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Author Topic: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!  (Read 73855 times)

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Offline RPMcKenna1976

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Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« on: November 11, 2015, 07:51:20 PM »
Hello everyone. I recently purchased the machine listed in the title, a 1982 Cal Omega Products/CEI Double up Poker with the knowledge that it was in non working condition. I do have some experience from when I was much younger working with coin op machines as my uncle at the time owned many video/pinball machines. For the last 20 years I was in the IT field and built/repaired desktop computers and laptops performing delicate soldering repairs and upgrades.


I purchased this machine with the intention of fixing it and giving it to my Mom and her Fiancée for a Christmas Present.



The board is a 903 Rev. B


I am unsure of the game eprom and there are only 4 chips present 2,3,4 and 5 with chip 1 missing. I have been searching this site as well as the previous site for any additional information, it appears, but I can not say with certainty that there should be 5 eprom chips but some of the 9xx series boards function with 4.


When I power up the machine, the screen lights up without an image aside what is burnt into the screen and there is a fast horizontal scroll on the screen. No audible sounds are heard aside from the fan spinning.


I tested all of the fuses as well as re-seated them. I cleaned the contacts and re-seated all non soldered chips with the same result.



One of the three fluorescent bulbs still works and I tested the other fixtures with that and they are working. The machine is lighting up some of the buttons randomly but I can not reproduce the same issue from one power up to the next with any degree of consistency.


I will head out to the shop in a few minutes and take some photos and a quick video showing the board and symptoms.


All guidance and information/further steps to take would be greatly appreciated.

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Offline RPMcKenna1976

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2015, 08:26:24 PM »
Back from the shop with photos! The second pic is of the test setttings, it's blurry but figured I would post for now and upload a better one tomorrow.



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Offline RPMcKenna1976

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2015, 08:29:43 PM »
More photos:
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Offline RPMcKenna1976

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2015, 08:37:48 PM »
Other steps that I have taken were:
Removed all cables and reseated them including carefully removing the monitor and reseated the light/fan cables.
Tested without the game board plugged in and the display had a solid white image without any scrolling.


I'll try to link the video here from my youtube account to demonstrate the machines functionality when assembled.
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Offline RPMcKenna1976

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2015, 08:49:13 PM »
Here's a link to the video:


https://youtu.be/a5lNtMvyWv8

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Offline rokgpsman

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2015, 06:18:05 AM »
The NLG member with lots of Cal-Omega experience is SolidSilver but it looks like he hasn't been on here since July. Hopefully he will check back in soon. Sorry but I don't know these machines well enough to give helpful advice. I'd try measuring all the power supply voltages to confirm they are ok. And look for darkened or burned areas on the molex connectors, that indicates a bad connection and the contacts should be replaced or cleaned. And I would take the time to read thru all the past Cal-Omega posting to pick up knowledge about the machine and repair actions.

 
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Offline shortrackskater

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2015, 10:20:27 AM »
RPM - I'll see if I can dig up some members who know CEI and Cal/Omega stuff. I know a little and I'll see what I can learn and post back soon.
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Offline RPMcKenna1976

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2015, 10:27:53 AM »
Thanks for the help guys and thanks for the welcome! I did some additional research on internet search and some people are saying that the vertical wave and fast horizontal scroll are power supply related. If someone could direct me to which areas of the power supply/main/mpu board I need to test and what voltage needs to be achieved, it would be a great help.
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2015, 10:39:34 AM »
For starters, just for the hell of it, check the battery voltage on the MPU.
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2015, 10:42:35 AM »
Poke through this thread for info as well...
http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=7434.0
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2015, 11:19:28 AM »
I tested the 1/2 aa battery and it was registering 0v and soldered a single aa battery to the existing terminals without removing the 1/2 aa battery. I believe the 1/2 aa battery is 3.6v and the regular aa are only 1.5v. Would it be worth a try to make a battery pack supporting at least 2 aa batteries? Does the original 1/2 aa battery control/power the eprom or ram in order to make it boot?


