New Life Games Tech Forums

 When turned ON,  the display says "Display Passes Self-Test ", then " Display's Netplex Link Is  Down ", then " Waiting For The Video Display ", then " Video Display Comm. Failure".  Then the upper screen says, " COM LINK FAILURE ".  These good components  [ from a working  Vision ] were put in :  CPU  Board ,Upper Screen, Power Supply [ behind the reels],and the  Distribution [ ? ] board on the inner right lower of the door. Re-seated several plugs. It was working for several months.  Any ideas about the cause and the fix/

There's a 6-pin Molex with only 3 gray wire harness (P89) that runs from the back of the LCD computer
to the connectors in the back left corner of the topbox.
from there, it runs down as mostly gray wires with different colored stripes
to the power supply board behind the hopper into a board that's inside of that silver case.

This gray harness is for the COM LINK communication between the LCD computer and the S2000.
Make sure it's okay and no male & female pins are pushed back into their housings?
I circled the one you should check out >>>

Hi

Also check in the bottom of the machine if your comms harness is plugged into the board on the power distribution box and also ribbon cable going from this board to your backplane board. The ribbon cable is the most likely suspect.

Ian

Thanks to Mark and Ian. Still no change . I looked at each connection you two suggested and the pins and female connections seem OK. Sprayed them with contact cleaner. Since  I have a working Vision right next to it would it make sense to swap either the ribbon cable to the Power Distribution box or the boxes or both? Noticed what looks to be a fuse at the top of the box but I can light up a trouble light when I plug it into the box so I'd think the fuse would be good.

Also check the connectors where the netplex and serial comms mate between the top box and main cabinet. Sometimes the female pins stretch or the male pins dont go in far enough  (cant wait to see what comments come from that statement  :96- )

Female pins don't "stretch", they sag over time and if you ask the females, male pins NEVER go in far enough OR :97- often enough :97-

I swapped ribbon  cables. No change.  Then the Distribution boxes were swapped. No change. Then that plug behind the speaker on the left side was checked and sprayed with contact cleaner. No change.  Meanwhile the good Vision works fine with all the swapped parts from the bad machine. Only the CPU Board is still in it. Earlier, the known good board was put into the bad machine but nothing changed.

The netplex link to the topbox is plugged into your motherboard in a socket marked "aux netplex", third from the top on the left side of the motherboard I beleive. Doublecheck this plug and follow it up to the coupling in the back left corner of the topbox and also from there to the LCD panel. Hope this helps :89-

SORRY! THAT PLUG IS LABELED "AUX CABINET SENET" NOT AUX NETPLEX

For clarification it is easy to get the SENET and Netplex confused

Motherboard or back plane netplex connections are located at the bottom middle and right ends of the motherboard near the power connector
the exception is the BV (extra 2 wires for the cash door switch) I found out that the hopper is also a netplex device.

SENET ports are the 3 top middle ports

Door
Cabinet
Spare

The MPU and the top box computer communicate via SENET.

Yeah, I had the name wrong, but the location right. My bad :30-

On the Backplane {motherboard} looking behind the hopper to the left , and counting from  the top , the 3rd plug from the top on these two machines is called " Spare Senet ". It is a 12 pin Molex with multi-colored wires some of which make their way through another plug and wind up in a 10 pin molex that is plugged into the LCD. All plugs appear good. Could not see the term  " aux cabinet senet " on the backplane board. No change yet.

aux senet, spare senet... man, you guys are picky! Wish it had worked though :8- Can you get into the programming and try running a clear chip? I'd wait for a second opinion I guess, knowing my pool of knowledge on vision slots isn't deep enough to get your toenails wet, but it sounds like you've tried changing every componant that could be causing the problem if it were hardware failure. I've pulled the ram chips before to force it into a software reset to...

Gordy PM sent! I think I know what's up...

Why send a PM?  :103-
The rest of us are interested as well...

It seems the card that goes into the top of the LCD should not be an issue because the LCD units have been swapped and the good machine keeps working.  Tried to cancel out errors by opening and shutting the front door abuot 5 times but there is no response in the display at all. It just keeps going through it's same messages Door open M, restart, etc It is stuck on this routine.  Tried to do a clear with a 17 chip. Got the two amber lights to light up, but after taking out the 17 chip and replacing it the same thing happened as happens on any start up. Tried a 2nd clear but no change. Any more ideas ?

