Author Topic: X Factor won't turn on (Read 10991 times)

cmurph · « **on:** October 18, 2014, 04:50:56 PM »

We have a Willliams X Factor Machine that won't turn on and I'm hoping someone can help me figure out how to fix it myself. When we turn on the machine there are 2 red lights that come on the top cpu board, the 5 Volt and the 18Volt. Does anyone have any ideas on what could fix this?

Thanks for any help!

rokgpsman · « **Reply #1 on:** October 18, 2014, 07:29:15 PM »

If this is a WMS (Williams) model 400/4XX machine I think this means your main power supply is bad. When you open the machine door this power supply is the gray box mounted to the side of the left hand wall of the machine, inside the lower area and above the coin hopper. Your machine's power cord runs to a connector at the back of this power supply to bring in your household 115vac. There is a master power switch on the front of this power supply. One of the connectors on the side of the power supply has the voltages that are used by the circuit cards in the card cage and you can measure these voltages with an ordinary volt meter. But with the cpu card lites (LEDs) dark it would mean these voltages are bad, so probably no need to actually measure them. I suppose it is possible there is something else in the machine that could cause these voltage to go bad but this is where you start.

You can search this website or better yet, the old NLG archives for the repair that owners do when this happens, it comes up fairly often. The choices are to replace the lower power supply with another one or send it out for repair or use a computer power supply to replace the old power supply. The computer power supply method is often the least expensive but requires someone able to do the electrical wiring needed.

To see the repair write-ups I referred to, they are posted in the "WMS Reel" section here:

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?board=64.0

There is a lot of good info about this problem and the suggested ways to fix it, all written in that WMS section on the old archive site. This repair is always worthwhile doing since it is straight-forward and should bring the machine back to life.

In the picture of the cpu board below all 5 LEDs on the right side of the picture should be on. Each one gives the status of a different voltage, such as +5vdc, +12vdc, etc. Let us know what you find out and any other questions.

cmurph · « **Reply #2 on:** October 18, 2014, 08:08:05 PM »

Thank you so much for your quick response! I don't know anything about wiring though, so my best bet would probably be to just replace the power supply. Do you know of anyone who sells these? I will search the forums as well, but I'm new here (just found it doing an internet search) so any quick tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Cher

KirkLasVegas · « **Reply #3 on:** October 18, 2014, 08:16:39 PM »

If I remember correctly....
"X-Factor" was also a 550....

rokgpsman · « **Reply #4 on:** October 18, 2014, 08:27:45 PM »

Just to clarify what machine you have can you look on the manufacturer id plate and tell us the model number? The id plate is usually fastened somewhere on the outside, often it is on a side corner below the pull handle on the right side. I added pictures of two different models of X-Factor below, does your machine look like one of them? All of the info I've been writing is for the WMS model 400/401/4XX machines. Does your machine have 3 spinning wheel reels, or is it a video display?

I'll check around and see, it seems like there were a few places that still had them for sale not long ago, probably rebuilt/repaired units. This was a popular topic a few years ago and some of the regulars here would post a message about places they knew that could either fix your old power supply or would sell you another one. So let's see what others have to say also, it will give you choices of which way to go.

If you remove your old power supply there is probably a WMS part number written on it. Depending on the year your machine was made the WMS part number for the power supply is A-002938-01 or A-002912-01. I think this part number is for the entire power supply including the metal enclosure (box). You can do some internet searches for these part numbers. But only one of them is the right one for your machine so at some point you will need to identify your particular power supply. But anyone having one of these part numbers would possibly have or know something about where to locate the other.

There is a circuit board inside the power supply that some people remove and replace, it has its own part number. The reason there are two different styles of the power supply is due to the wiring cable that connects the huge power transformer on the inside bottom of the machine to the power supply. This xformer has a cable that connects to the power supply and on older machines this cable had a 12 position connector, on newer machines they used a 16 position connector.

I can't vouch for this item but this ebay auction shows what the power supply looks like, inside and outside:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WMS-Power-Supply-/251681094660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a995cbc04

KIRK- do you know of anyone having replacement power supplies for these WMS 400 (or 550) machines or that will repair one? Seems like NeonKiss mentioned something about this a while back.

KirkLasVegas · « **Reply #5 on:** October 18, 2014, 08:31:53 PM »

The lower supplies are a bitch to find!
Best to repair them when you have to. The upper 12 volt supply is still available on Ebay....
The typical repair is recapping...

