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I have just replaced my second board and here are some questions I have if someone could be so gracious. First board that came with the machine when I purchased it was replaced due to the 3.6 V green battery corroding the traces and giving me the dredded main door error codes. Second board worked fantastic no machine errors for over a year, granted I do not play the machine as much as I used too it would sit for long peroids of time turned off. I was playing with it last week and all of the sudden out of nowhere the door errors returned, I removed the board and there was a small amount of corosion on the green battery terminals as well as the board traces underneath. I tested the battery and it read .880 volts, is it possible that a lack of use of the machine in turn allowed the battery to discharge and leak? I was told these batterys are rechargeable and when the machine is on the battery is being charged is this true? My other question is and forgive me this may sound stupid, I have the machine plugged into a surge protector I leave the power switch inside the cabinet on and use the surge protector to turn the machine on and off. Is this the wrong thing to do? should the main power switch inside the machine be used at all times to power on and off? can turning the machine on at the surge protector cause a spike that is screwing up the battery?  like I said the last board was only a little over a year old. Just installed the new board yesterday and everything is working like it should thank you in advance for any help on this one!

By enhanced board do you mean a board with a model number that ends in 1270 or a 500 series board with enhanced sound adapter, known as the mmlII board? As far as using a surge protector to turn machines on and off, you're fine there. I've been doing it for years

It is a 500 series board without enhanced sound, the guy I got it from told me it was an enhanced board due to the fact that it has two chips that sit on top of smaller boards. He is a long standing NLG member that works on these things out of his garage thankfully he lives not too far from me so when I have a problem I go to see him he did the chip swap on the new board and keyed and cleared the board in one of his machines while I was there. He also put my old board in his machine and got the same errors door open b closure m as I was getting so we knew the board was the problem. I am just wondering why the green battery took a dump on me in such a short time? for now I am turning the machine on when I get home from work and leaving it on all night then turning it off when I leave for work in the morning so it is on for 13 hours or so and off for the 10 hours I am gone during the day. Thanks for the answer on the surge protector I appreciate it.

If it is a 500 series board you should just remove the green battery. Some people solder a jumper between two terminals and some do not, its an active debate on the forum about which is better.

If it was a true enhanced board (the 1270 board) it requires the green battery. A picture would definitely clear up any unknowns about which board it is.

Devilr1, it seems as though you're not playing your machine enough  :30-  :30-  I never have that problem. Between all my friends, family members and myself - machines are on twice a week minimum!

I understand some don't have the time to play their machines often. I know that having them on often won't let the green battery discharge and eventually cause corrosion/leakage. I have my machines on a surge protector as well and fire them up through that switch. Like mentioned above - that's fine.

Hope you find more leisure time to play!

Danny

I was told it is a true enhanced board that does require the green battery, believe me I thought about snipping it off the moment I got the board but my guy told me it was the board that requires it to be left on. You are absolutely right Danny I do need to play with this thing more often, I had $2000.00 in credits built up before the old board took a crap now I am back to zero so I guess that is good enough reason to start playing again. Due to the fact that in the summer months my time is spent on my Harley and not in the house is really the only reason I have not been using the machine, now that winter is coming I will be sure to give it as much use as I can. I had it sold the funny part is the guy came over to look at it and that is exactly when I ran into the issues with the door errors, I believe he got a bad taste because he will not call me back. This machine worked great for me until the guy came over to take it away, I think it is christine reincarnated as a slot machine.

I forgot to mention, I know I will catch hell for this from you guys but if there is anyone in the Cleveland Ohio or surrounding areas that would like to purchase this machine let me know!

If the board model number ends in 502 or 504 then it's not an enhanced board. A good way to tell is by the handle on the MPU. Enhanced boards have a swinging handle made out of 3/16th in bar stock and the 500 series have a sheet metal handle cut as part of the MPU tray.  Also, unless it's been modified, the battery on an enhanced board isin a clip and can be slid out for changing whereas a 500 series cmos battery is soldered down with tabs. As stated earlier, post a pick

502 Top Left
504 Top right
1270 enhanced Bottom left
MM II enhanced sound board with simm Bottom right.


Note Both the 502 and 504 have the green battery removed with no jumper installed between the post !!

I guess I was given the wrong info, it is a 502a board. Alright Buzz give me your honest opinion have you had any troubles with your machine after taking off the battery? I hear mixed stories about some with problems and some without. After cutting off the battery does the machine recognize that the battery is no longer there? What the hell is that stupid battery for anyway?

That battery runs what is called a tattle tale circuits so when the machine is off monitoring the main door, cash box door and cash can being removed or installed.
It is supposed to be logged to 1 Accounting, Security logs

A 50x series board can run without it, but a 1270 needs it.


I could not get my 1270 to log anything while power is off and battery is good so it could depend on what Game and Version Chip is in the machine.

Thanks Foster for the run down on what the battery does, I guess I am in limbo until I get a definitive answer I am afraid to remove the battery because of all the people on this site claiming their machines worked fine until they removed the battery. If someone out there has an S2000 machine with a 50X series board and has removed the varta battery with no issues please let me know!

None of my 500 series boards has that battery any more and no jumpers either. All work fine. Buzz  I'm sure, has more boards like that being used out there than any 20 average members combined. I've always found his advice to be sound and he'll tell you if he doesn't know what the heck he's talking about. There ya have it, take it or leave it...

Thanks Rob just as a guess I have about (25) spare 502/504 boards, and not one of them has a battery. Another guess is I have about ( 75 ) S 2000s and again not a green battery in the litter.  ( 1 ) machine with a enhanced board, it does have a battery.

Well thank you very much gentlemen, I have work to do I appreciate your time.

Before I attempt this surgery in your opinion guys, what is the safest way of removing the battery? I am thinking of desoldering the battery at the posts how did you do it?

I always desolder, but clipping works fine also

This is the tool I use, I break the metal strap loose from the battery, then just wiggle the strap until it breaks loose at the solder joint.  By the way same tool I use for removing eproms.  Harbor Freight, about a buck and a half for a set of four.

Thanks Cowboy and Buzz, I think I am going to desolder the battery from the posts and leave the posts in the board I am afraid of breaking a trace. Do you actually pull the posts out of the board Buzz?

Careful trying to desolder the battery from the posts, they can blow up.

Nope I just break the metal tab off and don't mess with the post.

Hold on are we talking about the same thing ?  The what I'm calling the tab isn't soldered to the battery, I think it's spot welded. The part of the tab that's soldered to the board I'm calling that the post.

Yeah Buzz we are talking about the same thing, I get it you break the battery off and leave the posts in the pos and neg side of the board. Maybe I will go that route cowboys got me scared I am going to blow my fingers off!

Once I break the tab loose from the battery I bent the tab back and forth until it breaks flush at the board.  The pictures in #8 are hard to see but will give you the idea. I've did about 200 of these with zero problems.

I did buy a bunch of machines that someone had removed the battery with what looked like a pair of wire cutters and damaged traces on about 5 of the boards.

A little fear is a good thing, I've seen one explode before and they warn against it in electronics training

A huge thank you to Buzz and Cowboy, without you guys I would not have had the balls to remove this battery! I did as you said Buzz, broke the battery loose from the tabs on the pos side and wiggled it until the neg side post broke clean at the solder on the board. I left the pos posts in the board, I have played the machine and so far all is good no tilts no errors. Thank you guys again for all your help just for clarification this is a 502a board I thought I had a 504 anyway now I don't have to worry about that stupid battery killing my board anymore you guys saved my ass!