(Topic ID: 208691)

LEDs direct from China

By stevef

6 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 62 posts
  • 39 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 6 years ago by chuckwurt
  • Topic is favorited by 14 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    3850F259-D314-4435-A641-96F847ACA03C (resized).jpeg
    57540597-DECA-463A-A248-8FC95959AFF4 (resized).jpeg
    9D226FB2-FBA3-4CD5-B728-3E5B4D4DE50C (resized).jpeg
    2C11F599-6593-419E-AE95-354C106A5275 (resized).jpeg
    F28CEF18-6A82-4176-B1BA-6DD6BF3A08F6 (resized).jpeg
    LED (resized).jpg
    IMG_6739 (resized).JPG
    Untitled (resized).png
    5A14586B-E47F-4572-A7F1-6F413B33C2E6 (resized).jpeg

    There are 62 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 6 years ago

    Can anybody recommend a good quality supplier of LEDs direct from Chinese manufacturer please>

    30
    #2 6 years ago

    Probably not the response you're looking for, but supporting the pinball guys who bring some excellent high quality LEDs to the market is probably your best bet. Between Comet, Nifty, Pinball Bulbs, and Coin Taker, and others, you'll get a great product with really nice customer support.

    #3 6 years ago

    I'd be careful about buying from China direct, especially off ebay.. Quality is all over the map, takes a long time to arrive, and it's a pain to communicate. Much rather deal with us suppliers.

    #4 6 years ago

    try alibaba or aliexpress

    Would be easier and faster to just use a pinball vendor unless you plan on selling them. if you buy in bulk get some samples first before placing a very large order.

    #5 6 years ago

    5A14586B-E47F-4572-A7F1-6F413B33C2E6 (resized).jpeg5A14586B-E47F-4572-A7F1-6F413B33C2E6 (resized).jpeg

    #6 6 years ago

    Sunny Chen from Auto Dragons. She posts in the pinball facebook groups. Message her there for the catalog. She is not shipping any order tho until like March tho. China goes on vacation soon for Spring Festival.

    Take forever to get but the one led (1P) and two led (2P) SMT bulbs are very comparable to comet pinball. Sunny's middle white is a bit more on the cool side than comet's "sunlight" between white. The price is right specially when you have a lot of games to do the cost add up real fast.

    I'd be willing to wager that Sunny Chen is the supplier for some of the domestic pinball LED vendors

    Untitled (resized).pngUntitled (resized).png

    #7 6 years ago
    Quoted from barakandl:

    Sunny Chen from Auto Dragons. She posts in the pinball facebook groups. Message her there for the catalog. She is not shipping any order tho until like March tho. China goes on vacation soon for Spring Festival.
    Take forever to get but the one led (1P) and two led (2P) SMT bulbs are very comparable to comet pinball. Sunny's middle white is a bit more on the cool side than comet's "sunlight" between white. The price is right specially when you have a lot of games to do the cost add up real fast.

    All of the pinball LED companies do not use Auto Dragons, they take forever, are more expensive and their quality sucks

    #8 6 years ago
    Quoted from iwantansi:

    All of the pinball LED companies do not use Auto Dragons, they take forever, are more expensive and their quality sucks

    "take forever"
    yes... Expect a month

    "Quality sucks"
    Not in my opinion. The 1p and 2p surface mounts im using are 100% comparable to the same product family as Comet. I have hundreds in service and no failures. I had issues with comet LEDs dimming over time(the type that is potted in resin, not surface mount). I am not getting any noticeable dim over time (yet) from the Sunny / Auto dragons.

    "More expensive"
    No. Just checked around all the vendors I can think of and Sunny Chen Auto dragon's is cheaper

    "all of the pinball led companies do not use auto dragons"
    Probably true. But i think some of the Pinball LED vendors use Auto Dragons. If not they use the same raw material suppliers for the bulb housings and surface mount PCBs in the bulb. I have cut some apart being curious.

    10
    #9 6 years ago

    what is for sure is that all of the pinball LED's you buy are all_ made in china.

