New Life Games Tech Forums

I am looking to buy a video poker machine. I live in SW FL and there are 3 machines in my area available that I know of in my price range.
Just want to know which would be the best to buy of the three.
1) aces & faces igt model 705 mfg date of 5/82. Owner says it is working and is asking $500.
2) players edge. Owner says it used to work but now won't power up. Comes with lighted stand. Asking $325
3) draw poker. Available at auction. Described as powers on and that's all. Pic shows machine lighted with the screen blue and no graphics.
Any and all expertise is appreciated.

Well I missed getting either #1 or #2 above. #3 is still available. I am attaching a picture so you can see that the machine powers up but has just a blue screen. In your opinion(s), would it be worth throwing $50 - $100 hoping that the fixes needed are few or should I just stay away from it.

I would say #2 is worth checking into. if you're willing and able to put in a little time and $$$ for parts (if needed). Could be something relatively simple. Maybe search the PE (Players Egde) section of the forum and see if anyone has had same problem, if so, what the fix was? Plus, you have the stand to either use or sell if you don't like it or have another stand in mind. If the stand is worth $50 on Craigslist, then that's $50 off the price of the machine!

Machine #1 is what it is. If you want a fully working machine and don't want to have to mess around trying to fix it, then this would be the one.

Machine #3 is a gamble (what auction isn't?). Again, I would search the forum section and see what you can find out.

This is not expertise, by any means, but hope it helps some.

Thanks for the response. I don't know anything about these machines and any info is appreciated.

Please see my original post it has been updated.

Just may be worth $50-100....a few caps, a loose wire, or worst case the MPU.  I say roll the dice and go get it!  Do a couple searches here on "blue screen" and see what you get...

Update
Won the auction machine for $113 hammer price
Picking up tomorrow

Congratulations!  We'd love to see it!  :Dave

 :317-

Nice! Yes...post pics. I have a machine like that and all it needed was adjustments in the CRT, then it worked fine...check all your connections and LOOK AROUND for loose coins jammed in tight places before powering it up.

 :3-  picked the new baby up about 4 hours ago. Spent some time cleaning the outside and the bright work looks really nice. Still just a blue screen on startup. I checked the coin mech and it works well. Tried to put coins in to see if it would work but they fell through to the collection tray. I will post the pics I took. Any direction on what to do next is appreciated.

Here are more pics. Lucky that manual came with machine. Also noticed that glass says royal gets big jackpot. Is this a progressive machine?

More pics

Even more pics

This pic didn't post earlier. If you need any close ups let me know.

Did some more poking around. Monitor seems to be ok as I was able to perform monitor color adjustment per manual (red line, yellow line, blue line). Was able to make vert horiz etc. adjustments also. Front panel buttons are working as I was able to test them as well.

I'd also check to make sure all the E proms / chips are all seated properly. Sometimes they shift up over time.

Should I pry them then reseat or just push to be sure they are down. Any particular chips I need to check.

I would just firmly press on each one that's in a socket and make sure they are seated in all the way. I have a Fortune One but far from the expert here but that's always a good start. Also, make sure the legs are in. Sometimes they're put back in and a leg tweaks out. It may still work but over time, it can separate and lose contact.

Took board out and pressed on chips. Noticed an open space at D-8 (pic attached). Should there be a chip in this slot. Also see pic 2, there is a homemade battery pack soldered to the battery holder. Can/should this be removed?

Forgot to post pics

The battery is needed! Check the voltage on it. I think that IC socket can be empty but I'm not home to look at mine. Maybe CV slots will chime in again.  :99-

Poker around the machine some more. Found 3 plugs not attached to anything and not sure where they would go. Here is plug 1 and the board the wires are attached to.

Here are the other 2 plugs.

Been super busy and at work the last two times I saw your posts...I'll try and check my machine and get back to you. Still hoping someone else will chime in...must be the weekend...everyone disappeared!  :154-

I've never owned a F1 ... closest I got was a PE+ and I think the only thing similar is they were both made by IGT (ha ha). 

I think a blue monitor is a good sign?  I'll start with the simple stuff ...

1)  Did you also make sure the chips were in correctly, in other words, that all notches were facing the right direction?  I doubt that's the problem ... just starting with the simple things.  I do that before pushing the eproms in all the way (which I read earlier that you've done already).

2)  How about the harness going to the monitor ... follow it back to the motherboard and make sure those connections are tight.  My old PE+ had a bad harness (dry over time) and if I bumped it accidentally while filling the hopper, the monitor would go crazy.  So, could be as simple as a bad or disconnected harness.

3)  Another possibility is that someone removed the MPU while the machine was on, which may affected the code on the chips.  You'd have to have another game set in order to rule that one out.  Having spare parts is always great for troubleshooting (but of course is a risk too as swapping could damage a perfectly good part).

Just thought I'd offer something ... I'm sure with some patience this will all work out and you'll be hitting a Royal Flush soon enough! :89-

btw ... I know you said it came with a manual ... compare it to what's on the Downloads section of this site in case NLG has something you don't.

Good luck!  :Dave

Ok, we're reviewing some F1 notes now. I'll see what we can find for you.  :89-

All righty! Here's a REALLY good post with MANY Fortune 1 issues/errors/fixes. Looks like there may be a couple of culprits, but with a little investigation, I'm sure you can eliminate enough of them to get you goin gg in the right direction.

Also, a little bird told me our member here, Old Reno, taught a course or two on F1s at the local college (back when they had Slot courses). :214- He is a wealth of information!

