New Life Games LLC
**Reel Slots** Gaming Machines => IGT S and S-plus Reel Games => Topic started by: Piney on July 24, 2017, 12:58:51 PM
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New addition-- haven't a clue as to the battery age so thought I'd replace it . Does removing it cause a reprogramming session to be arranged ? Im not concerned about the statistics-- just the setup programming.
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Yes you have to reprogram it.
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If you have a meter you can measure the battery voltage without removing it. It may still be good and nothing to worry about at this time. I think if it is somewhere around 2.8 volts or higher you are ok. I've heard of people adding a new battery in parallel with the old one by wrapping the new leads around the old leads close to the board, solder if possible, but if not just wrap the leads a turn or two to make a solid connection. Then snip out the old battery. This way the voltage is never removed. Obviously this won't work if the battery is in a battery holder.
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I just changed one in my S+ Triple Diamond machine about a week ago. It was at 2.82v and was giving me the 12 error. I did not remove the battery or turn the reset key or anything, just let it set until the new battery came in.
The CMOS memory chip has a small capacitor in it that will hold the settings for about 45 minutes with the battery removed, if the battery is not already dead. It only takes about 5 minutes or less to change the battery if everything is ready. I changed mine out and reinstalled the board. Now I did not get the 61 error but the 12 error came back on. I pushed the test button through the option pages until the displays went blank. Shut and latched the door, it did the maiden spin, the displays came on and the insert coin lit up. It even saved the 2232 credits I had on the machine at the time of the error. I have been playing it ever since. If your battery is not dead but getting low and you feel like it is time to change it, you shouldn't have a problem. Mine worked perfectly.
Here is a post from Jay talking about the same thing. And the post it came from.
Dave
At this point - your machine is running. Don't touch the battery.
If your battery needs changing the machine will lock up and you will have a '12' in the winner paid area.
It means battery low. The batteries are soldered in and need replacing about every 12-14 years.
Considering that one of my machines was manufactured in 1994 and I replaced the battering in 2008 I got 24years out of mine.
The battery is there to keep the memory of the CMOS alive. This is the chip that has all the gaming history, settings for the machine etc.
The CMOS has a small capacitor built into the chip and it typically keeps its memory for 45min to an hour once the battery is removed.
So if you are efficient with a soldering iron you can replace the battery and you won't have issues.
If you have been ignoring your error 12 for a couple of months - its hit or miss if your chip has already lost its mind. Even with an error 12 your battery is not dead its just below the threashold voltage and has probably kept the CMOS healthy but the longer you leave it the more chance its dead. Other people remove the battery and then go shopping for a new one, find out the local homedepot doesn't stock these and then order one online.... and its been 3 weeks with out a battery etc....
If your battery has been dead and the CMOS has been wiped its possible that your machine won't recover after the new battery is put in (again hit or miss). This just means the format of the cmos is corrupted or missing. The Clear chip reformats this space and brings it back to factory defaults. After that you will need to reprogram reel sounds, hopper limits, credit limits and other settings. Again unless you are in some kind of funky state - running a clear should be avoided.
Jay
http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=11984.msg64715#msg64715 (http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=11984.msg64715#msg64715)