Building A Virtual Pinball Cabinet

[L33]

Ok, I understand a bit better now...do the cards need 3hdmi outputs? Only having had a quick look at some cards, I can't find anyt Hay have more than 1 hdmi out, although they do have other outputs.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Ok, I understand a bit better now...do the cards need 3hdmi outputs? Only having had a quick look at some cards, I can't find anyt Hay have more than 1 hdmi out, although they do have other outputs.

No, that's what the DisplayPorts are for.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Plus you could use the DVI ports too since HDMI is basically just DVI + sound and you don't need sound.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Plus you could use the DVI ports too since HDMI is basically just DVI + sound and you don't need sound for the backglass, etc.

 

[L33]

aah ok. So I'm gonna have to make sure that not only do I get a card with multi monitor support, I'm gonna have to make sure the TVs I get have a display port socket, or whatever the cards sockets are?

 

[Jeff Strong]

aah ok. So I'm gonna have to make sure that not only do I get a card with multi monitor support, I'm gonna have to make sure the TVs I get have a display port socket, or whatever the cards sockets are?

Multi-monitor support has been a standard on video cards for well over a decade, so you should be fine.

DisplayPort is just a port on videocards. The cables you get are adaptors, so you can get a DisplayPort to HDMI or DisplayPort to DVI, etc.

 

[seattlemark]

And once you have that video card wired to your multiple monitors/TVs, L33, you will have to set up the multiple monitors to work together in Windows. (In your case the "multiple monitors" could be a TV, and one or more PC monitors. Or perhaps 2 TVs and 0-1 PC monitors. Etc...) I just found a Microsoft article for you with screenshots on how to set up multiple monitors. This one's for Dual Monitors, but for 3 monitors, it's similar: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/976064

Note: If the monitors need different resolutions, while doing the above steps in Windows, you will configure a different resolution for each of them. Or you can do it after the fact too by selecting that monitor on the Screen Resolution panel (which you can easily get to by right clicking your Desktop).

 

[L33]

Thanks guys that's really good info. I don't think I can go any further till I have the computer so at least I have an idea now so I think next week is gonna be spent looking for one and then hopefully sourcing the rest of the parts. Then hopefully I can set it all up to make sure everything works before finalising the rest of the build. And thanks for the setup link above.

Still a way to go, but everyday i seem to edge that little bit closer. Thanks once again.

 

[Jeff Strong]

No problem. Setting up this bit of it will be one of the easiest parts.

 

[seattlemark]

No problem. Setting up this bit of it will be one of the easiest parts.

+1 to everything Jeff just said.

 

[seattlemark]

Thanks guys that's really good info. I don't think I can go any further till I have the computer so at least I have an idea now so I think next week is gonna be spent looking for one ...

Since you are looking for the computer, a few thoughts. From what I've read, not everyone puts the PC (or PC guts) into the cabinet. Here's an article about someone who has a powerful external PC: https://virtualpinballblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/my-pinball-cabinet-build/ where he says in part:

- - - -
"THE CPU

If the cabinet is the chassis, the PC is the engine. I’m using my gaming rig to run this beast. It’s far more than capable of doing it.
One thing that will set my pinball cab apart from the others is my choice to connect the PC externally to the cabinet. This eliminates the need for air circulation in the cab, as the only nominal heat produced is by the two LCD TVs. Another asset is that anyone can plug their own computer into the cabinet using the supplied 6′ umbilical harness. You can see the harness later in this post."

- - -

Jeff above recommended the GTX 970, as the sweetspot. If it's used for more than pinball (and you can afford it and the more powerful power supply that's needed for it), I whole heartedly agree. In my case, around a month ago I upgraded to the GTX 960, which with the sales and rebates going on was quite a bit cheaper than the 970. I almost went with the GTX970, but then I determined that I would have also had to put in a different/more powerful power supply. (The GTX 970 has additional wattage needs and additional power cable needs over the GTX960.) At that point I didn't want to hassle all the extra costs, my labor, and getting rid of a power supply that I had just purchased two years ago. The GTX 960 is proving to be more than powerful enough for what DX11 TPA needs. According to this post, Jeff is using it too: http://digitalpinballfans.com/showt...pecs-do-I-need?p=203517&viewfull=1#post203517 (I remember that post of Jeff's as it was a contributing factor in my getting the GTX 960 for TPA.)


That said, if you are going to use your new PC for more than Pinball, either externally or in the cabinet, the GTX 970 is good choice too.

By the way, some of the merchants that sell NVIDIA GTX 960, 970, 980 have various game give-aways going on periodically. I think currently Batman Arkham Knights. But it's not necessarily all the merchants. Check the fine print. I know it's online with some merchants, but not sure about brick-and-mortar merchants.

P.S. Another part of my decision of the GTX960 over 970, was that if I ever need a more powerful graphics card than the 960 for way more taxing games than Pinball demands, I might also need to get an entirely new PC that has a more powerful processor, more RAM, etc. And for that new PC I would then get a GTX 970 or GTX 980, or above, depending upon what's affordable at that point. Then the existing GTX 960 and PC could be dedicated to my future Pinball cabinet. (Or as an alternative to an actual cabinet I have another possibility. For less than $10 in additional brackets I have figured a way to convert my existing articulated arm wall mounted rotated 40inch TV into "murphy bed" style so it lays almost perpendicular (at 6.5 degrees angle) to the wall. The wall mount costs $29 US currently at Amazon, so that's a total of $39. Before I convert this though, I am waiting to see when TPA fully supports cabinets and DMDs. As until I actually move one of the bolts in the stud and add the bracket, I am not certain how well this is going to work or how safe it's going to be for my wall. I'm an Engineer, but not that kind. )

 

[Jeff Strong]

Great post, man. I love my 960 and you're definitely spot on that its more than enough for pinball.

