Older Double Diamond Video Slot Machine Not Working

[Amechanic]

Chrome prices have shot through the roof in the past few years with the EPA cracking down on toxic chemicals. From what I understand, if you want it for less you need to send it out of the US to places like Mexico. They have been developing a water based chrome that you can do at home, but those skits cost hundreds of dollars. Try calling a local chrome shop and ask for a phone quote with the plates dimensions.. You will fall out of your chair.. I almost did. 

[knagl]

This is an IGT PE+ video slot.  It's pretty much the same as an IGT PE+ video poker machine, but with fewer buttons on the player panel.  As rokgpsman stated, you have a standard PE+ board which is capable of running slots and some of the earlier video poker games.  While a superboard could also run the slot game, there would be no benefit to upgrading to one for this machine as you don't have the player panel buttons to turn it into a video poker game.

The PE+ slots were popular here in Minnesota as the tribal compact between the Native American casinos and the state specifically prohibits the use of spinning reel Vegas-style slots, so in the years before super-complex video slots with bonus rounds became a thing, the manufacturers got creative and created video versions of their spinning reel slots -- Double Diamond, Red White and Blue 7s, Sizzling 7s, etc., for markets like Minnesota that had a prohibition on spinning reel slots.

I posted some pictures a long time ago of other PE+ slot titles in this thread: http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=340.0

[rokgpsman]

Thanks knagl, that is an interesting old thread about the PE+ video slot machines and shows that where there's a will there's a way when it comes to the slot machine companies developing machines to comply with gaming jurisdiction regulations.

One of the old photos shows a PE+ slant top video slot and I think it has a bill validator, but the upright machines pictured did not (as far as I can tell). In general, I thought PE+ machines had an internal bill validator and PE machines did not. Or was it just that these were all early PE+ machines without bill validators? Does the PE+ video slot software support a bill validator, same as the PE+ video poker machines?

And if the OP wanted to, he should be able to swap software chips to install a different video slot game, such as Double Diamond Deluxe, and get the "nudge" feature? A lot of the PE+ video poker software is available on the various MAME websites for free download, perhaps they have the PE+ video slot software too.

PS> would you say that to replace his missing coin comparitor he should install a CC-16D ??

[rokgpsman]

The screen adjustment knobs work except for the far left one which I believe to be the adjustment left to right. Wonder if it’s nust a dirty pot and needs a new knob

The far left screen adjustment pot on my PE+ is for the Horizontal Width. If your's is frozen or stuck maybe you can replace it (or the entire control assy as Amechanic mentioned). If the pot is maxed out to one end then there might be something wrong with your monitor's circuit board. I think there is a resistor on the monitor circuit board that is the main part that sets the width, and the adjustment pot above the screen fine tunes it. As electronics age the resistor value may have changed. But that's just a guess.

Will it turn in either direction? If the pot is dirty or worn the wiper arm might not be making contact, some slight movement of it might get you a better width.

[Trooper11040]

It will turn but nothing happens. When I first turned it on yesterday I could swear the width was longer then it shrunk lol

[rokgpsman]

That could be because the pot wiper arm is broken, or something wrong on the monitor circuit board. Did you try pressing down on top of the adjustment pot, just to see if the wiper is not making contact? When turning the pot it should have a stopping point at each end of its travel. If it can turn continually, round & round, then the pot is broken.

You could try replacing the Horiz Width pot, or getting another adjustment assy board with all the adjustment pots on it as Amechanic mentioned. Maybe one of the techs familiar with your monitor will give some advice or ideas. Even as it is now you should be able to get the machine working by adding the coin comparitor. And I'd get a reset keyswitch to finish that part up, easy to install.

Did you find the white TEST button inside the machine? Pressing it will let you walk thru the setup/diag menu screens to see what options you have.  On my PE+ the mpu board (main logic board, the one that has the battery installed) is mounted in a metal tray above the monitor and the white TEST button is on the outside of the metal tray not far from the volume adjust, but your machine may be different.

[Amechanic]

Here is a pic of the comparitor in a PE+ I have in the garage that I picked up last year. It had a bad Ceronix chassis. It is a CC-16.. I did a quick look on EBay under 1492 Ceronix and those adjustment boards are still there.. They are $9.99 plus shipping.

