(Topic ID: 70775)

The Firepower Club

By wiredoug

10 years ago


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  • 4,645 posts
  • 392 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 3 days ago by Eric_Manuel
  • Topic is favorited by 182 Pinsiders

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There are 4,645 posts in this topic. You are on page 20 of 93.
#951 7 years ago

Fellas, I will likely soon be stripping my spare play field of parts to redo it. I'll get some shots, there are some good plastics pieces, as well as all the other parts. I'd certainly be interested in trading some of them for other parts...hopefully we can all get a part of two that we each need to make better machines for all.

#952 7 years ago

Scampcamp, I feel your pain. I'm going to PM you a .pdf file of the firepower manual. It helped me.
Again, check and see if the coin door switch is sticky. For me, if I set Firepower on free play and that switch is stuck, it wont work.

coin door switch (resized).JPGcoin door switch (resized).JPG

#953 7 years ago
Quoted from dzorbas:

Yup, you can. Lucky for me my game already had a socket soldered in so it was plug and play. Barakandl sells what you need, check his site here - http://nvram.weebly.com/. Works great!

That's awesome...no more worrying about losing your score when the batteries go!

#954 7 years ago

Going along the lines of this "free play" thing...I have looked all over the manual and have never found a free play option...how is that set?? I'd rather not have to keep opening the coin door all day...

#955 7 years ago

not sure but i think free play is (adjustment 18 = 0).

did not tried on my game it's all in pieces for restoration.

#956 7 years ago
Quoted from Jumping-Box:

Scampcamp, I feel your pain. I'm going to PM you a .pdf file of the firepower manual. It helped me.
Again, check and see if the coin door switch is sticky. For me, if I set Firepower on free play and that switch is stuck, it wont work.

That rust inside the door would keep me up at nights. I would be wire brushing at 3am.

#957 7 years ago
Quoted from scampcamp:

Ok... sorry for being a huge novice on system 6 but how do you cycle to the end? When I turn off & on... nothing happen when the credit button is pressed... I can hear a faint sounding click.

System 6 won't reset & boot when cycling to the end, that feature started with system 7. The faint click you hear at turn on is probably the coin door solenoid.

#958 7 years ago
Quoted from Spitfiren8:

I just installed a pf protector i got last week. I couldnt be happier with it. My cupped/raised inserts are no longer an issue, plays fast and smoooooth. Plus it looks fantastic!
Here's a few pics...shiney!

Where did you get that??? I want to try it out on mine

#960 7 years ago
Quoted from scampcamp:

I set it up for free play but nothing happens. I have 3 balls in the trough. No sounds etc if I press credit button. The only action is if I put a ball between flippers... it will kick to trough.

You need to make sure all 3 trough switches are registering correctly. If one of them is not registering, Firepower will not start a game. I would visually inspect them to see if they all look like they are closing, clean them with the paper trick, then try again. If it still is not working, I would go into switch test, and test each switch with a ball rolling into the trough.

#961 7 years ago

Has anybody installed jumpers in place of the resistors in the switch matrix on their driver board? I saw the TNT video below where Todd said that this is a "recommended upgrade" to make the switches more responsive. Any truth to that?

#962 7 years ago

Is that the mod to get rid of the zero ohm resistors? Would it matter in that case?

#963 7 years ago

I did some work on my driver board and replaced a bunch of transistors and resistors. I figured using 0 ohm resistors, which I did, was no different than using the jumpers based on the research I did. I'm not an electrical engineer so I couldn't tell you whether it makes any difference. Game works just fine though.

#964 7 years ago

To clairify....the original factory driver board had resistors. Starting with the Black Knight, zero ohm resistors were put in to make the switches work better---because of all the fast switch closures on that machine. If you do not have an actual zero ohm resistor you simply use a jumper...an office staple is perfect...just the right size. We modify every driver board that comes through TNT....which has been hundreds of driver boards over the years! You do NOT have to do it...but why not? Have I noticed a difference? really impossible to tell. I have gotten in many games NEWER than Black Knight that have had older drivers put in without that mod by previous owners. So we simply update every board.

#965 7 years ago

The legendary Todd N. Tuckey chimes in! Thanks for the clarification Todd!

#966 7 years ago
Quoted from La_Porta:

Is that the mod to get rid of the zero ohm resistors?

Are you thinking of the MOSFET mod for the lamp matrix? If so that's a different mod but highly recommended!

#967 7 years ago

No difference between using jumpers or zero ohm resistors. Manufacturers used zero ohm resistors so they could be mechanically installed into boards using the same machine that installed the resistors into the board.

#968 7 years ago
Quoted from toddtuckey:

...an office staple is perfect.

theres my vote for cool hack of the day .. thats great

#969 7 years ago

Anyone know what size the number 20 bonus insert is? I thought it was 1 1/4" but I can only seem to find the 1 3/16" size. Of course the difference is only 1/16 of an inch but figured I'd ask.

Also, since I'm not at my game currently, anyone know the part number for the coil on the outhole kickers?