Kirk

tollguy316 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 19, 2014, 05:24:31 AM »

I have a few Brand New top and lower Power supplies. If anyone needs them; send me a p.m. ... Thanks, Bill

rokgpsman · « **Reply #7 on:** October 19, 2014, 09:57:40 AM »

Good to know Bill, hopefully the person with the non-working X-Factor machine will check back in and see your message. Do you also have other parts for these WMS machines such as the CPU & I/O boards, reel assemblies, dotmation screens, etc?

cmurph · « **Reply #8 on:** October 19, 2014, 03:07:23 PM »

I read the replies and I took some pics of our machine this morning, but my computer is acting up and won't allow me to load them on here. I could email them to Bill if that would help? There is a sticker with a barcode on the side of the power supply that says W1005008. The 5 & the 8 aren't real easy to see, but I think that's what they are. Does that sound right? It is the 40x model and looks like the other picture I seen on here of the XFactor (it has 3 wheels). Is the power supply easy for a novice to change? I don't want to order something that I can't fix

. Thanks so much!

Cher

rokgpsman · « **Reply #9 on:** October 19, 2014, 05:28:16 PM »

I think it is a medium easy job, you just have to unplug all the cable connectors that plug into the side, plus the 115vac power cord at the rear corner. If your coin hopper is still in the machine it is probably easier to see what you are doing if you remove the hopper. Just pull straight out on the hopper. Careful, it is heavy and sometimes there is a little grease on the bottom side. Luckily, all of the connectors on the side of the power supply are shaped so they will only fit back into the correct place. The bottom row of connectors are all for lighting so you can plug any of those bottom cables into any of the bottom row connectors, they are all the same size and they are all equivalent. A lot of people take a Sharpie marker and write a number onto each white plastic connector and the same number on the mating connector so they can be sure about where it goes back in later. You can number them 1,2,3 etc from left to right, or whatever makes sense to you. And you can take a closeup picture of the power supply before you unplug anything, so you can see how it was.

After getting all of the connectors unplugged there are just a couple of nuts along the front side to remove that hold the power supply to the side wall of the machine. It's been a while, there may be another screw along the top, but I don't remember any screws or nuts at the back, I think it has a bracket that holds it in place. Maybe Bill or someone that remembers better than I do can explain further. If you have a small open end wrench or a nutdriver it is pretty easy. (a nutdriver is similar to a screwdriver but has a socket head on the end that fits onto the nut). I don't want to go into dangerous territory here but if you have a guy to help that may make it easier since he is probably familiar with hand tools. Don't take offense to this, I'm just going by how my wife would handle this, you may be much more handy than she is with this kind of thing.

Not sure about that W number tag, it may be a serial number, mine has a similar tag and number but it isn't the same number as yours. A picture sent to Bill would be a good idea so he and you can be sure which model power supply you need. After you get it removed from the machine you can get a good closeup picture of the connector side so he can make sure what you have. And you may find other numbers on it then too.

To add a picture here, when you are writing your comment look just below and you will see where it is written in green "Attachments and other options". Click on that and it will open a place where you can click on "Attach". Below where it says "Attach" just click on "Choose File" and it should popup a box for you to choose the picture file on your computer. Select the picture file by clicking on it and then click on "Open" in the popup box. That should attach the picture to your comment post. You computer might do things slightly different depending on which version of Windows or Mac OS you have. Everyone here loves pictures of the old machines, so feel free to attach several pictures for us to see. There is a limit to the number or size of pictures per comment posting, but you can always leave additional comments so you can attach more pictures.

tollguy316 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 19, 2014, 06:34:17 PM »

I have new upper and lower power supplies, reels, dot boards..... I'm very short supplied on Dotmation displays and boards. I also have most all dotmation kits so I can get chips for most games ( no kits that I'm looking to sell at this time) ..... Bill

Quote from: rokgpsman on October 19, 2014, 09:57:40 AM

Good to know Bill, hopefully the person with the non-working X-Factor machine will check back in and see your message. Do you also have other parts for these WMS machines such as the CPU & I/O boards, reel assemblies, dotmation screens, etc?

cmurph · « **Reply #11 on:** October 19, 2014, 06:54:06 PM »

I will keep this reply short because I'm writing it from my phone so I could attach the pics. My computer has something wrong with it and won't let me download anything at all. No offense taken about needing a guy to help

. I'm better with directions and technical stuff, but husband is the one I give the screwdriver to LOL. He is gone on the road right now so I will have to see if I can at least get the power supply out to give Bill the number off of it unless he can tell from the pics. I attached the one that shows only the 2 red lights on as well. Thanks!

rokgpsman · « **Reply #12 on:** October 19, 2014, 07:22:35 PM »

Good job on getting the pictures attached to your post. Below I have attached your 2nd picture with a note to make things clear (hopefully). If you are not able to remove the power supply then if you can take a nice closeup photo of the power supply that shows the connectors on the side clearly then Bill can probably match it to one he has. It might be more clear if you can unplug the cables so the power supply connectors can be more easily seen, but if the picture is shot from a slight overhead angle going downward it should show the number of positions in each connector. You may need to take a few to find the best one or two to attach here. The bottom row of connectors is not important, it is the top connector row that needs to be seen.

I've also attached 2 pictures showing which of the power supply connectors is the one that is different between the two different styles. That important connector is on the top row, all the way to the back end near the white 115vac outlets back there. This is the connector that is either a 12 or a 16 position. Don't count the wires in the connector, have to count the openings where wires could go, even if some of the openings are empty.

