As always, safety first. Unplug the machine from the wall before doing anything else.

Now that we are safe from the ravages of A/C power, lets remove the power supply assembly from inside of the machine. You'll need to pull the three plugs from the rectifier board and likely will need to remove the protective cage that surrounds it and disconnect it from the cabinet body or head. Once you have it out, lay it down in a clean work area with something protective under it. The kit can rewire an original AS-2518-18 rectifier board, any of the excellent remake boards available from various retailers and original AS-2518-49 rectifier boards. Which do you have? If your game is a KISS, Future Spa or Space Invaders it is likely a -49 board. It looks like this-

For most other early Bally solid state games you will have a AS-2518-18 style rectifier board that looks like this-

As I mentioned earlier, there are also several good remakes available from various retailers that make good, hardy replacements for worn out boards. Most of these boards are going on 40 years old and were not designed to last more than 5. Note the fuse clips in the above photo for F5, a 20 amp fuse. They are discolored and burned from years of too many amps flowing through them. At a minimum, a reused board should have its plugs and fuse clips replaced. Here is an example of a remake -18 board available at www.greatplainselectronics.com -

So what is the difference between them? The -18 and -49 are essentially the same except that the -49 has an extra switched illumination circuit onboard to run special lights for the machine they were used in. KISS had the K-I-S-S that lit up sequentially in the backglass, Future Spa has blinking lights behind a rainbow diffuser in the backglass and Space Invaders has the infinity lights that dance around the outside of the head. Both boards featured undersized bridge rectifiers and components that lasted a surprisingly large amount of time considering the technology of the day. The newer boards are much hardier and will last a good long time. Also, the newer boards can replace either model of old board and do not require heat paste to be applied between the bridge rectifiers and the heat sink mount. Now that all those questions have been answered, lets move on to the installing part!

Let us start by removing all of the old wiring from the board and the transformer. We'll need nice clean tinned surfaces for attaching our new wiring. Original boards will need to be unscrewed from the mounting surface. You will find old heat paste underneath and on the top of the bridge rectifiers. This is easily removed with 91% or higher alcohol available at most drug stores. Once it is all cleaned up, give it a good inspection and perform any planned repairs.

Next, take a look at your transformer and see what voltage it is set for. The transformer can be set to run on different supply currents depending upon location according to the chart found in the schematics of your games manual.

Most games will be set for 115 volts A/C. (115VAC) In the example above you can see that the transformer is set to 115VAC as there are connections between lugs 1 and 3 as well as between lugs 9 and 11. If you need to change whatever the settings are on your transformer I have included a piece of wire in the baggie with the zip strips for this purpose. Now you may want to find and mark all of the numbered wire locations on your rectifier board. I will usually write them on the back as well so I won't need to keep flipping the board back and forth as I work.

Fortunately, the newer boards are well marked on both sides. To begin I find it best to lay the board upside down on its pegs with the plugs towards the transformer. Start with the wire bundle labeled #1. Go down the check off list one wire at a time and solder it into the proper hole. Lead the wire to the center left of the board as shown.

Now do the same with bundle #2. Once they are in place gather them with a zip tie to neaten them up. Once all are in place, flip the board over and add solder to the points on the other side.

Double check that all wires are in the proper place and then go ahead and mount the board back to the plate. The last steps are to attach the wires to the correct lugs on the transformer. Start with one side and complete it before you move onto the next. Hold the bunch of wires in the center of the transformer side and trim them appropriately and then connect them. Be sure to leave a little slack in the wire. You do not want to make it up too tightly.

Once all wires are soldered in place, use the remaining zip ties to neaten each side. Sit back. Admire your work. Now go install it and play some pinball!

Rewiring a board is not a magic fix. This will not repair any previous technical issues your machine may have had. Exercise caution around high voltages and never work on energized equipment. Third Coast Pinball takes no responsibility for damage that may result through the improper use of its products.