Virtual Pinball project (New Pics) Scooby Doo Mystery Pinball

[jaharr01]

More update pics

[ChanceKJ]

Great job on that lockdown bar. This is a solid build. That green/purple scoobie theme is gonna look badass with the black.

Almost makes me want to build a VPin. Almost...

 

What's the slope of the playfield display, is it me, or does it look really flat in those pictures?

[jaharr01]

It slopes 3/4 of an inch across the length of the play field. It does look flat though. If I raised the slope more I couldn't put an LED plate in. I could lower the front. I will wait to see how it looks hooked up to the computer. I can also lower the front legs a bit too if i need too.
           Jay

[jaharr01]

I am just concerned that the wiring on this thing might be above my pay grade (relays ehh . I will muddle my way through it somehow.

[ViriiGuy]

I am just concerned that the wiring on this thing might be above my pay grade (relays ehh . I will muddle my way through it somehow.

I feel ya. Learn from my mistakes... If you have not already, get Zeb's boards. They are worth the money. I tried to do it the cheap way without buying his boards... and fried several expensive items... repeatedly. When I finally burned up as much as I would have spent on the boards, I bought them

Also, you will want a separate power supply for your gadgets. They have such a drain on the supplies, that they tend to burn them out.

Btw you have a beautiful build

[jaharr01]

I was going to get one. Can't decide if I should use contactors or lawnmower solenoids though. I was going to try to make my own spinner and shaker motor though.

[ViriiGuy]

I would use the contactors that we all use. We have tried just about everything in the group.. and these are as close to the right noise as you get... and even then.. they are a bit weak.

But DO buy the boards... it is a lot cheaper in the long run.. if you have luck at all like mine. And his Customer Service is second to NONE!

[rockyrocket]

It slopes 3/4 of an inch across the length of the play field. It does look flat though. If I raised the slope more I couldn't put an LED plate in. I could lower the front. I will wait to see how it looks hooked up to the computer. I can also lower the front legs a bit too if i need too.
           Jay

When I first built mine I too had a fairly flat playfield screen, due to PinDMD`s not being around yet and needing to make room for the third screen (only have 32" playfield).
However I was never at all happy with the playfield angle, so much so that after living with it for 3 years rebuilt it just to correct this angle.
Buying a real dmd and ditching the third screen made room for the angle change.
The feel of the cab now is much better.

[jaharr01]

It slopes 3/4 of an inch across the length of the play field. It does look flat though. If I raised the slope more I couldn't put an LED plate in. I could lower the front. I will wait to see how it looks hooked up to the computer. I can also lower the front legs a bit too if i need too.
           Jay

When I first built mine I too had a fairly flat playfield screen, due to PinDMD`s not being around yet and needing to make room for the third screen (only have 32" playfield).
However I was never at all happy with the playfield angle, so much so that after living with it for 3 years rebuilt it just to correct this angle.
Buying a real dmd and ditching the third screen made room for the angle change.
The feel of the cab now is much better.

So what would you recommend? the playfield slope is like 1.5 degrees( I think). The DMD is not in the way so the only way to lower it is drop the front of the play field down. it is now 3/4 of an inch pitch from front to back. Should I make it the same angle as the cab on top.That would be the easiest way? that would make the distance of between the glass and the playfield all even.

[PL1]

IIRC, many pinball playfields are inclined around 5 or 6 degrees.


Scott

[jaharr01]

I got my proof from Brad. That guy has some MAD skills. I think it looks great.
Jay

[rockyrocket]

In reference to the playfield slope, I will measure mine but I say try to get the maximum available.
Maybe dropping the front panel as close to the coin door is an option.

But realistically don`t take the word of some random bloke on a forum, fire up a game and place your screen on a table and try some angles until you are happy.

As a reference this Vpcabs build has a 29" playfield and a good amount of slope.

