(Topic ID: 200040)

LED’s

By mr300ww

6 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 30 posts
  • 22 Pinsiders participating
  • No one calls this topic a favorite

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    unicornpooprs (resized).jpg
    Star Wars (resized).jpg
    Star Wars before (resized).jpg
    20171012_122331 (resized).png
    leds (resized).jpg
    D44650FA-0B3F-4904-9B96-433E4C353041 (resized).jpeg
    playfieldLow (resized).jpg
    20171006_201743 (resized).jpg

    #1 6 years ago

    Is there a benefit to putting all led’s in a machine? And how do you decide on what colors are best or should you just stay with white bulbs?

    #2 6 years ago

    Well the "benefit" is less power consumption for sure.

    AS for the finer details there are tons of info on different threads here. You will never get a large group of peopel to agree on one of of doing things though, or one company to buy them from.
    I wish I could give you an easy answer but there really isn't one. You need to buy some and try them to tell.

    #3 6 years ago

    Benefit: Looks cool when done right, if it's your thing. Brighter inserts, reduced heat, & lowered power consumption.
    Drawback: Looks like a unicorn vomited rainbows on your machine if you do it wrong.

    You can't really go wrong with all warm white or sunlight.

    I'd take a look around for LED'd examples of the machine you're looking into putting them in.

    #4 6 years ago

    There are many benefits. The two big ones are power consumption and brightness.

    My take on LEDs is this: color match your inserts and leave the GI and flashers white - cool or warm to taste. The colors are meant to be seen - not blown out with some ridiculous color like a clown puked on your game.

    20171006_201743 (resized).jpg20171006_201743 (resized).jpg

    #5 6 years ago

    Yup Power and brightness. I'm a huge proponent of cometpinball.com. Their site can be a little overwhelming but they have great bulbs at amazing prices. I use warm white in some games and natural white in others, totally depends on the title. For example, I have warm in Indy and it keeps with the theme really well, but i have Natural in POTC and Terminator.

    #6 6 years ago

    Aside from LEDs running cooler and consuming less power, if you're going to be running the game for hours and hours, it'll also keep the general illumination connectors from roasting and burning up in games where that's prone to happening.

    The major con for me, is that they're very "strobey" looking, and they lack the smoothness of incandescents. On some games, you can use LED OCD to correct it, but not all games support it.

    #7 6 years ago

    Good LEDs cost good money, cheap ones not so much.

    I was on the LED bandwagon when I started buying machines, but now I'm to the part of the hobby that requires removing them and putting them back to stock.

    Problem is 555 LEDs can have a wider base so they basically destroy the sockets they are put into.

    So if you have money and time to burn, go for it!

    -1
    #8 6 years ago
    Quoted from RatShack:

    You can't really go wrong with all warm white or sunlight.

    depends on the game. if the color scheme is on the "warm" end of the spectrum (lots of oranges / yellows / reds) or if you want the game to look "vintage", then yes, go with warm white. but if the color scheme of the game is mostly "cool" colors (blue / purple / teal / green) then cool white GI will make the game look much better.

    funhouse, for example, looks best with warm white. STTNG looks better with cool white. ( i also have some purple in the GI around the edges, but that's entirely optional and not everyone's cup of tea)

    playfieldLow (resized).jpgplayfieldLow (resized).jpg

    for inserts .. your best bet is to match the LED to the color of the insert.

    a lot of it depends on what game you're talking about, though. for EMs and older games, you risk ruining the old timey feel. but for anything DMD-era or newer, it's a no brainer in my opinion. (i also can't recommend LED OCD and GI OCD highly enough, but i don't want to scare you away from LEDs altogether )

    #9 6 years ago

    No purple. Never purple. That's rule #1. Rule #2 is to refer to rule #1. Rule #3 is to not blind your player with silly overpowered bulbs and flashers.

    LEDs are awesome when used well. Just go with white LEDs for GI, never use colors. Color match inserts. Yes, generally more expensive LEDs will perform better. You're going to have to pay for quality.

