identification of IGT poker machine

[RICH99508]

I found an IGT double bonus poker machine at a thrift store for a "steal". I am wondering if someone can identify it by the model number and year?
Model GD70DF  Mfg. 10/94 I got most of the functions to work, but I am going to need to get some parts to make it fully function. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Mikalnm]

Hello, Can you post a few photos inside and out?

[stayouttadabunker]

Hey RICH99508!
Welcome to NLG...!
We have a quite a few guys that are into the poker machines...
Feel free to ask any old question you want and I am very sure that you'll get a some great answers!
There may be quite a bit of Poker topics to browse at using the "search" box on top of the home page...
take your time because I'm sure they'll be filled with all kinds of poker information!

You have a good camera?
Take a few pics and upload 'em to your topic of discussion...
it's amazing how pics can help you get your answers much faster!

[jay]

The model number is just inside the door at the base of the coin hopper.

[RICH99508]

Hi Guys, and thanks for your replies!
I just picked up this toy at a thrift store for a steal, and I am loving the learning experience of trying to get it to run right!
I had to start with drilling out the locks, not knowing even how to power it up, and since have learned how to self test, and diagnose some of the troubles with it.
i can only imagine what a hard life it's had already.
I got some great help from a slot tech from vegas named Dorian. He sent me PDFs on the button schematics, and I was able to undo what someone had crossed at some point.
I think I have it nailed down to a PE plus, but still not sure. I will post pics tomorrow. I have to reset the resolution on my camera so that the file size fits here. (time for bed in a minute).
I need to get the bill feed to operate, and the coin mechanism is not functioning, so I can only play in test mode at the moment, but the wife is pretty excited!
Thanks again, and looking forward to chatting with the folks on this board!

[BENCHTECHBILL]

Yes it's a PE+ Sit Down

[knagl]

Congrats on your purchase!  How are you getting the game to play in test mode?

Also, out of curiosity if you don't mind sharing, how much of a "steal" was it?   

[RICH99508]

With the top lid up, I can scroll through the menu settings, and since I finally got all of the topside buttons to work properly, I scroll through the menu and get back to the game screen, then add credits from the button on the front of the coin mechanism. If I lock it back down, the credits won go back to zero.
My self test screen still shows that the a,b and c and coin out circuits are in the closed position. I tried cleaning out the optics, but still can't get coins to register.
The bill feed, I am told, needs to be activated with a set chip, but I haven't got that far. It powers up and makes noise on start-up.
I think that this machine is capable of more if I can just get the bugs worked out. I need to learn how to identify the chips in the dip sockets.
oh yeah....$65 is what I paid for it, and I have another $20 into it between a multimeter and a new lock. I think I made out pretty good so far.
There is another guy in town that has 5 of these and is willing to give them up for $100 each. Should I go for one more? he says they fully function.

[rickhunter]

$100 for a PE+ is a steal.  If you like video poker, this is the machine to get if you are on a budget.  Most people nowadays get gamekings as they offer more software available for them and they are touchscreen based, but you are not getting one for under $800.00 unless it's in bad shape or not working or you "know someone who knows someone who knows ....."

There's a lot of software available for the PE+ from blackjack to keno and even slot versions of the more popular 3 reel S+ library (Red White and Blue, Double Diamond, Triple Diamond to name a few).

[RICH99508]

Thanks for the reply Rick. I just got the comparitor to finally accept coins, and my wife is having a blast! Now I just have to hit the bank so that I can have more than $20 in the hopper!
I need to grind the coin slot head since it is a nickel one, or try to find one made for quarters.
I am really excited to know that in less than a week I was able to  get the dust off of this thing, troubleshoot and fix it with the help of some really great folks!
Now I can delve into other software versions. I am happy to just have the regular draw poker, but I would sure love to be able to either change out the chips or just swap boards for quick change outs if that's an option with this machine. I have no idea what the limitations are or the costs. I wonder if multigames are an option?
I also look forward to getting the bill validator to function properly. So far all I have done is drill the lock out and look to see if it's all there.
My wife and I decided that this is how we are going to save for our next trip to Fremont street and Laughlin.
I can just see myself at the Pioneer on the river telling the slot tech that he needs to blow the dust off of the optics or change the vertical hold on the CRT.....lol
This new toy brings back good memories of all of the cool "gritty" places that we like the best to play at!

