Universal Ultra Slot Machine

[pistachio62]

I will, but tomorrow... I'm to lazy to take pictures now...

[uniman]

I know it is an ultra, it has the same mother board as the picture that was on the reset Ram page... and will do on the e-mail deal... Sorry I didn't address that in the last message...

I have another question if thats okay... How much is a Universal machine thats in pretty good shape worth? Are they rare at all or whats the deal with them as far as pricing goes... I didn't pay that much for this one... Also are bill acceptors common in these machines?

Oh and thanks again.

A slot machine is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
The Ultra is rare in the U.S. So owning one is cool. But, parts are nearly impossible to find and the bill validator is not upgradeable. That hurts the value.
I think if this machine was designed and built by a U.S. manufacture it would be worth a little more.
Right now an upright Ultra in good working order sells for about $350 to $400. Also depends where your located.
All Ultra's came with a bill validator.

I've only seen one Super Stars & Stripes and that was in Mount Clemens Michigan.

[pistachio62]

I reset the ram and its throwing the errors 50, 13, and 31... you explained the 50 and 13... the 13 does turn to 19 eventually, and there is no lock on the door so I don't know if that error will go away after I put a lock on it. The error code that bothers me is the 31, also it stops all the coins about half way into the slot... Any ideas? Thanks

[stayouttadabunker]

No idea...busted wire somewhere maybe...
Here are some of the error codes.
I don't know what the "19" is for?
19 Credits?
Click on the photo to enlarge it!>>>

[slot monkey]

Great info uniman!

Thanks for sharing.

[TZtech]

Hi

19 - Indicates a all clear and will go away after a game is played.
31 - Hopper overpay. Probably because a coin is obstructing the hopper optic.

You dont need to fit a lock - Simply stick a piece of paper into the door optic to fool it into thinking its closed.

See attached full error code listing - Sorry formatting did not come out so nice.


Ian

[stayouttadabunker]

That's still a way better error code list than I had...
Thank you very much for uploading it TZ!  

[pistachio62]

Okay, so it seems as though there is an error in the door shutting... even when it is shut it reads it as a code 50 which is an open door error.... I'm not really sure on this... The 19 is normal, and finally this 31... Thanks you so much for that PDF TZtech, but when I press the reset button it seems to do nothing along with the all of the other buttons... I'm not really sure whats going on. When I shut it off and turn it back on it throws an 11 along with a 13... Meaning it couldn't successfully start because there isn't voltage, but when I do the Ram clear it starts right up and gives the 19... So all in all The real issue is the 31... I feel like I should start with that... Thanks for your help and suggestions...

[TZtech]

Hi

Ok you need to get rid of the hopper tilt first. What kind of hopper do you have in the machine ?. Did you check the optic on the hopper for any kind of obstruction ?

On the left hand side of the machine just above the BV there should be a small optic. Normally this would be blocked by a camm attached to the door mech when the door is closed. Just stick a piece of paper in there. There is also a white switchabove the reels that needs to be pushed in that works in series with the door optic.

Ian

[pistachio62]

Okay, how do I get rid of the hopper tilt, and how do I tell what kind of hopper I have, or what are the different possibilities? I didn't where is the optic on the hopper, and I don't believe there is any obstruction. I closed the door and have the piece of paper over the optic sensor, but its still giving me a error 50... Sorry I'm such a newb to this type of stuff, and thanks for the help.

[uniman]

Ok, error 31.  (I hate this error!)
The book says OVER PAY. But this is what is really happening;
The hopper has a small opto sensor that counts the coins as they leave the hopper. The MPU board must see this sensor at all times. If the connection between the hopper and board is broken you get error 31. If there is a coin stuck over the sensor you also get error 31.
So, open the door and remove the coin tray. (lifts up)
With the machine shut off;
Pull out the hopper and look in the slit where the coins come out. Make sure no coins in there.
Then push hopper back into machine. Make sure it is in the guides on the floor. Push it back until it is plugged into the blue plug that is mounted on the floor of the machine.
Again, reseat the MPU board to the backplane. Push on both white pull tabs.
Now start the machine and push the reset button. 

[uniman]

Bunker, the error codes you posted apply to the older Universals, not the Ultra Series. Most are the same but, for instance, Error 51 is door closed in the Ultra, door open when reels are spinning in the older Uni's.

Once we get passed the pesky error 31 then we can get the door closed & locked.
The white push buttons located inside the machine at the upper right are called Cherry Switches. There should be two. Only one is used so if there is only one, no big deal. When you close the door this switch pushes in and tells the MPU the door is closed. (You can pull the white switch out and it will simulate the door closed, great for troubleshooting)
Now the MPU has to think the door is locked too. Look at my pics below. First one is the door lock optic. A gray U-shaped plastic thing mounted to the wall. (I circled it in red)
In my second pic you can see I put a piece of electrical tape in the U to fake out the the machine in to thinking the door is locked. (there was a tab connected to a lock that blocks the optic) You can see a little red light on the left side of the optic that is on when the optic is blocked. (Didn't show up in my pic)

[uniman]

Don't worry about the error 11. It should blink maybe once or twice then go away. It's the power supply getting up to proper voltage.
If error 11 persists, then it's a problem.

[pistachio62]

Okay, I checked the sensor and it was a clear, and very clean, I put it all back together and still getting the Error 31... Okay on the door, I think that'll work, and on error 11, Okay... Just really 31 is the main issue... I'm still confused, so does the reset button do anything that you can see or make a noise or anything?

