Safety on a GS?

[shamefowjze]

I'm currently at a GSX center with NexGens. I have a hard time believing a machine this smart can be this dangerous or stupid.

How do you do respots or add pins with the sweep down and the machine will not sweep what you just set up? I'm not keen on sticking a pinfork into the playing area while the machine is still on. I'm waiting for a ball to be thrown while I'm in the middle of doing this. What procedure do you follow for respots and adding pins?

[billman]

I have Qubica scoring and respots are done from the front desk.

[JACKO]

When I worked on GSX machines, we had vector, and were able to have respots done from front counter. Very cool!
When I worked on GS-10, we had to use pin fork, Not cool! All the respots on GS-10 were done by having ten new pins set,
then use fork to push,pull,or simply knock over and clear pins to get desired set up. If a pin fell over you could hit the set
or reset button! Machine would respot last known pin fall! I am sorry, I forgot which one it was, has been along time!

[shamefowjze]

Doing respots from the front desk is not an option. due to staff and management. I don't mind doing them, but I believe there has to be a safer way. Using the "set" function works sometimes depending on the situation.

[MCSS]

The only way I can think of would be to turn the machine off, manually release the sweep, then set the pins you want, then turn it back on. Table should come down, then go back up to raise the sweep. You trigger the sweep any other way the machine will think to set a full rack regardless if you turned it off or not, it will want to finish what you started.

You are right, it is a very smart machine, but lacks in safety.

[Ted]

Just typed a reply with the specifics of the respot on a GS and the site hung. Lost the entire post...............................
Happened 3 times today. Why.

[Tablejam]

Doing respots from the front desk is not an option. due to staff and management. I don't mind doing them, but I believe there has to be a safer way. Using the "set" function works sometimes depending on the situation.

You want the "SAFE" way then do it through the front desk computer


Wait a minute, that does not make sense. It is way easier, quicker, and SAFER to do them from the front desk than to even attempt to do a respot at the machine. That is your argument, if management cares anything about safety, imo, they will listen to you and start making the staff do them from the front desk- literally it takes what, 30 seconds to push some buttons on a computer and they don't want to do it that way but instead make the bowlers wait longer for a mechanic to get to the machine and do it manually....nevermind that it would be more dangerous that way or anything- ridiculous! If you have the means to do it through the computer then that is absolutely the safest way to do it.

When I read stuff like this where staff/management is unwilling or ignorant of doing things in a better/safer way it just makes me...

[shamefowjze]

We have Frameworkx. I haven't played around on the front desk computer. But I'm not sure it's even an option there. I'd rather the mechanics do it so we can see what's going on. My main point here is, how can a machine be so smart and stupid at the same time. This is my biggest issue with the GSX.

Ted, hopefully you can get your reply up. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[Tablejam]

Frameworx should have that capability already. If you have to have the mechanic do it, why can't you first start a cycle so the sweep will drop, turn it off, knock over the unwanted pins, then turn it back on so it finishes the cycle?

[rivmike]

i would hope that the Bruns. scoring would work with their machine. ( or am I assuming alot )

[shamefowjze]

These are not like 70's if you turn it off mid cycle it assumes the worst. It will reverse sweep everything and go back to it's original position. I've tried doing it that way.

Forget the scoring, that's not the question at hand here. I can barely get one of the counter jockeys to enter names if a touchscreen goes out. Now you're asking me to try to get them to do a respot? Not gonna happen. My question is, is there a way for mechanics to safely do respots?

I have another issue with these machines that is somewhat related to this as well but I'll do that in another thread after this is done.

[Tablejam]

That's too bad. Well, it sounds like the only real way you could do it is like what was suggested here....

The only way I can think of would be to turn the machine off, manually release the sweep, then set the pins you want, then turn it back on. Table should come down, then go back up to raise the sweep. You trigger the sweep any other way the machine will think to set a full rack regardless if you turned it off or not, it will want to finish what you started.

You are right, it is a very smart machine, but lacks in safety.

There's no way to tell it to set up certain pins from the 'control panel' on the machine?

[Ted]

The set function will set them if the pin detection plate had switched. A pin that slid, then fell over and didn't switch the detection plate won't be set.
Frameworks with command network, and early Centermaster, didn't have the function at the desk. The 'Player Control Station'. part of the ball return pin display, would allow the bowler to set any combination of pins. When it was added to CenterMaster and later desks, Brunswick didn't offer the bowler control board option.
If your center has the function added, setting up pins is what is was designed for, what it is used for, safest and easiest way to set up any combination of pins. It is one of those things that has made this machine popular. It is one of those things that should be utilized. It is a function that makes the mechanic less of a utility (read a reason do reduce pay )

As a follow up to tablejams post, it should be a function added to the new rear control/display - so the mechanic can set up any combination of pins, and watch it set them as a function of troubleshooting. The circuitry is there, it just takes more $.

[Troyza]

I run GS98's & we have to do all our re-stands from back end. We have 3 kinds - add = adding a pin to whats already there. Generally we only have to hit set & it does it its self. Set = there are no pins standing - same deal. Hit set & it will re stand its last detected set of pins. & full = there are 10 pins standing when we approach the setter & we have to manually knock them down. We hit reset, then turn the machine off once the sweep has dropped. Knock over the undesired pins. Turn the machine back on & hit reset, which will cycle the machine & leave the pins for second bowl. I don't understand what's not safe about this? As far as I know, you can do the exact same on a GSX without any problem as we had a GSX technician working with us for a while & he didn't make any comment.

If you approach a machine with a full set of pins, & do the above, but the machine doesn't detect the pin & sets a new set of pins, then generally I'd leave an extra pin standing, do the above, then quickly knock down the extra pin into the pit whilst the sweep is going up. This would generally mean there was a ruined microswitch which would need replacing asap.

[Tablejam]

If you approach a machine with a full set of pins, & do the above, but the machine doesn't detect the pin & sets a new set of pins, then generally I'd leave an extra pin standing, do the above, then quickly knock down the extra pin into the pit whilst the sweep is going up. This would generally mean there was a ruined microswitch which would need replacing asap.

Doesn't that mean you are reaching into the machine while it is running?