Adding LE neon to Tron Pro ?

ctozzi

Active member

Donor 2012
Joined
Jun 23, 2008
Messages
1,682
Reaction score
7
Location
Henderson, Nevada
Anyone make a kit to add the LE type neon light tubes to the clear ramps on a stern Tron pro machine ? The LE is way out of my budget but I don't like the game without the light tubes on all the ramps.
 
Short answer is no. Its not neon, its fiber optic. It wouldnt look or funtion the same even if they did....the pro version software probably wouldnt be able to control the color changes even if someone had a kit available.
 
I saw a pic linked from.rec.games.pinball that showed a Pro with color changing EL wire installed. I thought it looked great.
 
Wonder how that works....multiple EL cores in the same cable? The color of light from EL's is due to the phosphors used on the wire, right?
 
I saw a pic linked from.rec.games.pinball that showed a Pro with color changing EL wire installed. I thought it looked great.

There is no such thing as color changing EL wire.

People keep calling and getting these terms all mixed up.

EL wire doesn't change color, has a half life, etc.
Fiber optics (which is what is used on the LE) can change color depending on the light source and doesn't have a half life.
 
it comes down to the software integration on the LE model. If you haven't seen one in person, the light tubes change with modes / give off light shows through the software.

No matter what aftermarket solution is provided on the Pro model, unless it hooks into the software it will not achieve the desired result - flickering / random lighting is not the gist of the coolness found on the LE.
 
I guess there are people out there trying to pull the LE code and put it on the Pro. I guess they figure they can make a lot of money selling these kits to pro owners if they can pull it off. I'd rather just have the LE.
 
I'd rather have the LE as well but the $$ is way out of my 5K budget. I guess either I'll wait till someone has an LE for sale that's in my range or cracks this code.
Thanks for the good info Guys
Chris
 
It can be done and looks great. The lighted ramps in the Tron LE are cool, but not $3,000 more than a Tron Pro cool. Personally, I would have used blue for Sam's ramp and yellow for Clu's ramp. It's not exactly the same, but this is a great alternative.

forum


http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tron-pro-with-el-wire
 
You snooze you lose. Those of us that pre-ordered didn't pay that much more.

Personally I don't think a Tron LE is even worth the $5,500 it originally sold for. The lights are very cool and should have been in the Pro to attract route players. That was a big mistake on Stern's part. The rest of the stuff has very little value IMHO. I have played the Pro and the LE and I can honestly say I didn't even notice the drop targets vs. standups or the "silver" inked playfield. Chrome is out of place on the LE, moving recognizer is alright, but the Daft Punk Multiball feels very hurried and thrown in last minute.

I love Tron, ultimate theme for me, but the game is too shallow. It is way too easy to get to Sea of Simulation and Portal. There is just not enough to the game. Lyman is supposedly going to give it a code polish and it has awesome potential, much like Batman did before it's code polish. I could see buying a Pro in the future if the game is rounded out nicely, but not as it currently stands.
 
I do agree with you. The chrome is a big added expense and I do like the way it looks. I, however, agree that the drop targets and moving recognizer were just a waste of money that could have been used else where.
Tom Uban really dropped the ball with the code and I you really can't blame Borg for this. They got rid of him and asked Lyman to step in and fix what he could on short notice. Are the rules shallow, yes. Is it easy to get to SoS, yes. Does the game still kick ass, yes.

Personally I would have liked to see the chrome or power coated rails, shaker, proper coin door (which I added anyway), sunk more into the code and ditched the recognizer, drop targets, silver outline on the inserts.
 
I'll be working on el wire options for the pro. Yes I missed the window on the LE. Yes I think the light show is awesome. I wasn't really in the loop last summer, but still couldn't justify 6k on a single machine. Lastly I thought it would be too much bling amongst my other pins. And the multiple colors didnt quite do it for me. So the pro it is for me.

The static el wire color is ok on tron pro, but I'm going to go one up... I'll be working with 3 colors of el wire - yellow, neon orange and light blue (the normal blue is too dark of a blue). I'll be syncing using some relays/diodes to flashers and lights. I might add a switch or two to do some activation with minimal alteration and hacking. Should cost less than 100 to do. Results in a couple of weeks.
 
There is no such thing as color changing EL wire.

People keep calling and getting these terms all mixed up.

EL wire doesn't change color, has a half life, etc.
Fiber optics (which is what is used on the LE) can change color depending on the light source and doesn't have a half life.

Have you checked this out....not quite "color" changing however very cool color fading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gROEIlym6Dw
 
Well, I'm going to see how louisurfer makes out before I bite the bullet on the Pro. The game without the ramp lights imo is not the same game. Plus this would be for my wife, she loves the ramp lights and the soundtrack.
 
I do agree with you. The chrome is a big added expense and I do like the way it looks. I, however, agree that the drop targets and moving recognizer were just a waste of money that could have been used else where.
Tom Uban really dropped the ball with the code and I you really can't blame Borg for this. They got rid of him and asked Lyman to step in and fix what he could on short notice. Are the rules shallow, yes. Is it easy to get to SoS, yes. Does the game still kick ass, yes.

Personally I would have liked to see the chrome or power coated rails, shaker, proper coin door (which I added anyway), sunk more into the code and ditched the recognizer, drop targets, silver outline on the inserts.

Even though it makes virtually no difference in game play, I definitely prefer drop targets over the stand ups! Gives a much higher quality feel.

I'm still kicking myself in the ass for letting my Tron LE go as cheaply as I did. :eek:
 
Back
Top Bottom