Action Pinball Logo Firepower ROM Info and New Combo ROM!
 
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Firepower ROM Info and New Combo ROM!
NOTICE: For some very important information, please read the Technical Article Notice and Disclaimer, found on our Technical Articles Index page before performing any of the work described below. The information given below assumes you have read the Notice and Disclaimer first.

CONTACTING US: (Please Read)
  • Parts & Supplies: Free free to call or e-mail us if you have any questions about parts that we sell which are mentioned in any of the Technical Articles on our site.

  • Technical Help & Questions:

    • E-mail and Phone Help: We do not provide any technical help by phone or e-mail, unless you bought your game directly from our shop. If you did not, we cannot help you- please do not contact us. We simply do not have the time or resources to provide technical assistance by e-mail or phone for games that did not come directly from our shop. Instead, please see the section below on "Do It Yourself" for further help.

    • Pinball Repair: If you have a game that you need serviced or repaired, please see our Game Service & Repair page for further info.

    • Do-It-Yourself: For information on working on your own game, you can browse online repair guides such as www.pinrepair.com, www.homepinballrepair.com, and www.pinwiki.com


History:
Firepower (1980) was the only Level 6 game to use ALL SIX rom chip sockets on the MPU board. The lower three ROM chips (IC20, IC17, and IC14- left to right) were standard 16kb ROM chips, replaceable with common 2716 or 2516 EPROM chips.

The top 3 chips, however, were 3624 bipolar PROM chips, with a memory capacity of about 4kb. These chips were mass produced for the game's production and are long obsolete and no longer available. Nearly impossible to replace unless you're lucky enough to have some blank 3624 PROMs and the equipment to program them... not to mention, a valid copy of the hard-to-extract ROM image data.

Problem:
The problem with the bipolar PROM chips was that they were susceptible to heat. After a game was run for a certain amount of time (mostly games that were left on 24hrs/day), the bipolars would start to operate intermittently, often causing the game to halt or lock up. Operators were replacing these chips from the time the game was initially released.

Solution:
The solution to these problematic chips was to eliminate them, and combine all their memory, along with the game ROM (IC14) memory into one new chip at location IC14. To do this, a larger chip must be used at IC14, and consequently some modifications made to the circuit board in order for it to read all the memory in the newer, larger IC14 chip.

The benefit to this "combo ROM" is threefold:
  1. Eliminate the problematic bipolar PROMs.
  2. New ROM is a common replacement chip.
  3. Less ROM chips used = less chance for future problems with chips/sockets.
The only negative is that some slight modifications have to be made to the board, making it useable only in a Firepower game with this ROM chip. (The modifications are completely reversible, however, in case you want to return the board to it's original condition for use in another game.)

Ordering:
  • Click here to order the Firepower IC14 Combo ROM Update Kit.
  • Click here for general ROM chip information.
NOTE: Circuit board modification and good electronics/soldering skills are required for using this product. If you don't have the necessary skills to modify your board for use with this combo chip, you may need to enlist the help of a qualified technician.

DISCLAIMER: Modifications done to your board, and the use of the combo ROM chip are done so at your own risk. We are not responsible for any problems or damage to your board due to your work, the modification instructions, or from use of the combo ROM itself.

NOTE: Please do not ask for free copies of ROM images. We do not provide ROM images or documentation outside of the ROM chips and kits we sell.

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