(Topic ID: 274353)

Old Chicago - Star Rollover - What's up with no light?

By Dono

3 years ago


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#1 3 years ago

Way back in 1976, I played OC a lot.. I remember that that green star rollover at the top center of the PF just above the two entrance lanes was lit underneath... but the two OCs I've worked on, including my current game don't have a lamp socket to support my belief.

However as I was lining up a laydown lamp socket I noticed a dimple that lines up perfectly with the socket screw hole.

Does anyone remember or have a game with that green star rollover lit up? Perhaps added to late production games?

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#2 3 years ago

Hmmm...interesting question.. you can just add a socket and tap that bus power there.

I just redid a Catacomb and wondered the exact same thing.

#3 3 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

Hmmm...interesting question.. you can just add a socket and tap that bus power there.
I just redid a Catacomb and wondered the exact same thing.

I'm replacing all lamp sockets, so yes, the laydown bracket lamp will be wired in as well. Looks SO much better lit.

#4 3 years ago

My OC playfield, does not have the lamp socket, but does have the dimple you mention. Serial #4523

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#5 3 years ago

I plan to add the socket and bulb to mine, as well. Don't have any of the proper socket type currently.

#6 3 years ago
Quoted from RC_like_the_cola:

I plan to add the socket and bulb to mine, as well. Don't have any of the proper socket type currently.

This is what I'm using:

http://pbresource.com/sockit/gtb-a2913.jpg

4 months later
#7 3 years ago

DONO
How did it work put? New to PINSIDE and just saw these comments- MY OC also has the dimple but no socket which I checked after i read your comments - always wondered for a long time why that wasn’t lit

#8 3 years ago

Meant to say how did it work out

#9 3 years ago

I'm not a LED guy, but I love a color matched flexi LED from Comet Pinball under my star rollovers. It just gives it a bit more brightness and makes the color pop. Being a flexi, you can backup the LED if it is too bright. Win, win!

#10 3 years ago

Banks SkiDave -will investigate (also not an LED guy but as this is additive might be worth the try

#11 3 years ago

Meant Thanks ( typing skills going south apparently)

#12 3 years ago
Quoted from JeffThanksYou:

Meant to say how did it work out

It's wired up, but haven't lit it yet as I'm currently doing a playfield swap over to the CPR playfield. I'll attach a pic once I get it done.

#13 3 years ago
Quoted from Skidave:

I'm not a LED guy, but I love a color matched flexi LED from Comet Pinball under my star rollovers. It just gives it a bit more brightness and makes the color pop. Being a flexi, you can backup the LED if it is too bright. Win, win!

Which comet flexi bulb are you using, there are 5 or 6 options on their site, thanks!

#14 3 years ago

Mine didn't have one. I replaced the insert and star and added the socket and lamp. Much better now.

#15 3 years ago

Did mine as well.

#16 3 years ago

Thanks to those who recently replied to OP for good timing: I was prepping to finally rebuild all 5 pop bumpers and saw this. Unlike dealing with the GI connections on pop bumpers to rebuild them - which is a nightmare - adding this rollover lamp was a breeze! My PF had the dimple for the socket. Like two minutes to add the light since I was already in there.

Stupidly enough, I've had this game for over 4 years and have maintained it well, but never noticed that rollover insert was green! Turns out to be a nice "reflection" of that otherwise oddball green insert for the Double Bonus. Anyway, it looks great when lit! Thanks for the suggestion.

#17 3 years ago
Quoted from Dono:

Which comet flexi bulb are you using, there are 5 or 6 options on their site, thanks!

I use the single SMD non-ghosting flexi. https://www.cometpinball.com/products/1smd-flex-non-ghosting

If I have tinkered with dual flexi to go around the switch stack, but it is really bright.

#18 3 years ago
Quoted from goingincirclez:

Thanks OP for good post timing... I was prepping to finally rebuild all 5 pop bumpers and saw this. Unlike dealing with the GI connections on pop bumpers to rebuild them - which is a nightmare - adding this rollover lamp was a breeze! My PF had the dimple for the socket. Like two minutes to add the light since I was already in there.
Stupidly enough, I've had this game for over 4 years and have maintained it well, but never noticed that rollover insert was green! Turns out to be a nice "reflection" of that otherwise oddball green insert for the Double Bonus. Anyway, it looks great when lit! Thanks for the suggestion.

