One final video before bed. This one has all of the modes activated before the last ball drains to show the ball drain light show (done with the glass off, I suck at pinball!)
(Topic ID: 98807)
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Iron Man
Stern, 2010-
TRON: Legacy (Pro)
Stern, 2011
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Miami, FL
my only concern would be having poster board that close to that very hot 5v regulator on the cpu board
I have been doing the same thing just using some thin plywood like a regular lamp board, everything else essentially the same and yes the results are great 
Quoted from flecom:my only concern would be having poster board that close to that very hot 5v regulator on the cpu board
I have been doing the same thing just using some thin plywood like a regular lamp board, everything else essentially the same and yes the results are great
Take a look at Steps 11 and 12 for making the backbox. Also, for what it is worth, the flash point of wood is around 300 degrees Celsius; styrofoam is around 350 degrees Celsius. If you are really worried, you may want to switch to a foam core board.
Quoted from flecom:I'm not worried about the foam more the paper on either side
Just need to read your Ray Bradbury, 451° is pretty hot. 
I wanted to give an update to how to get the backbox to turn on and off with the GI. Hopefully this will help some people until I get a full tutorial written:
Circuit diagram of using GI circuit to control the LED backbox circuit. Let me know if you find any problems with this diagram. It is the first one I've made.
Screen Shot 2014-08-07 at 10.14.51 AM.pngThe tutorial on how to switch the backbox LEDs on and off with the GI is posted: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/diy-add-a-gi-circuit-switch-to-an-led-backbox
3 weeks later
Working on my LOTR. One difference I have found is that the rods came out at 10.5" down instead of 9" down. Will be doing my XMEN next.
Also, I Had to cut a hole for my "eye" flasher. I know I could have redone this later, but figured I would just cut around it.
Quoted from judremy:Board mounted in LOTR with "eye" flasher
Board with LED strips mounted. Waiting on connectors still...
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Looks great. I haven't done my LOTR yet. Can't wait to see what yours looks like when those connectors come in.
On XMEN, I again found 10" to be closer to center than 9". It seems we may have an extra 12V in the backbox on X-MEN too. See the pictures below. Seems they run the same harness for pro and LE. I also unhooked the power for the light bar/balast. See third pic.
Lyonsden, would the power that was originally for the fluorescent light work for the LED strips if I had that connector?
My other question, is what two wires from the connector in the front right of the Stern machine should I use? There seems to be a 12V (read 13 for me), a 5v, and one that read 0. Need help so I can finish this.
Quoted from judremy:Lyonsden, would the power that was originally for the fluorescent light work for the LED strips if I had that connector?
My other question, is what two wires from the connector in the front right of the Stern machine should I use? There seems to be a 12V (read 13 for me), a 5v, and one that read 0. Need help so I can finish this.
Your best bet is to use the 12V from the accessory plug in the front right. I'm not sure what the voltage/current form (AC/DC) is for the fluorescent light. Need to look into that. . .
Beauharnois
Quoted from judremy:Here are some pics of my completed X-MEN.
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nice set up, this is exactly what i did and low cost too.
Quoted from beatmaster:nice set up, this is exactly what i did and low cost too.
I am getting a flutter from my right flippers when I have the LED backbox hooked up. Could it be a bad crimp causing the fluttering? I can solder the 18 gauge wire into the connectors if needed. They are solid copper wire.
Quoted from Hammerhead1550:I love this post, I'm gonna have to try this for my Godzilla and Lost In Space.
Dont do the plain 5 or six lines of a single color. Spend a little time and you can really make a game stand out. I have done several of my own machines to my tast (some might not like it) but im happy with my results.
I cant find the pics and have sold the machine, but on ACDC premium i ran a few rgb strips and then behind the ACDC logo i ran a couple specifically behind it. When i wired it up, i purposely wired the strips behind the logo off a little. This way when i had it set for the color changing, the logo was always a different color than the rest which really looked great.
As for Godzilla, i played around a little more and have had many people that saw it like it. Here is a before and after pic of Godzilla
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DSC05368.JPGQuoted from judremy:I am getting a flutter from my right flippers when I have the LED backbox hooked up. Could it be a bad crimp causing the fluttering? I can solder the 18 gauge wire into the connectors if needed. They are solid copper wire.
had the same problem with star trek when i plugged my static led strip under cabinet, couldn't find the problem, simple solution, i found a small transformer it's plugged directly into the ac wall, i just use the remote.
funny, never had that problem with ac/dc/helen translite and it's plugged in the front of the cab/12 volts plug.
