Slot Tech Magazine

Page 3-Editorial
Page 4-Component Identification and Testing-Part 1
Page 14-Quick & Simple Repairs #103
Page 18-GTECH’s Sphinx 3D – You’ll Hardly
Believe your Eyes!
Page 22-Subscriptions
Dear Friends of Slot Tech Magazine,

I have one diagnostic skill that has helped me fix more broken crap
equipment than anything else. I (mostly) know what all the parts are Randy Fromm
and I (mostly) know how to test them all using simple, inexpensive
equipment (OK, maybe that’s two skills). It’s a technique I developed
out of desperation in High School when all of my friends were work- Randy Fromm's
ing at gas stations, pumping gas and cleaning windshields (yes, we Slot Tech Magazine
actually did that, once upon a time) I had managed to score a job as a
busboy and dishwasher at a local restaurant. That lasted about a
week before I realized that it was not a good career path for me. I Editor
had SKILLS! After all, I had actually built a set of “electronic bongos” Randy Fromm
once! Technical Writers
James Borg, Jason Czito,
This was the era of the 8-track car stereo (Google it). There was a Vic Fortenbach, Diana
local storefront outlet that sold bootleg 8-track tapes. It was really Gruber, Henry Kollar, Chuck
common back then. He also offered a repair service (head cleaning Lentine, Craig Nelson,
and alignment, mostly) and was looking for a technician to handle Kevin Noble, Pat Porath
the more difficult repairs. I convinced him I could do the job and do it
for cheap. I could ride my 250CC, Italian motorcycle (a Benelli!) over Slot Tech Magazine is published
to the store, drop off repaired units and pick up a new batch of bad monthly by
Slot Tech Magazine
ones. I had almost no idea what I was doing. I hadn’t actually re-
1944 Falmouth Dr.
paired anything, I had just built bongos and transmitters and stuff. El Cajon, CA 92020-2827
tel.619.838.7111 fax.619.593.6132
What saved my ass was two things: These were stereos so there e-mail editor@slot-techs.com
were always two, identical channels. This enabled me to compare Visit the website at slot-techs.com
the good side to the bad side (component testing) when the symptom
SUBSCRIPTIONS
was loss of one channel (the most common failure by far). We do this Domestic (North America)
in the casino business as well. We rarely have just one of anything. 1 year - $80.00
Often, we have dozens or even hundreds of identical units we can 2 years - $140.00
use for comparison purposes or even “swaptronics.” The other thing International
1 year - $160.00
that saved my butt from the sweatshop of the kitchen was my famil-
2 years - $300.00
iarity with the individual (discrete) components. I know what they
are and I know how to test them to see if they’re good or bad. The Subscribe online at
“understanding” part of electronics and electronic circuitry came slot-techs.com
much later in my career but I was able to fix a lot of stuff before that
Copyright 2014 under the Universal
kicked in.
Copyright Convention. All rights re-
served.
This month presents part one of “Component Identification and
Testing.” It’s sort of a compilation of some of the material we’ve
covered previously along with some new material. I admit to having
an ulterior motive in putting this together as “Component Identifica-
tion and Testing” is one of the presentations I’ll be giving at Tech- TechFest 29
Fest 29, coming up May 13-15 at Mystic Lake Casino (registration is
now open for this often sold-out event. See the website at slot-
Mystic Lake Casino
techs.com for registration form and schedule of events.) and I May 13-15, 2014
needed a nice handout for the session! Enrollment is now
open at
slot-techs.com
Publisher-Slot Tech Magazine
 Slot Tech Feature Article

