New Life Games LLC
**Video Poker, Keno, Slots, 21** Gaming machines => VLC Machines => Topic started by: vette6048 on October 27, 2014, 08:42:50 AM
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I have a VLC machine model 8825. Machine works fine but I heard that there is a way to install another set of batteries or piggy back them so when the current batteries get low you won't lose memory and have to get the board reset. Chips are almost impossible to find and I heard that this could be done. Anybody know the procedure on how to do this? Thanks for any suggestions.
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Yes, replacing a battery without powering down the system can be, and is, done in most any electrical or electronic scenario, not just slot machines. The process is simply to insert a new one in parallel with the old one before disconnecting the old battery.
There is no serious electrical issue; the problems encountered are always mechanical. For each specific situation, you need to figure out how to solder, clamp, crimp, screw, or otherwise connect the (or a) new battery “around†the old one, so both batteries’ + ends are connected together and ditto their – ends. This may require some head-scratching on your part as every machine is different; and you may need TWO fresh batteries, only one of which will remain in place as the permanent replacement; here are two examples from my past:
1. Flashlight-style D-cell snapped into a spring-loaded battery holder. I soldered wires with alligator clips to a new battery and clipped it in place around the existing battery temporarily. That allowed me to remove the old battery and snap in a new one, and then unclip & remove the temporary battery.
2. Battery with wire leads soldered onto PCB. Temporarily soldered a replacement at thru-board holes further out on the power traces; unsoldered the old battery and soldered in a new one; then removed the temporary one so I could slide the board back into the machine.
Note that, except in the unlikely event of a rechargeable battery, only two electrical characteristics are really required for a replacement, permanent or temporary:
1. Voltage: if the battery in place is 5 volts, the replacement MUST BE 5 volts. Zero exceptions. This is the prime requirement.
2. Amperage or Capacity: most small batteries will have a rating in MilliAmp-Hours or MAH. The replacement should be at least as large, to assure it can deliver enough current to keep the system operating. However, there is no limit on how much larger it can be. If, for example, you are working on a 12-volt battery the size of a quarter, there is no reason you cannot replace it with the 25-pound 12-volt battery out of your ’57 Cadillac.
The bottom line here is that you do not need to replace the original battery with an identical unit, if it is not available or if doing so will simply shift the same problem out a year or two. Just make sure it’s the same voltage, and at least as big.
I would recommend you be reasonably quick about the job. It is just possible for an old dead battery to suck the life out of a fresh new battery. Don’t leave an old and a new battery connected together in parallel any longer than necessary, and certainly not overnight.
Not all circuit boards with backup batteries need to avoid a power-down during battery replacement. In most cases, only active data (like credits or history) will be lost, as the real game program is permanently in PROM. But there were lots of weird little companies, with off-the-wall ideas, especially in the early “transitional†days of electronics. If you’re not absolutely sure, don’t take the chance: parallel the old battery before swapping it out.
Finally, replacement assumes there is enough juice left in the battery to keep the system alive, even if just barely. If the old battery is dead, or weak enough to have permitted the system to flicker or die, it’s too late: and good luck with that!
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Vette6048 in your post yesterday you mentioned that you had changed some batteries already. If you have, trying piggy backing other batteries will not work. I have the same machine 8825. The last time my batteries went dead I had sent the board to Worldwide Gaming and they fixed it. Not sure if they are still doing them. It was 2 years ago. Good luck!
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I think Worldwide Gaming does not do it anymore. I will double check. The last person that helped me with my board was a person named Buddy from Texas. He fixed it fine and I had no problems until I changed the 3 pancake batteries(big mistake). I believe he goes by the name The Slot Doc. I am trying to reach out to him but I have had no success. I don't want to give up on the machine yet but I will wait and see if anybody else has the zero clear chip. .Correct me if I am wrong but these clear chips cannot be copied. Am I correct?
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Unfortunately, that is correct. Video Lottery Corp was very tight about retaining control, if not actual ownership.
Clear chip software was specifically made to prevent copying. And now that IGT owns what's left of VLC, what little
support there ever was is gone. They not only have zero interest in supporting private "hobby" owners, they seem
to actually be hostile to us. As for Worldwide support, they have specifically decided to cease support, whatever the reason.
It would not surprise me to learn that IGT has quietly "leaned on them."
I'd give a tizzy to know who has which clear chips & related equipment, and if they'd be willing to sell them to a single servicer.
For instance, where are the clear chips etc previously used by Worldwide? Did they hand them over to IGT...? :sherlock:
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I guess if I have to give up on this I will. I agree with you on where are some of those clear chips Worldwide Gaming had. Its a funny thing back in May of this year I was in New Orleans visiting Bourboun Street and believe it or not some of their bars have VLC machines in them and their are two small casinos in downtown Las Vegas that still have VLC machines. I seen them with my own eyes. Maybe I will part out the machine along with the extra boards I have for the machine and list them on Ebay. Like you mentioned before there are clear chips still floating around its just where are they floating around. Thanks for the info on the VLC. You know those 2 casinos in Vegas have to have those chips to keep those machines running. Amazing they can send robots to Mars but cannot find a way to copy these chips. Have a great day!!
