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New pinball table build: PIN-o-RAMA - 40/28/12
elfman12:
That makes sense. I was thinking about putting a couple of small fans on the bottom for intake, and not use a grill. But then I remembered how curious my cat is... haha.
elfman12:
Well, I'm getting there. Finished up several little things and a few big ones.
First, I got the coin door routed and fit in the front panel. Then managed to get her standing on her own four feet! I did a few checks with the PC case on the shelf, and the subwoofer in it's place.
I attached the backglass bottom piece to the plate on the main body, using 4 bolts, 8 washers, 4 lockwashers and 4 nuts. They are pretty hefty and should hold the whole assembly pretty tight.
It's looking like a pinball machine now! WooHoo!!! :)
I still want to figure out the BEST distance from the glass to put the playfield LCD... I would like it to be about 1.5" near the backglass, and 2" near the player. I think that would give a cool 3D look with the depth and reflections, but I'm not totally convinced. Any opinions?
elfman12:
Ok, I lopped the metal tabs off of the edges of the frame on the playfield monitor. Burned through a couple of heavy duty cut off wheels on the dremel, but it worked.
I put a couple of temporary braces inside the cab (rear) to hold the monitor as I tested it. I let the front rest on the sub woofer, and would adjust it there for optimal height. I'll make better bracing when I nail down the final location.
Right now, as you can see in the last pic, I have about 1-1/4" from the screen to the glass height in the back, and about 2-3/4" in the front. This just seemed to feel right as I stood at it, but I'll be able to get a better feel when I hook it up and test I guess.
Question: What's YOUR opinion on that slope? Will it help with the viewing angle of the LCD? Does it create a good illusion of depth, or does it hurt it? What are the slope measurements in your cab?
Thanks so much for any advice!!!
elfman12:
Ok, I finished a few things on the front panel (buttons, ball launcher) and mounted the backglass and DMD monitors. I made a last minute decision and went with a Hannspree 28" for the backglass instead of the 26" I had originally thought I'd use. It just fits the space better and gives a fuller look to the backboard.
They were VERY tight in there and I had to remove the top board to slide the top monitor in, but it works great when they are mounted. I'm going to have to figure out a way to have the top board remain easy to remove just in case I need to get in and work on the monitors... maybe something with latches on the inside?
The funnest thing though was hooking up the PC to all monitors and getting a quick play/eye line test on this rig! I have made the playfield monitor parallel with the 6.5degree slope of the side, and it works better than I thought it would. No viewing angel problems at all. I still have to get pinmame and vpinball setup to run all 3 LCD's, but I'll worry about that when I'm ready to finalize things. (because if I do it now, I'll start playing the cab and will NEVER finish building it! haha)
Next step - strip it back down to bare (assembled) wood, then spackle the screw holes, sand and primer.
Just keeping this thing updated. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear 'em!
Kurt:
Comming along, what are the blue things at the bottom left and right? nudge with your legs ???