AboutPhillip Boucher Expertise Author of the book, "Slot Machines: Fun Machines or Tax Machines? A Technician Reveals the Truth About One-Armed Bandits", ISBN 1-55270-049-6 published by Productive Publications under the pen name Ian B. Williams. I can answer any question related to the concept, design, marketing, programming, operation, installation, repair, and maintenance of slot machines, video poker machines, and video lottery terminals, and their related equipment and machinery, within the regulated gaming industry. I WILL NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS WHATSOEVER RELATED TO THE PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF GAMING MACHINES, INCLUDING QUESTIONS SUCH AS "I JUST BOUGHT A SLOT MACHINE AND IT DOESN'T WORK...". I can help dispel all the myths and misconceptions that have permeated the print and news media about slots over the years. I can also answer questions related to gambling addiction in general and slot machine addiction in particular. Each question will be answered truthfully, without bias, whether the answer is what the questioner wants to hear. I will not propagate the myth that there are secrets to winning or beating slots, because there are none. There are no methods or tricks or other such nonsense that a lot of people think there are. I`m sorry, but reality in regard to slot machines can be a big letdown! I won`t lead anyone on. Want to know the real truth? Just ask. I can also answer general questions related to casinos except for table games.
Experience I have over eleven years experience as a slot machine technician for two major North American casinos, one racetrack slot facility, and am a Certified Gaming Machine Repairperson. I am the author of, (writing as Ian B. Williams), "Slot Machines: Fun Machines or Tax Machines? A Technician Reveals the Truth About One-Armed Bandits", ISBN 1-55270-049-6 published by Productive Publications.
Question Just wanted to let you know that your suggestions gave me the added confidence to investigate further, the problem turned out to be 2 blown 3amp fuses hidden within the power supply, thank you for your help. Just wondered is there a battery somewhere inside the machine that holds information. The amount in the "pot" drops back to zero after a day or so?
Thanks again
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Followup To
Question -
Hi, I wonder if you can help me. I have a "JPM King of Clubs" fruit machine. It was working perfectly until several days ago when my son turned it on and nothing lit up. I have checked the fuses which seem to be ok and there is a "humming" which I imagine is coming from the transformer.
I would really appreciate any suggestions that you may have.
Best Regards
David
Answer -
David, I have three ideas as to what it might be:
1) The power supply is blown
2) The CPU or associated Input/Output boards are blown
3) The monitor boards and/or power supply are blown
You would have to do electronic troubleshooting to determin where the problem may exist. You could take the machine to an electronics repair store in which they most probably could determin if the monitor circuitry or power supply are gone, or if it is the machine power supply. They may or may not be able to fix it. If it is the CPU or I/O boards, you will need repair manuals and access to replacement boards to troubleshoot. Check the net and usenet groups to see if you can find someone who may repair gaming machines in your area. Other than that, you be out of luck. Hope this helps, at least a bit. Ian
Ian B. Williams, author of "Slot Machines: Fun Machines or Tax Machines? A Technician Reveals the Truth About One-Armed Bandits", ISBN 1552700496, available at bookstores and other retailers of gambling books, online and in the real world. Find it at
- Barnes and Noble bookstores throughout the U.S.
- Indigo bookstores throughout Canada
- on the web at amazon.com, booksforgamblers.com, chapters.indigo.ca, bn.com, sportsandsoccer.com, half.ebay.com, greenbaycasino.com, gambleresource.com, pokeritits.com, casinobookreview.com, books.ontheweb.co.uk, bookfinder.com,
Can't find it? Then order directly from the publisher, Productive Publications, 416-483-0634, or visit their website at:
www.productivepublications.com or www.productivepublications.ca (in Canada)
Please visit my website at ibwilliams.tripod.com
Please visit my experts page at allexperts.com
I have been interviewed on the following radio stations: WVMI, WKRC, KEEL, WOAI, KFRU, WDEL, CHQR, CJAD.
Answer Ah, yes, the old hidden fuses IN the power supply housing. Forgot about those. See what happens when you don't fix these things every day? You lose your troubleshooting skills. Well glad that you got it to work. And yes, there is a battery in the machine that supplies power to the EEPROM. This device holds information like credits, meters, tilts, games played, etc. The EEPROM holds this info so whenever the machine is turned off, has a tilt, or does something very strange, the information can be retrieved. Things such as last bills recall or last games recall to check for customer concerns are some of the things this chip holds, and the battery provides the power to do it. The battery will most likely be on the CPU. It could be a button or cylindrical type, at about 3.5 volts or so. In some other circumstances it could be located on the backplane board, which is the board that the CPU connects to. Now your machine my have a low battery, but there should be a watchdog circuit on the CPU that should tell you this, give some kind of indication of it, or go into a tilt. If you find the battery, measure the voltage and if low, replace it. This may solve you problem. Again congrats and hope this helps. Ian
Ian B. Williams, author of "Slot Machines: Fun Machines or Tax Machines? A Technician Reveals the Truth About One-Armed Bandits", ISBN 1552700496, available at bookstores and other retailers of gambling books, online and in the real world. Find it at
- Barnes and Noble bookstores throughout the U.S.
- Indigo bookstores throughout Canada
- on the web at amazon.com, booksforgamblers.com, chapters.indigo.ca, bn.com, sportsandsoccer.com, half.ebay.com, greenbaycasino.com, gambleresource.com, pokeritits.com, casinobookreview.com, books.ontheweb.co.uk, bookfinder.com,
Can't find it? Then order directly from the publisher, Productive Publications, 416-483-0634, or visit their website at:
www.productivepublications.com or www.productivepublications.ca (in Canada)
Please visit my website at ibwilliams.tripod.com
Please visit my experts page at allexperts.com
I have been interviewed on the following radio stations: WVMI, WKRC, KEEL, WOAI, KFRU, WDEL, CHQR, CJAD.
