Bally 4-Reel EM Slot Help (or Continental)

[bstnguy]

Hey All,

Long time reader, brand new poster!

Picked up a converted Bally 892 (I think) EM slot.  It's a 4-reel machine with a "old style" coin hopper.

It has a topper (not pictured) and having some issues that maybe someone has encountered.

For starters, the added topper Beau Plug from the machine to the topper has the top 4 pins broken, and some dangly wires, so if anyone has a photo of theirs, that'd be great so I can rebuild it correctly.

The issue. Slot powers on, lights on, coin ramp pulls in fine, coins up and reels spin.

When it hits random combinations, the hopper runs away and bell rings until it times out and kills the machine.

I can turn it back on (hopper and bell running) and coining causes it to stop and I can do it all over again. Sometimes it doesn't pay out, and you can play again.

I've gone through all the contacts and switches, and seems to be clean and proper.

What I do notice is the Payout Stepper (mounted on the hopper) does not index. Problem.

I am wondering if with the topper off and the Coin Multiplier Stepper ( and associated Light Stepper) not connected, would this throw the machine into a tizzy?

Pic of the machine attached and if any more would be helpful, I can shoot and post.

[wolftalk]

paperwork for an 892-4 is in https://bingo.cdyn.com/slots/

exploded parts diagrams are in the 1100 manual in https://bingo.cdyn.com/slots/bally_manuals/

there's different percentage payouts for the models I know about (892, 892-1 ... 892-4).  The difference is the reel tape and index disc for reel 1.  If ya look at the code stamped into the slotted metal index disc for reel 1, that'll determine which game you have.

the typical other difference between models is stuff like glass, when the bell rings and optional things like electric door locks or things wired to the terminal strips.

I'm guessing with the pinballs in the background your familiar with working from the schematics, so yell if any q's.

having said that tho, an 892 afaik is a one piece cabinet.  The top compartment on your machine is removable?

the game won't pay with the line/odds unit disconnected.  Your main problem is the payout counter unit not stepping up.

the payout counter on an 892-4 is mechanically stepped up by a level arm moved by a coin exiting the hopper.  The other possibility is your payout counter is electrically stepped up when the exiting coin closes some switches.  Which one do you have?

if you can post more pics, that'd be great.  If you can email highest possible resolution pictures to slotpics@cdyn.com, I'll add them to the above web site.

pics of:
- entire front of machine with glasses installed
- inside door (coin mech, etc.
- inside door opening looking at reels and hopper
- lamp panel with top glass removed
- top insert pictures from all sides/top
- reel mech from all sides/top
- hopper from all sides/top
- inside the cabinet with all the mechs/insert boards removed
- any angles/closer shots you'd like

the goal is to be able to see where the pieces are, zoom in and read labels, see wire colors attached to devices, etc.

[bstnguy]

Hi and thanks for the help!

I'll get the pictures you requested and quick answers to what I know right now:

The top compartment on my machine is removable.  Yes, it looks like it was added on at a later date.  And it's in pieces. Fortunately the stepper board assembley is fine.

The hopper I have is electrically stepped up.  I will provide pics of that also.

Index Disc stamping is JP-C and below it is a 1.  I checked the other 4 discs, and they are in numerical order.

[wolftalk]

an 892 with an electrically stepped hopper would have been made after the paperwork I have, so either you've got one of those or you have a machine assembled from parts.

the typical circuit for an electrically stepped payout counter on non-multiplier machines is mainly:

hopper pulse switches (what the exiting coin operates) -> payout relay switch (closed when payout relay powered) -> payout counter step-up coil

if the game is typical, with the hopper out, put an ohmeter with one lead on the brown wire on the pulse switches and the other lead on the black/green wire on the payout counter step-up coil.   If you hold the payout relay armature plate down on the coil top and lift the coin roller arm up to close the hopper switches, you should get zero ohms.

assuming all the pieces are on the hopper, a payout counter that isn't stepping up could only be:
- pulse switches
- payout relay switch
- payout counter step-up coil bad
- mechanical issue with payout counter ... try manually stepping it up and resetting it.

oh, and if you can take a video of the reels spinning, that'd be great.  I'm missing the page that defines the reel tapes for some of the 892 tapes, so a video I can slow-mo will let me compare the tape symbols to other info I have.

the tape part number is on the bottom of the tape, but to see it you have to loosen the reel tin crimps at the top of the tape with something like a small screwdriver and pull out the top of the tape to see what is underneath (the top of the tape overlaps the bottom when installed).   Then you have to put the top of the tape back in and recrimp.  Kinda a pita to look, so don't bother unless you are curious.  The tape would have an M-222-xxx number on it.

an 892 is a "super line" game ... top glass say that on it?

[bstnguy]

Bunch of pics coming to your email.

Didn't have any luck with wire colors on the step up coil and pulse switch.  I'll get a pic of that set up also.  (it does manually step up and I ohmed all the switches)

And no reel strip numbers.  I was able to wiggle the top out and it's blank.  so heaven knows how this was converted.  I have a few old Mills, so I know what you're talking bout.

[wolftalk]

pics are at https://bingo.cdyn.com/slots/custom_slots/four_reel_multiplier/imagegallery.php

it looks kinda like someone took an 815 and turned it into a 4 coin multiplier.  Maybe a prototype/experiment.

there is an upper compartment that holds the glass and custom made insert board and lamp panel.

no bally schematic will match it, but it should be possible to reverse-engineer the thing and fix any issues.  It may be necessary to document the stepper units on the insert board.  One is almost certainly a coin/line unit, and the other would likely be used for payout multiplication - maybe an odds follower unit.

[bstnguy]

Update and some progress.

End of story first.  I have verified all payouts are correct on a single cherry, and multiples too.  I have to go through each combo.

Took your advice and had a closer look on the Beau Plug to see if the wires were mostly matching.  They were, so I put the big yellow on the top pin as it correspond to the socket.

The other two that were yanked out, I lined those up too.  one was blue and the socket had blue with a stripe, close enough, and that left one socket left.

Now I am getting the coin multiplier to fire but both coils fired at the same time, so it never "stepped up".

Okay, that's progress.

Pulled the two connectors out and tried again.

Now it steps up properly, pays properly, but never resets.  Okay, more progress!

Put one plug in the way it originally was, now both stepper coils fire.  Swap them, now works correct!

Steps up correct, resets correct and single cherry pays correct!

My next challenge is to repair the top box and plug that in to see if the Payout Line lights work, I believe that's the other stepper on that little board.