Sunlight is sunlight. You still would have UV rays bouncing around just like the light you see.

If you want to protect a game from fade, either block the light from coming in, or cover the game(s) in a material that doesn't let light through.

Do all types of cabinets fade? I'm not worried about my Simpsons as it can't get much more faded. But my met and lotr and in a pretty sunny room

EVERYTHING fades cabinets, except maybe the dark.

Yes. Basically every thing is bad for a pin. Too hot, too cold too humid, rapid changes in temp, lightning strikes, steel ball smashing around inside of it, . Its just a matter of time before our pins decay into nothing lol.

Sometimes it's alot work keeping them nice and perfect.

Im sure the glass, shades, and blinds will block some/most UV, but not all. Reflections of light probably carry them too at the lower rate. You can get some UV block film for windows that will probably drastically reduce fading.

A lot of game cabinets will be only faded on one side. One side was probably against the wall, the other exposed to sun through a window.

I have a Mata Hari near a window that I just keep the blinds closed. Some light gets through, but in a few years I havent noticed any fading on the red yet... some protection probably goes a long way.

What about from lighting inside the cabinet? Aren't some lighting systems touting "UV?"

UV is bad for a lot of things, but worse on inks than on paints. So a cab with decals is more easily burned. It also seems that reds are more easily faded than blues. Keep in mind not all types of fabric will block UV either, but anything is better than nothing.

To varying degrees, yes. However, certain games are more well know for drastically fading than others.

I500, NF, BR, JD, AFM, IJ, BSD, FT, Sinbad, JM, to name a few.

Would have to look at the data sheets of the LEDs used to see what the light spectrum is at. Even tho they are called "UV" i dont think they are necessarily in the spectrum of UVA -UVB which will cause fading. I'd guess they are no worse than an incandescent bulb as far as fading (which is very limited compared to natural sunlight).

Long ago I worked at a retail store that had these low pressure sodium lamps. They faded the bright colors on product packaging that had been sitting on the shelf for a while. Reams of paper would have the outlines and logos from the wrap packaging bleached into the first few sheets of paper. Avoid those kinds lights, but I don't think they are used much anymore.

I would add HS2 to that list.

Anything that causes the breakdown of material will change/alter/degrade the form of light that is absorbed, and thus seen by you. In other words, yes indirect light will cause fading. I have seen it on old pins on location that were protected (black sheets on the windows), yet doors nearby were left open in the hot months and light hit, bounced, and reflected onto the pinball machines. Not much you can do about it, other than put your stuff into a oxygen (that also causes aging, via oxidation) free environment, that is free from gravity, and also never touched by human hands. Oh, and about light and how you view/see things in life... Read this book.

Health and Light: The extraordinary Study that Shows How light Affects Your Health and emotional well being.

You may change your views on how to deal with light, appreciate its power on your well being, and emotional views on pinball, pinball people, and of course why you are spending so much time worrying about light on your games, and not so much time on how it may be a good thing for you and your pinballs

Good question!

Guess I should go close the blinds

The brighter the room.. the greater the risk. UV rays bounce just like the visible light rays do - so 'directly in the light' doesn't matter... tho its more extreme as the energy is greater there vs after it's been diffused, bounced, absorbed, etc.

Just keep the games with the greatest risk shaded if you can.. or pointed away from the light source.

Not directly.

Bumping this, has anyone ever seen a cabinet cover that still allows the game to be played but blocks light exposure? I'm also considering installing some tint on the window.

Nope.

A UV filter will cut down on the light a little bit, but can still cause fade. There was a thread about that a while back where someone did a test on it.

Is a curtain or blind not an option? I think tint would be more feasible. Get a good quality tint from an automotive installer instead of the crap you find at Walmart. Those turn purple over time and dont do much.

Pretty easy just to get a light blocking curtain or a room divider to block the light from the window. Or, just throw a decent thickness sheet over the games when not in use. If you care about not getting fade, there's definitely easy enough ways to prevent it.

TSPP and LOTR can both fade, as well as most 90s WMS games.

I treat my pins/vids like a crypt full of vampires in my basement. New decals are expensive and applying them is a huge pain. Indirect light is still light at lower levels.

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Consider getting a pin cover, Marco sells them.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/77-PC-ES

They have them for Stern as linked and B/W regular and wide cabs as well.

Oh. I went Anal.....I put 97% listed UV Blocking Film on my Windows, then a heavy dark set of vinyl blinds kept closed and dark, and then covered my pins.....

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I did the same, my factory windows have only a 30% UV block built in. So before I placed my pins in the room, I had a tint guy come in & install 99% UV mirror protection tint on top so absolutely no UV can enter the room. Peace of mind. You spent thousands on your pins, so why let them fade?