New Life Games Tech Forums

About %80 of the time I boot up my machine the upper dial won't stop spinning counter-clockwise.. and about
%50 of the time the reels won't stop spinning, and the 7 segment displays continiously flash '8.8.8.8.<...>'.

Sometimes it takes 5 minutes to display "Loading Game...". I checked out some videos of the S9000 bootup
and I don't think it should take this long.

I bought the machine locally from some guy who sells them out of his garage. I am thinking something is bad
or dying, just not sure what.

some alphas take 10 to 15 min s to boot up for play just  give it some time

I think there is an issue with the spinning top though. In the I/O diagnostics it does not appear when it's
stuck spinning. Other times, it does appear. I let it spin for quite some time and the only way to
get it to stop is to power cycle the machine and try again.

What do you mean by " to power cycle the machine and try again"...!!?!? If it doesn't boot up continuously (with the same error repeatedly), them we need to dig a little deeper. There in lies the problem..power supply, either the 5/12 or the 24.


What do you think Alpha guys?

It does not show the same error repeatedly - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. I power cycled it a few more times this morning, and got some errors that didn't clear on their own. I could play the game, but the top box was still spinning counter-clockwise. I captured the following errors:

Bezel disconnected
Topbox Device Error
Topbox Not Configured

I shut down the cpu/cabinet, tried again, and it worked.

I took out the power supplies, blew out all the dust, and coated the edge connectors with some deoxit. I noticed that one of the tabs securing the connector to the power supply was broken, so it may not of been fully seated. I modified the connector and fixed it. Despite both of these things the intermittent problem is still present.

Can I diagnose a faulty power supply by using the test ports by the main/cabinet switches?

It doesn't sound like a power supply problem from what you are describing.
I would suggest that you clear the machine and make sure that the top box is configured correctly.   

This is a party spin machine if memory serves me right. The top box is simply a reel motor that runs the top box. This motor just like a reel has a position sensor that knows where the ball is located. Alos in the top box is a small module called the RCU ( reel control unit). This module could be the source of your problem or the reel motor position sensor as well. The reel motor must be good since the top box ball turns. I think the RCU uses the USB for communications. The USB cables are notorious for being bad as well.

If the three green lights are on for the power supplies all is well there. If the lights are out or flickering there would be a problem.

Hope this gives you some food for thought. I wll be in the shop on Monday and check this in more detail is you need. Give me a call at 502-422-0615.

Have you checked the condition of the cmos battery since this all started?

Just curious...are you applying power all at once or using the three step switch start up method?  :79-

jiggywithit, how are you making out?  You got some good things to try from members.

Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today - I agree and I think its the RCU. I'm going to look for a replacement and see if that fixes
my problem.


I just checked - voltage looks good.


I am not familiar with the three step switch method, I think this requires using a power strip? I turn on
the CPU and wait a minute, and then turn on the cabinet. Sometimes I turn on the CPU and let it
sit for ~10 minutes and then start up the cabinet.


I love these forums. Everyone is super friendly and helpful. I look forward to becoming more
knowledgable and contributing back to the community.

The proper power up method as described by Bally is to turn on the machine from LEFT to RIGHT (Main Power, then Cabinet Power, then CPU power - AKA the Three step method).
To Power down, you go right to left - CPU, then Cabinet, then Main power.

If you power it up wrong, it may be possible that the USB ports may not initialize correctly.

I only have two switches. Attached is a picture.

Here is # 3

Hah!  :25- I never even noticed. OK, I will give this a shot.

i wonder why bally designed the 3rd switch on the cpu as a micro switch instead of using a heavy duty power switch like the main power and cabinet switch.

I just tried the left-to-right 3 switch method and on the very first try I got "Topbox Device Error" "Topbox Not Configured"..  :60- I found a RCU on rudysdeals going to order it and see if that fixes my problem.

Have you tried to clear then reconfigure your machine?

I have not. I do not have a clear/key card for this system.

I also think the "RCU" is different from the topbox controller. I found http://rudysdeals.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=3152&search=rcu but I think that is for the actual reels and not the top box.

My suggestion would be to purchase a Clear/key Card (Post a WTB) and try that first.  You will need to post your O.S version number and BIOS version to get the matching card.
If your game is not correctly configured, you will get those errors.

Ok. Even though the error is intermittent? If it were a configuration issue I would expect the problem to happen every time. I Will try to identify my OS/BIOS version and post a WTB.

From your posts, it did not sound like it ever functioned correctly.  :103- 
Regardless, A clear/key card would be a good place to start.  :89-

Yeah I figure I'll need one anyway. Sorry if I was not clear - I can reboot the machine (normally 2-3 times)
and eventually it works. Considering the boot time it takes forever to get the machine working when I am
in the mood to play. Instead of hitting the jackpot what I really want is for it to boot up right away  :72-

Having to boot 2-3 times is also an indication that the wrong set of Bios / OS is being used for the MPU

Attached is the matrix that you can check your MPU Version for the correct Bios / OS

As for your clear

OS31x = 312clear
OS32x = 320clear
OS33x = 335clear

Harp

Great information! I'm running BIOS AVBBP26S300M‐03, which matches to MPU PCA39456‐0‐0. The label on my OS card is damaged and I cannot read it. I looked in 'Diagnostics -> Version information' but I do not see my OS version. I think I found it in 'Diagnostics -> Version Info -> Software manifests'. AVOS00000336-05 from Sat Apr 3 05:38:08 2010. Neat information.

You can upgrade to a diff. procc./cpu and wack the boot up time dramatically.  Most folks when they first get a Alpha depending on what they got-and most time they get the slow "booter" mess with the game before it loads all.  The slow and fast will throw error mess. etc. on the screen until it is done.  "pending status" after it is all done is what to look at.  Yes, You need the proper clear cf. .