Author Topic: Dreaded "Low Battery".. (Read 20558 times)

TheChad · « **on:** March 23, 2014, 10:51:04 AM »

Hey all,

So Today I turned on the Double 3X 4X 5X Times Pay, and the screen reads " Main Battery Low - CALL ATTENDENT"..

I know replacement batteries are sold, I know they are soldered on to the motherboard..

Is there an option to install a battery holder so that future battery replacements won't have to be physically soldered?

I do know how to solder and I do have a good soldering station. However I do NOT like soldering tiny traces on a motherboard, as it's typically very hard to do, very small, and can easily not turn out well.. So I would much rather install a battery holder then to just solder in another battery that will have to be replaced again in the future...

I'm sure someone here has done it..

Thanks!

-TheChad

qbert · « **Reply #1 on:** March 23, 2014, 11:02:15 AM »

No problem doing that. I usually harvest battery holder from old computer mother boards.
just be sure you get the polarity correct.

Rich

Harvs · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2014, 11:04:34 AM »

Yup, I use these (Pic).

A battery swap is pretty easy, a Varta battery is a pain in the

.

PM me your addy and make a $5 donation to NLG and I will send you this along with a few spare batteries for it.

Lmk,
Harvs

Buzz · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2014, 11:07:54 AM »

I don't like them but battery holders are done all the time. There is nothing difficult about replacing a battery, remove the board from the tray and you will see you are not working with small traces.

erbs · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2014, 01:02:25 PM »

While your at it if you haven't done so already remove the green battery. The green battery will leak in time and ruin your board. It is only needed on the enhanced board.

777sizzler · « **Reply #5 on:** March 23, 2014, 02:01:37 PM »

I think you have to solder in some small jumper wires when you do this also. The old thread on this trick may be here?.

Harvs · « **Reply #6 on:** March 23, 2014, 02:08:51 PM »

Quote from: 777sizzler on March 23, 2014, 02:01:37 PM

I think you have to solder in some small jumper wires when you do this also. The old thread on this trick may be here?.

You can just rip the Varta batteries off.. Well not rip, but take them off. No jumper needed on 500 series. At least I have never done so and all boards worked after.

I have had a board that worked fine with the 'kinda leaky' battery on, once I took it off I got the 'door open MB' problems.. That was prob due to the damage done to the board and removing the battery made it worse..

Harvs

777sizzler · « **Reply #7 on:** March 23, 2014, 02:18:50 PM »

Old posts I am thinking of. Perhaps that was for the enhanced when the jumper wires were required.

Buzz · « **Reply #8 on:** March 23, 2014, 02:24:32 PM »

Quote from: 777sizzler on March 23, 2014, 02:18:50 PM

Old posts I am thinking of. Perhaps that was for the enhanced when the jumper wires were required.

Naaa Foster seems to think you need a jumper, I've never had a problem without the jumper.

You can't remove the green battery on a Enhanced board. Well I guess you can remove it but the game won't play without it.

erbs · « **Reply #9 on:** March 23, 2014, 03:52:47 PM »

I had posted on the old site about a jumper. I had two 502 boards that would not work without the green battery, even if it was dead. Go figure. Kept getting reel tilt. So I soldered a jumper across the 2 positive terminals and it worked fine. Only ran into this on those 2 boards.

WILDCHERRY21 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 25, 2014, 09:43:09 AM »

Hey Harvs what do you do when you get that "Open Door MB" error. Does that mean the board is ruined? Sorry I'm trying to resurrect some boards and I replaced the coin battery and know the Varta battery needs changing as well. New and to this task.

Harvs · « **Reply #11 on:** March 25, 2014, 11:18:07 AM »

Quote from: WILDCHERRY21 on March 25, 2014, 09:43:09 AM

Hey Harvs what do you do when you get that "Open Door MB" error. Does that mean the board is ruined? Sorry I'm trying to resurrect some boards and I replaced the coin battery and know the Varta battery needs changing as well. New and to this task.

I bypass the door optics at that point. Usually takes care of the issue..

Harvs

WILDCHERRY21 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 25, 2014, 11:49:36 AM »

OK Cool. While were on the subject. What is the "Secondary SAS down" error mean? is that just a keying issue to fix it? Or is that a battery issue to.

Harvs · « **Reply #13 on:** March 25, 2014, 01:47:25 PM »

Quote from: WILDCHERRY21 on March 25, 2014, 11:49:36 AM

OK Cool. While were on the subject. What is the "Secondary SAS down" error mean? is that just a keying issue to fix it? Or is that a battery issue to.

