Pinball LED Brightness Chart

Confused by all the different options in terms of brightness? Let's break it down.

Standard Bulbs

Our most popular bulbs, great for using (almost) anywhere.

Incandescent Bulb

Baseline: 1x

Good 'ol incandescent bulbs. They look great but they draw a lot of power and product a lot of heat which will damage your game over time. Plus, they need to be replaced often.

Retro SMD ( 44 / 47 & 555) Bulbs

1.0x (same brightness as incandescent)

Designed to be the same brightness as incandescent. Commonly used by purists in EM and early Solid State machines. (The standard style available with frosted lenses only).

1SMD Bulbs

1.7x as bright as incandescent

Excellent choice for someone who wants to modernize their games without making them quite as bright as the new-in-box games released in the last few years. Available in frosted, clear, or no lens.

4SMD Bulbs

2.2x as bright as incandescent

This bulb uses smaller diodes (the things that provide the light) than either the 1SMD or 2SMD. Only available with no lens, this is best used somewhere where you won't see it directly.

2SMD Bulbs

2.5x as bright as incandescent

The standard in modern lighting. In 2014, all new games began using 2SMDs for their GI. Use these to brighten up your older games to match. Available with clear or frosted lenses.

Need help choosing the right white color for your pinball machine?

Want to know the difference between frosted and clear lenses in a pinball machine?

Common Diode sizes