Deckmate 1 Guide (4 Viewers)

[streetthrowback]

I think I’m abandoning the cart/stand idea. Just mounted it in the table last night


View attachment 1655834

i was thinking maybe i should build a kart because i like to change toppers from time to time. but mounting it on the table looks so sexy!

 

[minedelta]

I like table because it's more practical. It's what the entire shuffler was designed around. But now days I seen WSOP have side tables too for shufflers.

 

[Old State]

i was thinking maybe i should build a kart because i like to change toppers from time to time. but mounting it on the table looks so sexy!

The way my table is built I can change tops in about 5 minute or less. That said I only cut the hole in one topper so the other will cover the hole in the table if I want to remove the shuffler for some reason.

If you were to see my space a kart would be a very awkward to try and fit in.

On another note…I just received the new Desjgn cards and will be using them with the Deckmate tomorrow night! They are Fournier and I have been testing Fournier cards I own through the machine. They shuffle fine. I’ll readjust the Deckmate for these though and run another auto setup

 

[streetthrowback]

The way my table is built I can change tops in about 5 minute or less. That said I only cut the hole in one topper so the other will cover the hole in the table if I want to remove the shuffler for some reason.

If you were to see my space a kart would be a very awkward to try and fit in.

On another note…I just received the new Desjgn cards and will be using them with the Deckmate tomorrow night! They are Fournier and I have been testing Fournier cards I own through the machine. They shuffle fine. I’ll readjust the Deckmate for these though and run another auto setup

i think they also make a whole cover where the DM sits

 

[Old State]

i think they also make a whole cover where the DM sits

They do. I was looking at one close and it appears to just be a piece of plywood cut out from a table where they put a deck mate with a piece of plastic mount at the top.! They are selling them for $100!

 

[streetthrowback]

They do. I was looking at one close and it appears to just be a piece of plywood cut out from a table where they put a deck mate with a piece of plastic mount at the top.! They are selling them for $100!

yeah you can use that then put the topper on top

 

[Old State]

I like table because it's more practical. It's what the entire shuffler was designed around. But now days I seen WSOP have side tables too for shufflers.

I wonder if they use side table shufflers at the WSOP because they are resenting all those tables temporarily and can’t cut holes

 

[RocAFella1]

In table makes more sense ergonomically but I'm personally not a fan of chips potentially hitting the lid or the lid getting in the way of the pot or bets depending on where the hole is cut.

 

[Old State]

In table makes more sense ergonomically but I'm personally not a fan of chips potentially hitting the lid or the lid getting in the way of the pot or bets depending on where the hole is cut.

Theoretically I was too. also worried about spills (which, knock on wood, I’ve never had in 23 years using this table!).

That said, I play in casinos pretty often and the shuffler rarely seems to get in the way. Maybe once or twice ever to I remember a player bounce a chip into a shuffler and when they did the dealer seems to fish it out pretty quick.

For me I was looking at a cart/stand solution that would need to ne very low profile…and that made me worried it could get knock over crammed in between all the players. My games have been 10 handed recently in a tight area. You can see below

 

[RocAFella1]

Theoretically I was too. also worried about spills (which, knock on wood, I’ve never had in 23 years using this table!).

That said, I play in casinos pretty often and the shuffler rarely seems to get in the way. Maybe once or twice ever to I remember a player bounce a chip into a shuffler and when they did the dealer seems to fish it out pretty quick.

I have a racetrack table as well, which I want to get rid of someday, but that's another story. My concern is more from players throwing their bets on to the lid or pushing bets/pots across the lid which would inevitably cause more flea bites/dings. I've seen it placed in various spots on the table in casinos and card rooms and no matter where it is, chips make too much contact with the lid for my liking. One of the local card rooms has it just off center and the pots sit on top of the lid.

If I had to install it in table, I might consider putting it closer to the rail nearest the dealer, which would work only if you have the space to fit all the players and basically have one corner of the table taken away where someone's chip stack to the right or left of the dealer would sit.

 

[Old State]

I have a racetrack table as well, which I want to get rid of someday, but that's another story. My concern is more from players throwing their bets on to the lid or pushing bets/pots across the lid which would inevitably cause more flea bites/dings. I've seen it placed in various spots on the table in casinos and card rooms and no matter where it is, chips make too much contact with the lid for my liking. One of the local card rooms has it just off center and the pots sit on top of the lid.
View attachment 1657970

If I had to install it in table, I might consider putting it closer to the rail nearest the dealer, which would work only if you have the space to fit all the players and basically have one corner of the table taken away where someone's chip stack to the right or left of the dealer would sit.