Component Identification
and Testing

S
econd only to solder ent types of failures?
ing skills, the most
important skill I have Knowing how components
developed in my years as fail is also the key to read-
an electronic technician is ing schematic diagrams.
the ability to test individual Armed with just a few key
(discrete) components. This measurements from a digi-
skill has allowed me to fix tal multimeter, it is possible
everything from 8-track to pinpoint problems like
cassette players (when I open or shorted compo-
was still in high school) to nents because we KNOW
advanced radar systems on what to expect when the
US Navy vessels that may part fails. This type of logi-
(or may not) have carried cal troubleshooting can
nuclear missiles. bring you quickly to the
cause of your problem
Passive Components/ without agony or hair-
Active Components pulling. With that in mind,
let’s take a look at how
The discrete components parts fail (and how to test
fall into one of two them).
categories:active and pas-
sive. As their names imply, NOTE: All of the following
one group might be tests are performed under
thought of as having com- static, “power-off” condi-
ponents with “Type A” per- tions. This makes the tests
sonalities while the other is safe, with no possibility of
filled with couch potatoes. electrical shock or damage
We see failures with both to the equipment or compo-
types of components but nent under test.
the failure mode often
differs between them. The Resistors
key to fast and accurate
troubleshooting lies in As far as troubleshooting is
knowing how the compo- concerned, resistors are
nents are likely to fail. By used in two different kinds
this I am referring to the of circuits: Power circuits
nature of the failed compo- and signal circuits. In a
nent itself. Is it shorted? Is power circuit, resistors are
the part open? Can you used to drop a voltage or to
count on this component limit current. In both of
always to fail in the same these cases, all of the cur-
manner or can the bad part rent required to power a
assume a number of differ- circuit will have to pass
Page 4 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014
February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 5
through the resistor first. their own. Typically, some- test have often proven
This type of resistor often thing else fails and takes themselves to be defective.
will be in the 1 watt to 10 the resistor out with it by
watt range. It may be made creating excessive current You’ll encounter a small
from metal-oxide (such as draw across the resistor handful of different types of
tin oxide-SnO) or it may be and “popping” it. capacitors with all sorts of
a ceramic, wire-wound weird shapes and colors.
resistor, made from Resistor Test Fortunately, there is only
Nichrome (a nickel-chro-
mium alloy) with a ceramic There is a dedicated
body that can withstand resistance tester in the
the heat given off by the digital multimeter. It’s
resistance wire during marked with the omega
operation. symbol. We’ve covered the
resistor “color code”
In a signal circuit, the resis- previously so we won’t
tor will generally be one- repeat it here. Suffice it to
quarter watt or one-half say that if the resistor
watt. These resistors are measures a higher
not handling any signifi- resistance than it’s
cant amounts of current supposed to be (or is open
and, as such, are unlikely completely)it’s bad. Typical aluminum electrolytic
to fail. capacitor
Capacitors
Regardless of the type of
circuit it’s in, when a resis- Capacitor failure is not
tor fails, it will ALWAYS quite so cut and dried as
OPEN or increase in value. resistor failures. Capacitors
Whether it’s a carbon-film cannot be adequately
resistor, a metal-oxide (AKA tested with the DMM for
metal film) resistor or a anything but a short circuit
ceramic, wire-wound resis- (they should not test
tor, when it fails (either on “shorted”). Although many
its own or by virtue of some technicians claim that
other component failure) a capacitors can be tested by
resistor will open-circuit. A using the resistance (ohms)
resistor will never short- setting of the meter and Above:This is what’s inside! It’s
mostly aluminum foil and paper.
circuit or “partially” short- watching the resistance
circuit. change as the capacitor Below:Surface-Mount Electrolytic
charges, I have found this Capacitors
In general, higher wattage test to be extremely mis-
resistors are much more leading. Capacitors that
likely to fail than ¼ or ½ appear to pass the “charge”
watt resistors as they must
dissipate more heat.

When a resistor opens,

always check any semicon-
ductor connected to it. Look
for a shorted semiconductor
as resistors rarely fail on

Page 6 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 7
one type that causes most of the problems, splitting covers. On surface mount capaci-
the electrolytic capacitor. It is also the tors, look for the solder connections under
most common failure in power supplies the capacitor to have a cloudy look. This
and monitors. In fact, it is the most com- can be easily confused with perfectly good,
mon type of electronic failure in the world. lead-free solder joints (which always look
Capacitor failure is so common, I generally sort of grainy) so be sure to compare to
travel with a suitcase full of them when I’m other solder joints on the PCB. In some
training or sitting on the bench at a re- cases, you can still see a tell-tale bulge in
mote location. the top of a surface-mount electrolytic
capacitor but it’s not common. Most bad
Capacitor Failures surface-mount electrolytic capacitors show
no external symptoms.
There are several ways a capacitor can fail.
In slot machines, the high temperatures After visual observation and replacement of
inside the cabinet often cause electrolytic the obvious offenders, it’s time to measure
capacitors to dry up. In high-frequency the rest of the electrolytic capacitors. The
circuits such as switched-mode power problem of measuring each capacitor is
supplies, the capacitors tend to bulge and more difficult than measuring resistors,
leak. The technician must check all elec-
trolytic capacitors for physically leaky or
dried-up capacitors followed by measuring
the capacitor’s high-frequency, Equivalent
Series Resistance (ESR).

