Power 4x 555 bulbs

[bimm25e]

I have a pinball machine and one of the light matrixes is not working - its 4 555 bulbs that are always on so I was thinking instead of troubleshooting (which I have already done for a few hours) I would just rig up a separate circuit to run these 4 bulbs -

I have a wall wart that runs @ 7.5 VDC / 800mA
And
one that runs at 8.5 VAC / 1A

anyone know if i can just wire these up in series on either adapter? Do i need to use resistors? Or are the bulbs okay to just run themselves?

[pbj]

Just run a jumper wire to another string.  Do it cleanly and nobody will ever notice or care.  I've been running one game like that for 11 years.

 

[bimm25e]

Just run a jumper wire to another string.  Do it cleanly and nobody will ever notice or care.  I've been running one game like that for 11 years.

 

I guess I don't know enough about filament bulbs to feel safe just doing that. Couldn't that create a larger current on the host circuit, possibly damaging even more components?

Maybe I could use a different type of light that's already powered by 110VAC, I was thinking Christmas lights but they're too small, then I thought larger ones but I think I remember those getting quite hot.  I just really don't want to break my toy but without the bulbs its too dim to play a good game at night.

[RandyT]

They are probably a 6v bulb and use about .25 amp each.  So, you'd need at least an amp to drive 4 of them.  At higher voltages, they'll run hotter (not good for the plastics) and probably won't last very long.

One possibility would be to get some decent low-voltage LED replacements and run your separate supply.  You probably won't need as much current (check into the specs for the parts), they'll likely run cooler, and will work with the smaller "wall wart" type supply.  Kludgey, but it would get the job done.

[pbj]

Hey, it's your machine.  Overthink this.  Rig in hacks.  Spend a lot of money.  Do what you want. 

 

[bimm25e]

Hey, it's your machine.  Overthink this.  Rig in hacks.  Spend a lot of money.  Do what you want. 

 

 I jumped onto the "25 cents" bulbs, the lights are working okay,  but I feel like if I posted this on KLOV i'd get yelled at

[pbj]

If they're always on, they're general illumination and 4 extra lights aren't going to do a thing to any of those strings.

If it's a Williams electronic game, I've bridged the traces together on the back of the driver board, soldered a thick braided wire across them, and connected that to the GI wires with a wire nut.   Much easier than replacing the wire connectors and you don't run the risk of ripping up a driver board to replace the male pins.  You go from smoldering connectors to a barely warm connection and it's very easily reversed if a future owner gets anal about it.

 

[bimm25e]

If they're always on, they're general illumination and 4 extra lights aren't going to do a thing to any of those strings.

If it's a Williams electronic game, I've bridged the traces together on the back of the driver board, soldered a thick braided wire across them, and connected that to the GI wires with a wire nut.   Much easier than replacing the wire connectors and you don't run the risk of ripping up a driver board to replace the male pins.  You go from smoldering connectors to a barely warm connection and it's very easily reversed if a future owner gets anal about it.

 

thanks for the advice, I'm still uneasy about leaving it this way but I certainly can't disagree with the results.presently