[rickhunter]

You cannot just swap out motherboards with different sets as there's an eeprom chip on the backplane that holds accounting and security information, the game will tilt and ask for a clear if you just swap out motherboards.  You may want to start looking out for a "Super board" which has extra memory sockets for the multi-game sets that have 5 games which you choose from a menu.  They are not all that expensive (around $60 or so?) (well, at least not compared to the cost most people pay for a PE+).  You'll also need a set chip in order to be able to re-enable the bill validator and set denomination for game changes. 

Finding a Quarter coin head should not be a problem.  You could also buy a nickle shelf wheel and a pinwheel to convert the hopper for nickels.

[RICH99508]

Thanks Rick,
So if I get what you said right, I am able to change chipsets, but not motherboards?
is the backplane the board that my motherboard plugs into?
I have seen some chipsets recently on Ebay, but I don't want to go buying something that I don't know if I can use.
My wife has seen set chips for the BV, but I haven't taken it back out to see what model it is. The menu says it's disabled. It lights up, and runs at startup, but doesn''t feed a bill.
I can't change to nickels, since we love the sound of quarters dropping in and coming out the chute!..lol
this is a pic of the board I have.

[rickhunter]

Yeah you need a set chip to enable the DBV, that's why it's not taking bills.

The CPU board you show on the picture is a standard board.  Only 5 eprom sockets.  The Superboard has 6 eprom sockets and looks like the picture attached.  You do not need to buy another tray, although it makes things easier.  You can buy any chip based game and should work on your game as long as the game chips don't begin with "X", which are the chipsets used in the superboard.  There's also a Cap rom that needs to go with certain sets, this cap rom determines the colors used in the games.  If you have the wrong cap rom, it works, but it shows wrong colors.  These are by far the hardest things to find, they are like platinum for PE+ owners.

There's a thread with a list of games known.  You can use pretty much anything that doesn't begin with "X".  Your game PP0197 is listed at a 97% paytable of jacks or better.

http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=1663.0

[knagl]

Let's clarify some terms to make sure everyone's on the same page.  

The "motherboard" is actually the backplane board that is "built into" the machine.  Under normal circumstances, that board is never removed from the machine (although you can if it becomes defective).

The MPU board is the removable board that is mounted in the metal tray.  Some people (on eBay and whatnot) incorrectly refer to that as the motherboard.  In fact, the MPU board plugs into the motherboard.  As Rick stated, you have a standard MPU board.  IGT later came out with the "superboard" that had the extra chip socket.  The superboard was required for newer games that needed more memory (games with bonus features, or multi-games, for example).  Non-superboard games will work on a superboard, but not the other way around.  As such, you may want to be on the lookout for a superboard for your machine.  You can find them occasionally on eBay, and also occasionally some pop up for sale in the classifieds section right here on NLG.  Depending on who has them available, you should be able to get one for $20 to $60.

Ignoring the bill validator for the moment, you CAN switch games by simply swapping MPU boards.  As such, you can have one tray with "bonus poker" and another with "deuces wild" and another with a PE+ slot game.  You'd have to use the self-test button to tell it that yes, I did change games, but then you'd be up and running.  You'll lose any credits you may have had on the machine, but you can do a game change in about two minutes.

Speaking of games, here's a different link to check out for PE+ games.  Most of the games listed there are available from vendors here on the site or on eBay.  The "Multi Poker" games are 5-in-one games with a menu where you can chose between five different poker games.  There is also a hard-to-find "wingboard" that also allows for 5-in-one games, but the difference is that you choose which five games to put in rather than being restricted to the pre-made multi poker sets.  Wingboards don't pop up too often, but I did nab one off of eBay a few months ago.

Now to your bill validator.  It sounds like you're in pretty good shape -- you said that you can hear the validator cycling, so that's good.  It won't take a bill because it's not enabled, and as Rick said, you need to get a set chip to enable the validator.  Once you have the chip, follow the directions posted here to enable your validator.