Good deal! We might never know why Bally decided against installing the lamp socket... most likely because it's directly underneath the 4 relay bank and designers were worried about servicing the lamp, or maybe heat from the lamp causing a fire?

#19 3 years ago
Quoted from Dono:

Good deal! We might never know why Bally decided against installing the lamp socket... most likely because it's directly underneath the 4 relay bank and designers were worried about servicing the lamp, or maybe heat from the lamp causing a fire?

That's an interesting theory. True, that bulb is slightly hard to access with the mech board directly beneath... but I'd argue I've seen and dealt with worse. Plus, the mech board is actually further away from the bulb than the pf itself.

I wonder if they were concerned with interfering with the rollover, or heat causing warpage there moreso than other inserts? OTOH for the "service life" of the game, and with other rollovers being lit on others, probably not. So it is a pretty funny/interesting little mystery why that lone socket was omitted. How much money saved over the production run, maybe things were tight that quarter?

While we're on the subject of modding lights for "easy / free", one mod I did years ago was put flashing bulbs behind the building signs and bass drum on the backglass, and the champagne ladies on the arch

#20 3 years ago
Quoted from goingincirclez:

That's an interesting theory. True, that bulb is slightly hard to access with the mech board directly beneath... but I'd argue I've seen and dealt with worse. Plus, the mech board is actually further away from the bulb than the pf itself.
I wonder if they were concerned with interfering with the rollover, or heat causing warpage there moreso than other inserts? OTOH for the "service life" of the game, and with other rollovers being lit on others, probably not. So it is a pretty funny/interesting little mystery why that lone socket was omitted. How much money saved over the production run, maybe things were tight that quarter?
While we're on the subject of modding lights for "easy / free", one mod I did years ago was put flashing bulbs behind the building signs and bass drum on the backglass, and the champagne ladies on the arch

Interesting hypotheses... we'll never know I guess.

I Like your idea of the flashers... does that bother you at all while playing?

#21 3 years ago

I have worked on many Old Chicago's... It could simply be that the supply was low,
and they had to be conservative on the laydown lamp sockets...
But then again, Captain Fantastic came out and used a lot of the laydown lamp sockets.

#22 3 years ago
Quoted from Dono:

Interesting hypotheses... we'll never know I guess.
I Like your idea of the flashers... does that bother you at all while playing?

Not at all! But when it's in the lineup the added backbox blinkers breathe in just enough realistic pizzaz to give it more life against the more modern pins in my lineup. Sometimes I like to just watch the building marquees blink, and see the bass drum blink, and imagine that swingin' scene.

The blinkers in the arch glasses are barely noticeable but when you do, you appreciate the art that extra bit. Admittedly I felt kinda silly putting them there to try out, but the effect was nice enough to leave.

#23 3 years ago

This link should take you to post 72 in my Bon Voyage thread. Same situation, and this post shows how I added the lighting.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-bon-voyage-restoration-lite/page/2#post-2674852

#24 3 years ago
Quoted from xsvtoys:

This link should take you to post 72 in my Bon Voyage thread. Same situation, and this post shows how I added the lighting.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-bon-voyage-restoration-lite/page/2#post-2674852

That's a great segue into what I am planning for my OC... was just pointed to those same flex Comet green LEDs, those look like a great choice... do you feel they're too bright, or just about right? Also there are several flex COMET choices, could you provide the exact name or a link to that bulb choice? Thanks!

#25 3 years ago
Quoted from Dono:

That's a great segue into what I am planning for my OC... was just pointed to those same flex Comet green LEDs, those look like a great choice... do you feel they're too bright, or just about right? Also there are several flex COMET choices, could you provide the exact name or a link to that bulb choice? Thanks!

I think they look very nice, as noted in the post, the picture doesn't really show it that well. It is very difficult to get any picture of lighting that shows what it really looks like of course. The pic of the playfield in my other thread should give a decent idea of how it looks. That bulb complements the rest of the GI and insert lights and I think the whole machine looks conservatively nice. But, keep in mind my Bon Voyage (an EM) is all LED, so depending on your point of view, that either can be great, just OK, or the worst offense in the history of pinball machines. Also for whatever reason, the BV insert LEDs don't flash/flicker much at all while the machine is running. This is unlike my Monte Carlo which is of the same time period, LEDs in that one flash like crazy when solenoids go off. So non-ghosting might be required for insert LEDs, or it can be solved by soldering a resistor across each bulb.

