TAF LED Opinions

gamingsince80s

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Hello All!

I am considering/wanting to LED my TAF. I have had it for about six months and it's becoming "stale" to me and I want to do some mods and have liked the way they look with LEDs.

This will be my first machine converting to LEDs. Does anyone have any opinions on what kit to use or feedback from after they LED'd their TAF?

I have seen kits for around $200 and seen other people buy the bulbs individually and do them that way. Does anyone have a list of what LEDs color, types, etc it would take to put together my own kit and save some $ or is it better to just pay a little more and buy a kit from Cointaker or Marco?

Any and all opinions are appreciated!

Also this guy has me scared, what is your opinion? I believe what he is saying, but how much of a risk is it i.e. how often does it happen?

All,

When changing stuff like this, it is important to understand that color is secondary to the original design function and failure modes.

The use of LED lamps in legacy pinball machines is a risk to your machine.

LEDs have a different failure mode from an incandescent lamp. Most LEDs have a rectifier in the lamp base - rectifiers can fail open, or DEAD SHORT TO GROUND. Normal lamps just fail open, with few, relatively rare exceptions.

If the rectifier fails by Dead Short, it will at a minimum, blow the driver chip out. At a maximum (if the driver doesn't blow out), it can blow traces right off the board. Since these connections aren't individually fused, the normal fuse that feeds the board is too big (since it covers the entire output) to go, before damage occurs.

This is the voice of experience here - we had a very expensive board on an analog control system get traces blown off it when the LED rectifier failed to ground. Be careful - and the older your pinball, the more careful you need to be. It doesn't take much to burn the cloth insulation of the wires in these games.
 
I've put LEDS (varying quantities) in about 20 different pins and have never had an issue. Not to say that it couldnt be an issue at some point, but hey, I jaywalk somtimes too. I'm crazy like that.

I have them in my Taf and love them.

I added a light to illuminate the bookcase area as I found it dark. I also added lights to all of the kickout holes. There is a mod for that but I just bought $4 worth of wire and light fixtures and did it myself.

I dont do kits. I think they are expensive and kind of box you in. I just order alot of LEDS, get a quantity discount and play around. Inserts are easy. I go colored LEDs to match inserts. Others go white under inserts. Its preference. GI's I generally go warm white LED (if at all) and then the backbox gets the full treatment since it really keeps the heat down.

Good luck!
 
GameyMcGame, thanks for the reply! Is there a certain type/brand of LED to buy or who has the best pricing? I've seen some people say that "brand X" ghosts too much, is too bright, etc.


Thanks!
 
GameyMcGame, thanks for the reply! Is there a certain type/brand of LED to buy or who has the best pricing? I've seen some people say that "brand X" ghosts too much, is too bright, etc.


Thanks!

I buy all mine from cointaker.com

Some will ghost in some machines, others wont. Cointaker offers 'premium' ones that wont ghost and I did have to use those in some areas of Taf. I buy the frosted LEDs since they diffuse the light better.

People have a million opinions on LEDs. I suggest just buying a bunch and experimenting.

Good luck
 
Can you tell me where on TAF you had to use the premium LEDs so you didn't get ghosting?

Thanks!
 
Here are some pics. I added a light to better illuminate the bookcase area which I thought was way too dark. Also added lights in all the kickouts that mirror the lights above them.

As for LEDs, it looks like I used almost exclusively no ghost/premium LEDs for the inserts. Must have been some ghosting issues.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1358181081.567364.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1358181091.082837.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1358181100.032366.jpg
 
I'm just not a fan of LEDs. I put a clear ramp on mine with new regular bulbs and added a green covered bulb to the swamp to light it up. With everything clean and all lit, it's plenty bright without the glaring LED light. I decorated my Thing box with vinyl and tack heads and I put stickers on the bookcase and backboard. I already had Uncle Lester and I added a Bear rug model over the bearkick ramp. I also added the ColorDMD. I replaced both scoops because they were broken and rebuilt all of the pop bumpers. I put fuses in the magnets. I also replaced all 11 standup targets. I also rebuilt both slingshots with new switches and mechanical parts, and replaced select plastics that were yellowed or scratched. All totaled over $1K, but it's an awesome playing game now.
 
I'm just not a fan of LEDs. I put a clear ramp on mine with new regular bulbs and added a green covered bulb to the swamp to light it up. With everything clean and all lit, it's plenty bright without the glaring LED light. I decorated my Thing box with vinyl and tack heads and I put stickers on the bookcase and backboard. I already had Uncle Lester and I added a Bear rug model over the bearkick ramp. I also added the ColorDMD. I replaced both scoops because they were broken and rebuilt all of the pop bumpers. I put fuses in the magnets. I also replaced all 11 standup targets. I also rebuilt both slingshots with new switches and mechanical parts, and replaced select plastics that were yellowed or scratched. All totaled over $1K, but it's an awesome playing game now.

Yeah, it's totally personal preference. I used frosted bulbs (which helps mute them) and warm white GI's and to me, the look is awesome.

When the multiball gets going and everything starts going nuts, it's a sight to be seen!

Even if you believe LEDs are eggs laid by the devil, seriously consider putting them in the topper. Looks awesome and really lights it up.
 
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