Editorial Page 3-Editorial Page 4-Wilder Things #3 Page 9-IGT Monitor, Deceased Page 12- Announcing The Slot Academy at TechFest 33 Page 15-Slot Tech Training Schedule for 2017 Dear Friends of, This month, celebrates our 16th year of publication and bids hello and welcome to all our friends at the NIGA show, here in our home town of San Diego, California. I also want to mention that we still have openings in the Seattle class, coming up April 18th at Clearwater Casino. See the website for details. See you at the casino Publisher- Randy Fromm TechFest 33 @ Mystic Lake Casino Featuring the Slot Academy May 16-18, 2017 Randy Fromm's Editor Randy Fromm Technical Writers James Borg, Todd Brooks, Wilder Contreras, Nathan Galloway, Chuck Lentine, Jerome Mayard, Pat Porath is published monthly by 401 W. Lexington #777 El Cajon, CA 92022 tel.619.838.7111 fax.619.315.0410 e-mail editor@slot-techs.com Visit the website at slot-techs.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Domestic (North America) 1 year - $80.00 2 years - $140.00 International 1 year - $160.00 2 years - $300.00 Subscribe online at slot-techs.com Copyright 2017 under the Universal Copyright Convention. All rights reserved.
Slot Tech Feature Article Randy, WILDER THINGS #3 By Wilder Contreras I hope you like this next one. Hopefully, I m not driving you crazy yet with all these. Figure 1 Editor s Note: Nope! I was crazy to begin with. These are precisely the kind of tech tips we all appreciate. Read on, everybody!-rf This is for the touchscreens that have foam tape holding them in place. They might look like this (figure 1). The following has worked really well for me. I have found that this has been the easy way for me to replace them. I know they make a quick release tape for touchscreens like the Command Adhesive they make for mounting pictures on the wall but if your monitor does not have it on yet, you will need to cut it out. I have been doing it this way for a while now and it works great for me. I have tried other methods (like using floss to cut through it) but that does not really work for me. The main trick for me is that when I m cutting through one, I use a sharp utility knife and keep the blade as close to the glass as possible. Make sure you do not cut close to the metal frame. What really helps keep the blade cutting smoothly and prevents it from sticking is that I use WD- 40. I m sure other products might work as well, I just haven t tried any others yet. Figure 2 Figure 3 I try to cut along the three smaller edges first on these frames. As you can hopefully tell, the right, left and top sides are smaller than the bottom. Page 4
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When the sides and top are cut, you should have easier access and be able to spread open the glass and frame to cut the bottom part of the tape, following close to the glass. Now for the fun part-removing the tape. I usually pull it gently and it tends to come off really easily. This is the reason for cutting close to the glass so it can come off easily. When you completely remove the tape, make sure you clean off the bracket of any leftover WD-40 or whatever you used, that way the new tape you use sticks on really well. Next is the new tape so you can mount the new touchscreen glass to the bracket. I was shown this by a parts repair technician. He explained that all this tape is doing is holding the touchscreen glass (technically called the sensor )so you really don t need to waste so much tape to hold it in place. To mount your new touchscreen glass, you can do what I do and use these suction cups to make sure you are aligned correctly. Then it can be pressed down to secure it to the bracket. The way you make sure you don t have dust getting in-between the sensor and the monitor is by using acetate tape for touchscreens on all four sides. The tape helps by covering the exposed sides that would let dust go through. Once you re done, this is what your monitor should look like. Make sure before you tape it up to clean off your monitor from the inside and wipe off the new touchscreen so you don t leave any finger prints behind the glass. I hope this comes in handy to someone out there like it does to me. Convert from Digitech to 3M I have had a few friends that have asked me how I convert the IGT MLD KTL220MD- Figure 7 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Page 6
04 monitors that have the Digitech touchscreens to the 3M touchscreens. I know this info is already out there but I haven t seen any with pictures yet. If you are like me, sometimes just reading the information might be a bit confusing since I m more of a visual person. There are things that I need to actually see to understand them so here is my version. I hope it helps someone out there in the tech world. You will be working with the Digitech and the 3M touchscreen cables, to get to the Digitech cable that you will be working on, you will first need to remove the fan bracket. Figure 8 To remove the fan bracket, you remove these screws (that I have arrows pointed to). There are four screws that hold it in place. See Figure 8. Once you remove this bracket, this is the cable that you will be removing and working on. See figure 9. You will cut off the female end that will not be used. See figure 10 Then you will remove 3M cable from the new touch screen and you will cut off the 5 pin female end. This part is going to be attached to the Digitech cable. See figure 11 Now you can follow the chart on the next page. The Digitech 6 pin female connector you cut off is not used anymore. I had tried just swapping the connector to avoid cutting the cable but the pins are different size and they will not fit properly. What you are basically doing is attaching the 3M female connector to the end of the Digitech cable. For the wiring, you can follow this color code. You re basically flipping the Digitech cable around and making it a 5 pin instead of a 6 pin connector. Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Page 7
This is what your cable should look like when you are done with it and it is ready to be installed (see figure 12). You will connect it back to the Digitech touchscreen board and the new 3M touchscreen. Figure 12 Hope this helps. Wilder Contreras VLT Technician «C:(937) 856-3413 «P: (937) 235-7580 «Main: (937) 235-7800 «hollywooddaytonraceway.com «777 Hollywood Blvd. Dayton, OH 45414 You can follow this chart. The Digitech 6 pin female connector you cut off is not used anymore. I had tried just swapping the connector to avoid cutting the cable but the pins are different size and they will not fit properly. What you are basically doing is attaching the 3M female connector to the end of the Digitech cable. For the wiring, you can follow this color code. You re basically flipping the Digitech cable around and making it a 5 pin instead of a 6 pin connector. Slot Tech Class at Coeur D Alene Casino. This was outside! Page 8 Slot Tech Class at Grand Casino, Shawnee, Oklahoma This was outside!
Slot Tech Feature Article IGT Monitor, Deceased By James Borg After a power-out, the worst thing to happen to any poor on-duty slot tech is that some machines refuse to come back on again. I ll have to correct that slightly, as the worst thing to happen is that the machines which decide not to come back on again happen to be the ones being played at that moment. As luck would have it, not all patrons take kindly to losing their money but they d take even less kindly when once their luck has decided to turn, their machine suddenly goes off and the place goes into total darkness! To add insult to injury, when all the rest of the machines do eventually come back on, theirs remains dead. Heaven knows what would cross such a person s mind at that point in time. Strangle or slaughter the technician? But then again, why not break the machine? No... That won t help matters as it had just turned into a paying one. The best option would be to execute the technician, even though it s not his Figure 11 Page 9
fault. In such a desperate state of mind, a patron would do things he or she wouldn t normally do, like (for instance) pour coffee into the bill validator, or scratch the touch screen. If he or she is really nasty, they would even insert chewing gum down the validator s bezel and stuff it with a stirrer, just to be annoying. They would have had their moment of glory, of sweet revenge! But coming back to one particular casualty-an IGT AVP machine. The top screen was fine but the bottom monitor was off. However, at closer inspection, the screen was actually coming on for a very brief moment and going back off again at a rate of roughly one second intervals. The game screen could be just noticed in the background, before it disappears once more. Power cycling the monitor by pulling out and reinserting the mains plug (the AC power) in the eternal hope it would come back on again, resulted in disappointment as the same symptom persisted. At that point, it didn t hurt just to have a look at the cooler fan, to the left of the PSU, even though it s way too late at that stage to resurrect the monitor from the dead. This fan has a nasty habit of dying out, which causes the monitor s internal temperature to rise steadily, causing damage to Page 10 the unit. In the eventuality this fan did go to meet its Maker, replacing it would be a must, as whatever you do to repair the monitor, unfortunately, won t last long. The cooling fan is a 24V type DC brushless unit. I have come across several cases where once this stops working, it takes out your monitor. But on occasions, I was lucky enough to have the monitor come up and carry on as normal. It wouldn t be wasting time to occasionally have a look to see if this fan is rotating, even between maintenance sessions. Replacing it in the nick of time could save you the expense of having to purchase a new monitor should the damage sustained to it becomes excessive. It was time to take the thing out of its frame and transport the casualty to the workshop for closer inspection. I would have much preferred to work on it on the spot but I couldn t get to the boards as these were under metal covers and the screws holding them down were hiding behind parts of the door frame. The only way to work on this monitor is to pull it clean out from the door (unless somebody had forgotten to put the covers back on after a previous repair). Removing this bottom monitor, a Kortek KTL201S-11, wasn t that straightforward as several screws attach it to the door. The first time I did this, I had asked for assistance from one of the techs on duty at the time as I had visions of the unit falling on its face (although then the problem of repairing it
