New Life Games Tech Forums

I wanted to start a new thread dedicated to simply hooking up communications between a serial rs232 port and an s2000/reel touch slot using the SAS DLL.

I believe this is the communications board.  Where do I make the connection to the computer?  I traced the 3 brown and yellow wires and they run into the top box computer on a reel touch.  

 Quote from the other thread.....


"He posted the link in this thread

You will need a PC with a RS232 port and need to make a cable to interface them.

S2000 RS232 port location.
  Locate the the Communications board (easily found in the AC Distribution Box) it should have a ribbon cable plugged into it.
  J82 is the top connector in the row of black connectors a few inches to the right of the ribbon cable.
  It is a Molex SL 0.100 connector 5 pin.
     The connector type matches the Netplex connectors used for the VFD, Bill Validator, and the Spectrum II Netplex connectors (this is so you know what the connector looks like)
     
For the TestApp to work you will need the latest Net Framework and C# run time libraries (Redistributable) you can download both from Microsoft.
look for C# run time library redistributable and Net Framework from their download pages.

I posted the correct cable connections in an earlier post."

Now I think it's the one to the right of the cable with the three brown wires on in it.

The modified serial plug goes into the right header on the interface com board.
I run it down and out through the drop hole into the back of my PC under the machine.
I ran the LCD monitor up to the top box and installed the 21" LCD there.
I use a wireless keyboard & mouse for the PC.
Click on photos to enlarge if needed...>>>

Ok I'm sooooo close I can scream

1.  Made SAS to channel 3
2.  Have my computer ready with testapp and no errors

I scliced open a standard rs232 cable and
tried the red , green and black with noooo luck!!

Does anyone know what color wires I need
To use?

lol...It's not the colors   that are important - it's where  you put them.  :72-
Go to reply #95 in this thread>>>

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=11467.90 (http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=11467.90)

I know I know ! But it's a premade cable
I don't have access to the connector!!!

Use a multimeter set for continuity and see what color wire matches the pins you want to use.
If your serial cable housing has the MAX 232 inside of it - the continuity meter check
will NOT work except for the ground wire only.

Which is  by the way,  uh ...black...lol

If your housing has the MAX chip inside, then you may have
to wire it up differently using AndyP's Test App.
Mine doesn't have the MAX chip which may explain why it doesn't work on mine.
I'm waiting for a MAX chip housing to come in.
Poppo is working on my burned out interface but only on an S+ I'm afraid.
I will not get it back for awhile...he likes it too much... :96-

TZTech has an S2000 hooked up I believe and I think Foster also has his S2000 hooked up.
No one else has come forward with their S2000 results.
They're hiding in the grass like snakes.... :208-

Well some progress - got 01: to show up twice

I noticed that as well from the S2000
The S+ reports door open and closed.
I am not sure what is going on.

I double checked the continuity on my wires and there're good.  I have machine set up to SAS AFT  -  channel 3 with address 001.

still no luck - my computer is an xp machine -    :208-

I do not think the TestApp is set up for AFT yet, EFT is what he is programming so far.

I'll switch it to EFT tomorrow and try again.   I also should have my usb serial port.  Right now I'm using a laptop that only has com2 - and would like to stick with defaut com1

I've never gotten past the [01:] report either with any machine using AndyP's Test App.
Poppo got it to work on the S+ only with his modified serial cable utilizing the MAX232.
I don't recall what machine TZ has the Test App hooked up to... :103-

So bunker you didn't get any machine to work yet?  I thought in the other thread you and Foster had it up and running on both an s+ and s2000 machine.  I thought for sure Foster got it to work on a 2000 using sas channel 3.

We need TZ to confirm what he got running.

Bunker what is the max232 and what is it for? (It was my MISunderstanding that it was used to connect the cable to an s+ slot.  Like a homemade comm board?)

 My cable is straight through.

I do not support AFT or EFT yet. Only legacy bonusing.

If you are getting the 01 error, it means the machine is not recieving data.

The test app polls the machine for exceptions in the backround, and if there is any exceptios you will see them in the list view. If the machine is receiving data you will not see the 01: error.

BTW, Try changing the SAS poll address to another number. IF you set it to 2, you should receive 02: if the machine is not receiving data. Its hard to determine chirps without special hardware. I think I can do it, but have not had the chance yet.

OK so switching between AFT or EFT wouldn't make a difference. 

I will change the SAS poll address tonight and see what happens.   I will then start another thread for:

3092 I game+ models and 0344 models (These use the same interface as the S2000 so it's just a matter of turning it on). 
Then one more for a bluebird and report my results.  The bluebird has a db9 serial interface so all I have to do is make a crossover cable.