Quoted from beatmaster:had the same problem with Star Trek when i plugged my static led strip under cabinet, couldn't find the problem, simple solution, i found a small transformer it's plugged directly into the ac wall, i just use the remote.
funny, never had that problem with ac/dc/helen translite and it's plugged in the front of the cab/12 volts plug.
Good to hear it might not be me. I am going to try seeing what power is coming off the connector in the backbox that looks similar. Might get lucky. This is on X-Men Pro and may be the power for the aux board that isn't present on the Pro.
Quoted from Tilt:Dont do the plain 5 or six lines of a single color. Spend a little time and you can really make a game stand out. I have done several of my own machines to my tast (some might not like it) but im happy with my results.
I cant find the pics and have sold the machine, but on ACDC premium i ran a few rgb strips and then behind the ACDC logo i ran a couple specifically behind it. When i wired it up, i purposely wired the strips behind the logo off a little. This way when i had it set for the color changing, the logo was always a different color than the rest which really looked great.
As for Godzilla, i played around a little more and have had many people that saw it like it. Here is a before and after pic of GodzillaThat is night and day diff. Good job!
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Quoted from judremy:I am getting a flutter from my right flippers when I have the LED backbox hooked up. Could it be a bad crimp causing the fluttering? I can solder the 18 gauge wire into the connectors if needed. They are solid copper wire.
Does the flipper flutter when the LED harness is connected to the accessory jack but the LEDs are turned off (both by unplugging power to the RGb controller as we'll has have the controller turned off by the remote?)
If I were going to add anything to this DIY thread (if someone hasn't already), it would be to add holes in your backbox board for updates. So a hole to flip the dip switches and one to stick in the USB drive for updates. The locations on these seem to vary a lot from game to game so you would have to just see where they are when making the holes and placing the strips.
Quoted from lyonsden:Does the flipper flutter when the LED harness is connected to the accessory jack but the LEDs are turned off (both by unplugging power to the RGb controller as we'll has have the controller turned off by the remote?)
When I hookup the box with the receiver on it, it is fine. If I hook up the LED strips, it starts to do this. It does this on LOTR as well with my other strip. So I have eliminated the box being the issue as that being hooked up is fine.
Do I need a ground? Help!
Quoted from judremy:When I hookup the box with the receiver on it, it is fine. If I hook up the LED strips, it starts to do this. It does this on LOTR as well with my other strip. So I have eliminated the box being the issue as that being hooked up is fine.
Do I need a ground? Help!
Yes, you need a ground. Did you use the ground off the accessory plug (the "point" on the three pin plug)?
Hmmm. It looks like you are grounded in your photos. Any chance you can wire up to the LEDs directly and bypass the box (just to be sure?) Also, try connecting a single strip of LEDs (assuming you have some leftovers) to the color changing box.
Quoted from lyonsden:Hmmm. It looks like you are grounded in your photos. Any chance you can wire up to the LEDs directly and bypass the box (just to be sure?) Also, try connecting a single strip of LEDs (assuming you have some leftovers) to the color changing box.
You are right, I do have that white wire going like your example. You seemed to add three wires to your connectors. What is the green one used for?
I did try a separate single strip with a connector end and it ended up acting odd too. Seems red and greens might be ok. It seems to be when you add blue into the mix that it starts flipping (blue, white, anything with a B greater than 0).
I can try to bypass the box... Would I do that like in your tutorial? If so, I better use the extra strip I have.
Quoted from judremy:You are right, I do have that white wire going like your example. You seemed to add three wires to your connectors. What is the green one used for?
I did try a separate single strip with a connector end and it ended up acting odd too. Seems red and greens might be ok. It seems to be when you add blue into the mix that it starts flipping (blue, white, anything with a B greater than 0).
I can try to bypass the box... Would I do that like in your tutorial? If so, I better use the extra strip I have.
I wired the 5V just in case I wanted to use it in the future, but it is not being used. The flipper acting up when the blue channel is added is just wierd. I was wondering if perhaps too much current is being drawn. Have you tried just using blue?