Dried up and Physically

Leaky Capacitors

As a capacitor dries up internally, it can

become electrically leaky. As the capacitor
dries up, it can cause strange problems in
the particular circuit it is in. If the capaci-
tor is in the power supply, jail bars or
“hairy” interference may ride on the video.
In the audio section it can cause distortion
or low audio. In the system control supply,
it can cause intermittent functions and
microcontroller confusion, even a blank
Bad electrolytic capacitors often bulge on top or even
display. In the video circuits it can cause crack open their “safety vent.”
incorrect colors and/or a washed-out
image. Often, the problem will be less
noticeable if the unit is left on for some
time. That’s because a dried-up capacitor
will usually decrease its ESR with higher
temperature.

Most technicians already know these

symptoms and have an idea where on the
board to start. The first step is visual ob-
servation. Vacuum all debris off the board
and look for dark areas under each cap,
for bulging tops and for shrunken and/or

Page 8 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 9
which can be measured in CapAnalyzer 88A board copper foil. This
circuit quite easily with any frequency is also high
cheap DMM. That is be- This meter automatically enough to ignore any coils
cause any circuit that en- discharges the capacitor over 5 uH. ESR testing is
compasses an electrolytic under test, checks for Low done with a calibrated low
capacitor already has some DCR, then checks and resistance at the test point
DC resistance and some displays ESR on a 20 seg- which allows it to compen-
capacitance from other ment LED bar scale. It sate for normal circuit
parts of the circuit. includes a low-capacitance, resistance. Both DCR and
one-handed tweezer test ESR measurements are
The trick to locating bad probe, and beeps from one under 50 millivolts so that
capacitors in-circuit is not to five beeps depending on no active devices are turned
to measure capacitance at the ESR reading of the cap. on, therefore only the com-
all! Years of testing by Possibly its best attribute is ponent at the test point will
many technicians and a three-colored chart on the respond. However, because
engineers has shown that front panel that shows it checks DCR first, it will
as a capacitor ages, its typical ESR readings of alert the technician imme-
Equivalent Series Resis- good, fair and bad caps diately if the capacitor or
tance increases. depending on their capaci- anything else in that circuit
tance. is shorted or leaky, before it
What is ESR? checks ESR. This test pa-
The CapAnalyzer 88A rameter (DCR OHMS SET
Without going through the claims 100% accuracy in ALERT) is user adjustable
math, a perfect capacitance circuit because of its testing from zero to 500 ohms.
will measure as an open parameters. The frequency
circuit at DC and will show is high enough to make the Using the CapAnalyzer
less and less resistance as capacitor’s actual capaci- 88A to Check Electro-
the frequency across it tance insignificant, so it lytic Capacitors
increases. Some inexpen- measures only the ESR.
sive capacitor meters utilize The high test frequency When the CapAnalyzer 88A
this property by measuring also helps isolate the ca- is first turned on, after a
a capacitor’s impedance pacitor under test from the second of internal calibra-
(Impedance is a type of rest of the circuit via the tion checks, it will briefly
resistance measurement. It high inductance of the pc check all LEDs, multi-tone
is “AC resistance”) at a fixed
frequency such as l kHz
and translating the reading
to capacitance. In reality,
checking a capacitor at 1
kHz only works if the ca-
pacitor is being used in a
circuit that also operates at
1 kHz. It makes more sense
to forget about capacitance
altogether and use our
knowledge that high fre-
quency ESR increases with
age and as a capacitor dries
up.

