kair.us/ projects/ nopeustesti/ t10_bulb_comparison/
T10 LED bulb
comparison for illuminated arcade buttons
Many of the illuminated arcade buttons, especially big ones, use T10
bulb. It is also called W5W bulb or 194 bulb or glass wedge bulb.
Nowadays the incandescent bulb is often replaced with a LED version.
LED light turns on and off quicker, generates less heat and has
longer life. It also much brighter... or is it? When I was making my
speed test project, I noticed that
the LED lights which are supplied with the big arcade buttons are
often very dim. The LED lights can also have rather narrow light
beam, which results uneven lightning. Only the middle of the button
is lighted and surroundings are dark. This is especially true for
the big, 60 mm arcade buttons.
In my quest for the ultimate LED bulb for big illuminated arcade
buttons, I have bought several different types of bulbs, altogether
hundreds of bulbs . I'll summarize my test results here, so other
people building speed test or the like don't have to go through the
same.
About testing
All lamps are tested with 12.0 VDC. Current is measured and
wattage calculated. Dimensions are measured from widest / longest
point of the bulb. Light distribution and brightness are evaluated
with 44 mm diameter arcade button. With smaller button, the
brightness would be higher and light distribution more even. With
larger button the light distribution difference is more
pronounced.
You should note that many of the bulbs which are judged to be
'dim' in this test, are actually perfectly good for smaller
arcade buttons. And the brighter bulbs are way too bright for
those smaller buttons. The brightest ones are actually too
bright even for the 60 mm buttons, depending on the ambient light
conditions. Therefore I have added a possibility to adjust light
brightness in recent speed test
firmware versions.
Price is what I have payed per piece, converted to EUR. Most of
lights bought from eBay came in batches of 10 pcs, including
postage. In these cases, the price is simply that price divided per
ten. The price shown here should be thus treated as indicative only.
Incandescent bulb
The basic 12 V / 1.2 W incandescent bulb. These were used in
illuminated arcade buttons before the LED came. In above picture, I
have illustrated the three dimensions I have measured from each
bulb. The longer length is measured from the nipple which was used
to seal the vacuum inside the incandescent bulb. Some LED bulbs
don't have equivalent of this feature.
101 mA / 1.2 W.
Length 24.6 mm / 23.8 mm
Width 9.8 mm
Price 0.04 € / pc
+ Cheap
+ Fits all buttons
+ Fairly uniform light distribution
- Too dim in daylight
- Generates heat
Budget 12V 10mm
Wedge Base LED
The budget LED bulb from Arcadeworld UK. The illuminated buttons
from eBay actually come with very similar bulbs.
25 mA / 0.3 W.
Length 24.1 mm / 23.2 mm
Width 9.5 mm
Price 0.21 € / pc
+ Fits all buttons
- Too dim in daylight
- Edges are dark
12V 10mm Wedge
Base LED
The standard LED bulb from Arcadeworld UK. Uses 8 mm through-hole
LED. Has good contact and stays firmly in place even though doesn't
have the 'pits' on contact area.
25 mA / 0.3 W.
Length 26.5 mm / 24.9 mm
Width 10.1 mm
Price 0.77 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
+ Fits all buttons
+ Polarity marked
+ Available also in +5V version
- Too dim in daylight
- Brighther spot in center, dark edges
Practical Car
White 1LED COB SMD T10 W5W Wedge Side Light Bulb Lamp 12V
The stupid description is directly from eBay. The item description
is full of errors. It states e.g. 'COB', '1W SMD Long-lasting LED',
'Ceramic', which are all wrong. There is one 5 mm through-hole LED
with integrated resistor / current limiter, in plastic package.
White bulb is very bright. Blue and green bulbs are quite bright.
Yellow is very dim. White bulb actually has blue LED and the plastic
lens is made of fluorescent material and converts blue to white. The
width is slightly too wide to fit all buttons, especially 60 mm
buttons.
White and blue 30 mA / 0.36 W. Other colors 20 mA / 0.24 W.
Length 18.0 mm
Width 11.6 mm
Price 0.16 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
+ Cheap
- Red and yellow too dim
- Dark edges
- Doesn't fit all buttons
12V Suzo Happ
super bright cluster LED
This bulb is sold by Suzo Happ, but it has brand 'MP' printed on it.
It uses three 3 mm through-hole LEDs. Despite its name, it has
similar brightness as standard 1.2 W incandescent bulb. At first it
seems that the connection is poor and the bulb doesn't stay tightly
on the holder. But it needs to be pushed quite hard to seat
properly. Then it stays very firmly and has reliable connection.
23 mA / 0.28 W.
