Should always be on I think.
Could be the starter at the top (black box) or the light itself. Check bayarea amusements think they have them in different colours.

Is it coming on at all?

You may have a problem, but if I remember correctly(been a long time since I had mine clause ; )there is a setting in the menu for time on...or something like that. Could be a connection(check them)or transformer for the neon.

Hopefully somebody more in the know will chime in, but check your menu settings for neon....it was something like time on compared to time off....like I said not so clear on it but it may get you straightened out.

I still have it Russ, it will never leave. It's still as pretty as the day I picked it up. Thanks again for selling it to me.

D. Cole

Congrats on CV. A few things:

1) The neon should be on in attract mode, unless you changed the settings for it.
2) The Neon takes in 12V DC and then transforms it to power the neon.
-> Check that you have 12V DC at the connector to the neon ramp (it's under the playfield, back left)
3) If you're not getting voltage there, check U3 on the driver board, which could be bad.
4) If you're getting voltage, check the transformer; they can go bad over time.

Marc

Marc got it right. I just fixed my CV neon a few weeks ago. U3 on the I/O board is the most common problem. Mine was a bad U4 which is a 74LS374. Those are the only 2 ICs on the I/O board that control the neon.

But first, you can unplug the power lines to the neon and connect 12vdc to them. If the neon lights up, then replace U3 on the I/O board. If it doesn't with 12vdc applied then it might be a bad transformer or a bad tube.

Check the schematics and make sure you get the 12vdc applied with correct polarity.

Trying to clarify my 5 year old post as I have been asked a few questions about this common CV neon fix.
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U3 and U4 are on the Power Driver Board A-20028 in the WPC-95 schematic manual. U3 is a ULN2803A an octal Darlington Transistor array and U4 is a 74LS374 which is an octal D-type 3-state flip-flop (latch).

Here are photos of my repaired board (see the two sockets) and the schematic section that shows the two parts. I replaced U3 first and then U4 when that didn't fix the problem. Troubleshooting between them wasn't easy as the bad circuit in U4 pulled down the Darlington pair in U3 which made it look like it was bad.

I would advise you to buy sockets and ICs for both. Just be sure not to damage the PCB when desoldering. Practice first on a scrap board if you need to learn. I bought a Hakko desoldering tool which really makes removing ICs easy with little to no PCB damage. They are expensive but so is outside board repair and a damaged board.

Board_repair_U3-U4 (resized).jpg

Partial_Schematic_U3-U4_fix (resized).jpg

The ICs are a potential problem of course, but for anyone that has this game, before doing board work, the idea of the neon is pretty simple just like any other solenoid. First check for power at the 2 pin connector to the neon ramp. If power is there, go into solenoid test, and select the neon, then you can simply check the other wire for "drive". The wire will be pulled low during "on" and held at full power when "off". So if you do not see this, procede to board. If you do, don't!!!
If you see the toggle, but the neon doesn't light it's either the transformer or the neon itself. In my case, I had the toggle so I knew not a board problem, and put one of those AC volt alert pens around the neon and saw no indication of anything, so I replaced the transformer and all was fine on my game.