Do you have TITO's or have you changed the security settings by chance? If not, make sure you SAS validation is set to STANDARD. And, DISABLE validation security.

That should do it.. (A CLEAR, KEY and re-setup the board/game wouldn't be a bad idea also.. I do that for every board when I change a game.)

Sorry for the hijack TheChad..

Buzz · « **Reply #14 on:** March 25, 2014, 02:22:45 PM »

Garett In a nut shell I don't know what your doing, so I'm going to assume a awful lot, let me know where I'm assuming wrong.

I think you have a working machine with good door optics or optics bypassed, and you are just testing 502/504 boards. 502/504 boards that Green battery is not needed and should be removed. Some folks thing you need to solder a jumper wire from one Pos post to the other Pos post.( where the battery was ) I never have but it's easy enough to do and no harm can come out of soldering the jumper.

OK with this working machine install software on the test board, install it in machine and clear and key the machine. If you now come up with a display "Door Open" that just won't go away there is a better than even odds that you have a bad trace below where the Green battery was installed. Now not many but some sets of software for a S 2000, the "Door Open" display will stay on until one complete game is played. Doesn't mean much but a Door Open " display is not a error, and the only way to get it to go way is close the door. If you do have a bad trace the machine will not know you closed the door.

If you by chance are working with enhanced boards, forget ALL of the above !!!!!!!!!

WILDCHERRY21 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 25, 2014, 03:08:45 PM »

Thanks Buzz. I did take your advice last year and pulled out my green batteries on all my 504 boards with pliers. Sounded barbaric but worked good lol.
But yes my current situation are on these un-shopped machines with enhanced 1270 boards that came right from the casino. I guessing they have sat without power for awhile now. They all do power up, but mostly all have "Netplex link down" and all that other "Main Battery "errors and stuff. I did put all new coin batteries in the boards and I do have the Varta battries on order. I'm hoping this will solve the problems. I'm hoping there is no trace damage under the green battery. The machines are very clean and the boards look new and in very good shape. So hopefully a Clear and Key will work.

Harvs · « **Reply #16 on:** March 25, 2014, 03:13:15 PM »

Quote from: WILDCHERRY21 on March 25, 2014, 03:08:45 PM

Thanks Buzz. I did take your advice last year and pulled out my green batteries on all my 504 boards with pliers. Sounded barbaric but worked good lol.
But yes my current situation are on these un-shopped machines with enhanced 1270 boards that came right from the casino. I guessing they have sat without power for awhile now. They all do power up, but mostly all have "Netplex link down" and all that other "Main Battery "errors and stuff. I did put all new coin batteries in the boards and I do have the Varta battries on order. I'm hoping this will solve the problems. I'm hoping there is no trace damage under the green battery. The machines are very clean and the boards look new and in very good shape. So hopefully a Clear and Key will work.

Just to clarify, I was talking about the 500 series boards when I said you can take off the Varta battery.. Enhanced NEED the Varta battery to function..

WILDCHERRY21 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 25, 2014, 03:28:37 PM »

Yes sir 1270's are all getting a fresh Greenies

TheChad · « **Reply #18 on:** March 26, 2014, 10:22:46 AM »

Quote from: Buzz on March 23, 2014, 11:07:54 AM

I don't like them but battery holders are done all the time. There is nothing difficult about replacing a battery, remove the board from the tray and you will see you are not working with small traces.

Buzz,

Why do you not like battery holders? I guess I fail to see a downside?

Quote from: erbs on March 23, 2014, 01:02:25 PM

While your at it if you haven't done so already remove the green battery. The green battery will leak in time and ruin your board. It is only needed on the enhanced board.

Either my board didn't have the green battery, or someone before me already removed it, because it's already gone!

(What does this battery do? Surly it has some purpose!?)

Thanks!

-TheChad

TheChad · « **Reply #19 on:** March 26, 2014, 05:16:45 PM »

Okay, I went to Radio Shack and bought a 2032 Battery Holder for $1.49..

As Buzz said, it wasn't near as hard as I was expecting to unsolder the battery and solder in the battery holder. The solder tabs are pretty large.. As mentioned I do have a good soldering station, I don't know how easy it would be with a cheap soldering iron, but none the less, I was able to get it done in just a few minutes...

So I reinstalled the board, turned the machine on and nothing happens. All the yellow lights are solid on and the red light is slow flashing.

What does this mean? Do I have to Clear/Key the machine?

Thanks,

-TheChad

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Author Topic: Dreaded "Low Battery".. (Read 20558 times)