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Editorial

Page 6The Ins and Outs of Ticketing

Page 19SlotFest - Featuring TechFest 16

Page 20Slot Tech LCD Repair

Training at CSN

Page 22Kingbright 0.4mm Ultra-Thin

0805 Blue SMD LEDs

Page 23Heber Launches X15

Page 24Quick and Simple Repairs # 31

0Ceronix Announces WebsiteUpdate, Offers Free Power

Supplies

Page 32Paltronics Progressive

System - part 2

Page 36Slot Machine University

Page 42Subscriptions and Order Form

November 2007

Inside Slot Tech Magazine

Peace

November 2007Slot Tech Magazine

Slot Tech Editorial

Randy Fromm's

Slot Tech Magazine

EditorRandy Fromm

Technical WritersTed Befus, Jason Czito,

Kevin Noble, Herschel W.Peeler, Pat Porath, Vic

Fortenbach

International ContributorMartin Dempsey

Slot Tech Magazine is publishedmonthly bySlot Tech Magazine1944 Falmouth Dr.El Cajon, CA 92020-2827tel.619.593.6131 fax.619.593.6132e-mail [email protected] the website at slot-techs.com

SUBSCRIPTIONSDomestic (USA) 1 year - $60.00 2 years - $120.00International 1 year - $120.00 2 years -$240.00

Copyright 2007 under the UniversalCopyright Convention. All rights re-served.

Slot Tech Editorial

Randy Fromm

Randy Fromm

Hello to the 3000 of youthat picked up thismagazine at the Glo-

bal Gaming Expo. That’s howmany copies of Slot TechMagazine are slated for dis-tribution at the show, any-way. We didn’t do anythingspecial for this “show” issue.It’s really pretty typical ofwhat Slot Tech Magazinesbrings to our readers eachmonth. It’s sort of a mix ofnew products, slot systemsand slot repair, the raisond'être of Slot Tech Magazine.We are dedicated to techni-cal education and training forslot machine technicians,

from the novice floor tech tothe experienced bench techwho is looking to pick up ona few new techniques.

Some of those experiencedand talented slot techs areour contributing writers. Ourtechnical articles are pennedby working technicians andengineers in the gaming in-dustry. Some work in casinosfrom across the globe. Oth-ers work for slot machinemanufacturers or the makersof peripheral devices such asbill validators, ticket printers,coin validators and monitors.Readers are guaranteed tostay informed with accuratetechnical information.

If your property is Ticket in-Ticket-out (and who isn’tthese days?) it is importantto understand the exact se-quence of events in a TITOtransaction. Specifically, theticket itself, a bearer instru-ment, must work togetherwith the backend system ina foolproof chain of eventsthat allows credits to be is-sued and redeemed withcomplete accountability andsecurity. This month, JasonCzito takes us through theentire process with his out-standing contribution to theSlot Tech Magazineknowledgebase, Ticketing Insand Outs. His lengthy articlebegins on page six.

In September’s issue of SlotTech Magazine, the PAL193in machine interface boardwas introduced, configuredand connected to a slotmachine. Now comes the funpart, as my longtimetechnical associate VicFortenbach (I have known Vicfor more than 25 years)returns with part two of hislook at Paltronics’ JackpotController, the BSK100. Thearticle highlights configuringand connecting the jackpotcontroller as well astroubleshooting issues (notmany. According to Vic, thething’s as solid as a rock).

There is much more, ofcourse, including perennialfavorite Pat Porath with his“Quick & Simple Repairs.”

Enjoy the Expo. See you atthe casino.

Slot Tech MagazineNovember 2007

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Slot Tech Feature Article

As the casino industry

moves away from handlingcoin in favor of ticketingalternatives, many previouslycoin-based operations findthemselves using a ticketsystem with unfamiliarnuances. Tickets (orVouchers, depending onjurisdiction) are notes thatmust be honored by thecasino that owns the EGM(Electronic Gaming Machine,typically a reference to a slotmachine) or System thatcreated the ticket. Thesetickets are auditeddifferently, variances arechecked differently, inventoryhas specific requirements,etc. This article will attemptto explain how the IGT™

SAS™ Enhanced Validationused by Aristocrat’s OASISTicket in and Out systemworks. This is also anattempt to clarify some of thequestions and myths thatsurround tickets in general.The assumption is made thatthe reader is familiar with thehardware pieces in OASIS(Poller, DPU, Sentinel, etc). Ifnot, please review Slot TechMagazine October 2006–March 2007 for a completeunderstanding of the system.

First let’s look at what isneeded for a Ticket system.In order for a ticket to beprocessed:

1. The EGM must beconfigured for Ticketin, out or both.

2. The Host system mustbe configured forTicket in, out or both.

3. The Host and EGMmust agree on avalidation type (IEStandard, Enhanced,Secured Enhanced, orSystem Validation)

4. There must be a ticketprinter present andenabled in the EGM.

Now we’ll cover some generalticket-related concepts.

There are two main processesto consider regarding the lifecycle of a ticket: the creationof the ticket and the end ofthe ticket life cycle. Let’sconsider the creation of aticket first. The playerpresses the cash-out buttonon an EGM with a value of$50.00 worth of cashablecredits. The EGM notes thatit should print a ticket for theamount of the credit valueand sends the information tothe printer’s queue. If theprinter is working fine thenit will print the ticket. TheEGM will then start a tensecond timer and respond tothe Host’s next general pollwith a priority transaction.The Host then acknowledgesthe priority transaction andrequests from the EGM toverify its ID (SecuredEnhanced Validation), thecash-out amount in cents,cash-out type (cashableticket or hand pay), in thiscase cashable ticket and 16digit validation number. TheHost then validates the EGMID, verifies the validationnumber and validates thatthe number has been usedfor a cash-out ticket. Theticket is now stored in thesystem database. The EGM

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then responds back to theHost acknowledging that ithas received and confirmedthe amount, time, date, andvalidation number. The EGMwill then clear the memorybuffer for that ticket.

At this point, the cashout isdocumented in two places: asan entry in the systemdatabase and the paper ticketin the player’s hand. Thepaper ticket is basically areceipt for this databaseentry. If the ticket is damagedbeyond recognition or if anyother issues with the ticketare present, it doesn’t matter.Multiple copies of the ticket’sdata exist. The record is inthe database of a note thatwas issued by the casino andit is now a liability; the casinomust tender the note as longas it remains a valid note.

Here are some examples ofhow these contingencies maybe handled:

If the printed ticket isdamaged in such a way thatthe barcode and/orvalidation number isunreadable, rendering ituseless or if the printerproduces no ticket, you maystill look up the validationnumber for that cashouteither at the machine orusing a system tool. With theEGM information or thesystem information, theticket can be manually keyedfor payment, therebychanging the ticket statusfrom printed to redeemed andthus maintaining theintegrity of that cashouttransaction. It is up to the

property and their regulatorsto decide on how to handlethis scenario. The auditdepartment, for example,may require additionaldocumentation. SomeCompliance departmentsmay ask that this be treatedas a short pay, which comeswith its own set of rules inthe M.I.C.S.

