Building A Virtual Pinball Cabinet

[L33]

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

Not sure what you mean by the holes being 2 steps...but to drill the holes in mine I used a Forstner bit. Good to place/clamp a scrap piece behind too so when you drill through it doesn't split the wood too much.

Size depends on your buttons etc. the thread diameter on mine were about 27.5mm so I think I used a 28mm diameter Forstner bit.

 

[Markus]

I have a flipper button here which has thread diameter about 15mm, but on the inner edge of the button (which goes still inside the wood) it becomes about 27mm.
That's what I meant with two steps. I ordered a Forstner bit for the outside drill.

 

[L33]

I have a flipper button here which has thread diameter about 15mm, but on the inner edge of the button (which goes still inside the wood) it becomes about 27mm.
That's what I meant with two steps. I ordered a Forstner bit for the outside drill.

Ah right...mine must be different. Best thing to do is have a go on a scrap piece first to give you the best chance of getting things right first time.

 

[Markus]

Ah right...mine must be different. Best thing to do is have a go on a scrap piece first to give you the best chance of getting things right first time.

Yes, the first attempt will be a training run.

 

[L33]

Recorded TPA's latest game, Judge Dredd on the cabinet this week. I recorded gameplay shortly after playing the game for the first time and to be honest...I had no idea what I was doing! I did have a sneaky peek at the instructions, but there were over 500 pages so I decided just to record and hope for the best. Seems like a pretty good game, but I know that it's definitely one of those tables I'll have to read up on the instructions or I'll have no chance at getting a decent score.

Thanks again to Noex for the mod...as cab play wouldn't be possible, and again to Robert for the camera setup and the backglass.

https://youtu.be/hvtGIHpvNfM

 

[Markus]

I am about to cut the hole for the coin door. I don't have got the lockbar yet. Do you know if the mounting position of the coin door is depending on the lockbar (lockdown receiver bar)?
Or is the coindoor mounting independent? Thanks in advance.

 

[L33]

I am about to cut the hole for the coin door. I don't have got the lockbar yet. Do you know if the mounting position of the coin door is depending on the lockbar (lockdown receiver bar)?
Or is the coindoor mounting independent? Thanks in advance.

I remember that working out the position of the lockdown mechanism was one of the more trickier parts of the build. Because I took rough measurements of a funhouse table, it gave me an idea of where to place the coin door and lockdown mechanism. They are completely separate (or at least mine was) but one thing I just got away with was the positioning in relation to each other...by that I mean that the 2 sit very close, and if the coin door is too high, when you open the door there is a chance of seeing the bottom of the mechanism. you just need to make sure there is correct space above the coin door hole to fit the mechanism. There is room for adjustment on the mechanism though, so it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. But if I was to offer any advice...if in doubt, wait till you have the mechanism to see how it all goes together...unless of course ur confident it'll all fit etc.

Measure twice...cut once, as they say

 

[Robert Misner]

love the videos L33 but the angle is still kinda low..being about a foot higher and tilted down s dmd and edge of table ares still edges of view would look better

 

[L33]

love the videos L33 but the angle is still kinda low..being about a foot higher and tilted down s dmd and edge of table ares still edges of view would look better

I'm hoping to film a higher angle this coming week...I'm really fussy when it comes to getting things looking right and when I tried a different angle the other week, I wasn't happy with the 'background'. Probably sounds daft. So I decided the only thing to do was move the machine to a slightly different part of the room...problem was...it's so flipping heavy! So I've got a bit of shifting round to do then I'll give it another go.

 

[Markus]

I remember that working out the position of the lockdown mechanism was one of the more trickier parts of the build. Because I took rough measurements of a funhouse table, it gave me an idea of where to place the coin door and lockdown mechanism. They are completely separate (or at least mine was) but one thing I just got away with was the positioning in relation to each other...by that I mean that the 2 sit very close, and if the coin door is too high, when you open the door there is a chance of seeing the bottom of the mechanism. you just need to make sure there is correct space above the coin door hole to fit the mechanism. There is room for adjustment on the mechanism though, so it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. But if I was to offer any advice...if in doubt, wait till you have the mechanism to see how it all goes together...unless of course ur confident it'll all fit etc.