    Lower power draw, less heat, and brighter light are all good benefits. Just don't go out and make your game look silly with oddly colored GI bulbs. White is best. White is truth.

    #10 6 years ago
    Quoted from jar155:

    No purple. Never purple. That's rule #1. Rule #2 is to refer to rule #1. Rule #3 is to not blind your player with silly overpowered bulbs and flashers.
    LEDs are awesome when used well. Just go with white LEDs for GI, never use colors. Color match inserts. Yes, generally more expensive LEDs will perform better. You're going to have to pay for quality.
    Lower power draw, less heat, and brighter light are all good benefits. Just don't go out and make your game look silly with oddly colored GI bulbs. White is best. White is truth.

    I'm going to sneak into your house one night and convert all your games to purple LEDs

    D44650FA-0B3F-4904-9B96-433E4C353041 (resized).jpegD44650FA-0B3F-4904-9B96-433E4C353041 (resized).jpeg

    #11 6 years ago
    Quoted from Whitenoise3000:

    I'm going to sneak into your house one night and convert all your games to purple LEDs

    I'm going to train my dog to attack anything with your scent.

    #12 6 years ago

    GI and backbox should get frosted led's to cut down on the glare.

    #13 6 years ago

    Prepare for lots of debate. I will get blasted, but I like the pre figured kits from pinballbulbs. Simple, easy, and the thinking was already done. Plus I know I will have the correct number of correct bulbs. For me it is my go to for my LED’s. Opinions are like orgasms....everyone has them but only mine matters.

    #14 6 years ago

    Stick with warm white for 90% or more of the GI. I tossed in a few blues under the ramps of my fastbreak recently but I think you shouldn't go overboard, stick with warm white.

    #15 6 years ago

    If you like the pic on the left more than the pic on the right (heck, if you like it at all), then you go sit at the kids' table. You're a bad person.

    leds (resized).jpgleds (resized).jpg

    #16 6 years ago

    20171012_122331 (resized).png20171012_122331 (resized).png

    #17 6 years ago
    Quoted from Aflacjack:

    Prepare for lots of debate. I will get blasted, but I like the pre figured kits from pinballbulbs. Simple, easy, and the thinking was already done. Plus I know I will have the correct number of correct bulbs. For me it is my go to for my LED’s. Opinions are like orgasms....everyone has them but only mine matters.

    What he said ^^.

    Pinballbulbs has nice looking kits if you want to add color. Even when I have purchased machines with LED's in them already I inevitably replace them with the Pinballbulbs kit for that machine. James(Pinballbulbs) is good to work with, good to the community and he will make sure you are taken care of.

    #18 6 years ago

    put some under your inserts youll be amazed, you can use bright white or same as insert color

    for general illumination better not to used collored but frosted white or sunlight
    imo

    #19 6 years ago
    Quoted from Aflacjack:

    I will get blasted, but I like the pre figured kits from pinballbulbs. Simple, easy, and the thinking was already done.

    For some people it easier for sure. The only issue people can have is whom is making the decisions and how free are they with the colorings. I cannot comment on Pinballbulbs but places like Cointaker will make up whatever kits they want and it can be a shit show (in the past at least). They've decided for that insert we're going to use a RGB color changing LED...ummm wtf? These plastics are purple so we'll throw in some purple GI...

    #20 6 years ago

    Under the playfield - matching the insert colors can look awesome. Takes time to go through the machine and pick out each type and color though.

    Edit: Two posters above basically just said the same thing while I was typing.
    I wouldn't suggest kits - overpriced. Just LEDed a game for $50, kit was $250.

    #21 6 years ago

    My personal preference is to use the cool white for GI, with color matched inserts. Make sure to use non-ghosting leds (a little more expensive than the basics) for all your controlled lamps. I like the brightness of the 2SMDs for GI (not sure if that is a generic term or specifically nomenclature from Comet pinball). When I finished my first led job, I noticed all the led flickering and was worried that the strobing/flicker would ruin the game. After about 10-20 plays I no longer noticed it.

