Building A Virtual Pinball Cabinet

[Markus]

Yeah wide body should fit a 42" but it really depends on the TV model and to get exact measures for the panel after decasing. I would look for a current or max two year old model that others use and where you can be sure it turns back on after power out etc.
Got mine from eBay ...

And yes you can use a normal display for VP. Pinmame does display a movable and resizeable DMD window as standard.

Oh yes, the turn back on after power out is a good point too. So much stuff to think about
Good suggestions again.

 

[L33]

Markus...whilst I did set this thread going, it's great that you're adding too it because hopefully it'll be a thread where people wanting to build a cab can see the sort of questions being asked and the answers given etc. It also gives some idea of who to direct some of the questions too as they may have answered similar questions already. Whilst I'm no expert, it was the intention that with this thread, it may just help others who are starting out and aren't sure exactly where to begin. I've learnt so much since staring out...but i still find myself having to ask questions

 

[L33]

Oops, forgot Markus....if u check one of my videos, you'll see I had a bit of a problem at one point trying to get the TV to fit and had to 'area clear' part of the side. This bit was really challenging...and could have set me back a bit if it went wrong, so whilst I did get it to fit...it was tight. Sometimes it can depend on the TV etc. I originally decased it all, but there was so little difference in size when the casing was off, I decided to leave it on. I've seen others gain loads from decasing. Just something to be wary of.

All the fun of building ur own!

 

[Markus]

L33... it is a good idea to bundle build related question and information's here. And it's nice that you share this threat with other cab builders too.

Yes I saw the video where the tv fitting problem occurred, and I'm glad you could solve the problem.
I am also already thinking about decasing the tv when I get it. But like you said, it depends on the tv and cabinet if this gives an advantage or not. So maybe I should not do that too early.

Today I used all my spare time to read cabinet build related text and watch videos to get more information's, maybe too much information, now it feels like I know less than before.
Or like mpad said: overwhelmed

Yesterday I wanted to go with a widebody cabinet, today I am more for the standard width cabinet.
I was ready to order the cabinet parts in the U.S. but the shipping costs + tax +charges are unbelievable high.
So I think I will look for the Williams standard cabinet measures online, and go to a local carpenter and ask for cutting the parts maybe out of MDF what I believe is plywood in english. Suggestions are appreciated

 

[mpad]

Plywood = Sperrholz
I would go for as lightweight as possible. MDF is pretty heavy. I used it for the base where speakers are mounted ton minimize vibrations.

 

[L33]

Mdf cuts well and it's flat surface is easy to paint....but like mpad says...it's so heavy! But it's not something I'd recommend anyway...it just doesn't screw well together, and structurally it's weak. Plywood is so much better to screw together, or glue together...but there's a bit more work involved if you require a really smooth flat surface because of the wood grain etc. that said, there are people out there who have built cabs from mdf...but not something I'd do. Plus the dust that comes of that stuff when cut is so fine and not something I like to cut indoors.

I did use mdf for the dmd section though.

 

[Markus]

Then I will definetely go for Plywood! Thanks.
So I guess when the parts will be cut in original standard cabinet measures (which I still have to find today), the standard lockbar should just fit later. But I wonder if the lockbar has some extra space for adjusting, or does it just fit tight? If it fit tight, I would probably need a specific thickness for the plywood parts, to get the right cabinet wide for the lockbar at the end? Like I said, I have not much woodwork experience, so maybe it is wrong thinking

I am going to order TV and PC parts at the latest by next week.

 

[mpad]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s2lrtrpf7465e6z/Williams Widebody.pdf?dl=0

The wide body dimensions a lot of people use. Should make a tight fit.
I ordered parts first and then took the measurements.
For thickness I am not sure. I think I remember 22 mm which is pretty thick. The plunger and leaf switch mountings require a certain thickness.

 

[L33]

Ultimately...everything comes down to personal preference. Providing you are going for a real pinball look, the lockdown bar seems to be the governing factor on size etc of the cab. This part confused me for weeks, cause Id never even heard of one when I started. Like mpad, I ordered most the parts first then worked around those. A thing I did do differently though, was I opted for leaf switch buttons rather than actual leaf switches. Again, personal preference, and I did actually buy the leaf switches, but it was a tight fit and in the end I took the easy option and went for the alternatives.

One thing I seem to remember doing, was buying the lockdown bar assembly and screwing some bit of scrap wood together and experimenting until I was happy with the fit/dimensions etc. If Im to be critical of my work...I reckon Im a mm out each side, which I know isn't much...but to me its the world!!! Ha Ha. But having seen some real pinball machines...sometimes they look like they've been thrown together with no care and attention at all.

 

[Markus]

Thanks for the link and your comments. I did a lot of research again today.
The cabinet is driving me crazy right now, I think I have to go the other way and choose the cabinet size first. Because I will unfortunately not be able to make massive changes to the cabinet later. As I understand I have to choose between standard and widebody size, both of them have their own specific lockbar, and the lockbar wide is fix that means not scalable. So the lockbar prevents any changes of the cabinet-wide later during the build. Now I need to find out what cabinet size, depending on the tv, is the best choice for me. The more I research, the more I get unsure about it. Sorry for already stuck a bit at this early point.

