These are instructions for adding an external power supply to a Stern SAM/Whitestar pinball machine that is switched on with the pinball machine. Overall, this is very easily done by tapping into the AC power going to the coin door for a bill acceptor. The reason you may want such a power supply is to drive high power consumption mods (e.g., a lot of LEDs), powered amplifier for upgrade sound, etc. If the power requirements are minimal, it is easy to use the power AUX port located near the front right of the pinball machine. The instructions are from a Stern TRON game with a couple of pinduinos driving ~300 addressable LEDs, which were drawing too much current and blowing the 5A circuit fuse.

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Parts:

22 gauge wire 2-pin wire
- https://www.amazon.com/SoundOriginal-Extension-Strips-Single-Colour/dp/B01M21MPB7

Pins for 0.093” plugs (2x male)
- https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/products.asp?cat=89
- Part Number 02-09-2118

Plug receptacle:
- https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/products.asp?cat=94
- Part Number 19-09-2029
- Note: you can reuse the one in the game going to the coin door if you have a pin extractor tool

Power supply:
- You have lots of options that you can find on EBay, Amazon, etc.
- I used this one because I needed both 12V and 5V with enough amps to drive 300 LEDs (~5A) on the 5V circuit
- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T7EZM8

Tools:

Pin/Contact Extraction Tool, 0.093" (optional, if you want to use the plug that is in the game going to coin door)
- https://www.greatplainselectronics.com/products.asp?cat=89
- Part Number W-HT-2038
- https://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-Deluxe-Extractor-093/dp/B000NBU22W

Ratcheting crimping tool
- https://www.amazon.com/Titan-Tools-11477-Ratcheting-Terminal/dp/B0069TRKJ0

Soldering iron and solder (not really needed):
- Up to you, I like the Hakko fx888d

Wire cutters:
- https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-CHP-170-Stand-off-Construction-21-Degree/dp/B076M3ZHBV

Wire strippers:
- https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-CSP-30-1-Stripper-Maximum-Capacity/dp/B00FZPHMUG

Instructions:

- Open the coin door and raise the playfield
- Locate a 2-pin plug on coin door wiring harness with black and white wires. This is the AC power a dollar acceptor
- Pin and wire a 2-pin 0.093” plug receptacle, have enough wire to run to where you want to put the external power supply in the cabinet
- Plug it into the AC power for the dollar acceptor
- Run a ground wire from the pinball machine to the power supply (I used a ground braid connecting the left front leg bracket)
- Run DC from the power supply to your mods.
- Finished!

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Tapping into the AC of a WPC that switches on with the game requires a bit more work. You either need to splice into the AC wires after the switch that run to the transformer, or open the switch box and solder wires to where the switched circuit feeds those wires. I'll open one of my games and get some photos of how that is done, but this thread shows how to tap into the AC circuit for powering a bill acceptor: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/installing-bill-acceptors-on-wpc-era-machines

Glad you find this useful! Details for WPC games are in the post above:

Glad this thread helped. If that is a plug to the standard AUX power port on STERN games, then the three wires are GND, +5V, and +12V. GND is at the point side of the plug. Different power supplies supply different voltages and currents. Did the one you get provide both +5V and +12V?

I’m pretty sure you need a power supple with both 5V and 12V like https://www.amazon.com/MEAN-WELL-RD-65A-Output-Enclosed/dp/B005T7EZM8/

The 5V is what is used to power the display.

Yes -- I've connected many power supplies to various games. The key is to tap into an AC line that is after the main power switch to your game so that it turns on/off with your game. The dollar bill power is a good place, but you can always tap into the AC going to the main transformer as well.