New Life Games Tech Forums

I hope one of you slot wizards might know, why do all IGT's pause after every 100 or so spins. This has bugged me since my first trip to a casino over 20 years ago.
Lindsay :103-

It 's for play history updates to the motherboard

I have been asked that question many times. I've asked them what they thought the slot machine was doing. They seemed to think that the slot machine was "resetting" itself. I always responded by saying that the slot machine must have a problem and asked if they wanted me to check it out? Of course...they said no.

On S+ machines it's after the 99th spin and on S2000 machines it's after 50. Probably to more accurately track payback% and things of that nature

Here is a great thread that started with "Why the pause every 100 spins". It spins off in a new direction and is great reading!  :72-

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=5905.0 (http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=5905.0)

Did they eliminate this in the new S-AVP?

I'm just guessing that data is still written to a EEPROM, but with faster processors and faster EEPROMS, one may not even notice any pause.

The more I've thought about this, the more I think there still is a pause, even on the AVPs. I played a few AVP bartops on my last Vegas trip and I believe there's a pause.

I thought it was a RNG thing but I guess we need the MFG to answer this. 

It's been answered. It's the game writing statistical data to the EEPROM so that in the event of a catastrophic software failure, there is still reliable data available that has fairly accurate accounting information available.  :71-

It's also a security thing (hence the EEPROM being kept seperate from the MPU) so one can not pull out a penny MPU with 3000 credits from one machine and stick it in a dollar machine and cash out. On power up the EEPROM has to match the MPU CMOS. If they don't, you get a error. Clearing the error will clear the credits.

I never did get the every hundred spins upload. If it was to be used like an airplane's black box you would think it would being continuously updating. Not saying that is/was the intent, but can't help thinking it was until they realized the time it takes to upload. So it was set to once every 100 spins. I can't count how many times I saw supertitious slot players get spooked by the delay.
 
If the mpu failed at, say, 97 spins since the last upload, then there would be a lot of history, but not the last 97 spins. And whoever was playing it when it failed could say, "I just put a hundred in that machine!", you owe me! And that info collected wouldn't be much help.
I like Poppo's security statement that you couldn't switch mpu's without a clear.

I don't think its an upload of the credits/stats - i believe this is recoreded as you go. If you pull the power on the machine at anytime when it comes back the machine is exactly where you left off.

I believe the machine records the details of the last 100 spins and the pause is when this is cleared or moved.

Ok, since I have done extensive playing around with the EEPROM on a S+, this is what I know. The data is updated continuously in the CMOS every spin. There is other data that is stored in the EEPROM when using a SET chip, like BV enable, denomination, etc. The CMOS is battery backed up, so if there is a power failure or something no data is lost. Every 99 spins certain statistical data (games played, lost, won, etc) is written to the EEPROM. On boot up, certain data is compared from the EEPROM to the CMOS. If that data does not match, then you get the 61 error. Clearing the 61 will clear any credits. Booting with a SET chip will also automatically clear credits. Another security precaution to prevent changing denomination with credits still on the MPU.

In the case of a 'catastrophic failure' of the MPU, then you mightl loose the data from after the last EEPROM write. It could be 1-99 spins of data. However, due to the CMOS being battery backed up, it would be possible to remove CMOS and keep the data intact if necessary (I made a tool to do that). It's always possible that the whole MPU and motherboard go up in smoke, but that is why there are mechanical meters and log books. And of course with newer machines, player tracking.

I'd love to know the security measures in the older antique slots.   I find it truly fascinating the thought that went into preventing thieves from stealing credits - thieves from within the casino as well as customers. 

Knagl and Poppo are 100% correct. The data stored on the EEPROM are critical statistical bookkeeping data and machine state data. I've noticed that both my Bally 5500s and my Wms 40S Dotmation also write the data every 100 spins.

Serial EEPROMS are very slow by computer standards. That's why there is a noticeable pause, and also why they chose to backup the data only once every 100 spins. The CMOS data is the same as RAM on your computer in that it is lost if power (the battery) is lost. The EEPROM is like your hard drive. It stores data more permanently,  but at the cost of speed and size. (These chips were more expensive on a cost-per-bit basis back in those days, which is why the chip stores so little compared to the CMOS.)


The pause has nothing whatsoever to do with game play, outcomes, odds, or changing up the RNG, etc. That's just another of the many myths propagated by superstitious gamblers who tend to view any incidental change in behavior as causal.


Stat :31-

Naw, naw ,No, no! It's voodoo..believe me!  :72- :97-

Just turn up the blue dial!  :72- :72- :200-