(Topic ID: 70775)

The Firepower Club

By wiredoug

10 years ago


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  • 4,689 posts
  • 396 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 6 days ago by ChrisHibler
  • Topic is favorited by 183 Pinsiders

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#170 9 years ago

Just picked up a Firepower last week for $250. The playfield and backglass are both very good.
I just started on the boards last night. Getting rid of all the Scanbe IC chip sockets and replacing the 40 pin interconnect as well. I have already done most of the IC sockets thanks to the Hakko 808.
Then I also have the capacitor kit from Great Plains so I can get rid of all the original ones on the power board.
Have already done a complete playfield tear down, clean and rebuild. This game should be quite a show piece when finished. Glad to finally be in the club.
Some quick questions. Some of my standup tartgets are white circles, some are solid red, and some say Fire Power on them. Which ones are stock?
Also I see they left the switches on the game that are behind the standup target banks. Was this done on purpose? Because there is no way to ever hit them unless you had the original drop targets in place.

Here are some photos before the cleaning got started.

IMG_1378.JPGIMG_1378.JPG IMG_1385.JPGIMG_1385.JPG IMG_1411.JPGIMG_1411.JPG IMG_1412.JPGIMG_1412.JPG IMG_1414.JPGIMG_1414.JPG IMG_1415.JPGIMG_1415.JPG
#173 9 years ago
Quoted from Schwaggs:

Yes, awesome find for even 4X that price!
Red targets with Firepower stickers on the 6 center targets. Red with white circles for the 3 "power" targets on the right and the single target on the top.

Thanks a bunch. That is great info to have on the targets.
Do all Firepower games have the contact switches behind the center banks like mine does?
Are they hooked up and can score during a game if hit with your finger?
Just curious.
I just had to throw a few LED's in the backbox before I pulled all the boards out.

IMG_1425.JPGIMG_1425.JPG
#176 9 years ago

Thanks for the compliments guys.
I did not even try to talk the guy down anymore. I just flat out said, I'll take it. lol.
I realized what a great deal it was the second I saw the listing.

Any info on those two leaf switches behind the standups? I know I will figure it out once I get it up and running but I can't try it out till I get the boards back in place.

Tonight I got the battery holder off, replaced both 40 pin male and female, put new lamp resistors in place and got the cap kit installed on the power board.
All I really have left is a few Scanbe sockets to replace because my local electronics store did not have enough in stock. Now I gotta wait until they get more.

IMG_1434.JPGIMG_1434.JPG IMG_1435.JPGIMG_1435.JPG IMG_1436.JPGIMG_1436.JPG IMG_1437.JPGIMG_1437.JPG
#178 9 years ago
Quoted from Jumping-Box:

Replacing the 40 pin.. Does that require soldering? I'm scared to touch any boards.

Yes. 80 solder joints if you do both male and female sides.
I would not even attempt it if I did not have the hakko 808 desolder gun that vacuums out the old solder.
Soldering in the new pins is very easy.
But if you have not done much solder work, I would not recommend it as your first task.

#179 9 years ago

Started a tech thread for my game. Got it up and running for a bit today.
Did not want to clutter the club page with tech stuff so here is the link if anyone can help me out some.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/firepower-not-starting-a-game-now#post-1811473

Problem solved. Had a wire come loose from a trough switch and that caused the game not to start.

#182 9 years ago

Just removed my battery holder last week. It was a mess.
Got a new one coming from Pinball Life and putting lithium batteries in it so no more corrosion.
Not a big fan of the remote battery packs hanging off the board when they need to be worked on.

#188 9 years ago

Thanks to the help of so many Pinside members my Firepower is up and running.
So many people like the pinball Ninja, mwsmith, Andy_B, and viperrwk, provided so much great info to help me get this bad boy up and playing like it should.
Turns out it had some bad IC chips that I would have never tracked down on my own.
Thanks again to everyone.

IMG_1456.JPGIMG_1456.JPG
#189 9 years ago

Still have a couple of questions for all of the Firepower owners.

1. My Game has white lane guides at the top center two spots. Most photos online show red. Which is how the game shipped?