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Just one more question. If I would have kept the machine on while I was changing the 3 pancake batteries(one at a time) do you think I would have saved the memory or would I have still lost it? What's your opinion?
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Yes, in all likelihood that would have worked, providing the batteries were not already dead, making the entire issue already too late.
The problem is physical: would it have been possible to reach & replace the batteries with the board
in place and operating? Extremely difficult in most computers with main logic board in some kind of box;
and slot machines always surround the boards with a steel Faraday cage. I've never had the chance to personally play
with your model of machine, but unless it's wildly different from every other it would be impossible to reach the
batteries with the machine in place.
Vette, I wish I could help derail this machine's trip to the scrapheap, but you've hit the same brick wall that so many other VLC owners have.
Unless some local owner of a VLC "fleet" needs a parts corpse, or an NLG member with chips & a heart is watching, you're probably out of luck.
I'd love to have her even with all electronics & monitor stripped out, but you're too far away from me to pick up.
But if I may request on behalf of many other NLG poor schmucks proud owners, please please PLEASE post photos of your machine, inside & out, before you strip her. I'll make sure they get posted for archiving with your credit.
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Found somebody to fix the board. Same person that fixed mine before I tracked him down(Thank God) Will have it done after Christmas!!
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AWESOME!!! VLC owners rejoice!
Please post this person's contact info: I'm sure we can send him some more business.
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I have had a few people ask me about fixing a VLC, but I could not help them. It would be nice if this persons name and contact information could be brought here to NLG. I'm sure we could get them some business if they are interested.. I my self have walked away from them just because I didn't think anyone was working on them or had the knowledge to fix them..
Gary
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Great news :yes: :dancing_2: Another question to ask is he able to fix the 8725? That is the previous model before the 8825.
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Can someone tell us which is the RAM Battery in Model 8724? Is it the pancake battery 2032 or the Dallas DS1260-100 or is there another battery in there that we are not seeing. We replaced both of these batteries but still have a message reading " Reset Fail 12 - Back-up Ram #2 Battery low."
Also, was the name ever posted of who helped fix the battery issue? I'm not having the same problem but it is a battery error message - 36 Main Ram Battery Low. Any help I could get would be great.
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He never posted who fixed his board. I would also like to know. He did mention in his last post it was the same person that had fixed it for him before. I think he is referring to Slot Doc. "The last person that helped me with my board was a person named Buddy from Texas. He fixed it fine and I had no problems until I changed the 3 pancake batteries(big mistake). I believe he goes by the name The Slot Doc."
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Hi,
Here's what my 8825 says.
The machine has a damaged touchscreen CRT and I'm hoping to connect this LCD touchscreen.
The original CRT is a Philips brand so I was hoping a Philips brand LCD would work. Got the display working as shown in the photo but am struggling with the touchscreen wiring.
The battery low message bothers me a bit from what I'm reading. I'm hoping I won't need a clear chip cuz it still shows credits?
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Todd
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I know this is an old post , but trying everything
I have a VLC winning touch upright machine 8724 model
with the Rest fail 11 back up ram #1 battery low error
I have found the mother board but I do not see any batteries
Larry
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Sorry Larry,
I couldn't get mine to work.
I parted it out and used the parts for other machines.
Kinda sad. I really like the games and hated that parts and information is nonexistent.
I wish you better luck than I had.
Later,
Todd
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Larry, Sorry for the bad news as far as I know there is no longer support for the model 87_ _ series. A clear chip is needed most of the time to bring these back to life. These chips are not out there. If it was the 8825 there are a few folks that can do those. Good Luck
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OK , if I can't find where the batteries are what parts are worth anything ?
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Post a pic of your board. The 3 coin batteries should be on top.
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I think what Erbs is saying is that those machines are no longer repairable once the battery's go dead. There is no way to find the boot chips for the 8724 models. If you had the 88 series, some of those can be repaired.
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Lets try these pics , this is a 8724 machine
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That black module near the edge of the board is a battery. Technically it is an electronic battery, often called a "Smart Battery". At one time a company called Dallas Semiconductor made these and they were used a lot in electronics. I think there may be replacements available nowadays. You would have to remove those piggy-back boards to see if there are other batteries.
(click to enlarge)
(https://s26.postimg.org/sxal1yl3t/IMG_0741_z5.jpg)
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how do I check this battery ?
