Cheap Lighting for Marquee

[kaptainsteve]

Just wanted to let you all in on a cheap way to light the Marquee in your cabinet.
Ebay sells "2pcs 12V LED COB Car Auto DRL Driving Daytime Running Lamp Fog Light White 14cm" 

One pair be had for about 6 Bux including shipping.  They run on 12v dc.
One pair does the job more than adequately and since they are LED they use almost no electricity!

I hooked it and my coin door reject lights to a cheap power supply that provides both 5v and 12v.
The power supply costs about 14 bux.
It's labelled "KMD20-D1 5V2A,+12V1A Switching Power Supply90V-264V" on Ebay.

Bottom line, for about 20 bux and wire you can light your whole cabinet.


Steve

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-12V-LED-COB-Car-Auto-DRL-Driving-Daytime-Running-Lamp-Fog-Light-White-14cm-/221342797732?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item33890f0fa4&vxp=mtr

[DaOld Man]

Sounds good.
How bright are they?

[Caparo8bit]

No day lights wont work

[Caparo8bit]

LED dayrunning lights wont work cus they focus light in only one point .

[thomas_surles]

I got a 24 inch fluorescent bulb fixture from walmart for 9 bucks. I thought that was as cheap as it gets?

[HanoiBoi]

I got a 24 inch fluorescent bulb fixture from walmart for 9 bucks. I thought that was as cheap as it gets?

I did the flourescent too.  Nice, even lighting.  May cost more in the long run versus LED, but I'm okay with that when I think of all the quarters I'm saving.

[DarakuTenshi]

I bought a florescent light for my cab and it only ran me $12 at Lowes.

[kaptainsteve]

@Caparo8bit says;

"LED dayrunning lights wont work cus they focus light in only one point ."

How do you know?  Did you ever try them?   No, because if you did you would have found that they work fine.  I have them installed, and they work great period.   Why respond when you have no direct/real knowledge of the post's topic.  You just guessed and guessed wrong.

Yes, they are VERY bright and do the job as good as a fluorescent or incandescent bulb but use a fraction of the energy and can be connected to a 12v power source.

Trust me, they work fine..  You just stick 'em to the back plate and wire them up to a 12v power switch and you're good to go.

[scoodidabop]

Those cheap fluorescent lights work really well and aren't too expensive. For my latest build I cut some LED strip to the proper length and diffused it with some with card stock. Runs on 12V and cost less than a buck!



Not these exactly but basically this sort of thing. I bought mine on ebay.
http://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesalers-Flexible-LED-Strip-300xSMD3528/dp/B002Q8V8DM

[keilmillerjr]

@Caparo8bit says;

"LED dayrunning lights wont work cus they focus light in only one point ."

How do you know?  Did you ever try them?   No, because if you did you would have found that they work fine.  I have them installed, and they work great period.   Why respond when you have no direct/real knowledge of the post's topic.  You just guessed and guessed wrong.

Yes, they are VERY bright and do the job as good as a fluorescent or incandescent bulb but use a fraction of the energy and can be connected to a 12v power source.

Trust me, they work fine..  You just stick 'em to the back plate and wire them up to a 12v power switch and you're good to go.

I hate to say this, but people are probably doubtful without a picture.

[kahlid74]

You can get a 12" or 18" fluorescent light from Menards or a hardware store for 5-10 bucks.  Works fantastic -

http://www.menards.com/main/lighting-fans/indoor-lights/fluorescent/18-single-fluorescent-striplight/p-1475030-c-7242.htm

[MaxAsh]

I've been trying different lighting methods beyond the standard fluorescent tube method. So far, my favorite easy/cheap method has been the simple 12V LED strip light. Here's a pic of a trial install on an old Time Killers cabinet. There's only a single strip (24") in there. A whole 5 meter reel of lights costs about $5 on ebay (including shipping). 24" of the strip is maybe $0.75 worth of the $5 reel I bought. You can hook them directly to the 12V on the power supply (normal arcade or computer PSU if you're MAME'd).