Munch,
The MAX232 is the chip Poppo used to get his modified cable to work.
He didn't have an interface to play with so he made a working one utilizing that MAX232 chip
with certain SP chips that were posted by TZ for 16MHz boards.

Foster got the 1st App version to work with the s2000 with a straight through cable.
The 2nd version App has bugs and doesn't get past the [01:].
I think the 2nd version needs the modified serial cable or something else.
Personally, I'm having similar problems now and for some reason, the App knocks out the serial port on the PC.
I have to keep dis-abling and re-enable the port to get anything.

TZ has it running but maybe it's something to do with his PC settings or because of the SP chips he's using.
You have to go to that thread and pick up his SP's.
But you will also need a 16MHz MPU.

I have to reboot my machine as well to get the test app to throw up a 01:    It kills the serial port after exit and needs a reboot to reestablish connection.

Just to clarify a few things, I only have S+ machines to work with. I am using a MAX232 chip to convert the RS232 to TTL levels that the S+ needs. It is basically just a highly simplified version of the IGT RS232 board. I do not know what interface the S2000 needs. While I have Bunker's fried board here for repair (he will get it back some day - lol) I am taking the opportunity to trace it out and create a more accurate schematic than I had previously posted of the complete board. I assume this board is only for the S+ and that perhaps the S2000 has a true RS232 interface???

I have have both the old and newer version apps working with the S+ (shows open/close door etc). However SAS bonusing only works (both apps) with S+ SP chips that support it. Most of those chips are for 16 MHz boards. You can use a 16 MHz SP chip in a 10 MHz MPU, but things just run slower due to the different timing. But the communication still works fine since that is clocked from a different chip.

I know thread this is asking about S2000, but but just wanted to clarify what is working on the S+.

On a side note, often the PC serial port needs to see the DSR and CTS lines 'enabled' to work. So when using a device that only uses TX, RX and Gnd (pins 2,3 and 5), I usually jumper pins 7-8 and 4-6. This ensures the PC's serial port will send and receive data if it is relying on those lines. It can't hurt to jumper them. If the port needs them enabled, then it will work. If it doesn't, it will just ignore them. Perhaps this is related to the S2000 issues.

Well poppo,
It looks like you better win an s2000 in the Bettor Slots drawing.... :72-

This is a great tip to try -  I'll definitely try this tonight. 

Hi Guys

Just to Clarify - I have a I Game working - However the comms board is universal for the I960 platform so it will work on S2000, Vision, Reel Touch, I Game 033 and I Game 044
I dont have a serial port on my laptop so i am using a USB to serial adapter that has a FTDI chip in. If you have a serial port no converters are required its a simple 3 wire interface as documented (Tx ,Rx and Gnd)

Poppo raised a good point on the jumpers on the PC side.

Its probably a settings issue - let me know what SB you are using.

On the comms port issue - are you guys Uninitializing before closing program. Not sure if the app does this on exit automatically.
Andy will be able to elaborate on this

Ian

I'm getting a usb to serial adapter in the mail this week - so I'll give that a try.  I have an old laptop with a serial port that I'm using now.  

I'm using SB523 for denver duck.    

The comm port issue may be related to the jumper that poppo was talking about - regardless of if I uninitialized or not the comm port is dead after I close the program - I can't disable and reenable so I have to reboot.  

The comm port does not use the handshaking lines, so no need for a jumper. Handshaking is purely application specific, and I have it disabled.

The unitialize button does nothing at this point. The code is there, but there is a call missing in the dll. Closing the app should clean up all resources automatically.

Ok did some further testing on my desktop (XP Media Edition) with standard serial port - Stll have the old app installed

With USB to serial converter all functionality works. However as soon as I go through the serial port on com 1 nothing happens (I dont even get the 01 response reported by others)
With SASTest I get comms to machine through com1.

I have set the machine to disable if there is no SAS comms so I can see immediately if machine is communicating.

I just changed the address to 2 and
The app did respond 02:

I already sent you an e-mail about this, but just a data point.

The repaired factory SAS board does work on my S+ with the newer version program.

Will it detect the change/service light button?
A lot easier than opening and closing the door...  :72-
I hear your hinges squeaking from NY...

What should the com port setting be
Bits per second
Data bits
Parity
Stop bits
Flow control



Jumped the wire now don't even get 02:

No need to open and close the door. I have my door optics mounted here so I can work on stuff like this with the door open. But yes, it does detect the service button.

jdkmunch - Andy said the app sets the port settings so it will override anything you set.

