ColorDMD Displays is excited to announce multicolor support for Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure pinball machines. This is the 13th multicolor release for the ColorDMD pinball display platform. With 12 game modes (including 3 video modes), and 4 multiball modes, the game's animations burst to life in color!

When we hinted that we had "top men" working on this project, we weren't kidding. The color ROM for IJ contains some of the most detailed artwork to date! ColorDMD's Chris Enright provided the heavy lifting with key support from developers Josh Jertberg and Mark Jarzewiak.

Josh is an artist, video game animator, and pinball enthusiast who provided reference frame artwork that served as a starting point for coloring most of the animated sequences. Mark, hot off the heels of the Doctor Who release, pitched in to help wrap up some of the more complex sprite sequences in the game.

This color release leverages the same ColorDMD hardware platform used for all prevously supported games, and shares the same platform with the company's SIGMA line of single-color displays.

Watch facebook and our website for sneak peaks of game artwork. A video preview is also targeted for release within the next week. The ROM release is planned for late September.

IJ_title.png

We haven't added support for the Jackpot lighting mod(s). I'm not familiar with different variants of the mod, and my hope is that it can be supported in a similar way to the DW lamp board (by replacing lamps with LEDs and mounting the board between the speaker panel and LCD screen).

Support using the TAF LAMP_IN connector on the ColorDMD would depend on whether all the jackpot lamps are driven from the same column of the LAMP matrix.

The Frog lives, he's green, and he's awesome... but you'll have to find him for yourself!

Based on Taxman's previous post, the jackpot lamps aren't in the same column and can't be supported with the TAF LAMP_IN connector on our board.

I think the remaining options are to either rewire the original lamp board using the technique described here:

DIY: LAMP BOARD MOD

or substitute the board for one of the mod boards designed with surface mount LEDs.

Sorry I don't have better news.

Here's a couple of more previews for the weekend. Video next week!
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In response to the thread that was started on Flippermarkt about a week ago, I conducted a side by side comparison of the LG LP156WF1-TLB1 and AUO B156HW02-V1. The results with photos are posted here.

http://www.colordmd.com/display%20comparison.pdf

The panels are equivalent in terms of backlight brightness and contrast. In fact, nearly all the specifications are identical except for the chromacity of the blue primary which has a minor impact on colors. I am including them here for your review.

Comparing the displays side-by-side, the backlight color temperature is a little different. The LG backlight has a reddish hue versus the AUO which is neutral (gray), but the backlight brightness and contrast are the same.

Despite your recollections about the Star Trek display you purchased, we have never shipped a panel that was pitch black. If they existed, I'd buy them all day long but unfortunately they don't. Every panel we have ever shipped (and there have been about 8 different models due to market availability) have had a contrast ratio (what you refer to as black level) of either 400 or 500. You can find posts on Pinside and RGP complaining about the black level on our initial release as well with the LP156WF1-TLB1.

Unfortunately, this has been the state of the small TFT market. New technologies like IPS are starting to show up but still not readily available, at higher expense, and in a different form factor than we currently need.

Regarding the "cheaper" comment, this was also posted on Flippermarkt and is just plain wrong. We have always purchased displays from LG and AUO. The AUO panels cost the same as the LG panels, and we are actually paying higher costs for panels today than we did two years ago. Although you may not be familiar with the name AUO (AU Optronics), they are a $4B company trading on the NYSE and one of the largest suppliers of TFT displays to the PC industry.

We have shipped both AUO and LG panels (in similar quantity) since the formation of the company 2.5 years ago. We buy based on availability in the marketplace, as we purchase through traders who in turn buy overstock from the PC industry. Models go in and out of production quickly based on what Dell and HP are specifying and ordering.

The IJ video we just released was filmed with the AUO B156HW02-V1 panel. We have shipped more than 500 of this specific panel to customers without issues. The new panels look great, and the side-by-side comparison testing did not exhibit the contrast problem you describe.

LP156WF1-TLB1(Dell, AG) .pdf
B156HW02-V1.pdf

Unfortunately not, but it's under consideration. Right now it's still a low priority, as our focus is on introducing new games.

