(Topic ID: 14711)
Out of all the LEDs I have used, I have had the worst luck with the Ablaze 3-LEDs. They seem to be fairly reliable in inserts, but I have had a ton of them fail in my backboxes.
Dekalb, IL
I was just thinking of starting this exact topic. Like the OP I've had some go bad here and there but never a big issue as they aslo were the abaze from PL. But I recently got an assortment of one from Cointaker and have to say the quality lately isn't great. I bought a CT full kit for BOP close to a year ago and they all still work fine, but I put misc CT in my FH recently and within 50 plays I've already have 2 or 3 go out.
Beauharnois
i had a bunch of leds that didn't work at all from cointakers few months ago, it was a defect.
didn't ask for a refund or anything, was about 20 in total. 10 white, 10 red.
i think i changed, about 10 leds in all my machines in the past 2 years, i think it's good, most was because socket went lose, the glue was bad, didn't hold in the socket.
Well I had another break, this time another one of the button ones. I ended up taking it apart and resoldering the resistor back on. I have to say no wonder they break. The legs are a resistor that has a very small amount of solder holding it to the led board. You would think they would at least reinforce it with glue.
Like dung said, pretty much the only reason an LED would fail (under normal conditions) would be because of something in the support circuit that drives it.
Quoted from Crash:Like dung said, pretty much the only reason an LED would fail (under normal conditions) would be because of something in the support circuit that drives it.
Aside from a circut issue 99% of my failures are cheap quality. When its a GI circuit and after a month one or 2 fail its not the circuit.
I have had cointaker ones go dim after months of use and the ablaze start flickering.
There have been many threads on the dimming, etc.
Pretty much boils down to cheap leds. Maybe not the case or wires but the actuall led whatever plant mass produces it, etc.
Quoted from davewtf:bad mouthin' cointaker? uh-oh...
No, just disappointed. I dropped 70 bucks last week and already have had to fix one led and have another failing. I really want to get two more of the flex color changes (one fast and one slow), but seeing how the one is failing I am rethinking my decision.
I have wanted to do colored flashers for awhile (borg ship, backglass, few spots on lotr, I wanted to do one in rbion under the shrunken head), but haven't because of my experience with their last flasher. there was nothing wrong with the circuit. I simply popped a normal incandescent bulb in and it worked fine without issue until I sold the game.
I will continue to buy some of their products. I really like the frosted domed bulbs and still need to do my gi in lotr and sttng. I mainly use ablaze in my inserts unless the insert is large or it is at a weird angle. At least then I don't mind them failing from cheap build quality.
It is disappointing. No maker is immune. They fail more often than they should, but it seems that I have more of the 3 LEDs from PBL fail more than others. Then again, it can also get frustrating when you plug them in and they don't work. Take the bulb out, move the wire around, insert it again and hope for the best. Repeat.
Yeah, I have had led failures. I have also had them not work at all. The ones that never worked were tried in multiple sockets etc. I have had color changers not color change. I have always bought kits. I have a lot of extras so I don't really get that upset , it is lame though. This happened last night, first time I've had this happen.
I must be the exception here. I've got LEDs in 3 of my machines and have had very few issues. I've got a mix of ablaze, cointaker, and BCS LEDs. Out of the 3 machines I think I've had only one fail in use, two not work from the beginning, and one where I twisted the head of the LED off (could have been my issue). So far they have been pretty reliable for me. I love not having to change out burnt bulbs all the time.
Quoted from DrStarkweather:Iv had maybe 4 fail on me out of 50. Some CoinTaker's and some PBLs
That's a high number, nearly 10%.
I give Chris a call from tyme to Tyme to see what he's Up to ,, While talk-n 2-nite , he mentioned this Thread . If you have some Led's that go Bad ( Send them back for a refund ) How Simple is that ..
10-2-1 , for the Trouble and less than $ 2 buck's or Less that it's Gonna cost Ya at the Post office , They will Probably throw in a few Extra's if you ask.. CoinTaker is Here to Please us !! I've spent a few Thousand ordering from them , I've Had a few Bad 1's too, I Alway's order More than I'm Gonna Need , because I Will use them on another Pin down the rd.. The CoinTaker Family might not Post , but they Do monitor . They Also Care !!
