Tech: Need help with newer Stern florescent ballast wiring.
DugFreez
taking out the standard florescent fixture that comes in a newer Stern
(Black Spider-Man).
I was told to get the wires before they go into the ballast. I was
also told the ballast would have 4 wires (2 going in and 2 going out).
The problem is the ballast only has 2 wires (both solid black).
I'm guessing I need one of these wires (the one going in...whichever
one that is) and another mystery wire from some where. Any ideas as to
where the wires are that I need to run off of?
PinAffliction
an inductive kick start voltage when combined with the starter, it is
suppose to be two wires.
You will need to trace the wires back from the ballast and from the
starter/florescent fixture to the 120 Vac source.
I don't have a manual handy to look it up for you.
Scott
Joe S
what are you powering that requires 120 volts?
Lloyd Olson
ever saw with two wires. They go to the right side of the tube, and power
through starter on the left side.
Dig around the starter area, find the white and black wire, running by the
left side of the head in the harness in that area.. Tap into them, should be
120 AC ( do this and check carefully ) I'd use them, and cut the other crap
out of there. LTG :)
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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DugFreez
Sorry for my ignorance on this issue.
So one of the 2 wires I need would be one going into the ballast
and the other wire I need would be the one going into the starter
unit?
PinAffliction
with the description from Lloyd, he has a game he actually looked at
for his reply. Most if not all late model Sterns are wired this way.
Would I be right in guessing you are putting in one of Cointaker's
color changing light kits?
Scott
DugFreez
> Essentially yes, but I don't have the exact configuration handy, go
> with the description from Lloyd, he has a game he actually looked at
> for his reply. Most if not all late model Sterns are wired this way.
> Would I be right in guessing you are putting in one of Cointaker's
> color changing light kits?
>
> Scott
Yeah...it seem like another job that is over my head.
DugFreez
> I checked a regular Spiderman. And was amazed at the set up. Only ballast I
> ever saw with two wires. They go to the right side of the tube, and power
> through starter on the left side.
>
> Dig around the starter area, find the white and black wire, running by the
> left side of the head in the harness in that area.. Tap into them, should be
> 120 AC ( do this and check carefully ) I'd use them, and cut the other crap
> out of there. LTG :)
>
I found 3 wires bundled together in the area you were describing.
Black, White, and a black and white wire.
The white wire goes straight into the left florescent bulb
connector. The other 2 wires (black and black/white) continue up the
left corner of the head.
Are any of these the wires I need?
PinAffliction
> Yeah...it seem like another job that is over my head.
Don't be too hard on yourself, Cointaker owes you better instructions
and support for this mod, you should not have to reverse engineer the
install, give them a call!
Scott
Lloyd Olson
other end into your service outlet. Use that for 120. Unless you put a
switch on it, it would be on all the time the game is plugged in. LTG :)
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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Lloyd Olson
the wires you want. LTG :)
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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DugFreez
I have talked with Chris a couple of times. He is supposed to be
getting back to me again. He called and tried to point the right wires
out to me...but I guess it was wired differently (it was a Harley
pin). They have been very helpful with support but instructions were
non existent.
I am hoping to finally get it installed. I've had it a couple of
weeks now. I wasn't nuts about cutting wires to install this....but I
got past that. What I'm still not crazy about is cutting wires to only
realize that it was the wrong wires.
PinAffliction
or open your manual to page 105, look at bottom right of page.
Use Black wire and White wire from the connector going to the
transformer, marked as 1F/M4.
Make sure these are the wires you use, there are other wires with
these same colors elsewhere.
Scott
from
DugFreez
> Worst case scenario. get an extension cord. Cut off the outlet end, plug
> other end into your service outlet. Use that for 120. Unless you put a
> switch on it, it would be on all the time the game is plugged in. LTG :)
That was my original plan. The remote has an on and off switch so I
figured it would be cake. Unfortunately the remote only works the top
row of lights....so the other 3 stay on all of the time.
Joe S
The LEDs run on 20 volts.......why not just grab 20 volts from
somewhere rather than use 120 v only to knock it down to +20 anyway?
I think there's a 20 v source in the wiring harness that's unused.
They light these under-the-cabinet lights that way.
DugFreez
The light board was shipped to work on 120 v. I was expecting it
to be plug and play. I don't have the know how to know what the light
strips run on or what all of the wiring that come with the kit does.
DugFreez
> Put a meter on the black wire and white wire, if you get 120 AC, those are
> the wires you want. LTG :)
With black wire and white wire the meter reads 1.29 AC is that the
right stuff?
Lloyd Olson
measurieng hot to common and not to ground, right ?
You have an awesome game there, any chance someone local could come over and
help you so you don't hurt you or the game ? LTG :)
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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DugFreez
> Go to the Stern web sitehttp://www.sternpinball.com/downloads/S-M_SGM/S-M_SEC5_CHP3.pdf
> or open your manual to page 105, look at bottom right of page.
> Use Black wire and White wire from the connector going to the
> transformer, marked as 1F/M4.
> Make sure these are the wires you use, there are other wires with
> these same colors elsewhere.
>
> Scott
I flipped through the manual but didn't see that. I know I have the
correct white wire from this diagram. As for the black one I can only
guess. Both wires coming out of the ballast are black. I think I have
the right one though.
DugFreez
> No, you are looking for 120 AC, 1.29 AC is something else. You are
> measurieng hot to common and not to ground, right ?
>
> You have an awesome game there, any chance someone local could come over and
> help you so you don't hurt you or the game ? LTG :)
I think I must be reading my meter wrong. When I hook it to a wire
straight into a wall outlet it reads 1.47 AC. It's an auto range meter
with no dial.