I did go through the entire thread you are referring to but still no dice. The backplane is a 908. There is a capacitor near the battery that does appear to have leaked. I'll see if I can find an appropriate replacement for it and check back in with a couple of additional photos.
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #11 on: November 12, 2015, 12:12:32 PM »
The capacitor at C30 had/has visible leakage. I sprayed some contact cleaner in the area yesterday to try and clean it up a bit. I do have a capacitor here that is 16v 20uf but the original is 16v 10uf, i'll check around a bit more to see if I can locate a better/exact replacement and swap it out.


The ic at CR11 has most of the paint missing from it and does not register any continuity. Can someone provide some information about this ic's function and specifications? I am assuming it has something to do with the rgb/display.
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #12 on: November 12, 2015, 01:05:21 PM »
I tested the 1/2 aa battery and it was registering 0v and soldered a single aa battery to the existing terminals without removing the 1/2 aa battery. I believe the 1/2 aa battery is 3.6v and the regular aa are only 1.5v. Would it be worth a try to make a battery pack supporting at least 2 aa batteries? Does the original 1/2 aa battery control/power the eprom or ram in order to make it boot?

I don't know this particular machine but in general the battery on an older slot machine is used to keep the cmos ram data intact, it is required for regulatory compliance. The data in that memory is financial bookkeeping records, like amount of coins inserted, coins paid out, etc. Those records ensure that no one working in the casino is taking money illegally from the machine. Otherwise the employees with keys to the machine could do some sneaky stuff.

A dead battery can stop a machine from operating, depends on the machine, but it wouldn't keep a nice clear display from appearing on screen and you will usually get an error message saying something like "low or dead battery" or similar on a machine with a video monitor. It won't hurt anything to replace the dead battery with something equivalent to 3.6 volts dc. You can use a remote battery holder and connect the wires from it to the correct places on the board. Just be sure about positive and negative going to the right connection places. A battery holder can be bought that will hold the normal 1.5 volt batteries, either AA or AAA will work. If you use one that holds 3 batteries then the voltage from the batteries would be 4.5 volts, that may be too high. Some people get a battery holder that holds 4 batteries, they install 3 batteries and a diode in the place of the 4th battery. The diode will reduce the voltage by about .7 volts, giving you 3.8 volts and that is close enough to work ok, especially after the batteries drop in voltage a little as time goes by. The diode will need to be installed correctly, with the banded end to the red (positive voltage) output wire going to the board. 2 batteries connected together will provide 3 volts and that may be enough for your machine to use, hard to say. Or you can order a 3.6 volt battery with wire leads and connect it straightaway. Ebay and other places have them. But realistically I wouldn't think it is very likely that replacing the battery will cause the machine to start working completely.

The capacitor at C30 had/has visible leakage. I sprayed some contact cleaner in the area yesterday to try and clean it up a bit. I do have a capacitor here that is 16v 20uf but the original is 16v 10uf, i'll check around a bit more to see if I can locate a better/exact replacement and swap it out.

A lot of times you can substitute a capacitor that is close in value, especially if it is being used as a power supply filter or storage capacitor. The 16v rating is the working voltage of the cap, you'd need to use one with that voltage or higher, it just sets how much voltage the cap can withstand from the circuit it is connected to, so a 40v cap would work ok, but it might be physically too large to fit. I'd have to see the circuit drawing schematic to know for sure about C30's function. C30 and the nearby parts may all be part of the sound circuit, working with that large ic with the word "Sound" printed on it. A defect in the sound circuit will not usually keep a machine from booting, you'd just have distorted or no sound. If so C30 might be an audio coupling cap, if so the value isn't critical.

But that stuff you are seeing around C30 may be from the nearby part that appears to be missing, C34??, and not from C30 itself. If this is where the battery was mounted then all that corrosion is likely from the leaking battery and C30 may be ok internally, just has appearance damage but would still work ok. Or is C34 installed but not taking up all the room allocated to it on the board? Can't tell from photo.

Battery leakage on circuit boards is often cleaned with vinegar, then rinsed with water and dried thoroughly. The vinegar neutralizes any traces of the battery leakage and prevents further damage. You can scrub the board with vinegar and a little stiff brush like a small paint brush or a small cleaning brush (not one with wire bristles).

The ic at CR11 has most of the paint missing from it and does not register any continuity. Can someone provide some information about this ic's function and specifications? I am assuming it has something to do with the rgb/display.

