New home machine....lost on how to maintain

[sbs]

We are new so I apologize in advance if this question has already been addressed.  We just purchased an IGT S Plus 4th of July machine and would like more information on what we should do to maintain and repair it, as needed.  We would also like to increase the maximum credits amount, as we have hit the triple 7s a couple of times and have to open and refill continuously to pay out.  We are having so much fun with this machine and may want to get another but feel we should know how to maintain it prior to getting another.  The purchase was from an individual and they did not have an instruction manual.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

[stayouttadabunker]

On the top right hand-side of this page is Rick's FAQ Files...
There is plenty of information there for you to start. 

There, you'll learn how to find out what SP and SS chips you have installed in your game.
When you can report to us what SP chip you have, we can tell you how to raise the hopper limits
and go into a hand pay mode so you don't have to constantly fill up the hopper every time you get a jackpot.

[sbs]

I will look there and get back to you.  Thank you so very much!!

[sbs]

I found the chips and they are as follows:

Game Prom - SP 731
Reel Prom - SS 4164

Thank you so much for the advice.

[stayouttadabunker]

  That's great!
I'm glad you were able to determine what chips are in the machine.
You're on your way to learning how to understand your machine better.

A couple of things to remember:

1). Never take out anything or put anything in ( Esp. the MPU board, or door optics ) with the power switch "ON" -
that's a good way to royal screw up things and burn stuff out.

2). Look at #1...

Okay, now we want to learn how to set up your hopper limits so that when you get a jackpot or a certain amount of credits built up  you don't have to continuously feed the hopper with coins to finish the payout.

You game chip ( SP731) is a classic S+ chip.
It's very easy to use and program.

But now you have to learn how the IGT programmers did things back in the 80's...arghhh!
There's 3 areas you have to learn for programming an S+.

1). The reset key - this key ( when the door is closed) gets you into the "Accounting Mode" - the books and recordkeeping.
But when programming, it flips you through "pages".

2). The little white self test Test button ( Yours might be located on the MPU cage. Newer machines had them up behind the power switch.) The button gets you into the programming pages or "self test mode" It switches "pages" forward through the self test mode.

3). The button deck. The Bet One Credit button does the same thing as the Test button - switches pages forward while the "Change" or "Service" button goes backwards through the pages in the options.
I generally never use the backwards button and just go forward all the time with the Test button.

You'll learn that it will always go up to about page 9 then get sort of blank then either starting over at (0) on the Coin Played display or goes back into game mode. Pressing the Test button just get you right back into the programming mode and you can get out of it anytime by pressing the test switch past page9 or simply closing the door.

Okay, now open the door, power up the machine.
The machine's "boot up" sequence kind of goes like this>>>
The fluorescent lights come on, the Insert Coin flashes and a zero is displayed in the Coins Played window.
Then the reels do their "maiden spin" - it's ready for programming now.

Press the test button 12 times or until you see a [7] in the Coins Played window.
That means you're on "page 7" of the options settings in programming mode.
Page 7 is the "Max Hopper Pay" option.
Your SP731 chip uses the dip switches on the MPU board really so you are probably seeing some crazy number in the Winner Paid window.
Someone programmed it for some amount really high and that's why the machine
never goes into the hand-pay mode.
The dip switches on the MPU are settable for 300, 400, or 600 coins max or "programmable".
Whoever had it before you had the dip switches on "programmable".

At this point.
Turn off the the power switch and remove the MPU board from the cage.
Looking towards the bottom left-hand corner, ( With the big transformer facing away from you and 4 big black capacitors on the right )    you will see a bank of 8 dip switches.

Turning "OFF" switches 1 & 2 will allow the hopper to pay out no more than 300 coins.
"On" is towards the right, "OFF" is towards the outside or left-hand side of the MPU board.
Leaving dip switch #1 "ON" and #2 "OFF" is for 400 coins.
Pick one you like...leave the other dips as they are.

Any credits accumulated higher than 300 or 400 (whatever you set it for) will put the machine
into a "Hand-Pay" mode when the Cashout button is hit.
When that happens, all you need to do is turn the Reset key once to run off the credits on the display.

Go ahead and re-install the MPU back into the cage and power up the machine.
You oughta be back in business!
If you have any other questions about programming, please ask here and we will try to help you out.

[sbs]

Thank you so very much!!!  I am an old lady but will be a wizard with this machine thanks to your instructions!

