Black Hole Bridge rectifier...

[ROLLERBALL]

Ok well I have no 5v power led light on the power supply in my BH...
i tested the 12v bridge rectifier last night that also ends up 5v down the track and it seems to be dead...I get no reading when I have the DMM on the ground and the lead next to it....all the other rectifiers under the playfield seem fine...
So if I replace that bridge is there anything else i should change at the same time??The big orange cap ect???Is there something that broke the bridge that I need to replace or do they just fail with time..

cheers..paul

[pinnies4me]

If you've still got the orange cap in there, it's a good idea to change it to get a smooth 5 v - http://www.pinrepair.com/sys80/index1.htm#power - Clay insists it always be changed. Not sure what might have taken the bridge out, it is fed by the transformer  - have you checked you have the voltage coming into the bridge?

[Pinball Fixers]

Bridge Rectifiers fail due to age and use. They have a pretty tough job to do (converting AC to pulsing DC), and being that yours is around 20 years old, it's not surprising that it has failed.

The Cap should be replaced too, as it smooths the pulsing DC into proper DC that can then be used by the electronics further down the path. Electrolytic Caps eventually dry out (the electrolyte drys out), and therefore cannot do the job of smoothing the pulsing DC properly, which leads to random and strange problems later on.

The voltage coming out of the transformer is most likely OK as transformers rarely fail, but a good idea to check it just in case.

[ROLLERBALL]

Thanks for the info guys..