[brihyn]

I'm doing a lot of mental planning right now with hopes of starting my pin this fall. I'm hoping your great build can give me a bit of an idea on the one area i'm struggling with...
Can you take a closeup of the back side of the playfield...i want to get ideas on how to hide the back edge metal bezel.

[lamprey]

In reference to the playfield slope, I will measure mine but I say try to get the maximum available.
Maybe dropping the front panel as close to the coin door is an option.

I guess it depends on what you are going for. My suggestion would be to model it after a real pinball machine and scale it to fix your actual size. I modeled mine after a full-size wide body cab. I'd have to look, but I seem to recall the drop from back to front being 175-200mm. In my opinion if you do some odd angle it just looks, well, odd.

 

[jaharr01]

Alright screw it,   the more I look at the thing the more it bugs me. I think i'm going to make the angle to the play field equal to the angle on the top of the cabinet. I think it will look much better. I will eliminate that set of 3 flashers I was going to put behind the play field.
Jay

[ViriiGuy]

With my 39" LCD, It is flush to the glass at the bottom. Well.. Almost flush. And 5 inches from the glass at the back.
This is pretty much the same angle as my Addams Family Pinball Table's playfield, next to it. And it looks great this way.
In your cabinet, being a regular pin cab.. I would suggest .5 inches from the glass at the front.. and 4-4.5 inches from the glass in the back.

[Martijn]

Wiring  pff, I spend more time on the wiring then on the woodworking.

And I spend more time on the software then the wiring. 

[jaharr01]

***Update***
         The purple braces in the last post got scrapped. I started looking at my play field and turned on the TV (play field) and it was too flat. you couldn't see it very well it looked a little washed. So I removed the braces for the play field and made them even with the angle of the cabinet. the image looked much better, not washed out. So i made some braces for the glass to sit on and painted them black because the purple was too light. I doubt if I will paint them purple because there is only 3/4 of an inch between the play field and the glass. You probably wouldn't see the purple. I also drilled the holes for the front 3 green LEDs and a big red launch ball button. I also put a button on the bottom to use as a power on and off button. I cut the hole for the fused switch in the back. As far as building all I have left is a sliding board connected to the back access door to get easy access to the computer.
         I sort of built this somewhat backwards. most people, I would think put the computer together before they build the cabinet.I guess to make sure they can set it all up with 3 screens and all. I'm sure I will figure it out.I will buy a computer probably in about a week most likely.I'm going to move the cabinet in my house tomorrow because my garage is about 150 degrees right now and there is no major fabrication left. Here is some pics

[jaharr01]

More pictures:

[ChanceKJ]

Yeah, that looks way better. Good call. Having the display parallel to the sides in slope was a win.

...makes me really want to build a pin one day.

[jaharr01]

Yeah I believe it was to. Yeah I'm gonna have to start using my DSLR, those I phone pictures are horrible.

jay

[Superfrog]

Wiring  pff, I spend more time on the wiring then on the woodworking.

And I spend more time on the software then the wiring. 

  I had the same with my pinball build 

Woodwork was just relaxing time compare the software time 
Install, setup, tweaking , problem shooting 

It cost me so much time, that it holds me back to install more games 

[njay]

Nice work my friend...

I added a nice dmd box to my mini pin and also a real plasma dmd

I will update my thread again when i get the extended art work for the cab...

I would suggest also going the contactor route

my backbox



And my pin on tweakers tv without the dmd box

Hope you are getting some more inspiration

[Martijn]

Wiring  pff, I spend more time on the wiring then on the woodworking.

And I spend more time on the software then the wiring. 

  I had the same with my pinball build 

Woodwork was just relaxing time compare the software time 
Install, setup, tweaking , problem shooting 

It cost me so much time, that it holds me back to install more games 

Lol, some tables are just like installing windows xp with hardware that don't have any drivers, and you have to grind topics for some info.
Walking back and forth from pc to the cab , I done many miles 

[mike boss]

These VP machines blow me away, this is no exception.
Awesome work and great theme. Love the colors.
I'd love something like this but it would never happen. I'd have no means to start such a project.

