how do I dim the light in the garcade???

vintagegamer

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Need some input people. We have an old Coke machine with a fluorescent bulb in it, and even though it's not super bright, it really kills the arcade effect of the lit marquees in the garcade. Does anyone have any suggestions for dialing it down? I don't know if the wife would approve of a black light in it, and it might also look a little funky with that in there.

My T2 also has a light in the marquee that's bright enough to read a book next to. :( Now that I can probably spend more time out in the 'cade, looking to get these enhancements done pronto..

Thanks!
 
Here is a pic of the Coke machine. It's been cleaned up ALOT since this pic was taken.
 

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Here it is lit up- I knew I had a pic of that too..
 

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Maybe a piece of tinted plexi behind the "marquee"? Or possibly replacing the fluorescent fixture with incandescents. My Pac-Man had two 40 watt bulbs which was way too bright, so I dialed back to 15w bulbs and it's a lot better. There are a lot more options with incandescents, at least until they are outlawed, but let's not get political.
 
Use a RED florescent light ...at least the COKE part would be in red... ;)

...and it would be much dimmer.
 
Use a RED florescent light ...at least the COKE part would be in red... ;)

...and it would be much dimmer.

I was going to suggest that, but I thought a different color would change the vibe. Definitely would work though. I wrapped the bulb in my Satan's Hollow marquee with 1 or 2 layers of red cellophane and it made a world of difference in the brightness. But the marquee is red to begin with.
 
With marquee lights that are too bright, I cover the front of the bulb itself with some black electrical tape. That blocks the light from the front but allows the light from the back to come out. Dim's it about 50%. Use several strips to cover the side of the bulb facing you.

Good luck,
Tom
 
Blacklight, lower wattage bulb, or just take the bulb out all together. I can't imagine that machine making that much of an impact. When all the games are on the marquee lights usually light the whole place up like daytime in my arcade. Another set of lights wouldn't make a difference.
 
White paper behind the 'marquee'... Keep adding until the light is as dim as you need...?

Same for the Terminator. Regular white photocopy paper. Or bigger pieces, if you can find.
 
With marquee lights that are too bright, I cover the front of the bulb itself with some black electrical tape. That blocks the light from the front but allows the light from the back to come out. Dim's it about 50%. Use several strips to cover the side of the bulb facing you.

Good luck,
Tom

Well today I went with this option on my T2 and I think it was the way to go. The Berzerk next to it now has the brighter marquee of the 2. Next I have to see what works best on the Coke machine light.
 
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