How to Install Neo Atom and Neo Fusion Atom pinball mods by Pin Stadium

Cary Hardy·video·17m 3s·analyzed·Aug 3, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.019

TL;DR

Detailed installation tutorial for PIN Stadium Neo Atom/Fusion lighting mods with emphasis on proper flasher selection and cable management.

Summary

Cary Hardy provides a comprehensive installation guide for PIN Stadium's Neo Atom and Neo Fusion lighting modification kits, demonstrating the complete process on a Foo Fighters Premium machine. The video covers flasher identification, connection methods, power setup, app configuration, and physical mounting of light bars to the cabinet. Hardy emphasizes consulting Scott's flasher index to avoid miswiring and notes that PIN Stadium's lighting effects mirror the game's flasher behavior, offering superior playfield illumination compared to Stern's Expression Lighting system.

Key Claims

PIN Stadium lighting kits illuminate the playfield better than Stern's Expression Lighting kits
medium confidence · Hardy states Expression Lighting gives 'a cool light show but they do not illuminate the playfield like Penn Stadium's do' and that players 'may not want to go back' after experiencing PIN Stadium.
The Neo Atom kit requires users to consult Scott's flasher index to avoid connecting UV lights to constantly-on GI bulbs
high confidence · Hardy repeatedly emphasizes consulting Scott's list and provides specific example of UV connected to GI causing unwanted constant illumination.
PIN Stadium's wire colors do not correspond to flasher output colors
high confidence · Hardy explicitly states 'Do not look at the wire colors because they do not correspond accordingly to what color your flash is going to be' and mentions he has 'already got into it with Scott about this.'
Light bar mounting rings should be positioned as high as possible on the back panel, 1.5-2 inches from the inner cabinet
high confidence · Hardy corrects his own initial placement and provides specific measurement guidance, emphasizing 'This part of the install is very critical.'
PIN Stadium Neo Atom app on iOS/Android detects multiple devices and requires device naming to distinguish between Neo Atoms and Orion's Belt controllers
high confidence · Hardy demonstrates the app detecting two devices and explains that not naming the Fusion controller makes it unclear which device is which.

Notable Quotes

“People are still waiting for the expression lighting kit from Stern and that's fine. I mean they give you a cool light show but they do not illuminate the playfield like Penn Stadium's do.”
Cary Hardy@ 0:29 — Direct product comparison asserting PIN Stadium's technical superiority over Stern's Expression Lighting system.
“I once you play it with this light show you may not want to go back.”
Cary Hardy@ 0:57 — Strong endorsement of the PIN Stadium kit's gameplay experience enhancement.
“Do not look at the wire colors because they do not correspond accordingly to what color your flash is going to be. I've already got into it with Scott about this.”
Cary Hardy@ 8:40 — Critical installation guidance that contradicts intuitive assumption; acknowledges known design friction with manufacturer.
“I cannot stress how important these are and how you position them... From my experience in dealing without them thinking that they're not important, they are.”
Cary Hardy@ 12:16 — Emphasis on mounting ring placement based on practical experience; indicates past installation mistakes.
“This part of the install is very critical. You will need to be mindful of raising and lowering your playfield due to the cables.”
Cary Hardy @ 11:15 — Safety and maintenance warning about cable management during routine playfield operations.

Entities

Cary Hardyperson ScottpersonPIN StadiumcompanyFoo Fighters PremiumgameNeo AtomproductNeo FusionproductOrion's BeltproductExpression LightingproductStern Pinballcompany