OK final test results of the day......

Tried cable both jumped and open with the exact same results - What gets reported is what looks like the sas address 01:

Tried the same setup on my I-Game+ and had exact same results -  01:

Sooo with the trouble that TZ was having The only thing I can do now is wait for the USB to serial adapter and try that on another computer.  

I will make a serial crossover cable and try that on the bluebird later.

Just for grins, try this. Turn the slot off. Connect the cables. Reboot the computer. Start SASTest. Click initialize. Then turn on the slot machine. After it boots, open the door or press the service button and see if you have anything displayed.

I only suggest this because I have had things 'lock up' when fiddling around with cables and clicking on things that don't work (like the meters 10-15 on a S+).

I finally had some time to play with this a little bit.  I made a serial cable from an old player tracking cable that had the right molex connector and wired the db-9 end to it per Bunker's photo (thanks!).  I picked up a refurbished laptop with WinXP professional and a real serial port.  After downloading C++ 2010 redistribution package and MS .net software the application runs fine.  I seem to be having the same issue as others though, I get a 01: and that's about it.  I have been able to send a legacy bonus to a S2000 a couple of times, but it takes repeated attempts.  I don't get the much in the way of comms from the machine at all.  None of the door open, door closed, game started, game ended etc messages like I would expect to see.   

So I hooked it up to my GameKing and get the same results with it as I did the S2000.   I set up the comm analyzer to SAS primary channel 3 so I could observe the communications between the laptop and the machine.  I sent two legacy bonus requests to the machine, one for 100 and the other for 200 and captured the comms in the attached photo.  The comms from the laptop are on the top line and it looks like it's communicating properly.  You can see where one request was for 100 and the other 200 in the data sent. 

I get the same thing from my other laptop with a USB -> serial converter cable too  :8-  Guess I didn't need a new old laptop after all  :97-  I don't know why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.  Maybe AndyP will see something in the comm analyzer snapshot that isn't right?

(http://)

Nice work tilt. Interesting indeed. Its seeing the data, but not responding to it. Any idea what the blue means? Looks like it might be the packet data.

What you are seeing there first is a global poll, the 0x80, followed by the general poll to poll address 1, 0x81. If the EGM detects a global poll (0x80) it is supposed to stop chirping, which its not doing. Tilt, if you dont mind can you send me an email to my gmail account - > slotmon <- with gmail dot com on the back.

I believe the data in blue is the packet data being sent by the test app and received by the machine.  If it sits idle the display looks like the bottom line.  The app sends a 80818081 then there is a pause of a second or two and the machine sends 01 01 01.... until the next 80818081 comes in then there's another pause, and it repeats.  Every once in awhile the machine will attempt to send something back, but it's apparently invalid, like 18: AC power was just lost but the machine is still on. 

 :172-

The TestApp is seeing the S+ Door open and close codes and some of the stuff works with a S2000 as long as use a USB to Serial adapter.

Why does a standard Com port give us troubles and a USB to Serial Adapter works great.

I'm getting the same results with my XP Pro laptop with a real serial port as I am with my Win 7 laptop with a USB ->serial adapter able. 

That was a great idea!

Here's my com status on my I game with the test app hooked up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRXViCAjPa0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRXViCAjPa0)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqDMyh-GSTM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqDMyh-GSTM)

That helps a lot. Still not sure what is going on but I'll stare at it for a bit longer.

Might have to start handling the chirps a little better.

I have managed to replicate the issue to a degree. It appears its a timing issue with received data. I need to work on it, not 100% sure what I am going to do about just yet though.

What I find odd though, is looking at those comms traces, the machine should still be responding with a no activity exception which its not.

Munch,
What did you actually see on your screen before you installed the jumpers...just [02:] ?
Nothing else?
Could you send us a screenshot of it?

The slowness of the USB devices I thought would be detrimental to the polling part, but looks like it may be benificial to the receiving side!

I am really stuck on this one. I have just been screwing around with timings and I can see whats going on now. I am yacht racing the next 4 days, so I will have a good think about it when I am lying in my bunk at night!

When doing long distance racing and doing rotations...you should be sleeping, not thinking...lol

Good luck to ya! What boat you on?

Tilt and Munch

I did not even get any activity on the comms test so I dont think my serial port problem is the same as Yours. Comms coming into the machne seems good on Your test results.
I suspect the issues You guys are having is due to machine settings. Do you guys have blue/Grey or red menus and can you post some pics on your comms setup screens.

