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Kill A Watt - how much do your pins consume?

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Mike

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Jan 18, 2010, 5:23:09 PM1/18/10
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Just hooked up a KILL A WATT device to the power strip my pins run
on...I have two pins - Gorgar and Mata Hari...

Discovered Gorgar draws 2amps in attract mode and about 1.6 during a
game (since less lights are one during game play). Mata Hari runs
about 1.3-1.5 amps since there is not much difference from attract
mode and gameplay.

Anyone else have any results from this device and what their pin usage
amounts to?

Also, do you think EMs would run even less amps?

John In WI

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Jan 18, 2010, 5:33:41 PM1/18/10
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An EM in "Game Over" mode should draw less that a SS/DMD in attract mode.

During game play, an EM will be all over the map depending on which
solenoids are energized and whether or not the score motor is running.
I'd guess it would still be less than a SS/DMD.

--

"Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing�

- Mick Jagger -

Mike

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Jan 18, 2010, 5:51:15 PM1/18/10
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> "Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing”
>
> - Mick Jagger -

For the record, I did not see any response in the amperage being
consumed during the time when the pop bumpers were going
crazy...probably just too instantaneous to be a big draw...yet another
reason to love early SS games that have chimes...hehehe

frenchy

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Jan 18, 2010, 7:41:48 PM1/18/10
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> > During game play, an EM will be all over the map depending on which
> > solenoids are energized and whether or not the score motor is running.
> > I'd guess it would still be less than a SS/DMD.>>

Gottlieb EM schematics I have say 135 watts, this is for a single
player Flip a Card. Could probably come up with a good estimate by
counting the number of lamps in a game and comparing, since they are
by far the biggest and most inefficient users of juice when a game is
sitting. Wonder what the average set of SS boards draws when it's
running?


Kerry Imming

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Jan 18, 2010, 7:47:10 PM1/18/10
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On Jan 18, 4:23 pm, Mike <super8...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Anyone else have any results from this device and what their pin usage
> amounts to?

Gottlieb Spirit of 76:
Play: 1.1 A, 92 W
Game Over*: 1.4 A, 127 W

*All the player scores are lit in game over mode:

- Kerry

Mike

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Jan 18, 2010, 8:31:54 PM1/18/10
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So the trend suggests actually playing the pinball machine is better
than letting them sit idle. Goes against what you think common sense
would suggest.

Kerry Imming

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Jan 18, 2010, 8:38:56 PM1/18/10
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On Jan 18, 7:31 pm, Mike <super8...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> So the trend suggests actually playing the pinball machine is better
> than letting them sit idle. Goes against what you think common sense
> would suggest.

To do a true comparison we'd have to measure power usage after a
period of time to see what effect coil operation had on power. I
suspect your conclusion will still be correct.

- Kerry

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