Woodstock, GA
So we all spend thousands on pinball machines and I am sure most of us leave them connected to the wall when we are not playing. What does everyone use to protect their machines from power surges and other power hazards?
(Topic ID: 97182)
I use Cyberpower battery backups on all my electronics. Either a solenoid locked up or lightning took out 1/2 my Pin-Bot main board and since then I never go straight into the wall. I also use this brand for my pc and non arcade/gaming room as well. APC is also another good brand that I use.
APC 1000's are pretty good, got a couple of em 110 bucks each a few years ago. surge protecting power conditioning battery backup units for computers, but they'll sure protect 1-2 pinball machines too.
Unless you really are concerned about a blackout not interrupting your game, there's really no reason to put a UPS on a pinball machine.
A good quality surge protector power strip should be all you need.
Also, make sure you turn the power strip OFF when you're not playing games.
When operated commercially, these games were usually plugged directly into power, and turned off via breakers at the panel box. Hardly the cleanest electrical environment around.
Just imaging what that load center was doing when the guy came in, in the morning, and started flipping all the breakers on, for 100+ games in a large arcade.
Unless you really are concerned about a blackout not interrupting your game, there's really no reason to put a UPS on a pinball machine.
A good quality surge protector power strip should be all you need.
Also, make sure you turn the power strip OFF when you're not playing games.
When operated commercially, these games were usually plugged directly into power, and turned off via breakers at the panel box. Hardly the cleanest electrical environment around.
Just imaging what that load center was doing when the guy came in, in the morning, and started flipping all the breakers on, for 100+ games in a large arcade.
Unless you really are concerned about a blackout not interrupting your game, there's really no reason to put a UPS on a pinball machine.
A good quality surge protector power strip should be all you need.
Also, make sure you turn the power strip OFF when you're not playing games.
When operated commercially, these games were usually plugged directly into power, and turned off via breakers at the panel box. Hardly the cleanest electrical environment around.
Just imaging what that load center was doing when the guy came in, in the morning, and started flipping all the breakers on, for 100+ games in a large arcade.
Unless you really are concerned about a blackout not interrupting your game, there's really no reason to put a UPS on a pinball machine.
A good quality surge protector power strip should be all you need.
Also, make sure you turn the power strip OFF when you're not playing games.
When operated commercially, these games were usually plugged directly into power, and turned off via breakers at the panel box. Hardly the cleanest electrical environment around.
Just imaging what that load center was doing when the guy came in, in the morning, and started flipping all the breakers on, for 100+ games in a large arcade.
Quoted from PinsideMike:I use Cyberpower battery backups on all my electronics.
I use a nice 8-outlet Cyberpower ups on my PC/network setup. Works fantastic! Has nice room for wall-worts and four of the outlets are backed up. Will probably use something from them for my pinball machine- learned their HQ is only a few miles from my house, didn't even know until I saw it on google maps one day 
If you are not concerned with power failures (especially those who have buried electrical and few to no brown-outs) something like this would be serious business http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-ISOBAR4ULTRA-Isobar-Protector/dp/B0000513O4/ref=pd_sim_pc_4
Wont have a back-up but they seem to be the best at protecting high value equipment.
91rHgV0xZLL._SL1500_.jpg
I use this CP1350AVRLCD (or very close model to it) for my laptop/pc/projector room. They all have a high draw and have never had an issue. Around $150~ http://www.neweggbusiness.com/Product/Product.aspx?gclid=CPeiuOaNxb8CFQGmaQodNDgAyw&Item=9B-42-102-070&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleBiz&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleBiz-_-pla-_-UPS-_-9B-42-102-070&ef_id=U7oBNAAABfEeTwbN:20140714152243:s
I use a much cheaper one for my game room with the flat screen modem router and console systems (nes,snes Wii-U ect)
Around $50. here is a link at tiger direct http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7120374&CatId=233 I also have a very similar model to the $50 one for my 5x pinball machines and just a surge strip for my MAME machine.
Yes it might be overkill, but I swear by them keeping my machines safe. They are great but I would not run a machine simply on the battery charge if the power went out. More of a safe shutdown opportunity and if that one in a billion chance of my best game ever is going on and the power goes off situation arises. Also good if the power goes out to unplug them, and use for a poor mans light source! My big APC one gives 600+ minutes on a CFL bulb.
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Winnipeg, MB
Note that european re-imports have a different MOV, since their voltage is higher than ours.
about that MAME cabinet ... if it has a hard drive, you need that thing on a battery backup.