Length 20.9 mm / 20.0 mm
Width 10.4 mm
Price 2.3 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
+ Fits all buttons
+ Polarity marked
+ Available also in +24V version
- Dim in daylight
- Dark edges
T10 194 168 W5W
COB 8SMD LED CANBUS Silica License Light Bulb Hot
Another eBay bulb with stupid description. This one however does use
COB led. The one sold as yellow is really warm white. It works OK
though with yellow button, with only slightly pale tone. The contact
area is just flat PCB surface, which makes unreliable contact with
holder. It can be remedied by adding blobs of solder at end of the
contact area. It also helps to keep the bulb firmly in place.
34mA / 0.4 W.
Length 22.4 mm
Width 10.7 mm
Price 0.143 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue
+ Fits all buttons
+ Polarity marked
- Dim edges
- Fit to holder poor without adding solder
Bevinsee T10 3652
3000K LED Light W5W Globe Auto Inside Bulb 3W 9V
These eBay bulbs are also sold under different brands but I have
only tested the ones sold as 'Bevinsee'. Item description claims 3
pcs 1 W leds, but measured consumption is only 0.5 W. The bulb gives
even illumination, also to edges. Center is of course brighter
though. Width is slightly on the high side, and can be problem with
eBay 60 mm buttons.
40mA / 0.48 W.
Length 27.5 mm / 26.1 mm
Width 11.3 mm
Price 0.34 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink
+ All colors very bright
+ Uniform light distribution
- Tight fit on some buttons because of the width
3D Ceramic T10 LED
W5W 3030 SMD Car Width Lights Interior Reading Bulb Hot
These are the most expensive T10 bulbs I have bought from eBay. But
they are well worth the price! There is practically nothing to
complain about these, except that they could be too bright in low
ambient light conditions. These bulbs seem to have switch mode power
supply integrated. They work with constant brightness from +11 V up
to +24V at least. Another cool thing is that they seem to have a
rectifier inside, and thus work regardless of way they are plugged
in. Doesn't have 'pit' on contact area but stays still firmly on
holder.
This bulb gives even illumination, also to edges. Center is of
course brighter though. Contact is reliable and bulbs sit firmly in
holder. Winner of the test and perfect fit for my speed test
project. White bulbs are somewhat cheaper than other colors.
70mA / 0.84 W.
Length 26.2 mm / 25.9 mm
Width 10.2 mm
Price 0.81 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink
+ Fits all buttons
+ All colors very bright
+ Uniform light distribution
+ Wide supply range +11 V ... +24 V with constant brightness
+ Works with either polarity
- Gets hot in long use
T10 5050 W5W 5 SMD
194 168 LED Car Side Wedge Tail Light Lamp Bulb
Another eBay bulb. This bulb provides quite even illumination, also
to edges. Green and blue have OK brightness, red is okayish, but
yellow is dimmer than 1.2 W incandescent bulb. The apparent downside
is the wide diameter - the bulb either doesn't fit all or if it
fits, the button can jam when pressed on certain side. The widest
part is the plastic skirt - if you cut that off it fits better.
90mA / 1.1 W.
Length 28.5 mm
Width 12.0 mm
Price 0.09 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
+ Uniform illumination
- Doesn't fit properly
- Some colors are too dim in daylight
- High power consumption / heat generation
Car T10 W5W Tail
Bulb Clearance Lamp 7 In-Line LED 585 655 656 A108
Another eBay bulb. I had high hopes for this because it is similar
to Suzo Happ bulb except more LEDs. Well, it is of similar
brightness and light distribution, but the width is again problem
with most buttons. Contact reliability and fit to holder is similar
as other cheap LED bulbs - bad.
42mA / 0.5 W.
Length 22.5 mm
Width 12.2 mm (but there can be protruding features up to 12.5 mm)
Price 0.2 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
- Doesn't fit properly
- Dim in daylight
- Dim edges
Car 8 LED 1206 SMD
T10 W5W Wedge Side Light Interior Bulb Lamp A037
Very similar to above except 8 x SMD instead of 7 x through-hole.
About as dim, same light distribution, too wide, bad contact.
44mA / 0.53 W.
Length 17.9 mm
Width 12.0 mm
Price 0.15 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
- Doesn't fit properly
- Dim in daylight
- Dim edges
Car T10 158 194
168 W5W Car Light Bulb LED Lamp WHITE BLUE RED AMBER GREEN
Cheapest LED bulb available. Uses 8 mm through-hole LED as the AWUK
standard LED bulb, but is much worse. White and green are bright,
blue and red are OK, but yellow is very, very dim. Despite the
narrow width, fit can be problematic as the bulb is difficult to set
straight in socket. Therefore button plunger can interfere with
sharp edge of the plastic skirt around LED.
25mA / 0.3 W.