#970 7 years ago
Quoted from Bugsy:

Anyone know what size the number 20 bonus insert is? I thought it was 1 1/4" but I can only seem to find the 1 3/16" size. Of course the difference is only 1/16 of an inch but figured I'd ask.
Also, since I'm not at my game currently, anyone know the part number for the coil on the outhole kickers?

The book says the kicker coils are sg-23-850-dc, same as the bumpers.

#971 7 years ago
Quoted from Bugsy:

Anyone know what size the number 20 bonus insert is? I thought it was 1 1/4" but I can only seem to find the 1 3/16" size. Of course the difference is only 1/16 of an inch but figured I'd ask.
Also, since I'm not at my game currently, anyone know the part number for the coil on the outhole kickers?

The 20 is 1 3/16. 10 is 1", 1-9 are 3/4". Got mine from Marco. I had to sand the sides quite a bit to get them to fit (or dremel a little extra out of the pocket).

#972 7 years ago

Thanks everyone, I may put an order in through Pinball Resource since Steve seems to be one of the only places that carry all the inserts I need right now. I need all the bonus ones and a couple of the orange, red, and green arrows. Luckily the FIRE and POWER inserts, the multipliers, and inlane/outlane inserts are ok.

#973 7 years ago
Quoted from setzkor:

The 20 is 1 3/16. 10 is 1", 1-9 are 3/4". Got mine from Marco. I had to sand the sides quite a bit to get them to fit (or dremel a little extra out of the pocket).

My 1 - 10 & 20 inserts are sunk in or shrunk. Would you take them out & sand them or buy new ones?

Also.... does the back of your Firepower backglass look like mine? Thanks

20161005_215134 (resized).jpg20161005_215134 (resized).jpg

#974 7 years ago
Quoted from scampcamp:

does the back of your Firepower backglass look like mine? Thanks

Yikes! No, somebody spray painted that to hide a bunch of flaking original paint.

#975 7 years ago
Quoted from RCA1:

Yikes! No, somebody spray painted that to hide a bunch of flaking original paint.

Shoot... I was hoping it was normal. The front isn't too bad but I'll be looking for a new backglass.

#976 7 years ago

Mine is similar to that.

#977 7 years ago
Quoted from scampcamp:

My 1 - 10 & 20 inserts are sunk in or shrunk. Would you take them out & sand them or buy new ones?

Would probably depend on what you are looking to do to the playfield...full restore? Make it a good "player"? For a full restore, buy new inserts and put on new waterslide decals for the numbering. For a simple flattening, I would remove them (heat them up and push them out) and fill with 2PAC (I hear some use a thin superglue), sand them level, then put them back with epoxy. If you try to sand them flat without filling, you will likely remove the keylining and lettering. Option 3...leave them in and put in one of the playfield protectors and call it a day. https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lexan-playfield-protector-install-and-review

And as for your backglass, how does it look from the front lit up? At least it looks like they hit the whole spaceship blue and all the red... I managed to find a reasonable original last year, but I would imagine a lot of them look like yours today. Of course the later remake with the yellow Firepower is available if you feel like dropping $400 or so...

#978 7 years ago

On another note, I'm working on the decals for the inserts on mine now. And I want to increase the width of the black border on the sheet for the inserts (right now it's 1/16"). Can someone measure the width of the black keylining border on the triangular inserts? They should be an even inch increment, I can't tell from mine if the width should be 3/32" or 1/8".

Thanks!

#979 7 years ago
Quoted from setzkor:

Of course the later remake with the yellow Firepower is available if you feel like dropping $400 or so...

I thought they were more like $250 when I saw them a couple booths down from me at the York show.

-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for Williams system 3-7 sound board potentiometer solutions

#980 7 years ago

I was quoted $295 with 25 for the trim kit and 75 for shipping a year ago. Couldn't pull the trigger then. Might reconsider after finishing the playfield. It's a good option of you want a pristine looking machine.

#981 7 years ago

I don't have a before picture of these plastics, but they were bacon, really warped and wavy and just not good. Popped them in the oven and they came out nice and flat.

IMG_3420 (resized).JPGIMG_3420 (resized).JPG

IMG_3419 (resized).JPGIMG_3419 (resized).JPG

#982 7 years ago
Quoted from Bugsy:

I don't have a before picture of these plastics, but they were bacon, really warped and wavy and just not good. Popped them in the oven and they came out nice and flat.

What temp? How long? placed on wax paper, I assume. My long plastic on the left side (surrounding the ball lock) in particular is shaped like a mogul field on an expert ski slope...

Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for Williams system 3-7 sound board potentiometer solutions

#983 7 years ago

Me like Firepower, would like to make the retrofit drop target mod when possible

#984 7 years ago
Quoted from rkahr:

What temp? How long? placed on wax paper, I assume. My long plastic on the left side (surrounding the ball lock) in particular is shaped like a mogul field on an expert ski slope

Haha yeah mine was pretty bad too, probably about the same as yours described.

