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Color dmd

Adam

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Nov 5, 2015
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Hey...

Just looking for some advice, I'd like to order a color dmd for my newly aquired TAF and looking on the site there is an LED or LCD available for that game. Whats the best way to go? Allot of this stuff is new to me so I'd really appreciate some advice. Are there any differences besides the type of bulb used? is the display the same size? benefits or drawbacks to either? Is this something that is easily installed?

Thanks very much

Adam
 

Menace

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The LED display is fairly new, but both have their pro's and con's. The LED version is slightly cheaper, but it also cannot do the upscaling and whatnot the LCD version can do so that's something to take into consideration.

The issue with TAF are the lamps below the existing DMD. If you go with the LCD version you will have to remove those lights from the backboard in order to fit the new display. Now, the new display does try to light these up using the LCD but it fails pretty miserably at doing so. There is a mod out there for this that installs LED bulbs in between the LCD and the back panel but you would have to google for that information and figure out how it's done.

Install is pretty straight forward and the instructions that come with the display are pretty detailed, so if you're decent with screw drivers and whatnot it's not overly complicated.

D
 

Adam

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Thanks very much Menace. . . Could you tell me what upscaling is that the lcd unit is capable of?

Thanks again
 

Menace

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Best bet is to just youtube the colordmd and look for upscaling. It basically changes the display from dots to solid line pictures.

D
 
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BMHouze

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Mar 11, 2014
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While on the subject when Elvis becomes available I am worried about how the cut scenes will look. They look terrible now.
 

libtech

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I just bought my first one - went led. mainly its for my tz, but I may want to move it around later and some games are a pain with lamps at the bottom, or modern sterns req spacers etc, where as led is brighter will look cleaner and more oem.

Hewever if you prefer the upscaling modes there is only one way to go..
 

DRANO

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Nov 15, 2012
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Personally, I never use the upscaling. I have original LCD colorDMD on almost all of my remaining BW games and I still prefer the dots. I think the upscaling looks a bit weird and seems like you loose too much detail.
I like seeing the original dots in colour.

TAF was the first game I did. The THING lights are certainly less bright using the screen, but it hasn't bothered me all that much.
 
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Adam

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So... That being said Drano would you go with a new LED then for Addams family as it doesn't do the upscaling and to my knowledge you keep the stock thing lights
 

spiroagnew

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Never been a fan of the upscaling. Looks like everything is made out of Play-Doh or melted wax.

62fdaa4c1966206fd6b686f86dc2132d.jpg
 

DRANO

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So... That being said Drano would you go with a new LED then for Addams family as it doesn't do the upscaling and to my knowledge you keep the stock thing lights

If that's the case, for sure.

I haven't seen the new ones. Are they small enough that the original lights still fit? Just like a regular DMD?

If that's the case, I still have one game that doesn't have one. Maybe I move over the old one from TAF and get a new one too ;)
 

Monkeybug

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Nov 14, 2012
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I would buy a Pinsound instead. A beautiful sound package is so much more enjoyable throughout a full game rather than a colour DMD that you barely look at when you play.

Great thing about Pinsound is the unlimited flexibility in customizing your own sound packages and loading multiple sound packages that you can flip through.

Of course I am biased. :)
 
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goodmanners

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Jun 17, 2014
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I have 4 colour DMD that I bought and installed - CftBL, IJ, MB, MM. All LCD. And I have never used the upscaling. All the games I like better with the colour DMD.
I bought a TSPP and it came with the colour DMD upscaled and on that game it's ok so I left it.
That may also be because I am lazy....

If the LED was cheaper then I would buy it. I have a TAF that needs one - so let us know if the LED clearance is better if you go that route Adam.

Edited to add that the LED is only 30 bucks cheaper - so I would get the LCD. So for TAF the only way I would get LED is if it cleared the lights as Menace talked about.
 
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maken

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Jan 2, 2014
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If that's the case, for sure.

I haven't seen the new ones. Are they small enough that the original lights still fit? Just like a regular DMD?

