Author Topic: New BB2 build project, suggestions/advice is humbly requested (Read 20381 times)

Rane420 · « **on:** November 30, 2015, 11:24:02 PM »

Hello once again. In speaking to one of our great venders about my plans to convert my Bluebird 1 to a Bluebird 2, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse and so my quest to build an Alice machine has taken a turn as well as it's first committed step. Now I need some help figuring out what all my following steps should be. I'm afraid my finances exceed my tastes so this will be a longer project and right now I'm in the fact finding stages.

In short, I am the proud owner of a BB2 cabinet, but I bought it knowing it was missing some critically important things, like a processor, a button panel, a game and a bill validator. I'm hoping that by posting some pictures, you can help me determine if that is a comprehensive list or if I need to add some things to my wish list. Also, I know where to pick up my Alice parts and processor, but does anyone have any recommendations on validators to look for or button panels? Can you get away with a bb1 style or do all the bb2's require OLED type?

rickhunter · « **Reply #1 on:** November 30, 2015, 11:54:11 PM »

You don't need the OLED panel for the games to work, unless the games require a special bet button, then you could use the SPN button panel for that. You would need to find the bb1 button and player panel lights harnesses to wire from the backplane. You will notice that your bb2 door has the pre-cuts for those harnesses. The validators are the same as those used in a bb1, even the harness is the same.

Harvs · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2015, 05:56:26 AM »

So you are going with the transmissive reel version of Alice? Tough kit to find, very cool.

I can help with the Bill Validator (UBA) and basic button deck or extra bet button deck. I also recommend eventually getting a top and lower monitor, so many cool vid games out there to play, and the swap from reels to vid takes minutes. I can help with those monitors too (for sure the top).

Looks like a fairly simple project to get that bad boy spinnin. Congrats on the BB2!

Rane420 · « **Reply #3 on:** December 01, 2015, 11:18:50 AM »

Hey Rick, thanks for taking care of the good news portion of this post.

Harvs, thank you for providing an example of why it is a good idea to know what you are doing when you buy a slot machine. I'm embarrassed to admit I thought I had a lower monitor already, but as your post suggests that would be the transmissive piece just covering some reels in my machine... I guess that leaves me with a little more thinking on the direction I need to go here... I'll PM you about what you have available. For now, I need to reach out to my Alice contact and see if they have some reels available as well. My fingers will remain crossed. In the long run, I'll definitely want to go the video route as well to gain access to the other titles. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll run into somebody with the Alice reel kit that always dreamed they could make their machine a Gold Fish 2 and we can work out some kind of swap. Once I get further along you'll probably be seeing a post in the classified section hoping that is the case!

rickhunter · « **Reply #4 on:** December 01, 2015, 04:39:58 PM »

If you come up with Alice Strips, you would be one lucky guy. They are next to impossible to find. The good news is that there is a video version of the alice games as well and it plays just like the reel version. So if you cannot come up with the strips, it is easy enough to come up with the video version of the game and a bottom monitor. If you then get the animator, you are all set and will look like this.

coolwavepic · « **Reply #5 on:** December 01, 2015, 11:12:35 PM »

Beware of the Alice reel strips. The reel version of the game defaults back to stop 1 when the game is not being played or has money in it so those 3 symbols on the reels get faded really bad. That is probabaly the reason they could be hard to find. My local casino has 3 Alice mechanicals and the default position has no color and have no clue at what you're looking. Shame WMS was careless on their reel strips.

Rane420 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 02, 2015, 07:01:24 AM »

That is a great point on the strips. When we played the reel version at the Paris, I thought the game was much older than it is due to that exact same issue. I really like the look of Rick's Alice picture

, it pops far more than the reel ones we played. I think my course of action will be to get the Goldfish 2 up and running first, then get the monitor and Alice parts up and going as video.

I believe that the BV that I will need for plug and play fun is a UBA, can anyone confirm if there is a specific version or if any UBA for Williams will do?

rickhunter · « **Reply #7 on:** December 02, 2015, 10:43:13 AM »

Yes, you already have the UBA cage in there, so a uba 10 flashed with the right software will do.

Rane420 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 16, 2015, 07:57:22 PM »

Hi all,

I was able to work some trades and have a BB1 panel with back plane harnesses in route as well as a UBA validator. Things are getting closer.

I also found some monitors that I may be picking up. Before I do, are there any other pieces and parts I need to be concerned about when converting from reel to video or is it simple plug and play? I've heard the process is pretty easy, but wasn't sure if I needed special harnesses and such.

rickhunter · « **Reply #9 on:** December 16, 2015, 08:59:08 PM »

Going from reel to video is easier since all you need to do is remove the reel shelf with the reels, and disconnect the reel controller, the power to it and the spn cable.

