Have a bellco Bingo machine, worked excellent until a power surge fried my transformer...using a dell laptop adapter that's 19.5v 6.7 amp output and machine works, but light is dim, reel lights don't work except very faint during bonus runs...and sometimes, reels don't start right away.
About power surge problems. I have 10 slots and what I did was obtain a wireless remote that turns them all on and off. This will save your slots and keep you from plugging them in and out. Just a suggestion.
I have never known a transformer to "blow" due to a voltage surge... It much have been one heck of a surge! Like a very close lighting strike?
I would try looking at e blay, the best price's can be had there. Most are 6 amp @24 volts for around $15.
Are you sure it's the transformer??
Look in my repair guide on how to use a VOM, it's easy once you take the step to try it. And my repair guide will give you step by step instructions on how to use one.
And have you checked the power unit fuse? That could have kicked the bucket after years of poweing up.
It could be the transformer has one on it, it looks like a switch on one end there... It may even just be the switch.
Simple to by pass, that is if you know how to solder.
I recommend getting the 6 or 7 amp Power supply... most of the conversions I have seen use a 3 or 4 amp that gets to warm or eventually burns if left on to long.
The 6 and up to 8 amp units do not generate as much of a hum and actually stay a lot cooler.
Oh good advise for sure. I have not owned a game that had that small a trasnformer in it, so I was not aware that some had put such low amperage is these. I guess that would explain why years ago when I was looking to buy my first game that some were complaning of problems with the game they purchaed, or that some had go so HOTthat fires had started??
That would be a definate bummer!
But yea, the higher the amp, the better off you are for sure. Things will run nice and the transformer runs much cooler to.
I bought all my games from Stealth, several from when Milt owned it, he stood behind every part no questions asked. He even "bragged" about how he used 6 amp transformers in all his machines. I never had any problems.
Milt and the Importer I worked with co Shipped from Japan 3 and 4 containers at a time or more. He paid from what I gather 15% more to use the better Power supply we used 4A units but I have seen as low as 3A and 2.5A used.