Dolphin

Dolphin cranes were manufactured by Guan Shing of Taiwan, it is unknown when they were initially released, but it is assumed that they were debuted around late 1990s - 2000s. There are 2 versions of Dolphin cranes, "Dolphin Mega Catcher" and "Giant Dolphin"

**Dolphin Mega Catcher**

The Dolphin Mega Catcher is the single player variant of the Dolphin crane, it is very similar to the Charm Girl crane which was also manufactured by Guan Shing. Dolphin Mega Catchers have a red marquee with the Dolphin logo and "Mega Catcher" written underneath it, however, some builds of this machine have "Slot Machine" alternatively written in place of Mega Catcher, these versions are extremely rare. Like Mighty Atom cranes, Dolphin Mega Catchers have a round prize chute rather than the traditional square chute, however some operators have modified them to have the conventional square prize chutes.

**Giant Dolphin**

The Giant Dolphin is the 2 player variant of the Dolphin crane, and is likely called Giant Dolphin due to it's large footprint. Giant Dolphin cranes have a different marquee to Dolphin Mega Catchers, the Dolphin logo used on Mega Catchers is not used, alternatively the words "Giant Dolphin" are written with waves and a rainbow thrown in for the artwork, of course the Dolphin itself that was in the logo used on Mega Catchers is present in the marquee for Giant Dolphin. Interestingly, on Giant Dolphins the prize chute are on opposite sides, for example, on the left hand side of the machine the prize chute is on the left of the playfield, however on the right hand side of the machine, the prize chute is on the right of the playfield. This design is also used on machines such as X Factors and Grab'N'Wins. Giant Dolphins also have square prize chutes rather than the round ones on Mega Catchers. An interesting thing to note is that the Dolphin logo used on the Mega Catchers is actually present on Giant Dolphin, it can be found on the control panel as they also are on Dolphin Mega Catchers.

**Soundtrack**

Like Guan Shing's other early cranes, Dolphins have a remixed version of the Hawaii Five-0 theme song, an up/down sound effect, and a grab sound effect. Some Dolphins also have attract music that plays on a loop when the machine is not being played and this can be changed by a jumper on the soundboard. A very interesting thing to note is that despite being a 2 player machine, Giant Dolphins only have 1 soundboard, this is because the Guan Shing soundboards can accommodate multiple machines at a time for an example, if 1 side of Giant Dolphin is already being played, then if a credit is added on the second side, the music won't play separately for that side, but will continue playing if the first side stops being played first.

**PCB Design**

Like Mighty Atom cranes and the majority of Guan Shing's machines, Dolphins can have 2 different PCB designs one of which has 3 dipswitch banks, while the other one has 4.

***"3 Dipswitch" PCB***

On this PCB, there are 3 dipswitch banks, they control the weak/strong timer, coin function, "timer for the claw goes down" home position, double tap, and joystick/button settings. They also consist of 5 dials, 3 of which control the gantry motor speed, while the other 2 control the claw strengths. Dolphins with this PCB cannot be set to Prize Every Time.

***"4 Dipswitch" PCB***

On this PCB, there are 4 dipswitch banks, they control the weak/strong timer, coin function, "MAX time interval for operation" "Timer selection for rotary motor" home position, and joystick/button settings. You cannot adjust the gantry motor speed with this PCB, but you still can adjust the claw strengths with the 2 dials on the PCB. You can also set the machine to Prize Every Time with this PCB.

**Weak/Strong Timer**

What is unique about Guan Shing claw machines is that the rigging system on them is not based on a set payout rate, it is based on a weak/strong timer. The claw grabs on the strong setting and remains on it until it reaches the top, no matter whether on the weak or strong timer. On weak timer the claw will be on the weak setting for the amount of time the weak timer is set to, when the weak timer runs out, the claw will be on the strong setting for a set amount of time, before returning to the weak setting once the strong timer has ran out. The machine will continue this loop even when not being played.

**Other Information**

* Both Dolphin Mega Catchers and Giant Dolphins are extremely rare in the UK.
* Giant Dolphins tend to be slightly more common than Dolphin Mega Catchers in the UK.
* At Harbour Lights Amusements in Fleetwood, a Giant Dolphin crane can be found with a classic ELAUT claw head on the left hand side, and a Maxx Grab claw head on the right hand side.
* As of 2018, at Parkin's Palladium in Canvey Island, a 1 player Giant Dolphin could be found.