    #10 6 years ago

    I like comet, especially the non ghosting inserts, I don't mind paying a premium for quality I can trust. I think its hilarious that people buy "kits" for 150+ because it's "for the game".

    #11 6 years ago

    Comet is definitely my favorite for leds. Marco and coin taker are also good.

    #12 6 years ago
    Quoted from barakandl:

    I had issues with comet LEDs dimming over time(the type that is potted in resin, not surface mount)

    The surface mount diodes last *significantly* longer. The non-surface mounted stuff is essentially the previous generation of the technology, and won't last nearly as long. We've been working on changing our messaging to make sure it's clear to people when they're buying.

    Quoted from martimagico:

    I think its hilarious that people buy "kits" for 150+ because it's "for the game".

    I depends on what the kit is. If someone went through the manual, counted up wedges and bayonets, and then sent you white for everything...yeah that's probably not worth it. I'm amazed that there are so many kits out there that don't even show you pictures (which admittedly...it can be really difficult to get great pictures).

    The best kits are probably priced closer to retail than you'd think. You'll still probably always save a little money by building your own, but it will take you a few hours. Despite my experience with bulbs, I can't build a kit blind (meaning: create a list of bulbs and put them into the machine and be happy with the result on the first try).

    We just launched a Twilight Zone kit that has over 200+ pieces in it. It would cost you almost the same amount to buy them all individually, plus it will take you hours to pick out all the bulbs and place an order. But, it's pretty fancy, it uses non-ghosting bulbs, extra 6 spotlights, 8 postlights for the upper playfield, and a long lighting strip to illuminate the backpanel area, so it's more like buying a Premium Stern than it is a Pro.

    #13 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    But, it's pretty fancy, it uses non-ghosting bulbs, extra 6 spotlights, 8 postlights for the upper playfield, and a long lighting strip to illuminate the backpanel areal, so it's more like buying a Premium Stern than it is a Pro.

    As a long time Comet customer I can respectfully say this "fanciness" is the issue a lot of people have with kits.

    #14 6 years ago
    Quoted from martimagico:

    I like comet, especially the non ghosting inserts, I don't mind paying a premium for quality I can trust. I think its hilarious that people buy "kits" for 150+ because it's "for the game".

    Sure makes it easy though. I don't have 3-4 hours to sit around and make a list of what bulbs and colors I need. I pay for convenience more the time unfortunately.

    #15 6 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    As a long time Comet customer I can respectfully say this "fanciness" is the issue a lot of people have with kits.

    Is it? My primary issues with kits before taking over Comet were: either I didn't know what the kit would look like, or the kit overused colored GI and washed out the entire game.

    I could be totally misinterpreting, but most of the posts I see about kits being too expensive come from people who either: already have the knowledge, ability, and willingness to create their own kit, or are people who are very price conscious. The first group will likely find things they don't like about whatever kit I put together and will want to make substitutions (which isn't really a feasible thing for us to provide on a per request basis). The second group finds better value in spending a few hours figuring it out themselves to save some money.

    Do you think there is a market for "no frills kits"? I'm imagining: all white frosted GI, no extra lighting, and non-ghosting color matched bulbs for the inserts. Dark playfields would remain dark. Minimal instructions (something like: color match the inserts, and everything else is white!). I also wouldn't sit there trying 5-10 different bulbs in each socket trying to find the best one, and would probably just go all 1SMD frosted for everything. I probably would be able to build these blind, without needing to have the game in the shop.

    I can really stand behind the look of kits I've made so far, but it sounds like you think quite a few people would prefer a 40% discount on kit pricing for something that's just "the correct bulbs for my machine"?

    To be honest, I've only ordered a few kits before, so I'm not quite sure what the other options out there are like (other than being similarly priced to mine and to each other, and often not providing much information as to what is inside).

    #16 6 years ago

    But it's for the game!

