Bally S5500 Coin Comparitor

[dougp62]

I have been trying to convert my Bally S5500 from quarters to nickels, and the only hurdle I can't clear is the coin comparitor. Attached is a photo, but my issue is that it will take a few nickels, then it will give me a #20 error, which is a coin in jam. I'm going to try to balance the coils per the info I found on the CoinMech website first, but if I were to try to buy a replacement I want to be sure I'm buying one with the right voltage. As you can see, mine doesn't have that printed on the label.

I've read that they will make the proper contacts for the voltage that they require, but I need some reassurance. Can anyone help?

[rokgpsman]

The problem you are having may not be caused by the coin comparitor but by the optics boards below the comparitor. Since a nickel is smaller than a quarter it sometimes may not be sensed correctly by the optics boards as it passes by. That causes an error since the machine knows a coin was inserted but never saw it go past the optics, so the machine thinks a coin jam occurred. I believe there is a mod to correct this but I don't remember the details, someone here will say if this is a possibility. If the machine was working ok with quarters and didn't give that error before you converted it then this is something to check into. You could also try cleaning the coin path side of the optics boards, sometimes dust buildup can cause a problem there.


If you believe the coin comparitor itself is at fault here are some ideas to try before replacing it or doing the balance adjustment-

Your coin comparitor has a little round chrome weight attached to the coin damper lever. You can unscrew it and remove it to see if that eliminates your problem. That weight was correct for quarters but may be too much for nickels. You can reinstall it if that doesn't help. (see photo below)

Have you tried another nickel for the sample coin that is installed in your coin comparitor?

Also, I can't tell from your photo, but make sure the left side edge of the nickel in the coin comparitor is inserted into the groove or slot on that side of the coin mount.

In the lower right corner of the front of the coin comparitor is a sensitivity adjust, you can turn it all the way counter-clockwise. That will cause the coin comparitor to pass all nickels inserted.

Another idea is to block the rake open on the back of the coin comparitor. It is the metal flange that is spring loaded, just raise it away from the coin comparitor body and make it stay open with a piece of paper folded to the right thickness. That will force the coin comparitor to pass all coins.

[mr-monoxide]

I had the exact same problem with my S5500. It used to be set up for one dollar size coins and after I converted it over to nickels I kept getting the same error code  as you. rokgpsman's initial statement is right on the money. The mounting block, located just under the coin comparitor, has a slot to accommodate the large size $1 tokens and it's very easy for a nickel to slip by the coin in optics without being properly detected. You'll need to block off that extra space in the mounting blocks coin slot so that the nickels are properly channeled into the optics. I'll post a picture of what I'm talking about in a few minutes just let me get some coffee in me first...

[mr-monoxide]

here are the pictures. i simply used a piece of an old power cord to block off the extra space in the coin slot. i chose to use that because the wires insulation was soft, would conform to any irregularities and since it was slightly fatter than the slot in the mounting block all i had to do was loosen the mounting screws for the block then slip the wire into place and tighten up the screws. the wire is compressed and securely held in place. someone may have a better way of accomplishing this but the wire worked for me.

[mr-monoxide]

a better picture...

[dougp62]

Ok, I did as you did and put a couple of short pieces of electrical wire with insulation in the slot and cleaned everything up. I put about 500 nickels through it and didn't get a single #20 code, so I guess that must have been the problem. I am getting quite a few coins that fall through without giving credit, so I think I might still need to balance the coils, but I'm definitely gaining on it. Thank you for your help!

[Sunrise Side]

On the bottom right side of the comparitor is a pot adjustment. It has a + and - symbols next to the hole in the cover. Hole could be covered up with a decal.  Carefully turn this adjustment all the way CCW. If you had some adjustment ,  you are good to go. If there was no adjustment you will need a new comparitor as the cap is bad.

[dougp62]

Ok, I'm out of adjustment to the CCW side. So I guess this brings me back to part of my original question - does it matter what voltage comparitor I'm looking for?  And I see comparitors for sale that are listed as IGT or other brands. Are they standard among game manufacturers?

[mr-monoxide]

You'll need to get a cc-16d 24 volt. Make sure it has the two grey wires going to the rake solenoid. If the 2 wires aren't grey then it's the wrong one.