would have been simultaneously resolved!). There s a screw at the topleft of the frame, one on the right-hand side, and two at the bottom, at either corner. Before removing these, it would be a good idea to first remove the VGA cable, the mains plug (at the top of the power supply unit), and the USB cable (bottom right). The USB cable is what takes the information from the monitor s touch screen to the backplane. Once these are removed, you also need to undo some small screws at the bottom, otherwise your monitor won t come away and you ll find the lower part of the monitor s plastic frame will still be attached to the door. Also, be sure to remove the small PCB with the LEDs that light up the bezel. This has two clips, one on either side of the bill entry gap. Once the unit was in the haven of the workshop, in similar fault situations, it would be optimal to start off with the PSU (model PS50) first. To help reduce emissions (FCC Title 47, Part 15 requirements in the USA) all the modules are concealed under metal covers. In the case of the PSU, the cover also acts as a safety concern since there are lethal potentials present on it. To get access to the boards, these covers must be removed but it s only a minute job. Continued with part 2 next month. jborg@slot-techs.com Page 11
Presents TechFest 33 May 16-18, 2017 Featuring The Slot Academy * NEW PROGRAM!-Three days of Slot management training that is effective, painless and even a little fun. Open to all slot techs from all properties (and now slot managers are welcome too!) Are You The Slot Manager? This year, I am pleased to announce a world-class training event for slot managers that will run as a separate program alongside TechFest 33. You've probably heard of Lucien Wijsman and his Slot Academy. The Slot Academy has a reputation for delivering a huge amount of practical material in a manner that is both informative and super entertaining. If you think slot math is boring, think again. You ll love it! I guarantee it. Money back if not delighted by this training. You ll leave with a level of comprehension you may not have considered. For a few years, I have been trying to bring the Slot Academy in to run their program alongside TechFest. It's a natural fit and it rounds out TechFest so there's something for everyone, not just the slot techs. Lucien's a busy fellow but this year, our schedules matched and the Slot Academy has agreed to appear at TechFest 33. This is a fully-credentialed and accredited slot management program (attendees receive full credit from UNR-the University of Nevada at Reno) and will be held alongside TechFest 33 at Mystic Lake Hotel Casino. This is the real deal. It's three full days of slot management training, taught by one of the gaming world's most respected casino professionals. Slot Academy is part of the UNR extended studies program. This means that attendees to the Slot Academy get credits toward the UNR Gaming Management Program. They also receive a certificate from UNR for completing the Slot Academy course. This is an exciting training opportunity that will pack a lot of information into three full days. I expect that this event will sell out quickly. Further data and enrollment form available at slot-techs.com Technical Presentations: Ceronix-LCD Monitor Repair FutureLogic-Gen 2 and Beyond-Ticket Printers JCM-UBA and ivizion Bill Validators MEI-CashFlow SC66 Bill Validator PLUS-Randy Fromm on: LCD Repair/Power Supply Repair Component Identification and Testing Includes all classroom materials: Free digital multimeter, free component tester kit (a valuable shop tool for testing capacitors, resistors and all types of semiconductors). Tuition is $895/person TechFest is The World s Largest Gathering of Slot Machine Technicians Slot Academy Presentations: Slot Machine Meters According to SAS protocol Slot Machine Myth and Math Progressive and Mystery Prize Management Floor layout Management Includes all classroom materials Tuition is $995/person TechFest 33, featuring the Slot Academy will be held May 16-18, 2017 at: Mystic Lake Casino Hotel 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd NW, Prior Lake, MN 55372 Phone: (952) 445-9000 Mention TechFest for our discounted rate of $129/night. Page 12
Slot Academy at TechFest is produced by: 401 W, Lexington #777 El Cajon, CA 92022 tel.619.838.7111 fax.619.315.0410 e-mail TechFest@slot-techs.com Enrollment Form for Slot Academy Slot Academy at TechFest 33 May 16-18, 2017 Mystic Lake Casino Hotel 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd NW Prior Lake, MN 55372 Phone: (952) 445-9000 EZ ENROLLMENT! INVOICE ME! PO # Please complete this enrollment form and return it to Slot Tech Magazine. Enrollment is limited. Company Name: Name of attendee(s) - Attach a list if necessary or just send all of this information on a PO. Address Address City State/Prov. Country Zip/Postal Code Telephone Fax E-mail Mention TechFest when reserving your lodgings for our discount rate of $129.00. Enrollment fee is $995.00 per person. Payment by credit card or check payable to Slot Tech Magazine. Purchase orders will be invoiced. [ ] American Express [ ] Discover [ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa Account Number: Credit Card Security Code Expiration Date: Page 13
