Bought a Firepower!!

vbtalent

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I've been wanting one of these for a long while.. want no more!

Got the snarl and sneer from the wife but that was to be expected however she warmed to the idea and life is good. I'm still working on my other game Cleopatra so another project has already arrived, this could get ugly.

The playfield is in really good condition for the age and has just a couple of worn out spots. The cabinet has been painted with some type of marker, it doesn't look like paint (here we go again.. another strip) the legs look like crap and it has a slight sound issue. I've got to say that even though it needs work all the displays look good and it it seems to play fine, bumpers need some work and it needs to be cleaned...

So here's what I'm after, this thing needs some love. It's been worked on before but is going to need some more for you owners of Williams 6 games what electronics need to be replaced, does someone have a list of part numbers, quantities, etc. from an order they've placed? I realize the interconnect needs to be replaced but I've seen some different part numbers and would love a definitive list.

The sound issue is kind of interesting, in the background I can faintly hear the "Firepower" being replayed and the other sounds seem to be working, some of this could disappear with the replacement of the connectors and interconnect but I was curious if anyone had experienced something similar in their run ins with the System 6 games.

I'm a little concerned about cleaning the cabinet with goof-off which was suggested by a reliable source as this is how I got jammed up on my Cleopatra but I've heard Goof-Off spray and a couple of seconds wait time might be the ticket, thoughts?

Also, where the original legs chrome? these are painted Grey which I assume were switched out with something else.

VB,
 

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Here are a few great sites:

http://www.firepowerpinball.com

This guy has made PDFs for all of the boards with component types and part numbers.

You can buy the interconnect pieces, resistors for the lamp matrix and other parts here:

http://www.greatplainselectronics.com

I too am rebuilding a Firepower although mine was completely dead when I got it. I just finished replacing all of the connectors on my driver board including the interconnect and all of the lamp column drive resistors (the dark red ones in your picture above).

Some GPE part numbers:

41815BE-10
2219S-10-01-2270 (sold out right now but he has some slightly shorter ones)
RC5W-25
 
Thanks for the info., nice pics and progress reports on your site I'll keep checking back. I'll try to post some pics as that project progress as soon as I finish the Cleopatra that I'm working on...

I've been doing some reading and had found the http://www.firepowerpinball.com site, wow that guy spent a lot of time with the schematics, nice site.

"This guy has made PDFs for all of the boards with component types and part numbers."

Are those original or replacement part numbers? I assume they can be cross referenced...

I've been checking http://www.marvin3m.com/fix.htm also and there is a lot of good info. there as well. It's been a pain thought trying to figure out the interconnect part numbers and board connectors.

The resistors look like they are about to catch fire..!! I'll keep it unplugged until I get a chance to work the boards some. Those are the RC5W-25, correct? as well as the recommended bulb change.

Are there any ground issues or mandatory changes that you found that should not be ignored?

As far as the legs go - I saw an FP with Black legs and one with chrome so I wasn't sure. Black will be fine as I will just refinish what I have since they are painted Grey.

Did you end up re-stenciling your cabinet or just settle on paint touch-ups? How about the playfield, did you do any touch-ups on it? are you planning on clearing it?

Last question, I don't have a parts tumbler but am interested in one. What are you currently using?

Sorry about all the questions, just trying to gain some knowledge from someone who's been through it.

Thanks.

VB,
 
The resistors look like they are about to catch fire..!! I'll keep it unplugged until I get a chance to work the boards some. Those are the RC5W-25, correct? as well as the recommended bulb change.

Are there any ground issues or mandatory changes that you found that should not be ignored?

As far as the legs go - I saw an FP with Black legs and one with chrome so I wasn't sure. Black will be fine as I will just refinish what I have since they are painted Grey.

Did you end up re-stenciling your cabinet or just settle on paint touch-ups? How about the playfield, did you do any touch-ups on it? are you planning on clearing it?

Last question, I don't have a parts tumbler but am interested in one. What are you currently using?
VB,

Those red resistors are the ones that are under-rated for their application. If you are testing the game they will be OK, but replace them when you have the CPU and Driver boards out for upgrade.

Manditory Changes are all in Marvin's (Clays) guide
Change out the 40 pin interconnect, both sides.
Replace the 5V and Solenoid power Caps on the power supply
Add fuses for the two bridge rectifiers in the backbox
I think that the Lowering the High Voltage is optional, but the rest is needed.
The resistors under the playfield for the flashers need to be changed to a higher wattage.

The IPDB listing for Firepowwer has the flyer showing Chrome Legs.

I believe that stencils are available, but you don't play the sides of the cabinet.

I rebuilt two Firepowers and didn't use a tumbler. Just use a rag and Novus2 and a lot of elbow grease.

The playfield looks great, usually there is a lot more wear around those inserts.

Mike
 
The GPE part numbers I listed above are for the male and female interconnects and the resistors you would need. You are correct the resistors are 25 ohm 5 watt ceramic types.

The part #s on the PDFs are the original part numbers but there is also a description listed for each one (i.e. TIP122) so you can search for parts off of those.

as well as the recommended bulb change.

You don't have to change the bulbs to 47 unless you want to, IMHO it is only necessary if you are going to keep the game on for a day at a time. If you power them up and it would be on for 5-6 hours then there is no need to swap to a 47 (versus the standard 44s).

I would though replace the 44s in the head to LEDs. That will lower temps in the head and will make a big difference.

There aren't any known ground issues on Firepower that I am aware of.

My cabinet was sitting in a non-temp controlled storage unit so the variation in temperature and humidity took its tool on the outside of my cab. It was flaking and I didn't want to restencil so I painted the cabinet by hand with Acrylics. All of the black was repainted and spot touchups were done on the other colors.