PS - Andy - Good luck with the races

Ian

I've tried both with similar results.  Let me know what screen you want a picture of and I'll post it in the morning.

Ditto Andy, Good Luck in your races and have fun!

Well feel free to bring along an Odsessy, Universal, or VLT. I hear all of these are considered boat-anchors......   :72-

Seriously - thanks for all of the hard work you are putting into this project,  :211- of the boats, enjoy your trip and feel free to give us an update on that too.

I was looking at the S2000 Comm board, it also has RS485 available.
That may make it easier to connect more than one machine to to one com port.

As far as USB being slower, not compared to normal RS232 speeds. yeah there is some that can do the 1.5 megabits per second I do not think SAS is that fast.
The Fiber Optics that IGT is using is limited to 40 kilobits per second.

Here's the machine with SAS address 2.

Whatever address I change it to will show up -

The speed has never really been an issue. Even USB 1.0 could handle all common RS232 speeds.  Software for RS232 UARTS on PCs had been around for ever and is pretty straight forward. But the first USB to RS232 adapters were a bit buggy due to poorly written drivers and hardware, especially since USB is designed to share the line with other devices. Most modern adapters along with USB 2.0 will work well for just about anything. RS232 polling without hardware handshaking can be tricky in any case though, as timing becomes more critical.

One other option to try, is to turn off the FIFO setting on the advanced page of the com port. I have run into several devices that required this to be turned off to work reliably depending on the PC used. This was from a CNC RS232 software FAQ.


Can't hurt to try it.
 

I turned FIFO off with same result - I haven't however changed the receive value to the smallest levels.

Munch

Your comms channel should be set to 3. The screen in the picture you posted. Your SAS adress is set on another screen.

Ian

Yeah that was for bunker-  he wanted a screenshot of the slot machine throwing out 02:

If you look at the video-  you'll see it's set to channel 3

Very sad results to report -  got the usb to serial adapter today - plugged it in and got the same results.

Sorry to hear that.

So is this problem only limited to S2000 machines? Has anyone with a S2000 (and the newer version app) gotten it to work?

I have used both built in serial ports and USB adapters on both of my S+ machines with no problem.

S2000, I-Game+ and 044 are all a no go.

For everyone? I thought I read a post that someone had it working. But maybe that was the original version or something else.

TZ has reported that has his working with a usb adapter -

FDi chipset or something -  the problem is different usb adapters have different chipsets.   I got mine for $4 on ebay so im sure it's of the highest quality. 

Maybe a silly question but did you check the com port number that was assigned to the USB adapter and use that?

in Winblows device manager - it shows up as a usb to serial adapter  - also I can monitor the communications using the I-Game's communication diagnostic tool.  I can see that the slot sees communication from the pc, answers but the test app doesn't answer back. 

But you have to tell the app which com port you are using. I noticed your picture you posted earlier you have com port 2 selected. That is not the same as the SAS address (which is the poll address). You need to go into device manager, and look under - Ports (Com and LPT) and see what number it assigned to the adapter. Then use that number for the comm port on the app. Unless that is what you already did.

It works with the S2000 with USB to Serial adapter(configured as COM3)
It will not work with the S2000 using COM1 all I get the is 01:
I know com1 and com3 share an IRQ but disconnected the usb to serial adapter to see if that made a difference, still would not work.

I just want to be sure he is setting the right things. As I noted above, when he posted pictures it was the comm port he changed to 2, not the SAS address on the app. It may still not work, but if his USB adapter is set to com 3, he needs to set the the app to com 3 making sure the SAS address (poll) number is the same on the machine as the app.

I am saying that is how the TestApp is working with my system and S2000.

Yes. What is puzzling though (again going back to the pictures he posted). He has the SAS address set to 2 on the machine, the poll address set to 1 on the app, and the comm port set to 2 on the app. I'm surprised he got any reply at all. I even double checked to make sure that Comm port on the app means the PC serial port number, and the Poll Address on the app means the SAS address, which they do.

He needs to make sure the SAS address on the machine and app match. And that the Com port on the app matches the com port Windows assigned to the adapter. If they don't all match it certainly won't work. It still may not work, but those things need to all be set right.

Hey guys...On the S2000, are you all using the straight thru serial harness or the S+ modified one?
I'm trying to get it going right now using the TestApp.

I am using a straight harness since the S2000 has RS232.

I am too Foster...thanks for the verify.
I'm going try it again.
I'll keep in touch with a wireless laptop and give you an update.
My S2000's in another room... :25-

You might a USB adapter that somehow has the magic sauce in it.
My cables are straight through.