Page 10 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

beeper and the battery. Then, it will flash Capacitor Testing
the OVER LED slowly to indicate ready.
The DCR OHMS slider set alert is normally As you touch and hold the probe across
set to about 150 ohms. To test an electro- the cap, the unit will chirp once to indicate
lytic, simply hold the tweezer test probe testing has started, will pass the DCR test,
across the capacitor leads. Polarity does then will chirp one or more times depend-
not matter. The CapAnalyzer will chirp ing on the ESR of the cap. The
once to let you know that you have a good CapAnalyzer 88A has been designed to
connection and the DISCHARGING LED chirp once if the ESR is less than one
will turn on for a fraction of a second. ohm, two chirps from one to two ohms,
three chirps from two to three ohms, four
The first test is the DCR test. The chirps from four to eight ohms and five
CapAnalyzer will show either a NORMAL chirps from eight to 20 ohms. The handy
or LOW LED, depending on the setting of three-color chart on the front panel shows
the DCR OHMS SET ALERT slider. If the typical ESR readings, so if a 2.2 uF capaci-
slider is set to 50 ohms, the CapAnalyzer tor chirps three times and shows 3.00
will sound an alarm and light the DCR ohms ESR, the chart shows that this is in
LOW LED if the DC resistance is lower the green, good.
than 50 ohms. Most circuits will never
show this low normally. However, in some As a rule, some caps can show in the yel-
circuits, the circuit’s resistance might be low area and may still work adequately. It
lower or higher. In these cases, you may is up to the technician to make the deci-
set the slider for as low a DC resistance as sion on whether to replace these question-
you expect the circuit resistance to be able caps or not. However, any caps that
normally. For example, where the supply show ESR in the red areas are out of spec
must power a 15 ohm load, you could set and must be replaced.
the slider to 10 ohms. The CapAnalyzer
would treat any DC resistance above 10 Note that if an electrolytic capacitor is in
ohms as normal and warn you if measured such bad condition to be over 20 ohms
DC resistance is lower than 10 ohms. In ESR, the CapAnalyzer will treat it as an
fact, you can set the DCR SET ALERT open circuit and will not even try to test it.
anywhere from a fraction of an ohm by The OVER indicator will continue to flash.
setting the slider all the way down to 0, to
as high as 500 ohms DCR. ADVERTISEMENT - Power Supply Repair

Be advised that if you have the slider set

higher than 100 ohms and try to measure
a very large electrolytic, the charging time
to test the electrolytic may exceed the
DCR test period and you may get a false
DCR LOW, or the CapAnalyzer may try
testing the capacitor over and over because
of conflicting test results. Therefore, use
50 ohms as a guideline when measuring
most medium to large electrolytic capaci-
tors and use the values higher than 100
ohms when measuring small tantalum and
surface-mounted capacitors. Surface-
mounted tantalums can become leaky by
as high as 500 ohms.

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 11

Replace these caps, as they a shorted capacitor will inc.com. We have covered
are bad, no matter what show a low ESR, so we the use of this device this
their capacitance is. If you recommend using only the device extensively in Slot
wish to double-check the full test. This feature also Tech Magazine.
test probe at any time, uses less power and will
simply short the probe result in longer battery life. Inductors
contacts together and the
CapAnalyzer will do a self- Tantalum Capacitors The final type of passive
test. You can also check component is something
calibration at any time with Surface-mount, tantalum called an “inductor” (get it?
a 10 ohm resistor: set the capacitors are not wet in- ResisTOR, capaciTOR,
DCR OHMS alert to zero side and therefore exhibit inducTOR). We use induc-
and measure across the completely different symp- tors (also known as “coils”
resistor; the 10 ohm ESR toms when they fail. Quite or “chokes” depending on
LED should illuminate. often, tantalum capacitors how they’re used) all over
will short-circuit. If you the place in electronics. In
In some cases, you may have the component out of radio circuits, they’re a part
find capacitors that are circuit, it’s an easy test with of the circuit that allows
physically leaking, yet they your meter set to measure you to “tune” into a specific
check as perfect. Although resistance. It should read frequency or station. A
the capacitor is leaking, it “open.” However, if the “tuned” circuit “resonates”
has not leaked enough capacitor is across a at a specific frequency and
electrolyte to render it “buss”to which more than a coil is half the circuit (a
defective and will still oper- one component is con- capacitor makes up the
ate perfectly in the circuit . nected, they will ALL seem other half, if you care. You
. . for a while. If you wish to to be shorted when mea- don’t). Coils are used ex-
avoid callbacks, replace sured in-circuit. You’ll need tensively in slot machines
them anyway. something tricky like the (everything, really) as part
LeakSeeker from eds- of a circuit to reduce elec-
Quick ESR Test
Examples of typical inductors
Normally, the CapAnalyzer
discharges the cap, then
tests for DCR, then mea-
sures ESR. In many cases,
you might know for sure
that there are no shorted
capacitors and might wish
to save some time by elimi-
nating the full test and just
want to quickly check the
ESR. To put the
CapAnalyzer 88A in this
special Quick ESR test,
turn the unit on while
shorting the probes ends
together. Instead of the
multi-tone song, the
CapAnalyzer will only beep
twice and be ready for
testing. Keep in mind that