Signals

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community_signal: PIN Stadium provides comprehensive customer support through flasher index, app documentation, and direct communication channels; Hardy uses promo code to incentivize audience adoption.
high · Hardy repeatedly references Scott's flasher index, recommends contacting Scott for clarification, and offers 'hardy' promo code to viewers.
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design_philosophy: PIN Stadium's design decision to not label wires by color output creates user friction; Scott defends decision but Hardy indicates ongoing discussion about this issue.
high · Hardy states 'I've already got into it with Scott about this' regarding wire color mismatch; notes 'There are reasons behind why he has it the way he does.'
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product_strategy: PIN Stadium's Neo Atom and Neo Fusion kits represent significant visual enhancement to modern pinball machines, with superior playfield illumination compared to Stern's Expression Lighting system.
medium · Hardy states PIN Stadium kits 'do not illuminate the playfield like Penn Stadium's do' and players 'may not want to go back' after experiencing them.
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technology_signal: Adoption of addressable RGB LED systems with mobile app control as standard for aftermarket pinball lighting upgrades; shift from simple flasher mirroring to programmable color control.
high · PIN Stadium app allows users to customize GI colors, control brightness per device, and distinguish between multiple lighting modules simultaneously.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.051

0:00

You tilt it, Daddy. I usually save the reveal of what this product does until the end of the video, but I'm going to give it to you first this time. This video should have been out months ago honestly but at the time the game's code wasn't as complete as it is now. People are still waiting for the expression lighting kit from Stern and that's fine. I mean they give you a cool light show but they do not illuminate the playfield like Penn Stadium's do. In this video I'm gonna show you how to install the Neo atoms and Neo fusion items using my foo fighters premium as the subject i can honestly say that once you play it with this light show you may not want to go back

1:19

I'm passing on me now Congrats on your Neo Atoms purchase. The best mod for enhancing any pinball machine's light show. For those of you that do not know how this mod works, let me give you a quick and easy explanation on how it works. Every modern pinball machine has general illumination and flashers. The GI is used to light up and allow the players to see the playfield, and the flashers are scattered across the game in different areas to give a visual effect on a particular shot or even a certain action that is performed during gameplay. Now what Penn Stadium does is mirror whatever flash or bulb you connect to. This is why knowing your game is very useful. You do not want to connect your UV to a GI bulb because your GI is typically on all the time. So then your UV would be on all the time. Scott has provided a healthy list on his website on where he suggests you connect your kit for certain games. I will put a link in the video description too. It is highly recommended to use the suggested flashers on his list. Scott has worked hard on developing this index for his customers. It makes the installation straightforward, without guesswork, and your end results will be at their best. Now, I cannot stress this enough. Like I said earlier, the Penn Stadium mirrors what the game is doing. So, if you think a particular flasher that's constantly pulsing and lit up is a good idea, just remember that the Penn Stadium is also going to do what that's doing by pulsing and lighting up. So chances are, if you connect, let's say, your UV or a green flasher to that, then your game's going to constantly be pulsing green or lit up green. So just keep that in mind. Now, if you want your game to always be purple or green or red or whatever, that's your business. You can do what you want to with this kit. That's one of the big perks about it is that you can make it your own. I mean, I personally do not recommend that your game always be green or purple or whatever, but I digress. But if the lights are even too bright you can turn those down in the app settings as well now Also for those of you that have already watched the beginning of this video and are saying it too bright Obviously the camera lets in a lot more light than is actually there so it may seem too bright on the video just keep that in mind but if you get the product and you feel it too bright you can always turn them down in the settings so let's say you have decided on which bulb and flashers you're going to be utilizing for this product okay now as much as i would love to tell you that connecting this is going to be straightforward on every machine sadly it's not because every flasher may have a different type of connection, whether it be to a Molex on a board, or just disconnecting the wires, or using leads. There's different methods, and I'm going to go over all those different methods right now. Guys, before lifting up your playfield and starting to do all of this work, please make sure that your pinball machine is turned off. Better yet, unplug it from the wall before moving forward. Thank you. This particular flasher has a quick disconnect merely right here. I'm able to just disconnect this two pin molex and input the Y molex connector from the Neo Atom Fusion kit and then connect it back together again. I will be leaving this connector empty because this is where we will be connecting the Neo Atom. the next method is by utilizing the alligator clips to a molex and you will need to remove or at least pull down the shrink wrap that is covering the leads to these particular bulb sockets i use my pliers here and just kind of gently pull them down to reveal the leads then just clip your alligator clips one on each lead to the particular bulb give it a few tugs to make sure it doesn't just easily come off and then we'll be good to go on to the next method. Now here is the same method but utilizing a general illumination bulb.

