(Topic ID: 151070)

Stealth LED... a recommended recipe for EM's

By NicoVolta

8 years ago


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  • Latest reply 9 months ago by Dono
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    #1 8 years ago

    A lot of folks have been asking for my "Stealth LED" recipe lately, so it's time to share. Note: I lean toward the conservative side of LED lighting and so this is a "best of both worlds" approach which strives to maintain the original character of the machine as closely as possible while delivering higher light output, longer life, and the power savings of LED technology. It's also great for pop bumpers... no more twisted filaments and premature burnouts.

    So... here ya go.

    Nico's STEALTH LED recipe v1.0:

    Install type 47 bulbs in all GI locations. Wherever your eye can see direct filament, that's where the bulbs go. Typically this will be on top of the playfield under plastics and lane guides. By doing this, your eye will assume the rest of the lights are also bulbs... aha! Stealthy!

    Install Comet twin 2835 SMD "intense brightness" warm white frosted lens in always-lit locations (typically backbox illumination and under inserts which always stay lit). For red star inserts, use the red frosted version and ideally install a second lamp socket and LED to illuminate the other side of the star.

    Install Comet 1SMD "supreme brightness" non-ghosting warm white frosted under all inserts and backbox locations which turn on/off (ball count, match numbers, bonus countdown, game over, etc). **

    For pops, the Cointaker premium super warm white non-ghosting was my go-to. However, as of 2016, the newest batch no longer delivers an optimal warm white. The color temperature now exhibits an unacceptable greenish hue common to many "warm white" LED varieties. Thus, I now recommend the Comet 1SMD non-ghosting for pops which turn on/off... or the Comet twin 2835 for always-lit pops.

    With few exceptions, this is how all of my EM's are outfitted by default. Works great, saves power, looks original enough to please nitpicks, provides better illumination overall, and saves time.

    I have rolled every LED sold by Cointaker, Comet, and some from Nifty to achieve this solution.

    **BONUS STAGE: If you want to dial in a slightly whiter-white (somewhere between warm and sunlight), you'll need to buy a handful of Comet 4 SMD Supreme Brightness non-ghosting warm whites. THEN, you will need to test and sort them into two piles... because half of them will look yellowish-warm. The others are the "whiter-white" version... use them ideally under inserts. Probably will be too bright anywhere else.

    Why the hassle? The not-quite-sunlight-white is the result of a manufacturing tolerance issue. You can't officially order anything in this color... it's a beneficial quirk. Thus, Comet can't guarantee which ones you'll get (though Art says he will accept returns for whichever batch you don't use). I used this method to tune the LED's on Snow Derby a bit whiter, because the predominant color scheme of the game is blue... and this particular white looked just a little bit better. But in general if you'd rather have an easy one-size-fits-all solution without the fuss, the 1SMD works fine.

    #2 8 years ago

    BTW, come to TPF 2016 and see the Stealth LED recipe in action. I'll have at least four EM's outfitted this way in the Dallas Makerspace/VECTOR booth.

    #4 8 years ago
    Quoted from mbaumle:

    I'd love to see some pictures of your method if you've got any on hand.

    In order to do this, I'll have to borrow a digital SLR and take some shots under ideal lighting and exposure because my camera phone doesn't adequately capture the subtle differences in illumination. Here's an example taken with my iPhone... not enough detail:

    2001_(resized).JPG2001_(resized).JPG

    Pretty much looks like an ordinary machine. Which is the point, eh? All of the playfield GI bulbs are 47's and the backbox is outfitted as specified in the recipe. But again, this is just a camera phone. I'll need an SLR to show the true nuances.

    1 week later
    #5 8 years ago

    UPDATE: The Cointaker premium super warm white non-ghosting was my go-to. However, as of 2016, the newest batch no longer delivers an optimal warm white. The color temperature now exhibits an unacceptable greenish hue common to many "warm white" LED varieties.

    I now recommend the previously discussed Comet 1SMD non-ghosting for pops which turn on/off... or the Comet twin 2835 in always-lit pops.

    You can see the old Cointaker on the left, and the newer, brighter, and greener one on the right. Note: My phone is skewing the colors which look far better in person.

    image_(resized).jpgimage_(resized).jpg

    #7 8 years ago

    Same as the one one the left... the old Cointaker super premium warm white. Don't like the new batch. Too green.

    My phone photos just aren't cutting it... sorry. :/

    I'd stock up on those warm white frosted 2835's and non-ghosting 1SMD's. If the manufacturing runs ever change... I don't know of a better alternative at this time.

    #9 8 years ago

    Yeap. :/

    Another concern is the variance within orders. For example, the current batch of the Comet warm white 4SMD exhibits two noticeably different shades.