Joe S
You may not want to permanently modify your game. Those LED strips
run on 20 volts DC. Pull that 20 volts from somewhere on the game. I
believe there is a connector under the playfield that is unused that
supplies +20 v that you could tie into without permanently disabling
your OEM light fixture. I'll check my Spidey out later and try to be
of more help.
Joe
Lloyd Olson
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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DugFreez
Lloyd Olson
right. ( and working at your wall outlet too ) . If that is all good, then
suspect the power block. If made in China or something, might have different
hertz requirements going on. LTG :)
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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Lloyd Olson
the two wires and see if buzz goes away. LTG :)
"Lloyd Olson" <l...@ssbilliards.com> wrote in message
news:acudne6oJaKltLXW...@skypoint.com...
DugFreez
middle of the bottom of the cabinet I don't know what it's called). It
took me a while to figure out what was making the noise...which is
weird because it isn't hard to hear at all. It's just a sound that
seems hard to track down where it's coming from.
It doesn't sound like interference. It actually sounds like a loud
hum that you would normally hear from a bad florescent light fixture.
I switched the white and black wires and it didn't change anything.
I also plugged the light board into the wall and service outlet in the
machine and neither one of them caused the buzz...only when I have it
wired straight in..
Is it safe to assume that I have it wired to the right 120 v wires
in the backbox since the lights work properly? It's pretty much
everything I feared when I got this and realized I had to hack up
wires to get it to work...I hack up the wires and it still doesn't
work.
Lloyd Olson
you tapped into it and cause it to buzz, I'd unhook the lights before you
damage the transformer.
I couldn't assume what you have done is safe. I'm not familiar with what you
hooked up, or if it's hooked up right.
Unless you can sort it out better with the manufacturer, I'd run a seperate
power source for the lights so you don't interfere with the game itself. LTG
:)
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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DugFreez
just the ac adapter that came with it being bad. I noticed that if has
the same buzz as the power supply as the pin has. You can't hear it
unless you hold it to your ear....but both of them having the same
buzz gives me hope that replacing it will fit the problem.
...just got off the phone with Chris (he's been very helpful) and he
plugged in another one and listened and said he heard no noise coming
from the light kits AC adapter. I'm hopeful that swapping it out will
take care of the issue.
DugFreez
tracing the wires and confirming with Chris it ends up I have been
using the right wires. When I heard the buzzing coming from the games
transformer...I did unplug the lights. I didn't figure anything out of
the ordinary was good.
Hopefully we have narrowed down the problem as being the ac adapter
than came with the light board (made in china). Thanks again for
everyones help.
Lloyd Olson
"DugFreez" <dugf...@live.com> wrote in message
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DugFreez
> Please post if the replacement works, to help others. LTG :)
>
Will do. Chris told me he was also working on a installation video
for the LED backbox kits. I'm also sure a lot of other people
purchasing this kit wouldn't have had the problems I did finding the
proper 120 vac wires to wire it up.
Joe S
Why would you hack the wires in your collector pin? You just needed
to tie into the 20 v.......ah, nevermind......
DugFreez
>
> Why would you hack the wires in your collector pin? You just needed
> to tie into the 20 v.......ah, nevermind......
The answer to that is because that is the way the kit is designed
to be installed and I don't have the knowledge to spitball a better
way of installing it. The AC adapter that comes with it outputs 12v.
If you have suggestions on how to improve the install please submit
them to Chris at cointaker. I have no doubts that it could be
improved.
I would think a harness to jump the power off of something would
have been possible but I didn't make the LED kit. It was sent with a
120 v power cord and you've already read about how little I know about
the power wiring in a pinball machine. The chances of me figuring out
that what you are suggesting could be done....and me actually figuring
out how to do it is as likely as me curing cancer.
I'm having a hard enough time hooking the thing up the way it was
designed to be hooked up. Let alone me trying to do it another way.
Don't get me wrong....I would have rather just plugged it in and not
had to splice into things...but evidently that isn't how it works. I
really don't think having 2 spliced wires will drop the value of the
machine that much.
DugFreez
their seats to hear. ;-)
It was the ac adapter that came with the light board that was bad.
The old one was causing the buzz in the machines power supply
(thingie) and it also had a little buzz of it's own when you would
hold it up to your ear.
The new AC adapter (which Chris at cointaker shipped to me in record
time) doesn't have the buzz or cause the machine to buzz.
I have since, and too late I might add, decided to take Joe S's
advice and try to find another way to power this board. I found out
that there is an unused 12v dc harness (which is what the lightboard
uses) that Matt McKee uses for his topper light kits. It's near the
service outlet in newer Stern games. I have a harness on the way and
plan on hooking the light board into that.
As I said, I have already cut the 120v ac power that was going into
the florescent light fixture. Who would have thought following
directions was the wrong thing to do. I plan on reconnecting the wires
with a power switch and trying to convince myself that it was an
upgrade if I ever decide to go back to the standard florescent tube.
"Wow, look! A light switch so I can turn the light off if I want!".
I will report back when I get the harness and test that install
method out. I am also keeping Chris at cointaker informed so he can
make this install easier for future buyers...and I would think more
cost effective since the ac adapter won't even be needed.
DugFreez
lightboard looks wonderful and if installed this way, it is truly plug
and play with no permanent modification to the machine. It's also
easily reversed if you keep all of your original light fixture wiring
in the backbox.
I wish I would have waited when I was looking for those 120v wires.
There was no need to cut into them after all. I really hope Chris at
cointaker starts using this install method and starts including
instructions with his lightboards. It's a great product...but I think
I jumped in before all of the growing pains had worked themselves out.
Thank you all for helping me find the correct wires, and thank you
Joe S for warning me not to cut the wires, even though I did. :-(