All screens we ship have a sticker on the back of the screen that shows the manufacturer and model number. If you want to find out what model you have, just remove the cable and four screws from the sides of the bracket to remove the screen.

There are some issues with comparing the photos you posted. The blue we use for STAR TREK is the same blue used in the score for Monster Bash as seen in the reference screen captures here. However, they look completely different in the two photos.

STTNG_Reference.PNG
MB_Reference.png

The best way to compare the panels is in a side-by-side test as shown here. However, even here it is hard to see the difference in visible hue from the backlights.

Comparison.PNG

A soft glow from the TFT backlight is normal and is visible on both displays. The amount of backlight is a function of two parameters: the power of the backlight (which varies across models) and the BACKLIGHT setting we provide in the menus. In this photo, the LG is on the left and AUO on the right. Both have the same specified backlight power and both are set to HI in the menu.

Since there's variability between panels (even of the same model) and manufacturer specs are minimum specs, that's not to say that you don't have a difference between your two screens. My only point is that it is not due to any lowering of quality or cost from ColorDMD.

My preference (by far) would be to always ship the same model to avoid customer confusion but this hasn't been possible. Often, at any given time, models are available in large quantity from either LG or AUO but not both. I don't understand the market mechanisms that drive this but suspect it depends on contract awards from the PC industry. Also, traders do not stock panels. They buy panels at auction and try to flip them as fast as possible so the inventory is always rotating.

We do the best we can to find high-quality screens that our customers can enjoy. This means paying higher prices to reject screens with stuck pixels or mura. This process has been the same over the last 2.5 years, and nothing has changed during that time.

We don't manufacture the screens, but if you think you're having an issue with a screen that is out of spec, please contact me at [email protected] and we'll try to resolve it.

Randy

Yes, you're right. I just pulled out a cheap light meter (Dr. Meter LX1330B) and made some quick measurements in a dark room with the sensor against the panel. I didn't expect the HI settings to be different between the two panels (we set HI with 75% PWM on the backlight control, MED is 50%, LOW is 25%) but they are different.

All measurements in LUX:

Model......Black (backlight only)......White
AUO B156HW02(Hi) 1.6 181

LG LP156WF1(Hi) 2.3 264
LG LP156WF1(Med) 1.7 184

AUO set to MED and LG set to HI have similar brightness and contrast. In the comparison photos, both displays were set to HI.

We have considered this, and I'm considering it more given the feedback.

If someone owns multiple ColorDMDs and wants them all to be the same model screen, this would be the only route.

Well if you haven't noticed a difference by now, you're unlikely to with any new purchases.

Every model screen we've shipped has been reviewed and tested by Chris and I before we've used it. They all look great but screen models do change quickly with changes to specifications. Among the models we've shipped over all our production runs:

LG LP156WF1 -TLA1, -TLB1, -TLB2, -TLC1, -TLE1, -TLF3
LG LP156WFC -TLB1
AUO B156HW01 -V1 -V4, -V5, -V7
AUO B156HW02 -V1

All models have similar specs (for the things you would notice like color, contrast ratio and field of view) except for B156HW01-V4 and B156HW01-V7 which had a wider color gamut than other models. These were available for a short time but are no longer in production. LG never produced a competing model.

Other specifications that differ but don't matter much are matte vs glossy finish, overall backlight brightness (we always adjust this down through the menus).

We are shipping AUO B156HW02-V1 screens, and backlight brightness is adjustable in the menus.

I feel as if I'm giving you all a tour of the sausage factory. Are you guys sure you wouldn't just rather play pinball?

IJ color ROM has been released! Post your game videos here!

First video is up. Thanks Ryan! The search for the frog continues...

Ryan posted a longer gameplay video:

We're targeting early November. Please sign on to our mailing list and we'll notify you when displays are back in stock.

Jackpot lamps are split between two columns. The TAF Thing lamps are all in a single column.

The opto circuit tied to the LAMP_IN connector on the ColorDMD board was designed for TAF and is hardwired to a single column driver.

Check with Pinbits... I think they were working on one.

Otherwise, please check the PDF on our SUPPORT page that shows how you can modify an existing lamp board (TAF, DW, or IJ) to work with the ColorDMD.