Alright....something's off...I think it's time to do a strip test...
This is how you can see if the strips are lined up at the beginning of the tape above the 1st symbol on the payline.
Let's call this the Top-Of-Strip.
Open the door and press the white button on the MPU - you will see [1 Accounting] on the VFD display.
Press the Cash Out button 4 times to get to [5 GAME TESTS]
Press the Spin button twice and turn the reset key on the side of your machine once momentarily
The reel strips should stop with the top of the all 3 reel strips on the Pay Line.
On your VFD display, you should see Virtual Stop: 01:01:01
I cannot clearly tell if your award glass pays for blank wins.
If the SB chip pays for blank wins, the 1st reel strip will be at one symbol above reel strips 2 and 3,
but reel strips 2 and 3 will definitely have their respective top-of-strip on the Pay Line.