Author Topic: Bally/Stern Rectifier Board Replacement from GPE  (Read 191 times)

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Offline Steve2010

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Bally/Stern Rectifier Board Replacement from GPE
« on: July 11, 2011, 02:07:20 PM »
I have Bally machines which I am currently restoring (separate threads will follow in the near future).  As I have had issues with some of these power supplies (ie. rectifier boards), I knew I wanted to address this once and for all with a rock solid solution.

I did consider restoring the original board and replacing components, but must admit I was not that keen to with all the desoldering (especially the header pins).  Plus, although the boards themselves seem in OK condition, I have read that the original boards (excluding the components) were not the best designs.  As Clay has recommended mods to these boards, plus component upgrades, this tipped the balance in my mind to explore alternatives.

So, in the end I decided to go with the Bally rectifier board replacement from Great Plains Electrical (GPE) http://www.greatplainselectronics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=135-104.

For $60 you get a completely built board, plus all the 3 connector housings and molex connectors, standoffs, etc.  The link above has the details.  The only work to do is to remove the transformer wires from the old board, and (carefully) re-attach the wires to the new board.  I have completed all 4 games, and must say I am 100% impressed with these.  I believe the $60 is well spent, and I am confident I will not have any power/connector issues with this part of the backbox.

Offline Homepin

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Re: Bally/Stern Rectifier Board Replacement from GPE
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2011, 02:22:06 PM »
Great idea. I would strongly recommend the replacement of these original boards. They also had poor through hole plating (best available at the time) and this causes all sorts of issues.

I will be working on a similar replacement PCB in the near future and it will them be available in Australia from the manufacturer (me).
Replacement Pinball PCBs that remain faithful to the originals

Offline chris288

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Re: Bally/Stern Rectifier Board Replacement from GPE
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2011, 04:42:51 PM »
I would have to agree.

The GPE board is really good value and to do Clays mod on the original boards may keep some originality but the cost of the parts is probably half the cost of the GPE replacement PLUS your valuable time to do it.

This  simple installation is what I do now to "bullet proof"the power supply on my Ballys and Sterns.

As far as I'm concerned I will pick practicality and reliability over originality any day.