CR11 isn't an ic, it is a diode. The part number is probably the same as the nearby diode CR10. Diodes are generally used to rectify or change a voltage from ac to dc, like in a power supply. They can also be used for other reasons, like a blocking diode to only allow a signal to flow in one direction. Other diodes are used to clamp a voltage so it doesn't go further than a set amount. If you can find the service manual for your machine you will have a lot more information to help.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2015, 01:54:24 PM by rokgpsman »
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #13 on: November 12, 2015, 01:56:46 PM »
You said that your display was rolling from side to side, like the horiz hold or sync isn't working. In spite of that, can you push the buttons and get it to deal cards, does it accept coins and give credits? If so that means it is booting and running, just has a display problem.

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #14 on: November 12, 2015, 03:22:18 PM »
You said that your display was rolling from side to side, like the horiz hold or sync isn't working. In spite of that, can you push the buttons and get it to deal cards, does it accept coins and give credits? If so that means it is booting and running, just has a display problem.


The machine itself powers up, lights turn on for the header and fan spins normally, but has no game play functionality, sound or any other functionality. The screen has a very fast horizontal roll with blurry vertical "lines". I posted a video link to youtube in either the 4th or 5th message in this thread if that helps to give you a better idea of what is happening. On another site, a member made a comment about a similar issue being power related.


Thank you for the solid information about the battery pack/diode solution as well as the information about the capacitor and diode. I did do a double check continuity for C11 again and am getting a 630mV reading, I suppose I just did not have a good enough contact. Not sure if it is up to par or not though.


As far as the battery itself, it showed no signs of leakage at all but is completely dead. In the past I cleaned PCB with 99.9% isopropyl alcohol and or used the water method with a toothbrush, and as you say, let it thoroughly dry before testing.


I have a few more things to go with for now and will post back soon with my findings/photos.

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #15 on: November 12, 2015, 03:35:04 PM »

But that stuff you are seeing around C30 may be from the nearby part that appears to be missing, C34??, and not from C30 itself. If this is where the battery was mounted then all that corrosion is likely from the leaking battery and C30 may be ok internally, just has appearance damage but would still work ok. Or is C34 installed but not taking up all the room allocated to it on the board? Can't tell from photo.


Forgot to mention that the empty looking space for C34 is reserved for the battery. Battery is installed, it just does not require the full space reserved for it.
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2015, 12:32:47 AM »
Sir, I have good news and bad news for you.

The good news is that you have the earliest, and by the far the simplest, of the CalOmega machines; and that you have knowledge of, and experience with, recalcitrant “earlier “ computers.

Your machine was built in CalOmega’s early amusement-only arcade gameperiod,
years before the CEI name and the many uprevs required to enter the Nevada-style gaming market.
Such uprevs included enhanced memory for game history and dispute resolution, and the ability to operate coin-payout hopper mechanisms. Any gaming machine will have a 910- or later backplane (yours is a 908 with no Hopper output), and at least a 904 game board (which is your 903 with the memory chip pads replaced with pads to accept a small piggyback memory-chip board)

There is no separate power supply; that simple circuit is built into the backplane.

CalOmega documentation is as scarce as hen’s teeth, but I have a chopped-up old
copy of the 903 schematic, and a partial block diagram. Given the simplicity of the system, with this documentation and your experience, you should be able to trace & fix any problems.

I am unable to post these docs on NLG for some (grumble grumble) reason, but if you want them, PM me and I’ll email them to you.

On the other hand, there are folks you can mail the board(s) to who will fix them for a reasonable price, or even replace them.

The bad news is that your software is both incomplete and incorrect.

ALL CalOmega chip sets of this era are 5 in number; even in the most unlikely case that you had a unique 4-chip set, they would certainly not be numbered 2 thru 5, rather than 1 through 4.  Further, they would not be installed in the board beginning with U6, whereas U5 (labelled 1800) is the #1 Eprom slot. Missing 1/5 of the software, especially the primary or “base” chip, could easily explain your problems.

