Anyone heard of a STATUS brand Video Poker slot? CAN'T get it to do much!

[shortrackskater]

I have a feeling another solenoid was here...or something was! There's two wires that have been clipped! See picture.
I tried a few different things just to rule out stuff. I put in a different coin mech, and the same thing happened: if there's credits registered, the coin just drops into the hopper and does NOT register another credit. I also tried entering a coin with the power off. To my surprise, it diverts the coin into the overflow tube! I can't really see where another solenoid would go... I'll get some more wine and look again. 

[poppo]

With power off, look and see how the coin drops to the tray. Is it diverted before that solenoid in the picture? And with power on, what does that one do? Do you have the door switch bypassed so you can watch the coin drop under different conditions? I'm just wondering if the one in your picture is either not working or maybe the diverter arm is not positioned correctly.

[jay]

 I would be hooking up a meter to the other solinoid and determine operating voltages. I would then connect to the other set of wires and go through the motions of playing your game and see under what conditions the power comes on / off

[shortrackskater]

Thanks Poppo and Jay. I'll try and get to this tonight and post my findings.

[shortrackskater]

Here's what I found so far. Again, I apologize for the crappy audio. I need a new video camera, but I think you will understand.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/_ud5GZpc4Ok&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/_ud5GZpc4Ok&rel=0</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ko-3o6_jfAo&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Ko-3o6_jfAo&rel=0</a>

[poppo]

What is above the coin mechanism?  It seems from the physical layout that if the coin was going to get diverted to the tray, it would have to happen earlier in the drop. Look carefully at the coin path and see if there is any way prior to, or within the coin mechanism for it to get diverted to the tray as was noted by SolidSilver earlier

It should work just like your CEI: there are TWO solenoid-activated coin diverters.

A CEI with credits will refuse to accept new coins until the credits are played off; it does so by deactivating this diverter. It's usually physically part of the coin acceptor itself.

[shortrackskater]

There's nothing. The coin drops straight into the mech. The only way it can ever go to the return/cash tray is if the coin mech itself rejects the coin. 
But then there's those wires...
I have this feeling someone, at some time, did some crude repair job here.

[SolidSilver]

The answer lies in the photo of the mech you just posted. You have a standard Coin Mach Inc input,
probably semi-dentical to what's in your CEI.

Here's a marked-up version of that photo:
The sideways-arrow points to a slot in the coin mech.
Behind that mech should be a small solenoid that just sticks
a short pin into that slot out toward your face. The falling coin hits
the pin, and is diverted sideways into the chute noted with the
upward-pointing arrow; that chute leads to the payout tray.

Someone has removed the solenoid (probably busted); if it was
in place and dead, ALL coins would go to your payout tray.

To prove it to yourself, do two things:
1. With door open, stick a small nail into the slot and drop in a coin.
It should divert into the payout tray chute.

2. Compare the layout with your CEI.

[SolidSilver]

Here's comparative pics from a CEI, much like yours:
The one labeled COIN MECH has an arrow pointing to the slot
with the solenoid pin sticking out. The circles show the two latches
that permit you to hinge the coin mech down, exposing the solenoid.

The pic labeled COIN MECH IN (terrible pic, my apologies) has the coin
mech hinged down, exposing the solenoid. Note the solenoid operates a
simple swinging arm which bears a short pin.

Yours should look a whole lot like this; except the solenoid is missing.

[shortrackskater]

Yep! I pulled mine out and there was the obvious... a PLACE complete with two screw holes for a solenoid! I took a picture but forgot to bring my memory card so I'll post when I get back. I think I knew all this... so simple! Of course, now I should take the initiative and find or make a replacement part. Shouldn't be too hard?

[SolidSilver]

...or call Coin Mech Inc at 800 323 6498, and ask for a replacement "optional Lockout solenoid"
for their Model 1700001 25-cent Back Channel Assembly. I think yours is 6 volts?

(They still make the same mechanism and spare parts

Here it is on their website:

http://www.coinmech.com/product_profile.cfm?id=35

[shortrackskater]

Thank you!!! I know this should have been the first thing to do...remove the coin mech and LOOK!
Here it is anyway.

[SolidSilver]

Y' know, every day that pretty and rare machine gets better and better, as you
track things down and fix 'em.  Pretty soon there'll be nothing left to diddle with,
and it will become boring.

When that happens, my shipping address is...  

[shortrackskater]

The funny thing is, I have two "new" machines in the garage: my Bally Game Maker and my Status. But right now, I'm having more FUN playing the Status since I had given it up for dead. But thanks to you and Poppo and Jay and CV slots and Proten, I had the extra drive to try one more time... and now it's alive again. 

I hope topics like this and the Fortune One don't die out either.

[shortrackskater]

I have a new problem. Well it happened before and I though I had fixed it. Every so often, when I press cash out, it wont count the coins as they come out of the hopper. After 8 or so coins come out, the machine locks up. I can press a reset button inside and the hopper will resume and empty the coins out, and lock up again. The only way to fix it is to power off the machine. After that, the hopper resumes and the machine starts the count, and then pays out properly.
I've checked the switch that is activated when the coin pops off the roller. It works fine. I made sure I checked it during the error condition as well. As far as I can see, all the connectors to the hopper are clean.
Does anyone know what circuit is responsible to activate the counting on the MPU? There's also a small solid state relay on the hopper, but I'm not sure what that is for.

[SolidSilver]

Hmmm...; I like this machine: no end of fun puzzles

OK, do you know it is actually not counting the coins? Can you see a
coin-out count on the screen, or are you able to check a coin-out meter?
It would seem you have the counting switch thing well in hand.