    #22 6 years ago

    Like other said, benefit is lower power consumption which means no more burnt connectors or cooked plastics. Less heat in the backbox is also better for the boards. It also allows you to safely add lighting like spotlights. They also transform a game and look amazing. Colors and the type of white is all personal preference. While you can go overboard with colors in gi, I do like some color. Just depends on the game, artwork, and colors of playfield. Nice thing about leds is that they are easy to swap so you can always change the look. If you like how purple looks all over the place then do it - it's your game. Best thing to do is buy samples of different colors and bulbs and see what looks best.

    Downsides are cost and you lose fade effects. It generally runs between $100-$175ish to swap out all bulbs and flashers. You can also buy ocd boards to have fade effects with leds but more cost.

    Modern Stern games use 2 smd bulbs for everything. For older games, I like using 2 smd bulbs in the gi and 1 smd bulbs in the inserts.

    #23 6 years ago
    Quoted from jar155:

    I'm going to train my dog to attack anything with your scent.

    I'll just feed Ridley pizza. Friends for life

    #24 6 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    For some people it easier for sure. The only issue people can have is whom is making the decisions and how free are they with the colorings. I cannot comment on Pinballbulbs but places like Cointaker will make up whatever kits they want and it can be a shit show (in the past at least). They've decided for that insert we're going to use a RGB color changing LED...ummm wtf? These plastics are purple so we'll throw in some purple GI...

    Hey, for the record I think RGB color changing bulbs are the devil! After several years of being hounded for them through emails and mostly at shows we got them in stock couple years back, but I refuse to use them in any of my pins!

    #25 6 years ago
    Quoted from jawjaw:

    Downsides are cost and you lose fade effects. It generally runs between $100-$175ish to swap out all bulbs and flashers.

    You don't lose the fade effects (and indeed gain full software control of them) if you invest in GI OCD and LED OCD! Fantastic products that have to be seen in person to be appreciated.

    Also, as an LED fanatic, there is no reason to LED your flashers. They look worse than indandescents, and they aren't on long enough for power consumption or heat to matter (I think).

    #26 6 years ago
    Quoted from PinballBulbs:

    Hey, for the record I think RGB color changing bulbs are the devil! After several years of being hounded for them through emails and mostly at shows we got them in stock couple years back, but I refuse to use them in any of my pins!

    IMHO a color changer is perfect for the "?" panel on the TZ door.

    #27 6 years ago

    never ever do colors for GI's or backboxes. Looks like 100% shit, each and every time. The only ones that say it looks good, are the ones that are either color blind....fully blind, or distracted by blinky shiny things. Don't do it. Makes all the surrounding art on the plastics and playfield look like total ass. This is not personal preference. There is a science behind color distribution and how it effects surrounding areas. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it.

    Use cool white for purple, blues and greens

    Warm or daylight white for reds, orange, and yellows.

    #28 6 years ago

    If the Bulbs are all the same brightness, I agree that in a back box, the light from colored bulbs can often bleed and look pretty poor.
    Yet respect that others are very happy with their games exactly that way.

    Heres a Star Wars Back Box, where the Camera makes Yoda look bad, when its quite perfect.

    There are 1 Green, 3 blue, 1 Purple, and one yellow LEDs in this back box, but of 3 different types and brightness.

    Im pleased with this, but agree its a PITA to tinker so much with the lights, unless one has the Passion....Trial and error.

    Star Wars before (resized).jpgStar Wars before (resized).jpg

    Star Wars (resized).jpgStar Wars (resized).jpg

    #29 6 years ago

    We have discovered how to put unicorn poop in to bulbs.. we then stopped and asked ourselves "should we really be doing this?" and decided that we should destroy the magical unicorn that makes them.

    Serious though.. i feel like the "purple'ing" and "adding color to enhance" fad needs to just stop and go away..

    unicornpooprs (resized).jpgunicornpooprs (resized).jpg

    #30 6 years ago
    Quoted from jar155:

    If you like the pic on the left more than the pic on the right (heck, if you like it at all), then you go sit at the kids' table. You're a bad person.

    Callmesteam is a bad person

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/led%e2%80%99s and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.