Kernersville, NC
Quoted from DJNOEL30:Moved the games around in the loft. How does it look? Total Nuclear Annihilation will be joining the collection in May!
That's nice - if you like beautiful homes and kick ass games.
(Topic ID: 1058)
Quoted from DJNOEL30:Moved the games around in the loft. How does it look? Total Nuclear Annihilation will be joining the collection in May!
You really set a lofty goal and achieved it! Like it, like it alot. Room for a sleeping bag, you can camp out up there 
Quoted from ramegoom:I have a "smart meter" that the utility company accesses thru RF. I also have a digital watt meter that I installed in the game room. I'm gonna take a snapshot of the meter with everything turned on, to see what it draws. Now you got me wondering. I installed that box but never put it thru the test. Typically, it sits at about 1.30 amps continuously, with about 14 small neon signs going 24/7, and maybe five LED-lit objects. That's the background lighting when the room isn't used. Here's the meter that I use. The pic shows 1.09 amps draw, less than 100 watts. This varies but not a lot, when the room is idle:
Well I just hooked up my Kill-a-Watt to my GB Pro, 1.30 amp and 122 watts at peak play , at idle it draws .8 amps and 122 watts. I'm sure my other games draw more but if I add up all 13 of my games playing that would be about 16.9 amps and 1586 watts. You have 10 times more stuff going so I don't understand why your room draws soooo little.
At first thought, maybe I'm metering only one leg of the split phase entering the room. Technically only half of the power consumption would be registering.
But.
I put the current sensor on the neutral, so the split phase is shared with the neutral. So unless the meter circuit is malfunctioning, it's showing actual wattage draw.
I have another neighborhood party next Saturday and will pay close attention to that watt meter. I think my biggest advantage is that virtually every machine is LED converted. However, I have 8 full size slot machines on at the same time in addition to all the other stuff, so it would likely draw much more than my meter is showing. Maybe double. I'll try to figure it out.
Quoted from ramegoom:At first thought, maybe I'm metering only one leg of the split phase entering the room. Technically only half of the power consumption would be registering.
But.
I put the current sensor on the neutral, so the split phase is shared with the neutral. So unless the meter circuit is malfunctioning, it's showing actual wattage draw.
I have another neighborhood party next Saturday and will pay close attention to that watt meter. I think my biggest advantage is that virtually every machine is LED converted. However, I have 8 full size slot machines on at the same time in addition to all the other stuff, so it would likely draw much more than my meter is showing. Maybe double. I'll try to figure it out.
Yeah I'd like to know too and all my games have led's too. I also have about 800 watts of black lights a sit down driving game and a Big Buck Hunter shooter game, both have crt's. Wish I could get a meter reading when everything is turned on. But my outside meter just goes crazy. 
Maybe you could get everyone toplay everything while you monitor the meter, that would REALLY show how much juice you pull.
Quoted from MustangPaul:Maybe you could get everyone toplay everything while you monitor the meter, that would REALLY show how much juice you pull.
That would be a scary thing to watch!
Anyone have any recommendations for a cheap way to protect a wall from darts that doesn’t involve cork?
Quoted from Nokoro:Anyone have any recommendations for a cheap way to protect a wall from darts that doesn’t involve cork?
This is what I have behind mine I picked it up from a closed bar.
I'm using the plastic tip darts but still good to have something behind the board.
The good news is, electricity is cheap in Colorado. My electric bills are really not a big deal, but maybe it's because I'm used to the electric bills I had back in Illinois...around triple what they are here. I'm not complaining.
Then to top it off, I'm getting hit by companies who want to place solar panels on my roof and drop my bills even more. Lots of sunshine here so it's an attractive thing to do. I'm not really interested in extra hole in my roof though.
Quoted from ramegoom:The good news is, electricity is cheap in Colorado. My electric bills are really not a big deal, but maybe it's because I'm used to the electric bills I had back in Illinois...around triple what they are here. I'm not complaining.
Then to top it off, I'm getting hit by companies who want to place solar panels on my roof and drop my bills even more. Lots of sunshine here so it's an attractive thing to do. I'm not really interested in extra hole in my roof though.
How much per kwh you paying? I'm paying around 9 cents plus all the other fees. Last month I used 752 kwh and with fees it came to $110.64
Quoted from MustangPaul:How much per kwh you paying? I'm paying around 9 cents plus all the other fees. Last month I used 752 kwh and with fees it came to $110.64
From my last bill:
Total usage for the month: 509 kWh
Total bill: $106.78
Cost per kWh: $0.21
However you have to use caution when looking at these numbers. This is because (at least here in CA) you have tiers of usage on your bill. As your usage for the month goes up you can jump from tier to tier, and the rates go upwards accordingly. So the more you use the higher your rates go.
