What are these cut wires???? Any help is appreciated

[Restoringstuff]

I bought this machine for $80 taking a chance on it as the PO didn’t have a key and said it didn’t work.  I plugged it in to discover the hopper was turning continuously like it was stuck in payout.  I pushed the switch by the pull arm, but nothing.  Then, I drilled the lock out and pulled the hopper out and pushed it back in.  The hopper stopped turning.  I loaded coins, and it works!!!!  Obviously needs all contacts cleaned and moving parts oiled. With it kind of working, and that being said, it seems the shutoff timer for the hopper isn’t working.  The reset switch seems like it’s not working either.   I noticed that someone has cut and cobbled a few wires in the lower right cabinet.   Can any of you give me advice or steer me in the right direction?   I have a multimeter and I am dangerous enough to use it, but I’m not sure if these cut wires are the cause of the issues.  I bought the introduction to Bally slot book, but it doesn’t have schematics.  The machine says model 809-8ZI.  Looks like a 1977 machine

[GOS]

i believe that wire goes to the missing coin drop meter which were sometimes located in the coin chute.

[essmeier]

User Wolftalk has a Website with a lot of documentation, including that for various models of the 809:

http://bingo.cdyn.com/slots/

Also - I highly recommend Robert Geddes book, Owner's Pictorial Guide for the Care and Understanding of the Bally Electromechanical Slot Machine.

It's $99 at Amazon, but you might check with Gambler's General Store in Las Vegas to see if they've got one at closer to original retail, which was $49.99. 

That book has an entire chapter on the 809 and a pull-out schematic, along with general repair/maintenance info on all 3 reel Bally electromechanical slots.

It's also the best book I've ever seen about repairing something.  Period.  It's an essential book if you own a 3 reel Bally EM slot. 

It's also just a fascinating read.

[DavidLee]

Brown / yellow is associated with the coin meters.


Nice clean machine for $80. Can’t go wrong with a missing key.
Could of had a small fortune of coins inside.

[wolftalk]

info I have says 809-8ZI was a "lightning" model for the Silverbird Casino.  Closest paperwork on the bingo website would be the 809-5ZX-50c


however, the reel tapes that belong to that game don't match yours, so you've got something different or modified.   To figure out what:
1] there's codes stamped into the slotted reel index discs ... what do they say?
2] there's an M-645-xxx number on the payout counter disc
3] there may be writing on various units in sharpie
4] how many symbol positions are on the reels?  I don't think any 20 stop/symbol games I have info for had just [1,2,3]-bar and seven symbols. 


if completely desperate, the reel tape code is printed on the end of the tape underneath the overlap.  To see it tho, you have to pull the top of the tape out of the tin to look, and that may require uncrimping and possibly gouging the tape, so don't do that unless you really want the tape part numbers.

[Restoringstuff]

Thank you all so much for the help!  Wolftalk, here is the info you asked for.   I’m really confused now.  Hope you can help I’d this. 


The slotted reel is stamped “3CMTB7  1”
The M645 number is “M645-11x”
All the sharpie writing says “809-8ZI” in both the reel and “809-8ZI” and “3608” on the top lighting unit.
If I understand correctly, there are 13 symbols on each reel.


On a side note, I have all the mechanics out, so I’m cleaning and oiling.  My wife actually loves this machine and it’s already in the house!   LOL

[wolftalk]

gotta count the blanks too :-)


I don't think I have info for that index disc code, so it's probably manufactured after my list stopped.  It's not a dollar game, is it?  I just have info on 5, 10, 25 and 50c games.


generally speaking, you can convert between different versions of the same base model by replacing the reel tapes, installing a matching set of slotted reel index discs, and/or possible rewiring the reel wiper boards.   A payout counter board replacement would also be needed if the trace pattern didn't work for the payouts you wanted.


in any case, you assume the game is self-consistent, so any 809 schematic of similar game style (types and number of symbols and reels) is likely to be close.  The differences tended to be things like jackpot bells, when they rang, light towers, door alarms and other things that aren't really the main game circuits.  Even games of different style the main difference is the reel wiring and number of connections to the payout counter traces.


your payout counter disc is probably m-645-118...used on a lot machines and supported a lot of different pay schedules.

[Restoringstuff]

What you’re saying makes sense to me.  We were playing it yesterday and all the payouts seemed correct.   It has a bell, but that didn’t ring.   I think at one time it had a different light assembly on top as there’s several plugged holes in the cabinet housing.  It is a 25 cent machine and plays up to 3 coins.   

[wolftalk]

the bell may only ring with a 777 win, or possibly only if the game locks up for a jackpot - does the glass say it pays all wins or just up to a certain level? 


the controlled bell wire is almost always solid red 10-2.  Often goes to the reel wiper boards so the bell rings on particular pays, sometimes goes to a jackpot relay.  A few games it connected to a switch on the payout relay and the bell rang for the duration of ALL payouts.  The bell on those models was frequently disconnected :-)



davidlee covered the brown/yellow 63-2 wire - you'll find that on a lot of schems with a door interlock switch.  It's effectively the 50V power wire for the meters - connects to wire 70 (which IS the 50V power) thru a door interlock switch.  When the door is open, the meter power is disconnected so the meters can't increment while servicing.


if your safety motor circuit for shutting off game on a runaway payout isn't working, the circuit should be the same on most machines, so take your pick of the 809 schems.


anyway, grab a schem and yell if ya need more specific info.  There's a couple things helpful to know when interpreting it:


1] the coin relay and handle release relay are trip relays.  Once the coil is powered, the switches all change state and stay that way without coil power until the spin physically resets the relay armatures.  You're usually see a switch on those relays that disconnects the coil as soon as the coil powers ... makes no sense until you see how a trip relay works.


2] if your game has mechanically stepped payout, you'll see a payout counter reset coil, but no payout counter step-up coil because ejected coins are stepping the counter up.


3] plug connections aren't shown on the schem.  The plug charts are, but you just have to learn that the payout relay is on the hopper and coin relay is on the reel mech, so if a wire goes between, it goes thru plug connections.

[Restoringstuff]

The glass says the machine pays all jackpots.   I’m hoping I can get the bell figured out.  The wife is in love with this (got married in Vegas 20 years ago so she loves vegas stuff) so it’s definitely got a forever home LOL!

Again, thank you so much for the help.  I feel I have a much better idea of what I’m doing now.  I appreciate the responses, truly!!