I have no idea but

Could the GI lights be wired in a series-parallel way, so that 3 6v lights run together on one 18v line?

I’ve never had an issue installing leds before, but I’ve never owned taf

There should be a blinker behind Cousin It, so he just appears when the lamp is on. Also, blinkers in various other spots in the backbox.

I'm not sure where the 18VDC came from, but the inserts and GI in that game use the same bulbs: 6.3V.

(There are other bulbs, flashers, which use 12v, but those are larger sockets).

The bulb in the backbox behind Cousin It was designed to have a 455 bulb in the socket, which is a blinking bulb, and is also 6.3v...so it doesn't matter if you use one that blinks or not.

If you want the Cousin It shadow in the backbox to illuminate when the Cousin It insert lights up (which is a a cool idea!), I'd do this:

Replace your Cousin It insert with a Matrix Quick Connect bulb: https://www.cometpinball.com/products/quick-connects

That will illuminate the insert and give you a connector to run wire off of: https://www.cometpinball.com/products/matrix-extension-wires

I'd guess you'll probably want two 36 inch wires (though this would probably leave a lot of extra slack...so you could measure and buy less). Connect that wire to the Quick Connect bulb (they snap together easily with your hands, no soldering needed), and run it down the underside of the playfield and up into the backbox. Use some Zip Ties to keep things neat.

At the end, you want to attach some source of light. We have a few options, but a short strip would probably be easiest: https://www.cometpinball.com/products/lighting-strips

It has adhesive backing, so you can just stick it right next to the existing socket for the Cousin It shadow (and you can just remove the existing bulb in that socket and leave it empty).

Since both the playfield and the backbox door pivot and swing, just make sure zip tie the wire in a way that leaves enough slack to accommodate those movements.

Does that make sense? Feel free to message me if not, or post more questions here.

In TAF, most of the sockets in the backbox were 555/wedge, but a few were done as 44/47 bayonet. These bayonet sockets where the cue that blinking bulbs should be used in them. The kit you used probably just gave you regular bayonet bulbs, not blinkers. It's really just an artistic thing...it doesn't matter if they blink or not. Either way, 6.3v is going to the socket...it's just that the blinking bulbs will turn themselves on and off at regular intervals, even when constantly supplied with 6.3v.

Here is a video of what the backbox can look like with blinking bulbs installed in all the bayonet sockets. (We got a little fancy here, the blinking bulbs are different shades of white, different speeds, and one or two are intentionally dimmer.

Speaking of dimmer, we also have a brightness adjuster that you can connect when you make your Cousin It's shadow mod, so you can turn down the light if it's too bright.

Very cool Mike, make a video of the finished product!

I really don’t understand what they mean with the 18VDC thing. All insert bulbs in all machines pre JJP & Stern Spike are 6.3v...as are all GI bulbs. (The only things that are different are flasher bulbs, which are usually 12v but there are some exceptions).

The lamp matrix circuit runs at 18VDC. The high frequency switching of the rows and columns means that each light only gets a small slice of that (averaging at around 6.3 like the other lights).