Only catch is, as you can see, they're very bright. In this image I have them aimed directly at the marquee. Looks pretty good even like this, but you can alternatively aim them differently, or even use a distribution method to spread the light if you feel it's too direct. Looks good in my opinion. Only thing you might want to consider is going for a non-bright-white (aka "warm white") light if you feel this is too shockingly white. I haven't tried that variation on white yet, so I can only share my bright-white experience so far. Personally, I like it.

[Caparo8bit]

the bes option is this it will cover all marquee with light...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-5M-3528-LED-Strip-Light-300leds-44key-Remote-Controller-12V-Power-Supply-/200883830141?pt=US_Car_Lighting&hash=item2ec59bfd7d

[MaxAsh]

the bes option is this it will cover all marquee with light...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-5M-3528-LED-Strip-Light-300leds-44key-Remote-Controller-12V-Power-Supply-/200883830141?pt=US_Car_Lighting&hash=item2ec59bfd7d

That's basically what I bought, though I opted for simply white and didn't go with the wall adapter/remote control setup. I picked up just the reel of LED lights (5 meters) for under $5 with shipping included. If you get just the LED strip, you can wire it directly to a 12V DC source (switching power supply, computer power supply, whatever you've got) instead of worrying about a wall socket. Caparo8bit's link is great if you're looking for color-changing or remote control for an extra $10. If you're fine with one color and wiring it up, $5 will get you what you need LED-wise. Plus, you've got plenty of extra lights left over for other projects or additional cabinet lighting.

[Caparo8bit]

the bes option is this it will cover all marquee with light...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-5M-3528-LED-Strip-Light-300leds-44key-Remote-Controller-12V-Power-Supply-/200883830141?pt=US_Car_Lighting&hash=item2ec59bfd7d

That's basically what I bought, though I opted for simply white and didn't go with the wall adapter/remote control setup. I picked up just the reel of LED lights (5 meters) for under $5 with shipping included. If you get just the LED strip, you can wire it directly to a 12V DC source (switching power supply, computer power supply, whatever you've got) instead of worrying about a wall socket. Caparo8bit's link is great if you're looking for color-changing or remote control for an extra $10. If you're fine with one color and wiring it up, $5 will get you what you need LED-wise. Plus, you've got plenty of extra lights left over for other projects or additional cabinet lighting.

great idea wiring directly in to a 12v Source.

[MaxAsh]

great idea wiring directly in to a 12v Source.

Was that sarcasm or serious praise? I'm new to all this, so if that's a bad idea please let me know.

[upcboy]

I've been trying different lighting methods beyond the standard fluorescent tube method. So far, my favorite easy/cheap method has been the simple 12V LED strip light. Here's a pic of a trial install on an old Time Killers cabinet. There's only a single strip (24") in there. A whole 5 meter reel of lights costs about $5 on ebay (including shipping). 24" of the strip is maybe $0.75 worth of the $5 reel I bought. You can hook them directly to the 12V on the power supply (normal arcade or computer PSU if you're MAME'd).

Only catch is, as you can see, they're very bright. In this image I have them aimed directly at the marquee. Looks pretty good even like this, but you can alternatively aim them differently, or even use a distribution method to spread the light if you feel it's too direct. Looks good in my opinion. Only thing you might want to consider is going for a non-bright-white (aka "warm white") light if you feel this is too shockingly white. I haven't tried that variation on white yet, so I can only share my bright-white experience so far. Personally, I like it.

Do you have a link for the 5m for 5 Dollars I can't seem to find one at that price.

[JDFan]

I've been trying different lighting methods beyond the standard fluorescent tube method. So far, my favorite easy/cheap method has been the simple 12V LED strip light. Here's a pic of a trial install on an old Time Killers cabinet. There's only a single strip (24") in there. A whole 5 meter reel of lights costs about $5 on ebay (including shipping). 24" of the strip is maybe $0.75 worth of the $5 reel I bought. You can hook them directly to the 12V on the power supply (normal arcade or computer PSU if you're MAME'd).