2. My game has switches behind the stand up targets that can never be hit. Were all games shipped with these switches installed for no reason, since there are no drop targets?

#192 9 years ago

Yes, my switches are installed and even wired up.
But I have yet to test them to see if they score as I put the entire game back together after shopping it.
I will check on that later.

#193 9 years ago

Ok. Just got home from work and decided to put the switches to the test.
Yep, They both score 50 points each.
Guess I might really have something special here.
I took photos of the top side and the underside. Everything seems factory fresh to me.
I looked all over the game for a production date but have no idea where System 6 games have one or if they even do.
Here are the photos for all you Firepower owners.

IMG_1462.JPGIMG_1462.JPG IMG_1463.JPGIMG_1463.JPG IMG_1466.JPGIMG_1466.JPG IMG_1465.JPGIMG_1465.JPG
#196 9 years ago
Quoted from mwsmith:

Looks like you got a early production machine. What's the serial number? Most are stamped on front cabinet under the coin door. Almost looks like it may have had drops and then someone changed it over. I see extra screw holes in the area.

I think so as well. I had not even noticed the extra screw holes until you pointed them out.
My serial number is 407233.
I actually already have one drop target set from a Hot Tip.
Just need to find one more and I think I may be able to convert it back.

#197 9 years ago

Heading out to my first ever PAPA tournament.
I will get back to the Firepower when I return next week.

2 weeks later
#200 9 years ago
Quoted from Schwaggs:

Arcade, the extra holes are from the incorrect replacement target on that end. All 3 should be screwed in to the same side, one of yours is backwards. I bet the repair guy didn't have the correct target with him and made do with a back mount target as opposed to the correct front mount target.
Both my firepower came with red lane guides.

Great catch.
I did not even notice that.

Sadly my Firepower decided not to boot up anymore when I got back from PAPA.
It was playing fine when I left. Now I just get the GI lights, no displays, and sometimes the game says Firepower when I turn it on.
Can't imagine what happened while it just sat there. lol.
I have now replaced all the edge connectors on the CPU, All the Scanbe sockets, and it has a new 40 pin interconnect. Even did all the Caps on the power board.
This thing should be good to go and it is now giving me a hard time.

#203 9 years ago

I just did the CPU board connectors and the 40 pin.
Guess I will do the driver board and power board as well.

3 months later
#225 9 years ago
Quoted from Slim2013:

This is the beginning of my restore. Lots of work coming up for a great game !!
Putting in Drop targets?
I have some ready to go in mine but can't get the courage to start messing with the wiring.

FP Begining.JPG 221 KB

1 week later
#230 9 years ago

Just put in new X-Pin displays in ours that we got for Christmas. So crisp and nice and no more high power fuse. Loving this machine. Still gotta work up the courage for the drop target assemblies sometime.

#233 9 years ago
Quoted from Geocab:

Did you go with traditional color? I need displays as I've lost a segment. Really annoying to look at.

Yes. Orange. I like a stock look.
We put them in our Hot Tip last year and have been loving the look.
No high power and having a brightness dial are great advantages.

#234 9 years ago

Finally remembered to take a photo with the new LED displays.
The game is much more fun when you can tell your exact score and not have to guess. lol.

IMG_0260.JPGIMG_0260.JPG
#246 9 years ago

I had a request to post photos of my backbox lighting I used in the photo above as well as some playfield shots with LED's. All bulbs are Comet Frosted.
Just red, blue and cool white in the backbox. Just noticed one is apparently burnt out already.
Playfied is just cool white for GI and color frosted under the inserts.
Photos are with the glass on. I was in a hurry.

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#248 9 years ago
Quoted from mof:

Yikes, that's a lot of PF glare.
I go ~10 47's in all my backboxes. I can't believe some people like to play with that much BG glare on the PF. (I get it on location, but not in a home)
-mof

Those photos are taken without the Backglass in place.
It is not like that with it in. Lol

1 month later
#275 9 years ago

Polished up the back rail a bit and got some good reflective action going on.
Not a mirror finish but much better then it was.
image.jpgimage.jpg

1 month later
#304 9 years ago
Quoted from Uncle_Nudge:

I'm headed out, but here's a couple quickies I hope help...
fpc1.jpg (Click image to enlarge)fpc2.jpg (Click image to enlarge)

Wow.
Could you come clean my coin doors for me?