    -11
    #17 6 years ago

    I wouldn't waste your time with direct ordering LED's from China. You don't really save alot, unless you order 1000's of bulbs, and it will take 1-2 months to get them.
    I really like the kits from Pinballbulbs.com. There was a couple bulbs missing in a kit I got for Funhouse and they immediately sent me replacements.

    IMG_6739 (resized).JPGIMG_6739 (resized).JPG

    #18 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    Do you think there is a market for "no frills kits"? I'm imagining: all white frosted GI, no extra lighting, and non-ghosting color matched bulbs for the inserts.

    A lot of people would be happy with this as an option.

    #19 6 years ago
    Quoted from Scarby:

    I wouldn't waste your time with direct ordering LED's from China. You don't really save alot, unless you order 1000's of bulbs, and it will take 1-2 months to get them.
    I really like the kits from Pinballbulbs.com. There was a couple bulbs missing in a kit I got for Funhouse and they immediately sent me replacements.

    In the voice of Ron Burgandy.. "Purple... Hmmmm PURPLE!!:

    #20 6 years ago

    Ryan my thoughts are all in line with yours. You would think there would be 2 groups of people that you listed, but maybe theres a middle ground with just your basic stuff.
    You know TZ needs X amount of green 555s & 44s to match inserts and the work is "done for" the customer etc. Every thing is going to be frosted because onky insane people would order something else.
    Now whether that's worth your time or not I have no idea. It might be worth it to throw up a poll or a new thread about it.

    #22 6 years ago

    Careful with the cheaper options. Sometimes they can go mini nuclear on you. Excuse the dirty hands, but that's what they look like when you're involved in back breaking work, such as shopping pins.

    LED (resized).jpgLED (resized).jpg

    #23 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    Do you think there is a market for "no frills kits"? I'm imagining: all white frosted GI, no extra lighting, and non-ghosting color matched bulbs for the inserts. Dark playfields would remain dark. Minimal instructions (something like: color match the inserts, and everything else is white!). I also wouldn't sit there trying 5-10 different bulbs in each socket trying to find the best one, and would probably just go all 1SMD frosted for everything. I probably would be able to build these blind, without needing to have the game in the shop.

    Well I use only Comet bulbs for the most part and this is exactly how I do a machine, so if a "kit "done this way gave a price advantage by having a bulk price - yes I would be interested.

    #24 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    We just launched a Twilight Zone kit that has over 200+ pieces in it. It would cost you almost the same amount to buy them all individually, plus it will take you hours to pick out all the bulbs and place an order. But, it's pretty fancy, it uses non-ghosting bulbs, extra 6 spotlights, 8 postlights for the upper playfield, and a long lighting strip to illuminate the backpanel area.

    Ryan, for those that have LED OCD you should offer kits with standard leds and not the non-ghosting leds

    #25 6 years ago

    100%, Auto dragons dumps "B" and "C" grade LEDs in their orders.

    #26 6 years ago

    Is anyone going to address the fact that this guy has been on Pinside for 13 years and THIS is his first post?

    #27 6 years ago
    Quoted from farberstyle:

    Is anyone going to address the fact that this guy has been on Pinside for 13 years and THIS is his first post?

    You would be amazed at how many Pinsiders have been here for years and never post. I see nothing wrong with it.

    #28 6 years ago
    Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

    100%, Auto dragons dumps "B" and "C" grade LEDs in their orders.

    this is a guy who knows

    #29 6 years ago
    Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

    100%, Auto dragons dumps "B" and "C" grade LEDs in their orders.

    What is a B and C grade LED and who does the official grading? If you read data sheets from the manufacturers of LEDs like used in the pinball bulbs they don't specify A B C grading.

    Are you saying you order a sample bulbs that come with the specified samsung 5630 leds and then on the big order they send you bulbs with a 3528 or other smaller/different/cheaper LEDs?

    #30 6 years ago

    I agree, use the pinball lighting vendors we have. I have been very happy with Comet's bulbs and also quick and friendly responses on my questions.
    @ryanwagner -- I guess I am in your second grouping above, for me part of the fun and hobby is experimenting and finding the correct color, type of bulb, etc. I am still working on my Haunted House for several months now, play the game, see what I want, etc, it has been a fun and slow process. My back box is the last thing to do and I just can't bring myself to replace those old flashing incs with LEDs, especially for the lightning.