In the Pict ,, B_R , Raddroxx , Chris & Melissa
Quoted from ctozzi:I just got a bunch from cointaker and 2 are failures. I have to email him to see about getting a few new one's.
They aren't purple 555's are they? I got a bunch from my one machine and was dead certain that I had 32% DOA. Nope, turns out the purple ones have (what I will call) a manufacturing defect. The bottom of the base if flat rather than notched and the wires are thinner.
In the end all of my lights that I got from CT worked. It just took about 45 minutes to get the last 5 purple ones to light up.
Quoted from BLACK_ROSE:If you have some Led's that go Bad ( Send them back for a refund ) How Simple is that ..
10-2-1 , for the Trouble and the less than $ 2 buck's or Less that it's Gonna cost Ya at the Post office , They will Probably throw in a few Extra's if you ask.. CoinTaker is Here to Please us !!
Unless you have quite a few go bad at once postage is going to nullify the value of that. Shipping a 2-3 dollar led bulb back in a small envelope is going to end up costing about what the bulb ran to begin with. I guess I will start setting the bad ones aside and eventually turn them in.
Quoted from dung:I guess I will start setting the bad ones aside and eventually turn them in.
I think that's a great idea! While I have no doubt that Cris and Melissa will happily exchange any defective LEDs, I agree that it's not very cost effective to ship only one or two at a time back to them.
Unless you have quite a few go bad at once postage is going to nullify the value of that. Shipping a 2-3 dollar led bulb back in a small envelope is going to end up costing about what the bulb ran to begin with. I guess I will start setting the bad ones aside and eventually turn them in.
Exactly ,, Keep a lil-bag and save the D.O.A 's ,, When you Feel like the bag is Full enough and Your ready make another Order , return the bad 1's for a Refund.. We All Know that Everything is Mass Produced with High Tech Super Fast machines these day's , so there Will be some Dud's ..
I Gotta say CoinTaker has made Pinball More enjoyable for me w/ his Led's and their
Life-Tyme Discount to Pinside say's Alot ... 
Allright_!!.gif
Ya, why post this instead of dealing with the source (Cointaker.) I just dont get this. I too have had bad ones as well in a bunch, and NEVER EVER thought about posting up on this website about it. CoinTaker is good people and would take care of you if you have a problem, you just have to contact them.
I started putting LEDs in my pins maybe 5 years ago when PBL's Alaze line were practically the only show in town. I also recently put a CT kit in my TZ.
Both companies offered great service and support. Both companies had issues on my orders with a few bulbs. This seems common. Both responded well beyond my expectation.
Also, I think certain games/circuits or even conditions can kill an LED. I'm no electronics expert, but my IJ just burns out any LED I place under the friends inserts. I just use standard bulbs instead.
My MM, in contrast, had one or two bad bulbs when I first installed my hand-picked kit 4-5 years ago and no failed bulbs since then.
All things being equal, I personally prefer hand-picking the older/less intense lights that PBL carries, but I will also continue to support CT and try out some of their specialty bulbs and frosted line for some upcoming projects?
Quoted from Jeff_PHX_AZ:Ya, why post this instead of dealing with the source (Cointaker.) I just dont get this. I too have had bad ones as well in a bunch, and NEVER EVER thought about posting up on this website about it. CoinTaker is good people and would take care of you if you have a problem, you just have to contact them.
I could have, but already knew their policy, besides this is a forum and I wondered if anyone else felt as I did. Looking at the response from others it seems I am not the only one. I did forward the link to this thread to chris at cointaker, but while he respond acknowledging the email he didn't feel the need to post on here.
Since I did do this post I have repaired two of the 555 push button leds. Sure it is annoying that I had to considering one was brand new, but at least it can be done.
Ya, why post this instead of dealing with the source (Cointaker.) I just dont get this. I too have had bad ones as well in a bunch, and NEVER EVER thought about posting up on this website about it. CoinTaker is good people and would take care of you if you have a problem, you just have to contact them.
Consumer Satisfaction !! Gotta have that ...... If you Have a Problem , Address it Here...
