational motion, or vice versa. The piston or other reciprocating part is directly coupled to a sliding yoke with a slot that engages a pin on the rotating part. The location of the piston versus time is simple harmonic motion, i.e., a sine wave having constant amplitude and constant frequency, given a constant rotational speed.
Applications[edit]
This setup is most commonly used in control valve actuators in high-pressure oil and gas pipelines.
Although not a common metalworking machine nowadays, crude shapers can use Scotch yokes. Almost all those use a Whitworth linkage, which gives a slow speed forward cutting stroke and a faster return.
It has been used in various internal combustion engines, such as the Bourke engine, SyTech engine,[2] and many hot air engines and steam engines.
The term scotch yoke continues to be used when the slot in the yoke is shorter than the diameter of the circle made by the crank pin. For example, the side rods of a locomotive may have scotch yokes to permit vertical motion of intermediate driving axles.[3][4]
What is essentially a Scotch yoke, is used in the Tide-Predicting Machine No. 2 to generate a sinusoidal motion(Sine functions).
Internal combustion engine uses[edit]
Under ideal engineering conditions, force is applied directly in the line of travel of the assembly. The sinusoidal motion, cosinusoidal velocity, and sinusoidal acceleration (assuming constant angular velocity) result in smoother operation. The higher percentage of time spent at top dead centre (dwell) improves theoretical engine efficiency of constant volume combustion cycles.[5] It allows the elimination of joints typically served by a wrist pin, and near elimination of piston skirts and cylinder scuffing, as side loading of piston due to sine of connecting rod angle is mitigated. The longer the distance between the piston and the yoke, the less wear that occurs, but greater the inertia, making such increases in the piston rod length realistically only suitable for lower RPM (but higher torque) applications.[6][7]
The Scotch yoke is not used in most internal combustion engines because of the rapid wear of the slot in the yoke caused by sliding friction and high contact pressures[citation needed]. This is mitigated by a sliding block between the crank and the slot in the piston rod. Also, increased heat loss during combustion due to extended dwell at top dead centre offsets any constant volume combustion improvements in real engines.[5] In an engine application, less percent of the time is spent at bottom dead centre when compared to a conventional piston and crankshaft mechanism, which reduces blowdown time for two-stroke engines. Experiments have shown that extended dwell time does not work well with constant volume combustion Otto cycle engines.[5] Gains might be more apparent in Otto cycle engines using a stratified direct injection (diesel or similar) cycle to reduce heat losses.[8]
Modifications[edit]
Mechanism Pin Slot Pin
An improved Scotch yoke, with a means of absorbing sideways thrust, was patented in 1978 by William L. Carlson, Jr., US patent 4075898.[9]
Antikythera Mechanism Pin And Slot
References[edit]
- ^'ME 700 Mechanisms EdLabQuip'.
- ^'The SyTech Scotch Yoke Engine'. AutoSpeed. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^General Construction, Baldwin Gasoline Industrial Locomotives Baldwin Locomotive Works Record, No. 74, 1913; pages 7-9. The use of the scotch yoke is explained page 8.
- ^Norman W. Storer, Electric Locomotive, U.S. Patent 991,038, granted May 2, 1911. The use of the scotch yoke is discussed on page 2 of the text.
- ^ abc'Science Links Japan Effect of Piston Speed around Top Dead Centre on Thermal Efficiency'. Sciencelinks.jp. 2009-03-18. Archived from the original on 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
- ^Bourke Engine Documentary, Published 1968, p50, 'Appraising Engine Efficiency' para2
- ^Bourke Engine Documentary, Published 1968, p51, 'Important Factors in Engine Design'
- ^'Effect of the Ratio Between Connecting-rod Length and Crank Radius on Thermal Efficiency'. Science Links Japan. Archived from the original on 2008-01-28. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^'Patent US4075898 - Scotch yoke - Google Patents'. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scotch yokes. |
- 'Comparing Simple Crank/Slider and Scotch Yoke Mechanisms' by Fred Klingener, The Wolfram Demonstrations Project; Active demo.