Expert: Rodger Knutson - 12/26/2010

Question
QUESTION: The model number on my slot machine is unreadable.
It was manufactured by IGT. I think that it's says 809.
See attached photo. Is there another place to find the m/n.
The first line is lit when it plugged in but I think that is normal. When I put in the first coin you here it make a clicking noise in the top section but it doesn't do anything on the second or third coin. The first line should light up and then you put in a second coin and the second line should line light up, etc.
Any help would be appreciated. Happy Holidays!!!

ANSWER: Hi Don,

Merry Christmas to you! Your machine is not a IGT made machine. It is a Bally Slot Machine model 809 made in 1967. By your problems with it, I would guess that it hasn't been used in a while. This is a Electro/Mechanical machine which means there are no electronic circuit boards in it. So, if this has sat unused for along period of time the first thing I do, is to pull out the coin hopper and the reel mechanism and use a wire brush to scrub off all the corrosion on the bleu plugs, these are the large pin sockets on the back of the reel bundle and the coin hopper that connects the hopper and reel bundle to the cabinet when you shove these units back in. These pins are aluminum and they corrode like heck, and cause most of the problems with these type of Bally Machines, as they don't make contact when there corroded. If after cleaning these, (you can use a barbecue grill brush or they have tooth brush side wire brushes in auto stores) If this don't clear up all you problems the next item is to go through is all the step up units, there is one on the back of the coin hopper and a few behind the Top glass and light board in the very top of the machine. These step up units can get gummy and need attention, you should be able to step them up by hand and release them and see them return quickly to there fully released stop, one of the step up units in the top box is the coin step up unit, if this is not stepping up on each coin deposited, the other lines will not light up. The light box behind the top glass might have two finger rings, one of each side, if so you put a finger in each one and give this top unit a quick hard tug and the unit will slide out just like the hopper and reel bundle, and this also uses these blue plugs to connect the top box unit with the cabinet, don't forget to clean the pins on that also while you have it out. These two items might get you going and have it running again. Try cleaning these bleu plug pins first and see if she runs after that. If you need a good manual for this machine showing you what the step units look like and where to find them, and how to service your machine, there is a very good manual #the no. 2400 manual) is a super good manual that is easy to use. If you need or want one you can find it here:

http://jackpot7.freeyellow.com/page21.html

And look for:

Bally Electro/Mechanical Manual Number 2400. This is about the best manual Bally ever made for the Electro/Mechanical machines, from the 700 Thu the 1000 model number series machines. Includes wire color codes which will tell you what solid colored wire is caring which voltage and what circuit that is for like the 50 volt coils circuit, etc. Also has detailed stepper units for some of the models. Very good book, good for learning and troubleshooting with. 131 pages of great information. Some of these Manuals may be too large to email, if so, you will receive a email with a link to where you can just click the download button there, and download it very fast and easy.

Your Model 809 is a popular machine, a wonderful small size machine, with fruit symbols that you don't see on todays machines, it a easy machine to work on and keep running and most important......Fun to Play!

Good luck with getting it running and remember if it was running and was just stored for along time, there will not be much wrong with it that cleaning will not fix. Sometimes people try to hard to fix it and make more problems, you are just servicing it if it was in storage and working before, so clean those pins, loosen up those steppers or step up units and make them happy again and the problems should go away. If this machine was working just find yesterday and this problem just showed up, then we have to look at this a different way, but this looks like the classic problems I see with stored machines, so I am assuming that is the case here, is it?

Thank You

Rodger Knutson
http://www.coinslots.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Roger,

   When this machine stopped working it had been going for about a week non-stop last Christmas. My daughter in law was playing it and it just stopped accepting coins and the handle was locked. I do have a service instructions/troubleshooting & basic information manual for this system. I cleaned all the contacts for the hopper, reel assembly and light box. If I push the handle release switch relay down it will accept coins and the lights come on for each coin inserted like it should and then I can pull the handle, but the reels just spin freely. Could the reel mechanism need adjusted? Not sure what to check next. There is a tag on side that had IGT on it with the unreadable s/n m/n. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. Again thank you so much for your help so far on this slot.

Answer
Hi Don,

Thanks for the added information, by the sounds of you having to activate the Handel lock solenoid, this could still be a problem with the bleu bleu plugs on the hopper and/or reel mechanism, after dropping a coin in the machine try hitting the reel mechanism with the palm of you hand and see if the Handel solenoid will engage, if not try doing the same with the coin hopper, or even just try wiggling them a little while there plugged in. If you can get it to drop the Handel lock this way, then check those bleu plug pins. If not it should be in the leaf switches on the left side of the reel mechanism, and you can find the right one by using the 2400 manual as this manual shows you the locations of the leaf switches for each circuit along with the handle release circuit in detail. As for your reels spinning freely, this could be a whole new problem as these machine are Electro/mechanical, and the reels stop this way also. Check all the levers under the reels, maybe remove your reel bundle to do this. These levers can get really sticks and gummy, even to the point of freeing up, everything under your reel bundle has to be clean and working very freely or the reels will not lock or may not even spin. One other thing to check it the spiral cam on the back of the hopper, some have a rubber stop for this cam to return to, this rubber can turn into rubber gooey sticky mess and stick to "O" stop switch and cam. If you find this is also a problem you can replace it with a pencil or ink pin eraser. Oh, you machine may very well have an IGT tag on it for some reason, but it's still a Bally model 809 Machine.

Thank You
Rodger
Http://www.coinslots.com