![]() ![]() The displays would light-up and display cryptic codes (so the CPU was known to at least be running) but diagnostic codes were not accepted and the machine stayed in ‘game over’ mode. When we got the machine, it was not working, so … The usual Culprits … Connectors ![]() The scoring displays are seven segment gas discharge displays similar to Nixie tubes. In the backbox are housed two boards with Motorola 6800 processors: one to run the game logic and a second to produce sound effects (including voice – one of the first machines to do so). One of the intriguing things about this machine is the electronics. This page chronicles the refurbishing process including hints and tips I’ve picked-up and even circuitry to replace unobtainable, obsolete driver chips. She looks beautiful, now, and you can see the machine in all it’s glory here. Many little problems were fixed along the way including the ball ejector which “stuck” one out of every ten balls, a host of electronics issues including a strange bug which caused the machine to boot-up in a diagnostic mode, and “flaky” neon discharge displays which didn’t operate properly until the machine warms-up (it finally went dark completely). ![]() The playfield required extensive touch-ups (outlined below on this page), the backglass was flaking, and many mechanical parts needed work (primarily a through cleanup), and the backbox needed to be rebuilt with wood filler after a dog apparently removed the corner. The machine took a lot longer than a day, though, to bring “back to life”. ![]() Well, a day of cleanup – both physical cleanup of the machine innards as well as contacts and connectors, repair of a driver board (which prevented a bunch of lights from working: hard to play when you can’t see which player is up), replacement of about twenty burned-out lamps, rebuilding of the wood backbox (one corner was split and an earlier attempt by a previous owner to repair it with nails failed) and the basic machine works! The entire family went on a pinball binge for a few days and we just love the beast! I figured the game would be a good bet for me since it features 1980’s computer technology (including the 6800 CPU) of which I’m familiar due to my hobby collecting Old Computers. The playfield was damaged by drywall screws put in to prevent the ball from rolling into the gutters as well as between the flippers. The condition of the machine was, well, “neglected” but you get what you pay for and it was cheap at $150! As we got it, the machine was dead (only a few backlights on the playfield and the backglass even worked and the game did not run – even “attract” mode would not run). This machine, Firepower, is just slightly newer, circa 1980, and was designed by the same guy who designed “Flash” (Steve Ritchie) – the two machines show a lot of similarities and it “just feels right” to play it! While the machine is electronic, it has many “old school” features including electromechanical flippers (no drivers), and very retro gas discharge displays for scoring. As a teen, I played a great deal of pinball at the local roller rink – my favourite machine at the time being “Flash”, a Williams game circa 1979. ![]()
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