Brownouts are the #1 killer of hard drives.
(Same would count for any videogame based on a hard drive, like NFL Blitz, etc)
Quoted from _litz:When operated commercially, these games were usually plugged directly into power, and turned off via breakers at the panel box.
My games are on location, turned on 12+ hours a day, every day. Most of them were plugged in and on all day for most of their lives on location. They all survived and are still surviving. That lead me to this:
Quoted from prock:Most, if not all, games come with a MOV (metal oxide varistor) installed. It protects the game from surges and will short to ground if there is a surge. They are cheap and are relatively easy to replace.
I replace the MOV before I put a game on location. That is the only surge protection I use and that is probably necessary.
All that being said, I do unplug my games at home during thunderstorms. I have tall trees around my home and a direct or very close lightning hit can damage anything plugged in no matter what type of surge protection you have.
Quoted from _litz:Note that european re-imports have a different MOV, since their voltage is higher than ours.
about that MAME cabinet ... if it has a hard drive, you need that thing on a battery backup.
Brownouts are the #1 killer of hard drives.
(Same would count for any videogame based on a hard drive, like NFL Blitz, etc)
I always replace the MOV on re-imports
Quoted from Whistles:If you are not concerned with power failures (especially those who have buried electrical and few to no brown-outs) something like this would be serious business amazon.com link »
Wont have a back-up but they seem to be the best at protecting high value equipment.91rHgV0xZLL._SL1500_.jpg 152 KB
This is what i have as well.
I use a decent -- $35 -- surge protector, but I also always unplug when I'm not using them, especially when thunderstorms are a possibility. I have been thinking about getting a UPS but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
Quoted from prock:Most, if not all, games come with a MOV (metal oxide varistor) installed. It protects the game from surges and will short to ground if there is a surge.
My microwave had a varistor instead of a fuse that is supposed to act like you describe. There was a lightning strike a few years ago (unsure if it hit the house or just a nearby tree) that totally fried the microwave. That was only $400 to replace, i'm not sure I would trust a pin to one of these alone.
Quoted from Whistles:My microwave had a varistor instead of a fuse that is supposed to act like you describe. There was a lightning strike a few years ago (unsure if it hit the house or just a nearby tree) that totally fried the microwave. That was only $400 to replace, i'm not sure I would trust a pin to one of these alone.
The only way to guarantee protection is to unplug it when not in use or at least when there is a thunderstorm.
From wikipedia: "Lightning and other high-energy transient voltage surges can be suppressed with a whole house surge protector. These products are more expensive than simple single-outlet surge protectors, and often need professional installation on the incoming electrical power feed; however, they promise whole house protection from surges via that path. Damage from direct lightning strikes via other paths must be controlled separately."
Some more reading for those interested: http://stormhighway.com/surge_protectors_ups_lightning_protection_myth.php
I like the Belkin Pivot surge protector for tight corners and it provides 4320 Joules of surge protection.
belkin_power_surge_protector.jpg
I leave the games plugged into the surge protector BUT... remove the plug of the surge protector from the wall when I don't use them for a while (or if there is a thunderstorm). I don't want my games to get Thunderstruck unless I buy an ACDC 
Quoted from _litz:It's another layer of disconnect when you're not using the game, which is another layer of protection in case of a lightning strike.
(The best protection from lightning is a physical disconnect of your conductors)
physical disconnect is the ONLY protection from lightning... lightning would just giggle at an "on/off" switch...
Quoted from Whistles:My microwave had a varistor instead of a fuse that is supposed to act like you describe. There was a lightning strike a few years ago (unsure if it hit the house or just a nearby tree) that totally fried the microwave.
A varistor (MOV) is not a fuse. In fact, it works the complete opposite of a fuse. A pinball machine has both a varistor and a fuse that work in tandem. I've seen them work properly firsthand when three of my games lost neutral and ended up getting hit with 208 volts. Each one is still working fine after I replaced the varistor and the fuse.
If you are going to drop $100 on a surge protector, go ahead and do a whole house surge protector that installs in your circuit breaker panel.
When I built my gamerome I put in a dedicated 200 amp sub panel with internal surge suppression
and also used individual surge suppression outlets.
http://www.smarthome.com/865130/Leviton-5380-I-Duplex-Surge-Suppression-Receptacle-Ivory/p.aspx
I have one outlet per two machines. Each outlet is on a separate 20 amp circuit from the sub-panel.
2 years later
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