not sure this is true in all cases.
I have a paragon with those old style 44 sockets and they worked great with incandescent bulbs.
as soon as I stuck an led in there it kept flickering or dimming.

I replaced the socket with new ones, still the same...So I finally crimped the casing a little bit so there was better contact.
works great now. I've had the same thing happen with the 555 LED's, a lot of times you need to bend the contact out to the side so there is solid contact with the socket.

That is true. It wasn't until we'd owned Comet for about a year that we fully understood what was going on and changed our marketing. Wish it would have happened sooner.

Definitely not trying to scam anyone. At this point, it's entirely about giving people what they want...and many are still happy with these for certain use cases. But it may not be worth it if others (like those in this thread) are ending up with something they don't want.

Are you talking about GI, or inserts?

It might be time to retire them if they're starting to cause headaches. It's not the first time I've seen the dimming complaint in recent months. I still do use one LED bulb, though--the 6 LED fan. I think it's perfect for Gottlieb pop bumpers; good color, nice spread, and no blooming.

Maybe replace the LED bulbs with something like a 3528 or 3014 SMD for folks who don't like the brightness of the 5050 SMD? And maybe design that as the "retro" bulb for a near close equivalent to incandescent?

50/50 requires 3X the current a 3528 does

Just a follow up. For a sale that occured over 2 years ago (probably more like over 3 years), Ryan has credited me for probably every bulb in question. For me, this is going way past any customer support I could have ever expected.

Thank You, Ryan!

And, as you notice, I didnt want to use the term "defective" as others have said, this may be the right cost savings choice for some users. I just fully recommend you NOT use them in GI when you plan to have your games on for extended periods of time.

Probably not the best place to post this, but the only Bargain bulbs I use are the Domed "Bullet" bulbs for GI. If Comet could produce a version of this with an SMD that'd be great. Otherwise, it's just part of the game when LED'n an older game and trying to keep it as close to the original look.

The 10mm or the 8mm? What do you like about them?

God, I hope so.

GI... I think, the ones inside the pop bumpers. 44/47

the 555 pop bumper ones on newer games have always been really easy, I was actually considering swapping till I got it working.

I'm looking for a reliable LED that go near the slings and in/out lanes.
for location use.
Seems like every time I put a bulb anywhere near there it craps out and starts flickering within a week.
Stern bulbs are pretty good most of the time. Haven't used comets yet, still going through my cointaker stash.

also I noticed the voltage on X-Men LE is only 5 volts. Some bulbs don't even light up at certain places (maybe because they are premium bulbs needing more current?).
The playfield in general looks pretty dim, like to do something to make it a little brighter.

Cointaker premium 2-LED only need 47mA of juice...this is a lot less than a standard incandescent bulb like a 47, which draws around 150mA. I don't think LEDs are your problem. I don't know about X-Men LE, but the voltage required by LEDs is 6.3VDC. Sounds like you might have a problem with the voltage from the supply.

The 10mm. They just seem as close to incandescent as you can get with an LED bulb. The extra 2mm probably doesn't make a ton of difference, but I like that the 10mm extend to almost exactly the same height as incandescent they are replacing. Basically, I'm looking for the best GI bulb. By best I mean that it looks similar to an incandescent in color and brightness.

For reference, I'm currently using them in The Shadow and The Lord of the Rings. For both I'm trying to maintain the classic yellow-ish (warm white) look of incandescents.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I've tried every SMD bulb that you (Comet) offers and I find them a tad too bright for GI, where as the 10mm Bullet Dome seems pretty dang close to an incandescent.

The premium LED's didn't work at all in 2 places. The voltage test out at 5v almost exactly at most sites on the game.
The two places are the spot light on the sling plastic and the blackbird scoop light. there was a diode adding .5 volts to the voltage drop of the circuit. I replaced it with another diode that had a little less resistance and it increased the voltage by maybe .2 volts. It was enough to make a slight difference, but I still wasn't able to use premium bulbs.

now that I'm thinking about it I'm not even sure incandescent bulbs worked there... when I got the game there was no bulbs in those two places.
I could of sworn I tried it though, remember thinking that it looked super dim.
u might be right, that would make a lot of sense if it were supposed to be 6.3v.

off to the X-Men thread

Yes, do ask there. I dont want to steer you wrong...I know a lot of game systems, especially older designs. I wouldn't expect newer Stern games to be extremely different, and I would think they would take advantage of existing bulb tech, rather than requiring something so specialized that nobody else manufactures it.

I've got the same problem too. Bought over a hundred of the flat tops 18 months ago that have been on MAYBE 150 hours and they're just trashed... no life left in them. So sad considering how bright and new the machines felt when I put them in.

I've been procrastinating sending a note over to Comet over a relatively small $50 order considering I did get a year of use out of them, but Ill definitely never go for the budget option again. I wish that I had known at the time.

I always get a smirk on my face when I go to Walymart and buy a LED that the advertising leads you to believe it will last forever . Even if the LED itself would last that long, and to maybe add to your comment...there's no claim the cheap Chinese electronics last that long.

They were certainly touted within the sign industry and having to never be replaced and the claims of lasting 20,000 or 50,000hrs have changed to "up to".
I was bringing constant current LEDs into my country some 8 or 9 years back and the quality was good. My manufacturer later emailed me with concerns that as the push for more and more product to meet demand came, the quality would drop and many of the benefits of LED would disappear. Interestingly, that company no longer operates.
But as a side note.. my 1930's and 1940's pins I have still have the original incandescent bulbs in them and they all work.. my 1937 Stoner Ricochet was sited in a milk bar for 20 years and then went into a home environment. So there was a time when incandescent lighting was incredibly reliable... food for thought.

LOL.. your comment about the old bulbs in the 30's and 40's games reminded me of something a co-worker said a couple of weeks ago. He's near 65 and lives in an old farmhouse that's been in the family since the dawn of time. He was wondering how long his electric water heater was going last. "How old is it?" I asked. "It's older than me" he replied. Good heavens!

Back to the LED thread now...sorry for the slight derail.

Using higher resistance current limiting while sacrificing minimal brightness would probably make the budget LEDs have a much longer service life.

The smt ones are all around much better, just use those.

I am using 5v dc switcher supplies for GI in most games anymore and the one and two smt LEDs bulbs light up fine at around 5.25vdc. They will probably last a bit longer at the lower voltage too.

This is an interesting thread...even not knowing all the electrical technicalities. My knee jerk response is “what will I do in 20 years when my SW prem needs new LEDs...the ones on boards. That’s a lot of money”. Then again...it’s 20years down the road. If I still have it, I will have played the sh!t out of it, and enjoyed it to death. There is also the distinct possibility that a cheap fix is created. I’m good now. Carry on.