    The only way to be certain of color consistency is to order around 20 of each variety from different vendors, sort them, find the ones you want, then re-order in mass quantity and hope the rest come from the same batch. Oy vey.

    I'll keep this thread updated if I find any other candidates. For now, haven't found anything better than Comet's 2835 and 1SMD.

    2 months later
    #12 7 years ago

    Ariana took some better photos from TPF this year. All of my games in the pictures below were outfitted with the stealth recipe (backbox, pops, and inserts... regular filament bulbs everywhere else):

    example0_(resized).jpgexample0_(resized).jpg
    example1_(resized).jpgexample1_(resized).jpg
    example2_(resized).jpgexample2_(resized).jpg
    example3_(resized).jpgexample3_(resized).jpg

    Full set available here... https://arianaby.smugmug.com/Professional/Texas-Pinball-Festival-VECTOR

    2 months later
    #14 7 years ago

    Still on the lookout for the optimal LED for the pop bumpers. Haven't yet found the perfect non-ghosting LED in terms of hue and luminance. But the recipe is working well everywhere else.

    As above, Comet 2835 and 1SMD frosted warm whites will get 95% of the job done in most cases.

    #16 7 years ago

    Same reason as for non-EM machines. Trace voltage causes flicker.

    #18 7 years ago

    Most likely it is flyback voltage from the collapsing electromagnetic fields when coil current is switched off. Lots of little relay, stepper, mech coils in there. Not sure exactly how it gets on the 6.3v line though... flying through the transformer? Ground bus?

    #21 7 years ago

    It isn't continuous, though. The non-ghosting LED's only flicker when certain solenoids are pulsed.

    #23 7 years ago

    Thank you Dr. CJ... so if the wire looms were braided independently of the lamp circuit, no induction and thus no flicker eh?

    4 months later
    #41 7 years ago

    Cool... I think you'll like them. All of my games use them. The twin 2835 warm white frosteds are for backbox locations which don't turn on/off (around score reels, behind artwork, etc).

    Per the recipe, you'll also need the 1SMD non-ghosting warm white frosted to place underneath inserts and on/off locations in the backbox. They complement the 2835 perfectly.

    2 months later
    #44 7 years ago

    The Comet twin 2835 will fit, but the 1SMD non-ghosting version has a thicker collar. So if you don't need non-ghosting, try the 2835.

    1 week later
    #46 7 years ago

    Aha... I usually put filament bulbs under the lane guides, so I haven't personally run into that issue yet. Glad it worked with a (very) close shave!

    4 months later
    #47 6 years ago

    To address the issue of thick collars around the 1SMD bulb (and thus being too tight to fit), you can use a deburring bit in a drill to enlarge the hole. Looks nice and clean this way.

    deburring (resized).jpgdeburring (resized).jpg

    #49 6 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    Or grind down that collar a bit

    Yep, perfectly doable, but if you have a lot of machines to do and want to experiment with different bulbs, it's much faster to zip through the holes using the deburring tool. Takes only 1-2 seconds per hole. Downside is the tool is about $40.

    1 year later
    #52 5 years ago

    I need to update that post. The twin 2835 is still available and perfectly fine to use, but I have switched to the

    1 SMD 6.3V AC/DC SUPREME BRIGHTNESS 5050 BULB

    because it runs a bit cooler and slightly less bright.

    You'll still need the non-ghosting version for any locations which turn on/off (game over, ball count, inserts, etc).

    Warm white frosted will be the flavor you will primarily use.

    Sunlight frosted may be preferable with some deeper blue/green color schemes. You'll just have to try a handful and see.

    Cool/natural white? Never for me. Never looks right.

    4 years later
    #54 10 months ago

    The recipe has evolved over the years. Here's the latest one:

    GI above playfield and in backbox - Titan Pinball 1SMD warm white frosted

    Playfield inserts and backbox on/off locations - Comet 1SMD non-ghosting warm white frosted

    Playfield red rollover stars - Comet 1SMD non-ghosting red frosted (and install a second lamp socket)

    Backbox title marquee - Comet 455 fast blink warm white

    No more incandescents. The future is now. Not worth the trouble of having to replace them when they go out, and the light/heat/energy use factors are all inferior.

    I am experimenting with newer LED options right now. Still looking for that elusive GI LED bulb-which-looks-like-a-filament.

    #56 10 months ago
    Quoted from jrpinball:

    Try like-colored LEDs under the colored playfield inserts. It really makes them pop!

    It can, but it can also look too “futuristic” relative to the other colors. It all depends.

    2 weeks later
    #78 9 months ago
    Quoted from Fytr:

    Is the 2nd socket just to boost the amount/distribution of the light?

    Yep. And the frosted version won’t laser-blind your eyes through the little gaps in the star. Blends right in.

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