Expert: Rodger Knutson - 5/11/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
    I have a Bally 809 slot that was sitting in our Fire Co. social quarters for about 15 years. It works fine except pays out only half the amount. Exactly half the amount! On oranges pays 5 instead of ten, plums 8 instead of 16 etc. If I pull out the coin hopper and release the payout coil and push the hopper back in it pays out the other half. Nylon gear teeth are fine and red payout wheel contacts seem fine also. HELP!
Thanks, Denny

ANSWER: Hi Denny,

WOW, this is interesting. First off, when you pull the hopper out and reset it and stick it back in, it's not giving you that extra 5 coins, it giving you the first 5 coins again like it's a new first payout. If you keep pulling it out and resetting it, each time you put it back in it would pay 5 coins, again, and again, and again, and again. A bally model 809 is a "MULTIPLIER" meaning it takes more then one coin, up to 5 coins on this model. You drop in the first coin and the win amount lights on the top glass, then you drop in the second coin and that light on top steps up to the next amount scale, usually doubling the payout, same with the 3rd and 4th and 5th coins. My guess is this machine is not stepping up after the first coin, is that right? This problem is most likely in the stepper unit up in the top box of this machine, you open the door and then the top glass and frame should lift up and out to remove it, (there might be two small screws seen on the bottom of this top glass and frame unit, I always see them missing but yours can have them, and if so, you need to remove these two before the glass and frame will lift up). Once the glass is removed you will see the light box, some light box's unlatch and tip down but I THINK THIS ONE HAS TWO FINGER RINGS, if you see two round rings on the bottom of this light box unit, stick a finger in each one and give this whole unit a jerk out and it should unplug and pull out. Behind this light box is where your coin multiplier and step up units are hiding. Your going to need a manual for this if you don't know this machine, and there is a couple that will cover this in detail, its just what you need, and you can get it here if you don't have it:

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

And look for this one a Bally manual 2400 or sometimes called a 1100 manual:

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.

And this one listed there also is also a very good companion to it:

Bally Electro/Mechanical Trouble Shooting Manual/Guide. This is great help for finding those problems with your Bally e/m slot machine.

After you can get at these step up units you need to work them by hand to see if there working good, my guess is there not, and not stepping up or not returning all the way. Also clean all the aluminum pins on the plugs these units us to connect to the cabinet plugs, like behind the reel mechanism, the coin hopper and the top box unit. These pins or aluminum and they corrode and lose contact, I find most problems right there with these Blu Plug pins. Good Luck Denny and come back and tell me how your doing on it or let me know if I can help you further with it.

Thank You...

Sincerely

Rodger Knutson
http://www.coinslots.com

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

QUESTION: Hi Rodger,
Thanks for your help............but....... I checked the stepper unit and all "up top" is working fine and I still get half payout. One nickel on oranges is supposed to pay 10 nickels, it pays 5.  Two nickels on oranges is supposed to pay 20 nickels, it pays 10, etc,etc. Same with Plums ~ first coin to pay 14, pays 7...2nd coin to pay 28, pays 14...3rd coin to pay 42, pays 21.  Brushed all cotact points on coin hopper, reel hopper and light (top) hopper and still the same 1/2 payout. I am now VERY confused.
Thanks, Denny

Answer
Hi Denny

Can you send me a few photo's of this machine? if so, send to Jackpot7@q.com I thinking about this some right now, but I am starting to wonder if this has the wrong hopper in it from another machine, just a thought. Did this machine ever work right? or I mean payout right? if not, then maybe is could be a miss match of different model parts or even the wrong award card glass. Is this a multiplier machine? if so, does the payout amounts that are lit up on the top box jump to the next higher pay scale on the second coin, and so on? Is this a 5 coin machine? I think we need to have a photo just to see what game type this is. If it is a multiplier meaning each additional coin increases the payout amount, this should indicate this in the top glass, and with each additional coin the lit payout amount should change to the next higher payout amount, and what I want to know is if it is doing this, without any problems with this action, and the real problem is that the coin payout amounts that the machine pays out, is not changing, but the indicated amount is. I think I am confusing myself here now, but I hope you see what I am asking.

Thanks

Rodger
http://www.coinslots.com