Noob with a slot machine :-)

[Toyguy]

I've ended up with an IGT Red, White and Blue after a friend of mine got two and decided he only needed one. :-)


I think what I have here is an S+ with the 10MHz MPU, as it has that volume pot on the top of the tray.  I know the orange switch is for power but what I'm not sure about is the Test switch.  I don't see any other switches inside the body but there is a small switch right below the comparator.  Would that be it?


I do have a Jackpot Reset key for it and the hopper and upper glass, which were just removed for access.  I gather I need that test switch to cycle through the test menus, in particular I'd like to read out the ROM IDs without pulling the tray quite yet.


Any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks...

[Amechanic]

Hi and Welcome to New Life Games..    It looks like you have a model S not the S+.. The model S has the MPU board located on the inside lower left like your game. The S+ would have it located on the lower back wall behind the hopper. I’m sure there is a test mode to tell you your game proms, but I’m not the person to help with that on a model S.. If you repost asking for help with a model S I’m sure the right person will chime in. Where you looking for a certain game chip number?

[rokgpsman]

.....I've ended up with an IGT Red, White and Blue after a friend of mine got two and decided he only needed one. :-) .....

What a deal - We all need friends like yours! 

Not sure, this might be an S+ machine. I think some of the S+ models had the mpu on the back wall and others had it on the left side like this one.

The MPU board is plugged into the motherboard on the bottom floor of the machine. But if you can post a few more photos of the machine showing the complete front with the door closed and it powered up that would help to identify it.

The white TEST/Setup pushbutton switch is pointed to by the red arrow in your photo below. That is the important TEST button you use to enter the test and setup menus. Over the years IGT placed this white TEST switch in different places inside the machine.

The switch on the coin optic board (below the coin comparitor) is used to put "test credits" on the machine for troubleshooting purposes. You can press this switch and play credits will get added, then you can press the Spin button and the machine should work. When you shut the main door these test credits will get deleted.

It looks like the reel position tag below your reel #1 is wrong, it says "2", so someone may have switched your reels around. Or maybe the tag is just wrong. You can look at the part number on the end of the reel strips, someone here can tell you the order they should be in. A lot of times the reel strips are different from each other, so they have to be placed in the correct order from left to right. The reels themselves are all the same, just the reel strips are different.

On a machine that is new to you it is a good idea to pull the mpu board out of the machine and check the battery. It might be dead and need replaced, or worse - it might be leaking on the mpu board and causing damage, so is best to inspect so you know. The mpu board is mounted to that flat metal plate (called the "tray") that has the round black knob. Just pull upward and the mpu board will unplug from the motherboard.

If you do remove the mpu board to look it over post a photo of it, that will definitely identify your machine.

Here's the How-To instructions to find out what your SP and SS chips are, without having to pull out the mpu board.

http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=2251.msg11326#msg11326

[Toyguy]

Thanks for the info so far!  I could not see that test button at all but sure enough, there it is.  I'm going to try powering it up today.  I got a bunch of quarters for the hopper so there hopefully won't be any hopper errors to deal with.


I saw that most of the S+ machines had the MPU behind the hopper, hence my confusion, but it looks like an S+ MPU cage.  I gathered the S had wire bundles to be disconnected where the S+ used the pull out tray but maybe it's some sort of hybrid.  I did notice the reel labels not being "correct" but I suppose it could just be a replacement reel.  I'll get the strip numbers.


Can the reels safely be turned by hand or will that damage them?


I've been cleaning her up in the meantime.  It's looking pretty sharp!  Amazing what some elbow grease and Mother's metal polish can do.


I'll hopefully post back later today with some more info and pics.

[Shaggy]

That is an S+ machine. Early model. You can turn the reels by hand with the power off. Put some money in and see what happens.

Dave

[Toyguy]

Thanks Shaggy.  Couple more questions have arisen this morning.


1.  Anyone have a parts diagram of the coin entry housing and how it attaches to the door?  Mine is quite loose but I'm not seeing what's supposed to hold it in place.
2.  My reel strips appear to have no part numbers.  Where should the reel numbers be printed?


Thanks!

[rokgpsman]

I think there are screws that hold on the coin entry bezel, they come up from underneath the player pushbutton panel. With the main door open you can take a look on the inside of the door, from underneath where the coin entry is attached.