What is this S+ modified cable you speak of?  :103-  I'm using a straight through cable on my S+

I think bunker is talking about the max232 interface.  I though that was only needed if your s+ didn't have a communication board.

Even the S+ factory communication board can use a straight through cable. The board just has a different connector on it. I just have a female DB9 going to J2 on it.  So whether I use the MAX232 adapter thing or this board, I use a straight through cable.

BTW did you check all of those port numbers I mentioned earlier?

yes poppo,
I meant the MAX232 serial cable you made.
I made one today for the S+ but I ran out of time to test it.
I will update in the morning.

For the S2000, I'm just using the straight thru serial cable configuration.
I'm testing in a few minutes...

Yes I double checked com port and sas address - all good

Poppo I wonder if it would be best to implement RS485 over 4 wires (2 Twisted Pair) or use 2 wire instead.
The RS485 interface in the S2000 Comm board is using 4 wire for TX/RX and 4 more for DTR, DCD (which may or may not be needed)

I have attached the 2 schematics I have for your reference. J81, the LTc491 chips and related components in that area are for RS485 from what I can tell.

I don't see J81 on the actual schematic. :103- However, I notice that J82 labeled RS232 is using the RTS and CTS lines. Is that the connector you are using? If so, I thought Andy said that there was no hardware handshaking being used. If the S2000 is expecting it (proper handshaking), that could cause timing issues and lack of responces from the machine.  

As for RS485, I will admit that I really don't know enough about it to comment.

Also, I am just doing a lot of guessing on the S2000 since I don't have one, and have only been going by schematics.

J81 and the LTC491 are shown in the upper left corner of the schematic there are 16 zener diodes near them

Updating...

This computer is coming to you live from my S2000.
I've tried all of the above except for the USB adapter...(I left it at work... :25-)

I even keychipped the machine to change it to "Legacy Bonusing".
All I get on any channel or address is the dreaded [01:]...absolutely nothing else.

I even dis-abled/enabled/lowered/raised the FIFO buffering and
changed the COM to [3] but still get the [01:].

Maybe it works for the S+ which I'll know in the morning but for the s2000...nope.

Any ideas CommTech?  :99-
I see you're watching!  ^^^ :72-

Can you double check the schematic you attached. I'm not seeing it. J80 is the only connector up there.

And I'm really curious to see the actual RS232 port being used. I'm still thinking handshaking could be an issue if they are supposed to be used.

This one? >>>

Sorry I added the assembly pdf instead of the other schematic. that why you could not find it.

That's on the parts placement sheet, but not on the schematic. That drawing also shows 3 fiber jacks and the schematic has 5. I don't think they are for the same board.

<edit> Ok, got the right one now. Still can't answer the RS485 question, but still would like to know what jack you are using for your RS232.

Another wasted 10 minutes of my life.... :97- :208-

I see the bloody thing now...
Foster, can we go over to your house and
give you a swift kick in the butt?  :96-  














just kidding...

I am using J82, strange that it matches the J82 or such on the S+ comm board (If I remember right)

IGT probably didn't need to change it...save a few bucks

The reason I asked about RS485 is because it specifically allows for 32 nodes on either 1 TP (Twisted Pair) or 2 TP, or 4 TP if DTR and DCD are needed.

The reason I asked is that it looks like IGT implemented the 2 TP or 4 TP version.

I have really enjoyed the dedication of these efforts.  Perhaps some in "this" world could know more than even the nerd computer hackers- :103-,  Perhaps some have already done this-even on this board here-- :103-  Perhaps I wonder why those folks are not talking about it--- :103-.   :68- :182- :209- :283-.  B.

Well, J82 clearly has CTS and RTS lines. That tells me that it is expecting to use hardware handshaking. That might explain a lot of the problems. Andy said hardware handshaking was not used (and it's not on the S+) but if the S2000 is expecting it, things won't work right. It could explain why the machine receives the data but does not respond. Now why it works with some adapters I don't know.

BTW, there is a J82 on the S+ SAS board but it is not the RS232 port. It's the output to the MPU.

I just took mine out and apart to take some pictures.
This is the S2000 Comm board in the back wall of my machine.
Click to enlarge if needed...>>>

You know what, I'll bet it needs all 4 lines to include the RTS and CTS?
If so, what pins on the PC end would match those ones?
Pin locations # 3 & 4 ?  lol    It can't be that easy!
Anyways, I'm presently using Pins#1, 2, & 5 on the J82 5-Pin Molex.

