New Life Games Tech Forums

This is a first real bar game for me and haven't made any repairs yet' is the game worth fixing I assume the error is a board? or is it more drastic? I think the game was made untill 1983. :103-  when I turn on the power I get an ERROR 3 can some one tell me what that is? I'v down loaded the manuals but can't find any error codes

Thanks for your help

send us more info and a picture...I fixed one a few months ago...if its like the one I repaired - I'll be able to help.
For starters, I believe "error 3" meant that the hopper was empty or your printer was out of paper.
Pics of the glass and insides are best.

Well I will try to send the pics one more time. No paper in the printer that was a good one. Thanks for any help you can offer. I'm hoping the error 3 will tell me what board to look at or have looked at.

okay,
next to the "code chassis" and "serial #" stickers are two little white buttons...those will be your books and reset switches.
Hold one of them in while turning on the power...the error code 3 may go away.
If it doesnt work the first time, turn the power off, hold the OTHER switch in while turning on the power...keep a note pad nearby, and make notes of every little detail as to what happens when you do these tests.
Also, if you have a power meter, check and see what voltages are coming off that power supply, I'm suspecting that the little red knob may not be adjusted correctly. Turning it clockwise will give you > 12V's. Turning it counter-clockwise will give you<12V. You need to adjust that power knob just so the video is lit up without all the crazy lines and smooth.
Finally, the computer board on the bottom of the picture. It slides out-there's slides on the side of the tray.
Take it out and visably, throughly inspect that board for anything loose, rusted, broken, exploded or burnt out.
That board looks in bad shape...in fact it looks like rust from water damage...if there's rust on it...run away as far as you can...sell the bloody thing for whatever you can get because that board will cost about an arm and a leg.

ADD>> do NOT take out the board with the power on!

OK the two white buttons are knobs that turn not push. The only push buttons were red in the front panel one was marked high score reset, pushing them one at a time with power on the unmarked on the right gave me (wait testing) then error 3. The board was serviced in 1993 according to some date stickers inside, The machine was made June 1990. I have have not checked the 12V output but did turn the knob the screen dimmed and I put the knob back to it's original setting, I will check voltage tommorrow. Their is no rust but I did blow a lot of dust out maybe 15 years worth, I gave a look at the board and nothing jumped out at me at this first inspection, I'll look closer tomorrow. The board looks like it's in good shape but what do I know I work on motorcycles. Above the big board is a smaller board I could not see if there were buttons to push there. Can I just pull the upper board off to look under? How much should I spend trying to fix this one? I want to get it going but at what point have I spent more than it's worth Thank you for your help I really what to see this thing work. any more info I can send let me know. Do you work on this thing upside down on the table? Everything looks upside down when it's right side up.

 

that's good,
Now we know the two little red push buttons are for the accounting books. Turn the power off, hold both red buttons IN with one hand and turn on the power with your other hand and watch the screen...you may get into the configuration screen from there OR totally reset the game....let us know what happens...remember to keep writing everything down that happens so you'll have a good reference what to do next time. It's kinda like getting a new, different kinda bike and figuring out everything that makes it tick that's all!

ADD>> the two white knobs we now know are for screen adjustments!

YAHOO!!! OK holding the two red buttons I got the thing to play me a tune about 6 notes I think the startup but still blue screen reading wait--- testing then error 3 again. I tested the voltage on the box to the right and could not get the screen to light or make the tune at a stedy 12V  when turned back on. depending on what I used for a ground to take the reading. there are 3 marked grounds two marked GND and on marked FG (Feild groung?) to get it to light and sound on startup this is the reading I got         

    Box marked    +5V 11A    My Reading  5.02V
                          GND
                          GND
                         -5V 1A       not used
                         +12V 2A                     12.90V using FG to get sound and screen   13.36V using eather GND
    White wires     AC 115V                     00.2V       White wires are marked AC2     are these commons?
    Black   wires     AC 115V                     119.04     Black wires  are marked AC1   

okay,
Now we know the power coming out of the supply is sufficient and good.
With the power off, wiggle all the power connections that go to circuit boards and stuff...sometimes , from time and use/age the insides of the clips get a little "oxidized" and causes intermittent power current...making stuff act funny. All contact points need to be carefully cleaner with contact cleaner you can get at local hardware stores or like a radio shack type of store. Tell them you want to clean metal connectors in a computer.
Now we need to slide out the mainboard tray out of it's track guides, turn the board around and visually inspect the pins that connect the mainboard to the bottom board....are any gold pins bent? If so, use a fine needle nose pliers and straighten them out the best you can...same goes for the chips and the smaller circuit board...make sure everything is snug and tight, nothings loose...I'm suspecting a loose connection some where not quite allowing the power from the supply to get to whatever's loose.
Follow me?
9 times out of 10 it's a bad connection, or ground wire somewhere. You really gotta poke around...power off of course. Are there lights on the game buttons? Check all the bulbs too. I'm sure you'll find something a little outta whack(burnt maybe).
Use your nose too when the power is on...sniff around like a bloodhound...anything smell like it's frying? Not bacon either!...lol
-mark

Well I basicly took the thing apart piece by piece cleaned every contact that I could get apart put it all back together and same thing error 3. Merit Industries said, "The code is for the security key" I checked those conections also and they say it has a battery in it that has gone bad there is no replacement part avable :8- So now I am in serch of a security key, Were to look? Would you have one or know someone that might? Thank you for all your help this has been a learning experance for me + got me over the fear of working on a board. I still don't know how to test the pieces but I can take them apart and put them back together now. Here are a few pics of what I think I need. Thanks again.

Merit is a funny company...On the mainboard itself, the big board, is there a battery soldered somewhere?
That battery may be all you need to change. Unsolder one end of the battery terminal, put a tester on it and see if the battery is indeed dead. If so, find a replacement battery from a camera shop the same voltage and  type, resolder it to the board and boot up the machine...if the code 3 comes back, then it will be that chip thats soldered to the small boad pictured. Your options then become this.
1). Try and take it apart to see if there's a battery inside of it like Merit said, find a replacement battery (same volts and type) and replace the internal battery.
2). See if Merit will guide you in any way towards finding this stuff...they'll have a list of suppliers and repair locations that USED to service these games. They may or may not tell you who and where.
3). Post a wanted ad on NLG, and various other websites similiar to this one asking for the security chip for this machine.
4). Do what was said earlier, run as far away as you can from this machine....lol...I'm not kidding when I said it's very difficult to find anything for these machines because Merit doesn't make any parts or support them anymore.
5). If you still want to try and fix this, dont give up...scour the internet everyday looking for parts for this. It took me between 6 to 9 months to find the parts I wanted in order to repair my Merit Industries Dakota Superstar last year.
I wasnt in a hurry and eventually I found everything I needed....like I said....you either give up or try hard like heck!
You may get lucky...I will keep my eyes and ears open for parts for this and let you know if I see anything.....sometimes you gotta buy two junks to make one good one.
In my case, I just patiently waited till parts popped up.

No stopping now or running away. Merit told me thay stopped support on that machine 2 buildings ago and know very little and have no parts. I didn't find a nother battery on the board and am not sure how to take the little black box apart without messing it up. The harh plastic poured inside do I melt it with heat or try to cut it and my finger off at the same time? --lol-- I will serch the net for a used one, I am in no hurry riding seson is coming soon. Thank you for all your help and let me know if you find one in you travels.