If a cashout ticket is printedseveral times by amalfunctioning printer,resulting in duplicate copiesof the same ticket (or acounterfeiter makes a fewcopies of their own tickets),there will still only be oneinstance of this ticket in thedatabase. Whichever ticket isredeemed first (as soon as aticket is checked by an EGMfor redemption but before it’sactually redeemed, the ticketis unavailable for othertransactions. This preventsthe fraud caused bysimultaneous insertion ofduplicated tickets) will makethe other tickets unavailablefor redemption. Theredemption of the first ticketchanges the status of thecashout transaction in thedatabase to “redeemed,” sowhen the other duplicatetickets are checked againstthe database for payment,they’re denied.

If identical validationnumbers are generated fordifferent tickets (which isfairly rare, even given thevolume of tickets typicallygenerated by a coinlessoperation), the OASISQuickets software will opena dialog box prompting the

cashier to select thecorresponding ticket.

The end of a ticket life cyclemay happen in several ways.For example, it may beredeemed for cash, redeemedfor credits, expire after adesignated period of time, beexpired manually, be voidedmanually, etc. A ticket goesthrough different statesthroughout its life, and eachof these states is assigned anumber as follows:

Status 1: Issued:This ticket status is not usedwith this validation type,although it may be seen insome machine historiesduring malfunctions.

Status 2: Printed:This is the status that anormal ticket has, which isavailable for redemption.

Status 3: NA:This is the status of a ticketthat is currently in themiddle of a process elsewherein the system. This status issometimes referred to as,“Locked for Redemption”(more on this later).

Status 4: Redeemed:A ticket with this status hassuccessfully been cashed in(at a slot machine, kiosk,cashier, or wherever) and isno longer a liability to thecasino.

Status 5: Expired:This is the status of a ticketthat has been expired, eitherautomatically or manually(more on this later). Expiredtickets are still considered


part of a machine’saccounting history.

Status 6: Voided:Tickets may only be voided byway of the Quickets softwareby someone with the properaccess privileges. Voidedtickets are no longerconsidered part of amachine’s accountinghistory.

First, let’s review a typicalprocess of ticket redemptionby a cashier using Quickets,as it’s the simplest. Thecashier scans the barcode ofthe ticket, which allows thesoftware to automaticallylook up the validationnumber and report its statusback to the cashier. If thestatus is 2 (Printed), thecashier simply clicks theredeem button and pays theplayer. If the status is not“Printed,” it will inform thecashier that the ticket isn’tavailable for payment. Theticket should be investigatedat this point but check yourown casino policies regardingthis.

Second, let’s review a typicalprocess of ticket redemptionby a slot machine. As before,several conditions need to bein place for this transactionto occur: The machine mustbe set up to accept tickets,options for handlingmismatched currencydenominations may need tobe in place, the validationsystem needs to be workingcorrectly, no tilts may bepresent on the machine, etc.

When the ticket is insertedinto the bill acceptor, theticket is put into “escrow”(this just means that the billacceptor will hold onto theticket until it hears back fromthe EGM) and sends thevalidation number from thebarcode to the machine. Themachine then sends thevalidation number to OASISfor verification against thedatabase. If the ticket is good(the status is 2 - Printed),OASIS returns the necessaryinformation back to themachine to vend the ticketand changes the status of theticket to 3 or “NA.” Themachine now knows theamount of the ticket and thatit’s good to keep, so thecommand is sent to the billacceptor to take the ticket outof escrow and to stack it inthe cash box. Once the ticketis successfully stacked, thebill acceptor reports thiscondition to the machine,which reports it back toOASIS, which changes thestatus of this ticket from 3“NA” to 4 “Redeemed.”

If this seems like a lot ofsteps, there’s a very goodreason for doing this. Whenthe machine is first presentedwith a ticket, it doesn’t knowwhether or not the ticket isgood so it puts the ticket intoescrow; it shouldn’t bestacked because once it’s inthe box, it can’t come outwithout manual interventionand it shouldn’t be returnedto the player because themachine will need to stackthe ticket if it turns out to begood.

When OASIS gets word froma machine that it has a ticketin escrow for redemption, itdoesn’t change the status to“redeemed” immediatelybecause there’s thepossibility that the ticket willnot make it into the cash box(a player may try to string theticket, the cash box/transport may malfunction,etc.). This is the reason thatthere’s an intermediatestatus between “Printed” and“Redeemed.” After OASIStells a machine that it mayredeem the ticket being heldin escrow, the status ischanged to “NA.” This doestwo things: it allows themachine the option ofrejecting the ticket if thingsgo amiss during the stackingprocess and it prevents othertickets with the samevalidation number frombeing redeemed at the sametime.

In the first scenario, the billacceptor/stacker hardwaremay malfunction, causingthe machine to reject theticket. At this point, themachine will tell OASIS thatit did not successfully stackthe ticket and OASIS willchange the status of thisticket from “NA” back to“Printed.” In the secondscenario, duplicate ticketsare put into machinessimultaneously. Once one ofthe tickets is checked againstthe database (and this isdone serially, so there are no‘simultaneous’ checks as faras this is concerned), thestatus is changed to “NA”while the machine tries tostack the ticket. The


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duplicate ticket beinginserted at another machineis checked against thedatabase and finds the statusto be “NA” and is summarilyrejected. During the timeneeded for the first machineto stack the ticket, no othertickets with the samevalidation number may enterinto a transaction.

Ticket Expiration

If you subscribe to the NIGCMICS, have a look at section542.13, n, 2 for a bit aboutwhy this process exists:

“The cash-out ticket shallbe valid for a time period

specified by the Tribalgaming regulatory

authority, or the gamingoperation as approved by

the Tribal gamingregulatory authority.”

The expiration processbasically gives cash outtickets a shelf life, after whichthe ticket status changes.Let’s say, for example, acasino has tickets set toexpire after a week. If a ticketisn’t redeemed (or voided) bythe time a week has passed,it will expire. Expired ticketsare not redeemable withoutauthorized intervention,typically by a supervisor.While this is convenient for

easy compliance with thisMICS standard, it’s also nicefor keeping a casino’sticketing liability in check. Ifthese otherwise unpaidtickets were not expired, acasino’s ticket liability wouldcontinually increase with noend in sight. Regularexpiration of unused cash outtickets can keep the ticketliability at a level with whichthe business is comfortable.In OASIS, this expiration ishandled automatically at acertain day and time by thesystem. Tickets may also bemanually expired ifnecessary.

