Actually it's not an entire pinball machine, just the top part. Here's my project: I have the entire top of a Bally Playboy pinball machine, the part that has the glass that lights up. The main table is long gone.
The glass is lit up from behind by twenty-nine #44 bulbs, which are 6.3V .25A. I want to connect a power supply to the parallel wiring that connects all the bulbs, so this thing will be a lit-up display in my mancave.
However, I know absolutely nothing about electrical/electronic stuff. I was hoping to be able to use one of the many wallwarts I have leftover from old dc players, radios, etc., clip the end and solder it to the wiring They all have similar input ratings, 100-240V and similar amp and Hz ratings. Each has a slightly different output though; usually 12VDC & 2A, some 5V & 1A.
I'd like to know if it's possible to use one of these for my purpose? If not, can you point me to a Radio Shack unit? Also, most importantly, why that particular power source? In other words, is there a formula, given the specs of the #44 bulb above, to determine what kind of output I would need to power 29 of them?
I may be fitting this with LEDs instead of the #44 bulbs in the future, so I'd like to be able to figure out on my own what power source to use. Those are 6.3V and 40mA. Would I be able to use the same source as for the #44's, or do I need something less powerful?
Of course, safety is an issue and I don't want a power source that will overheat if I leave this on for a few hours. Thanks in advance for the help guys.
The glass is lit up from behind by twenty-nine #44 bulbs, which are 6.3V .25A. I want to connect a power supply to the parallel wiring that connects all the bulbs, so this thing will be a lit-up display in my mancave.
However, I know absolutely nothing about electrical/electronic stuff. I was hoping to be able to use one of the many wallwarts I have leftover from old dc players, radios, etc., clip the end and solder it to the wiring They all have similar input ratings, 100-240V and similar amp and Hz ratings. Each has a slightly different output though; usually 12VDC & 2A, some 5V & 1A.
I'd like to know if it's possible to use one of these for my purpose? If not, can you point me to a Radio Shack unit? Also, most importantly, why that particular power source? In other words, is there a formula, given the specs of the #44 bulb above, to determine what kind of output I would need to power 29 of them?
I may be fitting this with LEDs instead of the #44 bulbs in the future, so I'd like to be able to figure out on my own what power source to use. Those are 6.3V and 40mA. Would I be able to use the same source as for the #44's, or do I need something less powerful?
Of course, safety is an issue and I don't want a power source that will overheat if I leave this on for a few hours. Thanks in advance for the help guys.
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