(Topic ID: 52451)

FT Backbox lights dim / half not working

By Bole909

10 years ago


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  • 14 posts
  • 5 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 10 years ago by Bole909
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IMAG0278.jpg

#1 10 years ago

Hi guys - it is me again bothering you with my poor FT pin

I have noticed that my lower backbox lights are completely out. Also, the upper part of backbox lights is very dimly light....it fails to illuminate the translate... Flashers in the backbox work normally.

It might be that it affects also lower playfield GI but I'm not sure as I'm missing a lot of bulbs there.

I'm a noob when it comes to technical stuff but I'm not afraid to try things that are in my power and learn something new.

Please let me know what could be causing this and how should I approach the fix.

IMAG0278.jpgIMAG0278.jpg

Thanks so much for your help!

#2 10 years ago

Mine was like that when i first got it. Check the connector either j120 or j121 iirc. mine was burnt and needed to be replaced along with the header pins and now everything has been good for about a year.

#3 10 years ago

Burnt connectors in the backbox would be my guess. Take off the speaker panel and look behind the lights there for any brown/burnt looking connectors. Probably need to re-pin some connectors and possibly re-do the header pins on the board.

#4 10 years ago

Check for burnt connectors - common for this game style. The connectors to check are on the main power driver board to the left at the bottom, and then two other connectors close to under the large batch of fuses.

Also check your fuses that drive these sections, and well obviously the light bulbs.

When you fix it - you can use LED's or change the power save from 15 minutes to two, reduces stress on this for the future.

#5 10 years ago

Thanks a lot guys for your feedback!

Do you know which wires are responsible for lower backbox?
How can I test using multimeter for continuity from connectors to backbox?

I have no experience with this kind of technical thing whatsoever but I would love to learn.

Looks like someone hacked this pin
I have also found two wires not to be connected at all (ones coming from playfield area I think).

Check out the pictures :

1.jpg1.jpg 2.jpg2.jpg 3.jpg3.jpg 4.jpg4.jpg

#6 10 years ago

Yep time for new plugs & pins.

Look at the below image and follow the wire colors to the proper pins on J120 & J121

FT_Lighting.jpgFT_Lighting.jpg

#7 10 years ago

Thanks a lot for the diagram! I think I have located the problem - two wires are not connected and testing with multimeter I think I'll solve the lower backbox problem for sure as brown wire is one of those disconnected wires (and this wire connects to the lower non working part of the backbox).

I have a question : does it matter to which pin the wire connects on J120 and J121? Is it safe to connect the wire to any pin as long as its "free"? (I'm asking as some might be connected to wrong "slots" judging from the document)

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#8 10 years ago

Yes it does, (J120) is the plug and the (-1 to -11) is the pin number it's the same for (J121) as well. So be sure to count them and place them on their proper pin.

pin1.jpgpin1.jpg

#9 10 years ago

You really need to replace those burnt connectors AND header pins. Or i fear you will be dealing with this problem many times over the years. You have at least 3 burnt connectors that i would replace asap.

#10 10 years ago

You guys are very helpful!

I'd just like to get some terms straight since English is not my native language :

Connector - the white plastic that plugs into the board?
Header pins - I'm not sure what is this? Is that the thing which is soldered to the board and to which white plastic connects to? (I'm not sure I'll be skilled to replace this )

I'll try to make a sense of the wiring tomorrow and connected the disconnected ones for start. I'm also trying to locate the new connectors here locally if possible...not sure if they have something similar (no pinball stores/parts anywhere close).

#11 10 years ago

Yes you are correct on both of those terms. Many people will just replace the connector, but once your connector has got hot enough to burn the plastic, the header pin should be replaced for better contact. The headers are intimidating at first but once you get decent at solder/desoldering it isnt a big deal. Practice on a spare board or something you dont need before trying it on a main board in your game. Make sure you have the right tools. Preferably an adjustable soldering iron and a solder pult, or solder sucker, or desolder braid if you are good. ( most dont like the braid, but i prefer it over a sucker, problem is it is easier to hurt your board with the braid because how long you leave the heat on the board.) Maybe see if there is a local pinhead or something to help on your first one.

#12 10 years ago

Thanks for pointers guys! I think I have solved the issue with lights by reconnecting two missing wires (one for lowerbackbox other for lower playfield). Upper backbox lights are dim because it has 12v light bulbs installed. I'm waiting to get some replacement parts to fix this for good.

Thanks so much for your help once again!

#13 10 years ago

Put LED's when you can, 1/10th of the power consumption, less strain on the electronics and a hell of a lot less heat.

4 months later
#14 10 years ago

To update you guys - I have solved this issue completely by getting new molex connectors, studying manual and finding which wire goes where and replacing ALL the light bulbs on the machine with new ones (regular not led unfortunately). I was amazed when I first saw my fish tales light up

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