Note: Expired tickets aren’ttechnically un-payable; theyjust need authorized approvalto be redeemed becausethey’ve passed the expirationdate. Refer to your companypolicy regarding this.

Diagnostic Monitor Transactions

Diagnostic Monitor is anOASIS software module. Oneof its functions is to trackcommunication between themachine and the system,which allows a viewer to seethe dialog explained above,and can be viewed in theCurrent notebook on theTicketing tab.

Figure one is a screenshot ofthis notebook.

Some of the column headersare self-explanatory(Timestamp, Amount,Validation#).

The Action column will havea number which refers to acall between a machine andthe system.

The Result column will havethe response to the call.

The Sub column will have anumber specific to somerarely used responses.

The Ticket # is the sequentialnumber of the ticketproduced at the machinesince the last time itsmemory was cleared (whichcan usually be found printedon the ticket itself).

Status In contains the statusnumber of the ticket beforethe dialog occurs.

Status Out contains thestatus number of the ticketafter the dialog occurs(allowing a user to see thechanges to the ticket statusas a result of the dialog).

The App ID tells whichsoftware module in OASISthe machine was having this

Figure 1. Diagnostic Monitor is an OASIS software module. One of its functions is to trackcommunication between the machine and the system.


exchange with (Poller,Quickets, a gateway, etc.)

The LocID shows theworkstation on which thisapplication was located.These will be casino specificand will include kiosks, soyou will either need tocoordinate with your ITdepartment or do someexperimentation on your ownto determine theworkstation/kiosk locationIDs.

The From # shows thenumber of the machine thatwas engaged in the dialog.

The Status column shows thecurrent status of the ticket.This is different from theStatus In and Outinformation that are specificto the transaction.

Below are some typical callsand responses found duringnormal ticketingtransactions.

1) “Request VendAuthorization” (2).Machine is asking thesystem for verificationon a ticket being heldin its bill acceptor.

2) “Authorized to VendTicket” (131). The

system recognizes theticket validationnumber that machinesent as okay to redeem(Printed). The ticketstatus is now changedto 3 (N/A) while thePoller waits to hearfrom the machine thatthe ticket gets stackedcorrectly.

3) “Vend Complete” (19).A machine sends thissignal to the system ifthe ticket wassuccessfully stackedand the machineincremented the creditmeter. (If somethinggoes wrong with themachine at this point,and it doesn’t sendOASIS a replyregarding the outcomeof the attempt to stackthe ticket, the ticketstatus will remain at“3”).

4) “Acknowledged” (0)System receives the“Vend Complete”signal from themachine and changesticket status to “4”.

Tickets that are created whena Guest cashes out will havea different sequence ofcommunications.

1) “Print Complete –Game GeneratedValidation Number”(18) Cashout buttonhit, game generatesvalidation number andit’s sent to the system.

2) “Acknowledged” (0)System received andrecorded the validationnumber. The Ticket Instatus starts blankbecause before thistransaction, the ticketdidn’t exist.

Take the following ticket asan example. The firsttransaction (starting at thebottom of the list and movingup) is the creation of theticket. It starts with an actioncode of 18, followed by aresponse of 0, the Status Inis null, and the Status Out is2. This is a typicaltransaction for thegeneration of a ticket. Thenext two transactions are theredemption of this sameticket. First, it’s beingchecked by the machine (2),being approved by the system(131), and the status goingfrom Printed to NA. Second,note the machine reporting asuccessful stack (19), theacknowledgement from thesystem (0) and the changingof the status from NA to

Figure 2


Redeemed. Our AppID for ourPoller is 8 (see figure 2,below).

In this example, the ticket isbeing redeemed by aQuickets workstation (AppID19 for us). Ticketredemptions by this softwaremodule do not need to gothrough the intermediatestep of status 3, and theticket simply goes straightfrom Printed to Redeemed(see figure 3).

In figure 4 we have a ticketbeing manually voided…

Figure 5 is a ticket beingautomatically expired…

Figure 6 is a ticket beingrejected by a machine.

Note that the machineinstigated the transactionand the system locked theticket for redemption.When the machinerejected the ticket (in thiscase, the ticket limit at themachine was set to $300),the system unlocked theticket and returned itsstatus back to Printed.

Other Action codes inDiagnostic Monitorinclude (but are notlimited to) the following:1) “Ticket Rejected by

Game” (53) This istypically what you’llsee when a machinemalfunctions duringticket validation or if asetting is off.

2) “Ticket AutomaticallyExpired” (203) This isseen when the systemautomatically expirestickets.

3) “Ticket ManuallyExpired” (207) Thisshows up whensomebody manuallychanges a ticket’sstatus to “Expired”.

4) “Ticket ManuallyVoided” (240) Thisshows up whensomebody manuallychanges a ticket’sstatus to “Voided”.

Sentinel Ticket History

The Sentinel boards maintaintheir own local ticketinghistory that can be quiteuseful.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6


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Insert your Mechanic card

Arrow down to “View” and hit enterArrow down to “TicketingLog”1 hit enter, there thetickets will be listed by atimestamp followed by thelast four digits of thevalidation numbers.

Align the arrows next to theticket you wish to see andpress Enter.

It will now display the entirevalidation number, theamount of the ticket, theaction taken on the ticket(Printed, Redeemed, orRejected), the time of thetransaction, the date of thetransaction, and thesequence number of theticket.

Conclusion

I’m frequently asked how tohandle “NA” tickets whenthey show up at cagewindows. It’s really up tocasino management how aproperty will handle thesebut knowing how and wherethey’re generated willhopefully help you make aninformed decision (andpossibly mitigate someoccurrences of this). Forexample, routine databasemaintenance may causetickets to show up as NA asthe server is busy handlingthese transactions. Theseshould return to normalstatus when the server isfinished, however. Someproblems that may appear tobe caused by system issuescan in fact be caused by EGMissues. Some EGMs haveissues with the SAS clearbuffer commands that may

cause them to not clear theirown internal ticket buffer (notto be confused with the ticketbuffer in the Sentinel board).Going after the system in thiscase might prove fruitless.Low credit or ticket limits ongames, as well ascommunication hardware/software problems at thegame level, can cause EGMsto go into small handpays orto reject tickets. Finally, thePoller, DPU, and Sentinel canall buffer a certain amount ofticket transactions if youhave BufferTickets set to Y inTK_CONFIG. If this is set toN, a break anywhere in thecommunication chainbetween the EGM and theserver may cause EGM tolock up for handpays after asingle cashout.