The machine's tiny brain may be getting conflicting signals on whether
or not the hopper is empty or full. That hopper was built before there were coin-level probes
such as used in more modern machines. One way the old ones handled it was by weight
of coins, sensing the position of a spring-supported hopper with a microswitch;
Your hopper is so equipped: see the red arrow on the attached pic of your hopper.
If that switch is a little dicey or misadjusted, it may be getting "bounce" tripped one way or the
other during the vibration of a long payout. A jittering signal to the computer (now it's on, now it's off...)
could confuse that tiny little mind and cause it to lock up. I don't know how it's set up, whether to actuate the
overflow diverter on a full hopper, or to cease payout (call for handpay) on an empty one.

My guess would be it's intended to operate the overflow hopper when full, but ya'  never know.
Try checking/readjusting/bypassing that switch; it's worth a shot...

[shortrackskater]

Forgot to say... I did check that switch too. It does as it should - when there's added weight, it flips the divertor (spelling?) and the coins go to the overflow. And, yes when it won't count, it's the screen count AND the meter count that just stops, while the hopper is churning out coins for a little while. When I power off , then on and press the reset button, the screen counter resumes as coins are spitted (spat? I'm tired!) out of the hopper, and then the mechanical counters tally up the output.

[SolidSilver]

I believe the tenses are:
Present-SPIT
Past-SPAT
Pluperfect-SPUT

Very weird: one would expect you'd see a "coin out" or "output jam" error, and a Call Attendant notice.
I'm lost, pal. It's my turn to watch & wait for someone brighter to pitch in 

In the meantime, I'll keep pondering....

[shortrackskater]

I believe the tenses are:
Present-SPIT
Past-SPAT
Pluperfect-SPUT

Very weird: one would expect you'd see a "coin out" or "output jam" error, and a Call Attendant notice.
I'm lost, pal. It's my turn to watch & wait for someone brighter to pitch in 

In the meantime, I'll keep pondering....

Forgot! Yes, when the coins were "spitted" out, the machine locks up and CALL ATTENDANT is displayed. From that point is when the only way to clear the error is to power off, on and press one of the black buttons that I'm calling a "reset" button. The others don't do anything... well the red one does and it's really weird - but it doesn't clear the error!

[shortrackskater]

I don't think it's a mechanical or hopper issue. I'm going to pull out the MPU board again and just spray some contact cleaner (carefully) on each IC that's in a socket and lift all of them up and then back in just to make sure there's no issue with dirty contacts. 

[SolidSilver]

Yeah. probably something like that. Most e-lectronic problems originate in basic mechanical connections;
that's one of the reasons I don't trust e-lectronics. Gimme a gear or chain drive, or cam/microswitch any time;
at least I can physically see the damn problem. (Oops, is my age showing...?  )

In the meantime, one electromechanical thing that would cause such an issue is what we used to call "switch lag."
This is when a switch (including it's external mechanical connections) is actuated too rapidly for it to sense. In your case,
it would occur with insufficient mechanical lubrication, weak return spring, inappropriate adjustment, etc. on a steady-stream
cashout pay. Very much like "valve float" at high revs on a 283 Chev V8: the mechanism doesn't quite react fast enough to return to
bottom before the next up-kick from the cam. Perhaps your output-count microswitch lever is not quite getting to bottom
before the next coin lifts it. This could make the difference between a few-coin payout and a steady-stream "cashout."

I sincerely hope such is NOT the problem: I'd rather it be an issue with some damn chip or soldered-in board component:
we old mechanical guys need some "told ya so" points from time-to-time  

[shortrackskater]

FUNNY you should say that!
That was the first thing I did check when that problem started. I just (like two minutes ago) returned from the garage after removing the MPU and carefully shooting contact cleaner in the IC sockets and making sure the chips were seated. Worked for awhile... then did it again! 
Maybe I will return to the adjustable switch. I turned it in at first, thinking that was the problem Maybe I should have actually turned it out more? I guess I could check it during a payout and just manually flip the roller as I adjust the screw until it stops counting, then turn it in a little. Does that make sense?
It's still FUN playing it... I just got 4 of a kind! 

[Op-Bell]

Microswitches do occasionally go bad. Very often the case gets cracked and then they either won't make, or won't break, on even numbered days in months with an 'R' in them (or some such unfathomable schedule). I would try changing the coin out microswitch before I started fiddling with the electronics.

This is actually a very interesting machine. The total program memory is only 6k! Quite an achievement to do a poker in 6k. It also has only 2k of video RAM and 1k of system RAM, plus 256 bytes of battery backed. Such a machine couldn't be made today - the art has been lost. Young whippersnappers of today couldn't write a "Hello World" program in less than a megabyte.

[shortrackskater]

Thanks! I may just try that... it's an easy switch to get to...
What I also like is that the machine tells you if you have one, or two pair... or any winning combination, which I think is a nice feature. It plays much "friendlier" than my Fortune One! 

[SolidSilver]

"4 of a kind:" that's what my wife says about my friends and I when we adjourn to
the basement gameroom with chips, booze, and cigars. Beats anything on TV!

If you decide to re-diddle (that's a technical term   )  with the switch,
I suggest you start by lubing (WD40) the rocker-arm mechanism including the tip roller.
Hangup or hesitation in that very heavy mechanical train will exacerbate any switch misadjustment.

But far more important, it is absolutely critical that you reframmify the geschunztenhauer;
otherwise the entire schnauzenzable will...... (uh-oh, it's almost 1am and my wineglass is empty; be right back.....)