It's an interesting question.

Tuukka did some calculations here:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-power-consumption#post-7150653

Basically he said if you swapped 50 bulbs, you'd save 70 watts of power.

Presuming you replaced 100 bulbs, that would be 140 watts of power, out of an average power draw of 350w for a pinball (elsewhere in the thread).

Now, in a perfect world, the power supply supplies what the output demands.

But in the real world, when you 'put a load' on power sources they can sag, trying to get power to everything. That's why when you hit both flipper buttons at the same time the lights will frequently dim a bit.

So, is it POSSIBLE that the power supply in your pinball was burdened, and by relieving 140 watts of power burden, you allowed the game to more easily apply power to the coils?

Yeah.

But how much?

Well, measure the voltage at your flipper coils. If they have 80v on them instead of 70v, I'd expect them to be a bit more powerful!

If they are 70v or so, you could still see a bit more power than usual because the burden on the system -right-when-you-need-it- could be improved by having less overall load, but I'd expect very little difference.

Finally, double check your voltage selection wires at the transformer according to this part of the pinwiki.

https://pinwiki.com/wiki/index.php/Williams_WPC#Primary_Voltage_Selection_Jumpers_at_the_Transformer

Your schematic diagram is here:

https://www.ipdb.org/files/4358/Williams_WPC_95_Schematic_Manual_July_1_1997.pdf

If your transformer was selected for 'low line', instead of what the wiki recommends (120v), I'd expect any effect of relieving the burden on the transformer to be magnified... maybe enough to be what you are noticing.

In general, this is a bit strange, and I wouldn't have expected it. Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely to be noticeable? It would surprise me.

Let us know if you need assistance using the multimeter, it's an invaluable tool for pin repairs.

I like to use alligator clips to attach the probes to the lugs I'm testing for voltage. PXL_20240218_182046996.jpg

There's many ways it can be done, but i find the easiest is to get a set of attachments that can slide onto the probes like these (i don't own this kit, just linking this kit on Amazon as an example): http://tinyurl.com/mumspsek

With the above linked kit, they give you a new set of test probes to plug into your meter plus a variety of different shape/size attachments that can plug into those probes (and they might fit your meter's probes as well). They will allow you to safely connect your leads to big stuff, small stuff, and everything in between. Very useful, def worth the $ in my opinion.

Depending what I'm testing, I like to clip the leads to the solder lug(s) and/or ground strap etc as needed with the game turned off...so there's no chance of accidentally shorting live power to something it shouldn't reach (if i fumble or slip the placement of the test lead, for instance)... Any way to minimize the chance of connecting things that shouldn't be connected.

Other than that it sounds like you've got the basics down. Just ask if you're ever unsure where to set everything up

Is there anything I need to look for in a damn or will a basic one work? I am also a newbie.

Basic meter is fine, you really just need it to be capable of testing ac and dc voltage, resistance/continuity, and diode test. Most meters have a continuity mode that will produce a beep when continuity is detected (for testing fuses and wires without having to look at the meter for confirmation). If the meter you're looking at covers the above criteria, it should be fine. The more expensive meters out there are overkill for what most of us will need to do with them. You should be able to get something decent for $15-20 I'd imagine. You may also want to consider getting some probe attachments like i was describing in my other post above.

I assume you mean DVM (Digital Volt Meter).

Nothing special for now - as you progress in your skills, you may want to get something more sophisticated, but for now, even a cheap Harbor freight meter will work. The downfall to all the cheap meters out there are the leads. They tend to break easily. A better meter has better test leads, and usually “slip on” accessories such as alligator clips and needle points. My personal favorite is an analog Simpson 260 meter - it’s good for seeing quick changes in a voltage, such as a quick on/off of a switch. (You won’t be able to read the voltage, but the quick movement of the needle gives you an idea that a switch quickly opened/closed).

Another favorite is Fluke - lots of choices, lots of $$.

For measuring a single lamp or LED current when connected to DC voltage almost every DMM will do. But keep in mind if you check a controlled lamp or general illumination current or voltage in a game, most modern games use pulsed drive, and a true RMS capable meter is needed.

The absolutely cheapest ones don't have 'audible continuity'. This means that when you are in the dial setting that has a little 'sound waves' signal, you put your red probe together with your black probe and it audibly beeps.

I can live without audible continuity, but I like the 'beep when the wire is connected' feature. It's handy.

Harbor Freight sells a seven dollar multimeter that is... Ok. Upgrade to the twenty dollar one and you get audible continuity.

If I was buying new today I think I'd be looking at the Fluke 101, for under $50 here:

ebay.com link: itm

There isn't any problem with not using every ability your multimeter has.

For the kinds of work I do, I wouldn't use a temperature probe when there are so many really cool non-contact temperature sensors on amazon... but I haven't even bought them. *shrugs*. Hot is usually pretty easy to figure out *sucks his burnt finger*.

Hz with duty cycle... in the past 20 years I've been tempted to need a frequency counter on one side project. Not related to repair.

The big surprising thing in the repair of videogames and pinballs and jukeboxes is that you find you don't use is all the current measurement opportunities most digital meters have. In tech schools current measurements are pretty common, but it's one of those things that you don't really use when you get out of school... at least in my world.

I cannot remember any post on pinside where it was recommended to use a meter to measure the amps of current to help fix anything here.

The board repair guys might use more features of a standard multimeter than I do. I get to a certain point in my troubleshooting and then I send boards off to people who have specialized test equipment, and vastly more repair knowledge than I do.

So, I'm envious of your Klein meter! NICE!!!

I wouldn't use a lot of it's capabilities either, but that doesn't bother me.

In practical terms, I could be fixing pretty much everything I use a meter for with the $7.00 Harbor Freight meter. I'm faster when I have audible continuity and a diode test.