Page 12 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

trical “noise” called EMI or temperature cycling. generally speaking, when
Electromagnetic Interfer- they fail, they short circuit.
ence. Modern switching Active Components Big time. Shorted semicon-
power supplies generate ductors can cause addi-
enormous amounts of EMI They’re called “active” com- tional damage to other,
and the inductors help to ponents because they connected components.
remove it so it can’t inter- switch on and off, control-
fere with the other circuitry ling the flow of electric -Continued Next Month
in the system. The other current. Sometimes they’re
part of the EMI noise reduc- on, allowing current to flow
tion circuit is, you guessed through them. Sometimes For schematic dia-
it, capacitors. they’re off, blocking the grams, service
flow of current. Sometimes
In a nutshell, most good they’re switched slowly on manuals, diagnos-
inductors will simply test as and off and at other times, tic software and
a dead short on a digital they might be switching on more, visit the Slot
multimeter set to measure and off thousands or mil-
resistance. A bad inductor lions of times a second. Technical Depart-
might simply be physically Some semiconductors can ment at slot-
broken (broken wire) and be turned on part way, tech.com.
so would test “open” with allowing us to maintain a
an infinite resistance. A precise voltage or current
burned coil might have level. Because they are For faster/batch
shorted turns as the insu- “active” and are often con- downloads, visit
lating varnish may have trolling high voltages and/
burned right off the wire or large amounts of cur- the ftp server at
itself. Naturally, this would rent, these devices are ftp.slot-tech.com
test the same as a good coil prone to failure. Generally username=Slot
(dead shorted on the meter) speaking, these active com-
but hopefully, you would ponents are known as Tech
notice that the device was “semiconductors” and, Password=kxkvi8
black and toasty before you
bothered to test it.

HOWEVER, you are not at

all likely to encounter a bad
inductor that is not physi-
cally damaged in some way
(broken or burned) and, in
fact, you’re not likely to
encounter a bad inductor at
all other than fractured
solder joints where they
solder to the printed circuit
board (PCB). It is extremely
common for large, heavy
coils (often in the form of
donuts-shaped coils known
as “torroids”) to break free
from the solder of the PCB
due to vibration and/or

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 13

 Slot Tech Feature Article

Quick & Simple Repairs #103

By Pat Porath

the individual that I would WMS “Reel ‘em In” Pro-

like to do some “tweaks,” gressive Error
“enhancements” or “revi-
sions” to try to cure this I was asked to check out a
problem. Not like it was a bank of “Reel ‘em In” pro-
major problem, only peri- gressive games. All of the
odically. My co-worker games displayed a “progres-
already had a “tweak” and sive unconfigured” error.
had done it to a bank of Along with that, all of the
WMS UBA Assembly games, which worked well progressive amounts on the
“Tweak” because I can’t recall get- games were blank. I could

F
ting any bill acceptor errors have called our WMS field
or one reason or to that section. Here’s what tech (maybe should have)
another, it seems was done: a washer was put but why not check it out
once in a while on in place, underneath the myself? Since there weren’t
our WMS Bluebird games bolt that holds the bill any dollar amounts dis-
the UBA doesn’t work prop- acceptor assembly in (see played, the problem may be
erly because the stacker picture). Once the washer a controller error. When
box has to be seated in the is in place and the bolt locating and taking a look
assembly just perfectly. On tightened, at the progressive controller
the exterior of the game, the whole
the bill acceptor bezel will bill acceptor
be lit up but when a bill or assembly
ticket is inserted, the unit stays in
will only continuously run place and
until an error appears on there are
the screen and not accept less bill
money (as a note, we also acceptor
have had a few minor is- errors. The
sues with IGT and Aruze steel washer
games and UBAs too.) A needs to be
tech will reseat the stacker the correct
box until it sits perfectly in size so when
the assembly and a “normal the bolt is
bill acceptor” cycle is heard. tight (not
It is then tested with a super tight
blank ticket to make sure it or it will
doesn’t come up with an strip the
error again. I was working threads) it
on a UBA in a WMS game will work as
when a co-worker came intended.
along (For privacy reasons,
I’m not allowed to name my
co-workers). I was telling