- Jason [email protected]


Slot Tech Tech Training

Written by :Ray Holdren, Service Mgr /KristelSencore Instructor and nowAdjunct Teacher for College ofSouthern Nevada (CSN),Cheyenne Campus

Hello, everyone fromthe College ofSouthern Nevada

(CSN), Cheyenne Campus inNorth Las Vegas. I know youare all used to seeing meconnected with eitherSencore or Randy’s Classesor TechFest but now I amteaching (as usual) a newCRT/LCD: Theory, Troubleshootingand Repair class. The classcomplements the college’sAssociates of Applied ScienceDegree (AAS) in ElectronicsEngineering Technology withSlot Repair Emphasis andthe Certificate ofAchievement in ElectronicsEngineering Technology withSlot Repair Emphasis.

The Class has started off witha bang. We thought we’d onlyhave about ten students inthe class but we weresurprised when 15 studentsshowed up on the first day ofclass. Students range frommajor strip casinos to localscasinos on Boulder Highway.A few of the students aretaking the class to fillrequirements of their twoyear associate degree.

The Class is held in theschool’s Slot Lab. It is a lot

more comprehensive andgoes into more detail than thethree day classes offered bySencore. We’ll have almosttwice as much time to coverthe subjects in this 16 weekcourse.

The college purchased$20,000 worth of testequipment which shows theirto train technicians in thelatest technology. We’reusing the same manuals, testand training equipment as inthe Sencore classes. We have

The Students in the Class from front left to front right:Joseph Koranda, Karl Bracken, Brian Reilly, Paul Wheeler, LarryWheeler (Paul’s Dad), Sam Alkaradsheh, Jeremiah Mote, ThomasDasilva, Oscar Carnias, David Taggart, Juan Viera, Manuel ( Manny)Pastor, Marcos Remirez, Keith McCollum and Pete Garza.

Slot Tech LCD RepairTraining at CSN


the open labs, monitored byPaul Bulver, so that everystudent has a chance tooperate the equipmentthemselves. Having moreindividual hands-on labs isone of the goals of the class.

Presently the prerequisitesare job related experience orAC & DC electronics coursesoffered at the college. Most ofthe students have over twoyears experience as a slot orbench technician so theyshouldn’t have any difficultywith the class.

The class is beingcoordinated by Jim Jennings,the slot machine technologyprogram director. Jim can bereached [email protected] or byphone at 702.651.2614. In

2000, Jim started the slotmachine technology programseeing the need for a qualityslot technician program inLas Vegas. Jim was awardedthe CSN Legacy ofAchievement award in 2007for development of the slot

machine technologyprogram. In addition to theaward, a Jim Jennings$10,000 scholarship will begiven to qualified students.Jim’s favorite saying is“Others show you how, weteach you why.”

Ray Holdren (Adjunct Instructor), Jim Jennings (ProgramDirector Slot Machine Technology), Joe Miller (Pending ProgramDirector) and Paul Bulver (Slot Tech & Lab Assistant) in frontof the new equipment for the CRT/LCD class offered at CSN.

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Slot Tech Press Release


Slot Tech Press Release

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“I’m delighted to be launching the new X15 at G2E,” said Richard Horne, TechnicalMarketing Manager. “X15 is the latest addition to Heber’s X-Line range of USB PCGaming I/O interfaces and provides important new features that will appeal to inter-national PC gaming system manufacturers”.

The new X15 Development Kit will be available after G2E and X15 samples will begiven to key customers. The X15 Development Kit enables rapid evaluation and gamedevelopment with X15 and PC based gaming control systems. Heber will be exhibit-ing on Booth number 2341 at G2E on 13th – 15th November at the Las Vegas Con-vention Centre.

An X15 datasheet with full specification is available from: www.heber.co.uk/pdfdownloads/x15.pdfFor further information about Heber Limited visit www.heber.co.uk or phone +44 (0)1453 886000.

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Ithaca 850 Status LED

I like to call it a diagnosticLED (Light thatEDucates). While working

with the Ithaca 850 it is safeto say the majority of us techsalready know about theshielded ribbon cable thathas a plastic cover over it toprotect it while in the game.On the gaming floor, when Iremove a printer that has theold type, I immediately re-place the cable with the up-graded one. Some that I havereplaced have been so dam-aged it is amazing that theyeven worked.

The status LED on the 850can tell us all kinds of thingsabout the state of the unit.The unit conditions areshown in figure 1.

This will give you an ideawhat to look for duringtroubleshooting. One ex-ample would be if the LEDflashes at a medium speed,which means "printer headup" or "door open" check themicroswitch that is locateddirectly under the print head.

The head is very easy to re-move from the print assem-bly. Simply grasp the frontpart of the head close to thebezel area (with bezel re-moved) and pull upward. Thehead will snap out of place.Next you will see three con-nectors that each has a dif-ferent number of pins so theycan't be reversed. Directlyunder the head, once re-moved, you can see themicroswitch that is used toshow the print head in anOPEN or CLOSED status.Take a meter, set it to conti-nuity and make sure theswitch is working properly. Ifthe LED is blinking slowly,take a look at the sensors (oroptics) on the head. Are thesensors clear of all obstruc-tions? Look for a buildup ofdust on any of the sensors.

Aristocrat That Wouldn'tPrint a Ticket

This specific Aristocrat game,equipped with the COMboard up top and an Ithaca850 printer would NOT printa ticket for a customer at all.The game would go into alockup state and the creditsthat were being cashed outwould have to be hand paid.The slot attendants did notlike this at all. They were do-ing some payouts for $.40cents, $1.30, etc. We tried allkinds of repairs to have thegame print but it justwouldn't. We knew the gamehad COM with the systembecause it had main dooropen and closure on the CDSdisplay and there was activ-ity in the "transactions" areain the tracking system. A few

Quick and Simple Repairs # 31By Pat Porath

Figure 1. The status LED on the 850 can tell us all kinds ofthings about the state of the unit.


different printers were tried,a known good printer wastried, a new printer powerboard (located directly be-hind the printer) was triedand a new printer cable wastried too. Still nothingseemed to work.

Maybe the game COM boardwas a bit corrupt eventhough we had game COM.The RAM was cleared on itbut no luck there either. Itwas time to call an Aristocrattech to find out what in theworld the problem was. OnceI explained my problem andwhat had already beenchanged on the game, hestated it may be a bad mainprocessor board. What? Partof the main processor boardcould make the printer notwork properly? Sorry but Ihad never heard of it anddidn't buy it. He also saidthat the small removableboard which is located on themain board could be bad, ormaybe the game IO board. Ithought to myself, maybe abad IO board or small boardon the main but not the mainboard itself. I didn't listen.There was a game on theother side of the bank thatwas exactly the same so weswapped out the IO boardsfirst. Of course, no change inthe problem; it still locked upfor a payout. Next, weswapped the small boardwhich is on the main proces-sor (it looks like a sound cardfor a pc or a memory card fora pc) and still the gamelocked up. FINALLY we in-stalled the main processorboard from the known goodgame and on the FIRST at-

tempt it printed a ticket. Imade a mistake and shouldhave listened to the Aristo-crat tech and gone for themain board first of all. Nodoubt a mistake on my part,even though I had never everheard of that solution before.Now I know (guess I'm a tadstubborn). A note on IGTS2000 games: when nothingseems to get the printer towork, try changing the gamemother board. I've seen thata time or two. Of course onlytry it once all other optionshave been exhausted.

