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SlotTech Magazine
Tech Maga-Editorial
zine
August 2011
Page 3-Editorial
Page 4-Chucks Trimline 2.0 SuperGuide
Page 18-Training in Trinidad
Page 20-Quick & Simple Repairs #77
Page 26-Subscriptions & Back Issues
Randy Fromm's
nent of the editorial mix at Slot Tech Magazine. They are!
Slot Tech Magazine
In fact, ten years ago,when I first envisioned what the
magazine would look like, I knew that I wanted it to be a
combination of everyday symptoms and solutions and Editor
Randy Fromm
educational articles that covered how stuff works rather Technical Writers
than just concentrating on what fails. James Borg, Chuck
Lentine, Craig Nelson,
Kevin Noble, Pat Porath
However, I dont tell my contributors what to write about
and so when Chuck Lentine sends in a story, I never
know what its going to be about. This month, it arrived
as a thumb drive in the mail and he has sent in a real Slot Tech Magazine is published
monthly by
gem. Its a feature article about the IGT Trimline AVP Slot Tech Magazine
machine and a dozen or so things that can cause prob- 1944 Falmouth Dr.
El Cajon, CA 92020-2827
lems, all fully illustrated with beautiful photographs! I tel.619.593.6131 fax.619.593.6132
really love receiving stuff like this. As a technician, my e-mail editor@slot-techs.com
Visit the website at slot-techs.com
only goal is to fix as much
stuff as quickly as pos- SUBSCRIPTIONS
Domestic (North America)
sible. I dont need to prove 1 year - $60.00
For schematic dia- to anyone how smart I am 2 years - $120.00
International
grams, drivers, diag- by figuring out this stuff 1 year - $120.00
nostic software, on my own. If someone 2 years - $240.00
T
his article will describe many of the issues we have
experienced with the IGT Trimline cabinet and the
AVP platform, and they will be listed by the
symptom for ease of reference. But before we get the
party started I need to make all the slot techs who
maintain these games aware of one very important thing.
Keep them clean! These machines can suck in enormous
amounts of funk, dirt, and dust. Once it gets in there, it is
not fun to get out. Ive heard there are kits that put
filters over the speaker grills, but that doesnt stop lots of
dust entering from around the monitors and the BV and
printer bezels. If you have a preventative maintenance
program at your casino, make sure Trimlines get cleaned
frequently. We use a portable air compressor which gets
it all out. Go get your favorite beverage and lets dig in.
While you are in the power distribution box, make sure the
main AC line is disconnected and take a look at the black power
line splitters. These have hot, neutral, and ground wires
pressed in them (see figure 3). There have been on quite a few
occasions one of these wires pops out of these blocks and does
intermittent things to the machine. Gently tug up on each wire
with needle nose pliers. If any wires do come out, reshape the
crimp connector on the end and place it back where it came
from.
Inverter
Figure 5
Page 6 Slot Tech Magazine August 2011
August 2011 Slot Tech Magazine Page 7
Note: the caps on the A/D converter are surface mount.
The smaller ones CANNOT handle much heat from a
soldering iron. They will explode when heated. We have had
luck gently cutting off the top part of the can by snipping
away the material in a circular motion always pressing
down on the base of the cap as not to pull up the traces. The
legs of the cap will be the only thing left, and are cleared
away by gently heating them up with a soldering iron. If
you have never done this before, you may want to practice
on a junk board removing SMT capacitors.
When the fan fails, it gets very hot. The heat sink grease
between the fan and video processor gets hard and stops
conducting heat and then the chip fails. Get to it before it
gets you. I have seen numerous times a bad video card
corrupt the hard drive during read and write routines.
(Figure 6)
If the fan has the black blades or shows any sign of not
turning easily, replace it. Be careful removing the spring
loaded pins that hold the fan to the board. If the pins dont
press out from the back easily, cut them off being careful
not to damage any traces. As shown in the above Figure,
you will probably find under it old dried up grease and dirt.
