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Adding External Subwoofer - the easy way


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This may not be new info to some of you but others may find it really useful as I did.

For ages I have been looking at how to best hook up a sub to my pins to give that extra boost. I know there are lots of places that sell adaptors for your machines but with so many machines out there it just became a nightmare to hold all these adaptors depending on the machine and they are not cheap coming from the US.

 

So after reading around a bit this is what I came up with.

Hope you find it useful.

 

Parts needed (this will do 2 pins)

1. External Powered Subwoofer with high level inputs. Not the RCA ones but speaker inputs.

There is one in the states called a Polk PSW10 that the guys on pinside suggest but you can't get it in oz.

So I found this one instead.

https://djcity.com.au/product/shfs10b-skytec-hifi-surroundsubwoofer/

Only $150.

 

2. Alligator clips, or you can just solder to the pinball speaker terminals

 

3. Speaker Wire, you don't need high end stuff. We are not running HD audio here.

 

Process.

 

First connect the speaker wire to the sub in the pin cabinet.

For this test I just wrapped the wires around the terminals. But you could solder them later or use alligator clips.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160830/fe90fa55b0fd5e928b5f4ae31679735d.jpg

 

Then feed the wire down the side and out the back of the pin.

You may need to pop one of the staples up to get under the grill.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160830/193f46765fa60f11854813eb0919352d.jpg

 

Then on the back of your sub connect the wire to the high level inputs. This allows you to "piggy back" of the speakers in the pin without causing any damage or increasing the Ohms.

Now this is the best bit. Because Pins are mono you can hook one pin up to left in and one to right in and BOOM two for one.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160830/01afdb58f152e4418f2087466943e96a.jpg

 

I used a spare Super Cube sub I had but I will be testing cheap $150 one in the next week.

 

I currently have this set up on two pins that are next to each other and the difference is amazing. I was going to go buy Speaker Upgrades but now I am not going to bother.

Bang for buck I think this is one of the easiest and best upgrades you can make to your pinball machine. If you get the $150 sub that is only $75 per pin..... BEAT THAT... lol

 

Happy Thumping.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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:offtopic: but this reminds me of a trip from Melbourne to Sydney (and back) me and friend who used to install car stereos, made one year.

 

We hired a car from Melbourne Airport, he brought a bazooka tube he had lying around (should've seen the lady's face when we walked in) and we hooked it up to the rear speakers the same way you did and we had doof doof all the way up and back :lol.

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Pardon my ignorance but would connecting to pins to one subwoofer have any adverse effects when both pins are played at the same time??

 

I assume you mean "two"pins" and if so DO NOT CONNECT THEM TOGETHER as you will blow up boards.

 

Buy TWO subwoofers.

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I assume you mean "two"pins"

 

Mike I think @Snjspiteri was referring to the OP's comments of:

 

...Parts needed (this will do 2 pins)...

 

Later down the page:

 

Now this is the best bit. Because Pins are mono you can hook one pin up to left in and one to right in and BOOM two for one.

 

Then

 

I currently have this set up on two pins that are next to each other and the difference is amazing....<snip>....If you get the $150 sub that is only $75 per pin..... BEAT THAT... lol

 

So @Snjspiteri is asking is this safe??

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Mike I think @Snjspiteri was referring to the OP's comments of:

 

 

 

Later down the page:

 

 

 

Then

 

 

 

So @Snjspiteri is asking is this safe??

 

I'm unsure - this is the confusion that reigns supreme when people take shortcuts with English or just use wrong words. I read the following OP - as translated below it:

 

"Pardon my ignorance but would connecting to pins to one subwoofer have any adverse effects when both pins are played at the same time??"

 

This sentence is saying that they have TWO pins ("to") side by side and wish to connect ONE sub to BOTH PINS.

 

I keep saying that grammar and spelling are important - in this case the lack of clarity in the post could lead to serious electronic damage to TWO machines, or so it seams (sorry, SEEMS) LOL.

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Hmmm… Seeing that the subwoofer has two high-level inputs, it'll definitely keep the inputs separated, otherwise the sub would destroy any stereo amp that is connected to it.

 

But, as far as I can see, this still doesn't mean that it would be totally safe to connect two separate pins to it (one to each channel). At the very least, you'd run the risk of setting up a ground loop. Depending on how much the ground planes of the two machines differ, that could potentially destroy the audio output stage of one of the two pins.

