80 replies to this topic

[sgandtg]

Doesn't sound good. But according to the mpu5 manual I have for Neptunes Treasure, Alarm 54 is mux not reset.

28 refers to hardware faults on the mpu5 board.

If it is a new board:-

1. Can I swap it with the board on Neptunes treasure?
2. how much roughly would a new board cost? new and/or 2nd hand
3. how easy are they to come by?
4. anybody got a spare one lying about the place that they want to swap for some cash?

[skabaz]

your mpu 5 in the neptunes treasure should be a straight swap.

so give it a go.

baz

[sgandtg]

okay, swapped the mpu5 boards and same problem.

Neptunes treasure still plays ok on the aust pow mpu5 board. austin pow still blows the same fuse as before despite using the nep treasure mpu5 board.

any other suggestions? try swapping the psu?

[kensplace2]

May as well, would rule out the psu as a problem....

[sgandtg]

I'll try it tomorrow night, had a few too many to be licking fuses

[skabaz]

if its not the p/supply then it must be the mux board or you haver a definate short out on the lamps somewhere.

baz

[kensplace2]

did you manage to get any further?

[sgandtg]

The screws holding the psu have been rounded (ie, although it is a star type screw, it looks almost completely round as the star shape has been worn away).

I've emailed barcrest to see if they can help diagnose the problem. Since I last posted, I've swapped the mux boards and this hasn't helped. All the mux boards are working. The MPU5 board is also working. I removed all the connections from all the boards and it still blew the fuse. This leaves me with either the psu being faulty or it could be the coin acceptor as I couldn't get this disconnected. can't really check anything else.

Any other ideas?

[kingkallum82]

i have one solution which you might not like .
Step 1 : Go to your local hardware shop
Step 2 : Buy a sledgehammer
Step 3 : Wack the machine with it several times from all directions as hard as possible.

Hope that helps ya m8 lol.
Sorry for takin the pi$$ and hope its sorted soon.

Kallum

[kensplace2]

Try gripping the screws with plyers and turning em if possible.
If not, see if you can use a junior hacksaw to cut a line through the top of the screw to make a new head.
Failing that, just prise the buggers out with a screwdriver, even if you have to bend a bit metal. If the psu is knackered it wont matter, if its not, you can flatten it again with a hammer, and screw it down again with bigger screws.

When you say you unplugged all the connections did you unplug them from the boards, or from the actual mpu? If you didnt unplug them from the mpu (ie you unplugged at the mux board, hopper etc end) then try unplugging all the connectors from the mpu apart from power, and see if fuse still blows.
Just in case there is a short in the wiring from the mpu to the boards.

Is the fuse that is blowing each time definately the right rating fuse? What rating is one the fuses that blow?

[Bencrest]

I've emailed barcrest to see if they can help diagnose the problem.

While I hope you get a good response, I really do doubt it.

If worst comes to worst [and it sounds like it has!], call a few local suppliers, ask for a diagnosis, quotes for a proper in person diagnosis, that kind of thing.

Barcrest will normally say to call your supplier, they are not actually allowed to deal directly with the public AFAIK.

[kensplace2]

Yup. Thats why I suggested a hacksaw.... More likely to be of use than barcrest will ever be....

[sgandtg]

I had unplugged everything (apart from the coin accepter) & it is the correct rated fuse (10a, 32v slowblow).

Going to try removing the psu again.

Wish me luck

[sgandtg]

Success (well almost)

I managed to get the psu removed and swapped it with my other one. I've linked everything back up and I get lights and no blown fuses!!!

BUT

There's no alpha display. The machine boots up and spins the reels & then the lights come on - at no point during the startup does the alpha display work. I've tried swapping the alpha from neptunes treasure with the one from austin but still no joy.

There seems to be only 1 cable running from the alpha display board to the mux board so I don't see what I could be doing wrong. It's not like I could put in any of the cables in upside down because one of the holes is sealed to make sure it can only go in one way.

The machine displays 4 green leds and a flashing green on the mpu5 now so that's a good sign. But, if i put a pound in and press start, I'm getting an alarm "Check it out!" audio siren. If I could get the alpha display working, It might help diagnose the problem.

Also, number 5 on the lava lamp is constantly flashing red - don't think this means anything but thought I'd mention it anyway

At least I'm getting somewhere.

[Sarky]

If I could get the alpha display working, It might help diagnose the problem.

You can connect the alpha to the socket marked alpha on the MPU itself. The display will be backwards (legacy barcrest alpha's worked this way) but at least you should be able to read what the problem is.

[sgandtg]

Still not getting anything by doing that. Tried both mpu5 boards, cables & alpha displays in various combinations just in case one of these were faulty.

From the alpha socket on the MPU5 board, I've got a connecter which consists of two wires - one red, one black - which seem to run down to around the psu (without touching it) and then back up the machine without actually connecting to anything. This doesn't seem right to me, I would have thought that the red cable would be a power cable.

Can anyone tell me if the alpha socket on the mpu5 should be used and if so what runs from it and where it runs to?

[kensplace2]

On my pie factory mpu5 machine, the alpha port on the mpu has the same connector with just red and black wires on it. These run around the loom, then just end unused, not connected to anything.

Does your austin alpha work in the neptune machine, or did you just try the neptune alpha in the austin.

You can still get the error code that is normally displayed on the alpha, even if the alpha is dead...

The mpu status will flash red a certain no of times, then green a certain no of times. This is like the morse code of the error message. Count the red flashes, then count the green flashes.
A barcrest error of say 28 would be 2 red 8 green flashes.

This may help diagnose what the machine thinks is wrong.

[kensplace2]

Cant sleep so tried wiring my alpha to the mpu alpha port, but nothing lit up, tried it on the other mux board, still nothing... Only seemed to work fine on the mux it was originally in.

Check the cable out, if you have a multimeter make sure the cable is ok, no bad connections anywhere.

Attached a data sheet for the alpha that should be in the austin powers,
at least thats the sheet for a alpha I got out of a austin powers on ebay.
The pin outs for the alpha connector are on it (its also useful for anyone wanting to interface one as it has the programming details on it)
So you can check with a multimeter that each cable wire is getting through to the right pin, and nothing is shorting or not connected that should be connected.

Attached Files

•  barcrestalphadisplayAU1613-KV12FS-02.zip   99.92KB   12 downloads

[sgandtg]

Cheers for that. I'll be having another go tonight after work.

[Sarky]

Count the red flashes, then count the green flashes.
A barcrest error of say 28 would be 2 red 8 green flashes.

Good tip... something I didn't know. Thanks.