Running 24/7 ?

[RandomTask]

Who here runs their pachinkos 24/7? I like to leave 'em up and running all the time because the lightshows as they cycle in and out of their attract modes add to the atmosphere of the room. Just wondering if I'm in the minority here.
I figure since these machines have already seen a lot of action that it really doesn't hurt to leave 'em on all the time. My only worry is the longevity of the LCD display backlight. Are the backlights fluorescent tubes? Or with the bight white LEDs of recent years, have they started using LEDs for greater lifespan?

[luckydog]

the main problem would be the transformers overheating and catching fire!!

one member had a machine that made a loud "swack" in the middle of the night

[daverob]

They'll be fine left switched on 24/7 (providing that the transformer is adequate ).

The backlights in the LCD panels are usually flourescent tubes, but they're not that difficult to replace, and most LCD panels this size only have only one of them. By the time they wear out, I'd expect that most TV repair shops will be quite adept at replacing the tubes, and as the tubes only cost $10-20 each, it'll hardly break the bank.

I'd be more concerned about the amount of energy used leaving them switched on 24/7, as this will cost you a lot more in the end than any light bulbs and repairs you might need.

[new in town]

I can attest to that. I have 3 Pachinkos and 2 Pachislos on a power strip plugged into the wall with a night light in the other outlet plug. When I turn on the power strip the night light dims quite a bit from the initial turn on. The strip and the circuit breaker are rated for the load but that shows you the juice that would be making your electric meter spin up to Warp 9.

I too like the light displays but I only have them on when I am playing the machines.

[alstonj1]

this subject has been around allot . your fine running your machines 24-7 if you follow a few common sense steps like getting a surge protected circuit breaker protected power strip to turn them on and off with (they could cost a few more bucks but is well worth it and just might save your machine in the event of a good storm remember these are computer driven machines protect them as such ) your machines use at max 1.5-2.0 amps at full load hopper running and everything going .At rest there lucky to pull 600-800 ma if your night light is dimming I'd be checking the load on the same circuit in another room cause it ain't your machines causing the load . your machine doesn't spin the hopper on start up and i doubt its pulling any where near max at start up .

[new in town]

Yes but all of the transformers pull an initial "load" when they are all turned on at the same time. This is the dimming of the night light. Just like a good sized AC motor or refer compressor has a surge when it is first turned on. The light does not stay dim. Only flickers once as all of the transformers power up and stabilize.

Still, juice is juice and if you leave it on the meter will run faster.

[owennewton]

I have a Star Wars at the record store in the window on 24/7 but at home I only turn all of them on when company is coming over.

[gottac]

electricity is free, you just need a neighbor and a really long extension cord

Someone actually did that to me (not electricity but phone), I had some static and called the phone co and the tech came to the house and asked did I know there was a line tapped into my line and running down the pole and to the neighbors!! I never even knew it because I used it for a BBS (whoa pre internet!)

[new in town]

I have LOTS of extension cords. Use to own and run an Inflatable Fun house Business. "Bounce About". The Bounce Houses are all gone but I can run a thousand foot cord.

[luckydog]

At one store I was managing a lot of kids were coming in with ice cream bars every day, I finally asked one were they were buying them.

He said from the truck on the back side of your store. I walked back there and he had an extension cord running to one of our outside outlets and using our porwe instead of his generator.

I ran the guy off and I had the electrican remove the outlet the next day

on our local news, the police found an extension cord running out into a field from a convience store. a homeless group had stolen a lot of power cords and were running a line to their camp in the woods for power

[alstonj1]

at 600ma i doubt your local power company is getting rich off your machine thats the power of an old Nintendo and most people never unplugged those power packs .I'm sure you have at least 4 or 5 in the wall now doing nothing like phone chargers video games computer peripherals and such ...

[RandomTask]

I'm certainly not worried about the electric meter spinning faster. These things use about as much juice as my PowerBook.

[daverob]

I'm certainly not worried about the electric meter spinning faster. These things use about as much juice as my PowerBook.

