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Building TILT detectors for Visual Pinball?
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Pilot143:
what about something that would detect tilts per direction, kind of like an upside down joystick?  have a hanging plumb, with 4 independent grounds... one for each direction.
sofakng:
Visual Pinball uses keys for nudging ('Z' nudges the table from the left, '/' nudges the table from the right, '<spacebar>' nudges the table forward).

As for my particular setup, I'm follow the Project Arcade book (LuSiD's design) so my control panel will be attached directly onto the cabinet.

I know the vibration detector wouldn't work because it doesn't detect directions (eg. it wouldnt know that I want to nudge the table LEFT instead of RIGHT or FOWARD).  The mercury switch idea sounds interesting but I've never used anything even close to that before.

So, can you describe that more in detail, or are there any other solutions to this problem?

I realize I could use more buttons on the side and simply have them nudge the table, but it would add a lot more realism if I could implement physical nudging...
Darkstalker:
"what about something that would detect tilts per direction, kind of like an upside down joystick?  have a hanging plumb, with 4 independent grounds... one for each direction. "

I think some terminology clarification needs to be made.  RayB has it right:  On a real pinball table, you install a plum-bob device (http://www.happcontrols.com/amusement/pinball/95032800.htm) that detects if the table has been shaken or tilted past an acceptable point.  If the plum-bob makes contact and grounds out, the machine tilts the ball and freezes the controls until it reclaims the ball in play.  A nudge is anything less than a tilt.  I appologize that the last section seems really bonehead, but it brings me to my very important next point:  How can you detect the difference between a hard nudge and a tilt?  How can you tell between a hard or soft nudge for that matter?

Maybe I'm being overcomplicated or anal-retentive about it but it seems like a really hard, if not impossible, thing to emulate properly.
Darkstalker:
Snuck your post in before mine...heh

"I realize I could use more buttons on the side and simply have them nudge the table, but it would add a lot more realism if I could implement physical nudging..."

Being realistic, if you have a full 100+ pound solid MAME cabinet you're not going to be doing much, if any, shaking of the cabinet.  I think nudge buttons would be the best way to go, and setup VP so if nudge buttons are pressed 'X' times within a 'Y' time period it triggers a tilt.

You could put multiple vibration detectors on the cabinet, and knock on one side or the other to get a nudge, but you could get "bleed" to another detector.  Mercury switches detect tilt, and like I said before I doubt you'll get enough movement from a MAME cabinet for them work properly.

Besides, do you really want to promote people beating the snot out of your MAME cabinet by giving an excuse/purpose for it?
Xiaou2:

 The tilt bob works almost like what is needed to detect nudges.   The tilt bob is sensative adjustable by changing where the weight is in relation to the outer sensor ring... so that it takes move travel to touch the connection edges.

 You could probably make a second tilt bob that has 3 seperate edges for detection - and then adjust the sensativity so that its more sensative than the tilt bob.

 I think there another method as well... by using a slam tilt switch idea - which is usually seen on coin doors.  Basically a leaf switch that has a metal weight on one end.  The larger the weight - the easier it will be to nudge it to make contact.  
 
 Youll need to place the nudge and tilt sensors on the appropriate cabnet sides to get the best sensing.  Im not sure how much effort it will take to shake up a cab - but a have seen some people really rock some ms pacman cabs quite hard with only the joystick.

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