New Life Games Tech Forums

I was playing the machine when, after inserting a coin & pulling the handle, I noticed the reels did not lock in.  Pulled the handle a 2nd time (without inserting a coin & the reels still spinning) & the reels spun & locked in.  After playing a few more coins through the machine, it did the same thing.  This time I opened the door before I pulled the handle a 2nd time.  What I observed was an arc of electricity caused by the link of the reel mechanism contacting a bare wire on the reel bundle harness.  It apparently wore through the electrical tape wrapping & the wire insulation. After repairing the wire & re-wrapping the wire harness, I reset the the machine, inserted a coin and pulled the handle.  The reels spun, locked in, and that's it.  The "insert coin" lamp doesn't light, & the machine will not accept coins.  From what I could tell, the wire that shorted out was the "orange" wire that feeds power to the coils on the reel bundle.  I ran through the tests as described in the manual & when I got to test 5, the reel reader test, I got the0.0.0.0.0.5. and then 0.0.0.0. . .  Indexing the reels does not change anything.  All the "reel reader" lamps are lit.  I could hear the coils on the reel bundle energizing during test 2.  The only way I can get the machine to play is by reseting it, and then it will one spin once.  Any suggestions on what to do next would be appreciated.

I'm not sure of an exact cause but it sounds as though it might be something on the IO board where one of the Triac's stays on
and when you do a reset it turns that triac off. The reel reader control board, mounted below the reels and reel reader cards,
also attach to the IO card on J3 pins 9 through 13 which would indicate a bad U8 chip (8T98 or 74368)

Thanks for your input.  Ordered a chip, will report on results after installation. 

Installed new chip at U8, no change.  Still only plays one time.

Do you get any error codes after the one play? What about test 5 are you still betting 000005 and then 0000..

usually when something shorts out it blows a fuse.  did you check all the fuses?   Is this a single line or multi line game?   in test #2  do all the lamps lite?   does the hopper work in test #4? 

Will respond to questions in order they were asked:
Checked fuses, all good.
It is a single line, 1 to 5 coin game.
All lamps light in test #2.
Hopper pays out 10 coins in test #4.

No error codes after the one spin.  Just shows 1 000 for the one coin I inserted.
Reel reader test still the same.  000005, then 0000..

I suspect the reel reader control board has a problem.  I have another machine with virtually the same issue.  When I tried the reel reader board from the other machine in my E-1088 (at that time the E-1088 was operational), it responded the same way.  One spin, then done.

Got a reel reader control board from one of my brother's machines.  Tried it in the E-1088 machine & my other machine.  Neither machine responded any differently than it had been.  Still one spin & done after reset.

Have you reseated the wire harness connections on the I/O, MPU, & PS ?

Try swapping the I/O board from your other machine.

I've cleaned, seated & re-seated the connectors & chips numerous times to no avail.

Unfortunately, my other machine is an E-1347 military machine. From what I've learned on this forum, the boards aren't compatible.

My brother's machine, the one I got the reel reader control board from, is an E-2000 series.

One other thing that I have run into more than just a couple of times is corroded connectors on the IO card. Take a small wire brush
and clean the pins. I normally use the brush until the pins are shiny. If swapping the reel reader control board and swapping the IO cards
didn't do anything then it is quite possible (though perhaps not that likely) that the pins need a good cleaning. It sounds as though you
have no inputs and test 3 should validate that. Use test 3 for switches, we already know test 5 fails so that would translate to J4 which
is the connector that looks like the same as the power plug on the MPU and then J3 which is the connector just above and to the left
of J4

I have a hard time seeing 2 machines with the same problems. I know it is possible just seems pretty odd.

You have checked the power supplies on both of these machines haven't you? I wrote a short article to help in testing
and fixing them and it is on http://www.coinslots.com/product/repairs/repair-tips/

The website is owned by a fellow NLG member

I cleaned all the pins (again) per your suggestion.  There is absolutely no corrosion on them.
Yes, I did try a different reel reader control board with no success.
I do not have an I/O card to swap into the machine.
When I run test 3, I get:
              3.
0.0.0.0.0.3.
3. . . . . .
3. .  0.0.1. while holding coin switch closed, then the 120 as the switch is slowly released.
The hopper switch, kick switch & arm switch all display as they should according to the manual.
As far as both machines having the same problem, it may be do to the fact that both machines have been shorted out.  The E-1347 by a coin getting behind the hopper board & the E-1088 by the reel mech link "sawing" through the reel bundle harness.  I believe the E-1347 has more serious issues because I can hear one of the reel bundle solenoids click momentarily at random intervals while the machine is powered up.
I have swapped in a known good power supply in both machines with no change.