Each "LED" in the strip is made up of three LEDs, one for each color. Off the top of my head, I can't think of why the blue channel would cause that behavior, but I'll take a look at the circuit to see how there may be cross talk to what is powering the flippers. The flipper chatter sounds like what happens when the low voltage to hold the flipper up (when the EOS is triggered) is not working. Is that true? Also, is it happening for both flippers?
I think it is a good idea to try one shorter strip for testing. You can bypass the color changing box by connecting the 12v power, and then connecting the ground to any of the color channels (ground). You can bridge multiple ones to active colors at once. I'd test each color individually, then in pairs, then all three to see if it just the blue channel, or you are drawing too much current when you power more than 2 colors.
Quoted from lyonsden:I wired the 5V just in case I wanted to use it in the future, but it is not being used. The flipper acting up when the blue channel is added is just wierd. I was wondering if perhaps too much current is being drawn. Have you tried just using blue?
Each "LED" in the strip is made up of three LEDs, one for each color. Off the top of my head, I can't think of why the blue channel would cause that behavior, but I'll take a look at the circuit to see how there may be cross talk to what is powering the flippers. The flipper chatter sounds like what happens when the low voltage to hold the flipper up (when the EOS is triggered) is not working. Is that true? Also, is it happening for both flippers?
I think it is a good idea to try one shorter strip for testing. You can bypass the color changing box by connecting the 12v power, and then connecting the ground to any of the color channels (ground). You can bridge multiple ones to active colors at once. I'd test each color individually, then in pairs, then all three to see if it just the blue channel, or you are drawing too much current when you power more than 2 colors.
I will try this later today if possible. On LOTR, it is both the flippers (left and right). On XMEN, it is the two right flippers (lower and upper). I wish I understood more about why the flippers would think they were lightly pressed. It is more odd on XMEN as the upper takes half a press to even activate, but it is probably because it is on that same wire. The wire being solid copper is fine, right?
Quoted from judremy:If I added a diode on the 12V (is this AC or DC), could that help the feedback that seems to be occurring?
Not a bad idea. Won't hurt to try. Any luck testing with the suggestions above?
Just made one for my LoTR. This time I used the 18"x24" plastic board from Home Depot. I recommend this over the poster board from Michaels. Also, 24" width is easier to handle for mounting/unmounting than the 25" width I originally used. Also, since it is narrower, the wires for the lights don't need slots cut in the board. Just wrap them to the back and tape down. Cuts about an 30min off the assembly too.
Measurements: I put the holes to mount the board 10.5" from the top, and 0.5" in from each side.
Wiring: I wired to the Accessory plug in the front left of the cabinet. This also saved about 30-60 min of work as I didn't have to make the more involved wiring harness to connect to power.
Judremy: I haven't had any flipper flutter. Not sure what may be going on with yours, but I update you after I get a few more games in.
Note the colors looked washed in the final pict because of the reflection of the windows behind me when I took the photo. I'll try to remember to update with a better photo taken at night. However, the difference between the LEDs and the original flourescent tube is night and day. 
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IMG_3429.JPGLyonsden, me either. I may add the diode tomorrow. Should I do both wires? Also, is it possible the 18 gauge wire is too thin? It is also solid and not stranded. I though about going back and soldering the wires into the pins as the wire was very thin for how big the crimp end was.
I use 22 gague, which is thiner than yours. I can't imagine blocking diodes making a difference as they are there to block the surge in the opposite direction when the current stops, but it can't hurt. Your circuit is accessory plug->color changing box->LEDs (and then return.). Nothing else, correct?
In any case, I've out a few more games on the LOTR (wiring shown in the previous post) and have had no problems.
image.jpgQuoted from lyonsden:I use 22 gague, which is thiner than yours. I can't imagine blocking diodes making a difference as they are there to block the surge in the opposite direction when the current stops, but it can't hurt. Your circuit is accessory plug->color changing box->LEDs (and then return.). Nothing else, correct?
In any case, I've out a few more games on the LOTR (wiring shown in the previous post) and have had no problems.image.jpg 188 KB
The only thing I can think of is that there are shorts in he quick connects I am using that may be causing a surge?
Added on diodes, no change. Soldered all connectors instead of using quick connects, no change. My buddy finally noticed it wasn't at peak brightness when trying to determine the amount of amps it was drawing (about 1.6 at Max white brightness). It seems that the Stern machines get "noise" if these are not run at full brightness which shows itself in different ways. At max brightness white, everything is fine. Also fine on Max red, blue, and green. Issues shows when you start using some of the other colors but mainly when using the dimming.
