IGT S+ Double Diamonds noob

[John6072016]

This is a great machine. The price was perfect. Chances are good, that a battery will do the trick, and possibly the use of a clear chip.

One other question I had, on the top right of the machine there is a hole in the cabinet.  Looks like something was installed there at some point, anyone know what that would have been?

Casinos at this time usually mounted a players tracking box in this spot for your players card to be inserted, for point score and comp tracking.

[rickhunter]

The S+ rarely needs a clear chip.  If you had a validator I would recommend getting a SET chip, but since you don't, it doesn't matter.  99% of the time the S+ will come up after clearing the errors following the S+ common error FAQ/guide.

[rokgpsman]

The amount of knowledge on this forum is pretty incredible, thanks again for the insight guys.  I made a donation to the site hopefully that helps out with costs, etc.

Still waiting on the battery, I did pull the coin hopper out today and took a better picture of where that wire is running to.  As discussed earlier in the thread it sounds like maybe some part of the alarm system for the cabinet that it would have sat on.

One other question I had, on the top right of the machine there is a hole in the cabinet.  Looks like something was installed there at some point, anyone know what that would have been?  I'd like to cover that up or put whatever was there back so I don't have the silly looking hole there.  Hopefully you can see in the picture but there is a larger hole about an inch or two in diameter and then a couple small screw holes surrounding the larger hole.

If there isn't a ventilation fan in the machine somewhere on the inside then that could be what that hole in the side of the cabinet is for. A lot of machines have them when built new. Then years later if they go bad, start making too much noise or whatever, someone will remove it. On these older machines there isn't that much heat generated so a fan usually isn't needed when operated in a home, and really most USA casinos are so cold that I doubt they were needed there. Newer machines with a lot more electronics and lights do produce more heat so they probably do need fans. You can cover the hole on the outside with a square or round piece of perforated tin or other metal, like a speaker grill, use a few screws to hold it in place, and it will look like it's been there all along, plus will keep kid's hands or your cat from getting too inquisitive.

Another idea, if those 2 loose wires in the bottom of the machine will reach this hole then someone may have hooked up a speaker and mounted it on the inside of that hole. Those 2 disconnected wires don't look like factory original wiring, especially the splice connection on that connector wiring. If it isn't too difficult you may need to follow the wires they are spliced to and see where they are connected. Or see if that connector has a number that someone can find on the drawing. In your photo it looks like that white connector with the 2 splices is disconnected, is that how it was when you got the machine or did you disconnect it?

[rokgpsman]

.....The amount of knowledge on this forum is pretty incredible, thanks again for the insight guys.  I made a donation to the site hopefully that helps out with costs, etc....

Thank you for the donation, your "badge" should get updated to show that you are a contributing member. If it doesn't change from the 2 Cherries icon send one of the moderators a private message (pm) and they can check on it for you. With that you gain the additional benefits of access to the files download area and ability to post For Sale ads in the classifieds area (in case you want to sell this machine - ha!)

[Sunrise Side]

Those wires looked to be spliced into a 120 volt connection. ?

[diskmonger]

The amount of knowledge on this forum is pretty incredible, thanks again for the insight guys.  I made a donation to the site hopefully that helps out with costs, etc.

Still waiting on the battery, I did pull the coin hopper out today and took a better picture of where that wire is running to.  As discussed earlier in the thread it sounds like maybe some part of the alarm system for the cabinet that it would have sat on.

One other question I had, on the top right of the machine there is a hole in the cabinet.  Looks like something was installed there at some point, anyone know what that would have been?  I'd like to cover that up or put whatever was there back so I don't have the silly looking hole there.  Hopefully you can see in the picture but there is a larger hole about an inch or two in diameter and then a couple small screw holes surrounding the larger hole.

If there isn't a ventilation fan in the machine somewhere on the inside then that could be what that hole in the side of the cabinet is for. A lot of machines have them when built new. Then years later if they go bad, start making too much noise or whatever, someone will remove it. On these older machines there isn't that much heat generated so a fan usually isn't needed when operated in a home, and really most USA casinos are so cold that I doubt they were needed there. Newer machines with a lot more electronics and lights do produce more heat so they probably do need fans. You can cover the hole on the outside with a square or round piece of perforated tin or other metal, like a speaker grill, use a few screws to hold it in place, and it will look like it's been there all along, plus will keep kid's hands or your cat from getting too inquisitive.