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Without a schematic drawing for the board this will be a guess. The battery is usually used to keep critical data intact that is stored inside a ram chip, often called a "cmos ram" chip. If you find that cmos ram chip on the circuit board you can put a meter on its power pin and ground pin to measure the battery voltage, while power to the machine is turned off. A closeup photo of the board so we can read the writing on the back of the chips might help to determine which chip is the cmos ram. A faster way would be if there is someone here familiar with that board that can point it out.
Or you could turn the board over and measure the battery voltage out of the Smart Battery by putting the meter leads on the correct solder pads where the Smart Battery is soldered to the board.
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Cant help on this one. Totally different than the 8825. The coin batteries if used on your series may be under the piggy back board. Even if you changed the batteries you would need the clear chip.
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Here is a pic of the 8825 board.
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erbs- That piggy-back board with the 3 coin batteries, does it have the cmos ram chip on the other side?
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There are 3 chips that plug into the underside of the board that has the 3 batteries. Cant tell you what they are without pulling the board. If I do that I would need the clear chips. I tried to send pic but said too large.
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ok, thanks, I was just curious, don't do anything to risk the board not working. You can send photo to me at my normal email address, click over to the left to see it, where it says "mail this user".
Have you had your VLC machine long and does it work ok?
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For some reason I cant shrink down the photo. Will send to your email. I have had the 8825 for probably 15 years. Great machine. Had to send in board 2 times so far at a cost of around $150 each time. Guess that's not to bad for all those years.
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For some reason I cant shrink down the photo. Will send to your email. I have had the 8825 for probably 15 years. Great machine. Had to send in board 2 times so far at a cost of around $150 each time. Guess that's not to bad for all those years.
Ok, I'll watch for your photo and I'll post it if I'm able, I think it could be helpful, there's not a lot of info on these VLC machines. You're right about the repair cost, factoring the enjoyment of the machine for several years. Does the place that repaired the board help with other VLC stuff, like game software, CLEAR chips, replacement parts, etc? I saw that VLC is still around, sort of, they are part of another company now, do you know if they respond for help and support on their older machines?
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Here are erbs photos from the mpu board in his VLC 8825 machine. The piggy-back board has 3 coin style batteries and the other side of the piggy-back board has some chips in sockets that are possibly the cmos ram chips.
Thanks erbs!
It looks like there is maybe another battery just to the right of the piggy-back board that is mounted on the main board, a white cylinder marked "Sanyo".
(click to enlarge)
(https://s26.postimg.org/q4hdhxkrd/DSCN7416_z1.jpg)
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(https://s26.postimg.org/70o21l7x5/DSCN7418_LI_z1.jpg)
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Thanks Rokgpsman for posting the pics. Yes the Sanyo is a lithium battery that never had been changed?
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Thanks Rokgpsman for posting the pics. Yes the Sanyo is a lithium battery that never had been changed?
Without the manual or the schematic drawing for the mpu board we can only guess why they have the different sets of batteries. The coin batteries may be for the cmos ram that is for keeping the financial bookkeeping data required by regulators and the sanyo battery might be for other settings like game preferences, comm settings, etc.
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With this being a 8724 VLC, I my self would not put any money into the machine. There are not clear chips out there for this model. If you had the 8825, then that would be a different story, since those can be brought back to life. You would need to send in your board to have it worked on. There are very few clear chips available for the 8825 VLC machine. If you do ever find a clear chip for a VLC, never try to read to chips files to attempt making a copy, because if you do, the original will be destroyed and no longer work. VLC has a self destruction feature built into there software for there protection if there software.
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Thanks Rokgpsman for posting the pics. Yes the Sanyo is a lithium battery that never had been changed?
erbs sent me another photo that shows the other side of that piggy-back board that has the 3 coin-style batteries (from his VLC 8825 machine). That's where the cmos ram chips are on this mpu board, there are 3 of them, hence the 3 batteries, one battery for each cmos chip. The cmos ram chips are KM681000, which are 128k in size.
(click to enlarge)
(https://s26.postimg.org/ncy3rbm8p/DSCN7423_z1.jpg)
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world wide still resets vlc boards you can replacement battery in mansfeild texas very expensive world splits battery
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world wide still resets vlc boards you can replacement battery in mansfeild texas very expensive world splits battery
Do you have a way to contact them, phone number or email? Is there a certain person contact or department?
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i talk brad hes a tech im going send my boards they have and let u know they have the only reset chips i let him know the can be got he augued but give the pnone number they 30 a peice when u buy a hundred good luck
im just now learning the rgb to vga converters to replace monitors
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Can you post his contact information. I'm sure it would be helpful to others with VLC machines.
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i have a vlc winning touch machine the cabinet bad off so i stripped guts and put them on shelf but have a cabinet that will work
it was my first machine i bought to learn to rebiuld im now doing igt spus and pe plus
i want it go to someone who loves them im open to trading for igt machine ,jacks or better monitor or help rebiuld spuss2000 reel
i dont know procedure to do this on this site so how do i do im in texas :Crazy: :Scratch-Head: