Pinball LED Basics

If you’re new to putting LEDs in your pinball machine, you’re sure to have a lot of questions. Hopefully this blog and our KnowledgeCenter will help you get a better understanding of why LEDs are a great alternative to Incandescent Bulbs. Here is a breakdown to start:

So, why LED? LEDs emit light but don’t produce much heat at all due to their efficiency and low power consumption. Eliminating heat is a BIG deal in a pinball machine for several reasons; they preserve your precious backglass, they help your components run cooler (SS/DMD games), they keep your playfield inserts cool and keep from deforming [more].

Another nice feature of changing to LEDs is the option to use a colored light as opposed to the “white” light of an incandescent bulb. Putting colored lights throughout your game can add a nice effect and can really make colored inserts look more vivid. Colored pinball LEDs in the General Illumination (GI) can add a nice effect as long as not too many colors are used and the coloring isn’t overwhelming. Various examples of people putting LEDs in their games can be found on Pinside with a few searches.

Adding LEDs to your older game can really breathe new life into it and make it look brighter and more colorful, enhancing the player’s experience.

Lets also not forget that LEDs are long lasting and can really save you some time and frustration from having to change out those pesky hard-to-reach bulbs. With a 50,000 hour life, it’s probably safe to say that you’ll never have to change the light ever again!

If you need tips or suggestions on what is appropriate for your game, please don’t hesitateto email or call us! Our KnowledgeCenter should also be a resource, but is a work in progress and will continuously be updated to help our customers learn more about LEDs and the benefits of using them in their pinball machines.