Only catch is, as you can see, they're very bright. In this image I have them aimed directly at the marquee. Looks pretty good even like this, but you can alternatively aim them differently, or even use a distribution method to spread the light if you feel it's too direct. Looks good in my opinion. Only thing you might want to consider is going for a non-bright-white (aka "warm white") light if you feel this is too shockingly white. I haven't tried that variation on white yet, so I can only share my bright-white experience so far. Personally, I like it.

Do you have a link for the 5m for 5 Dollars I can't seem to find one at that price.

Here's a warm white non waterproof strip for $8.66 shipped ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-3528-SMD-LED-Light-Waterproof-Flexible-Strip-300led-Multi-Color-12V-Beautiful-/321174485304?pt=US_String_Lights_Fairy_Lights&var=&hash=item4ac77db938 )

[Caparo8bit]

great idea wiring directly in to a 12v Source.

Was that sarcasm or serious praise? I'm new to all this, so if that's a bad idea please let me know.

hahahha no  thats a good idea. In my case dnt work cus im using decased laptops

[eds1275]

I crammed some white christmas lights I got for cheap after xmas through some pegboard and put that inside. I think it was $3 for the string.

I think running lights would be bright enough.

[MaxAsh]

Do you have a link for the 5m for 5 Dollars I can't seem to find one at that price.

Unfortunately, the seller is currently out of stock, but here's the link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121352338449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

As another posted noted, you can find them in the $8-10 range, though many of those are from China/Hong Kong so you'll have to wait a bit. I was lucky and found a store in NJ so it only took a few days. Hopefully the seller I linked above will restock soon.

Here's a shot with the UMK3 marquee backed by the LED strip, just rigged this up the other day.

[MaxAsh]

Just thought I'd pop back into this thread to let everyone know there's another seller with cheap LED strip lighting. I haven't bought from them, but the deal even showed up over on some of the daily-deal sites. It's a Hong Kong seller, so you have to be patient, but for this price if you're not in a rush it's a good deal, under $6 for 5 Meters of lights.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400493231736

[Blueic5]

How do you connect this strip to a 12V Power supply then?   

[dkersten]

You cut them on the cut line with a scissors and then solder to the two copper terminals.  Or you can get clip on ends that just clip over the end and convert it to a wire or 2.54mm pin.

If it is too bright, you need to use a PWM dimmer like http://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesalers-LED-Strip-Lights-Controller/dp/B003L4KKF2 which is like $3.39 shipped.. I used this exact one and it worked perfectly, I was able to dim the strips down to the perfect amount of light.

You can run it off any old 12v wall adapter or even off the 12v from your computer (yellow wire on a drive harness).

[Blueic5]

Thanks for that I'm in the UK but will look for all the parts I need thanks.. If you have any pics to show the setup that would be great too

[madfrog2000]

Thought I would add on to this topic.
I recently used a LED strip in my commando cab, Was pleased with the outcome for less than $2.50 (Free shipping).
Wired up to the 12V on the Arcade power supply.

led strip - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-60cm-30-SMD-LED-Car-Van-Flexible-Neon-Grill-Strip-Light-Lamp-12V-New-/200925332823?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=500161637327&hash=item2ec8154557

[Blueic5]

i ordered a 5m strip in the end for £4.20 on ebay including a power supply adapter, I assume once you cut the rest of the strip is pretty much useless is that right?

[madfrog2000]

From my Experience Iv had some strips that show you where you're able to cut and solder new wires to.
Some you have to look closely and you can see the points (the ones with waterproof coating).
Also some have waterproof coating + a black paint like coating over the connections which you can scratch back and solder to.
Used these LED strips for Computer cases, Fish tanks and Arcade lighting.

Attached some photos of 2 types I have on me at the moment.

[MaxAsh]

... I assume once you cut the rest of the strip is pretty much useless is that right?