Quoted from BLACK_ROSE:I give Chris a call from tyme to Tyme to see what he's Up to ,, While talk-n 2-nite , he mentioned this Thread . If you have some Led's that go Bad ( Send them back for a refund ) How Simple is that ..
10-2-1 , for the Trouble and the less than $ 2 buck's or Less that it's Gonna cost Ya at the Post office , They will Probably throw in a few Extra's if you ask.. CoinTaker is Here to Please us !! I've spent a few Thousand ordering from them , I've Had a few Bad 1's too, I Alway's order More than I'm Gonna Need , because I Will use them on another Pin down the rd.. The CoinTaker Family might not Post , but they Do monitor . They Also Care !!
Thanks B_R. It's nice to know that venders care about their products and services. CoinTaker is one of the best.
I've bought quite a few CTs and have only had a couple, that didn't work out of the bag. Usually there are more than a few that are tough to get going, having to take out and bent the wires put back in etc, but a little time and they always work. Haven't had a problem with any 89s though.
When Ive ordered Led's from Cointaker I always get a few extra's too. I was missing a few on my last order I sent them an email and had an offer to send them right out.. But a local pinside member had extra's and helped me out while my guys were there delivering a pinball, So I didn't want to have CT pay the extra postage!
CT is a GREAT Vendor, I can't speak to pinball life's led's because I havn't ordered any yet. I have order other PBL stuff and the purchase was just as expected GREAT.
Quoted from JDub1006:CoinTaker is one of the best.
They are indeed excellent! Chris has helped me out over the phone several times. In my most recent (rather large) order from them, I ordered 16 of their warm white 555's and 16 of their warm white 44's. Instead of one bag of each, I got two bags of the 555's. Sent an email to Chris about it and the next thing I know I have a new bag of 16 of the 44's in my mailbox. That's what I call service.
Uk
I too have had LEDS fail on me, and they came from cointaker. I bought a full led kit for my sttng a couple of years ago, and most of the white insert leds fizzled out in no time at all....
I contacted cointaker about it when making a further purchase, and they replaced every single faulty bulb without even asking for them back. I was very pleased. Excellent service.
I havent had anymore from them in a while due to one quite vital issue that i dont know has been resolved. The plastic that the leds were cased in was very smooth and shiny. They basically kept popping out of the insert bulb sockets after extended play and i found it to be super annoying.
I bought from other vendors and found the plastic to have a 'textured' surface and they stay solid in the insert bulb sockets with no movement whatsoever....
Can anyone tell me if cointaker still sell these type of leds, or has that issue been long resolved?
Quoted from Russo121:I too have had LEDS fail on me, and they came from cointaker. I bought a full led kit for my sttng a couple of years ago, and most of the white insert leds fizzled out in no time at all....
I contacted cointaker about it when making a further purchase, and they replaced every single faulty bulb without even asking for them back. I was very pleased. Excellent service.
I havent had anymore from them in a while due to one quite vital issue that i dont know has been resolved. The plastic that the leds were cased in was very smooth and shiny. They basically kept popping out of the insert bulb sockets after extended play and i found it to be super annoying.
I bought from other vendors and found the plastic to have a 'textured' surface and they stay solid in the insert bulb sockets with no movement whatsoever....
Can anyone tell me if cointaker still sell these type of leds, or has that issue been long resolved?
You Need to Order again !! About 1 Yr ago ( and you are right ) his Old style Led's , the head would twist Off or fall off at any given tyme and the 555 base's were to thin ( thus Would Fall out ( No More an Issue ) . Now the New Led's Have a More Durable Top and are Brighter . The Only Led that Hasn't been changed is the Purple Frosted due to it being ordered the least.. If you want a Purple hint to Yr p/f , Order the Pink Frosted ( lOOk's more Purple ) or the Super Purple . It took me a while last Year to get used to the New Style , now I use All Frosted Led's for the GI's and most inserts due to how Bright they are now..
the_pin_family ,,, Yr rite to ,, No need to be Pissed for Starting a Thread ask-n if Anyone else has a Similar problem !! I need to edit an Above post !!!
