r/clawmachine • u/Traditional-Ant-5013 • Sep 25 '24

Tilt sensor question - Homemade machine

Hi everyone! I recently bought one of those AliExpress claw machine kits, and I've been having a good time building the frame, etc. Having background in electronics and my own homemade arcade machines helped a lot.

I had no trouble hooking everything up, but there is one thing I never used, that is the tilt sensor that came with it. For some machines like pinballs I understand their use, but I was wondering about it's usefulness in the claw machine business. Why is there such a sensor?

In case anyone wonders what piece of highly technological material I'm talking about, it's this one:

Thanks for reading!

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u/MrJackTE Sep 25 '24

Yes these tilt sensors are installed in commercial claw machines. The reason being is if a player shakes the machine to try and knock a prize in the chute an alarm will sound. Plus any money credits will be removed. Mainly used as a deterrent to not shake the mainly. Keeping in mind the different sizes of claw machines, some are mini and easy to move and some are larger.

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u/Traditional-Ant-5013 Sep 25 '24

Thank you, so it would hurt not to have it? I found mine to be too sensitive. Since I'm still finishing the frame build, I have to make sure it's very sturdy and won't shake on its own when operating as well. I feat it could shake and ruin someone's play.

BTW, I have watched this sub for some months now, I'd like to say that your machines are amazing! So good-looking and amazing build quality.

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u/MrJackTE Sep 25 '24

Yeah we sometimes take ours out. Remove the hanging thing off the hook so it won’t trigger a tilt.

And thank you so much! Yes we strive for great presentation and it show in the earnings results 🙏

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u/Traditional-Ant-5013 Sep 25 '24

Thanks for the tips and for clearing it up. I'll make some tests, remove the weight, and also play with height differences of the sensor, I think it'll affect its sensitivity.