Everything works fine, but slow flashing won't stop

[marktime]

I have an S-Plus double Diamond machine.  Everything works fine (coins, credits, bills) and I have no error codes.  But I have a slow flash on top and bottom of candle (slow/fast with door open).  I can't figure it out.  Can you help?

[rokgpsman]

Is that slow candle flash with door closed normal operation after getting a winning spin?

Maybe this will help.....

[Shaggy]

Picture not working on my view. 

Dave

[rokgpsman]

Picture not working on my view. 

Dave

do you mean the picture I attached Shaggy?

Here it is again, just in case.

[marktime]

Slow candle flash is constant, winning or losing.  It only goes out with powerdown.

[Shaggy]

Much better. I couldn't get to post before. Thanks

[rokgpsman]

Slow candle flash is constant, winning or losing.  It only goes out with powerdown.

Has it always done this since you got the machine, or did something happen and then the candle started flashing constantly? Do you have other S+ machines, might try swapping the mpu to see if that is the problem.

[knagl]

Some shots in the dark:

- It could be looking for a drop door closure and is signaling that it thinks the drop door (the door found in the base of the stand) is open.

- It could be an oddball SP chip that has another security check similar to the drop door (like a MPU tray lock switch).

What SP chip are you using?

[marktime]

My chip is SP1160. Most of the contacts have been bypassed except the optics. I don't care about the security on this machine, so is there a way I could bypass all the switches to remove that from the equation?

[Neonkiss]

If everything works fine, remove the lamp from the topper.

[marktime]

b..b..but how do I get cocktail service?  I sort of like having the lights working.  I'll look through the wiring again. 

Maybe I screwed up a setting in the self-test mode at some point.

[Shaggy]

You didn't screw up anything if you're getting cocktail service.        

[rokgpsman]

Not likely, but could someone have installed some flasher type bulbs in the candle? I've heard of them being used on some pinball and arcade machines, they flash on their own.

A careful re-examination of things might be in order.....

[off-track]

Not likely, but could someone have installed some flasher type bulbs in the candle? I've heard of them being used on some pinball and arcade machines, they flash on their own.

My Bally EM has some of those.  Bulb #455 in the upper payout field as an attract feature.  #44 is the standard non-flashing bulb.

FWIW.  www.pbresource.com is an excellent source of OEM bulbs, coils and misc parts at a great price.

[knagl]

The SP1160 has some unique options.  First, make sure you have zero credits on the machine (cash them out or play them out) before attempting to view or change any settings.

Start by making sure that in the Group 1 - Communication Options, that the communications type is set to 0 ("none").  You may need to use the SET chip to change the setting, but you can view the current setting by opening the door and pressing the self test button once.  The Coins Played display should show 0, and the Credits should show 0 ("None").  If the Credits display is set to 1 (Miser) or 2 (SAS), you'll want to change it to 0.  Press the Spin button to change the digit.  If it won't change, you'll need to use a SET chip to change it.

The next setting you'll want to check is that Drop Door Monitoring is disabled.  Press the self test button a second time and you should see "2   0" (or "2    1") in the Winner Paid display.  Now, turn the jackpot reset key until you get to "7    0" (or "7    1").  If option 7 is set to 0, you're good (disabled).  If it's set to 1 ("7    1"), press the Spin button to change it to 0.

Next we want to make sure that the Bill Acceptor Tilt Mode is disabled.  Turn the jackpot reset key until you get to 16, and ensure it's set to "16  0".  If it's at "16  1", use the Spin button to change it to 0.

You can also check the Rejected Bill Limit setting to make sure it's disabled.  Press the Self Test switch until the Coins Played display shows 11.  The Winner Paid display should be set to 0 (or 00).  Use the Spin button (and the Jackpot Reset keyswitch if needed to switch between digits) to set it to 0.

Other things to try if the light is still flashing:

-Try grounding the hopper probe.  SP1160 does hopper level detection -- it could be indicating that the hopper is low.  If you have coins in the hopper, put the probe in the lowest hole and ensure that it is covered by coins.  If you do not have coins (or enough coins), just ground the hopper probe to the cabinet to see if the flashing stops.

- The last thing I can think of is to fool the machine into thinking the card cage (MPU tray) is locked into place, since the SP1160 does support card cage detection.  There's an old thread here on the NLG archive site that explains how to jumper pins 4 and 5 on J2 on the motherboard so the machine thinks the card cage switch is closed.

Finally, you could always change to a different SP chip that doesn't have as many advanced features (and likely won't cause the candle to flash).  SP1160 supports game types 0, 1, 4, and 5 games.  If you have just a plain vanilla Double Diamond game (not "Deluxe" or any other variation), it's just a Type 0 game.  There are many other SP chips that support Type 0 games -- a list of SP chips can be found here.


...or, as was previously suggested, just remove the light bulb.