Aristocrat Esprit problems

[Op-Bell]

Hi from Australia,
I have a ( Australian ) aristocrat esprit 5 reel slot I would like to get going. I have no experience in electronics but am willing to learn. I don,t know if the machine is complete, but I think it is although some wires had been cut. If I was to send you some photos of the machine, do you think you could help me get it going. I soldered the wires which were cut & it lights up & nothing else. I have replaced the key switch on the side & the inspection area lights now lights up. Reading the forum it looks like I need to replace the batteries as they look like they have leaked out over board, I am lucky as I have a spare main board so hopefully I should make one good one out of the 2. Any help would be Greatly Appreciated.
Thanks Dave (member Superspin)

[superspin]

Hi,
Here,s a photo of machine, If anyone can help or if you want specific photos let me know. Thanks

[superspin]

Hi, I have a feeling there is something missing from the arm mechanics. ( photo of arm mechanics and switch )Arm keeps pulling down and doesnt lock. Also is there meant to be 2 wires coming out of the back switch and if so where do they go too. Any help appreciated. Thanks Dave

[superspin]

Also in this shot does anyone know what this switch does? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Op-Bell]

It appears that the handle release solenoid is missing. No big deal, it doesn't do anything except lock the handle if there are no coins played. The lock switch may be the jackpot reset switch, probably removed because the key is lost. You can probably operate the switch if necessary by sticking your finger in the hole. Your machine is a bit different to what we've seen before, though. The coin entry is in an unusual place; usually it's down on the belly under the reels to the right. Does this machine say IGT anywhere on it? The only ones we've seen here were imported and distributed by IGT and are probably made to their spec..

[superspin]

Hi again ,
Thanks for the Data Op-Bell, I don,t really understand it, but I am hopeing someone I know might. I cleaned the two boards yesterday and replaced the batteries with some AA,s, pulled out the chips that could be removed & checked & cleaned them, picked the best board & put it in but still nothing. Looks like on both boards there is a soldered in chip which could be burnt out, the solder at back is brown.I think it said tr3 on it but I would have to check. I will post some photos of the boards tomorrow, as I will have to take it out again. If this chip is stuffed do you think it could be the problem, & do you know if you can get these chips easily. Thanks again Dave

[superspin]

Hi again,
I was completly wrong on the tr3. Some photos of the boards . On the middle board there is a blue chip with a bit of white tape on it. RN4 : On chip it says :16-1-471, B8327. ( Looks Bad, solder at back is brown ). On the Battery board on right, there is a bit of white tape on the 3rd chip up left hand bottom. IC19 : On chip it says : M3-7603-5, 8023. ( Looks bad, solder at back is brown ). Also does any one know what I need to ask for for the little round tan thing with two wires soldered to board, has 104 on it, too the right just above the black chip with the round glass in center of it. Ill put a photo of it up next. This was Broken.

[superspin]

This is the photo of the Tan thing, aparently I need to know what Volts or amps it is. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[superspin]

This is photo of the back of the 1st boards.

[superspin]

This is a photo of the spare board I have. It is missing the 4 IC chips. The white chip top left hand corner of the middle board. RN12 : Says on chip: Beckman, 898-1-R10K, 8005. Looks bad solder at back is brown. And the blue chip beside it.RN4: Says on chip: 4#6r-001-471, BOURNS. Looks bad solder at back is brown. Does any one know where I could source these parts for all boards from? On the battery board there is a chip with red bits on each end, Top right hand corner, 3rd down. IC19: On chip it says: M1-7603-5, 8027.

[superspin]

This is the tags on side. Serial No; CZ4339. On the front of machine it says: Reg Des No: 68682.

[superspin]

Photo of back of spare board.

[superspin]

Photo of reels. On front it says Aristocrat Atlas, On side it says Aristocrat Pat App: PC 5766/76. Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks Dave.

[Op-Bell]

Lots of questions! Your boards look in exceptionally good shape.

The "little round tan thing" is a ceramic capacitor, 0.1 microfarads, 25 volts. Common as dirt, I buy them in bags of 1000 for 2 cents each, though you probably don't need that many. 

The white Beckman chips are resistor networks - RN4, 470 ohms; RN12, 10k. Don't think about replacing them, they never, ever go wrong, unless they physically break in half. If you're worried about the soldering, have at it with a toothbrush and alcohol to clean it up. Brown around the joints generally just means the flux wasn't cleaned off the board properly when it was new, and is nothing to worry about. 

IC19, in the socket with the red end clips, is an address decoder PROM. These chips are practically unobtainable now, and even if you were able to get one, you'd have to program it, which would require you to make a programmer and also know what to program into it. Best hope there's nothing wrong with it (it's probably ok). 

Esprits sold in the USA by IGT have a mezzanine board that sits over the four 24 pin sockets to replace those 4 obsolete 2708 EPROM chips with slightly more modern 2716 chips. These hold the game software. You'll find pictures of this in some of the other threads. If the chips have lost their program, your game is bricked unless you can find replacements or a working mezzanine board. The manufacturer's spec says the chips should hold their program for a minimum of 10 years, though that was just a guess since it was written long before 10 years had passed and therefore hadn't been tested. Yours will be 25 years old and counting. I have EPROMs older than that and they haven't lost it yet. 

(FWIW, EPROMs physically consist of thousands of incredibly small capacitors, some of which have a charge on them which constitutes the program data. Over the course of many years, this charge will eventually leak away and the program will be lost. It leaks away faster if you allow light to shine through the window.) 

2708 EPROMs require three voltage supplies - plus 5V, plus 12V and minus 5V. Make sure all these voltages are present at the power supply and the board, if you can get to it to probe it. You can still get 2708s, though programming them may need a bit of special equipment, and of course you have to have the program files to do it.    Hope for the best.

[superspin]

Thanks again Op-Bell,
How is the best way to check the volts on this machine. Do I need to install it all and leave the cage off for access or is there a simple way to do it. Is there an idiot proof diagram out there somewhere which will tell me where to put the probes?  Or would it be better to get a sparky in to do the tests? And if we are getting good readings will that mean the eproms are fine. Should I put a bit of tape over the one that is showing the window? Can we move the eproms to differant spots or are they programmed to be in the one position, and does it matter if they are turned the wrong way. Worse scenario Is there someone out there that can program these?
Thanks again Dave

[superspin]

Hi Guys'
I have Sold this machine and am now only going to stick to mechanical machines.
Dave