 

To be safe, I would probably have only one pin connected to the subwoofer at a time and, when changing connections, disconnect one pin before connecting the other. Or find a simple two-way speaker switch, so you can change which pin plays without having to muck around with wiring (and risking a short for the pin that's currently disconnected).

 

Michi.

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Sorry for the typo all yes I meant 2 Pinballs and have edited post. Thanks also for the feedback regarding what might happen when connecting 2 pinballs to the same subwoofer.

 

However according to Saber007 initial post isn't that what he is saying he has done? Not very good advise if that is the case??

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Adding External Subwoofer - the easy way

 

@Homepin, for clarification, please ignore every post in this thread and read post 1 (again) and please comment on what he has done.

 

It seems that he has connected 1 powered subwoofer to two (2) machines, but it's not clear that the machines are being played at the same time (or at least both on at the same time). Is either scenario safe?

 

I mean no disrespect, but your posts (to me) read like you read post 4 without fully reading post 1.

 

It seems @Michi in post 8 has answered it, but I'd like your clarification also as I know your experience but not michis (no offence Michi).

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@Homepin, for clarification, please ignore every post in this thread and read post 1 (again) and please comment on what he has done.

 

It seems that he has connected 1 powered subwoofer to two (2) machines, but it's not clear that the machines are being played at the same time (or at least both on at the same time). Is either scenario safe?

 

I mean no disrespect, but your posts (to me) read like you read post 4 without fully reading post 1.

 

It seems @Michi in post 8 has answered it, but I'd like your clarification also as I know your experience but not michis (no offence Michi).

 

Yes, it looks like the OP has connected TWO different pins to the one (stereo) sub unit.

 

This will work fine AS LONG as the sub is electrically constructed in such a way that the two channels inside it are actually isolated from one another and you couldn't guarantee this between different units.

 

The OP seems to have been fortunate in that his particular sub unit is actually isolated between channels.

 

I wouldn't risk it myself but there you go.

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The sub is guaranteed to keep the two channels separate. If it didn't, a stereo amp that is connected to the sub would have its two output channels connected, which would be seriously bad news. So, on that score, there is no problem, as far as I can see.

 

But it is possible (at least theoretically) that two different machines will not share the same ground potential, and the ground connection on the sub will almost certainly be shared among the two inputs. If so, there will be a current flow from one pin via the shared ground connection to the other pin. That could happen, for example, if the two pins are connected to different circuits in the same house. It's also possible for the ground planes to differ due to a poor earth connection, or some capacitance between the ground plane of one of the pins and real ground.

 

A mild symptom of this would be hearing a 50 Hz hum from the sub. With a severe difference in ground potential (probably unlikely), a ground loop could damage the output stage of one of the pins.

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Adding External Subwoofer - the easy way

 

Sorry guys if I have not been been clear enough in my first post.

Couple of things to know.

As has been pointed out, if you look at my photos you will see that each pin has been hooked up to a SEPERATE high level input on the external sub. One pin to the Left channel and one to the Right.

 

It is important to note that you should NEVER hook two pins up to the same input on an external sub as it will overload the audio boards on the pin.

 

I haven't had any issues running the pins at the same time though the sub from a sound perspective.

 

The ground issue is possible but very unlikely to do damage from what I have researched.

If you are at all concerned about the two channels being independent you can also pop a multimeter onto the sub and see if there is any connection between the L and R level inputs.

 

I guess it is worth mentioning that it is up to you if want to do this. I am happy to take the risk as I think it is very minimal and no worst then do any other mod to your pin but that's me.

Don't forget you can always just use this method to hook up 1 pin to 1 sub. I was just suggesting that you can use both the left and right inputs to save a bit of money.

 

If I am wrong on any of this I am happy for anyone to let me know as I am sure there are smarter people on this forum then me about this topic such as @Homepin or @Michi

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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If both pins are grounded properly and use the same type of power supply, it's unlikely that what you suggest will cause problems. If in doubt, measure with a voltmeter between the grounds (chassis) of the two pins when they are switched on. You should be reading zero. Also measure with a voltmeter between the ground pins of the speaker output of the pins. That also should read zero. If so, I don't think your setup will do any damage. If you measure a voltage, I'd give this setup a miss.

 

Also listen for mains hum coming from the sub. If you can hear any, there's a ground loop and you want to disconnect things quick smart because it can damage the amplifier of a pin and/or damage the speaker in the sub.

 

Cheers,

 

Michi.

