PowerBall: 24"/17"/5" TZ-themed mini-pinball

[MikeDeuce]

We'll see if I actually finish this...

Post #1: Where Mike gets in over his head (again):

Hey folks, it's been a while! Now that I'm through a hellish period at work and have a little garage space to call my own it's time to unleash the project(s). First up is my attempt at a mini pin cab, mostly because I had all these parts sitting around (and mini because I don't have a closet full of 42"->46" screens).

I know this much:
- It will have somewhat of a Twilight Zone theme, just because it's my favoritest machine ever... Leaning towards TZ gumball machine imagery on the side.
- It will have the word "Multiball" (I know) in the name because it just makes sense for a pin emu cab. Runner up is "Powerball" for a stronger tie-in with the theme... I'm conflicted. "Powerball" is the current winner of the name debate.

I'm really shooting from the hip with this one, with barely any planning (I don't ask for directions when I drive, either).

On to the project log:

First I glued up a box (not pictured, I was busy fumbling with clamps)... all 1/2" MDF with poplar battens.

Then I whipped up a corner drilling jig with some scrap. I ripped a right angle out of some laminated baltic birch ply, glued on some scrap, then hit it with the drill press so I'd have a drill guide. It's held here with a couple clamps (one being a strap clamp):



Success -- clean hole! I was pretty darn pleased with myself after this:



Slapped on the Stern legs... with the levelers pretty far out, it's at a perfect height for me:



PC for my bench test, it's an C2D E8400 with an 8800gt. The chassis is from a yet-to-be-completed-non-emulation project.



Shot from above of the test bench. There's a Dell 24" for the playfield, and a 17" backglass. Pictured is a xenarc 7" touchscreen which is temporarily filling in for DMD duty while I hack up a spare 5" LCD I had sitting around. It's surprisingly playable like this, but I can't wait to ditch the keyboard. Note that the backglass screen looks all screwy because of a wide-angle lens on the camera.



Even without the cabinet, the effect is fairly convincing with the lights off:



That's all for now, I'll try to squeeze in the next update before 2011

-mike

[jimmy2x2x]

Looking great!

I especially like the junk drilling jig

[leapinlew]

MikeDeuce!

Dude, where have you been?

[MikeDeuce]

Looking great! I especially like the junk drilling jig

Thanks! One man's junk is another man's jig

MikeDeuce! Dude, where have you been?

Great to see you, Mr. Lew, sir! The day job + 'Real Life™' had started to encroach upon my happy fun time, but things are looking better now. Good enough to allow me to scratch itches like these, at least!

[MikeDeuce]

Post #2: Where Mike gets crafty with a file and a drill press

Nothing too exciting to report, just worked on the ball shooter and the drilling template for it.

The stock version is way too long* for the mini... the tip would be occupying space the playfield monitor needs :\


So I experimented at the drill press and filed in a groove for the E-clip, which worked out pretty much as I had hoped:


A few seconds at the bandsaw, and it's now at a perfect length:


*Note that the first photo is technically out of sequence... By the time of that photo I had already filed in the groove and cut the spring.

I'll probably end up doing one of those microswitch based shooters to keep things simple and low-buck.

[MikeDeuce]

Post #3: Where Mike takes way too long to build a simple backbox

More of the boring bits of work complete.

Backbox mounting system for the two LCDs... MDF VESA mounts with lots of adjustability built in. Entire backbox is screwed with no glue so the whole thing is easily serviceable:


Shot from the front, with some scrap acrylic sitting in a groove. I'll likely mask and paint the other side of the acrylic for the bezel effect. Speakers aren't yet mounted, so they're just sitting on the bottom of the box:

[Jasonmm]

You give us , no skill , no talent people a complex. I want 1. Amazing , amazing effort. Jason

[MikeDeuce]

You give us , no skill , no talent people a complex. I want 1. Amazing , amazing effort. Jason

You must be in the wrong thread  -- thanks for the kind words!

[MikeDeuce]

Post #4: Where Mike is way too happy about a door, a drawer, and a router base

Figured I'd save myself a lot of trouble if I abandoned the idea of having the glass and playfield monitor flip up like a real machine and just went with a slide out drawer for the PC and other internal components.


The door was cut to match a 12" piano hinge, and I added some 1/4" MDF to hold the door in place (and to give the lock something to clamp on to):


Drawer extended:


Purchased this Rigid R2401 trim router for this project (that was my excuse, anyway)... I would've left the store with the Bosch Colt had they not sold out earlier that day, but overall I'm really pleased with this little thing... Especially with my DIY (Pat Warner-inspired) offset acrylic router base that I whipped up with some thick acrylic scrap I had laying around:

[MikeDeuce]

Post #5: Where Mike waves to himself while taking photos... Mike must be lonely.

My next move was to cram the playfield monitor in there... I started with an hour of measuring and tweaking before finalizing the position and fastening in some plywood mounts:


Not planning on de-casing the LCD, figuring I can find a way to mask the bezel later on. I had also decided I prefer the recessed look, as I believe it will help the illusion a bit.


