# Adding Topper Lighting Kit **Source:** American Pinball **Type:** video **Published:** 2023-03-09 **Duration:** 5m 11s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuspsJ41wWg --- ## Analysis Dave Brennan, Tech Service Manager at American Pinball, provides a detailed installation guide for an aftermarket LED topper lighting kit compatible with American Pinball machines. The kit includes a 12V DC LED strip with adjustable metal brackets that can be daisy-chained into existing backbox lighting systems. Installation varies slightly by machine model (Houdini requires soldering; Hot Wheels and Oktoberfest use standard connectors). ### Key Claims - [HIGH] The topper lighting kit is a simple 12V DC LED strip with wire connector and adjustable metal bracket with three bendable screw tabs — _Dave Brennan, American Pinball Tech Service Manager, describing the physical kit components_ - [HIGH] The LED strip daisy-chains into existing backbox lighting using red (negative) and yellow (positive) connectors at the end of the chain — _Dave Brennan explaining electrical connection procedure_ - [HIGH] Houdini Master of Mystery requires cutting the connector and soldering positive/negative wires to the LED strip — _Dave Brennan providing machine-specific installation notes_ - [HIGH] Hot Wheels and Oktoberfest machines use the standard connector plug method without soldering — _Dave Brennan comparing installation procedures across American Pinball titles_ ### Notable Quotes > "This topper lighting kit comes with a 12 volt DC LED strip with a wire connector already attached and it's mounted on a metal bracket with three screw tabs. These tabs you can actually bend easily to angle the light at your plastic topper if you wish." > — **Dave Brennan**, early > _Sets up the product and its key adjustable feature for end-user customization_ > "What you want is at the end of the daisy chain you'll see a red and yellow connector. Yellow is positive, red is negative. Take the connector and plug it into the end of the daisy chain." > — **Dave Brennan**, mid > _Critical electrical connection instruction for safe installation_ > "if you're going to be using this LED kit for Houdini Master of Mystery these lighting strips are the exact same that are used in there Houdini Master of Mystery what you'll have to do is cut off the connector and you'll need to solder the positive and negative" > — **Dave Brennan**, late > _Important machine-specific variation that requires different installation technique_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Dave Brennan | person | Tech Service Manager at American Pinball, presenter of installation tutorial | | American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer releasing topper lighting kit as aftermarket product | | Houdini Master of Mystery | game | American Pinball title requiring soldered LED connections for topper lighting kit | | Hot Wheels | game | American Pinball title compatible with standard daisy-chain connector topper lighting | | Oktoberfest | game | American Pinball title compatible with standard daisy-chain connector topper lighting | | Stern AC/DC Premium Vault Edition | game | Referenced as baseline example in introduction for topper lighting kit concept | ### Topics - **Primary:** Aftermarket LED lighting modification, Topper lighting installation, American Pinball product ecosystem and support - **Secondary:** Machine-specific installation variations, Backbox electrical architecture and daisy-chaining ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Educational, instructional content presented clearly and methodically. Dave Brennan's tone is helpful and accessible. Content positions American Pinball as supportive of customer customization and providing documentation. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** American Pinball providing detailed technical support content in video format for customer modifications and aftermarket upgrades (confidence: high) — Official tech tutorial series 'Tee'd Off American Pinball Pinball Tech Tips' demonstrating company commitment to customer education - **[product_strategy]** American Pinball releasing aftermarket LED topper lighting kit for existing machines, offering customizable angled mounting to enhance visual presentation (confidence: high) — Dedicated tech tutorial video with specific product specifications and installation steps - **[technology_signal]** Adoption of daisy-chainable LED lighting architecture in American Pinball backbox design enabling plug-and-play aftermarket lighting additions (confidence: high) — Kit design uses standard daisy-chain connectors (red/yellow pairs) that integrate with existing backbox lighting infrastructure --- ## Transcript Hello and welcome to American Pinball Tech Tips. I'm Dave Jeff Brenner, the Tech Service Manager for American Pinball. Today we're talking about topper lighting. I've come up with a simple kit where you can add an LED light to light up your existing topper. So I'm going to show you the steps to install that kit. This topper lighting kit comes with a 12 volt DC LED strip with a wire connector already attached and it's mounted to a metal bracket with three screw tabs. These tabs you can actually bend easily to angle the light at your plastic topper if you wish. To install the topper lighting first thing need to do is unlatch the back glass. The easiest way to do this is unlatch it, put your palm on the glass, push in and lift up, get your fingers underneath the lift channel, and pull the glass out Set this someplace safe so it doesn get scratched and turn off the game From here, there's access holes in the left and right of the inside of your backbox. This leads to a plastic plug at the top of your backbox. This is your access hole. To get this plug out, the easiest way to do it is to take a nut driver or wrench or something and just push up. You'll feel the plug. Just push up on it and you'll loosen it and pop the plug out. And that's how you get access to it. Once you feed the wire connector down through the access hole, feed it down through your backbox, be careful of your other connectors for your lighting, and then set the LED strip on the top of the backbox. Now that your wire is fed into the backbox you see the existing backbox lighting is daisy chained around in a circle with an in and out for each connector What you want is at the end of the daisy chain you'll see a black and yellow connector. Yellow is positive, black is negative. Take the connector and plug it into the end of the daisy chain. And then from here, you can neaten up your wires using zip ties to tuck it in so it's not in the way of the back glass. And then that part is done. For this next part, I found it easier to fold the backbox down so you can get at the top and screw in the LED strip. So there three screw holes in this metal strip and your kit will come with a quarter inch nut drive sheet metal screws From here just take the screws line up your strip with the topper and drive the screw in to the backbox Now that your strip is attached you can bend the angle however you want to angle this light slightly up towards your topper. You don't need to bend it too far it's just to give you a little bit more backlighting to light your plastic topper. From there you put your backbox up latch it back closed and you're done. One thing of note if you're going to be using this LED kit for Houdini these lighting strips are the exact same that are used in Houdini what you'll have to do is cut off the connector and you'll need to solder the positive and negative so positive yellow black negative to the end of the LED strip in order for it to work for Houdini. If you're using it for Hot Wheels or Oktoberfest you'll just have to plug in the connector at the end of the daisy chain. you _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 70a53388-5d49-484a-9625-1bdfc9b77929*