E2000 problem

[itsjimbob]

I have a 3 reel E2000 machine that operates fine for about 20 minutes then it stops working. It throws a 41 code which I know is a wheel reader code but I dont think it is the readers or the reels. I have checked the wiring on the molex plugs and found a couple bad ones which I replaced. The machine has a new upgraded style power supply board. The voltages are fine on the test points. The only possible issue I can find is my battery is 15 years old and doesnt appear to have any voltage. I dont think it would work at all if this were the problem. I plan to change it out to a LI-ION soon. Any guesses or things I should check?

[itsjimbob]

Just a little more info. The machine sometimes doesnt throw a code. The reel solenoids just dont fire. Even if I reset the game from the hopper board. It will clear the code and show me a 50-0000 which tells me the program has reset but the I/O isnt functioning. Could this be a problem with one of the transformers heating up and not giving clean power? If it were a chip on the I/O board I would suspect it to fail more than just after it heats up. I have also taken the boards out and inspected the backside of the connections for cracked solder joints. Im really at a loss on this problem.

[itsjimbob]

I think I may have this fixed. I will know for sure in a day or two. First, this forum is great. I was able to read some old posts and some of the advice given in the past and determined I may have bad reel switches. I took a multimeter and check continuity on both swithes and 99% of the time they operated perfectly. It was that 1 % where the switch would chatter and cause a 41 or 71 fault. I ordered new switches from Slotmachinerepair.com (Klar is great) and installed them today. I had to do a little adjusting but I just played it for over an hour without error. I also changed the battery on the RAM board. Mine was dead from being 20 years old. I went with a NiMH battery. It is a 3.6V three cell emergency exit sign battery. It has 8 inch leads so I cut off the connector and soldered the leads to the board and then mounted the battery next to the MPU board. I seems to be happy.