 

[L33]

Thanks again guys...some excellent advice there. Just wish FS were as helpful as you guys. With no response from FS on some other queries, I'm at a standstill with the cabinet as I have no concrete answers from them regarding some queries with the cab, like will I need a DMD, will I need to buy additional tables or will existing ones run cab support etc. Just little things like that which I wish they would answer as It may make a difference to how I finish off the cabinet. Zen have been a massive help so when it comes to doing the artwork for the cabinet, it'll end up being more of a Zen theme than a TPA, purely because of the great responses Ive had from them.

Any how, computer sourcing it is this week and thanks for the help and time you're all giving. There is a company close to home that build gaming machines and I saw that they were using the 960, 970 and 980 so that sounds good going off the post above. Gotta get the buttons and all that lot too. Might have to take a gamble with the tvs etc. I appreciate everyones help on here so far, and I appreciate the extra mile some of you have gone with your posts. Ive made loads of notes, and hopefully I can start work on Part 3 of the video this week.

Thanks again.

 

[Jeff Strong]

You're very welcome. Can't wait to see the finished cab in all its glory.

Unless you're going to be playing VP tables (which you should), you honestly may never get to utilize a DMD. The latest VP tables are pretty impressive though (better than TPA in some aspects) so I think it'd be a shame if you didn't load those on your cab as well. It's really not hard to setup.

 

[seattlemark]

You're welcome L33. Oh, and I found that NVIDIA manufacture link about the Batman: Arkham Night giveaway going on now. (For purchases of GTX 960, 970, 980, 980TI, 970M, and one of the notebooks.) Here's the main page: http://www.geforce.com/free-batman From there everyone can choose their country, including United Kingdom. And follow the links to "Where to Buy" to find various Retailers that are participating.

 

[L33]

You're very welcome. Can't wait to see the finished cab in all its glory.

Unless you're going to be playing VP tables (which you should), you honestly may never get to utilize a DMD. The latest VP tables are pretty impressive though (better than TPA in some aspects) so I think it'd be a shame if you didn't load those on your cab as well. It's really not hard to setup.

I wasn't aware that the games were that good. Id seen a few on youtube and they looked stuttery and graphically poor. If thats not the case, then perhaps this would be a welcome addition, especially if they support all the other parts like DMD etc.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I wasn't aware that the games were that good. Id seen a few on youtube and they looked stuttery and graphically poor. If thats not the case, then perhaps this would be a welcome addition, especially if they support all the other parts like DMD etc.

The cool thing about VP is it's been around for many, many years, so it's had a lot of time to progress, and it's come a long way just in the last year or so, both graphically and in the physics department (some of the videos you saw could of been from older versions). The best VP tables do feel quite a bit closer to a real pinball machine than TPA because you have ball spin and better flipper physics for instance in the latest VP. The only downside is it's a grassroots project, so there are many different authors putting out tables and they aren't all up to the same level, and you'll want to ignore the older stuff, but we can definitely point you in the direction of the cream of the crop.

VP is also the only pinball app that is really going to take full advantage of a cab (at least for now), from backglass/DMD support to nudging...it will give you all the bells and whistles a cab can offer, mainly because this is the software that cab owners have been building their cabs around for years.

 

[L33]

The cool thing about VP is it's been around for many, many years, so it's had a lot of time to progress, and it's come a long way just in the last year or so, both graphically and in the physics department (some of the videos you saw could of been from older versions). The best VP tables do feel quite a bit closer to a real pinball machine than TPA because you have ball spin and better flipper physics for instance in the latest VP. The only downside is it's a grassroots project, so there are many different authors putting out tables and they aren't all up to the same level, and you'll want to ignore the older stuff, but we can definitely point you in the direction of the cream of the crop.

VP is also the only pinball app that is really going to take full advantage of a cab (at least for now), from backglass/DMD support to nudging...it will give you all the bells and whistles a cab can offer, mainly because this is the software that cab owners have been building their cabs around for years.

Sounds promising...and I'd definitely need point in the right direction.

 

[SilverBalls]

I can vouch for what Jeff said - the VP tables are outstanding nowadays and have they have working backglasses, separate movable DMD (or real one) if needed. Many tables use stripped playfield scan which are done in HD on a professional scanner. The beauty as well is you can play many tables that Farsight canot create for licencing reasons or will never create because they aren't popular enough (plus there are too many ).

You can also customise tables and change the ball and sounds if you like.

Some examples - although the videos don't do them justice:

TAF:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uLX0-Js7zj8

Early SS - Asteroid Annie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cFuY5u8wvhI

EM - Fast Draw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=AStT1CM9mls


VP10 is also in Beta which offers even better lighting:

Here is some blokes Cab (with Scared Stiff Backglass) playing an early DX9 table (the ball trails can be turned off btw):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=R3gY3zKWWxY

 

[L33]

I'm actually quite impressed with those tables, they look pretty good. I'd seen some VP tables a while back and because they didn't look too great I wrote them off. But seeing these they look quite good. Definitely something to think about.

Got a few more bits for the cab today...side rails, few buttons etc, and to my relief the lockdown bar and catch fit perfect. Possibly sorted out a computer too. So, it's gonna be a few days getting all the buttons in place, then having a few games to confirm the location on the TV. Then hopefully I'll sort the backbox out. Still a fair way to go yet.