Bally 809 5 coin multiplier

[Tat2Dave]

Pulled the coin mechanism out and dropped nickels down it and they went to the left ( the way they should ), put it back in and they went to the right side down to the tray. Is this piece facing the way it should be facing?

[Tat2Dave]

Yes, i checked all 3 of the fuses.

[Tat2Dave]

I'm about ready to give up guys, and just save up $300 to $400 and pay to get it fixed

[Amechanic]

The thing with these game are that EVERYTHING run in a series. One switch opens and another one closes. The chain of events has to work from one end to the other. If one set of contacts is not working correct the whole machine stops working. Using a meter to check contact is a must. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cleaned a contact , only to still not have voltage passing between the contacts breaking the chain. You need to stop worrying about things like a coin mech for now and work in cleaning the beau plugs till they are a shiny silver and your reels coin switch contacts are working correctly. While you had the top unit out, did you try cycling the stepper unit? If you push on one coil plunger the stepper should advance thru the 2-5 coin contacts, and the second plunger should return the contacts back to the coin one position. There is a group of contacts that change position with each click up. Those need to work correctly. Don’t worry if a relay or a wires not the same color as in David’s pics, not every machine 100% the same. As for using grease and oils just about anything works. I like a very light machine oil like 3 in 1 of something similar. As for grease I use a blue water proof wheel bearing grease. It’s thin not a thick grease. I apply it with a q-tip. Never use a spray grease because it goes every where and tends to harden over time. I did mention in one of my early post that I like to spray a light amount of WD40 on just the cabinets female beau plugs for easy of future removing and for easy of putting things back together. This will also help with the connection of the male and female plugs. Once I spray them I work the hopper, reels and stepper units in and out 4-5-6 times or more. This helps clean the female side of the plug. Then when I’m done I take things apart and wipe off any access WD40 from the plugs. Another thing I do is with the power off I hold the handles gear box lever so I can just spin the reels and let them cycle. These are things I do on each new project machine I buy or repair that I get in. It gives me an over view of what condition the machines in. I’ve had machines that I couldn’t pull the handle because the air cylinder pistons was stuck, and other that would kick and just stop. That tells me that all the pivot point and cross shafts are frozen to extremely dry. You must address one item or step at a time. Sorry for the long post and my ranting, but if you want to get this working you need to not worry about the coin mech and move on to what switches and relay that are or are not working. Go back to the beginnng and manually cycle / spin the reels by using the handle. Make sure your coin switch on the side of the reels is latched as ready for a coin. Then plug it in and trip the coin switch while watching for your coin relay to close. If this happens did your handle release? If no then you have a bad beau plug connection with maybe the reels plug or with the stepper plugs. If this works then repeat it a couple time. Next try to simulate two coins and see if it advances to the second coin. One step at a time and only one step at a time. I find that it helps to take notes to remember what’s been done.

[Tat2Dave]

I just need to know where to start, ( a picture would help alot ) I can find things on the wiring diagram, but don't always know where they are on the slot machine? There are 2 plungers on the top shelf. I can push the bottom one 4 times and then it stops. I push the top one 1 time and it re setts it.

[DavidLee]

Re coin mechanism, let the screw out until the coin stops.
Then turn it in just a fraction until the coin drops on to the switch.
If the unit works out of the machine it should work inside. The door must be closed for it to operate properly.


I try to get machines to operate on a coin first. Then fix anything that’s not working after that.
As its hard to fix a machine when you can’t at least drop a coin and pull the handle.


I see why the top unit is hard to push in because of the 2 beau-plugs.


Machines seem complicated as a whole but in parts/units it’s a little easier to understand.
First machine is challenging and take awhile to figure out. Stick with it, what you learn will be valuable if something goes wrong in the future.


Do you ever come down south to Los Angeles?
I’m in Simi Valley northwest of LA.
Bring your machine if you come down this way.

[Tat2Dave]

Not sure what I did yesterday? But I got a new lock ( attendant key ) re-set, and when i turned it now the lockout coil DOES NOT ENERGIZE.

[Tat2Dave]

I used to live in Huntington Beach, but don't really get down that way very much.

Re coin mechanism, let the screw out until the coin stops.
Then turn it in just a fraction until the coin drops on to the switch.
If the unit works out of the machine it should work inside. The door must be closed for it to operate properly.

Pulled it out and turned the screw until the nickel would not go through, then turned it to the right, would get stuck in the middle, turned it some more and it falls through to the left ( where it should ), but only when it is out of the slot machine. Lockout coil IS NOT ENERGIZED any more since i turn that lock and it touched that switch. Where should i start at to fix that?