Another idea, if those 2 loose wires in the bottom of the machine will reach this hole then someone may have hooked up a speaker and mounted it on the inside of that hole. Those 2 disconnected wires don't look like factory original wiring, especially the splice connection on that connector wiring. If it isn't too difficult you may need to follow the wires they are spliced to and see where they are connected. Or see if that connector has a number that someone can find on the drawing. In your photo it looks like that white connector with the 2 splices is disconnected, is that how it was when you got the machine or did you disconnect it?

Correct, that is how the wires were when I got the machine.

[rokgpsman]

Correct, that is how the wires were when I got the machine.

Due to what Sunrise mentioned, if you have a meter you might want to see if there is 115 vac line power on those wires, just in case. That could be a shock or shorting hazard, those slip-on/spade terminals usually aren't fully insulated, part of the metal terminal may be exposed. Someone may have added the wires to get line power for something they added at one time. Be careful handling them until you know for sure. If they do have line voltage on them I'd recommend you remove them. Unplug the machine from the wall outlet, cut the 2 added wires about 1 inch or so from their splices and put a twist-on wire nut to cover and insulate the short ends of the added wires. Or you could try removing the wires from the splice completely but they can be hard to undo.

[diskmonger]

Sure enough they were spliced into the 120V connection, just put a meter on it and confirmed.  I cut the wires down as suggested and added a coupe wire nuts on the ends and snugged them up nice and tight.  Also made sure to hide them behind the plastic protective piece with the other wires.

[knagl]

One other question I had, on the top right of the machine there is a hole in the cabinet.  Looks like something was installed there at some point, anyone know what that would have been?  I'd like to cover that up or put whatever was there back so I don't have the silly looking hole there.  Hopefully you can see in the picture but there is a larger hole about an inch or two in diameter and then a couple small screw holes surrounding the larger hole.

So, back in the day before player tracking equipment was standard fare on slot machines, add-on external player tracking devices were put on the upper-right side of slot machines.  That's what that hole is for.  You obviously don't need slot club player tracking, so that hole can be covered up.

The now-missing player tracking box may have looked something like this:

[diskmonger]

Anyone know what the appropriate button size/package would be for this machine?  I have at least one button "Bet one credit" that is stuck in the down position.  I bought what I thought were replacements for an S+ but they are larger than the ones that came off the machine.  The "Spin Reels" and "Bet 3 credits" are more of a rectangle but the new ones I picked up are square.

[rokgpsman]

Anyone know what the appropriate button size/package would be for this machine?  I have at least one button "Bet one credit" that is stuck in the down position.  I bought what I thought were replacements for an S+ but they are larger than the ones that came off the machine.  The "Spin Reels" and "Bet 3 credits" are more of a rectangle but the new ones I picked up are square.

I think IGT used different shape and size of buttons over the years, even on the same model of machine. From what I've read they changed the S+ large buttons to the square shaped design sometime around 1994 and the S2000 machines use the same or similar button. That's what most places carry as replacement buttons.

One of the members here is parting-out an IGT S+ and you can see the buttons on his machine are different from yours, even though both machines are S+:

http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=11843.msg63922#msg63922

Here are the buttons Spin, Inc has for the S+ but again the large buttons are square, not rectangular like you need:
http://www.spininc.com/73483-0

Would you be able to contact the place where you got them and maybe exchange the large square buttons for rectangular ones? Since your machine is an early S+ the buttons may be more like what was used on the plain S model machines, not sure. You may not be able to find new buttons like you need, and have to get used buttons from someone. There's probably a vendor here on NLG that has some used buttons from a machine like yours.

Also, since you are planning to replace it anyway you might remove the stuck button and disassemble it, a good cleaning might fix things. Or the spring may have broken and just needs replaced.

[cowboygames]

The stuck button may just have got some soda or whatever in there. Take it out and clean it. If it's broke, swap it for the change button for the time being. As stated above, the rectangular buttons might well have been square when the machine was new and got changed over time. In any case, the large square should still work though unless you don't like them

[diskmonger]

I didn't spend a terrible amount of money on the replacement (non-LED) so I'm not too worried about it, I'll do some checking around and maybe even contact the guy who is parting the other one out.  The good news is I took the old button apart and was able to stretch the spring out a little and I got that back in seemingly working condition again, so that is good.

On the new ones I got the thread is just barely a little too thick to allow it to slip down into the hole, I didn't want to force it and bend the plastic threads all up.  Still waiting on that battery, hopefully I will have that tomorrow or Saturday.