IGT "Reel Touch" CD Error

What an ordeal it was to fig-ure out what was wrong withthis game. The problem wasthe game was showing a "CDread error" on the LCD. Forthose who don't know whatan IGT "Reel Touch" is, it isbasically an S2000 with reelsand a LCD with a touchscreen up top. These gamesare supposed to have thedata stored in the hard drive,which is located in the LCDassembly. Why wouldn't thedata boot up though? I wastold once in a while the powersupply which is located be-hind the unit sometimes goesbad, loses the 5 VDC anddoesn't power up the harddrive, causing an error. I re-placed the power supply,which is very simple. Prettymuch four screws and someconnectors. There wasn't achange in the error.

The next plan of attack wasto check connections in theLCD assembly. Once the unitis out of the game, remove

only five screws and it opensright up. All of the connec-tions looked good, unfortu-nately, so I had to keep seek-ing the cause of the problem.I grabbed a spare LCD unitfrom the shop and installedit. During the boot up pro-cess (yes I did feel like kick-ing it at this point) I noticedthat a hard drive was recog-nized. I thought that it wasinteresting because the otherunit did not see the harddrive like this one did. Ineeded some help to load thesoftware back into the game,which happened to be a"Bucks Ahoy.” There weretwo disks. When we weredone, finally the game wasback online. To indicate whatdisks we needed, we simplychecked the software of the"Bucks Ahoy" that was rightnext to it.

Aristocrat "Loco Loot" Pro-gressive Sign Problem

Have you ever had a progres-sive sign (which includes aplasma and PC controller) notshow a display? This particu-lar sign didn't have a displayat all. I cycled the power stripwhich the sign and the pccontroller had plugged into it.Not always, but most of thetime, a simple reboot willbring back the sign. Not thistime. On our Atronic "CashFever" bank once in a greatwhile the sign will have anerror on it or no display atall. The pc controller has areset button on it. Simplypress the button, the signreboots and it comes backgreat. This didn't happenwith the Aristocrat "Loco


Loot" bank. I cycled thepower twice but all it wouldsay is something like "estab-lishing communication" andnothing else.

Finally I learned the trick toit. The PC sign controller it-self had to be unplugged di-rectly for around 30 secondsand plugged back in. Onceplugged back in, I pressed thepower button on it andBINGO! The sign came backup perfectly. The progressiveamounts were incrementingand everything. If only thenumbers on the sign don'tincrement, then the progres-sive controller needs to berebooted. A simple reboot ofthe PC controller and the signworked great.

IGT S2000 "7 segment dis-play mismatch"

I don't know what in theworld caused the "displaymismatch." I tore the doorapart to replace the latch as-sembly and when I poweredup the game, it had this un-usual error. It was an uprightS2000 with the multi-denomtouchpad. The seven seg-ment display, door optics,and reel glass had to be takenout to replace the door latch.Once everything was putback together (I didn't haveany extra parts) this errorcame up and would not clear.We even swapped the sevensegment displays with thegame next door and it didn'tmake a difference. Connec-tions were checked to makesure none of the pins werebent but they all looked good.

What did I do wrong? Theonly things that were touchedwere the seven segment dis-play, the VFD, the fluores-cent tube, and the denomi-nation selection part of thereel glass. The problem HADto be within those compo-nents. I knew the seven seg-ment display was good be-cause we had swapped it andwith no change. I also knewthe main door optic was goodbecause I had a "dooropened" and "door closed"signal. I also knew itshouldn't be the tube be-cause it was lit up fine. Aboutthe only thing left was thedenomination selection areawhich is located on the reelglass. I didn't want to, buthad to tear it somewhat apartto see if there was a problemand there sure was. A wirewas pinched within thedenom assembly. The wirewas repaired and it was timeto fire the game up onceagain. Finally with a coupleof door resets, the error wasnot on the game anymore andthe denomination touch padworked as well.

JCM Training at the IslandResort & Casino

We recently had a JCM train-ing class at the Island Resort& Casino. (The casino I work).It was held on three differentdays with WBAs in the morn-ing and UBAs in the after-noon. I was sure glad I madeit to one of the afternoonclasses because there was ALOT of cool information andof course, I would like to passthe info on to other techs.

The UBA doesn't have a fixedbill path. What does thismean to a tech? Well, if youlive near the Canadian bor-der it means a lot. We don'tdeal with it at my casino butothers do. The UBA, with theproper software, can acceptCanadian AND Americancurrency. With the CanadianDollar on a par with oursnow, there’s no reason not toaccept them. Pretty wild Ithink. The UBA also has ul-traviolet sensors that "look"at bills. An example is thestrip in the $5 bill that glowsblue under the ultravioletlight. The UBA checks it outwhen a bill is inserted to seethat it is valid. The unit alsohas a "retry" feature that willtry the bill three times beforeit will reject it. This is builtinto the program and cannotbe taken out.

The amounts of memory thatthe UBA has are as follows:the 10 = 8 Meg of flashmemory, the 11 has an 8 MegEPROM, and the 14 has 16Meg of Flash memory. TheUBA 14 is also USB compat-ible. JCM used to work withthe Dell Axim PDA to down-load new programs, but now,from what I was told, Dell isgetting out of the PDA part ofthe business and doesn'tsupport it much. This meansJCM is looking at other PDAmanufacturers or will becoming up with their ownunit to download direct to theUBA 14. There would be a CFcard and a USB cable thatwould plug direct to the UBA,and in 58 seconds, with thepress of a few buttons, theunit would have new soft-ware.


Other interesting informationabout the UBA 14 is the frontpart of the unit has beenstrengthened. You may haverun across a few units wherethe bezel part would breakoff, rendering it useless.There are also steel platesavailable to strengthen thebezel part. I installed them onsome of the Aristocrat gamesthat are on our floor.

Have you ever run into a UBAwhere you couldn't open thecover on it to retrieve ajammed bill? The first thingto try is reseating the unit.Power down and power backup. Sometimes this will dothe trick. If not, you need a2.5 mm "adjustment tool" toopen it. These are availablethrough JCM and probablyHapp Controls. The shaft issolid so the adjustment canbe made from either side.Once it is opened and pow-ered back up, it should resetitself.


A note on downloading or calibrating a unitwith a laptop or PC: Windows Vista will NOTwork. JCM is working on the problem to getit resolved.

What is the purpose of the "Smart Bezel" also

known as the Sentry bezel? The idea is togive the attendant or technician informationwithout even opening the slot door. The sym-bols definitions are shown in the chart.

