i looked at mine. when the reels are spun, the reel optic leds( both boards on each reel) all blink, so the optos are good. when i line up all those brass rivets, the reel strips are lined up, and the 3 opto tabs on the outer rim of the reels are all in line too. i also checked to see if a tab was missing from any of the cardboard inner opto strips, and they are all there. still spins like a runway train. i also lined up the reels so the outer reel tabs were all in an opto, then reset the game, thinking they would all be in the same position, didnt help