Custom Pinball
farmboy
Classic Pinball. Fast forward a few years - I decided my fourth
pinball should be "scratch built". An ambitious project, but with lots
of friends and family to help, and a background in wood working and
embedded systems design, I completed it in about six months. I'm
curious to talk with other people who have tried their hand at custom
pins or would be interested in taking one on.
Enjoy schematics, PCB layouts, source code, pictures, and video:
http://www.fifengr.com/tween-pin
fawdown
get the video to work so I have to ask. Can you elaborate how you came
up with the software?
Be sure to submit it to internet pinball database.
farmboy
Thanks! The source code provided has a few bugs in it. We only spent
a week on it. Since that was published I implimented multiple balls,
coin credits, high score record, and various other features.
> I am unable to
> get the video to work so I have to ask.
If you're having trouble with the video, please download the latest
QuickTime player from Apple's website.
> Can you elaborate how you came up with the software?
Same as the control board - we simply knew what it should do. ;) The
embedded systems background paid off, I do similar work at the day job.
Virt
> Enjoy schematics, PCB layouts, source code, pictures, and video:
> http://www.fifengr.com/tween-pin
That's ... amazing! You must be really pleased with it!
Nick
Very nice, something I would love to try one day. Nuggy on this
newsgroup is working on a homer right now, google under coconut island
for contact details.
Cheers.
Aeneas Verhe
Very impressive ! Congratulations !
Aeneas.
beaver
lot of fun with it. Using the hobby servo as the motor is a great
idea.
Edward Cheung CARGPB26
www.edcheung.com
Senor
Senor
Stokiebouy
regards
Paul
farmboy
things I would do differently. I purposfully decided to make it 3/4
scale for the kids and that suggested 1/2" plywood. But these things
made it incompatible with many standard parts. I had to fabricate the
apron from steel by hand and many standard parts are designed to work
with a 3/4" thick cabinet and playfield not 1/2".
The shots aren't layed out very well, I didn't have time before the
CircuitCellar contest entry to do a whitewood and a final.
I'll likely be taking the machine to the 2007 Colorado Rocky Mountain
Pinball Showdown in April - swing by to check it out if you get a
chance! http://www.pinballshowdown.com
fawdown
Gunstar Hero
I think I'd get some of those shorty pinball legs for it myself, but
that's so minor... No matter what it looks like alot of fun for the
younger pin-head, and i bet building it was a blast too!
farmboy
cheap either. What are "shorty legs"? The machine is only 30" from
floor to lockbar. I believe that's shorter than even Super Mario
Mushroom World in it's lowest position. My next machine will be full
size so that I can use standard legs, rails, lockbar, glass and such.
Cliffy
rather have metal legs but hey, those table legs work :) GOOD SHOW!
--
Cliffy - CARGPB2
In Memoriam - Ed Loco CARGPB#9
A passion for pinball!
http://www.passionforpinball.com
Steve C
was commenting on a guy that built his own game that was pretty neat.
you didn't happen to be there with your dad and driving a Boxster
Porsche were you? if that was you next time I see that Porsche I'll
say Hi. very impressive work. embedded systems guys rule.
stevebo
dcerny
my goodness. That's 1000% amazing.
Big congrats to you! Enjoy your handiwork to the fullest!
Dan
PS Was that the Shoney's bear I saw in a couple of pictures... man I
miss that buffet....
farmboy
about to have some legs fabricated at about 80% standard size.
Hopefully this thing will not look so circa 1930s flipper-less down in
its neither regions.
Anyway, sounds like the machine and I will be at the Chicago 2006
Pinball Expo as well. I'll likely be presenting at one of the
seminars. I will expect no complaints about the new legs ;)
AJ
AJ
Mark Clayton
The shortest commonly-available legs are 27 inches, for Gottlieb
games from the late 70's on. New ones available too at PBR.
Some bingo and EM arcade games used 25 inch legs, but those
won't be found new and may be harder to find used. Perhaps a
post like" WTB: 25 inch Bingo machine legs" might help.
But with the Gottlieb legs and mounting holes for them in the
cabinet that are higher than usual, you may be able to use
27 inchers. The upper limitation is probably where the top
of the leg would hit whatever lockdown bar setup you have.
-Mark
--
http://pinballpal.com/
"farmboy" <sp...@fifengr.com> wrote in message news:1159757134.2...@c28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
farmboy
27" is the shortest??!? I have those on my Gottlieb Black Hole(s) -
and they don't seem very short to me. I need legs that are more like
21". I don't want it to come up more than 4 inches or so from the
bottom of the cabinet, as you would see on a typically sized pinball.
I hate the way Mushroom world looks in the low position (where the leg
comes up to the top of the machine).
Are you the GSound guy? Could have used your help on the sound board -
I'm still pfutzing around with sound on this machine.
-Jeff
movis...@comcast.net
lane cover.
Nice work!
How does the bear head work during play?
j...@wilks.com
farmboy wrote:
> Enjoy schematics, PCB layouts, source code, pictures, and video:
> http://www.fifengr.com/tween-pin
Excellent job!
I've been dabbling with replacing the hardware and software on
otherwise "dead" pins using PLC hardware and programming. I've done a
couple so far. Your solution has some attractions over and above mine.
A couple of questions comes to mind:
1) Did you multiplex the switches and lamps or just do them direct?
2) What did you use for an interface for any coils? Clearly, they draw
more current than any micro board can deliver.
Jim
Pin Geek
--
Josh
http://www.pingeek.com
home of the $1 coin op and collectibles auctions.
Always NO RESERVE!
Get your pinball show dvds here:
http://www.thepinballshow.com
<j...@wilks.com> wrote in message
news:1159991130.8...@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...
farmboy
> I've been dabbling with replacing the hardware and software on
> otherwise "dead" pins using PLC hardware and programming.
Pin resurrections! I like it.
> 1) Did you multiplex the switches and lamps or just do them direct?
The machine differs a bit from the "real ones" (I have anyway).
Although, I do like to think it still falls in line with Pinball
tradition and natural evolution.
There is no matrix on the playfield. The 6.3v AC power tap on one of
the transformers snake routes to all the lamps. Ground is also snake
routed through all the switches. Each lamp and switch also has a long
run back to the control board. My machine only has about 600ft of wire
(big modern machines have nearly 5x that). Clearly not in need of
reducing the long hauls just yet.
I used this technique on the solenoids as well. The control board
sinks all its outputs (connects ground for active). 38V DC is snake
routed to all the solenoids (knocker, bell, flippers, pop bumps).
There aren't any relays anywhere on this machine either (I have a
feeling you're wondering).
> 2) What did you use for an interface for any coils? Clearly, they draw
> more current than any micro board can deliver.
Micros can only sink/source on the order of tens of milliamps (about
one LED). I'm using modern, logic-level, high current, low resistance
(RDSon) MOSFETs. They can draw about 20 Amps without even breaking a
sweat. Not cheap though. In high volume designs we wouldn't see
people using logic-level, it's cheaper to make more complex staged
current designs.
The software performs PWM on each output to "tune" their strength.
This allows me a "don't care" on the windings - which is great since I
hate mucking about with arbitrary coil windings.
If you're curious check out the schematics, software and board layouts
on the webpage. It was all part of my entry into the 2006 Atmel
Circuit Cellar embedded design contest.
As for a DVD. We'll I guess for now you'll have to see my chats at Pin
Expo (assuming the Stern bus gets back in time) and Rocky Mountain
Showdown (assuming www.pinballshowdown.com reappears?).
-Jeff