Quoted from xsvtoys:However you have to use caution when looking at these numbers. This is because (at least here in CA) you have tiers of usage on your bill. As your usage for the month goes up you can jump from tier to tier, and the rates go upwards accordingly. So the more you use the higher your rates go.
WOW! We don't have that in MN.
Quoted from MustangPaul:WOW! We don't have that in MN.
Jeez... The opposite of a bulk discount!
I have done a fair amount of work over the years sorting this stuff out, mainly because I started to see some pretty high bills. See for example this web page, I haven't updated this in a while, but it shows some of my data collection with the Kill-A-Watt: http://xsvtoys.net/energy_consumption.htm
I got my bill down quite a bit by reducing the number of computers I had going, cutting off vampires with power strips, and replacing all of the lighting with LED.
Also, a little while back the power company swapped the old meters with the new smart meters. These are pretty slick actually. You can log into your online account and look at your hourly usage for any day. For example, here is how a typical day looks for me:
I usually work at home all day with one high-power computer and two monitors on all day. You can see the effect of this, for example, here is another weekday but I was out of town this day so the computer was off:
Probably the worst electricity-sucker is the 60" plasma TV. Fortunately we don't watch it all that much.
You can see that with this smart meter, you could get everything in the house set a baseline level, and then at the beginning of your selected hour you could turn your whole gameroom on. Then you could see how much electricity that game room uses. I can't do much of an experiment for this as I only have 2 EMs and 1 older SS machine. Those I can easily measure with a Kill-A-Watt though.
Quoted from xsvtoys:I have done a fair amount of work over the years sorting this stuff out, mainly because I started to see some pretty high bills. See for example this web page, I haven't updated this in a while, but it shows some of my data collection with the Kill-A-Watt: http://xsvtoys.net/energy_consumption.htm
I got my bill down quite a bit by reducing the number of computers I had going, cutting off vampires with power strips, and replacing all of the lighting with LED.
Also, a little while back the power company swapped the old meters with the new smart meters. These are pretty slick actually. You can log into your online account and look at your hourly usage for any day. For example, here is how a typical day looks for me:I usually work at home all day with one high-power computer and two monitors on all day. You can see the effect of this, for example, here is another weekday but I was out of town this day so the computer was off:
Probably the worst electricity-sucker is the 60" plasma TV. Fortunately we don't watch it all that much.
You can see that with this smart meter, you could get everything in the house set a baseline level, and then at the beginning of your selected hour you could turn your whole gameroom on. Then you could see how much electricity that game room uses. I can't do much of an experiment for this as I only have 2 EMs and 1 older SS machine. Those I can easily measure with a Kill-A-Watt though.
That's way cool, wish I had something like that. A few months ago I used over 1 million watts that month, man was I shocked.
Quoted from shirkle:That's a lot of race medals!
Yeah my wife is a running machine those are all hers, mine are Jiu Jitsu medals on the other side of the wall. I can’t run to save my life, she is a freak of nature and can run a marathon at the drop of a dime.
Larodde
Quoted from MustangPaul:That's way cool, wish I had something like that. A few months ago I used over 1 million watts that month, man was I shocked.
Was that pun intentional?
Either way it made me laugh. 
Quoted from Nokoro:Anyone have any recommendations for a cheap way to protect a wall from darts that doesn’t involve cork?
I just finished this project for my step son. Took 2 hours and cost me a few dollars for fuel and mounting bracket.
Cable wheel = free. They get tossed all the time
Fuel = $5. I used the blowtorch and burned the wood, it is not stained and does not have any coating on it.
Wall mirror hanging bracket = $6
Quoted from djreddog:I just finished this project for my step son. Took 2 hours and cost me a few dollars for fuel and mounting bracket.
Cable wheel = free. They get tossed all the time
Fuel = $5. I used the blowtorch and burned the wood, it is not stained and does not have any coating on it.
Wall mirror hanging bracket = $6
Great idea, that turned out awesome!
Quoted from djreddog:I just finished this project for my step son. Took 2 hours and cost me a few dollars for fuel and mounting bracket.
Cable wheel = free. They get tossed all the time
Fuel = $5. I used the blowtorch and burned the wood, it is not stained and does not have any coating on it.
Wall mirror hanging bracket = $6
Love this idea! Wish I had space for it.
Quoted from TechnicalSteam:Love this idea! Wish I had space for it.
The cable wheels come in all sizes. The one I used is 48" in diameter.
Quoted from djreddog:I just finished this project for my step son. Took 2 hours and cost me a few dollars for fuel and mounting bracket.
Cable wheel = free. They get tossed all the time
Fuel = $5. I used the blowtorch and burned the wood, it is not stained and does not have any coating on it.
Wall mirror hanging bracket = $6
Nice!