Page 14 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

(small tan box mini com- test button, “no games and 5 play Jacks or Better
puter) I noticed there enabled” appeared, defi- enabled. Not Bonus Poker,
weren’t any lights flashing nitely not a good sign. Now Keno, or Black Jack. Any-
on the CAT-5 cable connec- I needed to get USB KEY 7 way, the game I was work-
tor. Generally two lights to set the game back up ing on had around 10 dif-
should be flashing on the along with the so called ferent games that were
connector, a transmit LED “multi-game book” in our supposed to be enabled.
and a receive LED. This was data room (I think it’s USB KEY 7 was inserted
dead. Power was cycled, pretty neat). We have a into the “brain box” and I
within a minute or so lights multi-game binder in our started enabling the correct
started flashing, then dollar data room that has all of games. Then I forgot a
amounts appeared on the our slots that have multiple crucial part of setup, select-
games. A simple reboot of denominations and numer- ing ENABLE GAME on the
the controller cleared the ous games. In our bank of bottom left part of the
progressive errors. IGT Game Kings, we have screen. The game was high-
around 34 different games. lighted and saved but it
IGT “Red Screen” Non- This binder comes in handy wasn’t turned on...duh.
Recoverable Error on a weekend or a holiday After starting the procedure
when office people have the over and going down the
All I did was reboot the day off. An example would list, luckily everything was
machine to see if it would be on a Saturday when a at a quarter denomination
reinitialize the touch multi-game dies, needs a so I didn’t have to be con-
screen and ended up with a RAM clear, then needs to cerned with that, every-
“red screen non-recoverable be set back up. Specific thing looked fine. When
error.” The “green screen setup game information can KEY 7 was removed, I
recoverable” errors usually be obtained from the double checked to make
reset with the jackpot reset binder. A poker game may sure all of the games that
key. Not the red screen only have Double Double were supposed to be en-
errors. Upon pressing the Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, abled, were. Other options

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 15

such as “NO HOPPER,” “NO boot up. Also the game did my opinion. I put in a few
COIN ACCEPTOR,” SAS not reboot itself again that “rod controllers” on the
address 1, and such all I’m aware of. No doubt kind “Amazon Fishing” games
looked OK. It looked like of weird. The only possible and a power supply. When
the game only lost all EN- theory may be that the new a call was received about a
ABLED games. Finally the replacement video card was memory error on a
game was back online. So faulty. It wouldn’t be the “Sphinx” game I wasn’t
much for a simple reboot to first time new parts were no sure what to do. A power
fix the touch screen, which good, right? cycle was done only to
did work by the way. LOL have the error appear once
Oasis Sentinel III “Flash- again. Only a simple turn
Aristocrat Slant Top ing Display” of the jackpot reset key
Veridian Power Supply was needed to clear it. If I
Problem I was called to a game in run across a memory error
which an Oasis Sentinel III on an Aruze game again, a
We had an Aristocrat slant was installed and the whole turn of the reset key will
Veridian that was acting display was flashing about be tried first.
like it had a power supply two times per second. A
problem. During boot up, reboot was done on the IGT Blank Upper LCD
the upper and lower LCDs Sentinel and it still flashed. on a “Red Hot Jackpot”
would flicker for a few sec- Video connections were S2000
onds, then the game would checked at both the display
load. It would only stay and the Sentinel side; they The game was shut off
running for around six were reseated just to make sometime before my shift
hours or so, then reboot sure the connection was started and we were told
itself. A co-worker swapped nice and snug. Still no go. A (the IGT tech and I) that
LCDs and the main power quick inspection of display the upper LCD was bad on
supply with a known good itself didn’t show anything a “Red Hot Jackpot”
working game next door. out of the ordinary either. S2000. When the game
Even the video card was The ribbon cable
replaced. Still, after time it looked OK as well
would reboot itself. A new as the cold cath-
main power supply was put ode connector. It
in and the CPU fan was was replaced with
checked to make sure it a new spare and
was working. No such luck it worked per-
there either. Just for the fectly. For one
heck of it I was asked to reason or an-
grab the original video card other, the origi-
to be put back in. Our nal display was
replacement did not have bad.
the large cooling fan on it.
All it had was tiny surface Aruze “Memory
mount components. I know Error”
these boards work in other
Aristocrats because I have I admit I don’t
successfully used them have a lot of expe-
before. For some odd rea- rience working on
son, after the original video the Aruze games.
card was put back in, the Basically they
LCDs did not flicker during run pretty well in

Page 16 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

was turned ON a flashing “NETPLEX error”
was showing on the VFD located in the
reel glass area. As most of us know, a
flashing error isn’t normal on an S2000,
almost as if something was interrupting
power somewhere. My first thought was a
bad power supply. They were swapped
with a known working game next door
without success. Next, we brought up a
possible bad MPU board. But before
changing it, the top VFD (which didn’t
have anything appear on it when game
power was ON) was replaced. As soon as
game power was turned ON after the up-
per VFD (located in the award glass area)
was replaced, it looked like the game was
booting up normally. Sure enough the
original monitor was knocking down the
whole game. After it was replaced, the
game was fine.

