Reprogam The Machine?

[Zaffro]

Im a Games Programmer so me being me I want to start to tinker with the programming of these machines.

Is there anybody about who has successfully done this?

Could I have a 1 to 1 chat with sombody who knows the circuitry and boards of a machine to help me?

Yes I have prior knowledge of reverse engineering so it wont be like talking to a brick wall.

Thanks Zaff

[johntofva]

Daverob is one of the best here. And there are a few others that have played with this idea over the past several years.

[fronzdan]

Yeah Daverob is probably one of the most knowledgable people on these things. He will have an answer. But as far as I know, no one has been very successful in cracking the firmware that I've ever heard about. It is likely obfuscated to prevent any tampering for obvious reasons.

[compirate]

One of the nice things is, at least with Sankyo machines, the odds and audio/video control boards are relatively cheap on YJA because the machines are scrapped mostly for the LCD. Some can be had for around 500Y or so (plus commissions and shipping), so if you do smoke/brick your machine, you can get replacements.

[Eddie]

Yeah Daverob is probably one of the most knowledgable people on these things.

Your not to shabby yourself!

[daverob]

The main control CPU (which sets the odds and sequences the gameplay) is a Z80 based ASIC which is usually a LETech LE2280 (V2), LE4280 (V4) or an IDNAC/SUBNAC processor. It includes on chip memory and I/O and has code verification features so the authenticity of the chip/software can be verified in the field.

There's a couple of Korean sites that advertise compatible replacement processors for these chips...

Welcome to www.PKLink.com

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There is also a second similar CPU for the payout control functions, ie card reader interface and shooter handle/payout unit drivers.

The third CPU set which controls the Audio and Visual side of the game will be different for each make of game, and is usually a 16/32 bit CPU and separate video processor, usually something comparable to the processing power of a PlayStation 1 or similar vintage arcade hardware. I don't really have much info on this side of things, as I was more interested in reverse engineering the other CPUs to figure out the specifications of the card reader interface (which I've managed to achieve) and to see if it's possible to modify the odds (still an ongoing theoretical study!).

I don't have a great deal more info on reverse engineering the gameplay itself, but I'll PM you my contact details in case you want to have a chat about it...

[birdbrain]

in plain English: no

[new in town]

in plain English: no

That WAS plain English.

It's called "daverob - EEZE.

[Zaffro]

Thanks for the help daverob and thanks for the PM. When i have some free time ill buy another machine and start tinkering. It will be quite a job but I think its more than possible to do.

[fronzdan]

Brilliant! This is like knowing one of the engineers inside the pachinko manufacturing companies!