Great thread! Sad this has to be done with the current prices of pins.
(Topic ID: 307852)
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2 weeks later
Another company trying to claim some sort of ownership of electronics theory from the 1940s... 
At least they were smart enough to delete their posts.
1 week later
Quoted from TheHive:My thoughts exactly! Use the 120v service outlet and get the exact power supply needed for the external amp of your choice. Which in a lot of cases would be 24v. A lot of amps allow 12-32VDC. But using 12v (from sterns board) gives you much less power for your speakers.
Get yourself this relay trigger on Amazon: (if you’re using a 120VAC to 24VDC power supply)
HiLetgo 2pcs DC 24V 1 Channel Relay Module with OPTO Isolation Support High or Low Level Triggle amazon.com link »
Or you can tap into the 120v post power switch. Simple and effective.
2 weeks later
Quoted from davegauth:Why exactly would you want it inside the cabinet? It's not rhetorical, it's a legit question.
Sure you can tuck it away inside the cabinet. Nothing wrong with that. I understand it comes down to personal taste and reasons. But you will miss out on a ton of features that make this awesome if you tuck everything inside. So let's see if I can give some good reasons to mount it outside rather than inside.
People pay good money for adapters, plates, buttons etc. just to be able to control their pins volume via external controls. You can save that money by mounting these mini amps up front like I did. Now you get full volume control outside the machine. As a bonus you also get easy access to basic adjustments like sub woofer volume etc. A big plus.
You also get full control of the Bluetooth which is a HUGE killer feature. You will need access to the amp to be able to toggle the input(on some amps) and have access to the volume without having to dig around the inside of the pin.
By putting the amp inside you also lose the ability to turn the amp on and off. Sure you can wire it to one of the boards to draw power from. It does make sense on a high level to just have 1 button whole system power turn on. I thought this way at first too. Until I realized I'd rather have use of the killer Bluetooth feature without also turning on the pin. After some thought I also realized that not many people are comfortable tapping power off the Spike boards directly, there is just an element of risk there that people feel uneasy about taking. Having a completely separated system removes that risk, and the associated roadblock to doing this DIY. Not to mention it will help when it comes time to sell the pin too.
So why would you want to mount everything inside again?
Way cleaner to have it all tucked away inside. Sound is pretty much set it and forget it.
Tapping into the electrical post switch is really easy, so it makes no sense to use the service plug....
Either way, cool stuff!
Quoted from davegauth:Just want to make sure I understand(and some who maybe reading this) what you are thinking for switched power connection.
What you are suggesting is simply attach/tap/solder whatever power supply being used for the amp directly to the switch terminals(or wires) between the switch and Sterns internal power supply.
As an example - If running a power brick type supply for an amp. The just snip off the plug, and solder the wires to the out side of the switch terminals in the back box. (or tap the wires or whatever type connection) Keeping the power supply to the amp complelty standalone.
Do I have this right?
I've only done this in w/b machines to add a separate 12v source via adapter for mods. The process would be similar. I'd open up the power supply and find the positive and negative wires just after the switch. These should be 120v. Test with your meter. Splice your adapter wires how you see fit and make it all look pretty.
1 year later
Quoted from mrbillishere:Good qsn.
For now the AIYIMA A03 amp gets its power from the service outlet so it's always on. My intent is to either hook its power cord into the lugs on the Stern transformer's inputs or to connect them to the switched side of the power switch. I have suitable terminals to crimp the leads onto either spot, I just have to decide which one I prefer.
This is the power brick I am using: amazon.com link »
[quoted image]
The nice thing about that power brick is that the half of its cord that goes to the power outlet in the wall uses the same type of cord as a lot of other old IT gear in my parts bin so if I want to, I can dig out one that's a couple of feet longer and pretty up how the cord runs inside the cabinet and ensure I have plenty of slack.
I'd also like to find the white circular cable clips on pinballife.com so I can use them along the inside edges of the cabinet to attach that braided cable sleeve to a couple of spots inside the cabinet along the right side.
[quoted image]
An easy fix is to plug your machine(s) into a wifi plug and turn it on and off with your phone. Then everything powers off, even the service plug. Another bonus is that you no longer have to use Stern's stupidly located blackbox power switches. Win win!
2 weeks later
Quoted from jedi42:Thats what i did for the Fosi amp i used to upgrade Godzilla. But, when i use the smartplug, it seems the amp power cycles maybe 8 times, causing feedback on the speakers each power cycle. Fine if I just use the switch on the amp to turn on. Any ideas?
If I understand you correctly, it sounds like the cheap PSU is cycling the service plug when it powers on. Test this with a different electrical device with a power light. To fix, you'd need to wire it direct to the PSU, which defeats the fix of the smart plug.
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