Ordering parts from Germany

I just ordered the PinLED 10001 display board for my pinball machine. From the only place that seems to have them in stock, which is the people who created them. In Germany. I think I got a little hosed on the $ to € exchange rate, and I hope that it safely makes it here, and then doesn’t get too caught up in customs. (I can just imagine seeing a box of circuitry coming over with a display and someone mistaking it for an explosive device counter or something.)

Next up, while waiting for it to arrive, is wiring in a new battery holder (to power the settings RAM while the machine is off) to replace the badly-corroded one (since the batteries in it probably hadn’t been replaced in 15 years), and trying to replace a bunch of lights. (It’s tough to replace the lights without knowing if I’m putting it in light test mode correctly, since I don’t have a working display.)

I think I am starting to understand all this more and more, though. Hopefully this thing will be up and running within a couple months.