[stayouttadabunker]

haha! If you can decipher this PSR sheet (Program Summary Report) of your SP731 chip.
You will see where I got this information from.
Every homeowner should have one for their Game Prom chip for their use when programming their machine.
Print it out, staple it together, and place it on your lap as you fiddle with the keys and buttons...>>>

[sbs]

One more dumb question - by following the steps you so kindly included, any credits higher than 300 or 400 will put the machine in to hand pay mode.  Is there a way to allow the credits to accumulate to the maximum (say, 9999) prior to paying out?  For example, I would get three red sevens paying 1,000 coins and they would all go to credits rather than paying out?  I am probably making this too hard or I am too stupid!  I promise to get proficient on this machine and not continue to bug you!

[stayouttadabunker]

No questions on NLG are "too dumb"...there are none!

On page two of the SP731 PSR sheet I attached for you -
it says that "the Credit Limit automatically matches the MAX hopper payout" you've set it for.
You may need a newer SP chip like SP1271 to do what you want it to do?

Try turning the dip-switches #1&2 to "ON" for programmable MAX hopper pay,
 set your limit to "999" and see what happens?

[sbs]

Will do, thank you again so very much!

[stayouttadabunker]

What I'm secretly trying to accomplish is get you to get yourself familiarized
with how IGT uses those darn buttons and switches for programming. 

It's like anything else...after you play with it awhile - you get better...

[StatFreak]

I suggest leaving DIP switches 1 and 2 turned on and simply setting the amount you wish in the setup menu option that Bunker described, even if you want a setting of 300 or 400. That way, you'll be able to change the amount anytime you wish in the menu without having to pull the board.

As Bunker pointed out, you'll need a newer chip like the SP1271 to set up separate hopper, credit, and jackpot limits. Your SP731 has only one setting for all three. That means that any credits on the meter can always be cashed out (requiring enough coins) and that no payout will trigger a jackpot unless higher than the max credits setting. The SP731 also has a minimum hopper/crddit/JP limit of 300 coins.

With the SP1271, you could have a credit limit of 9999, set a jackpot lockup to any amount you wish (say 1200 coins) and set the hopper limit to 0 (ZERO!), which would allow you to run the machine coinless.

Just some things to think about.

Stat

[sbs]

Thank you StatFreak.  You guys have been so helpful!  Do you know where I can order a SP1271 chip and would it be "easy" for me to change it?  I may be old but am still willing to learn.  I am working on getting the credits down to 0 so I can do the steps suggested by stayouttada!  Again, thank you both very much!

[stayouttadabunker]

Any one of the vendors on the top of the Home page of NLG should be able to help you out with chips! 

[sbs]

Thank you!  You guys are my heroes!  This old lady will report back.

[StatFreak]

JEEZ I'm an idiot!    I completely ignored the fact that you have a 4^th of July machine.  Bad Stat


Sbs, you have a decision to make that only applies to Spin-til-you-win games like yours (and other types of respin games like 5x Pay Double Spin) Your game plays a tune when you're in the 4^th of July respin feature. The older SP731 allows you to select from 7 different songs. You may or may not have been aware of this option. If not, you might want to check out the different selections. If you change to an SP1271 you'll lose that option and will be stuck with one song.

So your choice is to have a selection of 7 songs for the spin bonus but not to be able to set separate hopper, credit, and jackpot limits, or to be able to set separate limits but have no choice in the song that plays during the spin bonus. As an aside, the SP1271 also rolls up credits faster than the SP731.

I should have noticed that right away. Sorry.

Stat

[StatFreak]

To preview or change the song selection, open the door and press the white test button* until you see a 50 in the the winner paid (or credit) window. That should be the regular sound test option. Then press the test button once more to get to the special song menu for your game. If I remember right, you'll see a 60 in the window.

Press the Spin button to hear the tune. Turn the jackpot key to move through the different selections. I don't remember if they'll play automatically or if you'll need to press the spin button to preview each one. Pressing the Spin button should also select the song, so I'm forgetting something here. My memory sucks (CRS).


SF


*You can also use the Bet One button to move forward and the Change button to move backward once you've pressed the test button once to enter test/setup mode. BTW, this is another feature that you will lose with the SP1271. With the newer chip, you'll have to use the white test button to more forward and will not be able to move backward.

[sbs]

Thank you Stat!!!  I ordered the chip but have not yet received it.  I am also still nervous about the installation process. I appreciate the information on the songs, as I had no idea.  You guys are the best!!

[knagl]

I am also still nervous about the installation process.

Nothing to be nervous about, but please remember to always turn the machine's power off when removing or inserting the circuit board.  That's one of the biggest and easiest mistakes to make, and you can cause permanent damage to your board if you remove or insert a board while the power is still on.