Measure twice...cut once, as they say

Thanks for your advice L33. I think I should wait then for the for the lockdown bar parts.
Good to know that the coin door needs some space above. I was not sure if the coin door frame maybe is mounted to the lockdown mechanism. The idea was to make the coin door hole before putting all the wood panels together, as I have to use a jigsaw for it. I will find something else to do

 

[L33]

Thanks for your advice L33. I think I should wait then for the for the lockdown bar parts.
Good to know that the coin door needs some space above. I was not sure if the coin door frame maybe is mounted to the lockdown mechanism.
The idea was to make the coin door hole before putting all the wood panels together, as I have to use a jigsaw for it.
I will find something else to do

My experience is limited as far as coin doors and lockdown bars are concerned...but one thing I do believe is its best to see the parts before making any major alterations/cuts etc...just in case. It's usually easier to 'take a bit more off' than it is to 'stick a bit back on' if that makes sense. Sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry...

 

[mpad]

Have no coin door, but I remember there is a cut out in the ld bar for the plunger. So at least this one is dependent on the position.
Yeah best to wait.
The cut out for the coin door doesn't have to be pretty

 

[Markus]

Have no coin door, but I remember there is a cut out in the ld bar for the plunger. So at least this one is dependent on the position.
Yeah best to wait.
The cut out for the coin door doesn't have to be pretty

Thanks for the information. Also good to know

 

[L33]

Ok...I took Robert and Mpad's advice on board and had a go at filming from a higher angle. I also moved the Pinball Machine to a different part of the room so I wasn't having to film curtains and a window It's quite tricky trying to get a decent looking video filming something like this, mainly because of the size of these tables and the angles needed to get a good view. But I think Im reasonably happy with this setup now.

I was also able to overlay an image onto the DMD panel which I think creates a better looking video.

Hopefully this new angle is an improvement and any feedback is welcome. Once again, thanks to Noex and Robert for making cab play possible.

The link below is for my favourite table... Attack From Mars. Im not the best when it comes to gameplay...but then at least Im able to keep the video short

https://youtu.be/1VNUTbUfODc

 

[L33]

Latest upgrade to the table...I purchased today...a bar stool! Can't believe the difference it makes. Bought it because after being at the table for a while my knees seem to want to give way. Highly recommended. Can't believe I didn't get one sooner.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

Latest upgrade to the table...I purchased today...a bar stool! Can't believe the difference it makes. Bought it because after being at the table for a while my knees seem to want to give way. Highly recommended. Can't believe I didn't get one sooner.

You've already got a drink holder, right? Now you just need a bar to go with it.

 

[L33]

You've already got a drink holder, right? Now you just need a bar to go with it.

I once suggested turning the dining room into a games room with a bar...my lad was well up for it...just couldn't seem to convince the misses. Ha ha. Haven't given up hope yet.

 

[L33]

Having trouble getting the Noex mod to work for some reason and I've no idea why. One thing I don't have is an unzipper program on the PC so I have to download the mod on the Mac and transfer the file to the PC every time...bit of a chore. Can anyone recommend a safe and free unzip program to the PC? Windows takes me to the App Store with 100s to choose from but I'm always wary about downloading these kind of programs for fear of something going wrong...at least if I can unzip direct from PC I can have a go at downloading the mod direct and see if there is any difference. It's a long shot, but I've run out of ideas. Cheers in advance.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Having trouble getting the Noex mod to work for some reason and I've no idea why. One thing I don't have is an unzipper program on the PC so I have to download the mod on the Mac and transfer the file to the PC every time...bit of a chore. Can anyone recommend a safe and free unzip program to the PC? Windows takes me to the App Store with 100s to choose from but I'm always wary about downloading these kind of programs for fear of something going wrong...at least if I can unzip direct from PC I can have a go at downloading the mod direct and see if there is any difference. It's a long shot, but I've run out of ideas. Cheers in advance.

The free version of WinRar has always done the trick for me:

http://rarlab.com/download.htm

Let me know if that works out for you.

 

[mpad]

7zip and winrar are on my every computer.
Had trouble with the mod last time too.
A clean re-download and install and NEW settings.ini did the trick.
Also check the pinball arcade config. Sometimes the screen settings for Backbuffer etc. get reverted after a failed launch attempt.