AND- since you are the technical type (which I think is great) here is the Service & Operating Manual for your machine (it is actually for all of the Williams 400/4XX models). You may already have this but if not it contains some very useful info such as parts diagrams, part lists and part numbers, settings you can change to make the game more enjoyable such as volume levels, payout in coins or credits, speed that the reels spin, etc. This manual is in pdf format, you will need to be on a computer that lets you download stuff.

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=943

PS> I've been assuming you live in the USA. Some countries outside the USA that use 220vac electrical service would use either a different Williams power supply or one that has a voltage selection switch on it.

rokgpsman · « **Reply #13 on:** October 19, 2014, 07:56:22 PM »

Quote from: tollguy316 on October 19, 2014, 06:34:17 PM

I have new upper and lower power supplies, reels, dot boards..... I'm very short supplied on Dotmation displays and boards. I also have most all dotmation kits so I can get chips for most games ( no kits that I'm looking to sell at this time) ..... Bill
Quote from: rokgpsman on October 19, 2014, 09:57:40 AM
Good to know Bill, hopefully the person with the non-working X-Factor machine will check back in and see your message. Do you also have other parts for these WMS machines such as the CPU & I/O boards, reel assemblies, dotmation screens, etc?

That is excellent to know! I've been worried about parts being available if I ever have a failure. There was another thread here on NLG recently about a person needing sound chips for a WMS High Speed game, I'll point him to you.

foster · « **Reply #14 on:** October 19, 2014, 10:14:03 PM »

I guess you will be sending the machine to me?

J.K

tollguy316 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 20, 2014, 06:05:57 AM »

You guys are referring to the outer shell of the power supply. You don't need to replace the whole thing ; just the power supply itself which is located inside of the metal box . I attached a pic of the power supply. That is what you need and is what I have ..... Bill

rokgpsman · « **Reply #16 on:** October 20, 2014, 07:37:06 AM »

Quote from: tollguy316 on October 20, 2014, 06:05:57 AM

You guys are referring to the outer shell of the power supply. You don't need to replace the whole thing ; just the power supply itself which is located inside of the metal box . I attached a pic of the power supply. That is what you need and is what I have ..... Bill

Ok, that's good to know. For some reason I thought you had the entire power supply assembly in the metal box, I've seen those available for sale in the past. The power supply board you have is the main part but there is another circuit board in there that contains some additional parts, you are saying that the power supply board (which you have replacement for) is what fails the majority of the time so it is all that needs to be replaced. That sounds reasonable and would be the way I'd go on a repair.

After removing the power supply metal box from her machine she will need to open it and unplug the 2 cables inside (shown below) and remove 4 mounting screws to remove the old power supply circuit board, then install yours and reconnect the cables. Not terribly difficult but it does add to the repair steps, she will need to decide if this is something she wants to tackle. We can walk her thru this if she wants to give it a try. A complete power supply assembly in the metal box would be more plug & play but would also increase the cost of shipping due to weight.

tollguy316 · « **Reply #17 on:** October 20, 2014, 09:58:30 AM »

I think there is too much emphasis on the difficulty in replacing the Lower power supply. ... You would simply remove the 7 molex harnesses ( btw; It doesn't matter where they are re-plugged in at as long as a 6 pin molex is connected to a 6 pin molex and a 10 pin molex goes to a 10 pin molex; etc. ) remove the 2 small nuts holding tho power supply box to the sidewall. Slideout the power supply box. remove 2 screws fron side of PS box..... Take off metal cover top ; thus exposing inner area of box... Remove 4 phillips screws hilding actual power supply.... Remove 2 molex connector harnesses connceted to actual power supply.... Remove the PS. Install brand new ps... and screw in 4 phillips screws, plug in the 2 molex harnesses, replace metal top , screw in 2 screws holding top, slide metal box back in the machine...... That's the entire breakdown step by step. usually done in 5 minutes, but give yourself 10 minutes for the 1st time. Bill

cmurph · « **Reply #18 on:** October 20, 2014, 06:43:07 PM »

Thanks for all the details and help everyone. I plan to try and remove this according to all the steps, but I may not get to it until this weekend. I pm'd Bill & will be in touch, thanks!!s
Cher

P.S. I tried clicking the link to see the manual, but it says I can't view it because I'm not a "gold" member and my login wouldn't work. I think I probably already have it though because I had to replace the main chip years ago and the guy I bought it from had sent it to me. I'd love to have it again via email though if possible so I could download it. I only have the one printed copy and it is getting ragged. My email is cmurph@tds.net if you are able too forward it.

rokgpsman · « **Reply #19 on:** October 20, 2014, 08:33:49 PM »

cmurph - check your email for manual, let me know if it doesn't come thru.

News:

NLG Site Navigation Menu

Author Topic: X Factor won't turn on (Read 10991 times)