    #31 6 years ago

    I'm planning on putting leds in a Twister. Any advice for newbie?

    #32 6 years ago
    Quoted from Bryan_Kelly:

    You would be amazed at how many Pinsiders have been here for years and never post. I see nothing wrong with it.

    Yeah. It's people like YOU that we are worried about posting on here!!!

    Mike

    #33 6 years ago
    Quoted from Pintucky:

    Yeah. It's people like YOU that we are worried about posting on here!!!
    Mike

    Don't be a dick, Mike!!

    #34 6 years ago
    Quoted from jar155:

    Careful with the cheaper options. Sometimes they can go mini nuclear on you. Excuse the dirty hands, but that's what they look like when you're involved in back breaking work, such as shopping pins.

    I’ve had that happen on numerous comet bulbs. I simply have to many machines to pay Comet prices though there service is top notch(not complaining bout the price just like things cheaper). I’ve been using LEDs a fellow pinsider bought through alibaba and I’ve gone through 500 leds without a problem.

    #35 6 years ago
    Quoted from Gunnut40:

    I'm planning on putting leds in a Twister. Any advice for newbie?

    Don’t go crazy with color, that was my early mistake. Start off slow with playfield GI and try the two different color whites and see if you like one more than the other for your Twister. No need to buy the non-ghosting to start, just the cheaper ones. Frosted are a little mellower than clear. Some color can be added to color inlays but some times it just doesn’t work and white is better.

    #36 6 years ago
    Quoted from PinRob:

    Ryan, for those that have LED OCD you should offer kits with standard leds and not the non-ghosting leds

    We do have this option on two different kits right now LOTR and Tron. Regular bulbs instead of non-ghosting...and it includes the OCD board. But, I suppose that we should have an OCD version that doesn't have the board too.

    Unfortunately, it gets pretty complicated on our end. Flashers: yes/no, ocd: yes/no, ocd board: yes/no. Now we're at 8 different possible versions of the kit, which can get a little unwieldy in terms of instructions, photos/videos, and then making a change or substitution ripples across all of that stuff.

    To make a long story short, if you want an OCD related version of one of our kits, reach out and I can probably make it happen (that's how at least one of our OCD kits came into being).

    #37 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    Do you think there is a market for "no frills kits"? I'm imagining: all white frosted GI, no extra lighting, and non-ghosting color matched bulbs for the inserts.

    Yes, but with a caveat. I would not want color matched LEDs for amber/orange, as per your website and per my own tests, warm white produces far better brightness and proper hue/saturation in these cases.

    #38 6 years ago

    When you buy LEDs, make sure you are getting the SMD (surface mount) type, regardless of where you get them. For example, the cheap Comet LEDs are absolute crap. They are the old technology, not the SMD type. They will fade rather quickly, and frankly, they're dim to start with. Also Comet LEDs are just made poorly. The tops spin off way too easily, destroying the device.

    On the other hand, all the SMD leds i've seen, regardless of the maker, are of decent quality. Realize that the #44 style are basically hand made. (The 555 style can be machine produced.) That's one reason why a lot of these makers from various overseas venues take so long to get.

    #39 6 years ago

    Holy purple batman! Or is that pink?

    Quoted from Scarby:I wouldn't waste your time with direct ordering LED's from China. You don't really save alot, unless you order 1000's of bulbs, and it will take 1-2 months to get them.
    I really like the kits from Pinballbulbs.com. There was a couple bulbs missing in a kit I got for Funhouse and they immediately sent me replacements.

    #40 6 years ago

    That funhouse pic is not a great selling point

    #41 6 years ago

    I'm not a huge fan of ADT (Auto Dragon Technologies), but here is a link to their store if anyone wants it: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/223977

    #42 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    The non-surface mounted stuff is essentially the previous generation of the technology, and won't last nearly as long. We've been working on changing our messaging to make sure it's clear to people when they're buying.