Yours looks worse than mine though because someone touched up the entire cab. In your case you almost would need to restencil IMHO. You could try various paint removers (like Citristrip) and see how they work.

As far as a tumbler goes I use a Berry's MFG Model 400. I have had it for 4-5 years and it has worked flawlessly. You could also go with a Dillon tumbler or a Cabellas tumbler.
 
I've been wanting one of these for a long while.. want no more!

Got the snarl and sneer from the wife but that was to be expected however she warmed to the idea and life is good. I'm still working on my other game Cleopatra so another project has already arrived, this could get ugly.

The playfield is in really good condition for the age and has just a couple of worn out spots. The cabinet has been painted with some type of marker, it doesn't look like paint (here we go again.. another strip) the legs look like crap and it has a slight sound issue. I've got to say that even though it needs work all the displays look good and it it seems to play fine, bumpers need some work and it needs to be cleaned...

So here's what I'm after, this thing needs some love. It's been worked on before but is going to need some more for you owners of Williams 6 games what electronics need to be replaced, does someone have a list of part numbers, quantities, etc. from an order they've placed? I realize the interconnect needs to be replaced but I've seen some different part numbers and would love a definitive list.

The sound issue is kind of interesting, in the background I can faintly hear the "Firepower" being replayed and the other sounds seem to be working, some of this could disappear with the replacement of the connectors and interconnect but I was curious if anyone had experienced something similar in their run ins with the System 6 games.

I'm a little concerned about cleaning the cabinet with goof-off which was suggested by a reliable source as this is how I got jammed up on my Cleopatra but I've heard Goof-Off spray and a couple of seconds wait time might be the ticket, thoughts?

Also, where the original legs chrome? these are painted Grey which I assume were switched out with something else.

VB,
did you get this one from Norm?

Glennon
 
Congrats and it's an awesome game. I have two (bought as a pair with many probs but got both working) so I can play one while I restore the other. I got tired of waiting for a repro playfield so I am having a spare PF touched up and clearcoated. I also have a stencil set and will re-stencil the better of the cabs this summer. Everyone has given you great advice ( do all of it if you intend to keep it and it will operate trouble-free for many years). I've had mine running for a couple of years trouble free except for the leaf switch with the reverse contacts (this is also well-documented) in the ball feeder - I have to clean it from time to time or the game will not start as it does not think all three balls are present. I will replace it with the correct one when I replace the PF. There is plenty of documentation available for this beloved pin. This is one of my ten favorite pins - if you like Steve Ritchie designs this one will not disappoint. One came with chrome legs and the other with silver hammer finish painted legs. I would not go with black but if you have to paint the legs the silver hammer finish did not look bad at all.

Bill
 
Yeah, this came from Norm, I was lucky enough to find Brian making a run to KY and things just worked out, many thanks for the lead GordanFan...

"silver hammer finish painted legs"

Ah, that would be correct then for the game, interesting.. I'll try to clean them up and keep them original.

"I would though replace the 44s in the head to LEDs"

Do they make LED's that just plug into regular bulb sockets?

Its been just my luck to find another cabinet that's been unfairly treated... MrBill08 if your stencils work out maybe we can make some kind of deal if they're re-usable, I might be looking for some stencils in the near future... aaargh..

Thanks for all the pointers guys, I've read about the ball feeder issue and I think it was said that Williams installed the leafs backward or something but I hadn't heard about the "The resistors under the playfield for the flashers need to be changed to a higher wattage." What's that all about?

Another question about playfield preservation, since this does have some wear what are the thoughts on how to proceed, touch it up and clear it or clean it and wax it?? Will the wax actually keep it from wearing more?

Off to watch the Olympics opening ceremony... always something cool to see. :>)

VB,
 
Are there certain LED bulbs that are being used for Heads as opposed to playfields - bright white might not look that good, recommendations?

VB,
 
...but I hadn't heard about the "The resistors under the playfield for the flashers need to be changed to a higher wattage." What's that all about?
VB,


Underneath the playfield there is a little terminal strip that has two resistors on it. It is not in the regular schematic, but on an extra documentation page 4. These resistors are 8r7 and 8r8. 8r7 is a 1 ohm 1/2 W resistor that carries the current to make the bulbs flash bright. 8r8 is 330 ohm 2W resistor to keep a small amount of current on the filament to keeps the filaments warm so that they flash quicker than if they were cold. (or so the theory goes) On most Firepower machines these two resistors are burned out and the flashers do not work Replace 8r7 with a 1 ohm 1 W(or highter) resistor. And replace 8r8 with a 330 ohm 5W (or higher) resistor.

The extra schematic page is here:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/co_goose/Pinball/FP-extra-4b.jpg

and a picture of the board is here:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/co_goose/Pinball/FirepowerDuring015.jpg
the 1 ohm resistor is cracked, and the 330 ohm resistor is missing, but that should get you the location that you are looking for.

Found a better picture:
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/co_goose/Pinball/Firepower2During034.jpg
This one has both resistors in place and the 330 ohm pretty shot.


Mike
 
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Tried to clean the cabinet today with terrible results... whatever was used to paint this didn't react to Goo-Gone or Motsenbockers Lift Off spray... I'm guessing these only work on latex? This might not be latex paint...

I also tried some elbow grease with Alcohol and Melamine foam cleaner.. very little progress..

Any other ideas or suggestions for not stripping the cabinet just the top layer of paint?

VB,
 
You can try Citristrip (you can find at Home Depot), but this is designed to take off paint. I would test in a small area, starting by leaving on for very short duration...maybe 2-3 min. If that doesn't work, you can try leaving on for a bit longer before trying to scrape and or elbo-grease with water wet sponge. I had great results taking off paint over vinyl, but I've never tried paint over paint...
 
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