Lesson 1Electronic control and payout logic: hopper drivers, fuses, coin counters and PCB rolesDetails how the slot’s electronics direct and watch hopper payouts. Explains driver circuits, fuses, relays, coin counters, and PCB logic, including enable lines, payout pulses, fault detection, and link to the main game CPU.
Hopper driver outputs and enable signalsFuse protection and overcurrent behaviorCoin counter inputs and pulse shapingMain logic PCB payout control flowTimeouts, error flags, and lockup statesLesson 2Post-repair verification: payout simulation tests, multi-denomination payout runs, audit of meter and event logsDescribes how to check hopper fixes before returning a machine to service. Includes payout simulations, multi-denomination test runs, timing checks, and review of meters and event logs to confirm correct counting and alarms.
Single-denomination payout simulationsMulti-denomination mixed payout runsVerifying coin count versus pulses loggedChecking meters, audits, and event logsDocumenting test results and sign-offLesson 3Inspection and mechanical test plan: clearing jams, checking coin path alignment, wear inspection, bearing and motor checksDefines a structured mechanical test plan for hoppers. Covers safe disassembly, jam clearing, coin path alignment checks, wear inspection, and evaluation of bearings, shafts, and motors under load to prevent repeat field failures.
Safe removal and bench setup of hopperProcedures for clearing coin jamsChecking coin path and chute alignmentInspecting gates, discs, and agitators for wearBearing, shaft, and motor free-spin testsLesson 4Causes of false "Hopper Empty/Jam" indications: wiring, sensor occlusion, stuck actuators, insufficient hopper voltageExamines reasons for false hopper empty or jam alarms. Covers wiring faults, sensor occlusion, stuck actuators, low hopper voltage, and intermittent connectors, plus targeted tests to confirm and correct each failure mode.
Recognizing false empty and jam symptomsFinding broken or shorted sensor wiringDetecting dirty or occluded sensor opticsIdentifying stuck levers and actuatorsLow-voltage and brownout related alarmsLesson 5Sensor types for coin detection and hopper level: optical interrupters, IR, micro-switches, weight/floor sensorsCovers sensors that detect coins and hopper level. Explains optical interrupters, IR reflective sensors, microswitch actuators, and weight or floor sensors, including mounting, alignment, failure modes, and cleaning requirements.
Optical interrupter theory and alignmentIR reflective coin detection techniquesMicroswitch actuators and lever adjustmentsWeight and floor sensor level detectionCleaning and protecting sensor windowsLesson 6Calibration and configuration: hopper pulse counts, coin denomination mapping, coin size adjustments and software parameter updatesExplains how to calibrate and configure hopper operation. Includes setting pulse counts per coin, mapping denominations, adjusting for coin size, and updating software parameters while maintaining compliance with regulations.
Setting hopper pulses per paid coinMapping denominations to hopper outputsAdjusting for coin diameter and thicknessUpdating game software payout parametersRecording calibration data for auditsLesson 7Electrical diagnostic steps: voltage and current measurements, driver board tests, connector and harness checksProvides a stepwise approach to electrical diagnostics on hopper circuits. Covers voltage and current checks, driver board testing, connector inspection, harness continuity, and using schematics to trace payout control signals.
Safety and isolation before measurementsMeasuring hopper supply voltage and rippleChecking motor current and stall conditionsDriver board output and component testsConnector, harness, and continuity checksLesson 8Coin hopper types and internal mechanisms: motor-driven, stepper, disc, star wheel designsExplores major hopper designs and how they move, separate, and count coins. Covers motor types, drive trains, discs and star wheels, coin path geometry, and how mechanical choices affect speed, accuracy, and long-term reliability.
Motor-driven hopper architecture overviewStepper motor control and indexing behaviorDisc and star wheel coin transport designsCoin path geometry and singulation featuresWear points in gates, discs, and agitatorsLesson 9Causes of wrong payouts: sensor misreads, mechanical wear, coin jams, counterfeit/size variance, software countersAnalyzes common causes of incorrect payouts. Discusses sensor misreads, mechanical wear, jams, counterfeit or off-size coins, and software counter issues, plus methods to isolate whether faults are mechanical, electrical, or logical.
Symptoms of overpay and underpay eventsSensor misreads and missed coin pulsesMechanical wear, drag, and partial jamsEffects of off-size or counterfeit coinsSoftware counter and configuration errors