Gordy, the 17 isn't a clear Chip, the IVC00097 is the clear chip. If I'm recalling this correctly, the ram chips use the battery power to hold memory when the machine is powered off so the simple act of removing them and reseating should for a reset. If I'm right the reel glass display will come up with" ram error" after you plug the game in and you use the jp reset key with the door open to step through the messages till it tells you to push the reset button on the MPU for 3 seconds and close the door. Like I said, can't guarantee it'll fix your problem, but it can't hurt to try it either. It's worked for me twice on various problems in the past.

The "17" chip you're referring to Gordy, could very be a "KEY00017" keychip.
You may need a KEY00031 keychip depending on what game you're trying to boot up.
Please post what game SB you're using...there might be some info on it floating around cyberworld.

Anyways, it takes a few seconds for the keychip to light up the 2 amber lights,
then you power down and re-install the SB chip in it's place.
Then as you power up ( with the door open) - give it a few minutes and
it will enter you into the Keychip options on your LCD screen.

From the Keychip options - you want to turn off any SAS, AFT, EFT casino junk.
Make sure all your communication setting are right while in the keychip options.
Once you use the MAX bet button and back out of it - the only way to get back
in is to put the keychip back in and swap it with the SB get enter the options again.

Do not close the door until it asks you to.

Cowboy and Mark, I made a mistake calling the key...17 chip the wrong name  The 17 procedure did not have any effect. I reseated the 2 RAM chips and that had no effect. Then I put in the 97  Clear chip and put the board into the machine . The 2 amber lights  came on. I replaced the 97 with the regular chip,and the display started it's usual messages and ' RAM ERROR" came up. I used the key switch until "Press Reset button 2-3 seconds" then" Please Close the Main Door" Then it stayed in that mode and the LCD said Com Link Failure.  Shutting off, then on, gave the same result.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but that was the last of my ideas unless it happens to be a battery issue. Don't remember if you checked that...

I would suggest for you to obtain a KEY00031 key-chip and try that, but without knowing
what SB chip and BGM ATA card you're trying to boot up, I can't be positive if that's correct?  :129-

Did this game ever work? Also, you've changed LCD computers -
it's very possible that it's not loaded with the correct RFA?
I'd stop using clear chips....you're wiping out stuff and your LCD computer may
need to have it's OS system re-flashed with the correct RFA card in the side PCMCIA slot.

I'm just guessing here really...I need more info about what you're using to try and help you.
Your LCD computer cards may be missing COM LINK files or something?
Can you get another game cards/chips working with this machine the way it is?

The battery is a 3v Lithium It reads 2.86v.   The card that goes into the top of the Lcd is marked ATA 1.0024  6/10/98   BGM00000 6/10/98  BGM00003 6/1098   879888        The chip that was swapped when attempting  a clear is marked STEPPER BASE  SB000061  2/5/98 [ 1-4096]  Both of these machines have worked fine for several months. The LCDs are interchangeable

Hi There

Its a pain in the ass but it looks like you will have to start swapping harnesses or do continuity tests on them. It does not happen vey often but I have found one or two harnesses with broken wires internally before although problems are normally on connectors.If you have swapped out all the sub assemblies with your other machine it has to be a wiring issue.

Ian

I'd also swap cards and chips as well afterward.
See if you can get the other cards and chips to work in the problem cabinet?

It's probably not the problem, but anything under 3v is a low battery, time to order a replacement

Makes me wonder what his voltage reading is on the good MPU board?

The voltage on the good machine is 2.997.  Keep in mind I had swapped most components from the good one over to the bad one -even the MPU. then I put the good MPU back in the good machine because it had all the right game chips in it.  NOW, I just put the MPU from the bad machine into the good machine, got Ram Error etc and finally Com Link ........ like in the bad machine. If the MPU from the bad machine is a good board, should it have worked in the good machine even if it had the wrong game chips in it?

Okay...
Here's how you rule out bad chips.
I think both MPU boards are okay.
Put the good chips from the working Good machine and ATA card into
the problem Machine and see if you can get past the "COM LINK Failure" message.
Do the several open/closing of the door too with these chips if you have to.

If you still can't get past the "COM LINK Failure" message with good chips...
then you've pinpointed the problem - it's in the harness.

Troubleshooting a machine is an art! lol

The battery at 2.997 is marginal, the one reading 2.86 is a goner.

I'd replace both.

Have continuity from the known good LCD to the known good  lower PDU. There is one major component that I haven't put in yet and that is the backplane which will be arriving soon . Will keep you all posted.