UBA Stacker Boxes

We've had a few belts come off of gears onstacker boxes. JCM's newer boxes have im-proved gears so this doesn't happen. To tellif you have an older type or newer, the newerwill have 3 circles on the front of it. Contactyour JCM representative to see if your oldboxes are still under the three year warranty.

More information can be found at www.jcm-american.com.

- Pat Porath- [email protected]

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Auburn, California: Interna-tional, technology manufactur-ing company Ceronix, Inc.,based in Auburn, California,has recently launched a new,comprehensive and interactivewebsite design.

The new website design, pre-sented on www.ceronix.com,should be more visually appeal-ing to the site visitor, featuringdozens of color photos, anima-tion and web links. Addition-ally, the website content con-tains much greater informationabout the history of the com-pany and its leadership, a more

comprehensive display ofCeronix’s new products, ser-vices and existing models, high-lights Ceronix’s unique, state-of-the-art and solar-poweredmanufacturing facilities, andprovides customers greater op-tions for comparing and order-ing products and services.

Ceronix, Inc., is the leading U.S.developer and manufacturer ofcustom color video displays andcircuit boards. The companymanufacturers high-tech moni-tors that are used in gaming,lotteries, horse racing, bowling,automated score keeping, auto-motive diagnostics, amusement,point-of-sale, or anywhere thereis a need for high resolution, su-

perior performance and lowmaintenance video monitors.

Ceronix’s primary operationstake place in a 63,000 squarefoot state-of-the-art technologi-cal and manufacturing facilityon 21 park-like acres, sur-rounded by mature oaks androlling hills. And the majority ofits manufacturing and businessenergy needs are met using so-lar energy. Ceronix investedover $3.6 million into solar sili-con, photo-voltaic moduleswithin its facilities, which gen-erates over 400,000 watts ofelectricity for Ceronix opera-tions.

The Ceronix manufacturing fa-


cilities are located at:Ceronix, Inc.13350 New Airport RoadAuburn, CA 95602Phone: (530) 886-6400FAX: (530) 888-1065

For further information regarding Ceronix, Inc.,or to view Ceronix’s new website design, pleasecheck: www.ceronix.com.

Free Replacement Power Supplies

Editor’s Note: On a recent training mission inPuerto Rico, we repaired a number of CeronixLCD monitors, all with the same problems. Theiroutput electrolytic capacitors were blown and theDC output connector was burned. We were ableto repair them on-site because I bring a big suit-case full of spare parts with me when I teach oneof these two-week classes but I was doubly sur-prised by this because A: They weren’t that oldand B: These were Ceronix brand monitors.Ceronix is well-known for their extraordinaryreliability.

Additionally (and ironically) I happened to visitthe Ceronix factory at the time that this particu-lar product (the LCD Monitor) was under devel-opment and, at that time, had a fairly in-depthdiscussion with Ceronix engineer Paul Alexanderabout their quest in selecting a good power sup-ply for the unit, one of the few items over whichthey have no manufacturing control. They sim-ply purchase a power supply from an OEM. Paulshowed me a number of different power suppliesthat they were evaluating, including burn-in test-ing.

But the best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, gangaft agley and some of these units have been fail-ing as I mentioned above. In order to make yourlife easier, Ceronix has implimented an easy, noquestions asked exchange policy for their moni-tors. Basically, you just count the number ofmonitors for which you’ll need replacements (afive minute job) and give Ceronix a number.They’ll send replacement power supplies to you,along with a new little harness that takes careof the burned connector problem. As temptingas it might be to repair the power supply, if theconnector is burned, Ceronix recommends re-placement.

All they ask in return is that you toss them in abox so they can return them for credit from theOEM. No special packaging required, they’rejunk.

- Slot Tech Magazine



In September’s issue ofSlot Tech Magazine, thePAL193 in machine inter-

face board was introduced,configured and connected toa slot machine. Now comesthe fun part, introducing,configuring and connectingthe jackpot controller.

Since the PAL193 boards areall daisy chained together,there is a starting point andan end. Some progressivesystems require a completeloop or circle of the connectedboards with a cable. Not sowith the Paltronics system.You just need one end to con-nect to the jackpot control-ler, preferably the startingend nearest to the PAL193board with the machine ad-dress of one. This will maketrouble shooting a lot easer.

But what do you do with theother end? Basically, noth-ing. You can leave it uncon-nected for future use. Thismakes it easier to add pro-gressive slot machines.There is no need to terminateit as required by other sys-tems.

The jackpot controller doeswhat its name implies. It ac-tually controls and keepstrack of which machine hashit a progressive jackpot andupdates the various displayswith the correct jackpot in-formation. The BSK100 jack-pot controller is one of theeasy controllers to set up anduse. The BSK100 can be net-worked to with otherBSK100s on the slot floorwith standard category 5cable to form a complete pro-gressive jackpot system. The

BSK100 is housed in a sleek,all black case that can berack mounted. The only userinterface is a small touchscreen and a key switch. Thekey switch is used to turn thepower to the BSK100 control-ler on and off. You’re prob-ably thinking that the keyswitch is kind of redundantif you have the BSK100 in-stalled under a slot bank. Toturn off power, you just un-plug it. Please do not justunplug the controller, in-stead of using the key switch.The controller is a computerwith a hard drive inside. Un-plugging the power couldcause errors on the harddrive. The key switch actsjust like the start button ona windows PC, gently turn-ing off the computer after allof the files have been closedand the hard drive heads

Paltronics ProgressiveSystem - part 2

By Vic Fortenbach


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The touch screen can be usedto set up the BSK100 butusing a computer makes itmuch easer. The BSK100 canbe configured into one of twooperating modes: standaloneor networked. In a networkedconfiguration, the BSK100controller is connected otherBSK100 controllers on theslot floor and then to a Jack-pot server. The jackpot serveris usually located somewhereoff the slot floor in an IDFcloset or in the IT room. Theneat thing about using ajackpot server is that nophysical configurations of theserver are required once ithas been set up. Just set itand forget it. The entire up-dating and new machine con-figuration is done from a net-worked computer on a deskin an air conditioned officeinstead of the slot floor.

In the standalone mode, pro-gramming is done with a lap-top running PaltronicsOneLink software and asingle category 5 crossovercable. Each progressive jack-pot slot bank is connected tothe BSK100. This can be sev-eral banks of machines allconnected together with cat-egory 5 cable. Keep in mindthat if you do have severalbanks of machines all con-nected to one BSK100, eachmachine must have a uniqueID. Setting the machine’s IDwas covered in last month’sarticle. The maximum num-ber of slot machines that canbe connected together withthe same progressiveamounts is 32. If you want

to have a different set of ma-chines (either one bank orseveral banks) you can set upthe BSK100 to control up tofour different progressivejackpot slot groups or ma-chine areas. The one thing tokeep in mind is the maxi-mum number of machinesallowed for one BSK100 is128. In one configuration

with which I am familiar, theBSK100 controller was in-stalled under a slot machinewith ID number one in theslot base. Fourteen Bally Al-pha quick hit machines wereused for the progressive gamegroup. Each game has fivedifferent progressiveamounts displayed on theupper machine’s LCD dis-


play. Precautions were takenfor both power dips andbumps with a UPS to theBSK100. Protecting the con-troller from drink spills canbe accomplished with asimple Plexiglas protectivecover over the controller. Afan was installed on the basewall with a protective grill tocool the controller.

