IGT S PLUS not accepting quarters

[newkid3]

I have an IGT S Plus Haywire machine. I am pretty sure it is a S Plus.
The problem I am trying to figure out is the machine will not accept quarters. They just fall back down into the coin tray.
If I open the door and push the little white button on the optic board it will give me credits. Then I can hit the spin button or pull the handle. The reels spin and If I win anything it pays the coins out of the hopper. So the machine is working.
I did the coin optic test and on 10-1 it did not change to 0 when putting paper in optic and moving it.. On 11-1 and 12-1 it does change to 0.
I also put a wedge in the coin comparitor rake and put a quarter in and the coin went to the hopper but did not give me a credit. I expected it to give me a 21 error code like my IGT S Plus slant top did in the same situation.
Actually after thinking about it the reason the slant top gave me 21 error code was because the door was not shut (door optics not aligned) and I did not realize it.
I just went out and pulled the coin comparitor out of this machine and put a quarter through the coin optics with the door open and got a 21 error code.
So does that mean the coin optics are working and the problem is the coin comparitor?
If the coin comparitor is the problem is there a work around without having to buy a really expensive comparitor replacement?
The bill validator wont work either but I want to get it working with quarters first then mess with the validator.

             Thanks

[Stayouttadabunker]

The coin comparitor just does what it's called...compare coins.
The coin-in optics board underneath it, is what sends the data logic signals back to the MPU telling it to mark coins dropped thru it, as a registered credits.
Because you could not get the [10-1] test to flip to a zero, that tells you the "A" optic cannot "see" the popsicle stick....well guess what, it can't see coins either. 
There's a trick Jim discovered a few years back,
He would cut off a small chip located at "Q2".
Now it doesn't matter if the "A" optic sees coins or not...it's now relying on the "B" and "c" optics to register credits.
Let me try and pull up a photo of it somewhere.

Oh...the other you could do is try adjusting the coin sensitivity dial on the comparitor.
With a small Philips screwdriver, turn the fully counter-clockwise, until it stops, then turn it clock-wise a 1/4 turn.
That puts the comparitor in the ballpark of comparing U.S. quarters.

[Stayouttadabunker]

Here's a couple of pictures.
Just knock off that small, black Q2 chip, sometimes Q4...depends on what coin-in board version you have, and your machine should accept coins again.
Last photo is the chip removed.
You can clearly see the three tiny circuitry traces that chip was soldered to.

Click on any photo below to enlarge if needed...>>>

[newkid3]

Thanks I am going to try that and I will report back.

[newkid3]

I must have the old board I guess because mine has Q2. Also my board is different than the one you posted with Q4. Mine also has the components on the opposite side of the board you posted.
The Q2 I have circled in red is what I need to remove correct?

            Thanks

[Tilt]

Yeah, there were a couple of versions.  Q2 on one, Q4 on the other.

[newkid3]

Is that what I need to remove?
I want to make sure before I remove it. I dont want to mess something else up. Thanks

[Stayouttadabunker]

Yes....the IC with the three legs you've circled in red...take a needle-nosed pliers, and squeeze the body.
The body should bust apart like broken crystals.
Or snip one of the legs with a sharp pair of cutters.
It's small enough to pop right off the board with something pointy.
I just a 3-legged transistor switcher.

[newkid3]

Ok. Will removing this Q2 make the coin comparitor rake pull in like it should also? So the coins go through the coin optics to the hopper.
 Also can someone explain what changes when the hopper gets full that makes the coins go to the overflow shute to take it to the bucket under the stand? Does the comparitor have anything  to do with that?
     
                Thanks

[Stayouttadabunker]

Yes...the rake will open.
When full, the coins close the circuit against the grounding bolt attached to the hopper bowl, activating the gate solenoid to re-direct coins to the drop bucket below, instead of the hopper bowl.
The coin comparitor really, has nothing to do with it other than to make sure that the coins are the same as the ones in the bowl, or the bucket.
Remember, the coin comparitor only has one job to do, compare coins.
If the coins you drop thru into the slot machine does NOT match the sample coin, they are rejected & directed back into the coin tray.
If the coins you drop thru matches the sample coin, they are directed into the coin-in optics, and are sent to either the hopper bowl or drop bucket.
Logical data signals are immediately sent out to the MPU as credits accepted.

[Jim]

your machine will operate as advertised, you will never notice the difference other than it will now work.

Jim

[newkid3]

I removed Q2 and the quarters still dropped through to the coin tray. So then I put a wedge in the Comparitor rake and now it will accept quarters and give credits and I can play the game.
So I am not sure there was an issue with the coin optics since the Comparitor rake still does not pull in.
Is the coin Comparitor suppose to pull in the rack and then also send a pulse to the coin optics board to be expecting a quarter? If so I think my issue was really with the coin Comparitor and I still have that issue.
The problem is with the rake wedged back any coin put in the machine is going to go to the hopper.
Most likely not going to happen in a home environment but kids you never know.

Is there a way for me to tell if the bill validator is enabled on this S Plus machine?

          Thanks

[shortrackskater]

This may be a moot point now, but did you try just replacing (or re-placing - take out, wipe it, put back in)  the quarter in the CC? I've had this happen and it was just the coin.

[newkid3]

Yeah I even replaced it with 3 or 4 different coins. I have not tried that since I removed Q2 though.
I guess I need to do the trick through the belly door I have read about to see if the Comparitor is getting power.
Also if the rake is pulling in like it should.
The rake should be pulled in at all times when the machine is on and the door closed correct?

Any suggestions on where to start on troubleshooting the bill validator on this S Plus

              Thanks

[shortrackskater]

Any suggestions on where to start on troubleshooting the bill validator on this S Plus

              Thanks

Please start a new topic for the BV 

[newkid3]

Should the Comparitor rake be pulled in the  whole time the machine is powered up and the door closed? Thanks

[newkid3]

I put the Comparitor through the Belly door and closed the door. The red light does come on the Comparitor but the rake does not pull in.
                                 Thanks

[Stayouttadabunker]

There's two wires going from the the rake solenoid up to the top of the comparitor board.
What color are they?

[newkid3]

They are gray. I did move them around incase there was a bad connection but no luck.
 
                           Thanks

[Stayouttadabunker]

Two small screws secure the rake solenoid to the comparitor.
Why not just take the rake solenoid off and pull off the grey 2-pin harness?
Heck...pull off the coin comparitor harness too.
You don't need it for home use.
You only use quarters right?
All you want is to use the comparitor is for a coin guide to the coin-in optics.