Firepower
Williams, 1980So I have still been working on trying to get my flashers to work. I soldered in new #89 sockets and I still don't seem to get anything. I have LED's in and I cut the ground to the Warming 330 ohm resistor. How can I check with the multimeter if the small resistor is still good? I am stuck 
Since you already cut the large resistor, if you take the LEDs out of the sockets, you can use your meter to measure the smaller resistor to make sure it is not open.
There is two #89 bulbs in series with a voltage dropping resistor. Remove the bulbs and turn on the power and find the positive power wire. This positive wire needs to go to the center pin of the socket, the side wire needs to go to the center pin of the next socket. The side wire of this socket goes to the resistor. The LEDs are polarity sensitive and wont work if even one is wired backwards.
Quoted from GRUMPY:There is two #89 bulbs in parallel with a voltage dropping resistor. Remove the bulbs and turn on the power and find the positive power wire. This positive wire needs to go to the center pin of the socket, the side wire needs to go to the center pin of the next socket. The side wire of this socket goes to the resistor. The LEDs are polarity sensitive and wont work if even one is wired backwards.
Gotcha, thanks!
Quoted from Schwaggs:Since you already cut the large resistor, if you take the LEDs out of the sockets, you can use your meter to measure the smaller resistor to make sure it is not open.
Could you maybe send a photo of the set up of your Firepower? I am trying rule out if someone wired mine all wrong. Thanks.
Andrew
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:The small resistor reads about 1.2 ohm... is this resistor open? Or bad?
That's a good resistor.
Quoted from GRUMPY:That's a good resistor.
Ah, that's what I figured. I just wasn't sure. I have been scratching my head about this Flasher board for so long
I cut the right leg of the Warming Resistor out (ground) and still nothing. Should I try removing the whole Warming resistor?
If anyone has LED 89s in their FP it would be much appreciated if I could get a photo of your board! Thanks! 
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:I cut the right leg of the Warming Resistor out (ground) and still nothing. Should I try removing the whole Warming resistor?
That doesn't matter as long as one leg is lifted (either one). Here is my flasher board but still regular bulbs.
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:I have been scratching my head about this Flasher board for so long
Leds are polarity sensitive and will not work if the bulb sockets are wired incorrectly. Take a pic of each bulb socket and I can see if they are correct.
Quoted from Travish:That doesn't matter as long as one leg is lifted (either one). Here is my flasher board but still regular bulbs.
Terrific. Thanks
Quoted from GRUMPY:Leds are polarity sensitive and will not work if the bulb sockets are wired incorrectly. Take a pic of each bulb socket and I can see if they are correct.
Thanks, man will do
Your second pic the wires are reversed and need to be changed. In the first pic there is a yellow wire coming from the resistor board that is soldered to the red wires, I can't tell which one is which. This wire needs to go to the center pin on the socket.
Quoted from GRUMPY:Your second pic the wires are reversed and need to be changed. In the first pic there is a yellow wire coming from the resistor board that is soldered to the red wires, I can't tell which one is which. This wire needs to go to the center pin on the socket.
Great! Thanks! So I'll need to reverse the yellow wires on the socket? And one of those red wires is to go on the center pin?
Gotcha, You mean the yellow wire that is connected to the red wires is to go on the center pin. Which socket? For the Red 89? By Center pin do you mean the pin towards the bottom of the socket or the one further up? Thanks! Sorry for so many questions!
For clarification! The yellow wire that connects the two 89 flashers together in unison are supposed to be wired to the bottom of both sockets or the middle of them?
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:And one of those red wires is to go on the center pin?
No. The yellow wire that is tied to the red wires needs to go to the center pin of the socket in the first pic. The side terminal wire of the first pic needs to go the center pin of the socket in the second pic. The side terminal wire in the second pic goes to the middle terminal of the resistor board. Hope this makes sense, it would be easier if they didn't all have yellow wires.
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:By Center pin do you mean the pin towards the bottom of the socket
The center pins on both sockets are facing to the right.
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:Sorry for so many questions!
No problem.
Quoted from GRUMPY:You should also cut off that broken piece of resistor.
Will do. Thanks!
GRUMPY Do you think this is a polarity issue? I believe you. I was told LEDs are no longer polarity sensitive but I think mine are. I've tried everything but this!
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:Do you think this is a polarity issue?
All LEDS are polarity sensitive, some have extra circuitry to change AC to DC such as GI LEDs. Since #89 LEDs are for 12volt DC circuits I can't believe that they would waste money on extra parts that shouldn't be needed.
Quoted from GRUMPY:All LEDS are polarity sensitive, some have extra circuitry to change AC to DC such as GI LEDs. Since #89 LEDs are for 12volt DC circuits I can't believe that they would waste money on extra parts that shouldn't be needed.
Gotcha! I'm about to go try change things around. I'll let you know what happens!
Don't touch those together as you may blow something on the CPU as that #44 socket is a CPU controlled bulb.
Quoted from GRUMPY:Don't touch those together as you may blow something on the CPU as that #44 socket is a CPU controlled bulb.
I figured. What should be done?
Quoted from GRUMPY:Now that your wires are correct, are they on all the time or off all the time?
They are off
Quoted from GRUMPY:Do you know which transistor controls this flasher?
Hm, I'd have to refer to the schematics. I am fairly new to reading schematics but it'd be great if someone knew which transistor I need to look at! I can't remember seeing anything about flashers in there
Quoted from GRUMPY:Would this be solenoid #4 which is transistor Q-21?
I will check!
Just a thought...is it possible it's simply a wire that is not connected? My Firepower has a connector from the playfield to the backbox with just 2 wires in it, although there's room for a 3rd wire. One of the wires controls those flashers. Do you have that connector?
Quoted from Xtraball:Just a thought...is it possible it's simply a wire that is not connected? My Firepower has a connector from the playfield to the backbox with just 2 wires in it, although there's room for a 3rd wire. One of the wires controls those flashers. Do you have that connector?
I will check! Thanks
Quoted from Pinball-DOOD:I will check!
I found it! Is there anyway I can meter this to see if it's good?
To test the wires from the CPU board to the flashers, you want to briefly ground the metal tab of the transistor to the ground braid in the backbox with a jumper wire. Be careful not to touch anything else. If the flashers work your problem is on the CPU board, if the flashers don't work then you have a wiring issue.
I found the cable! It was unplugged! Where do I plug in? Xtraball
Quoted from Xtraball:Find anything? Need a pic?
That would be nice! I think i found it and it's cut 
there's no molex connector on the wire coming from the driver board! The guy that sold this to me must have ripped it out on accident thanks for helping me! I have been struggling with this for months and now I know the issue! Could you send me a picture of yours just to be sure? I need to order a new molex
Quoted from Xtraball:I know you have, let's get your flashers working TODAY! Be right back with a pic or two.
Thanks!
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/firepower-flasher-help and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.
Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.
Louisville, KY