Click to enlarge if needed or use the drawings in Reply#79. >>>

They would go to pins 7&8 of the DB9. That is why I suggested earlier to jumper them (jumpering them tricks the pc into thinking all is well). However even if the lines are needed, Andy said he has coded the program not to use hardware handshaking.

On a side note, I have been playing around a little more with my USB RS232 adapter and most of the time it works (with the S+), but if I leave it running for a while I start getting random messages from the machine. So I think the program has issues even with the S+.

Okay,
Thanks Poppo!! I'll try it tomorrow...see what happens   :5-
Foster's the late nite host...lol maybe he'll hook it up while I'm asleep... :294-
I gotta get to bed! :72-

IF you go to bed, NLG will self destruct in 1 minute.

Hi All

Typed out a long reply and it bombed - short version.

Use J82 for serial comms - You only use TX,RX and Gnd.
If you are using this port your SAS primary comms channel should be set to 3.

The other two screens for I Game with AFT are attached (But dont have correct settings shown)

SAS Options - Enable bonussing, cashless transactions and validation. You can set asset number to 1
SAS Channel - The adress you enter here should match whats selected on App. Make it 1 and same on APP. You can de select progressives
Ian

Can you explain what the difference is beween SAS primary comms and SAS channel? I understand the SAS channel (address), but what is the 'SAS primary comms channel'? I didn't see that option on the PDFs.

Munch posted a Pic back in reply number 47.

This screen tells the machine which port it should communicate on from machine side
2 Is the DCS port on the motherboard (Same pinout as S+ DCS)
3 is the RS232 comms port on the comms board (J82)

Then you also have a dedicated fiber port for progressives om 7. Not sure what RS485 port maps to as i have never worked on a system that uses this.

So these steps should work right?

1. Set the SAS primary comms channel on the slot to 3
2. Set the SAS address to 1 (or above) on the slot
3. Set the test app poll address to match #2
4. Connect the RS232 cable to a com port on your PC and know what port number it is.
5. Set the comm port on the test app to match #4

And if I read your post right, if you set the SAS primary comms channel to 2, you would be able to use a S+ SAS RS232 board connected to the DCS port?

Nicely Summarized

The pinouts on the DCS ports are the same so it should work yes - Drive circuit design may be slightly different. I posted a schematic early in the first thread for the 960 motherboard if anyone wants to check it and confirm.

On S2000 settings are the same you just need to find them in the menu trees.

Yes you could use a S+ SAS RS232 connected to DCS port on the S2000 motherboard, but no real need since the S2000 Communications board has the RS232 on it.
Set Game to use SAS Channel 3 which is J82 on the 960 Comm Board.

Exactly what was tried -  all that is received in the test app is 01: the sas address.

How good is this. Sitting in a bunk on a yacht, laptop and internet access. Technology....

Gents, before you all get too excited, there is an issue with my test app and some timings. This is to be expected, because the comm port on your PC was never designed to be used the way I am using via windows. I can fix the issue, but I have not had a chance to sit down and really figure out how yet.

There is no use of handshaking. I am basically using IGT's sastest program as a model to work from. I have reversed engineered it, and observed its behavior using a program call portmon that tells me every single low level operation on the comm port. I know the IGT app works, however its useless for what everyone here wants.

So please, be patient. I could put a full time programmer onto this, but you would all have to cough up mega bucks. I'll get it sorted soon.

Thank you Andy for all your help and hard work with this!!

 :244- :244-

I'm enjoying playing around with this - keeps my mind off the stress that I have at work.

MODERATOR: Link Removed.  SF :31-

This is the link to the Simulator that AndyP's talking about...
I posted it about 2 months ago in the other thread on Reply#61.>>>

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=1421.60 (http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=1421.60)

I like AndyP's Test App though...I just wish it would work as well as this one!!!  :89-

Hello All

Here is a link to the FTDI USB to Serial converter I am using and that worked with both version 1 and 2 of Andy's App. You major electronic retailer like mouser should stock them locally.

http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/ftdichip?productID=56&op=catalogue-product_info-null&prodCategoryID=84 (http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/ftdichip?productID=56&op=catalogue-product_info-null&prodCategoryID=84)

Ian

I was looking at the Comm Board Version 2 schematic.
On that one it looks like Channel 2 is the second set of Fiber components, the first set being used for WAP.
That brings up a question what is the difference Primary and Secondary in SAS settings?

I love Andyp's app too and I know he will work out the bugs.  The simulator works perfectly with both the USB and native serial ports on my pc.  So without question my settings in the slot  and cable are in perfect working order

Yup. I will sort it out.