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If both pins are grounded properly and use the same type of power supply, it's unlikely that what you suggest will cause problems. If in doubt, measure with a voltmeter between the grounds (chassis) of the two pins when they are switched on. You should be reading zero. Also measure with a voltmeter between the ground pins of the speaker output of the pins. That also should read zero. If so, I don't think your setup will do any damage. If you measure a voltage, I'd give this setup a miss.

 

Also listen for mains hum coming from the sub. If you can hear any, there's a ground loop and you want to disconnect things quick smart because it can damage the amplifier of a pin and/or damage the speaker in the sub.

 

Cheers,

 

Michi.

 

Good advice mate and worth doing as it only takes a sec.

Just thinking do you want to explain how exactly you do those tests so anyone wanting to try this can do the test first.

 

You will probably explain it much better then me.... lol

 

Thanks mate.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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It's not difficult. Turn on both pins. Have the playfield up so you can access the braided wire tape that provides ground to all the metal components. Put one probe of the voltmeter on the braid on one pin, and the other probe on the braid on the other pin. There should be no voltage between the two (well, you might measure something really tiny, like 0.1V or less, which won't matter).

 

Now do the same thing with the speaker output pins. Measure between the ground pins of the speaker output of each pin. Again, there should be no voltage. Also measure between the sub speaker input ground and the pin speaker output ground. You want to read zero. If you read zero, the grounds of both pins and the sub are at the same potential, and connecting the two pins via the speaker input ground on the sub won't set up a current flowing between the two pins or between the sub and the pins. If all that works out, there should be no problem connecting the mono speaker output of a pin to the sub's left channel and the mono speaker output of the other pin to the sub's right channel.

 

If you try this, it probably is a good idea to turn the volume all the way down on both pins, and then turn the volume up slightly on one, then a little on the other, then again on the first, and so on. If you hear any hum or unusual noises, disconnect the entire show quickly… If you see smoke, you know something is wrong :)

 

Michi.

 

Disclaimer: There are tons of subs around, and I don't know most of them. The above is common-sense electronics, but there may be subs around that do something weird and might overload the pin's amp. Please don't blame me if you fry something.

Edited by Michi
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Thought I would just let you guys know I had done the test @Michi explained above.

The highest I got was .01 of a volt and most of the time it was arround .006.

Which is nothing.

 

Good to Go!!

 

I've been going to do this for a while Travis great suggestions mate. Thanks for the extra help @Michi.

@chopchop that is probably the better option for larger collection and not over the top expensive.

 

That's it I'm going to get that sub and make it so on STLE and IMVE

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I've been going to do this for a while Travis great suggestions mate. Thanks for the extra help @Michi.

@chopchop that is probably the better option for larger collection and not over the top expensive.

 

That's it I'm going to get that sub and make it so on STLE and IMVE

 

STLE with a good sub is AWSOME.

Seriously it is like playing a different game.

I turned the sub off to just see and wow the game is just sooo flat. Simon is going shit bricks when he hears it.... lol

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STLE with a good sub is AWSOME.

Seriously it is like playing a different game.

I turned the sub off to just see and wow the game is just sooo flat. Simon is going shit bricks when he hears it.... lol

 

IM has a small sub in it but I'm thinking a bigger external one would really go off.

Tell Simon that he really hates MMR and needs to sell it to me......:lol

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey All.

 

OK so I have now had the sub in for a weekend have to say it is pretty awesome.

Granted it is not as good as my $1000 one but for $150 free delivery it is extremely good.

It does distort slightly on some loud bass sounds but not enough to get worried about.

 

I have so far hooked it up to a few of my pins and it also really depends on the pinny you are using. Some have much better sound then others.

Here are my findings.

1. Star Trek (stern) - totally blown away imo it is a must on this machine. There is link an entire bass line you don't even hear with the stock speakers. Again not as good as the $1000 one but makes a massive difference to the game.

2. Ghostbusters - Very good. There is not a huge amount of low end in this game but add the sub does a great job of propping up the music and some of the effects.

3. Medieval Madness Remake - Was the most disappointing of all the machines. I think it has to do with how much low end is being sent to the speakers from the Machine. Unfortunately there is no way to adjust this. It is a shame as I had high hopes that this machine would really benefit from an external sub.

3. Twilight Zone - Another great one. When you defeat the "Power" the knocks sound awesome.

4. STTNG - As with the Stern Star Trek this one also really benefited from the external sub.

 

Overall I give this $150 sub a big tick and well worth the money.

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