The reel strips overlap about 1/4 inch at the seam. Be careful when separating them, they will have some adhesive, like gummy adhesive or double-sided tape. It might be best for now to not peel the strips apart at the seams to see the part numbers, might cause a problem with loose strips that you have to correct. You can assume the strips are ok for the time-being. If the game works you can check the results when you get a winning spin to see if it matches the payout on the award glass. That will tell you if the strips are in the wrong order in the machine.

Another way to verify the reels is to line up the reels with the seams in the same position, take a photo, then rotate all 3 reels another half-turn and take a photo. That will show all the symbols. If you rotate the reels by hand always have the power turned off.

And there may be a TEST menu step that will step thru each reel position. Have you determined your SP and SS chip numbers?

[Shaggy]

Thanks Shaggy.  Couple more questions have arisen this morning.


1.  Anyone have a parts diagram of the coin entry housing and how it attaches to the door?  Mine is quite loose but I'm not seeing what's supposed to hold it in place.
2.  My reel strips appear to have no part numbers.  Where should the reel numbers be printed?


Thanks!

If you mean the coin comparator, it's held in place by a couple of plastic clips at the top. One on each side. I wouldn't worry about the strips at this time. Some have identical strips and may not have numbers. I'd fire that puppy up and see if it works. If there is trouble we'll deal with that then.

Dave

[Amechanic]

The reel strip numbers are located one the end of the reel strips. It will be under the end that over laps and is held together with two sided tape. Be careful the old strips can become brittle.

[rokgpsman]

The drawing below showing the coin entry bezel may not be exactly like your machine but it should be similar. I also added more notes to your photo showing the coin comparitor mounting clips that Shaggy mentioned, plus the coin comparitor sensitivity adjust. For home use everyone turns the sens adjust full ccw to reduce nuisance coin rejections.

[Toyguy]

Thanks guys.  I'll get a look at the coin entry and see why it's loose.  I'm not going to mess with the strips right now - I'll wait to test that later if the machine results seem wrong.


I've currently got the hopper out and some of the glass removed to lighten the machine a bit and I've got a friend coming over to give me a hand moving it downstairs, then we'll be able to test it.  It's not all that heavy but I've got a bad right knee that likes to give out occasionally so I don't trust myself to dolly it down the stairs :-)

[Toyguy]

What do you know - the thing mostly works!


So far, the few small wins have awarded the right number of credits so looks like the reel strips might be OK.  The Cash Out function generally works but it did throw an extra coin once and a 3100 error.  Opening and closing the door resolved it.  I will run the Hopper tests a little later tonight and see how they look.  Coin in seems to be fine and tracks well, also rejecting to the tray anything more than 3 coins.


Sounds are functional and the volume control works fine.


Next up is some testing, getting the ROM IDs and looking to see how/if I can set the machine to pay small wins from the hopper rather than adding credits.  I think I prefer the coins clanking out into the tray for a win over the one-time Cash Out button.


Thanks for the assistance so far!

[Shaggy]

If you don't know how, here's a link to tell you what your SP (game) chip is and your SS (reel) chip. You don't have to take the mpu out this way.

Dave

http://www.newlifegames.net/spset/SPSS.htm

[jay]

If your getting an extra coin and 3100's the most likely cause is your hopper brake and a weak or broken spring.


Quick lesson on the hopper:
Power is applied, a solenoid is activated that pushes back the hopper brake, and power is applied to the wheel that passes coins.
The coins pass through an optic and when the appropriate number of coins are passed power stops which releases the solenoid.
The hopper brake (that stops the wheel) is pulled back by a spring and the wheel is locked in place.
If the spring is weak (or broken) then the wheel doesn't stop when it supposed to, this allows an extra coin or two to pass by the optic creating a coin-out tilt (error 3100),


The spring on the back of the hopper is likely weak. You can replace the spring with 1/2 of one from an old click-style pen.

[Toyguy]

OK, here's the result of the #4 Test group.  I think this means I have an SS4633 for the reel chip and an SP0872 for the game chip?  I also think this makes it a 104A model RWB?
What does that tell me about options for software versions etc?  Can other code be run with the same Reel chip?


The hopper is routinely over-paying by  one coin.  Haven't looked at that yet.  Will do some forum research first on that one.  Thanks for the brake info Jay!