Editor’s Note: I have to comment here. In

my opinion, this is an example of (can I
turn a noun into an adverb?) ignoramus
engineering. There is a plethora of failures
that cause the “NETPLEX Error,” not the
least common of which is a power supply
failure! Having the self-test tell us that we
have a “NETPLEX Error” is no better than
saying “It’s Broke!” Thanks, bro. We sort of
know that already. If you design a system
such that a myriad of failures give an
identical error message, you’re not per-
forming at an acceptable level of engineer-
ing expertise. It’s sort of like your automo-
bile indicating “Your door is ajar” but not
telling us which door it is.

- Pat Porath
pporath@slot-techs.com

Attention Slot Manager!

Four-Day Classes With Randy Fromm
Power Supply Repair
LCD Monitor Repair (including player
tracking displays)
Book now for 2014-Call me at
619.838.7111 to discuss your needs.
editor@slot-techs.com

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 17

 Slot Tech Product Spotlight

GTECH’s Sphinx 3D – You’ll Hardly

Believe your Eyes! By Kevin Noble

Y
ou have to see it to 3D engine. This engine another so they seem to
believe it. GTECH, then combines the images jump out at them.
with its gaming prod- for the left and right eyes in
uct brand, SPIELO, is wow- real time. An optical filter The 3D technology is incor-
ing customers and players in front of the display pro- porated into the very play
alike with the launch of the vides a brilliant 3D image mechanics, and the tech-
Sphinx 3D™ slot game, an including accurate depth nology is leveraged in ways
Egyptian adventure featur- impression. As the 3D that enhance the gaming
ing glasses-free True 3D™. image is continuously ad- experience. For example, in
This eye-popping slot im- justed according to the the Ancient Wheel Bonus,
merses the player in an- player’s position, the player
cient Egypt where pyra- enjoys freedom of move-
mids, sphinxes, and scar- ment in all directions.
abs seem to jump off the
screen or stretch into infin- GTECH recognizes that 3D
ity in high resolution 3D. does not suit everyone.
Therefore, the level of spa-
The Technology tial depth is configurable
with a touch-screen slider,
This 3D experience uses a which allows players to
True 3D™ display which adjust to a level that suits
was designed exclusively for them, from full 3D effects to
GTECH for the gaming flat 2D.
industry by SeeFront. The
effect is achieved by a The Game
unique autostereoscopic
technology with integrated When used as an
eye-tracking. Images are input to game events,
processed and displayed so eye-tracking opens
that the ideal 3D picture up a new world of
self-adjusts to match the possibilities: players
player’s precise line of can explore the on-
sight. screen vistas, change
viewing angles with-
Here’s how it works: the out disrupting the
integrated eye-tracking 3D experience, and
system detects the player’s be amazed by wilds
position and relays it to the that stack atop one

Page 18 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

players can look behind the wheel to peek with a trim kit with software-controlled
at values before making a selection. In the lighting via USB. The full installation (in-
Bonus Selection segment, players travel cluding the trim kit) stands at over 110“
up to the Sphinx pyramid in an immersive, tall. There are Color OLED play buttons,
real-time rendered 3D scene. additional side play buttons, a new touch-
screen digital button deck, and a 39-inch
The 3D elements are also enjoyed during upper monitor. The attached chair also has
base game play on meters, win presenta- sound and rumble (add the unique slide
tions, symbols, “Easter eggs” (hidden, feature).
“surprise” animations and functions), and
more. This use of 3D technology makes Tips
Sphinx 3D an eye-catching addition to the
casino floor. This is a brand-new cabinet and game on
the slot floor, so you may not have even
Some Components seen it yet, let alone serviced one. But
You’ve Seen Before . . .

If you’ve ever encountered a SPIELO

Vu Slant or a MaXVusion, a lot of the
components of the next-generation
AXXIS™ cabinet will look familiar.
The same basic components still
exist but have been updated to be-
come faster, better, stronger…
When you open the main door you’ll
still see a logic box, a power supply,
and a peripheral board, but an up-
dated version of each. It has a newer,
more powerful logic box, the new
peripheral board now in-
cludes a built-in USB hub
and audio for the chair, and
the power supply has been
updated to 1000 watts.