Quoted from the_pin_family:I don't see anyone bad mouthing cointaker of pbl here. In fact I think everyone agrees they both have fantastic customer service and are assets to the pin community. What we are discussing is the quality of LED's. Unless CT or PBL is running a sweat shop in china and are in charge of quality control then I think they are also bound by the fact that this is how LED's are made. The ones I've gotten from Marco are junk also. LED's are mass produced at a few pennys each and have a 5-10% failure rate. No ones fault and nothing can be done about it. I don't see any brand being any more reliable than the other. This is what's available and that's that. I will say this though. I still come out way ahead $ wise over standard bulbs. There is no reason for people to get there feelings hurt and start putting tilt warnings on everyone post that speaks there mind. It's looks childish and unprofessional. Unless you don't believe in freedom of speach that is. To say this post is not necessary because they will refund you money is rediculous. This is a pinball forum and we talk about pinball issues. Sometimes people want to see if it's just them or if others are having the same problem. I'll save you(whoever YOU are) and tilt this for you.
I agree 100% this thread is only about LED themselves and not the reseller.
I have spent at least $4000 on LEDs and deal with the burn outs, etc.
Its far and few and some machines eat more than others. But in the end its worth it and to me its a maintenance thing where I have to replace some now and then.
Just driving to the store eats more gas than my LED replacements.
Thats why my main GI leds are the ablaze cause you can get them very cheap. I love the Cointaker SB but at 1.19 vs .69 its a lot less tears when replacing burned out one.
Quoted from the_pin_family:To say this post is not necessary because they will refund you money is ridiculous. This is a pinball forum, and we talk about pinball issues. Sometimes people want to see if it's just them or if others are having the same problem ...
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Quoted from gweempose:Out of all the LEDs I have used, I have had the worst luck with the Ablaze 3-LEDs. They seem to be fairly reliable in inserts, but I have had a ton of them fail in my backboxes.
I had the exact same problem with the 3 led bulbs. Inserts were fine but in the backbox, they failed all the time.
Quoted from Slate:I have spent at least $4000 on LEDs and deal with the burn outs, etc.
Holy cow, that's an "A" title worth of LED's. 
Quoted from BLACK_ROSE:Russo121 said:I too have had LEDS fail on me, and they came from cointaker. I bought a full led kit for my sttng a couple of years ago, and most of the white insert leds fizzled out in no time at all....
I contacted cointaker about it when making a further purchase, and they replaced every single faulty bulb without even asking for them back. I was very pleased. Excellent service.
I havent had anymore from them in a while due to one quite vital issue that i dont know has been resolved. The plastic that the leds were cased in was very smooth and shiny. They basically kept popping out of the insert bulb sockets after extended play and i found it to be super annoying.
I bought from other vendors and found the plastic to have a 'textured' surface and they stay solid in the insert bulb sockets with no movement whatsoever....
Can anyone tell me if cointaker still sell these type of leds, or has that issue been long resolved?You Need to Order again !! About 1 Yr ago ( and you are right ) his Old style Led's , the head would twist Off or fall off at any given tyme . Now the New Led's Have a More Durable Top and are Brighter . The Only Led that Hasn't been changed is the Purple Frosted due to it being ordered the least.. If you want a Purple hint to Yr p/f , Order the Pink Frosted ( lOOk's more Purple ) or the Super Purple . It took me a while last Year to get used to the New Style , now I use All Frosted Led's for the GI's and most inserts due to how Bright they are now..
the_pin_family ,,, Yr rite to ,, No need to be Pissed for Starting a Thread ask-n if Anyone else has a Similar problem !! I need to edit an Above post !!!
I should have mentioned the only problems i had with them falling out of sockets was when using #555's. The plastic just wasnt thick enough so the 555 socket eventually spat them out after a few games...
I got some from a guy called Albert medaillon via ebay and his were the same design leds but had thicker, textured plastic that held well in the sockets....
I have bought bulbs from cointaker, BCspinball, and PinballCenter.eu. I have had at least a dud or few from each one of them, but every one of these sellers have been great with replacments and service.
The good news is...of all of the duds I have had, they are either bad when I first try them (DOA) or they have went bad in the first 5 minutes of use. I have never had a LED go bad after if makes it past the 5 minute mark.
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