For the rollover project, I ordered those in 2015 and I think maybe a lot of the Comet bulbs have changed (and improved since then). The description I bought was 1 SMD 6.3 AC/DC Supreme Brightness 5050 Super Flex #44/#47 Bayonet - Green. Based on the description, I think it should be this one:

https://www.cometpinball.com/products/1smd-flex

The part number was 1SMBDA49SGFLEX, but I don't know if they use that number anymore.

Here's a slightly different pic of it with the ambient lights turned down.

BT01 BT02 Pop Bumpers 5 (resized).jpgBT01 BT02 Pop Bumpers 5 (resized).jpg

Here's a photo an entire EM lit with LEDs. Its just hard to believe that they didn't ship it with those 3 green rollover buttons lit, especially considering the dimple holes for the bulb brackets were put in. Cheaped out? Worried about total power draw? Who knows?

playfield LEDs 2 (resized).jpgplayfield LEDs 2 (resized).jpg

#26 3 years ago
Quoted from xsvtoys:

Worried about total power draw? Who knows?

With LEDs it clearly does not matter.

#27 3 years ago
Quoted from xsvtoys:

I think they look very nice, as noted in the post, the picture doesn't really show it that well. It is very difficult to get any picture of lighting that shows what it really looks like of course. The pic of the playfield in my other thread should give a decent idea of how it looks. That bulb complements the rest of the GI and insert lights and I think the whole machine looks conservatively nice. But, keep in mind my Bon Voyage (an EM) is all LED, so depending on your point of view, that either can be great, just OK, or the worst offense in the history of pinball machines. Also for whatever reason, the BV insert LEDs don't flash/flicker much at all while the machine is running. This is unlike my Monte Carlo which is of the same time period, LEDs in that one flash like crazy when solenoids go off. So non-ghosting might be required for insert LEDs, or it can be solved by soldering a resistor across each bulb.
For the rollover project, I ordered those in 2015 and I think maybe a lot of the Comet bulbs have changed (and improved since then). The description I bought was 1 SMD 6.3 AC/DC Supreme Brightness 5050 Super Flex #44/#47 Bayonet - Green. Based on the description, I think it should be this one:
https://www.cometpinball.com/products/1smd-flex
The part number was 1SMBDA49SGFLEX, but I don't know if they use that number anymore.
Here's a slightly different pic of it with the ambient lights turned down.
[quoted image]
Here's a photo an entire EM lit with LEDs. Its just hard to believe that they didn't ship it with those 3 green rollover buttons lit, especially considering the dimple holes for the bulb brackets were put in. Cheaped out? Worried about total power draw? Who knows?
[quoted image]

Thanks for the thoughtful and detailed response, I'll be ordering the flex bulb and a few others I'll be experimenting with on my OC, should be interesting. For me, I'm conservative in my approach to restoration, but for this OC, since I'm using a CPR playfield with auto-clear, it kinda throws the conservative approach to EMs out the window, so I'm going to use this game as a fun, not so conservative project - including the addition of some teal and purple colored posts from Rocket City Pinball. Like you state, it could all look like crap, but it's worth a look!

#28 3 years ago

XSVTOYS

Was just looking at your link to how you wired the light....picture was a little fuzzy but did you use the bracket screw to hold down the one side you didn't solder? Thanks

#29 3 years ago
Quoted from JeffThanksYou:

XSVTOYS
Was just looking at your link to how you wired the light....picture was a little fuzzy but did you use the bracket screw to hold down the one side you didn't solder? Thanks

Yes, I believe that is how I did it. I will see if I can get a better picture of it when I get a chance to get under there.

#30 3 years ago

Appreciate that...thanks!

#31 3 years ago
Quoted from xsvtoys:

Yes, I believe that is how I did it. I will see if I can get a better picture of it when I get a chance to get under there.

As it turns out on my OC the braided buss is stapled down almost exactly where the screw hole dimple was put - could have almost (not exactly) just used the screw down connection- was easy to solder it right there without much fuss. Thanks for checking anyway

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