And Some You Haven’t

The AXXIS cabinet contains

a 3D main LED assembly
with matching eye-tracker
(that’s what makes the spe-
cial effects happen). A tall
machine, standing at -88.5”
inches, Sphinx 3D comes

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 19

 TechFest 29
May 13-15, 2014
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel

Final Appearance at Mystic Lake!

If your property is in the area, I suggest you
make plans to attend TechFest 29 at Mystic
Lake Casino Hotel, near Minneapolis, Minne-
sota. While the TechFest program itself may be attended at any venue, Mystic Lake
Casino has some super-special things going for it:
* It’s a wonderful hotel with luxurious rooms and really comfortable bedding.
* The food they serve to us at TechFest is some of the most tasty you’ll ever eat.
They bring us mountains of salads, meat, potato, pasta and deserts that will
knock your socks off.
* Most importantly of all, they have the finest casino slot shop in the world and
we get to take a back-of-house tour of the entire operation. You will see how one
of the largest casinos in the world covers their huge slot floor of close to 5000
machines with 99% uptime. You will leave with many new ideas on how to set up
and run your own shop.
To Enroll:The enrollment
Technical presentations from: form is now available on the web-
Casino Air Products-Air Filtration Systems site at slot-techs.com. Please
for Slot Machines download the enrollment form and
Ceronix LCD-Monitor Repair return it by fax (if you’re still work-
Transact Technologies-Ticket Printers ing with twentieth-century technol-
JCM-UBA and iVIZION Bill Validators ogy) or e-mail. We have a special
3M Touch Systems-Touchscreens rate at the hotel so be sure to
FutureLogic Ticket-Printers mention that you are attending
MEI-Bill Validators TechFest.

TechFest also includes instructions on LCD For more information, please visit
monitor repair, power supply repair and the website at slot-techs.com or
more, presented by Randy Fromm, publisher contact us at techfest@slot-
of Slot Tech Magazine and your host for the techs.com or call 619.838.7111 to
event. speak to Randy Fromm directly.

“HANDS-ON” LABS!
Free Digital Multimeter Included!
Free CCFL Tester Included!
Free Textbooks and Handouts Included!

Page 20 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014

when you do, here are OLED display on the button deck are de-
some tips to keep in mind: signed to be easily serviced in case of damage.
Simply use a designated tool to unlatch the
Both the main and upper bezel and the lens cap and OLED can then be
doors open extremely wide pulled off and replaced
for easy access to compo- without having to
nents (thank you, GTECH!) remove the button
deck.
The latch for the top box is
tucked up to the left of the If you get the
power supply in the main chance to see this
cabinet. Once the latch is machine, I recom-
pulled, the top door will mend you play it.
open a couple of inches. The 3D effects are so
Then you need to run your realistic, you might
hand behind the upper just find yourself
monitor on the left where grabbing at thin air
you’ll come across a safely in front of you!
catch similar to what you’d
find under the hood of a - Kevin Noble
car; tip it up and out of the knoble@slot-
way, and the top door will techs.com
fall slowly into a horizontal
position.

If you are looking for what

drives the trim kit lights,
check under the back panel
of the upper left pillar.
You’ll find a USB cable
routed from the machine to
a UBS to a serial converter
plugged into the trim kit
light controller.

The 3D monitor and the

eye tracker are a matched
set so you’ll need to replace
both if one fails, but if
you’re having problems
with the eye-tracker, the
first step is to check for dirt
or debris blocking the
tracker‘s view.

Both the lens cap and

February 2014 Slot Tech Magazine Page 21

Subscriptions & Back Issues
Why back issues of Slot Tech Magazine are
important to own . . .

S lot Tech Magazine is strictly technical. As such, the magazine's contents are not time
critical. The repair information and technical data contained in past issues is just as valid
today as it was the day it was published.

Additionally, current and future articles more-or-less assume that readers are already familiar
with what has been covered in past issues. This editorial policy assures that Slot Tech
Magazine's contributing writers are not limited to "writing down" to the level of a novice
technician but are free to continue to produce the most comprehensive technical articles in
the gaming industry.

Randy Fromm's
Slot Tech Magazine is
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 “I can help you bring down the
cost of casino electronics repairs”
Randy Fromm

“OK. You asked and I listened. My new tech class eliminates obsolete CRT
monitor repair and the associated monitor repair lab. In just four or five days,
your slot techs can learn to repair Power Supplies, LCD Monitors, Ticket
Printers, Bill Validators and more. It’s easy and it’s fun.“- Randy Fromm

tel.619.838.7111 fax.619.593.6132
Page 24 Slot Tech Magazine February 2014