I use a small wooden dowel to scrape off the old grease,
Figure 7
then clean the top of the chip and surrounding area with a
glass cleaner ensuring the top of the chip is now very
shiny. Now install the new fan. It should come with heat
sink grease already applied. If not, be careful to lay down a
thin layer. This is very critical as too much will act as an
insulator. (Figure 7)
Figure 10
Remove the processor chip and clean out any
dust under it. This is the neighborhood the
thermostat for the motherboard is in that
causes Board monitor tilts CPU temp out of
range. Be careful not to bend any pins
inserting it back into the socket.(Figure 9)
Atmel AT24C256
Two-wire Serial Eprom (256K)
32,768 x 8)
- Chuck Lentine
Contact Randy Fromm
clentine@slot-techs.com
619.838.7111
editor@slot-techs.com
Page 16 Slot Tech Magazine August 2011
August 2011 Slot Tech Magazine Page 17
Slot Tech Event
Training in Trinidad
I
have been fortunate that the were flown in to Port of Spain, were young and hit me up with some
casino industry has allowed Trinidad for the class, which was rhythms that were sort of a cross
me the opportunity to travel held at a conference center in the between calypso, reggae and rap
around the USA and the world. I TunaPuna area, near Sunnys local (which had its origins as toasting
recently spent a couple of weeks in headquarters. Two classes were in Jamaica). I was going all the way
the island nation of Trinidad and held, with 15 technicians attending with classic Yellowman, Burning
Tobago. Located just off the north- each class. This was, presumably, Spear and Steel Pulse (thats all I
ern coast of Venezuela, it is an oil- my final CRT monitor class. These had loaded on my iPhone).
rich, English-speaking country with poor folks were still nursing along
the highest literacy rate in the old Kristel CRT monitors and Wells- Attending the class were: Denzel El
region. It has a healthy economy Gardner U3000s! Never easy to Foucade, Peter Augustine, Henry
(which makes it good for the casino repair from the get-go, after a Jeffrey, Ricardo Small, Ronald
business. There are slot machines decade of 24/7 operation, these Nicholas, Sherwin Mendoza,
everywhere) and an unrelenting heat units are on their last legs. The CRTs Rudolph Fraser, Terron Mohan, D-
and high humidity that, coming are all very burned and the electro- Andre Thompsons, Kerry Balram,
from 32 degrees north latitude, lytic capacitors . . .. I recommended Angelica Carolina Fermin Belmonte,
made this equatorial training LCD retrofits ASAP. Imina Phillips, Marciano
mission an indoors only event for (Suriname), Eren (Suriname),
me. How did people get along before We had a pretty good time during Adrian Hoping, Steffon Gregory
air conditioning or electric fans? the class practicing component (St.Kitts), Shagnell (Barbados),
testing, building a soldering practice Keith Greaves, Tren Quash, Wayne
I was the guest of the Sunny Group, kit (a two-tone siren with flashing Looney, Nicholas Singh, Averill
a regional operator with locations in LEDs) and hosting a sort of im- Lewis, Ian Byron, Mark
places like Suriname, Barbados and promptu battle of the bands Moonsammy, Stephen Gangan,
even Botswana! The technicians playing reggae music during the Kester Howard, Junior Superville,
breaks on our iPhones. These guys Marvin Lewis and Courtney Pierre.
- STM
I
trick. (The small plastic pin too. It took some time and
dont exactly remember that is at the end of a chip tube thought but my task was
the reason why but we had that keeps the chips from completed.
a new Bluebird that needed falling out, a type of plastic
the five reel strips to be in- rivet?) When I
stalled. OK, no problem. My tried it, no doubt
estimated time was about ten the pin was too
minutes. One game totaling large. It seems
five reels, boy was I ever like I have seen
wrong. When I looked into the a small plastic
box, to my surprise there was type rivet used
reel encoder film for each reel. in slot machines
At the time I didnt think much somewhere
about it, only the reel strips before...could it
should need to be installed. be...do we even
The reel encoder film should have any in
already be on the game, right? stock? What I
Not quite. It took me a few am thinking of is
minutes to figure out how the the small rivets
unit went onto the reel basket, or pins that are
now how does it attach? Simply used on a JCM
by opening up a game next DBV bill acceptor
door that had reels and reel head to hold
strips already installed it was down the steel
quite obvious that small plastic plate. The plate
rivets were used. My problem needs to be
now, where are the rivets to removed when
Buy or Sell?
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Randy Fromm's
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OK. You asked and I listened. My new tech class eliminates obsolete CRT
monitor repair and the associated monitor repair lab. In just four or five days,
your slot techs can learn to repair Power Supplies, LCD Monitors, Ticket
Printers, Bill Validators and more. Its easy and its fun.- Randy Fromm
Page 28 Slot Tech Magazine August 2011