TechFest is produced by: 401 W, Lexington #777 El Cajon, CA 92022 tel.619.838.7111 fax.619.315.0410 e-mail TechFest@slot-techs.com TechFest 33 May 16-18, 2017 Mystic Lake Casino Hotel 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd NW Prior Lake, MN 55372 Phone: (952) 445-9000 EZ ENROLLMENT! INVOICE ME! PO # Enrollment Form for TechFest 33 Please complete this enrollment form and return it to Slot Tech Magazine. Enrollment is limited. Company Name: Name of attendee(s) - Attach a list if necessary or just send all of this information on a PO. Address Address City State/Prov. Country Zip/Postal Code Telephone Fax E-mail Mention TechFest when reserving your lodgings for our discount rate of $129.00. Enrollment fee is $895.00 per person. Payment by credit card or check payable to Slot Tech Magazine. Purchase orders will be invoiced. [ ] American Express [ ] Discover [ ] MasterCard [ ] Visa Account Number: Credit Card Security Code Expiration Date:
Regional Slot Tech Training Attend or Sponsor a Class Near You! Seattle, WA-April 18-21, 2017 at Clearwater Casino Resort Sands Casino, Bethleham, PA-June 13-16, 2017 Albuquerque, NM-July 11-14, 2017 at Isleta Casino 2017 Class Schedule Las Vegas, NV-September 26-29, 2017 Chicago, IL-November 6-9, 2017 New Orleans, LA-December 6-8, 2017 Locations TBA and subject to change If you are interested in sponsoring one of these regional classes at your property, please contact Randy Fromm This is a fast-track class for slot techs who want to learn the quick and easy way to fix monitors and power supplies without having to learn a lot of electronic theory or mathematics. If you are interested in sponsoring a regional class at your property, please contact Randy Fromm for details. There is no actual cost involved. Since 2001, has been holding slot tech training classes at casinos across the USA. These classes have mostly been held at larger properties with a dozen or more slot techs from their own slot department attending the class. In order to serve our smaller cainos (with, perhaps, just a few techs) we are now holding regional classes that are open to all slot techs that wish to attend. This is the full, four-day class that covers power supply repair and LCD monitor repair, down to the component level. To Enroll: Download the enrollment form at slot-techs.com Day 1-Beginning Electronics for Slot Machine Technicians This segment assumes that you have no previous electronics training and takes you through a simple, NO MATH look at electronic components, electronic circuits, schematic diagrams and more! Using a Digital Multimeter The DMM is the single most important piece of test equipment you can use. Electronic Components All of the individual components used in gaming machines are introduced. Students learn how to test them for proper operation. Day 2-Diodes, Transistors & Other Semiconductors Hands-on Transistor Testing Lab This part of the school takes a look at all of the different types of semiconductors commonly seen in gaming machines. We'll take a look at the operation of each component, along with testing procedures to determine if the part is good or bad. NO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF ELECTRONICS IS REQUIRED Class Schedule 9:00am-4pm Daily Day 3-Soldering Good soldering technique takes practice but there are some tricks that can really help speed things along. During this segment, each student will be provided with their own soldering supplies and some fun project kits they will assemble. Current kits include a versitile component tester that can be used alongside the DMM to test electrolytiuc capacitors, semiconductors, resistors and other components. This equipment will be theirs to keep. This is a VALUABLE shop tool. Day 4-Morning Session-Power Supplies This module covers all types of power supplies, including linear power supplies and the Switched-Mode Power Supply (SMPS) found in virtually everything in a modern casino. Day 4-Afternoon Session-LCD Monitor Repair LCD Monitor repair is generally pretty easy thanks to their modular design. This segment covers the theory of operation of LCD monitors. There will be a presentation on componentlevel repair techniques, CCFL testing and replacement and using LED strips as backlights. Includes free component tester! Cost of the Program Tuition is $795/person Includes: Digital Multimeter Soldering iron, tools and soldering supplies Sample components Soldering Instruction Kit Component Tester Kit Textbook Students are responsible for their own meals and lodging. If you re interested, please contact Randy Fromm right away. It s first-come, firstserved and there is a limited number of places available in each class. Randy Fromm 401 W. Lexington Ave. #777 El Cajon, CA 92022 619.838.7111 You can fax a PO to 619.315.0410 and we ll invoice you. Be sure to include the student s name.