If that's the case, I still have one game that doesn't have one. Maybe I move over the old one from TAF and get a new one too ;)

That is the case, yes. Thus, games like CV and T3 are now supported. Until the LED, they could not be upgraded to colordmd due to the larger LCD panel.
 

Jeff K.

Active Member
Jun 27, 2013
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Toronto
I have the color LCD installed on my TAFG and think the colored dots look awesome- personally I feel the Thing Lights look bright enough and not that much different from the original lights.

Question, further to above, I gave a sample IJ with the jackpot lighting board installed just below the regular dmd. Does anyone think the new color LED dmd could be installed above that board? I can't install the color LCD without taking that board out and would prefer not to lose that lighting effect.
Thanks.
Jeff
 

DRANO

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Nov 15, 2012
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I would buy a Pinsound instead. A beautiful sound package is so much more enjoyable throughout a full game rather than a colour DMD that you barely look at when you play.

Great thing about Pinsound is the unlimited flexibility in customizing your own sound packages and loading multiple sound packages that you can flip through.

Of course I am biased. :)

So, on Monkeybug's recommendation, I installed a Pinsound recently on my IJ. Probably the only machine in my lineup that I would go to the trouble of adding this mod on due to the great available sound package.

A word of caution though for those that like plug and play mods. This is for people who like to tinker. Once I downloaded one of the IJ mixes that were out there and set it up, it was a bit of a shock to the system. Lots of new and more robust content, but also a lot of stuff that was way too loud or hard to make out. The problem is that you're at the mercy of hobbyists who have brewed their own audio mix. These are not professional sound engineers... and neither am I. If you're confident in this area and can make some of your own tweaks or even an entire new track for one of your games, this is an awesome mod. The quality of the product is also top notch.

I was able to play around with the various sound pots and get the settings to where I was happy with it, but it's not for the purist who is going to miss some of the original content or for someone who doesn't want to crack into audio files and adjust themselves. I particularly miss the "see you tomorrow Indiana Jones" at the end of each game. But now there are several more end game callouts that cycle randomly. The guy who did the mix I'm using just didn't seem to like the original, so it shows up very infrequently.

Otherwise, it's a great product and certainly can have a larger impact on a game than the colorDMD.

That's my two cents.
 
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Menace

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I have the color LCD installed on my TAFG and think the colored dots look awesome- personally I feel the Thing Lights look bright enough and not that much different from the original lights.

Question, further to above, I gave a sample IJ with the jackpot lighting board installed just below the regular dmd. Does anyone think the new color LED dmd could be installed above that board? I can't install the color LCD without taking that board out and would prefer not to lose that lighting effect.
Thanks.
Jeff

Yeah, the new LED ColorDMD is the same size as the original DMD as far as I know so installing into IJ should be no problem with the jackpot lighting board.

D
 

mwong168

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If you want your THING lights to be brighter with the ColorDMD installed you can do this mod to your original light board. It can be done for Dr. Who and Indiana Jones as well but involves soldering wires and LEDs directly onto the light board to eliminate the twist sockets for clearance.

http://colordmd.com/Light Board Mod TAF and DW.pdf

Also I think ColorDMD still does free shipping if you order 3 or more. This could be a good opportunity for some people who have been on the fence waiting for our dollar to rebound which might not happen anytime soon to save a few bucks on shipping and organize a group buy.
 

Jeff K.

Active Member
Jun 27, 2013
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Toronto
Yeah, the new LED ColorDMD is the same size as the original DMD as far as I know so installing into IJ should be no problem with the jackpot lighting board.

D
Great- thanks!
At some point, I look forward to adding the color led display to my IJ.
 

SUPERBEE

Member
Feb 19, 2014
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Also I think ColorDMD still does free shipping if you order 3 or more. This could be a good opportunity for some people who have been on the fence waiting for our dollar to rebound which might not happen anytime soon to save a few bucks on shipping and organize a group buy.
Ive been considering a ColorDmd for my Getaway and might be interested in something along these lines if possible.