And, you have a Double-Up machine. Your software is labelled Poker, Game 7.6, which is the very first CalOmega draw poker game, released in August 1981. It does not have the DoubleUp feature; DoubleUp poker was introduced with Game
15.7, in January 1983. I’d be curious to know the manufacture date of your machine.

I’m guessing someone “borrowed” your chip set to fix another machine, and dumped an older set on your board. That replacement set could have been a partial, or it could have been complete, then later Chip #1 was pulled to fix yet another machine. It is not unusual for the #1 chip of these early software sets to be identical; and most of these machines were owned by route operators who bought them by the 6-pack and whose primary interest was keeping the most popular machines running in live venues.

At any rate, without complete and correct software, no matter how good the hardware is, your machine is just a pretty box.

But be of good cheer! There is yet hope!

First, the MAME folks have uploaded most of the early CalOmega Eproms,. and I’m pretty sure 15.7 (your probable game) is included. It is possible that you or someone else on NLG can burn it to the appropriate ancient Eproms for you.

Second, I happen to possess a full 5-chip set of 15.7. I do not know if they are functional, as I do not have an appropriate machine in which to test them. They ARE NOT FOR SALE, but I would be willing to LEND them to a fellow NLG’er.
If they fix all, or many, of your problems, I’m sure they can be duplicated.

Please post responses to this thread on NLG, as others in the future may find it helpful; but PM me with your email address if you want the docs I offered.

And please forgive the tardiness of this response and the lateness of the hour: my life is somewhat complex at the moment. You have shortrackskater to thank for getting my attention: he’s the kind of guy NLG is all about.

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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #17 on: November 13, 2015, 01:04:24 PM »
Sir, I have good news and bad news for you.

The good news is that you have the earliest, and by the far the simplest, of the CalOmega machines; and that you have knowledge of, and experience with, recalcitrant “earlier “ computers.

Your machine was built in CalOmega’s early amusement-only arcade gameperiod,
years before the CEI name and the many uprevs required to enter the Nevada-style gaming market.
Such uprevs included enhanced memory for game history and dispute resolution, and the ability to operate coin-payout hopper mechanisms. Any gaming machine will have a 910- or later backplane (yours is a 908 with no Hopper output), and at least a 904 game board (which is your 903 with the memory chip pads replaced with pads to accept a small piggyback memory-chip board)

There is no separate power supply; that simple circuit is built into the backplane.

CalOmega documentation is as scarce as hen’s teeth, but I have a chopped-up old
copy of the 903 schematic, and a partial block diagram. Given the simplicity of the system, with this documentation and your experience, you should be able to trace & fix any problems.

I am unable to post these docs on NLG for some (grumble grumble) reason, but if you want them, PM me and I’ll email them to you.

On the other hand, there are folks you can mail the board(s) to who will fix them for a reasonable price, or even replace them.

The bad news is that your software is both incomplete and incorrect.

ALL CalOmega chip sets of this era are 5 in number; even in the most unlikely case that you had a unique 4-chip set, they would certainly not be numbered 2 thru 5, rather than 1 through 4.  Further, they would not be installed in the board beginning with U6, whereas U5 (labelled 1800) is the #1 Eprom slot. Missing 1/5 of the software, especially the primary or “base” chip, could easily explain your problems.

And, you have a Double-Up machine. Your software is labelled Poker, Game 7.6, which is the very first CalOmega draw poker game, released in August 1981. It does not have the DoubleUp feature; DoubleUp poker was introduced with Game
15.7, in January 1983. I’d be curious to know the manufacture date of your machine.

I’m guessing someone “borrowed” your chip set to fix another machine, and dumped an older set on your board. That replacement set could have been a partial, or it could have been complete, then later Chip #1 was pulled to fix yet another machine. It is not unusual for the #1 chip of these early software sets to be identical; and most of these machines were owned by route operators who bought them by the 6-pack and whose primary interest was keeping the most popular machines running in live venues.

At any rate, without complete and correct software, no matter how good the hardware is, your machine is just a pretty box.

But be of good cheer! There is yet hope!

First, the MAME folks have uploaded most of the early CalOmega Eproms,. and I’m pretty sure 15.7 (your probable game) is included. It is possible that you or someone else on NLG can burn it to the appropriate ancient Eproms for you.

