Power for Coin Mech Lights and Trackball

[mikeyv23]

Hey All,

I recently got a cabinet with a JAMMA setup, but have decided to turn it into a MAME cabinet.  I removed what I didn't needed, but kept a few things too.  Some of the things I kept was the marquee light and the power supply (which the marquee is connected to).  I now need to power the lights in the coin mechs (12v) as well as the light in my trackball (also 12v).

I noticed that there is a spot for 12v on the power supply (along with 5v and 2 grounds) and am now trying to see if I could somehow connect all of the lights (daisy chain) together and to that 12v spot (and a ground I would presume).  Problem is I am still learning some about electrical and do not know the best way to do this or if it would even work.  I assume it would, but I don't know if I need any diodes or resisters, or if that is all taken care of in the power supply.

My thought was since all of the lights have the same connects as the cherry switches (or similar little pieces of flat metal), that I could find the same connectors I use for the cherry switches on my buttons go that route.  I also was not sure what would be the best type of wiring to use.  I am guessing I can get most of what I need at a RadioShack, but wanted to ask for some thoughts/assistance from the community.  I'd rather not electrocute myself or blow my hardware if possible.

Any help, thoughts, etc are greatly appreciated.  Also, I read somewhere I might be able to tap off of the connections to my coin mechs, but I would rather not do this if at all possible as I do not know what my keyboard encoder can handle and do not want to ruin it.  Thanks!!!

[mikeyv23]

* bump *

anybody?   

[Queeg]

Hey man,

To answer your first question, yes, daisy chaining will work fine. The power supply you have is putting out a constant 12v which will play nicely with your lights and trackball. When it comes to wiring, I am kind of a hack and I would just hand splice the wires together and then mend with electrical tape. If you want it to look good, what you can do is take the three positive (12v) wires coming off of your three lamps, stick them into a barrel, stick the live wire from the power supply in the other end, then crimp the hell out of it. Then do the same with the ground and everything should be up and running.

As for wire I'd say 18-22 gauge should be fine for that amount of power. I use 20 gauge for all my 12v stuff and it has never shown any problems. If you have a Fry's Electronics near you, I would go that route as they have much cheaper options than Radioshack. O and the little bits of metal you want for your connectors are called quick disconnects, make sure you know the size of the tabs you'll be putting them on before you buy them because they come in a variety of sizes.

I'm typing too fast, let me know if you have any questions.

[mikeyv23]

 

Thank you Queeg!!  I am a hack myself I think so I am following your first suggested route.  I am going to try this out tonight and assuming I do not somehow fry myself - will report back later!  I do have a Fry's very close by (I live in the burbs west of Chicago, and there is one not too far from me) and will head over there to do my shopping.  Thanks again very, very much!!   

[Queeg]

No, problem, let me know if you hit any roadblocks.

Oh and don't worry, getting 12v feels like a massage haha.

[mikeyv23]

Well I think I am missing something.  I tried running 1 wire from the Ground on the power supply to one of the leads on the bulb/casing, and another wire from the 12v+ on the power supply to the other lead on the bulb/casing.  I turn on the power for the marquee (which is wired to the the 120v leads and nothing happens...

Do I need to add a diode or a toggle switch?  Or should I be using the power leads on the power supply that the marquee is connected to?

HELP!!

[bungy]

Are you sure the bulb works?
Do you have a multimeter?  Use it to make sure you are getting 12 from the power supply.
Are you sure the marquee bulb needs 12v?  I would think it needs 120vAC.

Edit: I just re-read your post and now I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to do.  Do you have 12v wired up to a different bulb? and 120v wired up to the marquee independently?

[mikeyv23]

Sorry...

So the marquee is wired to the 120v.  I want to power the 12v lights that are on the coin mechs (4 coin slots) and trackball (1, so 5 in complete total).

When I tried to wire the coin mech lights to the 12v nothing happened.  Now I don't know if this makes a difference, but there is a switch on the top of the cabinet that you have to flip to turn the marquee on (and it used to turn on the entire machine when it was a JAMMA setup).

No matter what I have tried, I could not get the 12v to light.  I am going to try a different bulb later, and double check the voltage first with a multimeter to make sure everything else is working properly as you suggest.  I will post back my findings a little later...

[mikeyv23]

So something is definitely amiss with the power supply.  The 120v AC works fine, but the 12v and 5v are not showing anything on my multimeter.  There are some fuses wired to the power supply on the bottom of the cabinet.  They look fine and I have no idea what roll they play (if any).

So in the interest of making this a little easier (and maybe safer) for me I have another idea.  I have a spare power supply from a computer and was wondering if I could easier use that instead and utilize the 12v options on there.  Let me know if this would be relatively easy (or even possible).

I also don't know how I would wire it.  Can I just remove it from the computer, wire it and plug it in?  Does it need an on/off switch?  etc?

Sorry to be such a noob...I am still learning (as you can tell) about the electrical side of this hobby....   

[bungy]

Standalone PC power supplies are a pain in the ass, you have to short two of the wires on the mobo connector and put a load on 5v to keep it running, or something like that.  If you can find an older one, it might work, but you'll need to wire the 120v directly to it or put a power strip in your cab.  Wouldn't recommend doing any of that unless you know what you're doing.

Remove the fuses and check them for continuity with your multimeter, they may LOOK ok and still be blown.

Is the power supply getting 120v?  Is there a switch on the power supply?
Did you try flipping the switch on the top?

[mikeyv23]

The power supply is definitely getting the 120v.  I cannot see a switch on the power supply itself, just the switch on the top of the cabinet that looks to be wired to the 120v leads.  I have tried checking the 12v leads with a multimeter with that switch (and in turn the marquee) both on and off and cannot see a change.

[fatfingers]

Yes, you must short pins 14 and 15 with (I suggest a paper clip) something for an ATX power supply to actually send power out the lines.

Here is a linky.