Game room do's and don'ts ?

Tell everybody what machines you have and upload pictures.
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Lowrent
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Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Lowrent »

I'm renovating the basement this summer.

I've already planned to avoid installing lights in the ceiling to avoid spot reflections on my pinballs glasses.
Will use wall lights that flood the ceiling instead.

Do you have any other suggestions for me ?

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by redketchup »

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Hammerhead »

Wall sconces take away valuable wall space from your pins

Diffusers for fluorescent fixtures might be another way to go.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Chris Silver »

Do your wall lights if you want but go ahead and put ceiling lights in also. Run two switches.Run speaker wire's behind the walls everywhere you might need them.

Don't skimp out. Do exactly what you want to do. Don't cut corners. You'll regret not having done exactly what you wanted later. Finally, don't call it a man cave. Man cave's are for people who don't have pinball machines. It's a Game room or arcade.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Mrhide »

- fluorescents fade pins in no time. avoid. in fact, avoid lights! pins are made to be played in the dark.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Magneto »

Mrhide wrote:- in fact, avoid lights! pins are made to be played in the dark.

yeah....but there hard to fix in the dark! :roll: :lol:

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by cdnpinballer »

Some suggestions? Sure......

If you share space with other individuals set clear boundaries for how the space will be used.

Draw a layout and play around with configuration options until you come up with the most ideal situation for your collection or eventual future collection.
Be prepared to go over budget.

If you can't personally complete the project in a month hire a contractor who knows what they're doing and just get it done. (Special emphasis on the point above if this route is taken)

Install extra electrical outlets for servicing your pins, beer fridge, juke, vids, wall mount tv, neon signs etc...

Consider flooring options carefully and keep in mind how long you may be in a standing position and the impact it may have on your comfort level – especially as you age. Personally, I went with low pile carpet with a thick rubber under pad for comfort.

Before closing up the walls run central vac tubing, speaker wire, cable wires, gas line, plumbing etc...

Install a whole house surge protector (subject to debate).

Run 4 games per circuit (subject to debate).

Bars, pool tables, couches, storage shelving, etc... all waste valuable space. Consider adding these on a limited and highly selective basis. However, if available, consider space for a bathroom, parts storage, tool storage, project game storage and a work shop area.

Invest in a pinball cart to make moving games around much easier.

About lighting – for my games room I went with pots positioned a foot or so back from the front of the pins and wall sconces at a height just below the top of the heads. In my case the profile of the sconce I installed fit perfectly behind all games. The wall scones and pots are on separate dimmer switches and I installed two sets of switches at opposite ends of the games room for convenience. Being able to dim your games room is awesome - highly recommended for light effects in various situations.

For my workshop lighting I went with Fluorescent, not concerned with fade at all, I think that’s somewhat of a myth. I mean sure, if you bake a playfield in a tanning bed it will change over time but that’s not the normal situation using a couple overhead fluro’s.

Good luck!!

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Lowrent »

Future gameroom being worked on, while I have my ass on the beach, drinking wine, 6000km away.
IMG_3507.JPG

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by pinhead »

cdnpinballer wrote:
For my workshop lighting I went with Fluorescent, not concerned with fade at all, I think that’s somewhat of a myth. I mean sure, if you bake a playfield in a tanning bed it will change over time but that’s not the normal situation using a couple overhead fluro’s.

Good luck!!

Lee, I have had my Getaway for years and never put it anywhere near the sunlight and I put it in an arena with no windows and it faded in a few months. They had fluorescent lights, not sure what kind though.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Mrhide »

Lowrent wrote:Future gameroom being worked on, while I have my ass on the beach, drinking wine, 6000km away.
IMG_3507.JPG

CAVE OPEN CE SOIR CHEZ LOWRENT!!
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by rocket30 »

Lowrent wrote:Future gameroom being worked on, while I have my ass on the beach, drinking wine, 6000km away.
IMG_3507.JPG

Is this those toy you put loonies and play for 5 min at tearing a basement. sound fun lol.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by rocket30 »

I was passing in St-Lambert and I saw a sign in front of a home saying "play destroy a house for $5 for 5 minutes. Guess what the owner is 6000km away, he won't know.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Lowrent »

rocket30 wrote:... "play destroy a house for $5 for 5 minutes.
Considering the future final bill, I wish people would pay!

