New thread, old problem. Bally E2000 Reels don’t stop

[Jay3361]

I had another thread going but through various updates it had gotten kind of long & confusing.  Here’s the issue:
Bally E2000 Series.  Accepts coins, gives credits.  A handle pull starts the reels normally. But then they just keep spinning freely until eventually slowing to a stop. I can continue to pull the arm while the reels are spinning. If I open the door and press the test button a few times, the stop engages crisply and locks the reels.


Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Checked the ribbon cable behind the reels & ensured it’s fully seated
- Replaced the B1 battery on the MPU, verified the new battery tests @ about 4V.
- Replaced the kick switch
- Replaced the arm switch; doing so produced a Tilt condition, so I put the old arm switch back in.  Both switches are maintaining good contact with the cam.


The reels spin easily & smoothly.  And the stop mechanism seems to work (at least mechanically) because pressing the test button activates it and all three reels lock.


What is my next step here? 

[GOS]

are you sure that the kick and arm switches are functioning properly - if you have a multimeter you can check each switch (there should be a schematic of the switches attached to the side of the mech).   If your mech has molex connections - you can pull the mech partially out while reels are free spinning and manually activate each switch to see if one allows reels to stop.  I am confident the issue is with the arm/kick switches themselves or wiring going thru them

[Jay3361]

Thanks for this.  The mech does have molex connections so I can test as you’ve suggested.  I’ll head over to my shop as soon as I’m able and give that a try. 


I appreciate the advice.

[Jay3361]

are you sure that the kick and arm switches are functioning properly - if you have a multimeter you can check each switch (there should be a schematic of the switches attached to the side of the mech).   If your mech has molex connections - you can pull the mech partially out while reels are free spinning and manually activate each switch to see if one allows reels to stop.  I am confident the issue is with the arm/kick switches themselves or wiring going thru them

I spent most of the afternoon studying this...and I’m convinced you’re correct.


1. I pulled the lever, got the reels spinning.  Verified the cam functioned normally through the pull, activating both switches.  Then I slid the mech forward and manually activated both the arm & kick switches, no affect.


2. I did a reel reader test and all checked out okay.


3. I removed the reel mech.  I removed the arm & kick switches.  Both bench tested good with the multimeter.


4. I reinstalled both switches but didn’t attach wires...tested again with multimeter, both tested good.


5. I attached the wires and tested again...the Arm switch tested good about half the time.  The Kick switch tested good.  I think both switches use the same circuit for ground (90).  Since there doesn’t seem to be a problem with the Kick, I assume the ground is good.  Is it fair to assume that leaves the other wire on the Arm switch, #53 as the problem? 


We have now reached the end of my capabilities.  I cannot tell from the schematic where to go next.  The wiring harness is tough to follow, but I think this wire goes into the molex plug on its way to the IO board, where (per the schematic) it eventually goes into position 1 on J3. 
- Should I unwrap the harness and trace the wire?
- Is there a way to use my multimeter at the molex & Arm switch to test continuity of this wire?
- Assuming I can find J3 on the IO board, what should I be looking for? 


Sorry for the ridiculous questions.  I’m brand new to electronics and trying to figure this out.


Thanks!


Jay 

[GOS]

the 90 wire is the ground - you can trace the arm switch to IO board J3  pos 1 to R64/U17 -14
  the kick to io board  j3 pos 2 to R65/u17 - 12
I would trace the wires to the molex connection on the reel mech first to make sure the connection is good - could be a broken wire/connection - you can do a complete trace with the mech still attached in the machine (remove the 90 wire) and trace directly to the IO board.

[Jay3361]

I’ve got the reel mech assembly at home where I’m bench-testing it.  I will head back to my shop when able and continue testing through to the IO board.


Multimeter set at Ohms, RX10. Continuity tests between the molex connector and the switch shows .5 for all wires (ground, 53 & 54).  I assume this means all wires are good between the switches & the molex connector.  Correct?


Testing the switches again, Arm reads infinity when open & a range of .5 to 1.1 when closed, probing the wire connectors.  The reading swings quite a bit when probing directly on the switch terminals.  The Kick reads infinity when open and .6 when closed.  I tested each 10 times while installed with all wires attached.  With the ground wires removed, the Arm switch shows .3 when closed when probing the ground terminal and signal wire connector.  When I measure at both terminals directly, the resistance swings from .7 to about 7-8.  The kick switch shows .5 when probed on the signal wire connector & the ground terminal, but swings between .4 and 5.1 when probing just the terminals.


So both switches clearly work—switching between open & closed.  Are the resistance levels acceptable?  Is there any significance to the resistance swinging when probing the terminals directly vs. testing on the wire connectors?  Both switches are new, but the wire connectors look like they’re original. 


The cam position appears correct (there’s a paint mark on the cam & shaft that are well aligned, and during an arm pull, the cam operates both switches correctly).


I THINK the bench testing of the reel mech shows everything is okay—is that a reasonable conclusion? 


At this point, I think the right next step is test continuity between the molex connector for wires 53 & 54 to the IO board, then return the mech to the machine, remove the ground wires (90) as instructed in the post from GOS above, and test continuity all the way to the IO board.  If that turns out to be good, would that suggest that the IO board is bad?


As a reminder, pressing the test button on the hopper board will activate the reel stop normally, and a reel reader test showed good function of the readers. 


I appreciate the generous advice.  I’m new to all of this & trying to learn as I go. 

[Jay3361]

I spent more time today trying to resolve the perpetually spinning reels.  No luck.  Following the advice above to the best of my abilities, I confirmed continuity from the Molex connections (for the Arm & Kick switches) to the I/O board, positions 1 & 2 on J3, then thru to R64 & R65.  I attempted to test through to U17/14 and U17/12, but honestly didn't know what I was doing.  There, I picked up a minor Ohm reading.


I removed all cables and reconnected them after inspecting pins.  I ensure they're all fully seated. 


Still, I can feed in a quarter, pull the arm and the reels spin fast & free.  They won't stop until they eventually run out of energy.  I can continue to pull the arm again & again while the reels are spinning.  If I press the test switch a few times, the mech will kick in and stop the reels. 


Also, the Arm & Kick switch show up normally during a switch test (test 3). 


So I've confirmed the reel readers work, I replace the battery n the MPU, replaced the Arm & Kick switches and confirmed they are operational, I've got continuity from the Arm & Kick switch through the Molex Connections, through I/O R64 & R65.  I am now out of airspeed and altitude.  Could this mean a bad I/O board?  Does anybody here sell or repair I/O boards?  I've had this machine for nearly 30 years, it's the first one I bought, and I'd really, really love to get it working again.


Thanks!


Jay

[Jay3361]

A few updates...starting a new thread.  If I ever get this resolved, I’ll update this one & mark it closed.