Sounds good gordy!  :3-

Gordy, have you tried the battery? If you don't have a replacement you can hook 2 AA batteries in series and wire them in for a test.

Gordy     if I were you, I would get my known good machine up and running first. then I would sub the MPU board on the good machine with the one from the suspect machine, transfer all necessary chips so that you won't have other issues to deal with(clearing the machine due to mismatch etc.) and just see if you can get the machine up and running. If you can't or get the same errors then the problem would appear to be in that board. 

As with any swaptronics  you risk damage to the good machine.

I have machines that operate with battery voltages ranging from  2.4vdc to  2.86vdc , very few actually have a 3vdc reading.

Jim 

Both machines have fresh batteries.  The good machine has always worked --even with many components from the bad machine The MPUs were also swapped as detailed earlier. Thanks.

Okay forget hardware for a moment - you have continuity with the COM harness.

When you put the known Good software into the problem machine - you
still got the "COM LINK Failure" message?

Does the software from the Bad machine work in the Good machine?  :128-

As indicated on an earlier page the MPU from the good machine  was put in the bad machine and vice-versa . Both gave Com Link Failure  When switched back to their original machines the bad was bad and the good was good.  Since I dont know one chip from another I better wait until the new mother board comes to see if that is it.

Okay good.
I have a question though...when you put the BAD MPU into the Good machine,
did you also move the ATA card along from the Bad machine's LCD computer
top PCMCIA slot into the Good machine too?

If you didn't - the Good machine should have given you an "Incompatible" error message -
rather than a "COM LINK Failure" error because we know the Good machine doesn't give
that error when the correct ATA card and MPU is in there.

Follow me?
That's why I think the MPU boards are fine.
You might be swapping MPU's but not taking the correct ATA card along.

Do both machines contain the same games or are they different games and ATA cards?
By the way, the ATA card I'm talking about is the silver card
 that goes into the top PCMCIA slot of the LCD computer.

Gordy   we are just trying to establish what compoments are good and which are bad. we have not established that the suspect MPU is good or bad. it doesn't work in the bad machine and it doesn't work in the good machine. the only chips you have to transfer from one board to the other are the following:
U-21=base eprom (sb000061), U-46= game 2 eprom,  U-19 = game 1 eprom, and perhaps U-44 version chip. If the version chip is the same then you shouldn"t have to swap it. Since this board is the brains of the entire machine it would be nice to know if it is good.

I think your problem is with your door optics loop. 

I purposely put in an incorrect ATA card and look at what came up onto the VFD display!   :208-

You have to move the LCD computer ATA card along with the MPU when swapping gordy!  :89-

The games are Dbl Diam Mine and Wild Cherry Pie.   Switched the chips at U21  U19  U46. The Version chip was not changed  because they were both the same. Switched the Cards in the top of the LCDs too.  Put the MPU from the bad machine into the good machine and very soon the COM LINK FAILURE came up in the LCD and stayed.  Turned OFF/ON and the same result.    Put the MPU from the good machine into the bad machine  and the same routine with " mismatch, ram error, hold 2-3 sec. etc " and same message in the LCD . OFF/ON  gave the same result.     Put everything back in it's original condition  and both machines  acted like nothing had happened.

Which means - The Good machine is still "Good" and the Bad machine is still "Bad" right?

I wonder why?
1) The Good software doesn't work in the Bad machine.
2) The Bad software doesn't work in the Good machine.
3) You've swapped everything so far.
4)  I have no clue... :276-  :291- :280-


The software from the Bad machine doesn't work on the Good MPU in the Good machine either?
Maybe the Bad software is ...uh....bad?  :129- :128-
Do you have equipment to read the ATA card and SB chip?
It should be checked out...
I can do it if you send it to me and I will look at it and
see if I can get it to run on my machine?
Keep the good software...I'm only interested in seeing if the "Bad" software is..."bad".

Right. The bad is still bad and the good is still good. Will receive a new backplane in a couple days to try. Will let you know.  Thanks

Put in new door optics, too,but to no avail.

possible short somewhere. I'd look throught the harnesses or maybe disconnect all the lighting, bv, printer etc.  if it starts then hook up 1 by 1.

Merry Christmas.
w

Finally, it works. It was the CPU ! It was bad. A new board worked  ! I'd like to thank the many members who pitched in to fix this vexing problem.

I glad you got it working Gordy!  :89-