Need help troubleshooting Bally e series (2000 something) slot machine

[louisville]

I'm visiting my dad and was trying to help him fix his Bally e series slot (can't remember the exact number, but it was a 2000-something). This machine was working fine, but needed hopper reel discs adjusted sometimes because they would get out of alignment and would not lock into place. But yesterday we powered it up noticed and the LED/win meter progressive display was not working. Then we noticed hopper reset did nothing. Eventually realized hopper fuse had blown and replaced it with 5 amp 250 volt fuse. Now every time we power up things light up briefly and we hear a straining (cooling fan or hopper motor trying to start?) and then the hopper fuse blows. A few years back he had installed a brand new hopper board from somewhere (doesn't recall where), so can't follow the usual hopper board debugging steps. FYI everything on the hopper board looks spic and span so I don't think it's the problem. Today is my last day in town and we have a handful of new fuses and are going to try:


(1) turn on and try to quickly press reset before hopper fuse blows to see if something was in a weird state
(2) unplug hopper board and turn on to see if fuse blows to be sure the problem is not the hopper board
(3) the battery that powers the personality PROM is fully drained, so maybe it thinks the PROM is not installed, which page 7 of the manual warns will blow the hopper fuse. Going to see if I can recharge it by running it a while with the hopper fuse blown


Otherwise I am out of things to try so am looking for suggestions. I am baffled by why the LED/tilt display is not working anymore. Dad replaced that board recently and was working fine till yesterday. It would be so handy to have those error codes. Any tips on this? Thanks!

[Amechanic]

Check the plug on the power supply board behind the hopper. Check the plug for and dark burnt connectors.. You can also try removing and replugging that connector a couple times to clean the connection..

Can you release the brake on the hopper motor and spin the hopper disk by hand? There could be a coin or dirt jamming the disk..

[louisville]

Thanks for the quick response! No obvious burn marks on the power plug and we cleaned off the pins before plugging it back in. The motor spins fine manually when we release the brake. Some new info: powering up the machine with the hopper board not plugged in DOES NOT blow the hopper fuse. I'm not sure if that means it's a problem with the board OR with something the board is trying to do (like move the motor). This is a new board with the solenoid expander chip (bought off ebay), not the original.


Still no luck getting the LED display/win meter to work. It makes no sense to me that the hopper board would have something to do with that, but both stopped working at the same time. Any reason to suspect the MPU board? I'm not clear if there's some way that board could affect the hopper board blowing a fuse?


The battery on the mpu board is dead and leaving the machine on (with the hopper board fuse blown) does not seem to let it recharge. Not sure if that battery has held charge since dad purchased it, and have read on this forum that the machine will run without it. No signs of battery leakage. We did attempt reseating the EPROMs on the MPU, but they were in so tight we stopped since it was just a hunch and probably not worth damaging them.


Any tips greatly appreciated!

[slcjeeper]

One random thing to check : Just out of curiosity,  when installed, does the top right edge of the hopper come in close contact with the cabinet? If so, if there is an outlet in that same area, check the wires feed that outlet. A short can happen in this area from the wires being pushed into the outlet bracket.  When the hopper gets pushed in it can push the wires into the bracket causing a short and the hopper fuse to blow. The insulation doesn't even have to be completely wore through, just thin enough.

[Amechanic]

Couple thinks to check. How’s the condition of the power cord? Many get pinched where they go under the cabinet. Do you have a voltage meter? I’d check the power supply’s voltage output test loops. Ones marked ground, the other three should have 5v, 7.5v, and 10v. 

[Badbaud]

Blowing the hopper fuse could be a bad component on the hopper board.
The reason for this component going bad is simply the main computer board not coming up properly due to low RAM voltage.