[Trooper11040]

ok so I got the comparator ordered...found one on ebay for 25 bucks shipped..should be here hopefully Wednesday or Thursday.  i need to order 2 new key/tumbler sets and get a new jackpot reset key/tumbler as im missing the key for the jackpot reset.  Im also going to look into ordering a new board for the monitor and see if that could be the issue as to why its not getting wider...anywhere I can get a monitor used like the one inside the game?  This one has terrible burn in from what appears to be poker...lol...must have been swapped out from another game back in the day...the stickers inside are from a sioux falls indian tribe casino...kinda cool

[Amechanic]

Contact Alan at K-Lar. I know they have used monitors. You can find there banner ad on the home page. I do believe there is a LED replacement screen option for your game, but they run over $300.. K-Lar can also service your Ceronix chassis if it needs it.

[Amechanic]

Here is the link for that control board...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CERONIX-MODEL-1492-CONTROLLER/162790482382?hash=item25e711a1ce:g:q4cAAOSwInxXOMT9

[rokgpsman]

... i need to order 2 new key/tumbler sets and get a new jackpot reset key/tumbler as im missing the key for the jackpot reset. ...

If the reset switch is still in the machine you can probably just order the key, nearly all machines use the same reset key. It is commonly called a "2341" key because of the number stamped on it. But if the entire reset keyswitch is missing then yes you will need the whole thing.

example of 2341 reset key:

http://www.spininc.com/01465-0

[rokgpsman]

.....This one has terrible burn in from what appears to be poker...lol...must have been swapped out from another game back in the day...the stickers inside are from a sioux falls indian tribe casino...kinda cool

The screen burn is not unusual, these machines are decades old and were running 24/7 while in a casino. That's something that can happen to any older crt monitor so you will find a lot of that on used monitors.  When the screen burn is from the same game then it isn't as noticeable while playing the game, but in this case where the monitor was previously in a different machine then that will make it more noticeable.

[Trooper11040]

I ordered the little adjustment board that controls the width and height adjustments. I took the screen out today and it the board appeared to be burned out on the backside pins where the adjustment pots were. I’m looking forward to getting this all up and functioning again

[Amechanic]

Be careful when you install the new adjuster board that the pins on the boards don’t come in contact with the metal ring around the monitor and the same with the top bracket. They are a tight fit.

[knagl]

One of the old photos shows a PE+ slant top video slot and I think it has a bill validator, but the upright machines pictured did not (as far as I can tell). In general, I thought PE+ machines had an internal bill validator and PE machines did not. Or was it just that these were all early PE+ machines without bill validators? Does the PE+ video slot software support a bill validator, same as the PE+ video poker machines?

Like the OP's machine, those in the pictures in that thread are mostly older PE+ machines that didn't have the bill validators built in.  It's hard to see in those old blurry photos, but next to them are the "sidecar" bill validator boxes that were added on to the machines to allow them to accept bills.  You can see one fairly clearly in the third picture, of the "Pharaohs Gold" 4-reel slots.


Image credit: FORDBS


Unless I'm sorely mistaken, the difference between the PE and the PE+ is much like the S and S+, when looking inside.  The PE+ MPU board is mounted on a tray and slides in to mate with the motherboard.  The PE (non-plus) uses wiring harnesses that connect directly to the board (I think).  Regardless, there were many PE+ machines made that didn't have a bill validator built in.  In fact, the local casino still has three PE+ machines (since upgraded with LCD monitors) in service, all with those sidecar bill validators -- I'll try to get some good quality pictures of those next time I'm there.

And if the OP wanted to, he should be able to swap software chips to install a different video slot game, such as Double Diamond Deluxe, and get the "nudge" feature? A lot of the PE+ video poker software is available on the various MAME websites for free download, perhaps they have the PE+ video slot software too.

There's some PE+ video slot software floating around out there, mostly thanks to NLG members Stolistic and BrianT who both have done amazing work with MAME emulation and program archiving.  However, as was demonstrated here in this thread, the PE+ slots weren't terribly popular around the country and as such there have been fewer sources for game ROMs to archive.  There are many games which existed at one point that we simply don't have the software for, and may never get.

[Trooper11040]

This harness was behind the monitor when I took it out...anyone know what this goes too?  I saw a 6 clip harness on the board behind the monitor...not sure if it plugs in there?

[Trooper11040]

So I was playing around in the settings. My coin optics were all reading 0. Does that usually happen if a compartor isn’t on there? Or could the optics board be shot

[jay]

Did you drop a coin in to see if it changes ?

[rokgpsman]

Did you drop a coin in to see if it changes ?

or swish a popsickle stick (or narrow strip of cardboard) back and forth. You want to block, then unblock the optic sensors in there to test. The 2 boards are mounted parallel to each other, the coins pass between them.

[Trooper11040]

Yes nothing happened when I put a coin between it. I’m just wondering since there is no comparator there, it’s making it not work.