7:52

Let's start plugging this mod into the game. Let's start with the GI and UV flashers. Plug in the USB into the module. the red and green wires are your uv and the blue and white are your general illumination just connect both of these connectors into the connections that you specified earlier and if you have the neo atoms you essentially done now if you have the fusion set let move on Now the fusion set is going to give you four optional flashers for the stadiums to react to Now each one color coded and you would think oh the blue wires for a blue flash and red for red yeah because that would make sense wouldn't it? Sadly no. Do not look at the wire colors because they do not correspond accordingly to what color your flash is going to be. I've already got into it with Scott about this. Trust me, it is what it is. There are reasons behind why he has it the way he does. So if you need clarification on what color a wire is, what color a flasher, by all means reach out to Scott and he will clarify everything for you. But all you need to do is what you just did with the Neo Atoms on their own. You're going to connect those two pin mullets connectors to the corresponding flashers that you designated earlier. And once you have all those connected you're done from underneath the playfield. Now once all your connections are done you still want to do wire management. You don't want all that stuff just dangling down the way it is so feel free to use zip ties or get it into the wire looms to make it look all nice and pretty if you want to. I highly recommend it and let's get the playfield back down and move on. Now before I go any further on the installation process I want to test my work so I'm merely going to be laying the light bars down on each side of the playfield and powering the machine on. Then I'm going to be going to the diagnostics and make sure that the corresponding flasher is working with my Neo Atom Fusion. Now chances are when you first boot up your game it's going to look like a hot mess. You're going to have an RGB going crazy and it's not going to look good but that's because we have yet to program them so let's move on to that step. You will need to download the Penn Stadium mobile app. It's available on iOS and Android. Once the app is open, I can already see at the top of the app, it already detects two new devices. So, I click on that. Now, this is why I recommend not plugging power into the Orion's Belt controller, because I have no idea which one is the Neo Atoms or which one is Orion's Belt. This is another thing that I've been talking to Scott about, but once again it is what it is for now at least i lucked out and chose the correct one

10:49

you can connect locally or via wi-fi that is up to you i mean just follow the on-screen prompts the app will get you connected once that's done you can then name the device whatever you want then you can change the general illumination to color to whatever you want i typically choose white with a hint of blue to make those colors pop. But then again, make it your own. Now let's add the Orion's Belt. It's the same method as the Neo Atom set, only I'm going to add Orion's Belt at the end of the name so I know it's the Orion's Belt portion. And you are now done setting up your kit. This is where you're going to check your work. Go through the diagnostic flashers and make that the neo atoms and the orion's belt are flashing accordingly you want to make sure that you don't have your uv always going or a certain color always glowing or anything like that the game should do its thing and the neo atom should mirror what it's doing all right guys we're getting one step closer to being done we've got all the connections established we have checked our work to make sure it's good to go now it's time to mount the light bars to the cabinet. Now every kit that you order from Scott is going to have everything you need including these plastic rings that will be utilized on the back panel of your playfield. I cannot stress how important these are and how you position them how important these are. You may not think they are but trust me From my experience in dealing without them thinking that they're not important, they are. Now where you see me installing them in this video is actually not the best placement. The best placement is towards the top of the panel as high as possible and about an inch and a half to two inches from the inner cabinet Cable slack will need to be adjusted accordingly and you don want the cable tension too tight This part of the install is very critical You will need to be mindful of raising and lowering your playfield due to the cables now as well. You may now lower your playfield into playing position. Be mindful of the wiring as you're lowering it down. Next up is making sure that the surface you're mounting these to is clean, so wipe it down using the isopropyl alcohol pad provided or your own. I'm making sure that I have enough cable slack to make sure that's not going to interfere with laying this down. When laying this down, I'm utilizing my thumb in the glass slot. You do not want to cover up the glass slot in any way. Once I have it in place, I will remove the light bar but keep the magnetic strip mounted to the cabinet, and then I will press firmly to make sure that it is secure to the cabinet. Something I found out when installing these is that where the expression light kit panel is, if you mount it to the very top of that, it looks to be perfect. Here's you a visual of what it looks like after the install.