On the rear of the BSK100are several RJ45 connectorsfor standard category 5 cableand a receptacle for thepower connection. The poweris provided by a small switch-ing power supply connectedto the power cord. The powerrequired for the BSK100 is 12volts at about 1.5 amps.Make sure that the powersupply is also protected fromdrink spills.

There are two sets of four,RJ45 connectors. The firstset is for connection to thedifferent groups of machines.Remember that one grouphas a maximum count of 32machines.

This group of connectors islabeled 1 through 4. The sec-ond group of four RJ45 con-nectors is for connection toone or two large overheadLED signs. The ones I’m re-ferring to are about four feetlong and installed in a casinosign above the individual slotmachines. The remaining twoRJ45 connectors are labeledmaster/slave and are re-served for future use byPaltronics.

Last but not least is the mostimportant RJ45 group of con-

nectors. These three RJ45connectors are labeled Ac-counting, Programming andEthernet. The accountingport is for future use, the pro-gramming port is the connec-tion you use to program theBDK100 and the last con-necter (labeled “Ethernet”) isthe connector for additionalBSK100 jackpot controllersconnected through a hub orswitch using standard cat 5cable.

If you’re still fuzzy on the slotmachine configurations, hereit is in a nut shell: ThePaltronics BSK100 jackpotcontroller can have fourgroups of machines. Eachgroup can have up to 32 slotmachines connected. Eachslot machine in that groupcan have up to eight progres-sive amounts. The limit foractual progressive amountson any one machine is basedon the slot machine’s inter-nal progressive program-ming. For poker machines’progressive amounts, mostcasinos set their machines todisplay only four amounts,based on a special combina-tion of cards such as a royalflush. IGT Game King andtheir poker series of ma-chines do have the capabil-ity of eight separate progres-sive amounts.

When you start the actualBSK100 set up or program-ming, you have to keep inmind several controller op-tions. The default setup is thebasic set up for a standaloneoperation. If you choose tochange the default passwordfor the BSK100, keep the new

password in a very safe place.Changing the default pass-word on the BSK100 is notrecommended. Keep the de-fault password the same onthe laptop also. You can re-set a forgotten password onthe laptop by uninstallingand reinstalling thePaltronics OneLink software.It’s just easer to just keep thedefault password.

If you’re using the BSK100 instandalone mode, the soft-ware will still ask you for acontroller address and filelocations. Again, they’re alldefault so just press “enter”to move on without changinganything. The BSK100 needssome basic informationabout your progressive bank.The software will ask you fora name for your progressivegroup. Since you can have upto four different groups onone controller, you need tohave different names for eachgroup. Try to use names thatmake sense, B22, B23, B30and C61 for example. Keepin mind that you’re limited tofive characters for eachname.

If you choose to have multiplejackpot amount levels, youwill need to name each oneof those also. In this case,you’re limited to ten charac-ters for each level. Paltronicsrecommends names likeJPLVL01.

There are a few more set upoptions required, such as thebase amounts for each jack-pot amount and theincrementation. The last stepis to download the configu-


ration file you just created into the BSK100. After that,just run and go. The BSK100is trouble-free while it’s run-ning.

Troubleshooting the BSK100Paltronics progressive con-troller is straightforward.Most of the problems can betraced to human error, thingslike a cat 5 cable not“snapped” completely intothe connector on the PAL193board or on the back of theBSK100. A pinched category5 cable under a slot base mayalso cause problems.

Keeping the BSK100 con-nected to a UPS and makingsure that UPS is functioningproperly keeps problems to aminimum. The touch screenon the front of the BSK100

can be used to reset a hitjackpot if the machine failedto send jackpot reset com-mand to the BSK100. Whenpreventative maintenance isdone on the slot bank, re-member to clean out the fan

grill in order to keep theBSK100 cool.

- Vic [email protected]

For schematic diagrams, servicemanuals, troubleshooting flowchartsand more, visit the Slot Tech Maga-

zine FTP server.

Point your ftp client to slot-tech.comusername=Slot TechPassword=kxkvi8



The rapid infusion of ad-vanced computer technology and networked

devices in the "next genera-tion" slot machine haschanged the rules for servicetechnicians, creating an ur-gent need for high-tech skills.Anything that provides newcompetencies to service tech-nicians is an asset to both thetechnician and the employer,but as I’ve learned, the ben-efits of training are personal:completing each new level isa special gratification, andevery new skill makes memore of a hot commodity.

The right training can boostemployee confidence, helpingtechnicians assume moregaming floor responsibilities.These are things such as in-stalling games, removing andreplacing major internal com-ponents, troubleshooting andmaintaining peripheral de-vices, troubleshooting andservicing progressive andnetworked games, installingand maintaining gaming de-vice networks and systems,and troubleshooting and re-solving network performance

and interoperability prob-lems. Some practical busi-ness and office skills andcustomer service training isuseful as well. So, how doesa slot technology professionalget all of this training with-out quitting a full-time job togo back to school? I foundthe answer in Slot MachineUniversity.

For WMS, the Slot MachineUniversitySM project startedfor the purpose of answeringan increasingly urgent ques-tion: How do you train 100Field Service (Slot) Techni-cians internally, without anyof them leaving their statesor provinces? And, equallyas important, how do youprepare this vastly distrib-uted workforce to support theupcoming generation ofserver-based gaming prod-ucts? Simple. Design abunch of on-line simulatedvirtual environment pro-grams on the internet so thattechnicians can learn how totroubleshoot, test, configuregame options and use testequipment to help developand upgrade their trouble-shooting skills.

The increasing costs of train-ing development and deliveryand the high demand fortrainers have made thislearning program a necessity.The idea was to not leave any

region without tech supportor to send trainers to differ-ent regions to train only oneperson. On-line traininggives technicians the chanceto update their skill levels,develop on-going skills, anddevelop new troubleshootingtechniques from either workor home.

The man behind the programis Christopher K. Challender,Director of Slot MachinesUniversity (SMU).Challender has worked withvarious aspects of learningand performance solutionssince 1988, for organizationsthat include the Departmentof the Navy, Cablevision Sys-tems (Long Island, NY), Edu-cational Testing Service(Princeton, NJ), and WMSGaming before he took hiscurrent role as Director ofCustomer Services and CoreOperations.