Nope, you can use the rest of the strip. The design of these strips make them extremely useful. Assuming you got one of the standard strips, every (3) lights is technically a separate entity if you cut the strip properly. You could, in theory, create dozens of little 3-light strips from a larger 15m strip if you want. As long as you cut on the proper line, you can keep using the strip as much as you want. For one of my marquees, I measured off 24" or so, cut at the nearest cut point, wired it up to the 12V on the cabinet power supply, and boom lights. I then went on to use the remainder of the strip in other places on other cabinets without issue.

One small additional piece of advice. Test the lighting out, see how much you need, and what angle works best. If you got "bright white" rather than "cool white," you may find it too bright if aimed directly at the marquee (depends on your marquee material, preferences, etc). Just try different things, different lengths of strip, or even multiple strips inside the marquee if you want. I've seen people mount them inside of aluminum foil "boxes" to disperse light, aim them backwards to reduce brightness, even add dimmers and control features. You'll have plenty of options. Personally, I would wire it direct to a 12V source (either existing arcade power supply or 12V wire on your PC power supply, but adapters work okay too if you're setting up a power strip in the cabinet.

Good luck!

[Blueic5]

ok yes they seem to be a standard strip I am planning to put a powerstrip in the cabinet once I work out what to buy smart power strip wise, ie if I turn the PC on the rest of the power comes on.  Anyway I digress , I bought cool white and was planning to run a single 26" line stuck to some hardboard or something like that ( not sure if it matters what material you stick them too and if there is any fire risks associated with that)  about 2" behind the marquee .  I was trying to find on ebay what I needed to buy to essentially save me soldering another wire to a second strip so I just say clipped it on to the light strip and the other end clips to some wires if you see what I mean.  I found something that looked to be for connecting 2 strips together but not quite what I was after so any suggestions?

[madfrog2000]

If you want the strips to light up when the PC turns on connect the red wire from the strip to the Yellow wire on a molex plug (from PC Power supply) and black to black.
2" behind the marquee might be abit close you might find the light being brighter in some spots. I have mine roughly 8" behind but like "MaxAsh" said depends on your Marquee Material. 
LED strips shouldn't get hot unless you over volt them. Iv had mine running in my PC for 3 days non stop no heat coming off them.
You might be able to get some kinda conductive glue, to glue wires between 2 strips.

[Blueic5]

i was planning to get the marquee printed online onto some matte translucent Duratrans style polyester film which is designed for lightbox's sandwiched between 2 x 2mm plexi.  Ive not quite got that far yet though

[dkersten]

I placed two strips behind my marquee, one was about 2" back and the other about 4" back and the light was very even.  It was too bright overall though, so the PWM dimmer I linked above was ideal for dimming it down.  I mounted the dimmer inside the cab so I dialed it in to the brightness I wanted and left it.  I have an external switch to turn it on and off manually, that way I can leave the computer on and let it just go to sleep but not have the marquee on all the time.  Personally I like the marquee for display purposes, but when playing there is no need to turn it on.

You can also get full RGB strips for super cheap, and there are remote IR controllers that come with the kits for under $20 (5m of lights plus controller).  You can get them in regular or waterproof.  I also picked up a wifi based controller, stuck it in a weatherproof box with a 12v adapter inside, and lit up my firepit area in my back yard.  I control it with my phone.  Unfortunately, I couldn't locate a cheap RGB controller that was command line based.  It would be nice to find a controller that can handle a few amps at 12 volts on a single channel and be able to light up the strips with LEDblinky and control it through the front end.

[madfrog2000]

Hey, Dkersten mind sending me a link to the wifi controller?  I bought 2 of those 5M RGB strips with IR controllers for the Arcade shed last week. Would love to control it with my phone

[dkersten]

Here is the one I used http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EUVDQL0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Supernight makes one too, which is I think made by the same manufacturer and is the newer version, but more expensive.  From my understanding they all use the same Magic Color V2 app for apple and android.  The app is OK, not great but works.  You can set a manual color from the full range of colors along with the intensity, or you can choose from a bunch of preset modes that fade or switch fast.. On the preset modes you can make your own and you can control the speed at which the colors change, but not much else.  There is a third option to set it to music, but you can only use music in your phone (not Pandora or any other stream source) and you have to run it through the app).  It works OK, bumps to the music, but not incredibly well.  For the money though, it works.  I used an $8 12v power supply that was something like 6 amps. 

