Building A Virtual Pinball Cabinet

Ive started this thread on here for anyone who may be interested in following my 'cab build'. If been asking various questions on various different forums trying to understand how to go about building a cab to play pinball games via steam. I don't intend to go down the route of the other virtual pinball games as they look like you need a degree in rocket science to figure out how to get them up and running.

I had initially decided to import a ready made cab from the US but then at the last minute I found out that shipping costs were more expensive than the cab itself. I was about to give up all hope, because I don't know the first thing about building a pinball cabinet but I do make small gifts out of wood in my spare time, so I thought...how hard can this really be?

I love filming my projects, more for future reference and fun really, but this is something Ive never tackled before, and unlike my other projects, this is fairly big to say the least. So I'll update this thread for anyone who may be interested in seeing how I get on, and I'll be uploading video of my build on Youtube tomorrow hopefully. Ive got as far as building the base (almost) which took a while, so im guessing this wont be a quick project and hence, I'll upload video in stages I think.

Today I have learnt several things...

1. If you have lots of money...buy the cabinet ready made! I never realised how much work is involved in making these cabinets.

2. I can't believe how much room this project is taking up. My workshop is rather small...not really small but small enough to run out of space when the plywood stacks up. Safety has definitely become an issue today because of lack of room.

3. You need fairly decent equipment to build one of these stress free. My equipment aint that bad, but when you are trying to cut or machine plywood, bigger is definitely better. A full size cnc would be great to have right now.

4. Plywood is flippin lethal! You gotta be so careful sanding along the edge of this stuff cause when it splinters it really does splinter, and I cringe at the thought of what would have happened if I wasn't wearing my gloves.

5. The best laid plans of mice and men...I was hoping not to make any mistakes and get this right first time, but the project changes after every cut I make. Just when you think you've sussed it, something else crops up.

Well, gotta couple of cuts to make tomorrow then the base is kind of done...well cut anyway. That leaves a few questions to find...

What do I do with the gap between the front edge and the tv?
What do I do with the gap between the tv and the back edge?
How does the glass fit on a pinball machine?
And more importantly...where on earth does the tv go, what height below the glass and does it lay flat?

Im sure there will be loads more questions pop up but for now, I just gotta finish this base.

You've started! Good luck - it will be worth it in the end!

Managed to finish of cutting all the parts for the base this afternoon. I'd almost finished last night, but ran into a problem last night as all the joints went really tight after they were cut, so I had to take a bit more off today. I also had to cut the base and decided to add a few biscuits to the top portion...not sure of all the technical term for the pieces, but I'm sure it doesn't matter too much. Seems like little progress has been made, but in all fairness, today I have what looks like the start of a pinball cabinet, where as yesterday I had 2 sheets of plywood!

Just getting on with editing the first part of the video so it's not too boring to watch. I apologise in advance too, because I think adding music to the videos really helps make it more enjoyable to watch, but I once had a video questioned by Youtube as it contained copyrighted music, so after that I always make my own music via Garageband. It's a bit of fun really, though the rest of the household think otherwise. So I apologise if it's not your taste in music, but there is the option of turning the sound down. If you like Kraftwerk or Jean Michel Jarre...it's tolerable. If not, then you'll be wanting to search for that volume knob before you press play!

I'll hopefully have Part 1 uploaded tomorrow and I'll post a link on here. If you enjoy part 1 I'll upload more as I progress. First ones only a few minutes long, but covers all the work involved in making the base. There's not much to show for the work involved, but then I suppose it goes to show that these cabinets aren't as simple to make as some people think...unless you're prepared to sacrifice quality etc.

Anyhow, link'll be on here tomorrow....

Ok, here's Part One. Hopefully the link should work.

Ive already realised a couple of issues I may run into regarding the cab...but I shall cross those bridges when i come to them.

https://youtu.be/HpAYBDp-TJ4

L33

Cool video. Looking good so far.

Damn it is going to look awesome.
And as for tools, you are really well equiped!

danivempire said:

Damn it is going to look awesome.
And as for tools, you are really well equiped!

Click to expand...

The tools really helped. I started off with real basic tools and upgraded at every opportunity I had. But what would really be handy right now is a huge CNC machine. Would save a lot of hassle. But on the flip side, everything I have done so far can be done with some basic tools. Wouldn't recommend a hand saw, the finish would be terrible, but a circular saw would do the job just fine, and it can be used outside which is a plus. You can cut perfect straight lines by clamping a straight edge to the piece of wood, and running your saw along the straight edge. I would have considered this option...but haven't got a circular saw with a decent blade.

Not had the chance to do much today...though i did spend an hour or so tidying up the mess left from cutting just a few pieces of plywood.

Cant do too much until I pick up the side rails and lockdown bar because it seems those pieces may be the governing factor for everything else. Im just hoping that the width will be right and the bar will fit. One thing I messed up though, was that I originally cut some of the pieces to give me an inside measurement of 540mm...the same as the TV. Only after did I remember that the lockdown bar governs the size, not the TV...so I was able to get back to a width of 558mm by cutting the housing joints to the right depth. Im hoping that paint and artwork will give me an extra mm either side and hopefully then the lockdown bar will fit snug. However, not yet having a lockdown bar means I cant double check the sizes. So it’s all ‘make up as you go along’ at the moment.

