(Topic ID: 177042)

LEDs for Gottlieb System3 (Surf 'N Safari)

By CrocRod

7 years ago



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  • 8 posts
  • 4 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 7 years ago by CrocRod
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#1 7 years ago

Hello,

I recently bought a Surf 'n Safari and am doing some minor cosmetic work on it. The game is playable, but looks a little worse for wear. I'm interested in brightening it up by swapping out the lightbulbs for LEDs.

Looking for some advice on what LEDs would be good to use in this machine. I checked out cometpinball.com and was quickly overwhelmed with choices I see that "ghosting" can also be an issue on system3 machines, so I'm curious what others' experiences have been like and if it's worth paying more for "non-ghosting" bulbs.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

#2 7 years ago

For mine I went with Comet - and I don't color-bomb if that's the look you are after:

Controlled -1smd frosted non-ghosting except yellow. I went with the 4smd since yellow bulbs are always dimmer than other colors. Art steered me in that direction and it works.

GI and backbox -cheap natural whites. Next time I tear it down, I think I'll switch the GI to sunlight.

#3 7 years ago

To do your game, you have a choice between "easy" or what looks best for you.

Take a peek at Comets help pages, as youll want to determine the Brightness of lighting first.

A Game in a Room with tons of overhead lighting always on, is different than wanting to play in the dark.

Stick with frosted Bulbs, always safe..(Except in yellow, as noted, but white behind yellow is safe too)

Keep it easy and use Sunlight white....Everything looks great!

Add a few colors to your taste.

Regarding Non ghosting and this specific game, I encourage people to do as you have, make a thread and get input,
or search your game with the word "LED" and with about 1/2 hour of reading, you will be an apprentice, and master
the whole thing with a little knowledge and a game under your belt.

To me, personally, this produces the best result.

If you wish to keep it simple, try their starter or Master kits in any brightness level and have a blast, learning as you go,

#5 7 years ago

Thanks Frank! Sorry for the newbie questions, but here goes:

1. www.cometpinball.com/product-p/1smd5050ng.htm. Are these the bulbs that you used? Do you recall what color you went with? I don't see a sunlight white option; just "natural" or "warm". Also, to confirm, did you use these same white bulbs everywhere except under the yellow playfield inserts?

2. Which bulbs did you use for the GI? I see that the link (above) on Comet's page says "These bulbs are slightly wider than our standard bulbs and do not fit into the GI of 90s Gottlieb games, which use smaller holes than all other manufacturers.", so not sure what would be the preferred bulbs to use on the GI.

Thanks again.

#6 7 years ago

Be sure to use not ghosting in the system 3. I had one of these. I recommend using the bendibe LEDs right above the ramp entrances and along the strip in the back.
Cool white worked well for the GI. Color match the insets.

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#7 7 years ago
Quoted from CrocRod:

Thanks Frank! Sorry for the newbie questions, but here goes:
1. http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/1smd5050ng.htm. Are these the bulbs that you used? Do you recall what color you went with? I don't see a sunlight white option; just "natural" or "warm". Also, to confirm, did you use these same white bulbs everywhere except under the yellow playfield inserts?
2. Which bulbs did you use for the GI? I see that the link (above) on Comet's page says "These bulbs are slightly wider than our standard bulbs and do not fit into the GI of 90s Gottlieb games, which use smaller holes than all other manufacturers.", so not sure what would be the preferred bulbs to use on the GI.
Thanks again.

1. I used these for all controlled lights - color matched to each insert (red under red insert, etc) - except yellow. Yellow bulbs are much dimmer. For the yellow inserts, I used 4smd bulbs. I tried several options and liked the rich yellow color versus using white under the inserts.

2. G.I. - cool white bullet bulbs - 25 pack $7.25. No need for non-ghosting in G.I. Lighting. The cool white/natural white bulbs look good in this game. However, sitting next to a game with 2smd Sunlight hue bulbs, the game doesn't look as good/bright (in my opinion) as the one it sits next to.

#8 7 years ago

Thanks guys! This definitely steers me in the right direction. I'll do a bit more research and put in my order on comet pinball next week.

Cheers.

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