I was limited to where I could cut the hole because of the stretcher bar on the base and chip drawer. Where it ended up seems like a good spot though as I have enough room for the pot to be in front of the dealer position

 

[RocAFella1]

I was limited to wear I could cut the hole becasue of the stretcher bar on the base and chip drawer. Where it ended up seems like a good spot though as I have enough room for the pot to be in front of the dealer position

I think that's a spot I would've chosen as well as long as seat 9 keeps their bets off the lid as best as possible.

 

[Old State]

I think that's a spot I would've chosen as well as long as seat 9 keeps their bets off the lid as best as possible.

I sat in seat nine before I cut. The natural place to put your chips when sitting there at a full table in just to the right of the shuffler…so I think it will work. When we play 8 handed that seat is spread out even further away. You can see that in the 3rd pic better

 

[streetthrowback]

I ended up getting that Ikea drawer and fitting it. Looks nice.

 

[LossPrevention]

DM1 fam,

I’m having trouble with the Shuffler and need some help—the presenter tray in my DM1 does not recognize when it is fully lifted and I can’t exit out of the auto setup loop.

Video link below. I’m super appreciative of any help and more than willing to compensate for a guided fix through FaceTime.

Video:
https://share.icloud.com/photos/00d1julbNuIR-pgTkC0HWfCrw

Let me know your thoughts/ideas/suggestions.

Thanks all!
Adam

 

[minedelta]

Hey Adam, advice here is free. That's the goal of this guide.

You might have a bad Encoder. Start by unplugging and reseating the encoder from.the board and the sensor.

If this doesn't work pop off the cap by using a flat head to pry the clamps loose.

Try to clear any debris or dirt off the metal disk. I cant remember if you can use alcohol on this or not so just clean it with a model cotton swab. Then do a platform test to check to see if the numbers are the same at high mid low. If this doesnt work try ordering a replacement.

Good luck and thanks for the video it helps see what's going on!

 

[LossPrevention]

Thank you @minedelta Step 1 of the fix worked and we're back in action!!! Thank you again!!!

Hey Adam, advice here is free. That's the goal of this guide.

You might have a bad Encoder. Start by unplugging and reseating the encoder from.the board and the sensor.

View attachment 1662597

If this doesn't work pop off the cap by using a flat head to pry the clamps loose.

Try to clear any debris or dirt off the metal disk. I cant remember if you can use alcohol on this or not so just clean it was a model cotton swab. Then do a platform test to check to see if the numbers are the same at high mid low. If this doesnt work try ordering a replacement.

View attachment 1662598

Good luck and thanks for the video it helps see what's going on!

 

[junkandjunk]

I found the perfect side table for my deckmate. It actually requires a bit of cramming to get in there.
I bought it on Temu (as per my previous post) but the seller seems to have run out of stock so the URL is dead.

Here's the measurements if you want to try to find it again.

Now if I could find a proper fitting pelican case for this that isn't massively oversized.

 

[justsomedude]

Getting my DM setup, and while it's running relatively smoothly, I can see the grippers dropping cards during the shuffle.

I've cleaned the grippers and leveled the platform per the manual.

Has anyone ever tightened the gripper belt? It does not seem like it's easy to get to...

 

[justsomedude]

Getting my DM setup, and while it's running relatively smoothly, I can see the grippers dropping cards during the shuffle.

I've cleaned the grippers and leveled the platform per the manual.

Has anyone ever tightened the gripper belt? It does not seem like it's easy to get to...

View attachment 1673265

Following up to this post I want to report the result of my experience and solution to potentially help others with the grippers dropping cards, or cards being slammed during separation/shuffle.

First things first, I was getting quite a few "card slams" during the shuffle and an occassional flipped card in the final deck. I was able to eliminate the flipped cards by increasing the delay time to 300ms in setup, but random slams kept happening. And shuffling just "didn't sound good" to my ears.

After pulling the Deckmate's housing covers off and watching the shuffle operation I observed A LOT of dropped cards from the grippers during the shuffle. Not good.

I really tried to follow the service manual to solve the problems, and found a lot of slack in my gripper belt. Doing some interwebs research I found these types of HTD belts are rated for about 10,000-15,000 service hours, and should be replaced every 2-5 years. While home games will rarely see 15,000 hours of use, I figured my belt was probably well past its expiration date, and ordered a replacement online (arriving later this week).

That being said, I was still able to slide the motor on its mounting plate to significantly tighten up the gripper belt. While this greatly reduced card slams, and the unit was in a servicable condition, the slams were still occuring now and then.

Too much slack in gripper belt:


Tight gripper belt per manual:


Not being satisfied, I kept digging for possible solutions:

• I cleaned the gripper pads multiple times
• I kept resetting the card separator height using the 2-card spacer technique from @minedelta in the OP.
• I re-ran auto setup multiple times.

