Code 12, changed battery -> 61 -> 61-1 -> now no display

[KrazyKatLady]

I was visiting over Father's day weekend and my Dad's S+ was suffering from a code 12.
My brother and I were able to find and replace the battery, test it - looked good, closed it up and got the expected code 61 followed by 61-1.
At this point we didn't have a jackpot reset key and honestly were just giving our best guess in what we were doing.
I'm not sure what exactly we were doing when we lost all read out, but it would have been beyond opening and closing the door, hitting the internal reset switch or at most bridging the reset key connectors with the door open.
No candles, no readouts, to diagnostic mode.

The machine powers on and lights up, bill reader cycles, reels do not cycle but they have power and tension.
Fuses look fine. I'm guessing we have a problem with the board connection and it's not just a display down.  Coins fall through and there is no game play. We didn't try the bill reader.

We eventually tried running wires from the jackpot reset to the outside of the machine so we could bridge it with the door closed to simulate (hopefully) a key turn.  Took the board out and tried resetting it a couple times.  We got nothing. I had to leave and am sending my brother back a jackpot reset key, clear and set chips.  Just fearing that it is too late for any of those to be useful with no read out or access to the diagnostic mode.  Does any of this sound familiar? Is it likely we killed the whole board?

Thanks for any input!
KKL

[Badbaud]

Usually it is a bad connection on the mail power plug on the backplane board.

The backplane board is the one that the main game board plugs into.

The 6 pin white connector has so much current going through it that after time the pins turn black and don't allow full current flow.

You could unplug the connector and clean the backplane board side pins (header) with a green scotch pad.

But if the tin on the post is showing pitting or copper exposed the header will have to be replaced.

On the connector side you can remove a wire and pin by pressing down on the keeper window and compressing the keeper so the wire and pin slide out then clean the pin and widen it out so it can grab the post better. Spread the keeper back out with a razor blade slightly so it latches into the keeper hole.

If the game still doesn't come up you can then try clearing it with a clear chip but that process also clears the EEPROM on the backplane board so if you have a bill validator you will have to use a set chip to re-enable the bill validator.

Did you use a 3.6V lithium battery? Is it in the correct way (+) towards edge of board.?

[KrazyKatLady]

Good to know, I will forward the connection information to my brother.

The battery was a match, tested after installation, and double checked when we started having problems.

Thanks!

[Shaggy]

You guys didn't pull the MPU out while the power was still on did you? That can cause a multitude of problems. Also turning (bridging) the reset needs to be done with the door closed and the latch all the way down. And Welcome to NLG. Hope we can help you.
Dave

[Mr. Dinoman]

Once you remove the battery you have to do a RAM CLEAR...If you have a Bill validator you will also have to enable the BV with a BV set chip...Hopefully you did not pull the MPU board out will powered on...IF you did, you most likely fried the MPU board...

[Shaggy]

I have replaced batteries on S+ machines and didn't have to do a clear. The 61, 61-1 and close the door and latch it and turn the reset key. My Haywire fired right up and worked perfectly. I think you only need the clear if you're stuck in the 61 loop. Unless you change SP chips and get it out of the 61 that way.

[Mr. Dinoman]

Sounds like he is if it won't reset...

[Shaggy]

They never got it to that point because they didn't have a reset key. And I believe they tried to short the reset connection with the door open. Not sure exactly what is going on here. Need a little more info.

[Badbaud]

I still think it is a bad power plug on the backplane.

Just fixed one with the same exact problem last week.

If they remove the coin tray then close the door all of the way the 61-1 will go away by shorting the two wires they extended out from the reset key switch.

Also the initialization is not instant it takes 30 seconds or more for the board to come up and show a display.

[knagl]

Once you remove the battery you have to do a RAM CLEAR...

This is not true.  Heck, on some S+ machines I haven't even had to clear a 61 error after a battery change.

I still think it is a bad power plug on the backplane.

I agree.  With the power off, remove the hopper, remove the MPU board/tray, and check the power plug that runs from the power supply to the fixed motherboard.  I suspect you'll see a burn mark like in the following post:

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=8305.msg72831#msg72831

Simply removing the plug and re-plugging it a few times should be enough to temporarily get the machine to work again.  A more permanent fix would be to get a replacement wire harness.

[Badbaud]

Ya, that power plug header on the backplane board can be very deceptive.

We usually take a known good backplane board with us on service calls, one with a new 6 pin power header soldered into the board.

I swapped out the customer's backplane board and got the machine working.

Back at the shop I took a closer look at the 6 pin header on their board.

What I found was a couple of pins that looked shiny and good but with a little cleaning with a scotch pad the shiny tin slipped right off of the pin and underneath I found a black, burned pin that would show no conduction when tested with a Ohm meter.

[Mr. Dinoman]

Not saying it is 100% everytime...Just saying my opinion on what they have stated...Sounds like a wait and see game...Hopefully KrazyKatLady will post a final solution to their problem...

[Ron (r273)]

Just a reminder, in the photo on the old site. I took that years ago and  I turned the power plug around to see the burnt spot on the plug. 

[KrazyKatLady]

Thanks for all the recommendations to check out, I am forwarding them all on.

We did not pull the MPU with power on, but we did try bridging the reset with the door open.

It would be a couple days yet before the key shows up in the mail but hopefully I can have some of this checked out before then.  I will definitely update again with what happens or what he finds.

Thanks!
KKL

[KrazyKatLady]

So, not surprisingly, the key didn't help us get any further than we already were. I forwarded this to my brother and asked him to check things out, he said it all looked good, but it kinda sounded like was just checking the board and not the power supply connection :/

The only thing that looks different in this situation is in the other example of the power supply the reels did not have power, correct?
When I was there last the reels most definitely still had tension when the machine was on.

Either way, looks like this is on indefinite hold until I get back out to visit or they find someone local to take a look at it.
Thanks again for all the advice and recommendations!

KKL