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Step 8Hooking up the switch and power
I considered lots of options here. Originally I was going to put a transformer into the table and run a cord to the wall. I really didn't want to though, since this table was meant to sit in the middle of a room. A friend suggested using a lantern battery, and while I was skeptical at first it worked like a charm. The battery I got was 6V, and you could probably get a bigger one for brighter lamps.
The first step in hooking everything up is locating the GI string. Typically GI is located along the edges of a playfield. For instance, at the top of a plyfield between the lanes at the top, under the plastics, there will typically be lamps. These are always GI lamps. Another classic location for GI is under the slingshots (the triangular poppers above the flippers.) Every GI lamp has two wires - power and ground. Follow them around the playfield until you find where they exit in the wiring harness. In the first picture below, you can see where the lamp wiring runs from lamp to lamp before finally exiting in insulated wire on the right.
Pull these two wires, hook one to the + terminal on the battery and one to the - terminal. Your playfield should just light up - that easy! If only some of the GI lights up, then you've got a break somewhere you'll have to hunt down.
Once you know your electronics are right and proper you can install the switch. I got a DPDT switch from Radio Shack although later I realized I could have used a SPDT just as easily. I used a rocker switch that stuck through the wood and screwed down from the back. Unfortunately it was only 1/2" deep, same as my wood so there was no clearance to screw it down. I ended up just sticking it on with some hot glue.
Wiring the switch is pretty straightforward. One thing I added at the last minute was a little holding cage for the battery using scrap pieces of moulding. You can see how I basically just screwed them down around it. This holds the battery in place when moving the table around.
The first step in hooking everything up is locating the GI string. Typically GI is located along the edges of a playfield. For instance, at the top of a plyfield between the lanes at the top, under the plastics, there will typically be lamps. These are always GI lamps. Another classic location for GI is under the slingshots (the triangular poppers above the flippers.) Every GI lamp has two wires - power and ground. Follow them around the playfield until you find where they exit in the wiring harness. In the first picture below, you can see where the lamp wiring runs from lamp to lamp before finally exiting in insulated wire on the right.
Pull these two wires, hook one to the + terminal on the battery and one to the - terminal. Your playfield should just light up - that easy! If only some of the GI lights up, then you've got a break somewhere you'll have to hunt down.
Once you know your electronics are right and proper you can install the switch. I got a DPDT switch from Radio Shack although later I realized I could have used a SPDT just as easily. I used a rocker switch that stuck through the wood and screwed down from the back. Unfortunately it was only 1/2" deep, same as my wood so there was no clearance to screw it down. I ended up just sticking it on with some hot glue.
Wiring the switch is pretty straightforward. One thing I added at the last minute was a little holding cage for the battery using scrap pieces of moulding. You can see how I basically just screwed them down around it. This holds the battery in place when moving the table around.
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May 17, 2006. 11:46 AMMySoulWanders
says:
Future Upgrade: Still keeping with the battery power - Instead of mounting the battery with screws and wood blocks, use lock down clamps or straps to hold the battery in place. OR go fancy and create a slider that you can pull out with the battery attached.
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