But the card slams kept on happening.

I started thinking about just replacing the grippers (even though they weren't very worn) when I went back to the manual and caught the "Gripper pads ... not free-moving" note.

KEY INFO HERE >>> I pulled both the left and right gripper arms out and noticed one gripper was sort of seized and not pivoting well compared to the other side. Upon removal of the gripper mounting pin, I discovered it was covered in black grime (pic below is after I started cleaning it and realized I should take some pictures)...

Dirty & sticky gripper pin (after partial cleaning):


Gripper pin after full cleaning with 0000 steel wool:


Upon reassembly and running auto-setup both grippers were moving similarly and freely, and card drops / card slams seem to have been completely eliminated. I was also able to reduce the delay back down to 100ms.

I'll report back after replacing the gripper belt later this week, but I do not anticipate significant improvement from here.

TL;DR - If you are experiencing gripper card drops and card slams during the shuffle, make sure your gripper belt is tight and the gripper mounting pins are clean... both grippers need to move & pivot freely!

 

[justsomedude]

Replacement case panel screws for anyone looking (mine were rusty and needed to be replaced). This appears to be an exact match on the DM1:

6-32 x 3/8 screws for the case panels

 

[justsomedude]

Replacement gripper assembly mounting screws for anyone looking. This appears to be an exact match on the DM1:

6-32 x 3/4 for the 2 gripper mounting screws

 

[justsomedude]

Whipped up a 3d printed shim/gauge to assist with leveling the platform to the grippers per the manual since part no. F1094 probably doesn't exist anymore...

 

[streetthrowback]

is it on makerworld?

 

[justsomedude]

is it on makerworld?

It’s literally just a 59mm x 19mm x 91mm box printed with 65% infill.

I can send you the STL file if you like. Shoot me a PM.

 

[Old State]

Can you describe what a “card slam” is?

 

[justsomedude]

Can you describe what a “card slam” is?

I don’t think that phrase appears in the manual, it’s just a term I use to describe what I’ve observed on my machine.

A card slam occurs when a card sent from the feeder side to the shuffle side “slams” into a card that has fallen from the grippers. A specific order of operations is below:

• The grippers grab a random portion of the deck
• The platform drops to create an opening in the shuffle
• A card is quickly fed into the opening (the timing of the feed is based on the millisecond setting in setup)
• If a card falls off the bottom of the gripper stack after the platform drops, there’s a potential for a slam

9 times out of 10 a card slam is uneventful and the two cards settle into the shuffled stack just fine. However, there is a risk here for a flipped card or a jam.

The goal is to make sure the grippers are clean, free moving on their pivot pins, and the gripper belt is snug for a good grip on the cards, so you experience no falling cards.

A card slam is audibly noticeable, and it stands out from the normal shuffle sound. It almost sounds like a cupped-hand clap that gives a deeper tone.

 

[Old State]

I don’t think that phrase appears in the manual, it’s just a term I use to describe what I’ve observed on my machine.

A card slam occurs when a card sent from the feeder side to the shuffle side “slams” into a card that has fallen from the grippers. A specific order of operations is below:

• The grippers grab a random portion of the deck
• The platform drops to create an opening in the shuffle
• A card is quickly fed into the opening (the timing of the feed is based on the millisecond setting in setup)
• If a card falls off the bottom of the gripper stack after the platform drops, there’s a potential for a slam

9 times out of 10 a card slam is uneventful and the two cards settle into the shuffled stack just fine. However, there is a risk here for a flipped card or a jam.

The goal is to make sure the grippers are clean, free moving on their pivot pins, and the gripper belt is snug for a good grip on the cards, so you experience no falling cards.

A card slam is audibly noticeable, and it stands out from the normal shuffle sound. It almost sounds like a cupped-hand clap that gives a deeper tone.

Thank you! The sound is what I was wondering about the most. About 6 hours into my last game I heard an odd noise like a flick sound. Everything continued and ran fine after.

If the machine is in the table can you open the lid and watch it shuffle or with that mess something up?

 

[justsomedude]

Thank you! The sound is what I was wondering about the most. About 6 hours into my last game I heard an odd noise like a flick sound. Everything continued and ran fine after.

If the machine is in the table can you open the lid and watch it shuffle or with that mess something up?

No. Opening the lid will cause a fault and the shuffling will stop.

The flick could’ve been a very light card slam. If you’re only having one a night, I wouldn’t even be worrying about it.

You need to work on solving it when you have a few during each shuffle.

 

[justsomedude]

Got the new gripper belt installed and she's running great.
Any HTD 240-3M-6 belt should work. Here's an Amazon BESTORQ option.

Timing is set at 100ms.

No card slams. And card drops are dramatically reduced.