Once you get the unit powered up, disconnect from the wifi in your house and scan for a new wifi, you will find the controller.  Then use the app to go into settings and have it connect to your home wifi.  Then reconnect to your home wifi and when you scan for controllers in the app you will find it from anywhere on your home network.  You can also connect through a PC and go in and change the IP address to match your home network, but I couldn't get it to log in with the default password on mine.

You can connect 2 strips with one controller, or use amplifiers to connect more.

(sorry for the threadjack)

[Blueic5]

Super info everyone thanks

Next question if you are running 2 strips to the Computer PSU are you soldering the ends together or using 2 separate molex connectors from the PSU?

[madfrog2000]

Two strips will run off 1 molex connector.  So yup solder the ends together.

[Blueic5]

I found these on ebay in the end which look to be what I was after for a solder less connection to create a second strip in case anyone is interested

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161206299793?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[MaxAsh]

2" behind the marquee might be abit close you might find the light being brighter in some spots. I have mine roughly 8" behind but like "MaxAsh" said depends on your Marquee Material. 

2" is really close, I have mine a good 5-6" and it's pretty bright. At 2", unless your material is nice and thick, you might see the individual LEDs as "spots" on the marquee, instead of getting a nice overall glow. Remember, these are really bright, so you don't need them close. Heck, you could probably have them almost at the back of the cabinet and still get a decent (though dimmer) glow effect.

Mounting-wise, I just used the existing old board that held the broken fluorescent fixture. Run a simple flat board (anything will do, but if you're using 2 strips I'd say maybe a 1" x 6" or 8" would be fine) across the cabinet in the marquee area. My LED strip (like most) came with adhesive 3M backing. It seems to be enough to hold it solidly in place with no issue. If you're concerned, you could always toss some extra adhesive or some electrical tape on there, but I doubt you'll need it. Just make sure your wiring is supported along the side of the cabinet (or wherever you run it) so that the weight of the wire isn't pulling on the LED strip, and you'll be fine.

Attached is a pic of the first test I did (can't find a current pic of the final version, but this is pretty close). Pretty simplistic, worked great.

[yotsuya]

Personally I like the marquee for display purposes, but when playing there is no need to turn it on.

What crappy arcades did you grow up in? 

[dkersten]

lol, I can't even see the marquee when playing, so why have it on?  If anything, it adds a lightsource that is distracting.  I still love the "look" of the backlit marquee, but it doesn't need to be on whenever the cabinet is up and running.  My sleep mode kicks in at an hour, so it would stay on for an hour after I am done.  This way I only turn it on when I have guests over.  Just personal preference is all..

As for the distance, I guarantee you couldn't spot the individual lights in my marquee.  The light box is painted white and the lights are bright enough to fill the box with enough light that you can't see any source.  I agree that it is close and I was worried, but it wasn't an issue.  No special diffusing needed.  Like I said, my only complaint was it was too bright and I wanted to dial it down without removing some of the strip.  I tried dialing down the voltage a little but it didn't work, it took pulsing the voltage with a PWM dimmer to lower it.  Thankfully it was only a few dollars.

[MaxAsh]

Personally I like the marquee for display purposes, but when playing there is no need to turn it on.

What crappy arcades did you grow up in? 

LOL'd. While I get wanting the option to turn it off, it's not really distracting imo, and it's LED, so it's pennies a year at most. But hey, personal preference as you said dk

[mvolke1]

Hey Guys,

I saw this at Lowe's: http://www.lowes.com/pd_71118-57299-7000_0__

Think it would work? It's my style -- plug it in and go.