**Video Poker, Keno, Slots, 21** Gaming machines > CEI and Cal Omega Video Poker Games

Casino Electronics CEI CalOmega General Information

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SolidSilver:
Casino Electronics Inc , an early leader in video gaming machine development, was a DBA of CalOmega, a successful arcade-machine company in Carlsbad, California.  A later company was Gaming & Technology Inc, same Carlsbad address. Other ownership transfers followed, not all entirely clear; United Coin seems to have wound up with the last major bunch of operating machines in the field.

CalOmega's success with draw poker games, most prominently Casino Poker Jacks-or-Better, often with a DoubleUp feature, led to their entry in the gambling machine market. Like virtually every other company entering that market and therefore seeking Nevada gaming licensing,  they found it appropriate to create a new company located in Nevada itself. This was Casino Electronics of Las Vegas, active roughly from 1981 through 199?, the seminal years of video gaming.

CEI gambling machines are most commonly encountered in the upright Casino Mini housing, with 10 buttons: 5 for HOLD or DISCARD, and 5 for DEAL, BET, CASHOUT, etc. Less common are man-tall arcade housings with the addition of payout trays; and quite rare are slant-top consoles and bartop "DropIns." Some of the earliest gambling machines appear to have been built into tall arcade housings that were cut down to slot-machine height; toe-in-the-water units, before investing in chromed steel slot-machine-front tooling?

Except for the very latest versions, poker games with the DoubleUp feature require additional buttons, rare on the Casino Mini housing. While basic Jacks-or-Better is far and away most common, CEIs can be found in DoubleDraw, BlackJack, and even Keno configurations.

All Cal Omega systems are  built on the 6502 processor. Most machines encountered use the 904 game board, which is the arcade 903 board with additional RAM for game history, dispute resolution, and credit accumulation.  These machines, typically with Mfd dates of 1980 through 1984 use DIPswitches to establish  Max Coins playable,  and not much else of interest to home owners. They will have 4 internal pushbuttons, one of which will be TEST. Pressing this button sends the machine into a test procedure, ending in a Screen RAM page, at the bottom on which is listed the specific game software and the payout schedule, typically something like   V. 23.9 SCH 07-CT 08/09/84 To exit this final test page, simultaneously press the first three HOLD or DISCARD buttons.

Interim machines with more complex games & those requiring special inputs such as Keno, used the 905 board, roughly 1984 thru 1986.
Finally, the 906 series boards: I,II, III, Turbo, and EX, were built from roughly 1987/88 through the 90s, perhaps as late as 2005. These all have additional software setup capabilities (a Learning Mode) and additional internal pushbuttons of various nomenclature.

These later systems may ask for User ID and Password for access to setup, game history, and/or diagnostics. The most common pairs are 1492/1799, and 1086/5615.
While all these board versions are physically interchangeable, variations in backplane (910 vs 911), presented user pushbuttons & pushbutton wiring, internal control panel wiring, and game-board circuitry assure that virtually nothing is downward compatible. For instance, you can usually use your 903/904-board Jacks-or-Better eproms in a 906 board, but the reverse will rarely be true.

There are only 3 manuals commonly available, all of limited value. One called Casino Mini is very informative, including most payout schedules, but details relate solely to the 906-series boards. Another one is for the 51.0x software version, the very last (906) of the series: also informative, but includes much operational and option-setting details you are unlikely to have. Finally, there is one specifically for the most common early game software, V. 23.9 Jacks-or-Better Discard. Unfortunately it is flat-out wrong in many places, and would  have barely earned a D- for English in Mrs. Jones's Third Grade class. Still, there are useful gems of information, including DIP switch settings.

Like all such pioneering products in a whirlwind of rapid expansion and change, there are many many variations in glass graphics, internal pushbuttons and meters, and software. However, CEI machines are noted for reliability and simplicity. There is no separate power supply; everything is built into either the simple backplane (910 or 911) or  the gameboard itself. And while CEI's are one-trick-ponies, the Casino Mini upright slot-machine housing is easier to accommodate in a home than later and  bulkier big-screen multi-game brethren of the IGT and Bally ilk, and is more likely to keep on truckin for your kids and grandkids lifetimes.

All CEI owners are encouraged to post pictures and notes of their machines here!

SolidSilver:
More CEI Casino Mini pics

shortrackskater:
Here's mine! Works perfectly.

shortrackskater:
One more.

Neonkiss:

--- Quote from: SolidSilver on April 07, 2014, 10:36:59 PM ---Less common are man-tall arcade housings with the addition of payout trays; and quite rare are slant-top consoles and bartop "DropIns."
--- End quote ---

At one time a was asked to post pictures of my slant top CEI poker machine. Due to... weather, laziness, excuses, tropical storms or what not, I have just got around to doing this.

So here are some pictures.

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