[jaharr01]

These VP machines blow me away, this is no exception.
Awesome work and great theme. Love the colors.
I'd love something like this but it would never happen. I'd have no means to start such a project.

There are cheap alternatives to do one. I already had the TV (playfield) and the DMD screen. I bought the 24 monitor for the backglass. As far as the computer you can get by with like a 2006-2007 computer with a decent video card. Its all the bells and whistles that make one expensive. contactors, analog plungers, nudge led wiz and etc.

Jay

[jaharr01]

Wiring  pff, I spend more time on the wiring then on the woodworking.

And I spend more time on the software then the wiring. 

  I had the same with my pinball build 

Woodwork was just relaxing time compare the software time 

Install, setup, tweaking , problem shooting 



It cost me so much time, that it holds me back to install more games 

Lol, some tables are just like installing windows xp with hardware that don't have any drivers, and you have to grind topics for some info.
Walking back and forth from pc to the cab , I done many miles 

I am really dreading that part. I'm bad about starting a new project before I get the software runny correctly. But I'll finish this one.

[mike boss]

I realize you had some of the goodies used, do you have a running tally of the project costs ?
Also I know people sell Hard Drive images with HyperSpin on them. All the emulators, bells and whistles, all ready to go.
Does such a thing exist for this VP type set up ? Just curious

[jaharr01]

If they do I'll buy it. The big expense for me will be the computer. Prob $600 Then all the other stuff LED wiz boards and etc. Will prob be as much. I don't keep a running total I prob would make myself sick.A big expense in any arcade build seems like the little things wood, glue, tools,sandpaper,paint, and etc. I just buy A little at a time,my wife still thinks i spend way too much. On the other hand look what you have when your done. If you bought one completely customized it would be probably $3500 to $4500. Mike I saw you have some nice cabs yourself. It looked like 3 or 4 nice Nintendo cabs. I'm jealous. BTW there is a thread on Vpin forum for an $800 budget build.

jay

[mike boss]

I love the look of the classic pinball machines, the old Spider-Man and the old Hulk machine. Are they called boxhead or wedge head machines ? Anyway, I dont want to take away from this. This project is amazing! My wife would like a pinball machine and me liking "machines that play multiples" something like this would be AWESOME!
Personally I have no room, skills, or time to do such a project. I can only dream.

I do have 4 Nintendo machines, Mario Bros MAME, Popeye 138-in-1 Jamma, DK with a 60-in-1 and DK JR with MAME. On average I'm into the machines for between $350-400 each.

I'll look for that thread you mentioned, I'd be very interested to see. Perhaps one day I'll find a nice gutted classic. I'm not scared of the hard work, its fabricating stuff that I'm no good at.

[jaharr01]

My skills are mediocre compared to some on this board.

[ChanceKJ]

My skills are mediocre compared to some on this board.

I know exactly how you feel. Some CRAZY builds coming out of this place. It's too bad we didn't have a visual index in the wiki split up by cab type with a small thumbnail image and links to every major build thread. With the age of the forum it would be one hell of a task, but so cool to see everything in one place.

[PL1]

It's too bad we didn't have a visual index in the wiki split up by cab type with a small thumbnail image and links to every major build thread. With the age of the forum it would be one hell of a task, but so cool to see everything in one place.

You mean like this?  (Not just that page, but the series of other page links at the top)

The framework is already created.

Adding a build is really easy -- just copy/paste the code from one of the existing entries, edit the text/links/image name, and upload the image. 
(Please ask permission if you're using someone else's pics so the wiki doesn't run afoul of anyone's copyright.)

BTW, just noticed that there are currently no pincabs in there . . . hint, hint.   


Scott

[jaharr01]

Nice work my friend...

