Originally posted by Jim on 2/10/2011:
I AGREE WITH STAT IN REGARDS TO THE CLEAR CHIP USAGE. Over ten plus years of working on the S+, I may have used the clear chip maybe ten times.
The S+ is a work horse of a machine!! When the machine has a problem , it will tell you through the tilt codes ( found on the door panel that supports the fluorescent lamps). If the machine doesn't display a fault code, then its a simple matter of using the machine to troubleshoot itself using the diagnostic tests provided by the software. Don't overthink or reinvent the wheel when troubleshooting. The machine works only one way, the way it was designed to work.
View the S+ as a home computer. All computers have four basic components to them. Input,(keyboard) Output,(LCD monitor) Brains,(CPU,Central Processing Unit,Memory) and a power supply. All have to function for the computer to be useful. The same applies to the S+.
Troubleshooting is a logical approach to fix something that is broke. If your machine is broke, don't panic, don't start replacing things, but rather observe and establish what problem you are having. Then take the next steps to solving your problem. The first thing is to verify that your power supply is providing the power to operate the machine. without the proper power applied, nothing is going to operate, so anything you try will not work!!!
How do I do this? simply turn on the machine and observe what has happened. Do the fluorescent lamps come on? (115vac fuse, power cord plugged in),
are the reels locked in place? (24vac, 6/8 vac fuse, ok.) is the denom lamp on, or does the candle flash? (connector that usually is burnt, 24vac, 6/8vac fuse ok. (7vac operates the candle lamps) does the bill acceptor cycle? (115 vac ok, power supply for the bv ok(12vdc to unit to operate) ) do any of the displays show any numbers? (+vb good, it is needed to run the display) the fact that there is a number! means the processor is doing something, so hopefully the on board power supply is providing the necessary voltages to operate the CPU. If any of the items mentioned here do not have the results listed, then you have found your first problem. so by simply turning on the machine and observing what happened you have established that your power supply is probably good and you can proceed to the next step.
Jim