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 I have a simple 809 fruit in my collection.  It plays and pays 100% EXCEPT on occasion it seem not to read the cherry on the first reel.  Get 1 cherry, no pay out.  Get 2 cherries. no payout.  When it does "see" the cherry on the first reel it pays properly of 1 or 2 cherries.  While the reel bundle was in the machine I rocked the first reel and it would start the hopper spinning but the pay out would be wrong.  I pulled the reel bundle and cleaned the wiper contacts.  I checked to make sure that a cherry on wiper board 1 was in the same place as it was on wiper board 2.  It was.  I even took the wiper arm off and cleaned the fingers and all of the boards with a 3m plastic pad.  The wires look good on the back of the wiper board.  Look good means nothing obviously loose.  It can play all day long and never miss a payout.  Later that day I could fail to pay anythin 10 times in a row or any combination thereof.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I like every machine to work all of the time.

you could have more than one problem. unfortunately with EM machines its hard to pinpoint to the exact cause.  the single cherry payout and  2 cherry payout  could be one problem and the no paypout intermittently could be another problem.

That being said, most payout problems that come and go are usually associated with the counter disc and associated circuits, especially the ZERO STOP SWITCH. haven't come across too many problems caused by the reel wiper arms, and if there were it was due to dirt built up on the pads themselves, a good cleaning and slight lube will solve these problems.

I would take the hopper out and manually step the counter and watch the zero stop switch, it MUST FALL AND MAKE CONTACT ON THE FIRST CLICK OF THE RATCHET. most times if the original rubber shock absorber is still in the unit it is starting to break down. when it does this it leaves a sticky goo on the plastic pivot that allows the switch to close. sometimes it will stay attached to the rubber after the plastic pivot point is gone.  They don't make that part anymore, if it is bad, you have to make one out of a pink eraser.  I would check that out first. step it up and reset it many times. 

the next thing I check is the alignment of the zero stop switch. put a meter on the field wire (gray/yellow) and on the pad of the count you want to check, say 1 cherry . one lead on the field pad the other on the 2 pad, you should have continuity, step up the counter by two steps and the circuit should open. ( My meter has a tone generator in the ohm  section,so i listen for the tone to stop) you can check out all the payouts in this fashion. if the counts are off, then adjust the switch to move the resting spot for the wiper arms.

the one cherry payout only has one set of contacts that could cause the problem, you get a direct feed from the gray wire on the three reel to the one reel  through the contacts when the cherry lines up and then on to the wiper feeler for 2 payouts.



Hope this helps

Jim 

Jim

Thanks so much for the reply.  I am away from the machine and I will check it this time tomorrow.  I want to be clear that ALL other pay outs that do not involve a cherry pays properly.  The problem is when lets say you get 1 cherry with 1 coin in.  That should pay 2 coins.  As times you get nothing.  when you get 2 cherries with 1 coin in  sometines you get nothing.  My thinking is that the first cherry read is the problem.  All other winning combo's pay as they should.

Is the 2 cherry hit predicated on the first reel getting read properly?  In any event I cant wait to pull the hopper and look at the condition of the zero stop. 

I will report my progress.  Thanks again

Ra

Jim:

Taking your suggestion I pulled out the hopper.  Upon inspection I noticed that the rubber bumper on the zero stop was soft and sticky.  It contacts that plastic piece at the rounded end and had become deformed.  I took it off cleaned that plastic piece that opens the contacts and cleaned the payout disk also.  The rubber stopper was beyond repair.  I cant imaging what kind of goop that make those and the star agitator out of.  I fabricated a new stopper from a pencil eraser.  I learned that from this list.  I had to cut down the eraser considerably.  Once that was done and adjusted I put about $40 through the machine.  All worked well.  I am holding my breath because it has had good runs in the past but went back to the non pay.  Tonight I will play another cup full of coins.  Jim the advice you gave me was priceless and seemed to work to boot.  Any changes I will post to all.  Thanks again.

Ra 

Jim:

Just a courtesy follow up to say thank you.  I did exactly what you said and the first machine went through some long play afterwards.  The problem seemed to be fixed.  In the mean time I had another 809 give me the same problem.  Same fix applied, same result FIXED.  Thank you so much.

Ra