    Do these types of bulbs sell that well? I know for me once I got my hands on your smds I never considered buying the others ever again. Maybe as a backbox bulb since they are not as bright.

    #43 6 years ago
    Quoted from chuckwurt:

    Do these types of bulbs sell that well?

    Surprisingly, yes.

    At some point they will go away, but it won't be from a lack of demand.

    They don't hold up long enough to be used on location, but for a home use game that's turned off 95% of the time, they work.

    #44 6 years ago
    Quoted from Scarby:

    I really like the kits from Pinballbulbs.com. There was a couple bulbs missing in a kit I got for Funhouse and they immediately sent me replacements.

    I do understand how that much purple would look good in other games but imo I think it looks terrible in funhouse. Doesn’t match the theme at all.

    #45 6 years ago
    Quoted from ryanwanger:

    Surprisingly, yes.
    At some point they will go away, but it won't be from a lack of demand.
    They don't hold up long enough to be used on location, but for a home use game that's turned off 95% of the time, they work.

    This is the first I've heard where LED fade/burn out is a noticeable problem in pins.

    If that's the case, what would be recommended for older SS or EM games where the an incandescent appearance and brightness is desired?

    #46 6 years ago

    Here’s my Grand Prix with incandescent on the left half and comet frosted 5050 warm white bulbs. They are smd. F28CEF18-6A82-4176-B1BA-6DD6BF3A08F6 (resized).jpegF28CEF18-6A82-4176-B1BA-6DD6BF3A08F6 (resized).jpeg2C11F599-6593-419E-AE95-354C106A5275 (resized).jpeg2C11F599-6593-419E-AE95-354C106A5275 (resized).jpeg9D226FB2-FBA3-4CD5-B728-3E5B4D4DE50C (resized).jpeg9D226FB2-FBA3-4CD5-B728-3E5B4D4DE50C (resized).jpeg57540597-DECA-463A-A248-8FC95959AFF4 (resized).jpeg57540597-DECA-463A-A248-8FC95959AFF4 (resized).jpeg

    #47 6 years ago
    Quoted from farberstyle:

    Is anyone going to address the fact that this guy has been on Pinside for 13 years and THIS is his first post?

    Were you looking for a more profound statement?
    Maybe "mmm Juicy Fruit"?

    #48 6 years ago
    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    This is the first I've heard where LED fade/burn out is a noticeable problem in pins.

    The AC/DC Premiums on location that still have the original factory LEDs in it are almost completely dark now. There are two of them near me. Those are 2LEDs and Stern doesn't use them anymore even though they are slightly cheaper. Everyone has switched to SMDs which have a much longer lifespan.

    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    If that's the case, what would be recommended for older SS or EM games where the an incandescent appearance and brightness is desired?

    If your games aren't on location, and you haven't noticed any issues, then you don't need to change what you're buying.

    But, regardless of where your bulbs come from, SMDs last longer. If you're buying from us, I'd recommend frosted 1SMDs (that's what chuckwurt posted in his photos above - thanks bud!). But also send me a PM, I'd love to get some more in depth feedback.

    I've got an EM on location right now that has frosted warm white 2SMDs in the GI (this is also what Nic, who toured the country fixing up games uses). It fits right alongside the modern games, and no one has complained. But...it's a 30s and 40s crowd there, so we didn't grow up playing EMs.

    #49 6 years ago

    Well im looking for these guys since all of our great vendors stopped selling them. They were perfect for pop bumpers as they weren’t blinding. They where the 4+1

    3850F259-D314-4435-A641-96F847ACA03C (resized).jpeg3850F259-D314-4435-A641-96F847ACA03C (resized).jpeg

    #50 6 years ago
    Quoted from Gunnut40:

    I'm planning on putting leds in a Twister. Any advice for newbie?

    Yes, make sure the undersides of the inserts are clean.....and I mean CLEAN.

    There are 62 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

    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/leds-direct-from-china?hl=bendit 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.