[louisville]

I left yesterday afternoon, but am trying to help him remotely. He checked the positioning of the hopper -- it's not close to the back of the case and no wires seem to be compressed back there. He is going to check power board voltages today. I am really interested in that last reply about the low RAM voltage. Dad keeps the machine off for long stretches, and only on for short times when he's playing. He didn't know there was a rechargeable battery that was not getting recharged. I noticed the 'new game test' on page 6-7 of the manual, which happens at every start-up, depends on the Personality PROM being seated (otherwise the hopper fuse will blow). I believe one of the rechargeable battery's main functions is to power that Personality PROM, so a drained battery/unpowered PROM might be the equivalent of pulling the PROM out. We left the machine on a couple hours and saw no sign of any voltage in the battery.


I like the idea of it being a problem on the MPU board because it would at least be a link to why the LED display/win meter doesn't work anymore. I can't find a single post about a win meter that doesn't work, but it DOES plug directly into the MPU board.


As for the hopper board, he has a new one that is like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BALLY-SLOT-MACHINE-E2000-V2000-HOPPER-CONTROL-BOARD-E1000-with-cutting-/150619541405


I'm unclear what could go bad on this board if it was a problem with RAM voltage. With the original boards there are all sorts of posts about components that are easily damaged, but there are only a couple components on the new board. The chip (a solenoid expander chip) is soldered in, so not an easy swap-out.


Here is some additional info that maybe will mean something to someone knowledgable about Ballys. The whole reason dad turned it on when I visited was a problem with the reel mechanism. Previously he would get a tilt error code on maybe one reel, adjust it, reset the hopper, and be back in business. But recently all 3 reels would tilt, he'd adjust, hit reset, and they would lock into place correctly at start-up but give tilt codes after you pulled the handle. This happened over and over so he turned it off and didn't power it up again till I came to visit. When I came he turned it on, demonstrated the problem,  and hit reset on the hopper. The middle reel locked in place, the other 2 did not. The win meter no longer displayed error codes. Reset did nothing. We checked the fuse block and various other things. Eventually we realized the hopper fuse had blown. But every time we replaced it (used a 5 amp 240 fuse) it immediately blew on power-up. We'd hear a buzzing or a straining noise as the hopper initiated the start-up tests (maybe from the motor?) and then the fuse would blow. The win meter problem can't have been a coincidence, so must also be a symptom?


I wanted to check voltages on the MPU board -- the manual says this can be done, but I can't find any test loops! There are none in the schematic either. The words 'TEST' and 'RESET' appear on the board but not near any test loops I can see. Now that I've left town I'd need to direct dad what to do remotely. Should I just suck it up and get a new MPU board? Then possibly a hopper board if it still doesn't work... Dad is getting frustrated and wondering if he should give up and sell it :-)


I really appreciate the replies -- sorry I'm slow to respond but am only at hotels in a.m. and evening.

[Badbaud]

There are two paths in troubleshooting a E series game.
First is the boards, second is the mechanics.
The board set can be tested and repaired by sending them to a shop (like mine) where they are put on my E series board tester where a scope and a meter is used to verify and repair.
The second is the mechanics which can be troubleshot by removing old grease and re-lubricating critical linkages.

[Amechanic]

I agree with Badbaud, these games can be repaired. It’s sound like your fathers machine needs a tune-up. Clean and re-oil and grease the reel assembly. There are three cross shafts that have linkages and parts that pivot on then. When they dry out they become stiff and slow moving. This will cause the tilt codes. Reels stop locking or the reels will kick slower. Some people say that you can turn them on and let them warm up to loosen the old grease and oils, but it’s not the correct fix. It only get worse over time.
Badbaud is a great repair Tech to send your boards to. He’s located in Las Vegas.

[louisville]

I realize the cost will depend on what's wrong with the boards, but can you give me an idea of range to have the MPU board and hopper boards tested? Would you still consider doing the hopper board even though it's that new model I posted about? Shipping-wise maybe I should consider just sending any other boards that could be culprits in the same pack (power board maybe?). Thanks to Amechanic for the info on how to care for the reel assembly -- will definitely do this.

[Amechanic]

I think if your considering sending the boards in for service, that you send the MPU, IO, PS, hopper and maybe even the reel readers just to have them checked out. I don’t think your charged just to have them tested. Here is K-Lars web Page link.

https://www.slotmachinerepair.com/