In the meantime, do you think the Intel I5 CPU powerful enough or will an I7 be needed?

 

[L33]

Thanks for the link and your comments. I did a lot of research again today.
The cabinet is driving me crazy right now, I think I have to go the other way and choose the cabinet size first. Because I will unfortunately not be able to make massive changes to the cabinet later. As I understand I have to choose between standard and widebody size, both of them have their own specific lockbar, and the lockbar wide is fix that means not scalable. So the lockbar prevents any changes of the cabinet-wide later during the build. Now I need to find out what cabinet size, depending on the tv, is the best choice for me. The more I research, the more I get unsure about it. Sorry for already stuck a bit at this early point.

In the meantime, do you think the Intel I5 CPU powerful enough or will an I7 be needed?

Ha ha...don't be apologising...it's only when you start a project like this that you realise how much there can be to learn. You'll look back in months to come and see how much you've learnt...I certainly do. I look back on this thread and see some previous questions I asked and think...how could I not have known that...but at the time I had no idea.

Speaking of no idea...when it comes to computers...I've no idea Ha Ha. But I know there'll be plenty of people on here who will know regarding your specs query.

 

[mpad]

There I go
i5 and a 200-250€ graphics card (nvidia) should be plenty. SSD strongly recommended.

Concerning the lock down bar, VirtuaPin makes custom sizes if you screw up the cab dimensions and bring some money

 

[Markus]

Ha ha...don't be apologising...it's only when you start a project like this that you realise how much there can be to learn. You'll look back in months to come and see how much you've learnt...I certainly do. I look back on this thread and see some previous questions I asked and think...how could I not have known that...but at the time I had no idea.

Speaking of no idea...when it comes to computers...I've no idea Ha Ha. But I know there'll be plenty of people on here who will know regarding your specs query.

Ha ha, and the project keeps me busy almost the whole day ..... I mean while actually doing other things

 

[Markus]

There I go
i5 and a 200-250€ graphics card (nvidia) should be plenty. SSD strongly recommended.

Concerning the lock down bar, VirtuaPin makes custom sizes if you screw up the cab dimensions and bring some money

Then I will go for an i5 with good graphics card.
I totally agree, it should be an SSD
I will remember the custom size lockdownbar as an emergency exit

 

[Markus]

Just a small update: I am going to order the first parts tomorrow. Actually I wanted to order a lot of parts at virtua-pin, but unfortunately the Virtua-Plunger-Kit is not available at the moment, and most other parts are listed in other (european) stores also, so I can get them here too. Any suggestions where to buy those Plunger-Kit alternatively are welcome As far as I understood, due to the lack of the Virtua-plunger-kit, I will need an ipac (or ipac2, ipac4) to connect the flipper buttons (at least temporarily).
By the way, do you use the short 1-1/8 or longer 1-3/8 flipper buttons?
So long!

 

[L33]

Just a small update: I am going to order the first parts tomorrow. Actually I wanted to order a lot of parts at virtua-pin, but unfortunately the Virtua-Plunger-Kit is not available at the moment, and most other parts are listed in other (european) stores also, so I can get them here too. Any suggestions where to buy those Plunger-Kit alternatively are welcome As far as I understood, due to the lack of the Virtua-plunger-kit, I will need an ipac (or ipac2, ipac4) to connect the flipper buttons (at least temporarily).
By the way, do you use the short 1-1/8 or longer 1-3/8 flipper buttons?
So long!

I remember having to wait for mine too. You can connect buttons etc using the plunger kit, but I found using the iPac setup easier and chose that way. But again, personal preference. Not sure what button size I used...I'll have to measure them

 

[pureinstinct93]

What an excellent build! You have both great woodworking skills (and an amazing workshop!) and great taste! Well done!

 

[L33]

What an excellent build! You have both great woodworking skills (and an amazing workshop!) and great taste! Well done!

Kind words....I learnt so much on this build and had a lot of fun building it...but on the flip side...it was one of the most challenging and stressful things I've ever built. Ha ha

 

[L33]

For the guys that asked me about "No Fear" on the cab...I wasn't sure where to place a link so hopefully its ok as part of this thread as it kind of relates to the ongoing build. Not sure who the moderator is on this forum...but if its a problem putting this link on here, please let me know or remove etc. But on the flip side, if there are no issues etc, then if its ok for me to link each months table on here, that'd be great too as it's something I get asked for regularly.

Once again, I have to give credit to Noex and Robert for the mod/camera files etc. Had some issues getting the cab to work offline this last week or so...but Ive managed to suss it out. It seems that to work offline, I had to first go online for the mod to trigger the offline file and because I wasn't connected to the internet, I wasn't able to open up the mod to generate the file. Works fine offline now.

Anyhow...here is the link.
https://youtu.be/ao1c-Y4E89I

 

[Markus]

After playing araound with my test environment over the last couple of days, I got the wood parts together. The wood parts are made of 18 mm plywood (multiplex), and the next step is to drill some holes.
It looks like the hole for the flipper button is made in 2 steps, a normal hole and a (half way) extended hole. It would be nice if someone could tell me which tools I have to buy for this. Maybe the size of the drills and / or what ever is needed to do this accurately. Any advice would be highly appriciated