I added a nice dmd box to my mini pin and also a real plasma dmd

I will update my thread again when i get the extended art work for the cab...

I would suggest also going the contactor route

my backbox



And my pin on tweakers tv without the dmd box

Hope you are getting some more inspiration

Your pin is awesome.Your a you tube star now. Where are you from?

[ChanceKJ]

It's too bad we didn't have a visual index in the wiki split up by cab type with a small thumbnail image and links to every major build thread. With the age of the forum it would be one hell of a task, but so cool to see everything in one place.

You mean like this?  (Not just that page, but the series of other page links at the top)...

Wtf!? How did I not see that?  I need to get my eyes checked.

...ugh    thanks Scott.

Looks like I have some work to do now.

[jaharr01]

My skills are mediocre compared to some on this board.

I know exactly how you feel. Some CRAZY builds coming out of this place. It's too bad we didn't have a visual index in the wiki split up by cab type with a small thumbnail image and links to every major build thread. With the age of the forum it would be one hell of a task, but so cool to see everything in one place.

You know Chance I have only been hanging out here for a while but I feel like since I have been around the bar has increased. when I look back before I used this forum my builds were crappy. It seems like anything you need to know about the subject in general is here. I think posting your cab for the whole world to see makes you step it up a notch which is good. This forum has taught me a lot about building.

[PL1]

Wtf!? How did I not see that?  I need to get my eyes checked.

...ugh    thanks Scott.

Looks like I have some work to do now.

Don't feel bad.  The wiki structure sometimes makes it hard to find stuff like that unless you know the right keywords or follow a certain path of not-always-obvious links.

LMK if you want a wiki login -- that goes for everyone, the more the merrier.   


Scott

[njay]

I am from the netherlands !

If you need any help with things let me know..

The development of visual pinball is going a lot better now with Direct X 9 support

VP10 will be all awesome ... so keep in mind when doing the software part to get all updated tables etc.
Also for the ledwiz if you experience stutter there are some fixes available

[ChanceKJ]

Ya know Scott, that's the third time you've asked me that.

I'm already addicted to this forum, the wiki might kill too many hours of sleep

My skills are mediocre compared to some on this board.

I know exactly how you feel. Some CRAZY builds coming out of this place. It's too bad we didn't have a visual index in the wiki split up by cab type with a small thumbnail image and links to every major build thread. With the age of the forum it would be one hell of a task, but so cool to see everything in one place.

You know Chance I have only been hanging out here for a while but I feel like since I have been around the bar has increased. when I look back before I used this forum my builds were crappy. It seems like anything you need to know about the subject in general is here. I think posting your cab for the whole world to see makes you step it up a notch which is good. This forum has taught me a lot about building.

I'd agree to that. I remember spending HOURS just looking for cool builds here. Trying to figure out what ideas I could steal or warp into something that I liked so much it became obsessive in a way. I think a big thing is the details in education. Sometimes I come to a part in my build that's just a challenge because it's steps have been skipped in most other builds, simple things like a solid paint process, or how to mount those imbedded castors properly. I'd like to think as I hit one of those, I'll take extra care to document the steps I think will solve the problem for others when they run into it themselves. Take my thread on modifying IL buttons with RGBs. It's been done, but I felt we just needed a more detailed step by step. In a way you could argue that by doing it I'm taking out some of the technical problem solving fun, but by doing it I'm hoping to add solutions that give ease of access to people who want to build in some cool features, but don't understand and get scared off. This is the real way I hope to give something back. It's nothing compared to the walking dictionary of Scott, the insane knowledge base on ol'skool gaming like Randy, or the creative finished product vision Neph has. And at the end of the day, I've got a kick ass wooden box with lights that plays Donkey Kong!

[jaharr01]

You are like me I think. You like to build it more than to play it. I think it is the satisfaction you know you will get (and me too) when you walk by it in your house and you look at it finished and you say wow I built that with my own 2 hands.

Jay