WPC MPU Power Fix Circuit add-on daughterboard – 2018 edition!

  • 03

$18.73 (-40%)

61

  • All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
  • Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
  • Refund will be given as: Money Back
  • Condition: New
  • Item must be returned within: 30 Days
  • Brand: KAHR.US Circuits
  • Restocking Fee: 10%

    • WPC MPU Power Fix
    Stop your WPC machine from resetting because of power supply issues!  This auction is for the WPC MPU Power Fix daughterboard
    that I designed
    (no, the MPU board is NOT included; it is merely shown in pictures 2 and 3 to demonstrate installation).  This circuit board is professionally made in a US-based PCB board shop and the components are soldered together in Virginia.
    What it does
    This circuit creates a unique 5 volt power source for the MPU board separate from the rest of the machine.  Resets happen on WPC pinball machines because the Driver Board’s 5 volt power supply is minimally sized for the many functions it needs to drive.  WPC series MPU Boards have a watchdog circuit that shuts down the board if the voltage on the 5 volt line drops below a cutoff voltage (around 4.7 volts).  When this happens the machine appears to unexpectedly turn off – immediately ending any active games. Interestingly, the watchdog shutting down the MPU board often sufficiently reduces the draw on the 5 volt power supply such that the voltage quickly recovers and the machine starts booting as if all were well once again.  Unfortunately all is not well – in some cases re-energizing the MPU board just as quickly pulls down the 5 volt power supply and the watchdog again turns off the MPU – creating an endless on/off reset cycle about every two seconds.  Your machine may not currently enter this rapid “reset loop” but if your machine resets, your machine will experience additional resets – the periodicity of your reset loop may be minutes (or even an hour or more) but you are just waiting for the next reset.
    The WPC MPU Power Fix daughterboard eliminates watchdog resets by moving the MPU load off the 5 volt line to the 12 volt line.  If you look at the WPC MPU Power Fix board, several pins are missing from the wire-side connector… this is because the Driver Board 5 volt line is no longer passed to the MPU.  Instead a switched regulator generates a very stable 5 volt supply that is used only on the MPU.  This reliably satisfies the watchdog circuit and therefore the MPU board is not reset.
    Other parts of your pinball machine still use the original 5 volt power supply so best maintenance practices such as replacing failed capacitors, burnt connector pins, and non-functioning rectifier diodes still must be performed.  At long last, however, you no longer have to worry about every hundredth of a volt when conducting these repairs.
    Don’t miss the new section called “Detailed Technical Discusion” at
    www.kahr.us/index2.html
    See It Work
    Here is a short video showing the WPC MPU Power Fix solving resets in my Party Zone pinball: WPC MPU
    Power Fix on YouTube
    How to install it
    The WPC MPU Power Fix circuit board is plug compatible with WPC, WPC-S and WPC95 MPU Boards.  You need about 1.5 inch of clearance above the MPU board to install the daughterboard.  Simply unplug the 7-pin power connector from your MPU.  Plug this connector into the WPC MPU Power Fix circuit and then plug the Power Fix daughterboard circuit into the MPU board.
    The WPC MPU Power Fix daughterboard is designed and assembled in the United States by KAHR.US Circuits… a pretty small operation – just me in my spare time!

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