Score Displays - typical LED matrix versus graphic LCD ? anyone ???

[Marty Machine]

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has ever replaced typical LED-based scores with Graphic LCD's before?
(either the 4 player scores, OR, the main matrix display on newer machines that have them).

Granted that LCD's may have brightness/contrast issues from various angles or distance? but while you're at the pinnie playing it, i can't imagine it being bad at all.

This might not apply to existing machines, as everyone wants them to be as correct as possibly when restoring, but maybe LCD would be a nice alternative for the homebrew pin guys?
( no doubt an adapter score could still plug into an old machine and convert digital score info into LCD info via a small pic-micro or whatever ).

On a similar note, do any modern pins use LCD's at all?

Marty.

[Retropin]

As far as i know - NONE of the machines available use anything other than DMD, but this is typical Stern, they never were ground breakers when they started out and never will be.

Pinballs get bigger - the workings get smaller - go figure that one!
 Instead of translite - you could have the whole backbox as a flat screen with video modes of ACTUAL film being trigered by a sequence of switches. Aint difficult to do.
 Graphic cards could be bought for  more mature versions of a game etc.

Flat screen does have to be as big as standard backbox - no reason why the boards cant be housed in the cabinet - all those looms, so bloody dated!

[Marty Machine]

Yep agreed,

I wasn't even considering making the entire backbox into a screen, but at least replace 4x player scores with decent (similar sized) graphic LCD's and the main DMD could be something similar to a laptop display, eitheor colour or mono-chromatic.

When i get to that stage for my own machine(s) i'll try LCD's out for something different.

Marty.

[Pinball Fixers]

Flat screen does have to be as big as standard backbox - no reason why the boards cant be housed in the cabinet - all those looms, so bloody dated!

You would probably need a 4:3 aspect ratio flat screen instead of a wide screen, otherwise the head box would look small.

And having the boards mounted under the playfield would make it more difficult to service - leaning over the cabinet to get inside is a bit of a pain, and the Pinball 2000's have the driver board under the playfield which is difficult to get to and pull out without removing the playfield itself.

[Retropin]

Im not a big fan of the big back box, cant understand why they got bigger as technology progressed.

I LOVE the old 30's size back boxes and once EM's went into the big wide boxes that stretch beyond the width of the cabinet, i think they lost a certain balance in the design aspect. No need for the great big back box.

heres a thought.... how about having the boards mounted on a panel in the cabinet that tilts forwards for maintenance once the PF is up?

[Marty Machine]

If backboxes werer as slim as the mainbody, we could fit MORE pins in our rooms