info_lights:

Config file section

Valid in machine config files	YES
Valid in mode config files	NO

The info_lights: section of a machine config file allows you to configure the “Info Lights” plugin to automatically set “status” lights based on different things that are happening in the game. This is very common in EM and older solid state machines, since they use lights to tell the player whose turn it is, what ball they’re on, etc.

Here’s an example info_lights: section from a machine configuration file:

info_lights:
    match_00:
        light: match00
    match_10:
        light: match10
    match_20:
        light: match20
    match_30:
        light: match30
    match_40:
        light: match40
    match_50:
        light: match50
    match_60:
        light: match60
    match_70:
        light: match70
    match_80:
        light: match80
    match_90:
        light: match90
    ball_1:
        light: bip1
    ball_2:
        light: bip2
    ball_3:
        light: bip3
    ball_4:
        light: bip4
    ball_5:
        light: bip5
    player_1:
        light: player1
    player_2:
        light: player2
    tilt:
        light: tilt
    game_over:
        light: gameOver

This example is tested to be valid MPF config. However, it is not integration tested.

info_lights:
    match_00:
        light: match00
    match_10:
        light: match10
    match_20:
        light: match20
    match_30:
        light: match30
    match_40:
        light: match40
    match_50:
        light: match50
    match_60:
        light: match60
    match_70:
        light: match70
    match_80:
        light: match80
    match_90:
        light: match90
    ball_1:
        light: bip1
    ball_2:
        light: bip2
    ball_3:
        light: bip3
    ball_4:
        light: bip4
    ball_5:
        light: bip5
    player_1:
        light: player1
    player_2:
        light: player2
    tilt:
        light: tilt
    game_over:
        light: gameOver

The way info lights work is pretty simple. There are sub-sections that represent different lights that may be in your machine, and then under each of them you map them to the name of the light.

Then they pretty much just work automatically.

Note that the the light: entry in each of these refers to a device in the lights: section.

match_XX:

This section is for the match lights, with the “XX” replaced with the number of the match light. In the example configuration above, the machine has match lights that count up by tens (10, 20, 30…) which is why the match_xx entries here are match_10, match_20, match_30, etc. If your machine matches by the ones digit, then you’d enter these items as match_1, match_2, etc.

ball_XX:

This maps the ball-in-play number to the light.

player_XX:

This maps the current player to the number in the light. This plugin turns on each light when a new player joins a game. So it doesn’t show which player is up, rather, if you have a two-player game then both the player_1 and player_2 lights are lit. (So how does a player know that it’s his turn? That’s handled by the score reel lights.)

tilt:

Turns this light on when the machine tilts.

game_over:

Flashes this light when a game is not in progress at a rate of 1/2 sec on, 1/2 sec off.