Williams Bluebird II issue....

[bkwashpa]

We're having an issue with freezing on some of our Williams Bluebird II's.  It happens during game play and it's become a real pain since customers money gets put into limbo.  We're thinking it may be a door switch that's getting tripped and freezes the works up.  Anyone have any experience with this? 
Also, we have a shop with 12 slot techs here that may be of help in the future.  I'll stop by periodically(weekly) to see if anyone can use our help from our experiences.  Thanks in advance for any input.

[Bettor Slots]

You might be on the right track with the switches.  I was in a casino recently and walked up to my wife playing a BB2...she looked pissed so I asked "what's up".  She said "this machine ate my money" to which I replied "well this is a casino....it's suppose to so chill out".  To which she replied "no...I just put in 20 and only got to spin it once and look...screen frozen...call attendant".  Hmmm....so after waiting for a few minutes for the attendant...I got tired and put my right hand on the right side of the door with a little body weight...you know...I just leaned up against the machine a little to take some weight off my feet. As soon as I did that the game came right back up for a second....and then locked up again when I took my weight off standing straight back up.   LOL...so I say "dear....when I say go...press the cash out button".  So I put some weight on the door again...she cashed out and off we went...

[stayouttadabunker]

An alignment problem with the door switch?
Is it physical or optics?

[reho33]

Maybe poor engineering

[knagl]

We're having an issue with freezing on some of our Williams Bluebird II's.  It happens during game play and it's become a real pain since customers money gets put into limbo.  We're thinking it may be a door switch that's getting tripped and freezes the works up.

Is there any message on the screen when it's frozen?  What are you guys doing now to resolve the issue?

[bkwashpa]

I'll get some more specifics tomorrow.  We are a casino in WV and by state law a lottery official has to go into the game board.  I believe the solution is clear chipping it.  Doing this requires a work order and filling time for the official to get it done.  We tried contact Williams, but they seem to have a "not our machine" response.  We had an issue with them in the past and got the same response.  They released a game update and that issue was resolved.  What happens is the game completely locks up when a customer is playing.  Power cycling it does not fix the issue.  The main problem is the wait for the work order and having a popular machine down for a bit.  There has to be a cause for this.  Thanks for the responses.  I will get more info and post it tomorrow when I talk to the tech that was troubleshooting the game. 
On a side note...We have 13 techs on hand at our casino.  I will for sure keep an eye on this board and see if we can return the favor by giving input on other casino's unresolved issues.  Hope we can be of help also:) 

[tacman]

I know that on the delphi tech board they were discussing an issue with a WMS game freezing, I think Survivor and there is a an updated OS that fixes the freezing problem.

 Dan (tacman)

[Slotmaster]

Ususally it's an OS issue when a reboot does not clear it up.

The door on a WMS will not casue a freeze (to the point where you can not get into a menu)

Can be hardware in the end as well, but if you reboot and it freezes at the same point then no.   

[knagl]

I was going to suggest the Delphi forum as well (http://www.slottechforum.com/ ).  Our forum tends to have more home hobbyists and fewer people "in the biz", whereas the Delphi forum tends to have more people in the industry (active slot techs at casinos) and fewer home users.  You may find better information for your particular issue by posting there, as there are likely other casinos who have experienced the same issue.

That said, welcome to , bkwashpa, and please do stick around here, too!  It's a treat to have knowledgeable casino tech folks here, and although typically member issues here are for machines that aren't the latest and greatest on the casino floor, there are machines owned by members that are still found on casino floors (S2000s, Game Kings, etc.).  You'll also find that if you're dealing with machines of a slightly older vintage, our members can sometimes be of greater assistance as we tend to dig into them and try to understand everything that makes them tick, which is very useful when you encounter a machine with an odd issue.

Here are a few quotes from threads from the other forum related to BB2s that may offer some help -- most of the discussion I've seen there says that you need to update your OS to 1460.

WMS provided a O.S. upgrade to 1460 to help alleviate some of these problems... so now the game actually tells you why they locked up.  It seems to be tied to a couple of different game themes, one of our culprits of this was a goldfish 2 game also.  The O.S. upgrade has helped considerably though.  CPU's and failing power supplys have also caused some issues with games locking up (primarally during cashouts)

OS 1410 was revoked on 18-FEB-10 by Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, along with 1401, 1420, 1440 and 1450. They're to be replaced by 1460. I don't know about other jurisdictions but it's likely they have the same info. I also don't know if it's due to freezing issues or something else but the memorandum is worded in a way that suggests that the new software is simply better.

Check your OS.  If it's a 1450 or 1453.  It's a know issue and WMS has released a new OS 1460.  Check with your gaming department and see if it's available for your jurisdiction.

Jst  a quick question, have you checked your machine logs for multiple doors open, i have ran into this problem and is almost always because the multiple door open signals fill the buffer to the point of freezing, it might be a dumb question to ask but i have been stumpt many times and it was the most simple answer that was the solution. Neal

As was said before, the OS is the main issue with the freezing, but it usually is triggered by an event. On almost every machine that I have ram cleared for freezing I have seen door switches coming open. I had to have drop pull every can on a bank so i could tighten the nuts on the BV door. BB2s are bad about that nut backing off if not installed properly. Also the harness for the BV in the back of the housing seems to get bent and stretched somehow throwing a lot of S door opens. Check your event history and try and address your problem door switches before cutting it loose and it should help with the freezes til your new OS arrives.

PS Dont just look for a full page of door opens. I have seen them freeze from just one event during play. Good luck

A customer notification that addresses the issue:

'CSN 10-010 OS Upgrade to 1460'

[Slotmaster]

Ususally it's an OS issue when a reboot does not clear it up.

The door on a WMS will not casue a freeze (to the point where you can not get into a menu)

Can be hardware in the end as well, but if you reboot and it freezes at the same point then no.   

I agree

[thuggy20]

hey i have a big problem.i have this williams bbu right...first it said touch screen error....later after i fixed d touch screen the son of a bitch went on main door open...but the problem is it is closed and all connections are in the right place...wat can i do??