Length 22.8 mm
Width 10.7 mm
Price 0.05 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
- Needs attention to set to correct orientation not to distract
button movement
- Some colors (way) too dim
Car T10 W5W Side
Light Lamp Marker Lamp Lens 2 5630 SMD LED Z20423
This cheap bulb is bright, but the clear lens doesn't diffuse light
enough. Therefore edges of button are dim compared to bright center.
However it is too wide, and thus doesn't fit most buttons. Fit to
socket is similar as other cheap LED bulbs - loose.
47mA / 0.56 W.
Length 24.4 mm
Width 12.1 mm
Price 0.21 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink
+ Bright
- Dim edges
- Doesn't fit properly
T10 W5W Wedge 5630
LED 2 SMD Lens Car lighting Instrument Lamp Light
Very similar as above. I thought this would fit better since it
doesn't have that aluminum ring. Wrong - this is even wider. If you
manage to fit this to the button, it lights up bright, but leaves
edges dimmer than center. Fit to bulb holder is actually notably
better than cheap LED bulb usually. Contact area has the 'pits'
which help to keep it in place.
46mA / 0.55 W.
Length 25.1 mm
Width 12.3 mm
Price 0.18 € / pc
Colors available: White, Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
+ Bright
- Dim edges
- Doesn't fit properly
Side-by-side
comparison
Picture below shows side-by-side comparison of the first eight bulbs
reviewed above. I have done the comparison with yellow LED lights,
which usually seem to be the dimmest ones. The incandescent bulb
however, leftmost on the picture, works good with yellow button
because its tone is yellowish. Incandescent bulb is worst with blue
button, which is probably the reason why the original Coinline Speed
Test games never had a blue button.
In picture below are same lamps in same order as above, in side
view. This illustrates quite nicely why bulbs with a diffusor yield
more even illumination. Without it, the bulb shoots light only to
front, and the diffusion plate of the button doesn't distribute it
evenly enough. You will get a brighter spot on the center.
Why colored LED
bulbs? The buttons already have colored lens and diffusion plate!
I tried to illustrate this in image below, but camera fails to
capture the difference. For each color button, left one has color
LED and right one has white LED. In practice, yellow is the worst,
it turns to lime. In this picture the red button looks paler with
red LED than white, but in real life it is the opposite. However, I
have to say that with this particular LED type the white is actually
quite OK. The led used here is the winner LED, the rightmost on
picture above. So if you are on budget and need bright LED, getting
this LED in white is not bad option. It is sold for ca. 3€ for a
batch of 10 in eBay.
It's not just
about the bulbs
So far I've only compared different LED bulb types. But the button
also has an effect on the brightness and uniformity of the
illumination. The quality of diffusion disc inside the button
plunger varies between different buttons. On image below are buttons
from four different manufacturers, each fitted with 1.2 W
incandescent bulb. The buttons are from left to right:
- AWUK High Profile 40 mm Illuminated Arcade Button. This one
has been used in all above tests and pictures.
- 45 mm Low Profile Illuminated Arcade Button from eBay
- Highly VAQ-9-10-12-Y
- Starpoint 44 mm Illuminated Arcade Button
Again, the picture doesn't tell the complete truth, but gives an
impression. The Starpoint button gives the best uniformity and
brightness, all the way to the edges. The low profile button from
eBay gets close, but has a thin dimmer ring at perimeter. AWUK
button and Highly button have bigger dim ring at edge. Highly button
is the dimmest in total. The diffusion plate is thinner or more
transparent in AWUK button, since you can actually see the filament.
Conclusions
The LED bulbs have big differences. Quality is often proportional to
price. When choosing a lamp for big illuminated arcade button, focus
on following features:
- Width below 11 mm. This is the most important point. Too wide
doesn't fit
- Length at least 25 mm. Getting the diffusor of the bulb closer
to button lens helps uniform light distribution
- Diffusing lens. Otherwise you will probably get just a bright
spot at center
- Sides should be smooth and not have sharp edges. Button
plunger moves around this part and can interfere, causing it to
stick
- 'Pit' at contact area as in original incandescent bulb. Helps
to keep the lamp in holder and have good contact
And let's not forget the winner of this test. You can find it from
eBay, click
here. It should look like in picture below
** UPDATE 22.5.2020 ** I recently ordered
some more of these and they are not the same anymore. The new
ones don't have rectifier and constant current electronics
inside anymore, just series resistor. They aren't as bright as
the older ones either. The length is also a bit shorter. Still,
they are a decent choice.
Hopefully I have shed some light on the subject. Now go and build
the speed test so you can use this
information.
kair.us/ projects/ nopeustesti/ t10_bulb_comparison/
page created 19.10.2019
last updated 22.5.2020 webmaster@kair.us