Replace Battery - reprogramming

[tlarimer]

Hey everyone! I bought a IGT Double Joker Poker machine and was told when the battery is replaced the machine would need to be reprogrammed. Is there a way to replace the battery without reprogramming or is there a guide on reprogramming the Game King software? Thanks for the information in advance.

[RB]

Your eeprom settings should not be lost from just replacing the MPU battery. You will just have to clear ram error(s) using the jackpot reset key & test switch. It is a good idea to have a clear/key chip for your machine if needed for a unrecoverable error or to make changes to your setup if desired.

[tlarimer]

Your eeprom settings should not be lost from just replacing the MPU battery. You will just have to clear ram error(s) using the jackpot reset key & test switch. It is a good idea to have a clear/key chip for your machine if needed for a unrecoverable error or to make changes to your setup if desired.

So how do I know what key chip I need. Sorry I am new to all of this and have a lot to learn. Are there any threads for newbies to learn the inner workings of these machines?

[RB]

Yes there are plenty of topics that have been covered. You likely need a Key 22 or 40. If you post a picture of your MPU board that can be verified. Use link below to view threads pertaining to your machine type.

http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?board=68.0

[tlarimer]

thanks I will upload some pics tonight when I get home

[RB]

Be advised that uploaded pics must be 1mb or less so you might have to edit them before posting.

[Rep]

Looks from the pic to be 4.3 based from the fonts, etc. A key17 will also work for 4.0 or 4.3 which I use. It's not just for S-2000's. If a 22 has on screen settings it would be nicer tho, the key17 just gives ya a purple screen and ya wait til the mpu board lights come on and it's keyed after. I don't believe it has a clear function tho which at times can be necessary. SWEET looking GK tho! VERY nice machine!! RB knows the deal tho, he's a good friend and knows his stuff, he won't guide you wrong ever

[tlarimer]

Looks from the pic to be 4.3 based from the fonts, etc. A key17 will also work for 4.0 or 4.3 which I use. It's not just for S-2000's. If a 22 has on screen settings it would be nicer tho, the key17 just gives ya a purple screen and ya wait til the mpu board lights come on and it's keyed after. I don't believe it has a clear function tho which at times can be necessary. SWEET looking GK tho! VERY nice machine!! RB knows the deal tho, he's a good friend and knows his stuff, he won't guide you wrong ever

Thanks for the info. I really want to learn how to service and program machines. The guy I bought this one from lives 6.5 hours away so it's not easy to just go to him for help.  Glad I found this forum it has more info than I can deal with haha.

[Rep]

I got my Game King around Thanksgiving time last year (thanks to the great members here on NLG) and in general I have found it to be VERY user friendly to setup and I personally have enjoyed setting it up, trying different software, etc almost as much as playing it. So I'm a bit of a rookie but really haven't had much in the way of issues but if ya do, there are REALLY knowledgeable members here, they can fix ya up no matter what. I think if you enjoy repairs and such you will LOVE working with the GK. I really love your machine as well, just a gorgeous machine!

[tlarimer]

Thanks. It's a great machine I just wish it had slots on it. I attached some pics of the motherboard any help identifying components and such would help.

[Rep]

I see you have an all eproms set, no SIMMs so it's in the 4.x family. 5.x software uses eproms and SIMMs. Your 811 base chip should be a 4.3 set which is just about all poker with a few Keno games sprinkled in. If you stay with all eproms 4.0 has some slots, or if ya wanna go newer and get a set with eproms and SIMMS (you will need a MML card that holds a SIMM and not the one you have which holds eproms) 5.0 also has some slots. So if you want slots on it I'd go for either a 4.0 set or a 5.0 set. I'm a poker guy so 811 is a good set for me, I like a lot of poker and some keno. Just depends on the owners taste as to what software is ideal for their taste

[tlarimer]

So would it be easier to buy a new board with the 5.x version installed and just switch them out? Or how does that work? I'm guessing there is some tweaking that has to happen to get everything to be set up correctly. I wish I could find some videos of someone going through the setup process of a game king.

[smoothgrh]

Hey guys, I thought that the EEPROM on the backplane saves all the data—so even though your battery dies, the EEPROM will retain all the accounting info and settings for when you replace the battery.

Please correct me if I'm wrong!

[RB]

Your eeprom settings should not be lost from just replacing the MPU battery. You will just have to clear ram error(s) using the jackpot reset key & test switch. It is a good idea to have a clear/key chip for your machine if needed for a unrecoverable error or to make changes to your setup if desired.

That's correct. Was in reply #1.

[Rep]

So would it be easier to buy a new board with the 5.x version installed and just switch them out? Or how does that work? I'm guessing there is some tweaking that has to happen to get everything to be set up correctly. I wish I could find some videos of someone going through the setup process of a game king.

You just have to use a key chip to access certain setup items, it's not bad to do. If you don't plan on playing the set you have now you can just get a set of chips or chips/SIMMs and switch them out. Or as mentioned the backplane eprom will retain your settings and you could get a 2nd 3902 MPU board and swap that EPROM and board to keep your settings. It's really not a hard thing to do, we can walk you thru it. But like I said if you want slots and won't be playing the chips you have now, just get a 5.0 set (which I suggest, better resolution and graphics, much cleaner looking) and use that set of eproms/SIMMs. You will need a new MML (Multimedia Lite) board that takes a SIMM tho for the 5.0 software. Again just depends on your wants/needs

[RB]

I have a 5.1 and 5.3 software set, SIMM based MML, key chip(s). PM me if interested.

http://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=25509.0

[Rep]

I will publicly vouch for RB should you wanna buy software from him, he is a good friend and has always sent me items quickly and with no issues ever. He got me my 5.3 software when I initially got my Game King, which for my taste is still my favorite. RB will never do you wrong!

[tlarimer]

Im definitely interested! I want to have some slots on there with poker, blackjack, and keno if possible. I will send you a PM about the chips. Is there a guide on the forums somewhere to change out chips and simms or could either of you give me a guide to setting everything up?

[smoothgrh]

Your eeprom settings should not be lost from just replacing the MPU battery. You will just have to clear ram error(s) using the jackpot reset key & test switch. It is a good idea to have a clear/key chip for your machine if needed for a unrecoverable error or to make changes to your setup if desired.

That's correct. Was in reply #1.

Sorry—missed that! I was reading on my phone! 

[Rep]

Im definitely interested! I want to have some slots on there with poker, blackjack, and keno if possible. I will send you a PM about the chips. Is there a guide on the forums somewhere to change out chips and simms or could either of you give me a guide to setting everything up?

I dunno if there's a guide but basically it's just replacing chips with the same type (the MPU board is marked also) game 1 thru 4, etc. If you get a 5.x set it will have less chips as that uses SIMMs as well, they look kinda like taller RAM chips and just slide and clip in, we can tell you where those go (you should see the 3 slots on the MPU board, they go there and under the MML board there's 2 eproms with a chip based set, and that would just be the big SIMM that will slide in the slot there and the MML board will sit on top of it covering it) it's really not a big deal to do at all