Happy reading, and report back with any findings!  :88-

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=255.msg1979#msg1979 (http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=255.msg1979#msg1979)

I saw another F1 on eBay and it looks like I am missing some parts which I don't know if they are necessary to the machine working. For example I am missing the counters and security door sub-assembly. Those were the most noticeable missing parts. I will have to look closer to see what else is missing. One more good sign, the coin in switch registers properly on the input board.

Okay the next 6 pictures are from my Fortune One (works and has sound). I tried to shoot where you need to see. Mine also has some unused plugs and an empty socket on the MPU. I hope this helps.

Well I've re-sized twice and I keep getting the error message. They are all well under the 3mb max. Most are 2mb. I'm not sure what to do. I'll try a few more times.
Reduced them much more and it seems to work, but they're way under the size maximum that's posted so I'm not sure what's happening.

the next two...

Last two...

Guess he gave up?  :103-

Not yet. I have a neighbor that knows much more about electrical stuff than I do. He thinks that there may be some bad capacitors. He has my manual and is looking to trace how it works. Hopefully we can do some board testing and get it figured out. I don't know my amp from my elbow when it comes to electricity. Actually I am going to look at (buy) a machine on Saturday that is supposedly working. I hope it is so I can see exactly what is going on.

Did you look at the pictures I posted?  :103-

Yes I did a comparison yesterday
Our machines look the same
You have counters that I don't have in mine
Just two days and I should have a working machine to compare to

Hope the other machine helps! I did that with a Mills "Vest Pocket." Bought an entire machine to use to put together my first one, which arrived in a box...in pieces. Keep us posted!

Any danger swapping parts from one to the other for testing?

If they're are the same machine...it should be okay but there are variations through the years, so I'm not entirely sure. Hopefully someone else may know.

 :279-
Went to see a supposedly working machine Sat.
Was not working at all and didn't have a video board. There were wires and connectors all over the place touching the back of the monitor. The monitor tray was ruined and it just floated on the shelf. Very disappointing after a two hour drive.

Hmmm that sucks! All is not lost. Let's go back to something simple but I never saw an answer. Were you able to check the battery voltage, and what was it?

I gave the board to my neighbor who is going to give it a good testing. He has the tools to do it. Hopefully in a few days I will have some answers.

On another note, had anyone owned a video poker made by CEI?

One of these?

Similar
The one I saw was a 25 cent model. Owner says he has game chips for a total of 4 games. Any idea if what I should pay for a working machine.

I paid $300 for mine about two years ago. CEI games like this are getting awfully old though so you might want to consider getting something newer, like a Game King! What price is the seller asking?

Asking $650. I should stay away from this one.

Game kings are out of my price range

I had a CEI just like that with red glass.  I sold mine for 4 bills.  It was pristine, and to be honest, I kinda miss it.  It was a neat old machine. 

But after I got my Game King...I never looked back.  :)

Jason

Hey Jason
I was reading your posts in the CEI forum
If this machine goes down am I in big trouble

Yeah, I hear ya.  Look up dormi (Dave) here on NLG.  He's a guru with the CEI machines and performed a repair on my board for me. 

Thanks,
Jason

The machine is supposedly pristine. Owned by a little old lady from Pasadena for the last 12 years. Would $400 be too much to pay for this machine. In their CL ad, this machine can play a few different games. I spoke to the guy selling it and I guess he has game chips that can be changed to play different games.

Check with slotwholesalers (Chuck) ... I think he's got a 13" slant top Game King for $400 or there abouts.  From LA, he's probably 4.5 hour drive.  You could map it from his web site.

:Dave

I'd look for a Game King.

Jason

Is there a wholesaler near Southwest Florida?

Oh, when you mentioned Pasadena, I thought you were near LA.  Yeah, that'd be a little further than 4.5 hours ... more like 4.5 days .. ha ha ha!

Yes.

$650 could get you an older Game King, depending on your location, which would be a far better purchase compared to an obsolete CEI poker machine.   :89-

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'm going to save my pennies for a game king. In the meantime, I will keep posting the progress of the F1.

Can anyone tell me which version of IGT this machine is. Fortune II? PE? PE+?  :103-

I am both a GK and an IGT fan but don't count out the Bally Gamemaker as a lower cost option.

SIGMA....right in the bottom center of the top glass.

While parts aren't plentiful, you could earn the position of resident Sigma expert here!  :89- :89-

If you want a GameMaker, send me a PM

Update on the F1
Board has bad caps and are going to be replaced.
Will keep updating and hopefully be posting pics of a working machine soon.

A quick update. The bad caps have been located thanks to my neighbor Steve. He has the parts on order and hopefully it will be back up soon.  :89- :89-

Well the good news is the bad caps have been replaced on the board. The bad news is I have the same blue screen as seen on my very first posted pic. Any thoughts on what to check next?

What chassis is in that machine?
Is it the Ceronix 1492?

Ceronix chassis can be used in a multitude of machines and needs to be configured to the correct application.
They have solder pad jumpers that need to be changed depending on what brand of machine they are installed in.

 :103-
Not sure what monitor I have
Here are 2 pics
I will post 2 more
Let me know if you need a close up of any particular part

Here are the other 2 pics

Ya, not sure what chassis that is, but it's not a 1492.

Sorry, it was just a thought.

Does the battery need to be installed for the machine to run?
If no, could my game chips be bad? The reason I ask is that my mpu is fixed, my buttons are all working, I did hear some sounds when I put the board back in and turned it on, and if the chips were good, wouldn't I be able to play the game even if the monitor was not working properly?

Yes, you will need the battery installed for the board to run.

 :37- :37- :37-
Battery installed and still just a beautiful blue screen  :47- :47- :47-