Williams Jackpot Party

[dillman]

I have a WMS Jackpot Party quarter machine.  Its going to need a little work, when I finally get it home (storage, buddies garage), but I was curious if this model is considered BB1, or is it Pre BB1?

I'm sure I'm going to have more questions when I start looking into it.  Thanks.

Peace,
Lynny

[rokgpsman]

Can you post a photo of the machine? WMS actually had some different machines with that title, going way back to the 400 series model dotmation machines that came out around 1995 or so.

[dillman]

I think its circa 1997. Ill see if I can post a picture.


Peace,
Lynny

[rokgpsman]

yes, that is a WMS (Williams) 400 series machine, specifically a "40S5" model, you can check the idplate that is on the same side of the machine as the pull handle to confirm the model number. They were made much earlier than the BB1 Bluebird machines. These machines are commonly called the Williams "dotmation" slots due to the dot matrix screen in the upper part of the cabinet. The dot matrix displays cute animation, and that along with the nice sound effects adds to the playing enjoyment. There are several videos on youtube of these machines if you want to see them in action, hopefully your machine will be working soon.

Here is a nice website with a good overview of the various Williams dotmation machines:
http://www.pinrepair.com/arcade/wmsslot.htm

Inside the machine in the top part of the lower area is a metal card cage that holds 2 circuit boards. One board is the cpu board, it has most of the game software chips/eproms. It also has a battery to preserve user settings such as sound volume level and other things. The other board in the card cage is the I/O board, it is the one with the 5 red LED's on the edge of the board. Both of these boards slide into the card cage and plug into a backplane board that is mounted on the back wall of the machine behind the card cage. Mounted on the left wall of the lower area is a large gray box, that is the main power supply for the machine, it has the ON/OFF switch on the front of it.

The dot matrix display is mounted in a metal box, and inside that box are 2 circuit boards. The one on the right is simply a 12 volt dc power supply used only by the dot matrix stuff. The circuit board on the left is the dotmation controller that takes care of all the animation display. On this board are 2 chips that are part of the game software. The dot controller board is connected by a ribbon cable down to the mpu board. The mpu signals the dot controller when it wants a certain animation to run.

These machines are classified as WMS reel machines since they have the 3 mechanical spinning reels. The dotmation machines are based on the slightly earlier WMS 400 models that were just normal 3 reel slot machines without the dot matrix display. The WMS 550 model came along after these machines, then later the BB1 and BB2 Bluebird machines.

These machines were fairly reliable except for the power supplies. The lower main power supply often fails, there have been several write-ups on how to repair the power supply, or simply replace it with a more reliable power supply from a ordinary desktop computer. Luckily they make the same voltages that are needed and can be wired in without too much problem. The upper power supply is even easier to replace if it fails. You just put a medium-duty 12 volt power supply in the top box of the machine and connect 2 wires from it to the dot controller board and dot matrix screen, plus disconnect the old power supply that has gone bad. An alternative to this is to locate a power supply that is a plug-n-play replacement, they are out there and some of the Williams hobbyists here on NLG can help you with that.

You can tell if your lower power supply is bad, just open the machine's main door and drop down the metal door on the card cage. Look at the 5 red LEDs on the I/O board while the machine is powered ON. All 5 of these LEDs should be lit. If any are unlit then there is a problem with the lower power supply assembly. To check the upper power supply you put a voltmeter on its output connector and look for 12 volts DC.

You can post a few more photos of your machine showing the insides and any areas you have questions about, we will try to help. Where did you get it from, does it work?

[rokgpsman]

Also, it looks like you are fairly new to NLG,

so WELCOME, glad to have you here!   

[dillman]

Wow..thanks for the wealth of information. That's why I love these forums.  Especially when there are friendly folks happy to share knowledge.  I purchased this from a local fella from Craigslist. It was working prior to him moving it, he says. I also purchased a Bally Slant machine, which I'm hoping to get some more info on, as well. Ill post a pic of it. I can't get any more pics just yet. They are being stored 2 hours from me. :-(

My other 2 machines are Bally Alpha 1's that I've upgraded the MPUs on, and I'm currently experimenting with various. Video slots on them. 

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Peace,
Lynny

[rokgpsman]

It is possible that moving the machine has caused a malfunction, that sometimes happens. Cables and connectors can become loose, also any loose coins, screws, washers, etc inside the machine can get jostled around and land on an electrical connection, plug, circuit board and short something out. Especially if the machine has been laid down on its back or side. It is a good idea to unplug that machine and remove the hopper and circuit boards to make a good visual inspection. People have found quarters underneath circuit boards, power transformer, hopper connector and other places you don't want anything metallic. Over the years techs sometimes have dropped screws or washers inside the machine and left them there. Then when the machine is laid down those items can move to someplace that causes a problem.

I don't know a lot about Bally's but there are several folks here that do. To help keep topics organized it will be better if you start a new topic for the Bally when you get ready to post questions, that way we can keep things separated neatly. I am guessing your Bally slant top will go in this S+ forum area below, but if I am wrong one of the staff folks will move it to the right place.

http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?board=80.0

Sounds like you are building a nice collection of machines!
 

[dillman]

Thank you for the proper forum guidance.  There are so many areas it can be daunting.

As for.the collection..tell my girlfriend...she can't wait for my man cave to be built and populated...neither can I, though..  :-)

Peace,
Lynny

[rokgpsman]

Thank you for the proper forum guidance.  There are so many areas it can be daunting.

As for.the collection..tell my girlfriend...she can't wait for my man cave to be built and populated...neither can I, though..  :-)

Peace,
Lynny

If you put real quarters in the machine and let her keep any winnings she will become a fan if she's like the women I know.   

[dillman]

Oh, I will, but she's just not that into them, as much as I am.
Maybe after her first jackpot she'll be hooked, we'll see..  :-)