Someone had posted about glare in a recent thread. I took the advice someone offered up (Cliffy?) and wrapped some printer paper around the fluorescent bulb on TSPP. Previous to that I had it completely removed. Now, I don't notice any glare from the backbox, but the gameroom still looks like it should with a lit BG. Pretty good solution, in my opinion.

They also make translucent colored filter vinyl wraps that you can put around your bulb. I forget who makes them but I've definitely seen them.

Fluorescent actually is not very hot at all, perhaps you're thinking of halogen? And as someone also brought up in that thread, Fahrenheit 451.

I use layers of masking tape across the front of the bulb until I get the level I want been doing this for years with no problems.

Pinball Pal sold the filters that reduced the light and made it more incandescent looking. You can also use pinguards to help out (even on P2K's). But nothing will produce the same results as having it turned off completely.

personally I prefer unplugged, I do like the idea of having a switch to kill the light, fun idea to consider tinkering with some ideas I have on making this a "plug and play removable" but in the end, I just deal with one game with no lit trans-light.

A standard DMD Glare Guard works perfectly for your RFM. It blocks out 100% of the translite glare. See photos at this link:
http://s80.photobucket.com/albums/j185/Eddie-1_2006/Glare%20Guard%20In%20RFM/

Pinball Life carries them. http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1099

Kim

I marked the bulb, took it out and spray painted the front "side" with black paint and put it back in...glare is much less now.

Robert

I marked the bulb, took it out and spray painted the front "side" with black paint and put it back in...glare is much less now.

I did the same thing a while back with heat resistant tape. It works really well and gives the stark light of the flourescents a warmer glow through the translite.

IMG_2510.JPG IMG_2508.JPG IMG_2512.JPG

well done and looks very nice. Might have to give that a try.

2nd that, going to try that as well, great idea.

also if anyone dont know what this tape is.. its "real duct tape" and you seriously need a role in your tool box.. its amazingly sticky, environmentally will maintain sticky in everything except liquid. in high heat will last 1-2 years decently.

may have to switch to that tape, looks pretty good.

It's been on there for five months and no signs of lifting yet. Sticky!

Can't you just put in a tube with a lower wattage? Or a warmer color?

Kim, you make some great DMD guards any way you would consider making some backbox glare guards as tracelifter pictures and describes in the thread below? I know I would be in for a few I imagine others would be as well.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jersey-jack-invisiglass-has-a-scratch-in-it#post-388474

You can take a rattle can of black and mist the tube to get it where you want it.

http://www.pinballnews.com/learn/antiglare/index.html

If Eric (tracelifter) doesn't mind I'd be glad to look into it. I was actually noodling on design similar to that but with a drink holder in it. It was a bad idea.

Eric?

Kim

Go ahead, I just make these for myself and a few friends and have no desire to market them.

You can stick gorilla or duct tape on front of the bulb or even electric tape. It won't catch fire.

Or you can go with an LED tube and mount it with the LEDs facing towards the boards.

viperrwk

Link?

Plug n play or are modifications required?

TIA.

Here's one -

http://amzn.com/B006JK9M3Q

Need a smaller one (18"?) to go in a RFM I think.

You'd have to pull the ballast but that's pretty simple and the ballast fails eventually anyway. The price for this tube is only a little more than a new fluorescent tube and ballast/starter

viperrwk

problems with those are they are always for T8 T5 etc.. not the mini ones

cool but still bright in lumen/wattage so you move the problem to a new medium

The manual and most everywhere else refer to it as an 18" tube:

http://mirror2.ipdb.org/files/4446/Bally_1999_Revenge_From_Mars_Manual.pdf

http://www.pinballpal.com/warming/

Also, I don't know of any standard tube that's sold as a 16" tube and I don't think P2K used custom tubes (I could be wrong.) The length is usually the nominal length but it may not actually match a specific dimension of the tube.

Also, given the reflector in the backbox of P2K I don't think the reverse LED tube trick would work too well in there.

viperrwk

I was the one that did this to my TSPP in 2005 and posted on rgp. The fluorescent tube gets warm but wouldn't call it hot, well, not hot enough to ignite paper. It's been this way for 7 years now and no issues.

It was a "cheap" solution to eliminate the brightness of the tube. It works fine. I'd be more concerned with paper wrappers on coils, than on a fluorescent tube IMHO.

I've done it too. Used my IR gun to take temps and the tube was 128 degrees after being on for 45 minutes. That's hot when you put your hand on it, but not hot when it comes to the autoignition temp of paper. Not a problem, nothing is going to burn up.

Snaroff, my Glare Guards block the translite glare 100% in a RFM. You can leave your game illuminated as it was intended to be . Once installed the guard disappears into the game so you don't see anything from the players perspective. No tools needed and it's removable when you sell the game.

Pay for shipping my man and I'll send you one for free. Contact me through Pinside.

Kim

I use theater lighting Gels. I have an light amber that I use to diffuse the white light into a natural looking light. Tape a loop around it, cuts the brightness down dramatically and makes it look like it's lit with natural bulbs.

Cool. Just turn it upside down (textured side up) and insert it into the lift channel and set your translite down into place like normal. Done.

Kim

i've done this to my RFM as well. Works great. I put a piece of tape on it, since the cat likes to knock it off of there.

I did this too (2 sheets of printer paper rolled around the tube) on my XMEN who's backbox lighting was so bright I was unable to play it in my dimly lit gameroom. 5 minutes later all was well and I like how it diffused the lighting. It looks like the same game, but the translite is probably 30% dimmer, which was perfect. It also matches the light intensity of my TRON (which has an LED backglass), so it looks good with the other games. Thanks for the tip by the way!

Properly installed my friend. I'm glad you like it.

Kim