Quoted from mmuglia:A couple pics of my gameroom. These are all in a gameroom in my basement that's about 23' x 15'.
Nice lineup!
Quoted from ajfclark:Was that pun intentional?
Either way it made me laugh.
You spotted that didn't you. 
Quoted from djreddog:I just finished this project for my step son. Took 2 hours and cost me a few dollars for fuel and mounting bracket.
Cable wheel = free. They get tossed all the time
Fuel = $5. I used the blowtorch and burned the wood, it is not stained and does not have any coating on it.
Wall mirror hanging bracket = $6
Great place to put pictures of the mother-in-law.
Quoted from djreddog:3. You have an awesome girlfriend who loves pinball, and comes to you one day and says I want one in the family room!
So a quick little update on my collection. As mentioned in previous threads I have maxed out the basement in the current configuration with 9 pins. We recently picked up the Count Down and the girlfriend insisted we leave it upstairs and she decided to put it in the family room. WINNING!
Well the other night I had a fellow pinsider over WMSpin and we were talking about adding more games and the girlfriend stunned me once again. She said "I think if we move a couple of things around in the kitchen area we can get 2-3 more in that room."
That just made me smile ear to ear! Gosh I love her!
Quoted from djreddog:So a quick little update on my collection. As mentioned in previous threads I have maxed out the basement in the current configuration with 9 pins. We recently picked up the Count Down and the girlfriend insisted we leave it upstairs and she decided to put it in the family room. WINNING!
Well the other night I had a fellow pinsider over wmspin and we were talking about adding more games and the girlfriend stunned me once again. She said "I think if we move a couple of things around in the kitchen area we can get 2-3 more in that room."
That just made me smile ear to ear! Gosh I love her!
Probably should put a ring on het finger so you don’t lose her 
Edmonton, AB
Quoted from alexanr1:Probably should put a ring on het finger so you don’t lose her
THAT is exactly why she is agreeable to these ideas. But still better put a ring on her 
Quoted from alexanr1:Probably should put a ring on het finger so you don’t lose her
It's coming soon!
Quoted from djreddog:So a quick little update on my collection. As mentioned in previous threads I have maxed out the basement in the current configuration with 9 pins. We recently picked up the Count Down and the girlfriend insisted we leave it upstairs and she decided to put it in the family room. WINNING!
Well the other night I had a fellow pinsider over wmspin and we were talking about adding more games and the girlfriend stunned me once again. She said "I think if we move a couple of things around in the kitchen area we can get 2-3 more in that room."
That just made me smile ear to ear! Gosh I love her!
Ok... that is just crazy and I’m fairly certain the rest of us are jealous. But for some reason it reminded me of this... watch til end if you’ve never seen.
Quoted from djreddog:It's coming soon!
Sometimes that stuff tends to change after she gets the ring. Load up on pins NOW. 
Quoted from gliebig:Skee ball is a huge hit. Glad I picked one up.
Holly cow that's some square footage dedication for your game room looks great. The only thing I didn't see is the foosball.
Quoted from gliebig:Skee ball is a huge hit. Glad I picked one up.
That’s an amazing room. Wish mine was that big.
Quoted from ramegoom:Nice layout and perfect for the big stuff.
Is that the only stairway to the room? Got that 90 degree turn that's designed to make it next to impossible to get machines in and out.
Walkout basement. Luckily there are a couple doors that open outback. Several unfinished rooms in the back that I plan on converting to game rooms eventually.
Gilligan's Island
Quoted from oldskool1969:^^^^^^^^
complete style, love it!
Ha thanks! Working with what I have in a limited budget!
Quoted from grantopia:Ha thanks! Working with what I have in a limited budget!
That's a limited budget. 
Very nice. 
Quoted from MustangPaul:That's a limited budget. Very nice.
Well at least compared to some of the pics I see on this thread - a great place to become filled with jealousy . Seriously though most of the stuff I have I've lucked my way into deals or trades or bought broken and fixed, and everything except NASCAR (which was routed but in good shape) is in players condition be it pf wear somewhere, a few inserts lifting, etc. I started collecting arcades when the market was down before I got into pins, which gave me a good collection of stuff I was able to sell or trade down the road. Flash was a $400 (non-working) Facebook grab, High Speed (also non-working at the time) I traded a Sliver Strike Bowling I had $300 into for, Laser War (had switch matrix issues) came to me in a trade for a BurgerTime, that I got for a Space Duel that I got at a garage sale, etc. Definitely looking to get more DMDs into the house now but with the prices it will likely be a slow/lucky burn.
Quoted from grantopia:Well at least compared to some of the pics I see on this thread - a great place to become filled with jealousy
It sounds to me like you know how to wheel and deal and fix games which is a good thing.
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
