# Stern Tech School: Lamp Tests

**Source:** Stern Pinball  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-06-30  
**Duration:** 3m 34s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y210cYgo5gY

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball educational content demonstrating how to access and use the Diagnostics menu lamp tests for troubleshooting and maintenance. Kyle covers four lamp test types: single LED test (individual lamp/RGB control), all LED test (illuminates all lamps), GI test (general illumination circuits), and flasher test (bright effect lamps). The video emphasizes using service switches and manual lamp charts for systematic diagnostics.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Service switches are required to access the Diagnostics menu and lamp tests — _Kyle demonstrates accessing diagnostic menu via service switches and coin door interlock_
- [HIGH] Pinball machines have addressable lamps controlled via node boards with specific connector assignments — _Explanation of single LED test showing lamp numbering (228, 229, 230, etc.) mapped to node board connectors_
- [HIGH] General illumination (GI) circuits typically control three or more bulbs wired in unison — _GI test description: 'Most general illumination circuits will have three or more bulbs attached to one circuit, and they will flash in unison'_
- [HIGH] Flasher LEDs are addressed separately and do not appear in the all lamp test — _Kyle states: 'As a note, flashers will not appear in the all lamp test. They are addressed separately. They must be called up in the flasher test.'_
- [HIGH] Feature lamps are controlled lamps that indicate shooting targets or game status; GI lamps light underneath plastics and are generally always on — _Kyle distinguishes: 'feature lamps, which are things under the playfield or are controlled to tell you where to shoot' vs 'general illumination, which are the lights that light underneath plastics and are generally always on'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Using the single LED test, we can have the pinball game light any addressable lamp on the playfield, as well as individual RGB—red, green, or blue—LEDs."
> — **Kyle, Stern Pinball**, ~2:00
> _Core explanation of single LED test capability for granular diagnostic control_

> "In your manual, there is a chart of lamps. These are all of the addressable lamps that your pinball game controls."
> — **Kyle, Stern Pinball**, ~2:45
> _Directs users to manual documentation for lamp identification and troubleshooting reference_

> "Flashers will not appear in the all lamp test. They are addressed separately. They must be called up in the flasher test."
> — **Kyle, Stern Pinball**, ~8:15
> _Critical technical distinction that clarifies why flashers require separate test selection_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer producing pinball machines with diagnostic lamp testing capabilities |
| Kyle | person | Stern Pinball technical educator presenting lamp testing procedures |
| Stern Tech School | organization | Stern Pinball's educational video series covering technical maintenance and diagnostics |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Diagnostic procedures and troubleshooting, LED lamp control systems and node boards, Service and maintenance workflows, Pinball hardware architecture (feature lamps, GI, flashers)
- **Secondary:** Operator and technician education

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0) — Educational content delivered in straightforward, instructional tone. No opinions or emotional language present.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Stern Pinball continuing to produce technical education content (Stern Tech School series) for operator and technician support, demonstrating ongoing commitment to field maintenance and self-service diagnostics. (confidence: high) — Video is part of 'Stern Tech School' series demonstrating lamp testing procedures with clear pedagogical structure

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## Transcript

Hi, I'm Kyle with Stern Pinball, and in this video, we're going to go over the different lamp tests you can go through in the Diagnostics menu on your pinball game.

To access the lamp test, we'll need to use our service switches. So we'll start by opening the coin door and next pull the interlock switch out to the service position. To restore power to the playfield using the service switches, we'll enter the diagnostic menu, selecting it with the black button. From here, we can scroll over to the lamp menu. We're presented with a few different lamp tests here: single LED test, all LED test, GI or general illumination test, and flasher test.

Let's start with the single LED test. Using the single LED test, we can have the pinball game light any addressable lamp on the playfield, as well as individual RGB—red, green, or blue—LEDs. To select which lamp we want to test, we can use the red buttons on the service switches to scroll through lamps shown on the LCD screen. In your manual, there is a chart of lamps. These are all of the addressable lamps that your pinball game controls. For example, lamp 228 is our mystery light on this billboard here. The rest of this information pertains to which node board drives it, which connector it comes from. Hitting the red button plus one time will switch to lamp 229, which will change to the scream lamp on the billboard here. The next lamp, 230, 231, etc.

The next test in the lamp test menu is the all LED test. Selecting this test will illuminate all controlled lamps on your pinball game.

The next test is our GI test, or general illumination test. In a pinball game, you'll have two different kinds of lamps: the feature lamps, which are things under the playfield or are controlled to tell you where to shoot or telling you something is going on, and general illumination, which are the lights that light underneath plastics and are generally always on. In this test, the game will pulse each different general illumination circuit. Most general illumination circuits will have three or more bulbs attached to one circuit, and they will flash in unison. On the screen, we'll get some information about which connector on the node board they are driven off of, some wire colors, and their number, which will also correlate to the lamp chart in your manual.

The final lamp test we have is the flasher test. The flasher LEDs are the ones that are bright and come in light shows to show you you've done something good. To select the flasher test, highlight it on the LCD and use the black button to enter the test. In this test, we can scroll through each lamp that is considered a flash lamp. As a note, flashers will not appear in the all lamp test. They are addressed separately. They must be called up in the flasher test.

This was another video from Stern Tech School.

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d29503d1-dfb4-4d0a-a71b-fde845ff6200*