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by R.A.B. »

Lowrent wrote:Future gameroom being worked on, while I have my ass on the beach, drinking wine, 6000km away.
Ok. Being 6000kms from home is why you missed the Pow Wow on Monday night at the North Star, now I remember why we didn't see you there. You were playing with a tractor on a rocky beach under a boardwalk, best reason I ever heard. :D

Bonne Vacances Lowrent.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Lowrent »

I asked to have wall sockets controllable from switchs hidden behind the head of a game.

That way, we can turn on all machines quickly without fiddling with each power switch under the machines.

Much easier for the kids.

Yay or Nay?

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Chris Silver »

Have one switch designated for the games on the wall when you come down the stairs.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Lowrent »

Chris Silver wrote:Have one switch designated for the games on the wall when you come down the stairs.
Much too risky! I don't want to risk someone leaning on the wall and shut down everything while I'm busting a high score.

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by JamesSchid »

Lowrent wrote:
Chris Silver wrote:Have one switch designated for the games on the wall when you come down the stairs.
Much too risky! I don't want to risk someone leaning on the wall and shut down everything while I'm busting a high score.
You could put a little box around the switch, or inset the switch into the wall behind a little door, or make a "switch guard" like this guy on thingiverse [ http://www.thingiverse.com/make:64429 ]
light switch guard.jpg
.:James:.

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Mindstorm88 »

Chris Silver wrote:Have one switch designated for the games on the wall when you come down the stairs.
Biggest problem with it , is that a switch cannot control more than one circuit 15 amps . so lets say you want to control multiple circuits in the gameroom (many games) , you need either a big contactor installed before the circuit breakers of these circuits or you need a panel of contactors for each circuit that will be control by 1 switch . I thought about it when i did my gameroom , but this involve, as usual, more money !!!

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Chris Silver »

Mindstorm88 wrote:
Chris Silver wrote:Have one switch designated for the games on the wall when you come down the stairs.
Biggest problem with it , is that a switch cannot control more than one circuit 15 amps . so lets say you want to control multiple circuits in the gameroom (many games) , you need either a big contactor installed before the circuit breakers of these circuits or you need a panel of contactors for each circuit that will be control by 1 switch . I thought about it when i did my gameroom , but this involve, as usual, more money !!!
A buddy of mine is an electrician and did this. He has two walls of pins each linked to a different switch. Depending on what you want, don't skimp out. You want ease and beauty that's the way to go. He also has two other switches on that wall. One being bright lights in the room and the other being a dimmer switch for pot lights.
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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Hellclan »

Depending on how fancy want to go. You can go down the home automation route. I know for Z-Wave they sell remote controllable Switches and Sockets.
Another home automation idea is to have the light's strobe red whenever a tilt is detected. :D
Since the walls are open is probabbly a good idea to run some data cables(Ethernet, Phone, Cable,etc..) to outlets.

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by korgull »

As mindstorm pointed for the contactor, I think the reason he stated one switch per game is because several game on the same switch that become powered all at the same time can cause unwanted power surge on your electrical circuit and maybe even in the games pluged in. I would not put several game on a powerbar controled by one switch for that reason, but if you plan to use the switch as en emergency shut down for everything pluged in that would be good.

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by Lowrent »

I only have room for 3 games. One 20A circuit triggered by a switch.

When the kids grow up, I might free some space for more games but for now, that's gonna be it.

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Re: Game room do's and don'ts ?

Post by semicolin »

pinhead wrote:
cdnpinballer wrote:
For my workshop lighting I went with Fluorescent, not concerned with fade at all, I think that’s somewhat of a myth. I mean sure, if you bake a playfield in a tanning bed it will change over time but that’s not the normal situation using a couple overhead fluro’s.

Good luck!!

Lee, I have had my Getaway for years and never put it anywhere near the sunlight and I put it in an arena with no windows and it faded in a few months. They had fluorescent lights, not sure what kind though.
Mercury vapour lamps are often installed in arenas as high-level overhead lighting, and there are two kinds: filtered and unfiltered. Unfiltered are cheaper but they're absolutely not for use without a treated glass cage and they emit a tonne of the *wrong* kind of ultraviolet light. They'll fade or yellow plastics as readily as sunlight, and can even cause sunburns/tans or even skin cancer to people that work in those environments steadily.

Arenas, schools, and big box stores are very bad for it, and if they have a building maintenance person that is ignorant they can do real harm.

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