Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Sledgehammer on February 16, 2010, 12:42:06 am
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Hey Guys,
I am in the middle of a pinball cab build (32 inch 1080p LCD playfield, 21" LCD backglass) and have a question on wiring my pushbutton lights.
So I have 4 Happ pushbuttons that came with lights:
http://happcontrols.com/pushbuttons/5400042x.htm (http://happcontrols.com/pushbuttons/5400042x.htm)
and also have 2 cold cathode RED lights under the cab, plus 2 red LED fans (80mm) inside the cab pulling air up into the playfield monitor.
I wired the 2 fans and the 2 cold cathode lights off one molex connector coming off my PC PSU (600w). I had an extra molex connector coming off one of the fans, so I chopped it and took the 12v and ground and daisy chained those to my 4 Happ pushbuttons to light them.
Fired it up and everything worked perfect...then about 30 minutes in, I go to push one of the pusbuttons and it was HOT, like catch the plastic on fire hot. So I disconnected the light wiring until I can sort it out.
That's where I need your help.
Was I trying to pull too much power off that one PSU molex power cable?
I am pretty sure I got the daisy chain wiring correct, I basically wired them up similiar to how the ground connection is wired on my IPAC. I believe that is the correct way to wire the lights up.
Let me know what I did wrong here.
Thanks!
Jason
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If you go with the incandescent option, they're going to burn hot. That's the nature of the animal.
You have a few options before you.
Reduce the voltage by either going to 7v or 5v, but that might not be satisfactory since they're already 14v lamps and you're running them at 12v.
Switch out the incandescents and use LEDs. They make drop in replacements that Happ sells (http://www.happcontrols.com/pushbuttons/91115700.htm). If you feel like saving a bit of money go elsewhere like JKL (http://www.jkllamps.com/store.cfm?page=list.cfm&cat=0&man=&afid=&criteria=310&action=list&startrow=1&maxrows=10&) or hit up your local auto parts store. I believe they're straight 12v drop-ins, so no need to change wiring. I would opt for a 5v configuration, but that's just me personally.
Create some sort of power cycling circuit that runs the lamps at 50% duty cycle or something. That's an awful lot of work for something that might not be satisfactory anyways.