reel problems on S+

[rjpohl]

I keep getting a 41 and 42 errors.  I can reset by opening door and turning reset key but a few spins later the usually the 40 code appears.  I moved reel 1 to another location and the error followed the reel.
I tried replacing the board with a known good board after replacing the game and reel chips.

anyone have any suggestions??  Could it be the reel chip???  wiring harness???  motherboard???

thanks
Bob

[stayouttadabunker]

If the error follows the reel, then it's the reel. Not the harness.
Thoroughly check the pins with a good magnifying glass and good lighting...see if any look "irregular"...
If the error doesn't follow the reel, then it's the harness or the MPU...
Change harness with a known good one to see if there any errors...is so, then it's the MPU...
A bank of five resistors on the bottom right hand side , esp. one of the bottom 3
(Meaning reel #1, #2 and reel #3 and when looking at the MPU as if it's in the machine standing upright)
The top two resistors of the five are for reel #4 and reel #5.
I've replaced those bottom 3 resistors and gotten very good results ending the reel errors.
When the board is out of the tray and a good strong light is behind the board,
you can actually see the heat (Brownish, burned look) that these resistors went through.
These resistors "hold" the reels in place in between game play and at all other times while the machine is on.
Can you imagine how many hours these resistors were "holding" the reels while
sitting in a 24x7 full-scale casino operation during it's main lifetime.
The motherboard shouldn't have anything to do with reel errors unless
the etching on the mother is scratched (Top or underneath) or pins are bent.
Sometimes, don't ask why because I don't know why, the problem lies with having a slow speed NM eprom on a 16MHz board.
You could try putting these chips on a 10MHz board and can fantastic results.
Finally, If you dare, do a Ram clear...sometimes doing a clear makes the machine behave better too.

[rjpohl]

thanks Stayouttadabunker for your suggestions.

A little more history:
Machine gets 41 error in 2 to 5 spins. 
Switched reel 1 and reel 3 and got 43 error.
moved reel 3 back to position 3 and replaced reel 1 with a known good reel - got a 43 error again
thinking I had 2 bad reels (1 and 3) I put them in another machine and had no problems at all
I checked to see if the reels were rubbing the door but couldn't see any problems - I also re-taped the reels strips to make sure they weren't touching the door. 
I'll try replacing the harness next.

thanks again for your help and Karma+

[OhioGaming]

Any wires hanging down from the fluorescence light bracket that might be rubbing the reels?

[a69mopar]

I take it with new reels the error is gone?  I have had bad reels that do this and just swap in a new reel.

Thanks,
Wayne

[brichter]

Check your door optics for alignment, and the pesky cash can switch also. If the machine sees a door go open while the reels are spinning, it will set reel codes.

[stayouttadabunker]

I like brichter's suggestion the best...
I'll tell you why I like it,...

Try this just as a test on a good , working machine....
While the reels are spinning in game mode, open the door...
you are guaranteed to get a reel code...

What you've done was >>
by opening the door, you've moved the door optics so that they're NOT lined up...

That will give you a reel code EVERY time!
Great suggestions guys!

[low92rider]

I had the same error on my S-SLOT Double Diamond. I found the the reel was not spinning as freely as the other two when the power was off. I took the reel's stepper motor apart (four small flat-head screws) and added a couple of drops of machine oil on the bearings. Even thought the bearings appear to be sealed it seams to free up the reel and haven't had an error again.