Universal newbie needs info on this slot

[CYRIL1973]

 Hi,

 Universal machines are said to be stong and reliable. I  will have this slot pretty soon. Could anyone tell me when this machine was manufactured ( more or less) , is this game interesting?

Thankssss

[uniman]

My old thinkpad laptop with games list is in storage right now. But I know that game is a clone of Midas Touch.
Believe Midas Touch was around 1990.
Now the cabinet and internals could be anywhere from 1986 to 1999. They won't have year of manufacture unless it is after.........1992 I believe. 
Look for a Y92 or Y93, etc on the cabinet nameplate below the handle. That would be the year of cabinet manufacture. Universal didn't put year of manufacture until Nevada made them, again somewhere around 1992.
The reel strips should have a copywrite date on them, I'm thinking 1990.
I think the board will be an 8116, but could be an 8800. I think Midas Touch was available on the 8800 too. Need to check on that, not totally sure.

The game itself has a lot of small hits so frequency of hits is high. The jackpot is a bit hard to hit. On my Midas Touch I like to set it up to payout on every win. This generates a lot of coins hitting the tray and for me more fun to play.

Hope that helps!
Jim

[uniman]

Ok, the game number should be 9120. So your reel strips would most likely have a 1992 copywrite on them. If it is the original cabinet the nameplate should be stamped with the year of manufacture like Y92. And it will be stamped in the Model number box as there is no date of manufacture box on the nameplate!    Go figure!

It has been my theory that Universal used the year of development for all their part numbers including eprom numbers. The board 8116 developed in 1981. The game number 9120 would be in 1991. I have found copywrites only on reel strips and they are almost always one year later than the game number year. (Ultra Series not included, they had copywrites on eprom files too)

[CYRIL1973]

Thanks for the infos.

This machine was stored for months without being turned on, do you think I should have a Low battery tilt when I turn it on?

[uniman]

Universal's do not have a low battery code. What they have is a RAM error code that indicates the battery has failed. A bit after the fact. Believe the code is 12.
The battery is a rechargable NiCd battery soldered to the board. And they last a long time so it's a 50/50 chance you will see a 12. Even if you do you can perform a RAM clear by pushing the small button on the board while starting up the machine. This will clear the RAM.Then leave the machine on for several hours, shut it off for awhile and restart it. If error 12 doesn't come back than the battery has recharged and is ok.
Also, take the time to examine the battery for leakage as it will/can damage the board. Replace it with another NiCd if it is suspect.