Can anyone shed light on the following...

Does the tv lay flat inside a cab? Im under the impression that a normal pinball machine is angled for the ball, but the virtual software already projects and angled playfield, so angleing (if that is a word) the TV would be doubling the angle required. But Im just guessing.

Are there set heights and distances from the front/back recommended for TV playfields?

Does a pinball table glass just rest on top of a cabinet? And is it the side rails holding the glass in place?

What goes at the top where the glass meets the backbox area?

On measuring a Funhouse table I remember that the shelf that the back box sits on was 180mm deep, but the bottom of the backbox is only 160 mm deep. Therefore, there is a 20mm difference. Does the backbox therefore sit flush with the back of the cabinet leaving a 20mm gap showing at the front, or is it vice versa, or does it it central?

The table I measured has the legs at slightly different heights creating the table angle. When I look at pictures on the internet, the back box always looks level even when the table is not. Is this just an illusion? Because Im sure the part where the back box sits isnt angled, and is parallel with the bottom of the cabinet base.

Any help is appreciated.

Hopefully in the next couple of days I’ll have the back box made and I’m already working on the graphics for the cabinet. Im gonna look at setting up the legs temporarily too just to make sure everything all lines up. I’ll put all this up in Part 2, once Ive looked into how the backboxes are made and I’ll hopefully look at making the internal shelving adjustable too.

It’s starting to look like a pinball table I suppose...and if it all goes horribly wrong, Im sure it’ll make a great canoe.

Workshop heaven!
Looking nice and great video.

That was fun to watch, L33!

I was going to say get some decent tools for the job, but..... .

Great video - will be great for anyone else planning a build.

You might have read this already, but when you finally mount the TV in the cabinet remember to have the bottom of the TV on the left hand side, as VP FS tables rotate that way. The new version might allow adjustments but might be safe to go with the standard way.

SilverBalls said:

I was going to say get some decent tools for the job, but..... .

Great video - will be great for anyone else planning a build.

You might have read this already, but when you finally mount the TV in the cabinet remember to have the bottom of the TV on the left hand side, as VP FS tables rotate that way. The new version might allow adjustments but might be safe to go with the standard way.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip...that's possibly going to make a difference on how the TV will sit. On that note, have you any idea if the tv sits flat or at an angle, how low from the top of the glass it may sit, and also, between the back of the tv and the back of the cabinet there will be a void. What to Virual Pin Cabs usually do with that void ie blank it off, lights etc.

Any advice is always useful.

I have a premade can from VPcabs dot com. They have the monitor sitting flat (near as I can tell) and recessed several inches beneath the glass. This gives it a nice look, and a better sense of depth. You'll want to paint the inside of the cabinet if you do this though.

Hope this helps. Also I hope I didn't just give away a trade secret

Hi, don't know about the void, because I made my cab fit like a glove to the screen. But you want the display as close to the lockdown bar as possible. Actually my lockdown bar is securing the edge of the TV. Maybe you want sth in the middle. You can use the space in the back for flashers etc.
As for the angle I mounted the TV like the playfield, so 6 degrees. But I put in on side rails which are fixed in one point at the front and have a long hole at the back, so angle is adjustable
I also raised it pretty close to the glass, because in my logic this is the only way a display can create depth. You always look inside, the picture doesn't stick out, right? Lot of people have it where the playfield would be, though. This creates the virtual image to be even further down - in my logic
Best thing is that you make a mockup first. Lay it on the table, put some books at one end to create an angle, and see for yourself (run software from laptop for testing).
Build the cab how you like it.

I know some people mount on the surface, but I agree with Jamman that sinking it a few inches below the surface adds a feeling of depth.

My cab actually has the monitor sloped like a real pin, so higher at the back than at the front. The way I worked out the best angle was to put a couple of temporary batons inside and tried a few slopes until it felt right. I actually made it so I could make adjustments later, and in fact I have done that once. I would recommend some trial runs .

As a guide my cabinet (and there are mostly likely better configs) has the screen about 3 inches below the glass at back and front so the screen closely follow the slope of the cabinet. At the apron end I stuck an apron graphic (black paper with logos and instruction cards) to the glass so that hides the start of the TV when standing in the playing position. At the back I put a piece of black painted plywood which is removable. The TV has about a 1" silver frame when decased so I put 4 pieces of some black plastic L-shaped moulding on that so the whole cab inside looks black inside when the screen is off.

Awesome stuff, L33!

Check out what others are doing to see how the tv should sit.

http://virtuapin.net/

Just read mpads reply. Definitely agree you should experiment for a couple of days.

L33, I've been very interested in importing one, and always wondered how much to factor in for the shipping & tax costs. Was it a virtuapin you were looking at, and did they quote you for shipping or did you get a quote from a specialist shipping company/courier?

SilverBalls said:

Just read mpads reply. Definitely agree you should experiment for a couple of days.

Click to expand...

We agree on so many things

Ok, cheers guys. Looks like a little experimentation is needed. I made a bit of an error by changing a dimension somewhere along the line, and then realised everything is governed by the lockdown bar size. Therefore, im gonna have to probably groove the inside of the cab. This makes experimentation a little trickier, but I'll have a go. Back to the workshop...