A typical modern LCD screen pachinko takes about 100 watts continuous in attract mode, this works out at 2.4kWH over the course of a day and 876kWH a year. I don't know what you're paying for your electricity over there, but that would be well over $100 worth per machine per year over here.

At that rate, I'd at least switch them off when everyone's asleep or when the house is empty, but then I'm the kind of person who doesn't leave phone chargers plugged in, and switches things off at the outlet rather than leaving them on standby.

[alstonj1]

suggest you put a clamp on meter on your machine your figure is extremely high . a 5 amp transformer only draws 120 watts max at 110volt (5 x 24 volt =120 watts , 120watts / 110 volts = 1.09 amps max ) your figuring 100 amp or 83 % on attract mode i sincerely doubt it draws that much with no sound or hoppers running .I think you'll be surprised at the out come i know i was when i did it with my hanabi hykkai ...

[rubberratt]

Just pull the meter out and turn it upsidedown. Wait that's illegal, forgrt that I said it.

[daverob]

I made the measurements a while ago using a plug in 'power monitor' that I borrowed from a friend. So I've just gone and double checked the power draw on a couple of machines I have handy using a calibrated true RMS meter, I can confirm that you are probably closer to the correct figures than I was.

After checking I'd say that it's actually around the 40-50W mark. I also checked the rates on my last electricity bill, and they are a bit higher than I originally thought.

I'd estimate that if I left a Lumina frame machine on 24/7 then it would cost me $75 per year, other machines with less lighting effects going on in attract mode are likely to be around the $50-60 per year.

Either way, I'm happy to stick to my original claim, that if you're OK with spending around $300 on the energy used over the 5-6 year lifetime of an LCD backlight tube, then you're not going to worry about the cost of replacing a $20 part.

[alstonj1]

that should have read "your figuring 100 watts " not amps if your pulling 100 amp you better have one heck of a lot of pachi's

[alstonj1]

I'll agree with the cost of the part .if your going to run a machine 24-7 one would naturally think about spending some cash on bulbs anyway .beside $6.25 a month for an aesthetically pleasing display is OK in my book for those of you that don't know it 40 watts isn't a good light to even read by your typical refrigerator bulb is 25 watt .your typical room light is 60 watt so running a machine is less than leaving a room light on .if your going to leave one on my as well leave one on you like !!!

[rubberratt]

FWIW - I have repaired/restored/maintained many video games and pinballs (now pachinko !!!).

I also have several in my personal arcade "room", and although these machines are built to run all of the time... IMHO it seems to me that leaving them on 24/7 just puts "run time" and unecessary stress on them, and will cause bulbs to burn, generate heat, &c, &c.

I power up all of my machines at least once a week, play them, and turn them off. Then I simply turn them on when I want to use them.

When I have company... all bets are off and I go into "full Arcade" mode and everything stays on until the event is over.

I think it is simply a good practice to keep the gear off when not in use, and to check them, and maintain them regularly. They will certainly "live" longer.

Thanks for reading

[alstonj1]

mine are in the main living area not down stairs or in the the next room with the door closed so i like mine lit when i see them but then again i don't have an arcade full around . I also have my computers running 24-7 they are almost never off . the debate is still out on bulb life as to weather turning one off and on is better or running one continuously will get better bulb life considering turning one on and off (heating and cooling over time) causes fatigue of the element and shortened bulb life same goes for PC power supplies .if your sweating the cost of bulbs turn the darn thing off you probably shouldn't be playing it anyway ... as for the rest of the machine you'll be lucky if you can find parts for the machine in 5 yrs anyway plastic degrades (look at the hopper destroyed thread. I'm walking someone through adapting a hopper to replace a defective one he cant find a replacement for and it ain't all that old of a machine. yes in 10 years all those spin luck wheels will be nothing more than torn disks ) unless you can make or adapt parts you my as well be playing them now or at least enjoying the pretty light shows they give off .These aren't the old mechanical machine that will out live us all these are essentially throw away plastic machines and the extra parts don't exist longer that 2 or 3 model yrs if your lucky .