World's cheapest pinball controller

[Dan]

I'm back from a long break...Was tired of pinball, needed some other things. So after an intense relationship with Spelunky followed by a complete break from gaming, I could not resist seeing all those lovely tables. Two numeric keypads, lots of duct tape and some encyclopedias later I put this monstrosity together. It's not gonna win any design awards, but it's a very functional setup with the right form factor feeling. Went for the easiest solution - numeric keypads, which I can happily destroy instead of expensive controllers. Of course, when/if the cabinet version arrives, a monitor inside a plastic storage box and with the keypads attached will make an instant cab! I doubt a controller can be built cheaper. Enjoy!

 

[superballs]

Nice. Honestly there are so many fancy builds out there that are amazing but I'm a huge fan of the quick and dirty solution. That was some ingenuity there.

 

[DrainoBraino]

Finally! A use for those old encyclopedias. A little duct tape, some numberpads....BAM, pinball controller.

 

[Shaneus]

I made one out of buttons from an arcade stick, an old motherboard box and a wired 360 pad. It was ghetto, but serviceable aside from my dodgy soldering, which caused buttons to come loose and not work).

I even tried adapting it to the PCB from a mini iCade so it'd work on 360, PC and iOS, but it was not to be.

 

[Heretic]

whatever works fella haha talk about skunk works all power

 

[Michel Deschenes]

That's call desperation for authenticity lol! Good job, a bit redneck but still effective! I've decided to turn my workstation into a multipurpose workstation / arcade pinball cabinet... still trying to figure out the exact design will look something like Visual Pinball Cabinet mini "27 and 20" dual screens setup. Oh TAP brought so much joy!! I'm going nuts to have the real thing as well!

 

[Dan]

That feeling when you have your arms spread out and smack the buttons, is unbeatable! : My first setup with Visual Pinball in the storage box was a bit more tasteful, I attached the keypads with double-sided tape, but this time I was in a hurry...

 

[Shaneus]

That's call desperation for authenticity lol! Good job, a bit redneck but still effective! I've decided to turn my workstation into a multipurpose workstation / arcade pinball cabinet... still trying to figure out the exact design will look something like Visual Pinball Cabinet mini "27 and 20" dual screens setup. Oh TAP brought so much joy!! I'm going nuts to have the real thing as well!

It may be desperation, but you'd honestly be surprised with how much better TPA feels to play when you have something even remotely resembling flipper buttons going on. You may or may not play better, but it's a hell of a lot more fun.

 

[mpad]

Once you go cab you never look back