A New Walther Free Pistol Replacement Electronics Board

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Bob LeDoux
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 6:08 pm
Location: Jefferson, OR (near Salem)

Post by Bob LeDoux »

jbshooter: On looking at your photos I see I was mistaken. Your pistol uses LED's. The early model used a neon lamp and incandescent lamp to report charging and trigger pull.

Reviewing my documentation it appears there may be four different boards that were produced.

What remains constant are the connections to the pistol: Two wires go to the firing coil; two or three wires go to the loading lever switch; three wires go to the trigger. A board that can make these connections should, hopefully, work on any of the pistols.

Does anyone have a contact for Ray McDougall? He knew something about the Walther history.
jbshooter
Posts: 364
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:39 am

Post by jbshooter »

Hi Bob,
Which board do you think would be in a FP with serial number 1263. Do you think it could be one of the early troublesome ones?
Regards
John
Bob LeDoux
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 6:08 pm
Location: Jefferson, OR (near Salem)

Post by Bob LeDoux »

jbshooter wrote:Hi Bob,
Which board do you think would be in a FP with serial number 1263. Do you think it could be one of the early troublesome ones?
Regards
John
It was early in the production series. I believe the serial numbers started at 1000 and went to almost 2500.

What information do you have on the board problems?
Bob LeDoux
Posts: 113
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 6:08 pm
Location: Jefferson, OR (near Salem)

Walther FP on Gunbroker

Post by Bob LeDoux »

It appears to be serial 1316, making it an old model. It looks like new except for an added trigger finger bump. It is advertised as working. No bids with opening bid of $499.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =265620976

At auction close the pistol went for $610.
Last edited by Bob LeDoux on Mon Jan 02, 2012 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
jbshooter
Posts: 364
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:39 am

Post by jbshooter »

This one looks like a short barrel version.
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Brayhaven
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:38 pm
Location: N. Florida

Post by Brayhaven »

I have one of these pistols that I got with some other target pistols from Germany. It's ser # 2211 w/ fitted Walther case etc.. It has the circuit board out of it?? and some new small electronic parts in the box with the board. Gun looks new with a bunch of match stickers, but I can't find a scratch on it. I know nothing about electronics, beyond operating a light switch... Anyone on here find an electronics genious who can put together one of bob's replacement boards? Any help appreciated. Even the grips seem unaltered on this gun. Seems a shame to retire it. great balance & sights!
Thanks, Greg
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HKP7ROCKS
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2022 10:23 pm

Re: A New Walther Free Pistol Replacement Electronics Board

Post by HKP7ROCKS »

Hello, TargetTalk.org members!

This is my first post. A friend of mine suggested this may be the online source for information I am looking for.

I found what appears to be a brand new, unfired Walther FP pistol. I read online about it's problems and the fact that Walther is providing no support for this gun; however, I am still fascinated with the design and I am still considering purchasing it. Here is a link to the online article I found and read about the Walther FP...

https://www.rockislandauction.com/riac- ... alther-fp/

I understand that this pistol has a couple of patents and was a leading-edge design when it was created about 40 years ago. As a student of design I am always very interested in innovative and leading-edge design; especially when people are genuinely trying to think outside the box. As such, I am a big fan of Helmut Weldle, the H&K engineer who created the P7 pistol, and the team of Honda engineers who created the NR500 and NR750 motorcycles.

Would the Walther FP still be considered a cutting edge design? Feedback from other members is very much welcome!

Are replacement electronics cards still available for the Walther FP, or are the schematic drawings at least available?
Gwhite
Posts: 3426
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2004 6:04 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Re: A New Walther Free Pistol Replacement Electronics Board

Post by Gwhite »

I have an article from someone who reverse engineered the circuit board a while back, and had successfully repaired one (attached).
1-Walther Article.pdf
(475.27 KiB) Downloaded 113 times
They were never popular to shoot because most people found them too heavy. The team I help coach has one, but it hasn't seen the light of day for 20 years. I suspect it will need an overhaul to be be brought back to life.

A gold plated one was featured in a beautiful poster advertising Olympic shooting back in the 1980's. I tried to find an image on-line, but struck out. I had one of the posters framed for many years, but donated it to the school where I coach. A previous Range Master decided there wasn't wall space for it & threw it out...
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