Replacing Standard Fluorescent Lighting in an S2000 Topbox w/CC Lites.

[poppo]

I just read this thread and just want to add my $.02 about any cost savings. Power that you pay for from the electric company in measured in kilowatt hours. And you pay X amount for each unit. So let’s assume your cost is $.10 per Kwh. Of course that will vary by area, and needs to be factored in. But for this example , that means you will pay $0.10 for running a 100 watt bulb for 10 hours, or a 10 watt bulb for 100 hours. Each equals 1 kilowatt hour.

Most incandescent lights are not super efficient and a lot of the energy is wasted as heat. That is why a 60 watt ‘equivalent light’ compact fluorescent light may only actually use 13 watts, because it generates less heat (wasted energy). Fluorescent lights are more efficient, but still generate some heat and thus also waste energy. But not as much as incandescent lights.

Ok, so now lets make some assumptions. Keep in mind we are only talking about the slot machine lighting. We will also assume the machine is on 24/7. So if a slot machine currently has three 15 watt fluorescent bulbs, that means it is using 45 watts for the lights. 45 watts x 24 hours = 1080 watts per day, or just over 1 kilowatt hour. So it costs about $0.10 a day to light it up, or $36.50 a year.

Now, going by the specs on that CC tube posted earlier in the thread, it uses 5ma at 12v. Wattage is current times voltage. So .005 amp x 12 v = .06 watts. So 3 CC lamps would be using .18 watts. Running 24 hours would only be 4.3 watts. Since we are not anywhere near 1Kw, let’s multiply it by 365 days. That gives us 1569 watts in a year, or just about 1.5Kwh. So the yearly cost for CC tubes is .$0.15  vs  $36.5 for fluorescent.

But now we have to factor in payback. If the CC lamps cost about $5 each, the payback would be about 6 months (if they were running 24/7). The less time it is left on, the longer the payback. For example if the machine were only on 2 hours a day, the payback would be 6 years.

So while there is a savings in energy cost, any actual $ savings will depend on the current utility rate, the cost of the CC tubes and the amount of time the machine is on.

[jdkmunch]

 

Poppo that's a great explanation.    I like Cruisepl would like to reduce the heat, brightness and cost of running the machine.   I am however someone of a purest and would like to keep the original parts and bulbs of the machine in working order.      I would be happy to keep everything intact and just disconnect bulbs and add the ccfl bulbs.

For instance in my reel touch - from day one i disconnected all bulbs -two 22W round and two long tubes  - for a total of 60 or 70 watts !  Just for the top box!!! -  so I put in a socket with one 13W compact fluorescent - does the job and much less power.

[cruisepl]

Poppo that's a great explanation.    I like Cruisepl would like to reduce the heat, brightness and cost of running the machine.   I am however someone of a purest and would like to keep the original parts and bulbs of the machine in working order.      I would be happy to keep everything intact and just disconnect bulbs and add the ccfl bulbs.

I agree, very good explanation Poppo K+ for that. With that explanation then I guess all three of my goals have been obtained (less heat, less brightness and less cost)

As far as being a purest Munch I did not take anything out of my machines except the bulbs. If I ever want to go back to regular bulbs or I sell a machine all I need to do is cut a few wire ties, remove the kits, reconnect the plugs to the ballasts and put the regular flourescents back in the machine. No wires were cut and nothing was removed from the machines when I did the installs. Its not a problem at all leaving everything intact like you want.

[Buzz]

poppo  Your post on the cost of electricity was very interesting, but I have a couple of questions. If you change to the CC Lites you would  generate less heat, would that be enough less heat that the noisy fan could be disconnected? Boy this is worded bad but I hope you get the idea.  ( the fan noise bugs me)  S+ seemed to operate pretty good without a fan, does a S 2000 generate that much more heat? And if so, from where, the power supply?  I can't recall ever touching of a power supply to see if it gets hot.

I think that might be my next experiment, thermometers in two top box's, one with the fan on and the other without a fan.

[poppo]

poppo  Your post on the cost of electricity was very interesting, but I have a couple of questions. If you change to the CC Lites you would  generate less heat, would that be enough less heat that the noisy fan could be disconnected? Boy this is worded bad but I hope you get the idea.  ( the fan noise bugs me)  S+ seemed to operate pretty good without a fan, does a S 2000 generate that much more heat? And if so, from where, the power supply?  I can't recall ever touching of a power supply to see if it gets hot.

I think that might be my next experiment, thermometers in two top box's, one with the fan on and the other without a fan.

Anyone reading this thread, may want to go read this one
http://newlifegames.net/nlg/index.php?topic=10801.0

There are some new findings on the actual current draw of these tubes that make them less efficient than originally thought. In actuality, they use about 3.3 watts each. Still less than 15, but not nearly as low as initially thought.

To answer your question, I don't know how much cooler the cabinet would actually be. One can not just take three 15 watt bulbs (45 watts) and subtract three 3.3 watt CC tubes  (10 watts) and say that the 35 watts saved will ALL be heat. The CC tubes are not as bright, so some of that 35 watts is light. The rest of machine gets pretty toasty too, so I would say a fan may still be needed. However, there are some fans that can pull the same CFM but are quieter.

[stayouttadabunker]

Buzz,
I don't run a fan in my s2000 - but it's only on maybe a couple of hours a day - max.
Why I would leave it on all day and night is beyond me...I wouldn't be able to afford the light bill...lol
Basically, the fan is only needed for live 24/7 floor operation.

I welcome the extra heat the s2000's seem to put out - warms up the game room really fast...lol
There's no hesitation on my part to punch out a hole on the backside of
the topbox and add a louvered vent to let out any heat into my game room...
I would do the same for an S+ if I had one at home.

[Buzz]

 With 21 machines in my living room and all but 3 have fans, they sound like a airplane taking off. I think the Game Kings I will leave alone and disconnect the fans in the S 2000s  THANKS

[stayouttadabunker]

yeah...you don't leave them on all the time do you?

[Buzz]

Mark  My Son or I never play a slot machine. Unless someone comes over, we never turn them on. I might play poker on a Game King 1/2 hour a month at most.  I always liked playing with puzzles. a slot is a lot like that. I like working on them, watching 3, 4, or 5 reels spin around doesn't do much for me.  ( With 2924 members I'm sure making a lot of points with this post ) Sorry Folks I just thing were all a little retarded. I should have waited until New Years to post this and start the year out right. 

[stayouttadabunker]

That's what I thought really.
I very rarely play with the S2000 more than a couple of hrs at a time.
If I have it on Auto-play, I fall asleep watching it on the couch...
When  I wake up, the dog is sleeping on the floor next to me. 

[jdkmunch]

Ohhh man I play mine all the time.    I try for at least a 1/2 hour per day.   


I move from Hexbreaker to Davinci Diamonds to Bally Bonus Frenzy to my all time favorite ... my s+ Black Cherry.