I re-read a few posts tonight on solid ground. I need to reiterate the fact that no handshaking is required, no DTR, CTR, RTS etc.

I read some posts about USB speed etc. The problem here is not USB speed, its about how quickly you can change the mode of the UART that is used to do serial comms. Windows has a native driver that talks to the UART. When you use a USB to serial adaptor, there is a USB driver and a virtual comm port driver, so it takes longer to change the UART mode. This results in intercharacter timeouts in the packets, where the first byte of the message is sent, and then there is a delay before the second byte is sent. The delay is because I am changing the UART from using mark parity to space parity.

OK guys -   my Acer laptop which was running the test app died -  the HD started screaming and it went up in smoke. 

I pulled out my old IBM Thinkpad X41 and loaded in the test app.   This laptop only has usb ports so I hooked up the
usb to serial adapter which uses the prolific driver.

Guess what -  the test app works perfectly under this setup!

My Reel Touch and two I-Games have perfect communication. 

I don't know what the fuss is about networking the machines  -  I bought 4 usb to serial adapters and plugged them into
a usb hub.   My 4 machines *should be able to talk to the TITO database when it's finished.   

Next I'm going to modify the program to give me credits when I push the service light.  l

Great

Are these the same USB converters that you tried on your other laptop

Ian

Yes - the cheap $4 adapter from ebay (which uses the same prolific driver) and the $20 usb adapter both work fine.

There could be two different approaches to this.

1. Each machine on it's own serial port. In some respects this would be the simpler method if you don't have a lot of machines. There are 4 & 8 port USB adapters readily available. And I have had PC cards that handled up to 16 serial ports (old RAS server with 16 dial up modems). Properly written software could easily poll each serial port.

2. A single line that is daisy chained to each machine. This method requires more 'specialized' hardware that at the moment is not readily available and could be more expensive in the long run.

IMO, I would go for option #1 for home use.

Exactly  -  poppo -  Option #2 just seems more complicated than we need for the home.     

I'll let you know how #1 works

Option 2 using RS485, could be cheap for those that want to search eBay for ready made converters or build them using MAX232 and MAX485 parts.
I am not sure about he minimum spec for the TP cable but Cat 5 should work just fine.
in fact I found them for $1 a piece on ebay. most of them are coming from China

IF the TestApp and or DLL can be modified to allow the SAS address to be changed using a For Next type loop the machine will hold its data until it is polled.

Great job guys. I've been reading all of the posts concerning this. (hundreds)
I have a s2000. Can anyone tell me what settings on game you have to change & to what.
Thanks for any help, Ford

Has anyone tried a fiber transceiver on a desktop yet to the slot. They range from 125-600 dollars. That's not too expensive for something that you could use fiber and daisy chain all the machines.

Fiber might be tricky, most fiber cards for PC are networking fiber, TCP/IP, etc
The fiber IGT uses looks more like serial data over fiber. (not the standard tcp/ip packets)

Basically, the S2000 needs the SAS enabled.
I'm not sure if you need the keychip to get into the SAS option settings though.

his is how my machine is configured.

3 Communications

3.4.2.2 Bally Miser Channel Off

3.4.1 SAS

   3.4.1.1 SAS Primary
          3.4.1.1.1 SAS Primary Address
                            SAS Address = 001
          3.4.1.1.2 SAS Primary Channel
                            SAS Channel = 3
          3.4.1.1.3 SAS Primary Link Down
                            Game Enabled
          3.4.1.1.4 SAS Primary Hand pay
                            Hand Pay Reports Enabled
          3.4.1.1.5 SAS Primary Game Events
                            Game Events Disabled

   3.4.1.1 SAS Secondary
          3.4.1.2.1 SAS Secondary Address
                            SAS Address = 001 it defaults to this
          3.4.1.2.2 SAS Secondary Channel
                            SAS Channel = Off
          3.4.1.2.3 SAS Secondary Link Down
                            Game Enabled
          3.4.1.2.4 SAS Primary Hand pay
                            Hand Pay Reports Disabled
          3.4.1.2.5 SAS Secondary Game Events
                            Game Events Disabled

      3.4.1.3  SAS Config (these show up as 2 lines on the VFD)
                          Top line              Bottom line
                         Cashless              Primary
                         Progressive         Primary
                         Legacy Bonus     Primary
                         ASDC                    Primary
                         Link Bonus           Primary
                         Validation             PRimary