Then you just swap the monitor for the regular video monitor and then the topbox monitor. You will need a vga cable to go from the mpu to the topbox monitor and a dvi cable to go from mpu to main monitor. Also a power harness and a touchscreen harness for the main monitor since on a reel machine, they are actually connected to the transmissive monitor.

Rane420 · « **Reply #10 on:** December 17, 2015, 12:35:40 PM »

Thanks Rick, that helps a ton!

Rane420 · « **Reply #11 on:** December 28, 2015, 05:13:14 PM »

Well, I've got another question. Someone had suggested that I use my BB1 cpu to temporarily boot up my BB2 cabinet to make sure all the other parts test as good. The first issue I see is that on the BB1, the monitor is VGA, the BB2 is dvi. Can I buy an adapter to go from one to the other? I found such a thing on Amazon, but the comments were saying that the adapter would only work for DVI-A, not DVI-I. I have no clue which one is coming from my transmissible screen. My understanding is that the transmissible will be ugly, but good enough for a test. Any thoughts are appreciated!

idesign · « **Reply #12 on:** December 28, 2015, 06:24:11 PM »

Those adapters will not work, they don't go from VGA to DVI. You need to use a monitor that has a VGA connection. You can't use the transmissive monitor with the BB1 CPU.

Rane420 · « **Reply #13 on:** December 29, 2015, 01:43:16 PM »

Thanks, I was afraid of that.

So, to compensate I'm wanting to test with a PC monitor. But before I do, I thought I'd post my configuration in case anyone has cause for concern before I toast something. To recap, I have a BB2 cabinet, a BB1 cpu, a pc monitor, and a BB1 button panel using a BB1 button harness. Before I throw the power switch for the first time, does anyone have any concerns or things I should check? I did a ram clear on the working BB1 before moving it. Do I need to do the same on the BB2 cabinet to clear anything on the back plane?

idesign · « **Reply #14 on:** December 29, 2015, 01:48:03 PM »

Yes, you need to clear the BB2 backplane. Otherwise assuming the PC monitor is image compatible you should be good to go.

Rane420 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 29, 2015, 02:39:24 PM »

I appreciate the quick response!

After performing the 2nd clear, I think my test was as successful as I'm going to get with the monitor and touchscreen on separate devices. If I were to press on, I suspect I'd have an excessively unique config.

At least I now know that the power supply, touch screen, animator, sound and lighting seem to be in order. Once I work out the details of getting a real BB2 brain in this thing I should be good to go. It may not have been pretty to most, but it sure was to me!

Rane420 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 01, 2016, 10:05:00 AM »

Happy New Year!!!

Now for the question :-)

I got my BB2 monitors and have the main monitor mostly hooked up. I did not receive the harness for the touchscreen. I sent off an email to those I bought it from and may here back sometime next week. That said, I am curious what it will take to get up and going if they don't have it available to send out (and maybe to do some testing if I get too impatient). I saw near the backplane, a purple molex connector that looked like the one I disconnected for my transmissive screen and it looks like that runs up to a bunch of molex connections on the left side of the monitor area. I think what I am missing is a small six pin molex that goes from there to the monitor. According to the manual, it would be part "HD-021270-00-30". What the manual doesn't specify is whether the wires run to the same pin positions for each side of the harness. I'm thinking in the absolute worst case, I should be able to fashion some sort of jumper if I can confirm the pin positions. Anybody know that answer off the top of their head? At this stage I don't want to ask anyone to spend time pulling out monitors to look at the harnesses, but if someone already knows it's a simple run with no position changes I'd be grateful for the info!

idesign · « **Reply #17 on:** January 01, 2016, 10:31:08 AM »

What brand monitors did you buy? Is the touch screen connector on the back of the monitor a black molex micro-fit connector?

Rane420 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 01, 2016, 10:52:03 AM »

Those are great questions. Not sure I know the answer to either. I found a place that was parting out some BB2's and they sold me the set. I believe they are original, but that probably doesn't mean much. Sticker shows Wells Gardner. I'm also including a picture of the connector.

idesign · « **Reply #19 on:** January 01, 2016, 10:59:36 AM »

Looks correct. If the place you bought the monitor from doesn't have the cable you need PM me and I can make you up one.

Have you tested the monitor to make sure it powers up.

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Author Topic: New BB2 build project, suggestions/advice is humbly requested (Read 20381 times)