[rokgpsman]

Since you are a contributing member you could post a WTB ad in the Classifieds area about needing some replacement buttons, show the photo of what they look like. The classifieds are read more frequently by the various parts sellers here. My guess is someone has some good condition ones from a machine like yours that they would sell for reasonable cost. Is it just the 2 larger ones you need and the set you bought has the right size smaller buttons? Or did you get all wrong ones?

On the button that was sticky, if it sticks again what I've done is take it apart and lightly sand the sides of the button cover that moves up and down so there is a little more clearance between it and the button body. Or as cowboygames suggested, you can use parts from the red "Change" button to fix the sticky button, it won't matter if the "Change" button doesn't work great.

If your buttons aren't cracked or otherwise bad, just dirty, you can probably clean them with a some warm water and a little dish detergent. I've done that and they look much better. But if they have yellowed from the heat of the bulb inside the button about the only thing you can do is replace the yellowed parts, or entire button.

PS> you may want to contact an NLG staff member, or the big Kahuna himself and ask about getting your "Contributing Member" status updated in your NLG profile.

http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?action=profile;u=1

[diskmonger]

Since you are a contributing member you could post a WTB ad in the Classifieds area about needing some replacement buttons, show the photo of what they look like. The classifieds are read more frequently by the various parts sellers here. My guess is someone has some good condition ones from a machine like yours that they would sell for reasonable cost. Is it just the 2 larger ones you need and the set you bought has the right size smaller buttons? Or did you get all wrong ones?

On the button that was sticky, if it sticks again what I've done is take it apart and lightly sand the sides of the button cover that moves up and down so there is a little more clearance between it and the button body. Or as cowboygames suggested, you can use parts from the red "Change" button to fix the sticky button, it won't matter if the "Change" button doesn't work great.

If your buttons aren't cracked or otherwise bad, just dirty, you can probably clean them with a some warm water and a little dish detergent. I've done that and they look much better. But if they have yellowed from the heat of the bulb inside the button about the only thing you can do is replace the yellowed parts, or entire button.

PS> you may want to contact an NLG staff member, or the big Kahuna himself and ask about getting your "Contributing Member" status updated in your NLG profile.

http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?action=profile;u=1

Yeah none of the buttons fit down into the holes, they are just barely too big.  The donation was just a one time donation to help the site out, I didn't actually sign up to be a contributing member, etc. 

[rokgpsman]

ok, but I thought even a one-time donation got you 30 days as a contributing member.   

Here's a recent post about it from another member:
http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=11144.msg60009#msg60009


Anyway, will your old buttons clean up and look ok, or do they need replacing due to cracked or other appearance problems?

[diskmonger]

ok, but I thought even a one-time donation got you 30 days as a contributing member.   

Here's a recent post about it from another member:
http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=11144.msg60009#msg60009


Anyway, will your old buttons clean up and look ok, or do they need replacing due to cracked or other appearance problems?

I'll send the moderator a note about the contributing member thing.

The buttons are not bad, but I might need some bulbs.  Not sure if they come on before fixing the battery issue or not.

[jay]

Some of the lights come on regardless.
Spin won't light up unless the game is ready to play.

[rokgpsman]

...The buttons are not bad, but I might need some bulbs.  Not sure if they come on before fixing the battery issue or not.

I think the button bulbs are 6.3 volt mini-wedge base style but others here will correct me if that's not right. If you remove one of the bad bulbs you might be able to read the bulb number on it. There are some different choices in 6.3 bulbs, some with slightly more wattage that are a little brighter but give off more heat which can discolor your button. The button bulb numbers I'm aware of are # 86, 259 and 555. I don't know which bulb was the factory original that IGT used. They are often less than a quarter each in boxes of 10.
http://www.spininc.com/search?q=6.3+bulb

To jazz things up some owners replace the buttons bulbs with LED's. They give off a lot less heat, the lighting is softer, you can get different colors besides white and they use less electricity so are easier on your power supply and your elec bill,,,,.especially after you get a room full of machines.

As Jay said, some of the button lamps only come on when it is appropriate to press the button.

[diskmonger]

Ok guys,

Got the Battery replaced, we're passed the "12" code.  I got a "61" after powering the machine up which sounds normal after battery replacement.  Per the error code instructions I opened the machine and held the white test button down for 2-3 seconds, never got a sound but the display went to "61_1".  I closed the door and turned the jackpot key and now I'm back to 61 again.

I did this a couple times, always the same result.  Sounds like I may be stuck in this 61 loop I was hearing about.  Should I be thinking about using the RESET chip now or if there anything else I can try?

Thanks again for all the great help!