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Coin Door Light - Burnt out lamps...suggestions?

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NightGod:

Yeah, you could switch it to the 5v wire without any problems, though I'll tell you that the 161 12v bulbs seem easier to find (almost any automotive store will carry them) whereas the 555s you'll most likely need to order on-line, at least from what I've seen in my area. YMMV, of course. The amps should be a non-issue-any modern PC power supply can provide that power without a problem.

leapinlew:


--- Quote from: gamecreature on September 30, 2006, 11:44:40 am --- So I went to the thrift shop and found an appliance that used a 6v AC adapter. Spliced the wires from the AC adapter to my coin door lamps and the thing works like a champ.
--- End quote ---

This is an excellent suggestion and one I didn't think of till working on my 4th machine... It does work beautifully and you don't have to worry about it pulling on your PSU.

I currently do this now. However, I suggest you check to make sure yours is AC and not DC. Get the proper wall wart.

gamecreature:

12v burns too bright and 5v seems too dim for the 555 bulbs. Running them off of a 6v AC adapter is (as Goldilocks would say) just right. I keep a lot of 555 bulbs on hand for my pin, so it's not a big deal for me to stick with them. Your milage may vary.

StephenH:

According to http://www.donsbulbs.com/cgi-bin/r/b.pl/555.html , The 555 lamp is 6.3V at 0.25A.   The reason they burned out so fast is you were putting 12V to them!   Either get a 6.3V (or 6V) transformer, connect the 5V from your PC supply to them (a little less light), or connect them in a SERIES circuit and connect them to the 12V, so each lamp gets 6V.  The original PARALLEL 12V circuit lead to 12V to each lamp!

codeena:

Yes, the lamps were originally so bright that they were a strain on the eyes! Plus, I could see a lot of light coming out of the back of the cab. Yesterday, I tried connecting to the 5v molex wire and it seems to work perfectly fine, plus I like the amount of illumination. Thanks for all the suggestions, it's really a nice touch to my cab and worth the short amount of time (relatively) to do!

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