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**Reel Slots** Gaming Machines => Bally Alpha Reel Games => Topic started by: teamclark4 on May 01, 2014, 12:26:27 PM
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Anyone have any luck changing out the little LED board on one of the bet buttons ? I've removed the button assembly from the deck; took the cover off. It seems like both the switch and the led board are locked into the plastic button assembly. It sure seems like i can't just change out the LED; like you can change an LED bulb with the Bluebird 1's , i-games etc...
It looks like Happs has a button assembly that will work but i would rather just change the LED if i could. I have many buttons where the LED is either dead or barely there; even after i clean it.
Thanks for any feedback.
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Usually you can snap (or twist) the switch away from the assembly and find the plug in LED module.
Never saw one where the button and LED were one unit.
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I know what you mean by snapping them out; i'm able to do that on the i-game/s2000/bluebird buttons. But these alpha buttons are a different animal.
Worst case, i may just end up sacrificing this button and tear it apart completely, to get to the components to see what's feasible or not. Trying to avoid that since i don't currently have spares of these.
A couple of pics.
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Ya those are different but logic dictates the lamp is removable from the bottom without removing the cap.
Did you tug real hard on the lamp's spade connectors to see if it snaps out?
Could be all of that mud inside is causing the lamp to stick in place.
Clean the inside with some Simply Green and a small brush then blow it out with some canned air.
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Got it popped out finally..
Wondering if i can buy just that led board somewhere to replace it. I get LED bulbs for my other machines off of ebay all the time but don't remember seeing this embedded LED type for sale; i'll keep digging .
Thanks.
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Alpha buttons are robot soldered. Prob a pain in the arshh to replace just the LED. Here's a link to the cheapest replacements. (Kudos to Jim @ Bettor for the link and info.)
http://www.americangaminginc.com/
Look at the flyer on the main page and you will see them. $5.77(?) a pop. Suzo is like double per button.
Harvs
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Thanks Harvs, i was looking on AG&E for maybe the LED assembly but didn't find any; hadn't checked for the full button.
I have a flat roll of white 12v LED's that i use in my gameroom; i cut off a few inches of the strip and got it to where it was just the little LED's separated out. I held one against the plugged in button assembly, opposite the crappy led and got it to light. Spent the last 3 hours trying to solder it on the button assembly; went thru about 8 led's, just getting more pissed after each failed solder :banghead: .. Nice to know that a robot normally makes the solder, so i don't feel so bad.
Taking a break for the night with it now, may try a few different soldering techniques tomorrow as the LED's on the strip that i'm trying to use are probably 10c each. I would like to change all 11 button led's so they are consistent, but not at 5.77 each. May have to spring for it on a couple of the worst ones though if i can't up my soldering skills to surgeon level.
Thanks..
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Thanks Harvs, i was looking on AG&E for maybe the LED assembly but didn't find any; hadn't checked for the full button.
I have a flat roll of white 12v LED's that i use in my gameroom; i cut off a few inches of the strip and got it to where it was just the little LED's separated out. I held one against the plugged in button assembly, opposite the crappy led and got it to light. Spent the last 3 hours trying to solder it on the button assembly; went thru about 8 led's, just getting more pissed after each failed solder :banghead: .. Nice to know that a robot normally makes the solder, so i don't feel so bad.
Taking a break for the night with it now, may try a few different soldering techniques tomorrow as the LED's on the strip that i'm trying to use are probably 10c each. I would like to change all 11 button led's so they are consistent, but not at 5.77 each. May have to spring for it on a couple of the worst ones though if i can't up my soldering skills to surgeon level.
Thanks..
Oh Ok. Well I hope you figure out how to fix them.., I'll send you a box!! Ha!
I am waiting also before I dump the $ on new buttons.. Been looking for a whole deck for less actually.
Lmk if you succeed, hope so!
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Heat up the old LED until it slips out of it's PC pads.
Clamp the light assembly so it can't move.
Clean both LED PC pads of any excess solder.
Put a dab of solder flux on each pad.
Lay the LED onto the pads the way you want to solder it, the flux helps keep it in place.
Use the end of a small screwdriver to hold the LED in place and apply heat and some solder
to each pad and it's LED end.
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Thanks, i actually ended up doing pretty much those steps; i took the old led out and tried to apply the new one to that same spot with little component clamps i have. I think a large part of the problem is that the solder tip is pretty big. So tomorrow i'm going to look at downsizing the solder iron/solder tip to see if that helps with the finesse.
I am determined to get this to work one way or another.
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The good and the bad:
- I was finally able to solder on that replacement LED from my 12v led strip. Plugged it in and it works.
- But highly disappointed in the light output once you put the cap back on. With the cap off the replacement LED is much brighter then the original. Once you put the button cap on though, it is only negligibly brighter then the standard led's. Those caps are not flat to let the light thru like the s2000,i-games, BB1 etc.. They have that small hole that lets the light up thru the cap. This is cutting down on the light output regardless of the LED brightness seemingly.
So for me it's not worth the trouble to solder on new LED's on all 12 buttons on my 3 machines to make them really bright, like i had planned, it's only slightly brighter. But those that i have that are dead or are super dim (which is about 1/3rd of them) I'll go ahead and solder on the replacement LED's to salvage them.
Hopefully this information will help someone else down the line.
Thanks
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Ya, you need to know the forward current "If" and forward voltage "Vf" of the original lamp to match it exactly.
There is a series resistor in your assembly also which sets the forward current based upon the characteristics of the LED.
R = (main voltage minus Vf) divided by forward current.
You could measure the series current flowing through the LED (If) and it's resistor and the voltage across just the LED (Vf) then search the world for a matching LED.
Of course the light intensity of the original LED would still be a mystery, I would assume it is a Ultra-brite white.