[Amechanic]

Not sure what I did yesterday? But I got a new lock ( attendant key ) re-set, and when i turned it now the lockout coil DOES NOT ENERGIZE.

That is only needed and used when the largest jackpot is won. At that point the game won’t accept any coins until a Casino attendant would show up. This kept the person from trying to play the game again until the jackpot was recognized and paid. This is what I’m trying to explain on how your getting side tracked on matters not causing your problems. Do you have a manual and have your read it to understand how these games work?

[Tat2Dave]

I down loaded the Bally manual from the internet, and I bought this book online, and have been reading the book to try and understand things better

[Tat2Dave]

Where should I start to get the lockout coil to energize again, and get the coin switch to work? Or where or what should I start with first?

[Tat2Dave]

Yes, use the coin switch it’s the closest thing to a normal operation. The handle release stop will also work, but it bypasses a couple of switches. You want the machine to be active.  Are you guys giving up on it? After I did what DavidLee said the coin switch stopped working, and the ;lockout coil won't energize any more. Today I simulated a jackpot, pulled the handle, stopped the fan and then stopped the reels on 3 watermelons, the hopper made some noise and then the machine turned off. ( lots of nickels in the hopper ) Push in the slide bar under the hopper, it turns on and buzzes/ vibrates, and then turns off again.

[Amechanic]

That way too many coins in a hopper. That’s why it won’t run.

[DavidLee]

Noticed the hopper is full of coins in a photo a few post back.
Remove the hopper and the coins. Check for any coins jamb in the hopper.
Manually operate the hopper to make sure it’s free to spin.


Check for stray coins in the safety cut off timer bottom left rear corner of the machine.
Add a just a few handfuls of coins to the hopper and re-install.
Test machine by what ever method that works.
Set up a small payout to see what happens.


Back to the coin switch, try jumping a good solid yellow from the lights to the yellow on the coin switch.
See if this makes a difference on how the switch works.

[Tat2Dave]

How do I manually spin the hopper? I took about half the coins out, and pushed the reset bar, the hopper did the same thing. Didn't see any stuck coins, and don't know how to manually spin it?

[DavidLee]

If the hopper motor looks like the one in the photo.
Turn the motor shaft to the right. The hopper elevator should rotate and the coins will be kicked off near the top back into the hopper.

[Tat2Dave]

Put a jumper wire from a light to the yellow wire on the coin switch, It would only trip one time, ( cvould only pull the handle one time ) And the lockout coil did not energize.

[Tat2Dave]

Put the reels on 3 watermelons again, same thing happens, it shuts down. When i pushed in the reset bar I could see something spinning under the hopper but it would stop, and then before it shut back down it spin again for a second or two.

[DavidLee]

Re jumper wire, this indicates the switch is okay. It only played one time because other switches were bypassed. Need to look over the schematic for that machine to see were the yellow on the coin switch leads.


Wire tracing takes time even when the machine is right in front of you. All most impossible to do over the internet.



Set up a small payout like cherries or plums for your next hopper test.
A variation may give a different response.


As mentioned before most machines just need a good cleaning in regards to the contacts and moving parts.
After that contact adjustments are usually needed to get the machine to operate properly.


At this point in your case I would look at every solder joint for loose or broken wires. Clean all contacts on the hopper and the reels. Check every  coil for damage and missing springs.
This should be done with plenty of light and high power magnifier type head set.


Best to concentrate one unit at a time.

[Amechanic]

I bought my first machine 18+ years ago and still have it. It took me over 2 years to figure out why the game paid out 18 coins every time the handle was pulled. I bought my self every manual I could find, and read them a couple times. The one day I found a grounded out wire. Once it was repaired the game played and paid out correctly. I got frustrated many times and had to walk away from it for a while. This was when I learned about NLG, and with help from some members that are no longer with us we got it going. We can only offer so much advice, but it’s up to you to do the work, and learn how these work from circuit to circuit. As David said your coin switch is fine, now it’s time to move to the next part of the coin up circuit. I can’t state enough that a bad beau plug connection will stop a circuit in its tracks. That little coin switch activates relays and coils from the reels, to the top creature unit and to the handle release contacts. If anything in between these items are dirty or not making a good contact your game will never play. Jon also told you about a video he has posted on his Facebook page that is a great learning tool. It’s a long video running about 2 hours. The guys good and you can learn how these work and how to get yours going by watching it. Your only other option is to spend big $$ having someone else fix it. If I were close by I’d do the repair, but we are over 2000 miles apart. With your hopper keep only 50-100 coins in it for know. I think that 80% of your problems are with cabinet plugs and 3-4 different relays.