Authentic lockdown bars, new and used, seem a bit pricey to me... but I do have a bit of basic metal working equipment in the garage, and some thick (and rusty :'( ) sheet metal already, so I figured why not give it a try:


Here it is tack welded from behind... I sure hope my welding abilities (or lack thereof) are up to the challenge. I'll need to fill that hole in the middle, too (it was in the metal already):


The stuff is pretty thick, so unless I discover some hidden talent with the anvil and hammer, I think I'll need about 4-6 more pieces (and a lot more grinding) to fill out the curves.

[leapinlew]

Looking great Mike

[MikeDeuce]

Thanks Mr. Lew!

Post #6: Where Mike realizes that while he feels blessed to own basic metal working equipment, he sure prefers the general cleanliness of woodworking (and lack of molten metal popping into his hair).

Finished up welding in all the roundy bits up front, and realized I needed to add a final touch (marked in sharpie):


And here's that final touch (the mild bend in the middle of the lockdown bar where the glass goes):


And an overview shot of where I'm at... slow going!


You might have noticed the lockdown bar is a bit wider than the cabinet... that's intentional, but I'm not going to fess up as to why, yet.

[Dr Zero]

That is freaking awesome!!! 

Keep up the great work 

[MikeDeuce]

Thanks Doc, mighty kind of you!

Post #7: Where Mike decides his runner-up theme name is cooler than his former first choice.

I spent a little time in photoshop mocking up the cabinet visuals today... My goal is to cover a majority of the cabinet in acrylic, backpainted like the Léon control panel in my sig (which is also why the color palette is limited).

The visuals are supposed to be DMD-inspired, although a little fancier, and the acrylic (if I can pull this off) will allow me to backlight some of the imagery (probably the "PowerBall" text). The stars are also a prime candidate for some sort of LED-controller attract-mode, which would be cool, since I've never played with those controllers before).



Anyway, just a first draft... hopefully I can figure out some ways to refine (and I'm always open to suggestions).

[emphatic]

WOW! 

Getting the sides lit up will look spectacular I'm sure, considering the skill you've show off in your previous posts. Hat's off to you sir. 

[MikeDeuce]

No shortage of gentlemen on the board -- thanks Mr. Emphatic!

Post #8: Where Mike shows his man-love for TZ by getting a custom skin printed for his iPhone.

Not really an update, but I had to take a couple photos and share it with you all (the like-minded):


Alternate shot, I like the first one better:

[Zakk]

Looking good so far! 

[MikeDeuce]

Thanks Mr. Zakk!

Post #9: Where Mike gets all anal about button clutter.

Since this is a mini, I'm not as compelled to buy as many authentic parts (like the lockdown bar, for example), so I figured I'd save a little money and make my own coindoor. It's not finished yet, but the basics are in place:


And again, since this is a mini, I didn't want to overwhelm the front with admin buttons... I don't even want to add a second set of flippers (A decision I made after drilling the holes ). So I welded up a weird offset pin-based hinge (because I didn't want the piano hinge to be visible from the front), and made the coindoor flip out to reveal 4 auxiliary buttons:


Shot from above... 24mm Seimitsu buttons:


And here's how it looks from the inside. It's basic, but it 'oughta get the job done:

[Bender]

Hey I wanna see all this stuff
A lot of the pic links are gone???

[emphatic]

That's one of the sexiest admin panels (I generally hate 'em) I've ever seen. 

[MikeDeuce]

Hey I wanna see all this stuff
A lot of the pic links are gone???

Oh noes... Anyone else having issues? They're all loading for me (in different browsers, and not signed into flickr)... I take it this happens even after a refresh?

That's one of the sexiest admin panels (I generally hate 'em) I've ever seen. 

Thank ya, sir -- best admin panel is a hidden one* if you ask me!

*With the exception of Pixelhugger's Mission Control, of course... that's a pretty darn sassy admin panel.

[NiteWalker]

Watching with interest. 
How do you like that ridgid trimmer? Got my eyes on one...

[MikeDeuce]

Watching with interest. 
How do you like that ridgid trimmer? Got my eyes on one...

It's an honor for this thread to break your 1.5 year lurking streak

I try to use that rigid for everything now ... it's so light and compact that it's replaced my usual go-to handheld router (mid sized Makita RF1100). Even though it sounds silly, I like the little LED light they added (in the newer model, from what I can tell). The hardest I've pushed it is pattern routing in 1/2 MDF (with sloppy rough cuts, too... I've had it chew through about an inch to get to the template, and that's with single passes), and with my weekend use it's been dealing with the stress well so far. I may be pushing it too hard, so YMMV, but we'll see!

The only complaint (if you can call it that) I have so far is that pulling the base off for bit changes is a little tougher than standard routers. That said, I'd rather have a tight base than one that allows for depth creep. Still not sure how it compares to the Colt, but I'm not too concerned at the moment... maybe if I smoke this one I'll be forced to give that a spin (heyoo!).

[atog]

Any chance you live in NE or IA?  I would love to come check this thing out.  Amazing!

What kind of video card are you running and how do you have the outputs going into the 3 lcd panels?  One video card with 3 outs?  I kind of grasp the playfield and the top art panel outs but how you are managing the middle small panel is crazy, unless the software does all that for you.

What is the function of the ball plunger rather than the button?  Obviously very authentic and cool but does it have full functionality, the harder you pull it back the farther the ball somehow goes?