As far as your coin entry, is this a nickel machine?  The big question is if you have a quarter hopper or a nickel hopper.  If it's nickels, you may wish to leave it at nickles as there's a little bit involved in changing it to quarters.  It would be really strange that there's a nickel head on the machine but a quarter hopper.  Another clue may be found on the candle -- is the bottom section of the candle red or yellow?  Red indicates nickels, yellow is quarters.

I've never converted one -- does anyone know if the elevator is different for quarters vs. nickels (this is a slant top that Rich has)?

Oh, and yes, $100 for a PE+ is a GREAT price.  The only downside (in my opinion) is that it's a slant top, but if you have the space for it, I'd highly recommend getting at least one more at that price.  If you and your wife both like video poker, it might be a good idea to get two more -- have two of them set up with video poker so you can play side-by-side, and then the third with a slot game for some variety.  Seriously.

[rickhunter]

And then you can link them up on a progressive

I should have clarified the "Motherboard" and "MPU board" terms. 

I forgot all about the PE+ bible, I even did it, how could I forget   Old age!!! What is it that they say, "memory is the second thing to go?" 

[RICH99508]

Right, our thinking exactly. pretty soon we won't have a couch and chair, we'll have stools, and preferably a bar top version.
I don't think that I would get a third, but possibly a slant top wheel of fortune? Those wizard of OZ slots with the captains chairs and wraparound dolby digital sound built in are looking pretty good these days too!
The coin slot head thing threw me off at first also, but when I first pulled the hopper, the elevator had about a buck worth of quarters in it. The hopper tested fine when i got some quarters in it, so go figure...there was a nickel in the comparitor, but I was able to change that and I got the machine to fully function last night. the candle is red. It doesn't work at the moment, but it did initially. The best thing I can figure is that it was set up to only take cash and not pay out? There are a lot of bars (dives) here that have machines but for "entertainment only"
From what I understand, Gambling is not legal in Alaska, but it is not illegal to own these machines. I speculate that the nickel head was to keep people from putting quarters in.
The guy that has 5 of these on craigslist here wanted $500 for 5. maybe I should just get them and have 6
Since I only paid $65 for the one I have, I might just try to wheel and deal.....
It's real encouraging to know that versions are easily changable, and first chance I get, I will get a superboard.
The wingboard sounds interesting. I can see myself upgrading. One thing I need to do is find out if the BV is set to take new bills before I go and buy a set chip.
It works great on quarters though, and as soon as I can get to the bank I will be able to get a hopper fill and let it pay out.
Thanks to everyone here for all of the help. I had no idea there were so many helpful, friendly folks out there!

[rickhunter]

Typically on the bill validators there's a model number and a software version number on a sticker.  It is likely that you have a DBV-145 or a DBV-200.  Based on the printed software version, we would be able to determine what currency it is able to accept.

[RICH99508]

Mine says DBV-145-SS-6031-BO22 Software version 2.15

[rickhunter]

If indeed you have that, it's pretty old it doesn't take any of the colored currency.  It's even before the "big head" bills.  The DBV-145 is no longer a supported validator.  The last update is version 3.4 and it accepts up to the new colored 50's and 20's, but not the 10's or the 5's.  So unless you have "small headed" currency, you will need to switch out the DBV eprom for the last available one so you can at least use next gen 50's and 20's.  Your DBV also only accepts currency one way, Face up with black seal in first.  You can buy a DBV-200 head  and get 4 way acceptance and move up to acceptance of new $10's but not new $5's as the DBV-200 is also an obsolete platform.  If you do get a DBV-200 head, you may need a new dbv power supply as well.  You can see that by looking at the one you currently have (it's a black brick style power supply connected to the dBV).  If it has vent holes in the plastic area on the sides, you are ok, if it doesn't you need a new power supply.  The DBV 200 draw more current than the DBV145's that's why you need a newer one.

[Jimise]

This is some good info, I picked up a slant top PE+ tonight for 50 bucks! 
Should be fun to work on!   Jim.....