Put the plastics on a wax paper covered baking sheet. You want a flat baking sheet, don't just put them on the wire rack in the oven, or put them on a sheet where the plastic overlaps a lipped edge. Set the baking sheet in the oven, center rack. Now set the oven to 200°F. As the oven heats up, the plastics will also heat up and start to "melt" back down flat. You have to sit there and watch them, do not leave your oven. There isn't really a set time, you just have to watch them. Literally grab a chair and sit there and watch them the whole time. You will start to see the plastics flatten back down. The instant they are flattened, remove them and let them cool, keeping them on the flat baking sheet.

Now as a disclaimer, when you attempt the oven method, you are aware of the risks involved. There are other methods, such as the dashboard of a hot car in the summer, using two pieces of playfield glass on a hot summer day, etc. Not all plastics are created equal. We attempted to use the oven on a really warped plastic from a 1966 EM pitch and bat. It didn't work. The plastic didn't flatten back down, it just got all bubbly and had some burn marks on it. But the plastic was so far gone before the oven we weren't too distraught and eventually made our own plastic.

But those plastics from 1966 and 1980 were probably totally different. Perhaps someone with more technical knowledge would be able to break down the different chemical makeup of plastics from the 60s vs plastics from the 80s. But if you're careful and watch closely, you shouldn't have any issues.

I hope this helps, and good luck.

#985 7 years ago
Quoted from Spitfiren8:

Def different, there is no sound of the ball rolling anymore. It plays just as fast as before but now i dont get mis-directs off cupped/raised inserts. I can make all locks easy peasy which was my biggest worry.

Would it fix the sunk in insert issue or would I still need to raise them up flush ?

#986 7 years ago
Quoted from scampcamp:

Would it fix the sunk in insert issue or would I still need to raise them up flush ?

You will no longer have issues with sunken, cupped or raised inserts.

#987 7 years ago
Quoted from Spitfiren8:

You will no longer have issues with sunken, cupped or raised inserts.

Ok... but would the sunken/cupped inserts need to be repaired first or..... with this product make it so you would not need to? Thanks

#988 7 years ago

No need to repair them first.

#989 7 years ago

Can somebody point me to the proper replacement targets (1-6)? I have a part number A-8035 but that might be with the label on them since I do not get any hits. I need to replace all 6 targets.

Thanks

#990 7 years ago
Quoted from brightonrock:

Can somebody point me to the proper replacement targets (1-6)? I have a part number A-8035 but that might be with the label on them since I do not get any hits. I need to replace all 6 targets.
Thanks

I don't know of anyone that makes targets with the old style mounting bracket. If using a modern bracket doesn't bother you, you can use these in Red. You will need new stickers for the target faces. http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=313

#991 7 years ago

I know it is a long shot but I am posting to see if anyone has a Firepower playfield they would be willing to sell. It can be an original or reproduction. It does not have to be populated with the under playfield wire harness, switches, etc. or upper playfield parts.

Please PM me if you have something.

Thanks

#992 7 years ago

Random question: Does anybody know why the "1" in 100 near the spinner on the playfield is printed upside down? Were they all like that?

Just noticed as I was sanding my playfield....

#993 7 years ago
Quoted from setzkor:

Just noticed as I was sanding my playfield....

Holy cow i can't believe i never noticed that? Mine is the same.

#994 7 years ago

Everyone,

I found this guide online as to what compounds to use for buffing/polishing metal. Looks to be helpful. Anyone have experience with types of tools used other than drills or grinders? Does anyone know for sure what type of metal the legs are made of, or the other parts on the cabinet/playfield?

http://www.pjtool.com/jewelers-rouge-chart/

#995 7 years ago
Quoted from La_Porta:

Everyone,
I found this guide online as to what compounds to use for buffing/polishing metal. Looks to be helpful. Anyone have experience with types of tools used other than drills or grinders? Does anyone know for sure what type of metal the legs are made of, or the other parts on the cabinet/playfield?
http://www.pjtool.com/jewelers-rouge-chart/

I've spent plenty of time on the business end of a buffing wheel. It's a slow process.

What you have is plated steel, a simple magnet test will tell you. Probably nickel plated. It could be chrome, but since nickel will polish out as shiny as chrome and chrome plating starts with multiple layers of nickel, they may not have paid the extra for chrome.

I know a lot of people think that if it shines, it's stainless steel. But I don't think you'll find much stainless on a pinball machine. Was really no need for the added expense.

#996 7 years ago

The parts definitely do spot rust, so your analysis is likely spot on. Thank you!

#997 7 years ago

I have been working on another person machine but had a little time to mess with firepower. Wire harnesses all dishwashered, new zip ties and every IDC replaced with molex. Heat discoloration removed and aluminum cleaned from inside back box. I tried several ideas to remove heat "stain", magic eraser works great and no scratches.

IMG_2148 (resized).JPGIMG_2148 (resized).JPG
IMG_2147 (resized).JPGIMG_2147 (resized).JPG

#998 7 years ago

IMG_2152 (resized).JPGIMG_2152 (resized).JPG

IMG_2153 (resized).JPGIMG_2153 (resized).JPG

#1000 7 years ago

Wow, nice!

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