The Famous Mephisto

[Lddrizzt]

Alright, I know everyone has seen the thread and read the reference to the Mephisto machine that I am having problems with.
I closed the other support ticket as the problem is not what was originally thought.

Stopping the reels is the issue.
The third button you hit, no matter which direction you stop them, you have to hit the button a couple times for the third reel to stop.
Also the right button sounds are really muted.

This is what I have done so far.

Removed and cleaned all three buttons.
Tried all buttons in each position. They work just fine as the first 2 button pushes, and the third one needs pushed a couple times.
No matter which button is plugged into the right socket it's sound is muted.
Ok the buttons themselves are not the issue.

I removed each cable, checked the cable for pinches or cuts. They are clean.
I checked to make sure all the pins in the sockets were good and not bent.
I plugged everything back in.

Below are two pics.
There are red Xs on each plug that I unplugged, I checked the cable attached to each one.

Thoughts?

[luckydog]

does the board on top of the reels have anything to do with stopping them???

if it does your problem may be there???

[Lddrizzt]

I don't know, that board comes after the main board on the back wall. In the loop of things I think it comes between the main board and the reels.

[luckydog]

i know the Juggler has the same type of board above the reels, with no plactic cover, and the local seller here said he has had the most problems with reels after shipping those machines.

I'm stopping to see him next week, I'll see if one of his parts machines has a similar one.

[fhagar]

I was told when I was trying to get autostop to work on my twist machine that the board above the reels was at fault when the buttons didn't work right. My problem was a bad connection but if you've checked the connections it seems that maybe it could be the board. Do you have another to swap with it. If not it shouldn't be too hard to find. I'm sure most dealers have a spare.

[Youngjedi]

OOOH! Good Point fhagar, Since it is the small board on the side of the cabinet that is replaced or altered when using an autostop, it just might be that board that gets the signals from the buttons and stops each real. I have noticed that the board is the same in a lot of machines. Do you have another Pachislo that you can do a quick switch with to see if that fixes it?

Good Luck!

[alstonj1]

the board on the right is the reel stop board or relay board . it sounds as though its doing its job . but try swapping it out with one from another machine their pretty much generic theres only like 5 diffrent ones that are used on all machines if you look at the number on the board and match it to one of your other machines you should be able to eliminate it as a suspect as far as i know it has nothing to do with the sound effect volume thats the processor and sound board. but the reel stop board is the interface for the buttons to the main board .it sounds like your main board isnt listening to well or responding very well .the board above the reels with the plastic cover is the main processor board .the main processor board is usually covered and sealed to prevent tampering .the board mouunted on the backwall behind it looks to be an interface board .

[Lddrizzt]

Oops forgot to mention that the reel stop board (the one on the side wall) is the first thing I swapped out since it is so common between machines. So that is not it.

[Tony Junior]

TJ scratehes his head in deep thought, trying to help solve Lddrizzt's Mephisto problem, and comes to the conclusion that he hasn't the foggiest idea.

I hope the smart ones here help you find the problem.

[Lddrizzt]

Me too!
Gaku has also been helping me with this troubleshooting.
The latest we tried is to start the reels spinning then unplug all the buttons and the spin knob to make sure none of those were interfering with the stop buttons.
They weren't.

[Youngjedi]

How about replacing the ribbon cable from the side board. Maybe one of the wires is bad. The one that controls the third wheel.

[Eddie]

Did you take apart the reels and check the reel sensors?

Heres an old thread You have tried everything else maybe its the same problem?

http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/show...light=banker+9

[Lddrizzt]

I swapped out ribbon cable with another machine, both the 50 pin and the 30 pin also the one on the stop board. No Change.

I will give that a look Eddie, but the reels spin fine. Everything works like it is supposed to but the right button needs to be pushed a couple times to stop the reel. Plus I don't think the reel sensor would affect the stop sound. But I will look anyway.

[revmondo]

Do you get any LED feedback on the board above the reels? On my machines the red LEDs on the board light when the buttons are pressed. This is whether the reels are spinning or not, so you could try it both ways to see if it makes good contact when the reels are and arent spinning. This should rule out the hardware all the way to the spin board if the LED's light up right away when pressed.

[Stealth]

My guess still is bad buttons or bad ribbon cable(s). Can you swap the buttons on that machine to see if the problem moves with the button or stays in the 3rd spot?

The sound thing may be the main computer board or power supply. When you press the 3rd button the 1st time, does the red LED light up on the computer board? Or does that only happen the 2nd time when the reel actually stops?

[Lddrizzt]

Swapped the ribbon calbles with another machine.
Moved the buttons around, problem does not follow buttons.
Red LED lights everytime the third button is pushed.

Ok I just noticed this, when the center button is pressed the LED stays on until another button is pressed. This happens if the reels are spinning or not.

[Lddrizzt]

Ok with your guys help I have figured out one problem.
I got a bad button. That is what was causing the LED to stay on and having to hit the third button twice. Once to turn off the center button LED and the second to stop the reel.

Now we need to figure out the sound issue.

[revmondo]

ok, humor me for a sec.
are you pusing the buttons in the same order each time. I am asking if the 3rd button is always the same button, and so on. Is it the center button that stays high when pressed until another button is pressed or is it whatever button you press second?

[Lddrizzt]

Center button is the bad one. Right button (or what ever button is plugged into that socket on the board) is the one that I can hardly hear any sound when pushed.
What I did was unplug the center, start the reels, push left one, unplugged it, plugged into the center, pushed it again, then the right button. The reels stopped like they should, and that part is solved.

Just have to figure out why the Right position is muted.

Didn't matter what order I pushed them in.

[Youngjedi]

I'm not sure if this will work, but it might help diagnose something...

Can you put an autostop in the machine and run the machine with it? If all works fine and the sound is good on the reel, it may help narrow down the problem to the Physical Buttons/wiring.

Just a thought.