Stern Pinball: Spike Electronics System
- Thread starter mwong168
- Start date
superjackpot
Active Member
I haven't cared to look at Spike before this vid but I gotta say the modular setup looks pretty good. If you think about it, it's inevitable - the modernization of these systems. Doesn't look very end user 'serviceable' though as many of the components are small. Swapping boards is it I guess.
Simplified RJ45/Cat5 cabling implies some kind of communication protocol is in play like that used in cars (CAN Bus). There were a couple references to automotive grade circuit protection...
Half the power consumption of SAM Sterns - that's good. Less consumption, less heat. Now we have to revise the answer to how many games can you plug into one circuit
Simplified RJ45/Cat5 cabling implies some kind of communication protocol is in play like that used in cars (CAN Bus). There were a couple references to automotive grade circuit protection...
Half the power consumption of SAM Sterns - that's good. Less consumption, less heat. Now we have to revise the answer to how many games can you plug into one circuit
Now we have to revise the answer to how many games can you plug into one circuit
In the video Jamie mentioned 3 SAM or 6 Spike in one circuit.
I think I recall hearing a while back that the communication protocol was CAN Bus, or one of the many derivatives...
D
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Chris Bardon
Well-Known Member
I like the look of this system-makes a lot of sense. We'll see how it plays out in the long run I suppose. Now they just need to make a spike game that I want to buy
Fifty
Active Member
It's a very clean system and makes perfect sense. It appears to be less user serviceable, but at the same time there is less that can go wrong so you won't have to service it as much. Pinball electronics needed to be brought into this century and I think Stern has done an excellent job of it. Yeah, it's not perfect but there is a lot done right here.
My only wish would be a couple AUX ports somewhere that would provide modders with a plug n' play connection for additional mods. How cool would that be?!
My only wish would be a couple AUX ports somewhere that would provide modders with a plug n' play connection for additional mods. How cool would that be?!
Chris Bardon
Well-Known Member
Given the way that the boards etc connect to each other, wouldn't it be possible to just add on another RJ45 connection to the chain and add more drivers etc to a game? Given that Stern is starting to sell their own mods, it wouldn't surprise me to see something like this down the line.
You could probably add in an additional drivers to the game, but without the game supporting the addition in software they won't do anything...
D
That's where Stern-made mods come in.. they can just alter the code to support their own mods! Very sneaky