On LOTR, it has a high pitch whine along with the both flippers flutter sporadically.
On XMEN, the two right flippers flutter sporadically.
Can anyone else confirm this?
Quoted from judremy:Added on diodes, no change. Soldered all connectors instead of using quick connects, no change. My buddy finally noticed it wasn't at peak brightness when trying to determine the amount of amps it was drawing (about 1.6 at Max white brightness). It seems that the Stern machines get "noise" if these are not run at full brightness which shows itself in different ways. At max brightness white, everything is fine. Also fine on Max red, blue, and green. Issues shows when you start using some of the other colors but mainly when using the dimming.
On LOTR, it has a high pitch whine along with the both flippers flutter sporadically.
On XMEN, it hype two right flippers flutter sporadically.
Can anyone else confirm this?
Just checked mine. LOTR (wired to front aux plug) whines when the LEDs are dimmed. IM and Tron, both wired to the CPU board, don't whine when dimmed. None has flipper flutter when dimmed. If all is good at max brightness (no flutter), then at least you can play. Perhaps take out some rows of LEDs if it is too bright? Or, if you feel like making another harness, connect to the CPU board for power.
Some of the other colors don't have a color channel on full, which is causing the strange behavior. Full colors: red, green, blue, yellow, purple, cyan, and white.
Quoted from lyonsden:Just checked mine. LOTR (wired to front aux plug) whines when the LEDs are dimmed. IM and Tron, both wired to the CPU board, don't whine when dimmed. None has flipper flutter when dimmed. If all is good at max brightness (no flutter), then at least you can play. Perhaps take out some rows of LEDs if it is too bright? Or, if you feel like making another harness, connect to the CPU board for power.
Some of the other colors don't have a color channel on full, which is causing the strange behavior. Full colors: red, green, blue, yellow, purple, cyan, and white.
My friend is looking up something to remove the noise generated when we don't run at Max amperage. He said the part should only be about a buck and are probably used in automotive as the electronics in vehicles are sensitive. I will wait to see what he comes up with.
2 weeks later
Lyonsden:
Would something like this eliminate the line noise?
http://www.dx.com/p/fh201-12v-car-speaker-amplifier-noise-eliminating-audio-filter-black-231864#.VDIGeX-9KSM
4 months later
nice "how to" topic, as the one for the flasher board, which is great for recent pinballs without it, a real improvement for sure
now, about the LED panel, is somebody already just tried the new T8 LED just swaped with the fluorescent tube ? this one can be angle-rotated :
if yes, how is the result (as the banel take advantage to cover all the surface of the BG) ?
tanx
10 months later
This was one of my first DIY guides. Since it has been about a year ago, I'm wondering how many people did this to replace their florescent tube. I've done it on all my Sterns. If you have done it as well, post a picture.
I took the easy route and bought panels from Arcade Upkeep. Love the dimming feature, which essentially eliminates backbox glare on the playfield during play.
Quoted from jayhawkai:I took the easy route and bought panels from Arcade Upkeep. Love the dimming feature, which essentially eliminates backbox glare on the playfield during play.
Same here for 3 of my games, last year when they had their Black Friday sale, love the dimming.
Quoted from lyonsden:This was one of my first DIY guides. Since it has been about a year ago, I'm wondering how many people did this to replace their florescent tube. I've done it on all my Sterns. If you have done it as well, post a picture.
I did this on my X-Men and my LOTR. Only downside is that if you don't have it on full brightness, then it will introduce noise into the 12V and cause flipper flutter and other bad effects.
Quoted from jayhawkai:I took the easy route and bought panels from Arcade Upkeep. Love the dimming feature, which essentially eliminates backbox glare on the playfield during play.
Didn't know about this. For $65, yep, I'll follow that route before accidentally pinning something wrong and blowing something important. Thank you for the link!
To the OP, thank you for a very detail and awesome write-up. I'm going to just be safe on this one.
1 week later
Quoted from judremy:I did this on my X-Men and my LOTR. Only downside is that if you don't have it on full brightness, then it will introduce noise into the 12V and cause flipper flutter and other bad effects.
Has anyone found a remedy for this issue?
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