Bally 5500 issue

[StatFreak]

Okay, seriously, you might want to go through your setup menu (option group 11) and set the hopper and jackpot lockup limits to the amounts that you'd like.
They default to 800, and you can just leave them if that number sits well with you. You must have no credits on the machine to make changes to the option settings.

<ADD> A copy of the Bally 5500 manual is sitting in the Submit a New file section. It's near the bottom of the list.

[Rmasters3]

I meant maintenance like lubrication, preventive cleaning, replacing parts that are known to quit. 

I work on similar aged test automotive equipment and certain parts are problematic.  I replace them before they fail and save greater expense. 

I did replace the battery and two electrolytic caps on the MPU board.  I've got a bridge rectifier for the power supply.  Didn't know if replacing light bulbs was advisable to reduce the demand on the power supply (like in pinballs).

Thanks again for the help.

[StatFreak]

Many of us do put LEDs into the buttons, more to make them look nice and to reduce heat to prevent future button yellowing than to save amperage. Slot machines are workhorses designed to operate 24/7/365 in a harsh casino environment. They will basically last a lifetime under home use.

One issue that the 5500s are notorious for is eating batteries. I have to change the batteries in my Ballys at least every 12-18 months, as opposed to never in my other machines. My S-pluses have 10-15 year old batteries that are still going strong. I have never changed the battery in my Wms, either.

The first time that you have to replace your battery, check out the multiple threads dealing with this topic before you do so. Basically, you will want to install a battery holder and mount it on the front of the MPU tray outside the board so that you can change the battery with the board installed and the power on. That obviates the need for a clear and having to reset all of your option 11 settings every time it dies on you. There are a couple of different solutions that you can read about and select from when the time comes.

[OhioGaming]

author=StatFreak link=topic=7642.msg68237#msg68237 date=1272021022]
P.S. Many members use a bent screwdriver to remove the chips, but I highly recommend the EX-2 tool.
It is specifically designed to remove 24-40pin* DIP chips like the ones we use in slots. It fits over the chip and pulls it straight up.
*They make a smaller one, which you don't want.

<ADD> Here is a link Digikey EX-2




Do NOT use this tool!! It is a PLCC extractor and will do more harm than good when extracting DIP chips.
If you don't have the EX-2 tool above, you're better off using a bent screwdriver than this thing!

I disagree with your comment "Do NOT use this tool!!". This is a good inexpensive tool. I use the PLCC extractor everyday to remove dip EPROM. Yes, on occasion I have had a eprom seem like it was nailed in and once the eprom broke free from the socket that some of the legs bent. If you can't live with a few bent pins every once in a while then you need to purchase the EX-2.

It may not be the best tool available but it works just fine.

[StatFreak]

I respectfully disagree. The PLCC extractor tool is for PLCC chips -- the ones that have pins on all four sides and that fit into a brown or black "bathtub" like socket box. It is designed to fit into the small holes on the diagonal corners of the socket to remove the PLCC chip. It was never intended to be used on DIP chips.




If you are skilled at removing DIP chips, then you can use whatever tool is at your disposal, including the time honored bent screwdriver, or one of these PLCC extractor tools, but that doesn't make it the right tool for the job. When a newbie tries to use that tool and actually thinks that it's the right tool to use because it came with a chip burner (like the MCU Mall GQ-4X), they are more likely to damage the chip than to extract it without incident, IMHO.

[OhioGaming]

Never disagreed with you on what it is designed for or that the EX-2 tool is the one of the better tools to use.

I know you are good at running numbers and respect that, but I don't know where you get your data to state that newbies are more likely to damage the chip than to extract it without incident. I know of about 75 people every year that use the PLCC extractor to remove proms. They are newbies and they don't have a problem.

[stayouttadabunker]

I was a "newbie" once...lol 
I would like to say that I can clearly recall trying to straighten legs I've bent from using that bloody thing. 
However, to contradict myself (so what else is new...lol ) I had gotten more skilled over time
with using the cheapie PLCC puller and still have it on my bench and use it in a pinch.
I prefer the big silver one though for pulling eproms/devices.
I also have the bent screwdriver but constantly worry about
grounding out (esp. with live batteries onboard) an exposed pair of jumper pins or whatnot nearby.
With the EX-2 ( on eproms) = no worries.

[StatFreak]

I was a "newbie" once...lol 
I would like to say that I can clearly recall trying to straighten legs I've bent from using that bloody thing. 
...

You and a couple dozen other members that I've helped out over the last four years. Of course, that doesn't match up to 75 a year, so I'll defer to Ken.