Firepower LED flasher question

NeoTopher

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Anybody successfully put them in? I just got the rest of my playfield LED kit from Terry (PBL -- already called him -- great guy) and, well the flashers don't flash -- they just stay on...put the incandescent flashers back in and they flash properly.

This one has both me and Terry stumped. Any ideas would be appreciated before I mail these back out. I REALLY, REALLY want to get these working.
 
Hitting all the fire and power targets makes them flash. When one of the 2 word sequences are hit the corresponding word lights and stays lit -- lighting the other word causes both words to flash.

With both incandescent flashers, the sequence works properly. With the LED flashers in, both flashers stay lit regardless of what is going on. With 1 LED flasher and 1 incan flasher, the LED stays lit and the incan does nothing.

Terry was thinking it was a ground issue -- but that would make the incan flashers not work either. Maybe bad bulbs -- but the odds of getting 2 bad bulbs of completely different colors is so great that I had better buy a lotto ticket if that is the case. Leaning towards incompatibility in this case.
 
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What does it do in test mode? It sounds similar to what happens when you install LEDs in an automotive flasher application but according to Clay's website these flash due to a discrete signal, not thermal expansion.

Do the bulbs dim when they should flash? It is possible that they are flashing so quickly that it is hard to see...
 
The LEDs are flashing slightly brighter but it is hard to see because they are lit all the time and just flash a little brighter then the normal brightness. The flashers should be off until they flash.
 
The LEDs are flashing slightly brighter but it is hard to see because they are lit all the time and just flash a little brighter then the normal brightness. The flashers should be off until they flash.


OK, it sounds like they are not drawing all of the power off from the circuit before they get another bump with the next flash signal. LEDs are extremely low draw compared to incandescent lights. I'll try and find a schematic for the flasher circuit.
 
The schematic doesn't show anything in the circuit that can hold it high (like a cap or battery).


I don't really know where to go from here. Have you tried posting on RGP? There are many more pin guys over there and one of them has likely dealt with this problem.
 
The schematic doesn't show anything in the circuit that can hold it high (like a cap or battery).

That is because the flasher circuit is not on the schematic. It was on an additiional documentation page:

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/u...P-extra-4b.jpg

There is a 330 Ohm "Warming" resistor that applies a low current to the flash lamps to keep the filaments warm so that they flash quicker. This resistor is under rated and is often burned. There is also a 1 ohm resistor in the flash circuit that is also underrated and is often burned up. Personally I would leave the #89 Flash lamps in the circuit.

I have not installed LED's in this circuit, That said, My best guess would be to disconnect the 330 Ohm warming resistor from the circuit and see if they flash. Also you will need to verify that the LED flashers are installed correctly so that they will flash since there is DC applied to the flashers in this circuit, (as opposed to AC in the GI circuit). I do not know if the #89 LED replacements are unipolar, or bipolar but they are wired in series, you may have to re-wire the sockets to apply the proper polarity to the LED's to get them to light up.

Keep us posted.
 
I got the blue and red super bright LEDs in there already -- I wanted the LED flashers in there because the blues are different -- light ice blue when it flashes with the incandescent #89 and a nice deep blue with the #44 LEDs.

I wanted that nice deep blue when it flashed...oh well. I'm really happy with the rest of the LEDs though. I put blues in the lower PF numbers and really liked how that turned out.
 
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