Couple unrelated questions now:


1.  Does the Change button itself light up?  Mine looks pretty much like it's an opaque Red.
2.  I gather pressing the Change light should turn on the top segment of the 2-segment candle?  Mine doesn't.  The lower segment works when the door is opened, for example.  Does each segment have it's own bulb?  Do you change them through the top cover plate with the acorn nut on it?
3.  Should the Cash Out and Bet 1 Credit buttons be illuminated?  Mine are not, but the Spin Reels and Bet 3 Credits buttons do light.

[Shaggy]

OK, here's the result of the #4 Test group.  I think this means I have an SS4633 for the reel chip and an SP0872 for the game chip?  I also think this makes it a 104A model RWB?
What does that tell me about options for software versions etc?  Can other code be run with the same Reel chip?


The hopper is routinely over-paying by  one coin.  Haven't looked at that yet.  Will do some forum research first on that one.  Thanks for the brake info Jay!


Couple unrelated questions now:


1.  Does the Change button itself light up?  Mine looks pretty much like it's an opaque Red.
2.  I gather pressing the Change light should turn on the top segment of the 2-segment candle?  Mine doesn't.  The lower segment works when the door is opened, for example.  Does each segment have it's own bulb?  Do you change them through the top cover plate with the acorn nut on it?
3.  Should the Cash Out and Bet 1 Credit buttons be illuminated?  Mine are not, but the Spin Reels and Bet 3 Credits buttons do light.

Jay's spot on with the hopper brake/spring, a really common S+ problem. There are plenty of forum topics about that. Different SP chips do different things. But on my machines, the change light does not have a bulb in it. Yours doesn't have either. You have an early model S+ and they have a red button on the change light. Later models have a clear button like the S2000s do. Yes the top light should come on when you press the change light. The bulb is likely bad. It also flashes when there is an error on the machine. Both top and bottom of the candle have their own bulbs. Remove the acorn nut and the plastic outside to access the bulbs. If the machine is not set to go to credits, the cash out will not light. No credits on the machine. If it is storing credits, then cash out will be lit. The bet 1 credit will (or should) be lit every time a new game is played. Sounds like you need some bulbs. I don't know the number off the top of my head but they are 6v peanut bulbs. Maybe on the S+ homepage? As far as software you can change game chips (different chips do different things like above) different reel chips will change the payout percentage of the machine. On the S+ forum look under the game bible. Your machine is a 3cm (3 coin multiplier) it will list the different chips available for your game. Your reel chip is a 96% payout chip. Really good for home use. Here's a link....

Dave

http://www.newlifegames.net/igtbible/IGT%203CM/Game%20Library%20-%20S-Plus%20-%20Red,%20White%20&%20Blue%20(3%20Coin%20Multiplier.htm

[jay]

Go to the S+ bible to see the different chip options for your theme. (Home Page - right side).
This is mostly a description of the reel chip. The reel chip determines the theme and payout.


Game Chips come in different Types.
- Type 0 (the most common) have no special options and can be used lots of the themes.


Double Diamond Deluxe (and most deluxe) games are nudge games and when a diamond with an arrow UP or DOWN shows up the reel automatically nudges in the direction of the arrow.
Balloon Bars nudge up when a balloon symbol shows up,  SlamDunk nudges down when a basketball symbol shows up.
This is a different TYPE of chip (I think Type 2) but they usually support type 0 games as well.


There were also different era's of game chips - There is a 1271 and a 731 (both very common game chips) - With the 731 version there were about 6 different choices of songs on a pay out that you could choose from. In the 1271 which came years later these songs were replaced with more accounting statistics. Which don't make any difference to the home owner. The 1271 also supports multiple levels of progressives as well as linked progressives - the 731 would handle multiple levels of progressives but they all had to be the same model.


There are also tournament chips - these let you play timed games or a set number of credits in tournament mode. but also worked as standard game chips just by setting a couple of options.


Over the years I managed to collect 60 game kits, with both 16" and 9" top glass for each so I could use them in any of my 3 slots.

[Shaggy]

Toyguy, on the next "fix" for your machine, let's start a new thread also. We get so many different things going on with 1 thread, that other users don't realize what's been covered in this one. These are meant to benefit everyone, so let's start anew after this. Thanks,

Dave

[Toyguy]

Roger that Shaggy!  I'll close this one out by saying a new spring on the hopper brake solved the overpay issue!