Test harness for JCM WBA-XX units

[SAT (aka GANDHI)]

This is a harness I made to test JCM WBA-XX units. 

The most important feature for me was to make an extension cable to connect any type of WBA unit to any type of slot machine; taking in count that WBA acceptors equipped with 1MB firmware memories (older models WBAX0 and WBAX1) are connected to the slot machine through a different connector than acceptors equipped with 4MB firmware memories (latest models WBAX2, WBAx3 and WBAX5).

In short words, I wanted a “universal� WBA harness, and here it is.

Using these harnesses I’m (and you will be) able to run any WBA unit in normal operation mode (or in built-in test mode if you don’t have extra stacker-enclosure).  All this performed out of the slot machine because the harness extends both the power lines as well as communication lines.

This is mostly useful when the workshop is far away from the slot’s floor because you can pin point a fault in the floor itself, having all parties of the “ACCEPTATION PROBLEM� working in front of your eyes.

I mean, the need of this harness for me was the way I had to face bill validation issues in the floor.  I don’t know you, but sometimes it happen to me that I “repairâ€� a fault in the workshop (like validation problem) and I assume it is “solvedâ€� but next day I get a report from attendants telling the fault is still present.  Even changing the “badâ€� acceptor by a new one it happened to me...  Several times I got that kind of annoying reports.

Then I learned that when it’s about bill acceptance issues, not always the cause is located in the bill acceptor itself (usually it is, but not always), so it’s very important to see this type of problems as a system composed by three mayor parts:  The slot machine - The connections-adapters – The bill acceptor.

Get the last two a part from the whole, test them in front of your eyes in a controlled environment (additional test stacker and WBA enclosure if possible) and you will be troubleshooting your unit with a 99.9% of success assured.

Sometimes an acceptance problem can come from bad power supply in the machine, broken wires in the com-harness, defective protocol adapter (in case the machine needs one to “talk� to the bill acceptor), etc.

If you add to this harness the ability to run the built in test every WBA unit has in its memory, then you have a problem nearly solved before you even start your troubleshoot routine.

I’m sure if you work a lot with WBAs, then you will like this tool.  I hope you get good use out of it.

Note:  The way you swap the cables between themselves will determine the kind of machine/acceptor you will connect.  Also, if you conform your kit with two of the short harness you will be able to connect one of the newer WBA units (4MB firmware memory) to a machine using connector for the early model (1MB firmware memory)… And yes:  it can be done; it works, at least in machines using ID003 as com-protocol for the BV.  I already tested this feature.  All parts of the harness support communication from older WBA to newer WBA models because they are the same thing.   Pictures show only two cables just for reference.  The kit is intended to be three cables:  one large and two shorts.  They have to be assembled exactly as described in the pin out sheet and pictures attached to this post.  If you have the patience enough to carry out this job, then it will worth it!!