So I'm plowing through a pile of Space Shuttles that I'm restoring all at once, and one customer wants lighted flipper buttons. He mails me a kit to install that costs $64.

Then another customer hears about it and he wants me to wait so he can order the same kit.

I tell him I've got all the parts laying around the shop, and it sure does not cost $64 if you DIY.

Everyone has some #44 sockets in their junk pile (.50 cents) .

I had some FLEX 44/47 PREMIUM BLUE SUPER from Cointaker already in the shop ($1.59).

SOCKET-AND-LAMP.jpg

Screw the Socket under the flipper button and out of the way of the Flipper Button Leaf Switch.

Run the wires from the socket to the GI for the coin door (the 25 cent lights).

Position the head of the LED so it is shining slightly up.

Don't let the LED head touch the Leaf Switch, or it may wear out the LED or break the LED's leads.

INSTALLED-LED.jpg

Finally, here is what it looks like from the outside. It's brighter than the picture shows in real life, but it is hard to take a picture of an LED.

Total cost was under $5. Total time was 15 minutes to do both sides.

If you wanted to go completely insane, you could install 2 LEDs per side, but your total cost would go up to $8.36.

FLIPPER-BUTTON.jpg

Yeah, blue or red would look great on F-14.

Or a color changing LED that does red white and blue (take it out of one of those stupidly bright 4th of July buttons). You would need a pair of clear flipper buttons for this, so add $3 to the total price for the pair.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1692

I get email from people who don't want to post questions on the forum, LOL.

Q: Vid1900, is that flipper button blue or clear in the picture? and I cant figure how to get my buttons off.

A:

That button pictured is transparent blue.

Use duck bill pliers and turn the metal nut CCW. If the button is still stuck without the nut, use a wood block and rubber mallet to gently tap it out.

Yes.

Normally they are used to get light into difficult spots, like when you have a narrow arrow insert that needs to be lit through the hole in the drop target bracket.

could you also take a picture of where on the coin door you ran the wires to for the GI? thanks

Most coin doors have 2 or 3 lights that are GI (General Illumination) and are thus always on.

Tap power from any bulb. The one closest to the coin door hinge is usually the easiest.

The power at the bulb is 6.3 Volts AC, so you don't have to worry about polarity - either wire can go to either lamp lug.

Replace the coin door #44 bulbs with LEDs while you are in there - it will save electricity and restore the deep red the 25 cent sign had before it faded over the years.

Use small zip ties to secure your new wires to the existing wiring harness.

coin-door.jpg

Yes.

It is harder to find suitable 555 sockets, so a stiff wired one made for pop bumpers might be an easy solution (and one you already have in the shop).

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1245

Don't staple the leads too close to the socket until you find your perfect spot. You can put shrink tubing or aquarium airline tubing over the leads if they are too close to the grounding straps.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1692

Same price as the opaque ones, $1.50 . Transparent Blue, Red and Clear.

Transparent Green, Purple and Amber buttons are available too, but they are 1/4" longer (made for video games), so you have to shim the leaf switch out with a standoff if you want those colors.

Yes, those would be good sockets.

Believe it or not, they don't come up in a search on Pinball life for "lamp socket", LOL.

Cointalker sells pulsing bulbs if you want them:

Not a dumb question.

Any wire 24 gage or heavier will be fine. The smaller the gage number, the heavier the wire (don't ask me why).

Get stranded, not solid wire; as it will be flexing when you open the coin door.

You can even use speaker wire if that's all you have.

Is the pricing on that site for a single button or a pair?

Nothing wrong with speaker wire.

If you were doing some $$$$$ restore, you would probably want something more "pinball looking", that would appear to be factory wire.

Yeah, I have some Super Flex Purple from them and they look Pink!

I'll same em for the next time I restore a Dolly Parton.

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Pinball Life's frosted Purples are purple.

Assuming these are the same quality of purple light, I'd try this bulb:

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=2561

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And this socket so you can aim the light inwards:

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/077-5009-00

Any way to light a saucer?

As a matter of fact, Space Shuttle has 2 red (or sometimes gold) Saucers that I always add light to.

Here I've taken voltage from the nearby GI lamp, installed a #44 socket, and installed a flex LED.

saucer.jpg

Like always, make sure the LED clears the switch and pawl.

Perfect!

Try a different bulb, you may have a dud.

Measure the voltage AT THE SOCKET and make sure you have at least 6.2 AC volts.

I did not have any white Flex to try, so I don't know if they are brighter.

Try aiming the Flex around. It seems that slightly upward gave the brightest glow.

If there is an "E" clip on the end of your flipper button, don't aim into that (it's metal).

There could also be a chance that the Flex have changed over the year since I bought them, or maybe batch to batch? Maybe the blue flipper buttons vary batch to batch?

Try 2 Flex LEDs (steal the one from the other button) and see if it is still dim?

I got a bunch of emails from others who did it, how is everyone's brightness?

You can use a 2 or 3 lead socket, but the 2 lead are cheaper.

Usually I color match the bulb to the plastic.

So a red saucer gets a red LED bulb.

Although a blue saucer gets a VERY deep purple color from a purple LED. Worth trying if you want something "spooky" looking and not too bright.

Also, as a few of your guys have emailed me, the price of Flexi LEDs has fallen to only .99 cents (.89 cents if you buy 10 or more):

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3108

Competition is a great thing.

With the power off, clip on your meter leads to the circuit in diode mode and then launch some balls, bang on the flippers, see if you can get it to beep.

Will it blow if you don't have bulbs installed?

Is there one stray wire strand?

Is something touching the back of one of the LED heads at some point?

What if you knee the coin door?

Show me a picture of a "wire clamp" you are considering.

There are just so many different models of pins that there is no way to tell someone the "right" way to tap into the power.

I like clean and reversible, so Spade Splitters are a cheap solution.

Car audio guys love T-taps, another solution.

There may also be spare connectors on the coin for for Bill Acceptors or other lighting, so keep your eyes (and meter) open.

spade-splitter.jpg

T-Tap.jpg

First hit on Google:

http://www.centurytool.net/8019K96_Single_Male_to_Double_Male_Splitter_Pair_p/8019k96.htm

They are usually just in your crimp on terminal kit.

Of course, you can use these too:

piggy back terminal.JPG

How long does it take for the 2 buttons to get out of sync with each other?

Do they always start their cycle on the same color?

If you can't crimp, you can tap into a wire anywhere along it's length with 3M Taps:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JT72F2/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1

There are some crappy buttons on the market.

Pop them apart by pressing them on a table and sand the leading edge of the button.

You can take GI power from anywhere it's convenient.

LED lighting is very directional, so just don't shine it into the opto gap