      3.4.1.4  AFT
           3.4.1.4.1 Asset Number
                 AFT Asset Number 000000777
           3.4.1.4.2 Register Gaming Machine (you will dot his after every thing is working)
           3.4.1.4.3 Partial Transfer to Game
                  Partial Transfers to game: Enbled
           3.4.1.4.4 Ticket Transfer Limit
                  Limit ( $ ) = 100000.00


Key Chjp Config
7.1.5 Cashless Controller     
     SAS AFT Controller

7.2.1 Validation
   7.2.1.1 Validation Type
        SAS Validation Type: Enhanced Mode
    7.2.1.2 Validation Security
        Validation Security Enabled
   7.2.1.4 Handpay Validation
        Handpay Vaildation: Print and Validate Handpay Receipt

7.2.2 Printer
  7.2.2.1 Enable/Disable
      Printer Enabled
  7.2.2.2 Restricted Tickets
      Print Restricted Tickets: Enabled

7.2.3 Voucher
  7.2.3.1 Voucher Redemption
      Voucher redemption SAS
  7.2.3.2 Voucher Limit
     Voucher Limit Follows Credit Limit
  7.2.3.3 Change Voucher
      Change Voucher Enabled

7.2.4 Handpay
  7.2.4.1 Remote Handpay : Enabled

Thanks Foster. That's what I was looking for. Your a good guy. :285-

Excellent post Foster!  :89-
How you found the time to type all in that is fantastic!!!!!! Kudos + to you!!!  :3-

Yes, thanks k+

We have liftoff Houston! Thanks to all involved

So do we. I agree - thanks to all. Foster, you were A BIG HELP.

Made a 12 ft. cable up.

I took a cable from old printer. A used 9 pin from old computer wire & 5 pin plug from wire harness I took out of game over weekend.
New cover for 9 pin I got today.

CHEAP - CHEAP - THAT'S WHAT YOU DO TO KEEP COST DOWN.

I hooked up one of my s2000 slant tops today
used a cable from my old player tracking that used that port already and connected to a db9
installed the software and it works so far

able to get info bonus credit meters etc, one thing i did notice on mine is that alot of the messages are repeated, anywhere from 2-10 times, like door open door closed handpay etc, and on topic of hanfpay that message is still coming up.

oh and if the pc goes to sleep i get a primary sas controller down message in the vdf

i am still having an issue printing the tickects but hopefully will resove that soon

Make sure that you follow the setup instructions to the letter. Also, the machine has to be registered in order to do the redeems correctly.

i double checked and everything set correctly. i can [print my tickets now, and test app shows a ticket printed but it does appear that the ticket info is available in the test app yet

i tried to register the machine but it was just waiting on something from the other end (test app) but not sure of how to complete that process

from what i see ticket validation is reading a ticket inserted
redeem ticket says it redeemed but no credits( as you said need to register it.

To register the machine the asset number has to be same in both the machine and the test app.
Test App defaults to 777 so it is easier to change the machine to match.
This is not the SAS Address or Serial Number.

thanks ill try that tonight

the machine just sits there when trying to register says waiting  is there something i need to do at the test app to initiate the registration

Yes click the the Registration Tab (part of AFT) then click register button

Also if you have enhanced validation enabled in machine you have to click on validation then on that tab click initialize validation.

I have a problem using usb to serial.
My game will work plugged into serial on computer. When I hook up to usb adaptor to serial port
I get crc error. I know it's not the game or harness. Is it possable that I got a bad usb to serial adaptor
or is there something that has to be set different?
Thanks for any help, Ford

most likely its the timing. most usb adaptors have problems when it changes parity that it gets ahead of itself. if time permits in the next few days. i can send you my app, wiyhout the data base part just to see if my timing works for you. i will temp disable the DB backend so you wont have to worry about that setup. i dont have a gui yet so it will be vary minimal for you until you get a sql (free version) installed

I'm using the SAS test

aw, sas test doesnt work with my usb or ethernet serial ports either, hence the reason i rewrote my own app. andyp's had timing issues also with usb serial portrs

Thanks zarobhr, Then I'll have to get more serial ports to put  in computer. I was hoping to use usb for some.  That sucks.
Ford

I get SAS test to wrok with regular serial ports and USB to Serial Adapters just fine
IF you can find a USB to serial Adapter made by FTDI Chip www.ftdichip.com.
The other suggestion is if you have the room in the system get another serial card.

If I can not find out why it comes up CRC ERROR. It talks to each other but error.
 I'll have to see if I can put another serial port in. I have
a single & 2 doubles in now. total 5
Thanks Ford

I did not realize you had that many serial ports.
especially internal ones
1 and 3 share irq 4
2 and 4 share irq 3