Quoted from uncivil_engineer:I personally can't wait for the Ripley update to come out. I think that would really make the game more complete to me. I guess I am not as concerned about resale value as others are. I have had so many hobbies over the years where you loose value on stuff you buy, having pinball machines keep their value or even appreciate a little is just a bonus to me.
Now back on subject, I installed my beacons today!
I bought a 2 pack off amazon for $24. The first think I did was salvage a plug from an old computer power supply to use to provide power to my beacons. The beacons I bought came with a switch that was used to turn it on and off, and one button to change the beacon mode. I took apart one of these switches and wired the power into it.
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I modded my backbox to allow the beacon wires to go through two of the existing vents that are on the back of the machine. I used the grommets that came with the beacons to protect the wires as they passed through the metal vents.
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I then passed the beacon wires down through the machine (leaving enough slack to put the head down) and soldered the leads to the switch assembly that came with the beacons. I figured I could wire both of them to one switch as the terminals were pretty beefy, and the wires to the beacons so small.
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I then used a zip tie and a zip tie adhesive anchor to secure the beacon mode switch to the inside of the cabinet near where it plugs into the cabinet power distribution box.
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I powered the machine up, and it works great! I played a couple of games, and the beacons run the most during the loader battle, and when you get an extra ball. In my option they could be used a lot more.
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I still need to screw my beacons down to the top of the cabinet. I am trying to decide how far to place them from the edge of the backbox before I put screws in it and make the beacons permanent.
I did find that the beacons are activated during the boot sequence for about 10 seconds. You can use that time to set the beacon flash mode form the switch assembly installed in the cabinet.
I would suggest adding a diode to help minimize any potential issues. You will probably be fine without out, but since youve taken the fuse out of the circuit, you might want it.
I find the beacons are active for a few modes, including queens nest and sentry, end of game and upon boot up, maybe a couple more. I only used one beacon on my game in the center, two seemed like overkill, but doesn’t match the LV.