[uniman]

It works like this;
Let's say your playing your machine and suddenly the hopper is unplugged. The TILT light will flash and error 31 would appear in the win meter. The machine will not play with this error.
So you press the reset and nothing happens. That's because the problem is still there. You would have to plug the hopper back in first. At that point the error would continue to flash until the reset is pushed. Now with the error corrected the reset will stop the error code from flashing and allow the machine to resume play.

So, as long as the problem is still there the reset button does nothing.

It sure sounds like your MPU is not seeing the hopper.

It could be any of the following;
The hopper opto sensor is bad.
The hopper circuit board is bad.
The hopper plug is loose and not making contact.  (I have seen this before!)
The MPU is just not seating/connecting to the backplane.  (And this can be a real pain too when it happens)
The MPU has a componet problem.

Now you see why I hate error 31.

Try taking a small screwdriver and slightly bending the contacts on the hopper plug to make better contact.

[uniman]

It works like this;
Let's say your playing your machine and suddenly the hopper is unplugged. The TILT light will flash and error 31 would appear in the win meter. The machine will not play with this error.
So you press the reset and nothing happens. That's because the problem is still there. You would have to plug the hopper back in first. At that point the error would continue to flash until the reset is pushed. Now with the error corrected the reset will stop the error code from flashing and allow the machine to resume play.

So, as long as the problem is still there the reset button does nothing.

It sure sounds like your MPU is not seeing the hopper.

It could be any of the following;
The hopper opto sensor is bad.
The hopper circuit board is bad.
The hopper plug is loose and not making contact.  (I have seen this before!)
The MPU is just not seating/connecting to the backplane.  (And this can be a real pain too when it happens)
The MPU has a componet problem.

Now you see why I hate error 31.

Try taking a small screwdriver and slightly bending the contacts on the hopper plug to make better contact.

I missed another reason your getting error 31 and this one is important. Need to know what type of hopper you have. (As TZtech was asking)
Up to now I have been assuming many things.
Here is my list of assumptions;
1. You have an upright machine and not a slant top.  (YES or NO)
2. Your machine has the standard Holey multi-hole hopper.  (YES or NO)
3. Your machine is parts complete.                (Pic's would be nice)
4. The dip switch settings on your board are set correctly. (There are seperate settings for two different types of hoppers.)

Look at the picture below. Is this the hopper type you have?

Take your MPU board out and write down the DIP switch settings. There are five different sets of switches. You will see them labeled DIP-1, DIP-2, etc. Sets 1 thru 4 have eight switches each and #5 has four switches. #5 is right by the reset buttons on the edge of the board. Let's check them all. They are either OFF or ON.
For the error 31 problem the DIP-1, switches 6-7 are of interest. I would expect both to be ON for the Holey multi-hole hopper.

Off to work, will log on this evening.
Uniman

[pistachio62]

Okay, hopefully I address everything, Yes this is an upright machine, it has the hopper that is displayed in the picture... I sadly don't have the time to work on it today, but tomorrow I will do what you suggested, and report back... I'm only allowed 2 attachments so here they are...

[pistachio62]

Heres some more

[pistachio62]

and two more...

[pistachio62]

last two...

[uniman]

Well the error 31 still persists. 
This error can mean something is blocking the opto sensor or, and more often the problem, the MPU board does not see the opto sensor. (The circuit between the two is broken)
Could be the circuit is broken where the MPU meets the blackplane or where the hopper is plugged in. Or it's a hopper board and/or sensor problem.

Let's focus on the hopper. I've had problems with worn hopper plugs now and then. So I came up with a very cheap solution. On the receiver end mounted to the floor of the machine I inserted small 1/4" lengths of toothpicks above the upper contacts to keep them in contact with the plug from the hopper. See pic below and NO LAUGHING.     Hey, it works.
The gap between the contacts and the blue plastic is just too big.

[uniman]

The hopper has a small board. It is P950026. The hopper plug wires go to this board at location CN1 with a 9-pin connector.
The hopper motor wires connect to CN2, a three wire connector.
The opto sensor connects to CN3, a small three wire connector.
CN4 is a small five wire connection that will have just two green wires. This is for the hopper overflow. When coins in the hopper reach the sensor probe inside it grounds this circuit and the machine opens the diverter at the bottom of the coin-in assembly.
CN5 is not used, believe it is for a programmed coin in diversion.
In the upper right corner is a selector switch for 50 or 60HZ power. Should be switched to 60HZ.
On the back is another selector switch. This switch is for the overflow control. Either programed or conduction. Should be on C for conduction. When the board is properly seated there is a small hole that only allows this switch to be on C. Again this is only for overflow, does not affect error 31.

[uniman]

This is my little test unit. A hopper plug, hopper board, and the opto sensor. I plug it in to the hopper plug, lay the board on a small piece of plastic to avoid shorting it out, and lay the opto sensor face up with nothing at least 6 inches above it. Then I turn on the machine and error 31 should not be seen. If I do get error 31, I then wiggle the plug and keep pressing the reset button. If I find the error clears, then the plug is the problem. If not, then the MPU board is the problem.

[TZtech]

Hello Uniman

Good info - Thanks. Is there no way hopper can be disabled and wins keyed off so at least you guys can get machine into play mode ?.
On our machines we dont use them as they are all on cashless but i dont know if thats a setting or an option built into the base SW that we use.
Also there is a led on the little optic that should come on. If not you know its a wiring or optic problem.

Ian

[pistachio62]

Wow, it's been a long time... My life just got busy... Here is where I am at, I took out the main board to check the switches, upon instruction, and when I reinserted this board only the machines lights turn on. The 4 small led's no longer light on the main board. Yeah... so the problems I feel are growing. Thanks in advance for the help and suggestions...