Takao: main control board communication error

[jasonlujan]

the machine worked great; i put it in storage on a shelf for a few months; decided to put it back out and now get this error.
#6

any advice?

it has suffered no trauma or changes to its condition aside from not being plugged in for a couple of months.
i checked the obvious connections i could access. dongle is firmly in place.

IMG_8689.PNG

[lotsoballs]

Did you try resetting it yet?

Might want to check for a ball jam or ball path obstruction too.

[lotsoballs]

Try multiple dongles too; they can go bad.

[Drunkenclam]

Check the 1A fuse for the dongle. Although that might be error 7.

Try holding the reset button on power up.

[jasonlujan]

thanks so far no luck:

checked all connections - reseated the ones i could reach
held down reset while powering on - no change
no ball jams
swapped dongle from a working machine

the ball launcher works and the frame lights up but no action on the cell....hmmm

i'm going to step back for a little bit and then return to it in a few days.

[Drunkenclam]

So dongle and related hardware is fine. Any other fuses on the PSU?
Also check any connectors from the frame to the cel. Not sure if this is on leads or has an easy out cel on a multiple plug connector.

[lotsoballs]

Please post a picture of the machine so we know what model frame.

If it were mine and having that issue; I’d remove the cell and reinstall it; (cell swap procedure without actually changing the cell) if it’s a newer model the connectors are built in so cell swapping is foolproof with no hanging wires/connectors to mess around with.

If it’s an older one with several wires/connectors coming off the cell to connect to the frame, then that’s the first place you should look for problems. Maybe a connector got bumped loose while moving it to storage?

Is the machine new enough to have a settings key?

[lotsoballs]

It’s never a bad idea to buy 2 cells for your frames for both cell swapping purposes; and backup should one of them bite the dust… 🪦especially if you have say a Sankyo Lumina

[jasonlujan]

Screenshot 2024-02-06 at 16-40-15 https __preview.redd.it_3atcvgsmrbe81.jpg width 1512&format pj.png

[lotsoballs]

Ah, the Spiral impact frame. I’ve got that one. (With 4 different cells ) Takes 1 minute to pull the cell out and the same to install it back in. Just have to open the front door and release a few latches.

There’s no wires/connectors to deal with unplugging. Nor is there any settings key thankfully. Maybe check if that cell also has its own reset button on the rear of the cell (open the dust cover door in the back)

[jasonlujan]

there is a reset button by the power switch and one by the error code light at the bottom. none of these seem to reset anything.
still getting error 6. is it possible for the pc boards to go bad or something? i have checked every connector several times.

IMG_8854.PNG IMG_8855.JPEG IMG_8856.JPEG IMG_8857.JPEG

[lotsoballs]

Are you 100% certain this cell does not have a settings keyhole? Because it certainly looks like it does?? Hard to tell; that black circular thing right above the red parlor connector with nothing plugged into it. Does that plastic tab come off to allow a settings key to be inserted? It looks just like the settings keyhole on many of my newer cells…

If it is a settings keyhole; next question is obvious do you have the key?

What vendor did you buy it from? Or did you import it yourself? My preferred vendor gives excellent support for any technical support after purchase. They send you a video of the reset procedure using the key; it’s more involved than your typical RAM reset just holding down the reset button and powering it on/off…

This is what a settings keyhole looks like. If you don’t have the key; you’ll have to hunt down the key specific to your P-numa cell

[lotsoballs]

if it were mine; I’d be contacting that vendor to get them to send you the proper settings key….

Try the proper settings reset and report back!

[jasonlujan]

thank you @lotsoballs - turning the settings key and restarting the machine fixed it somehow.

[lotsoballs]

thank you @lotsoballs - turning the settings key and restarting the machine fixed it somehow.

No problem! Yeah; as I’ve learned; if you have cell with that settings key; you must reset using the key or just pressing down the reset button upon startup won’t reset anything.

It seems a RAM error from not being pugged in for weeks/months will often trigger a settings reset. Also happens each time you cell swap which is kind of annoying.

Most older machines will just go into error mode for 60 seconds if there was a RAM error then clear the error/beeping automatically; but not if it’s got that settings key… endless error message and beeping till you reset with the key!