How to Install ArcadePay on a Stern Pinball Machine
How to Install ArcadePay on a Stern Pinball Machine
Stern pinball machines are one of the cleanest installs for an ArcadePay Controller. Modern Stern titles include a dedicated CN1 header on the main board — designed specifically for cashless payment integrations like ArcadePay. No wire cutting or coin mech splicing required.
⚠️ Always power off the machine before making any connections.
What You Will Need
- ArcadePay Controller (included with your order)
- Female-to-female Dupont jumper wires — available on Amazon for a few dollars. They are solderless, color-coded, and push directly onto the header pins. No tools needed.
Step 1 — Find CN1 on the Stern Main Board
Open the backbox or main cabinet to access the Stern main board. Look for the connector labeled CN1 — it is an 8-pin header (typically tan or white) near the left side of the board.
CN1 full pinout:
| Pin | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12V |
| 2 | Coin 1 (Credit In) |
| 3 | Meter 1 |
| 4 | N/C |
| 5 | Notch |
| 6 | Coin Enable |
| 7 | Ticket Enable |
| 8 | Ground |
Basic Wiring — Credits Only (3 Wires)
For cashless credits, connect three wires between CN1 and the ArcadePay Controller:
| CN1 Pin | Connect To | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Pin 1 | ArcadePay 12V In | Powers the controller |
| Pin 2 | ArcadePay Pulse 1 | Sends credit signal to the machine |
| Pin 8 | ArcadePay Ground | Common ground |
Push the Dupont wires onto the CN1 pins and connect the other ends to the matching terminals on the ArcadePay Controller. The machine will credit a play every time a payment is made.
Full Wiring — Credits + Cash Reporting (5 Wires)
If you want the ArcadePay dashboard to track coin drops and bill acceptor activity alongside cashless payments, add two more wires from CN5 (also on the main board):
| CN5 Pin | Connect To | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Pin 7 | ArcadePay Pulse 4 | Monitors coin drops |
| Pin 8 | ArcadePay Pulse 5 | Monitors bill acceptor |
With all five wires connected, your dashboard shows a unified revenue view — cashless and cash — without manual cash counting.
Dashboard Settings
Once wired, log in at dashboard.streampay.dev and confirm:
- Pulse 1 is configured for your credit pulse type (typically 50–100ms — match the machine's coin mech output)
- Pulse 4 and Pulse 5 are enabled if you ran the cash-reporting wiring
- Run a test payment via QR code and verify a credit registers on the machine
Why Stern Installs Are Clean
Most machine types require tapping into the coin mech harness or splicing wires. Stern's CN1 header is a documented, supported interface built for exactly this kind of integration:
- No permanent modifications to the machine
- Easy to remove if needed
- Works on virtually all modern Stern titles
Pre-Spike and Older Stern Models
The guide above covers modern Stern titles with the CN1 connector (Spike and Spike 2 platforms). If you have an older pre-Spike Stern machine, the main board may not have a CN1 header. In that case:
- Power: The ArcadePay Controller accepts up to 24V DC input, so any Stern power rail in that range is safe to use — including boards where the 12V audio line runs at 13.5V.
- Credit signal: Older Stern boards typically use a microswitch-triggered coin line. Tap into the coin 1 input and run the signal wire to ArcadePay Pulse 1. You may need a DC power supply or AC adapter to provide clean 12V–24V DC to the controller independently if the main board does not expose a convenient power tap.
- Wiring assistance: Not sure about your specific model? Contact ArcadePay Support with the machine name and a photo of your coin board — we can advise on the best tap points.
Not on a Stern Machine?
- For most claw, crane, and redemption machines: see the Easy Coin Mechanism Connector guide
- For CandyMachines and Neofuns plug-and-play: see the installation overview
- For other machine types or non-standard builds: contact support
Still have questions about your specific Stern title or wiring? Contact ArcadePay Support — include the machine model and a photo of the CN1 header area if you can.