A Special Message to the Designers of The X-Files Pin

Fatsquatch

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A Special Message to the Designers of The X-Files Pin

F-YOU for making the bulbs in the upper part of the playfield so ridiculously difficult to replace. No wonder the top half of the game was so damn DARK when I bought it; it's beyond a pain in the ass to replace any bulbs in that area. And really, who in their right mind would want to TOTALLY dismantle half of the playfield to replace a bulb every time it burned out.*

But with that said, I spent most of the day doing-the-deed, cleaning the playfield up, cleaning the ramps, and yes...replacing a ton of bulbs. Now the machine is all lit up as it should be, and it looks super-nice.

By the way, I replaced the DMD today, and for the first time since I bought the machine (nearly two months ago), I was able to actually PLAY it for an extended period of time. Twas a lot of fun!


* I know, I know...LEDs are the answer, and next time I shop it out I may put them in. But to be honest, there's something about the way LEDs look that just doesn't sit well with me.
 

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If the bulbs are hard to get to, replace them from the bottom....it may sound like a pain, but it's not that hard to just unscrew the socket, replace the bulb, screw it back into the wood.
 
Sega games are a bitch. And for the most part, you can't get to them from the bottom because of the stapled GI or because they are sandwiched between the playfield and the plastic (flashers). If any games are a candidate for LEDs, it is these. No matter what you may think about how they look they are far better than having to tear everything apart to replace a bulb again.
 
If the bulbs are hard to get to, replace them from the bottom....it may sound like a pain, but it's not that hard to just unscrew the socket, replace the bulb, screw it back into the wood.

I really wish I could have. :(

As stangbat mentioned, there's no bottom access for those bulbs at the top of the playfield. Which is incredibly lame, as there are a TON of GI bulbs in that area.


stangbat said:
If any games are a candidate for LEDs, it is these. No matter what you may think about how they look they are far better than having to tear everything apart to replace a bulb again.

Yeah, next time I'll just have to bite the bullet and fill that whole area with LEDs.
 
lol.....i was thinking the same thing: LED that bitch. lol.




i tell ya, there's definitely a debate as to how they look, but for maintenance, you really can't go wrong. :)
 
I'm glad you got it up and running,in the future just install LEDS it makes things alot easier.
 
My SST is getting some strategically placed leds as soon as I get up the strength to take the whole damn ramp off to replace just a few bulbs.
 
I really wish I could have. :(

As stangbat mentioned, there's no bottom access for those bulbs at the top of the playfield. Which is incredibly lame, as there are a TON of GI bulbs in that area.




Yeah, next time I'll just have to bite the bullet and fill that whole area with LEDs.


Ooooh, that sucks. There's one socket on TSPP that's like that - stapled and impossible to replace without taking the ramp off and moving the upper playfield a bit too. After that *ONE* bulb burnt out twice, I said fuck it and replaced it w/ an LED. One LED in the GI won't kill me. :)
 
Is there currently an LED -- or perhaps one in development -- that simulates the fade in/out of incandescent bulbs?

I'm bothered by the "artificial" and cold look of LEDs, but I think I hate the instant on/off more.
 
chances are you won't ever have to change them ever again, in the home enviroment, normal bulbs will most likely outlive the rest of the game. You will occasionally have one fail prematurely, but thats it. I have games that I have owned for 10 years that I haven't had to put a bulb in yet. After that initial shop job you are usually set for life.
 
chances are you won't ever have to change them ever again, in the home enviroment, normal bulbs will most likely outlive the rest of the game. You will occasionally have one fail prematurely, but thats it. I have games that I have owned for 10 years that I haven't had to put a bulb in yet. After that initial shop job you are usually set for life.

I was wondering about that. I haven't had my pins anywhere as long as you have had yours, but I've noticed that other than a couple exceptions, I haven't had to replace the bulbs that I've already replaced.

I can have my warm incandescent bulbs and not have to worry about tearing the playfield apart to change them for quite a long time? I'll take it!
 
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