#312 9 years ago

I have been playing my game all this time thinking that the round stand up target pictured would score whatever was lit below it. 10,000 30,000 or 50,000.
However that does not seem to be the case. It scores 1,000 no matter what is lit.
So what am I missing about those red inserts that light up below it. How do they factor into game play?
I'm sure I will feel stupid when someone points it out.

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#314 9 years ago
Quoted from jibmums:

That's what you score when you light both the FIRE and POWER hotdog inserts; in other words, when you get all four F-I-R-E lanes and all three standup targets on the right.

Thank you so much.
We would always spell Fire and Power to advance it to 50,000 and then try and never hit the power buttons again so it would stay on 50,000 points. lol
But now we have a forehead slapping moment.
Plus it clearly says "Target scores 1,000" on the plastic. Not "Target scores lit value".

2 weeks later
#320 8 years ago
Quoted from Its_me_aj:

So today I decided to try to get as far as I can with getting my firepower to do anything at all. I put the boards back in, and flipped it on. It went into attract more!! There were no sounds but the lights were flashing and the high score was flashing between 550000 and 000000. I couldn't do anything else though. It wouldn't allow me to add credits or start a game, so I really don't know what's going on there.

Everything hinges on the switches that the balls sit on in the out hole.
If they are not making good contact. Nothing is ever going to happen.
Start with them.

3 weeks later
#360 8 years ago
Quoted from catboxer:

I just bought the drop target mechs for mine. System 3-6 with wiper contacts. Your playfield needs to be a CPR or an early run with the 10pt switch routed out.

I got lucky and have a early production playfield that not only has the routed area behind the standups, but also has the 10 point switch already installed and wired up for scoring.
Problem is we can never hit the switch because it is behind the standups.
I purchased the drop target assemblies to install someday, but not brave enough to tackle that big of a project.

1 month later
#390 8 years ago
Quoted from keith20mm:

Finally joined the Firepower club.
I've had this rag dog since about 2004. When I got it, it was sitting beside a garage in a barren back yard in South Dallas. I don't know if it ever was rained on or not, but by the mold growing on the inside of the insert, I'd guess at least once.
The glass and backglass were intact.
Of course, the mpu wouldn't boot and only "a few" of the solenoid drivers still worked.
The save solenoid didn't work.
The battery corrosion involved the entire lower right quadrant.
The plastics all ok, rubbers hanging out like a dogs tongue on a hot day.
Many hours of repair, both mpu board and driver board, rewarded me with a functional game that only occasionally reset or blew fuses.
Then I moved in 2005. Finally, last summer the game was brought inside the house, from storage in my shop.
The machine wouldn't leave audits.. Dead 5105. Now running again, no feature lamps.
Found bridge rectifier harness lugs falling off wires.. Now all is good, and restoration will begin soon.
I have enjoyed reading ya'lls posts in this thread.
Thanks.

That is some story. Glad the machine has someone to care for it.
Sounds like a labor of love if you have brought it this far.

#395 8 years ago

It would appear there are two different web pages.
Cliffysprotectors that only has 18 items for sale and passionforpinball that has much more.
Weird.

2 months later
#406 8 years ago
Quoted from mof:

I'm sure this has been covered already -- can I ask someone to reiterate the range of drop targets that can be used for Firepower? I grabbed a Black Knight one, and it was said previously that that won't work, so I'm wondering what I need to start being on the lookout for.
thanks,
-mof

Hot Tip has compatible drops

4 months later
#582 8 years ago

Those plastics looks great.
Might try a solid yellow plastic underneath them so the lights aren't quite as harsh through the cutouts.
Great idea you had and nice work.

#584 8 years ago

Think you may have down voted my post by mistake 3rdaxis.
I don't think I wrote anything bad. lol

2 months later
#711 7 years ago
Quoted from sohchx:

Actually this setup would be going all out. My FP plays phenomenally with these.
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=172

Agree.
I have these on mine and the game plays fantastic.
Absolutely no problem ripping the spinner and locking the ball in the top lock with these.

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