Challender has spent thepast two years working withstrategic learning solutionspartner Element K, develop-ing and implementing theSMU solution. Element Khas more than 25 years ofexperience with helping theworld's most prestigiouscompanies improve theirbusiness through a tailoredcombination of e-Learning,flexible learning managementsystem options, content de-

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SMU launched the gaming industry’s firstone-stop resource for vending-neutral gam-ing technology training and certification pro-gram at G2E in 2006. It attracted a greatdeal of interest and its customer base is ex-panding rapidly.

WMS gaming is continually marketing thisprogram to Slot Floor Managers, Directors,Slot Technicians and large Gaming Corpo-rations. The program is designed not justfor Slot Technicians, but for Lottery Termi-nal Technicians, Field Service Technicians,Gaming Network/Systems Support Techni-cians, Slot Attendants, Bench Technicians,Slot Accountants, Gaming & ComplianceOfficers, Test Personnel and more. The pro-gram delivers the most current training toboth the novice and the experienced techni-cian, introducing new technicians to the ba-sic functions, offering experienced Slot Tech-nicians new technologies, or allowing Net-work and Systems personnel to troubleshoot,diagnose, and resolve network problems.

One hour of asynchronous online learningthrough SMU can provide students withmore useful information than several hoursof traditional classroom training. Studentscan complete nearly any SMU course inabout an hour, move on to the next level,skip a concept they are already skilled in,focus on only the content most important tothem and skip irrelevant content, or go rightto the test. For students who feel confident,a certification exam is waiting. A passing


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These self-paced, flexibleclasses can be completedfrom home, work, or even apublic library during anytime of the day or evening.These highly interactive mod-ules are available 24/7, atstudents’ convenience and ondemand. A central serverdelivers new material andcontent, making it easy toupdate old material, add newmaterial, and correct errors.SMU customers can appointlocal administrators to runreports, track student activ-ity and monitor progress in-stantly.

The SMU program includes85 courses in five certifica-tion tracks:

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Troubleshooting, diagnosing,and resolving complex prob-lems with gaming machines,peripheral devices, and net-work interoperability withgames.

Gaming Network/SystemsSpecialist Certification

Setting up and installing net-work/systems infrastructurefor connecting gaming ma-chines

Gaming Network/SystemsExpert Certification

Troubleshooting, diagnosing,and resolving problems withnetworks/systems.

Students who receive certifi-cation will have the basicknowledge they need to ser-vice and support a broad ar-ray of slot products and gam-ing network systems. For thecasino manager, these pro-grams offer a way to identify,attract and retain the besttalent, reduce training timeand cost, reduce game down-time, enhance skill of slotsupport staff, and get newsupport staff productivefaster. For the student, theprograms offer industry-rec-ognized certificates that canbe proudly displayed in ashop, at home, or create acareer track by serving as aprerequisite for advance-ment. As if that weren’tenough, SMU courses arefully accredited by the Inter-national Association of Con-tinuing Education and Train-ing (IACET), and courses canbe applied for CEUs at col-leges throughout the world.

In addition to the certificationprograms, SMU offers non-certificate courses in Slot At-tendant training and Busi-ness Skills.

But how does it work? CrisChallender showed me inperson. He invited me to

hear presentations to poten-tial customers, and even au-dit a Slot Technician trainingoverview from Seattle. He e-mailed me reading materialso I could follow the presen-tation and take notes and al-lowed me to experience SMUlearning levels in a demomode environment.

Without firsthand experienceof any one of the 85 courses,a chance to navigate throughthe different screens, and astab at one of the quizzes, I’dnever have understood fullywhat this product is about.Challender provided me ausername and password sothat I could explore some ofthe many different learningunits within the courses, per-form some of the navigationcontrols, and experience thetext, graphics, animation,and audio narrations thatmake up the learning units.

Short learning units withineach course usually lastedbetween 30 seconds to twominutes, with the chance toview the presentation in atext version and view addi-tional information relating tothe subject in the additionalreading tab located on theright side of the primary view-ing area. What made it evenmore interesting was the highlevel of interactivity. Youdon’t just view and onlinepresentation, you actuallyparticipate in an interactivelearning experience thatkeeps you engaged in theprogram at every step.

I also had the chance to takepart in the multiple-choice ortrue & false assessmentquestions and quizzes thatare intertwined into the


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learning units. After completing eachcourse’s content I was able to take an as-sessment test, answering a handful of ques-tions that tested the knowledge I needed toearn a printable certificate. Clicking on the"Take Assessment" button began the assess-ment quiz for whatever module I had justcompleted. I could verify my answers by se-lecting the "Check Answers" tab at the top ofthe page, where it told me whether my an-swer was right or wrong. Clicking on the"Next" tab took me to the next question,through the end of the assessment. At theend of the assessment, I saw my results im-mediately, along with my correct and incor-rect answers.

I really enjoyed the challenge of the assess-ment quizzes and just scratched the surfacein the Networking learning level that I needto brush up on and get up to speed (I’vebeen told that our company is currently fieldtesting this concept, with the possibility ofbringing this into to our workplace.).

Once enrolled into SMU, students can seetheir own personal information in the "Ac-count" tab. The information provided allowsstudents to verify and update their personalinformation, set general preferences, viewinformation on the courses they’ve accessed,and find detailed information on ordersthey’ve placed. In the transcript drop-downbox, students can see the self-paced courses,progress, recent scores and their status oneach learning level. The "Content" tab listscourses or events that will be displayed au-tomatically if the student’s training providerrecommends or requires them. The "Cata-log" tab contains all content that you canaccess with your current subscription.

WMS Gaming has made a similar demon-stration available online. Visit http://www.slotmachineuniversity.com for the op-portunity to take part in your own coursesample. All the information needed to par-ticipate in a sample learning level course, anavigational and assessment demo and abrief message of SMU orientation video is atyour fingertips.

- Kevin [email protected]


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Subscriptions & Back IssuesWhy back issues of Slot Tech Magazine areimportant to own . . .

Slot Tech Magazine is strictly technical. As such, themagazine's contents are not time critical. The repair

information and technical data contained in past issues is justas valid today as it was the day it was published.

Additionally, current and future articles more-or-less assumethat readers are already familiar with what has been covered inpast issues. This editorial policy assures that Slot Tech Magazine'scontributing writers are not limited to "writing down" to the level of a novicetechnician but are free to continue to produce the most comprehensive technical articlesin the gaming industry.

Randy Fromm'sSlot Tech Magazine ispublished monthly by:Slot Tech Magazine1944 Falmouth Dr.El Cajon, CA 92020-2827tel.619.593.6131fax.619.593.6132e-mail [email protected]

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All single issues of Slot Tech Magazine are $10.00/ea.For further details on the contents of each issue,please refer to the website at slot-tech.com

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