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FIXED : BTTF - Flasher bulbs - BLOWING (DATAEAST)

S

SBDESIGN

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Dec 30, 2018
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79
Location
North East
UPDATE:
More bulbs are blowing now. All the under playfield flashers are fine.
But the top dome flashers on ramp still blow (top left and right)
Now some in back box are blowing.
- NOTE: I pinched many flashers from back box while testing. (would this be relating to what @pinballmania said?

I have 20 bulbs on order... So I will wait till I put them all in. Its driving me nuts, but still badly ill off work so think Im just easily getting frustrated.

I measured the flashers to ground and get 40.7V on all of them including working ones. IS this correct?
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Hi

I'm off work with a bad virus that is really going to town on me.

But While I'm off I'm looking at my Back to the Future Pinball, and sorting a few things out.
I noticed both TOP LEFT, TOP RIGHT flashers were not working.

1 had a LED, the other had a normal bulb.

The Normal Bulb one, had a loose wire, so that was a easy fix.
Now the LED one, the led just dim lit and flickered (I suspect broken, did the same everywhere I tried it)
I replaced it with a normal bulb (from back board) and it worked for 4 flashes, then stopped working.

I kept trying again by using flashers from back box that appear the same. Just when I thought it was working after 10 flashes - gone, then sometimes one flash (went through 6-8 bulbs)

This is my only pin at the minute, so my knowledge is slim.

Now I need to order more flashers...

  1. What bulbs are these? (are the back box flashers, and the ones under the coloured plastic caps on playfield the same?)
  2. Any ideas why one flasher keeps blowing a bulb?
3. cheapest/best place to order the bulbs?


thank you
 
Last edited:
I tried LED #89 flashers in my Jurassic Park and they wouldn’t work. It’s a Data East thing. Don’t ask me why but they don’t like LED flashers, stick to an old fashioned one and it should be fine
 
The flashers on Data East are an odd design. They use 12V bulbs, but the supply voltage is 32V. So on the PPB board ( bottom left ) are a number of resistors that are matched to the number of flashers that each circuit is driving. Each resistor drops the voltage to a lower level by dividing the voltage between the resistor and the resistance of the lamps that it is attached to. My theory is that the problem comes when 1 or more of the normally 4 flash lamps attached blows. They're in parallel, so when one blows the overall effective resistance of the remaining bulbs increases. That means that the share of the voltage across the lamps increases. As each blows, more strain is put on the remainder. When only one is left, it is under significant over volts. So the upshot is, that when you replace a flasher, make sure that all the others in the same group are replaced or are good at the same time, before testing.
 
pinballmania said:
The flashers on Data East are an odd design. They use 12V bulbs, but the supply voltage is 32V. So on the PPB board ( bottom left ) are a number of resistors that are matched to the number of flashers that each circuit is driving. Each resistor drops the voltage to a lower level by dividing the voltage between the resistor and the resistance of the lamps that it is attached to. My theory is that the problem comes when 1 or more of the normally 4 flash lamps attached blows. They're in parallel, so when one blows the overall effective resistance of the remaining bulbs increases. That means that the share of the voltage across the lamps increases. As each blows, more strain is put on the remainder. When only one is left, it is under significant over volts. So the upshot is, that when you replace a flasher, make sure that all the others in the same group are replaced or are good at the same time, before testing.
Click to expand...
Ah. That's interesting Andy.

Yeah I had problems with #89 LED flashers not working on Tommy. Group of 4 in the outlane.

So.... if you fit all LEDs in a group of flashers and they are all good there shouldn't be a problem?

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk
 
Cheers for the information guys.

Does anyone know what bulbs are these? (are the back box flashers, and the ones under the coloured plastic caps on playfield the same?) - so I can order some
Anyone know the cheapest/best place to order the bulbs?


BLOWING FLASHER...
So none of the others have the issue, but they are all working except one blows. So to my understanding one blows with less volts (as all bulbs working), then the volts in crease, and the others are fine when this happens.
 
Thank you, the bulb I have in hand does have "89" markings.
With me not having a clue, and not knowing history of machine I wanted to hear it from someone else to rule out bulb type being wrong.
I had ready a lot of things when looking up this issue regarding bulb types being wrong but same fitment.

The machine was in good wear condition, but wrong fuses, things blowing, and pitted. Just not looked after.

I'll order some normal #89. Appreciate all the info guys.

BLOWING BULB.

As this SAME socket had the LED bulb in that had 5 smd's ( believe this is what they are), 4 were out, and the one on top was slightly pulsing/flickering (even when took out the machine for a bit)
- IS IT POSSIBLE, that this has damaged something...

"So on the PPB board ( bottom left ) are a number of resistors that are matched to the number of flashers that each circuit is driving. Each resistor drops the voltage to a lower level by dividing the voltage between the resistor and the resistance of the lamps that it is attached to."

Like a resistor on this particular light?
 
UPDATE:
More bulbs are blowing now. All the under playfield flashers are fine.
But the top dome flashers on ramp still blow (top left and right)
Now some in back box are blowing.
- NOTE: I pinched many flashers from back box while testing. (would this be relating to what @pinballmania said?

I have 20 bulbs on order... So I will wait till I put them all in. Its driving me nuts, but still badly ill off work so think Im just easily getting frustrated.

I measured the flashers to ground and get 40.7V on all of them including working ones. IS this correct?

MY SKILL LEVEL: literally novice, learning, reading - only recently learned how to use a volt meter (and thats if Im using it correctly!)
 
As Andy all ready said you need all 4 in a section to be good else it's strained all the others.Being as you have moved them all around it may be better to remove all 89 lamps.Measure resistance of each one with a multimeter, bin blown ones.order more than you need replacement lamps.Then put them in.Check all connections on each area where lamps were blowing to ensure the two connections ain't touching.Look at the ppb board in back box, btm lh iirc.Check the big resistors on there are connected and arnt burnt up as they do get very hot.Then if all good power on.If one lamp blows AGAIN recheck connections on the lamp holder arnt touching each other or touching any metal bits that would short it out
 
Will do thanks. I will check, and await all bulbs!

You guys must get tired of newbie fools.
But I have to start somewhere!
 
"remove all 89 lamps." I thought you meant qty of 89

Anyway, bulbs arrived, machine is working really well now and much better lighting effects than when I bought it.

Good little basic pin this, good for quick play and especially a party game for non pin heads to easily / simply enjoy- ALL GOOD!

Much appreciation for all the info and comments from all above.
Thank you
 
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