Second, I happen to possess a full 5-chip set of 15.7. I do not know if they are functional, as I do not have an appropriate machine in which to test them. They ARE NOT FOR SALE, but I would be willing to LEND them to a fellow NLG’er.
If they fix all, or many, of your problems, I’m sure they can be duplicated.

Please post responses to this thread on NLG, as others in the future may find it helpful; but PM me with your email address if you want the docs I offered.

And please forgive the tardiness of this response and the lateness of the hour: my life is somewhat complex at the moment. You have shortrackskater to thank for getting my attention: he’s the kind of guy NLG is all about.


Thank you very much for all of the information and assistance! You have confirmed what I have been suspecting all along about the EPROM's, I had hoped otherwise, but it is what it is.


As for the Manufacturing date, the cabinet sticker shows: 06/28/1982 Attached Image.


Sticker Reads:


OMEGA PRODUCTS
Model No: PKA
Serial No: 5783
Date: 06/28/82


If the information that you are providing is accurate as far as the initial release for "Double Up" feature in Jan of 1983, this may be a "Frankensystem" with old EPROM and a newer header and an older Cabinet.


Also attached is a better image for reading the meters, because I am having a difficult time capturing a clear image I'll type it out as well.


To Read Meter:

1: Push and Release Red Button in Coin Box Door.

2: Push the Discard Buttons in the Following Order: 1, 4, 2, 5, 5, 3

3: To Clear Meter Readings, Push the Discard Buttons in the Following Order: 1, 3, 2, 5, 4, 2

4: To Return to Game Mode, Simultaneously Push Down Discard Buttons 1, 2, and 3 (all at the same time) and then release.


This seems to be a [blink]FAQ[/blink] and has a little more info than what I have been able to locate anywhere else, hope it helps someone.


SolidSilver, I will PM you on your offer for the schematics/manual that you do have and further discuss the possibility of obtaining new game EPROM's.


On another side note I would like to address the Dip Switch settings. The photo that I added in an earlier post shows SW1 with ALL switches in the OFF position which I have found to be consistent with other similar/same machines while MY SW2 originally had DIP 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8 in the ON position and DIP 2, 4 and 6 in the OFF position.


While troubleshooting, I found that most other machines only had DIP 1 and 3 in the on position and the rest were off. I just wanted/needed to clarify that with everyone.


In any respect, I would like to thank everyone thus far for their contributions in helping me and others out with this machine type.


If anyone out there needs more photos or readings, settings let me know and I will contribute what I can.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2015, 01:45:35 PM by RPMcKenna1976 »
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #18 on: November 13, 2015, 05:17:49 PM »
You said that your display was rolling from side to side, like the horiz hold or sync isn't working. In spite of that, can you push the buttons and get it to deal cards, does it accept coins and give credits? If so that means it is booting and running, just has a display problem.
That or the graphics chips. It it coins up and you get the sounds of the deal ... chances are the graphics chips are where you want to start. Your getting the raster on the monitor and I am thinking the RGB is there as well. I dont feel you should adjust the guns on the neck. Get a signal to the monitor and then think about those adjustments. Is your monitor a G07?
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Re: Cal Omega CEI Double Up Poker 1982 Troubleshooting - Need Help!
« Reply #19 on: November 13, 2015, 05:29:14 PM »
As you get the manual and eprom software chips straightened out I'd make sure about all the power supply voltages. That is a basic thing that has to be right. If you don't have a meter they are available for less than $10 from places like Lowe's, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, etc. They are fairly easy to use and can help you to eliminate things to wonder about if they are working. When you check the voltages write down what they measure so you can tell the experts here and get advice if they are incorrect.

The fluorescent lights in the machine simply run off the 115 vac that comes in from the line cord and they usually don't require much to repair, just a lamp, starter and ballast. If a machine's fluorescent lights come on that still doesn't mean the power supply is ok because those lamps don't use the lower voltages from the power supply. Things like the circuit boards and pushbutton lamps use the voltages created by the power supply. That information should be in the manual you are getting.

The person where you bought the machine, might they be helpful on parts such as the eprom software or other items? They may have other Cal-Omega machines that they are scrapping out or taking parts out of.
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