Small Pinball cab (27" / 19" / 7") ***Now NOT named DigiPin***

[swaffar]

Had to get a better heat sink for the CPU... it was running at 60 C.  Now it's in the 45-48 range.










Received my custom lockdown bar!!!  Well worth the $$$  My last name will forever be misspelled.






I still need to cut/paint the coindoor so I can add a coin button and stop pressing 3.










I've gone and done it.... Now this thing will never be properly finished!!!

[Le Chuck]

  Holy smokes that's rad.   

Imma gonna have to bite the bullet on a vpin build one of these days.  Looking great, don't stop now!

[emphatic]

Sweet! 

[Mental]

Really impressive work. I especially like how you've routed out the cabinet sides so the displays are all recessed to the screen edge. Very clean!

Now you just have to pry yourself away from playing and get to the cosmetics!

[swaffar]

Really impressive work. I especially like how you've routed out the cabinet sides so the displays are all recessed to the screen edge. Very clean!

Now you just have to pry yourself away from playing and get to the cosmetics!

Thanks.  Yeah, the visible bezel around the displays is what I like the least about other similar pinball projects.  It's a small thing, but I'm very picky.  Here's a quick video I shot this morning.  I tilted at the end because Nikon 5000's only record five minutes of HD video at a time.    Not that I bought a DSLR for video.

Be sure to watch in HD.

[Pinball Wizard]

Yeah, I now have something to build before college as I need one of these in the dorm room....

[swaffar]

Thanks to everyone that's been following my thread.  I'm sure there are plenty of lurkers here too.  I lurked for years.

Sadly I won't be making any updates for a while.  I'll be spending the next month in Romania.  After that I'll only have a few weeks back in Germany before a month in Florida.  At least that gives me time to make some new side art.

[Minions]

Any updates? It has been the "couple months" you listed as being inactive.

[Woodshop Flunky]

Thanks for the bump!

This thing looks awesome!  I'm so in love with this build. 

[swaffar]

Thanks for the bump!

This thing looks awesome!  I'm so in love with this build. 

Thanks!  I remember following your build as well.  Awesome sideart!

Any updates? It has been the "couple months" you listed as being inactive.

Hi all,

It's been over a year with no updates from me.  I'm sure you all know how things go once you make the mistake of installing an OS and have a handful of tables up and running.  I've had a full year of travel:  Multiple trips to Romania and London, a month in Portugal, a few weeks in Panama and Honduras (for the end of the Mayan calendar), and random European travel.  So of course progress on my project has suffered.  I'll be moving back to the states before the end of the year, so this will likely be the last update until then.

I'm glad I had the time to sleep on my original side art, as I'm not quite sure what I was thinking at first.  I really like the color scheme of BigBangBar, but the semi-transparent digital pincab would be a bit redundant... on the side of a pincab.  IDK, what do you guys think?  I'll likely make new art from scratch.  Also, I think I'll be ditching LEDs and force feedback.

I enjoy the cab just as it is (at least functionally.)  A little glass and some paint/art and this thing will be, more or less, finished.  That said, I may or may not have a PSU, some diodes, and some Seimens contactors for sale.  Not sure yet; I may get back to the states and decide to make a balls-to-the-wall cab.

I'll leave you with this final, tiny (and I mean tiny) update:

I Dremel'ed holes for the coin button and lock. Word of advice: If you plan on cutting metal... never, ever buy a battery-powered Dremel.

[Rick]

Dude, thank you! I never got to see this one last year, and since your triumphant return, I got to say SWEET WORK! It looks AMAZING! Can't wait to see more progress.

[swaffar]

Dude, thank you! I never got to see this one last year, and since your triumphant return, I got to say SWEET WORK! It looks AMAZING! Can't wait to see more progress.

Thanks.  I really need to start replying to the threads of others.  I was following and really liked your project, but I don't have the balls to commit that much time and $$ to a Super Turkey Puncher.  That thing has to weigh a ton.

[Rick]

I was following and really liked your project, but I don't have the balls to commit that much time and $$ to a Super Turkey Puncher.  That thing has to weigh a ton.

Thanks man! Yes, she certainly does. It's both a blessing and a curse. It's heavy as anything when I want to work on her, but once she's done, it'll be too heavy to ever get rid of!

[swaffar]

Almost forgot an updated youtube video of my pincab.  Yeah, I know... there are many others like it, but this one is mine.

[PL1]

Looks good so far -- hope the finishing touches turn out as well as the rest of the build.

there are many others like it, but this one is mine.

Nice Rifleman's Creed reference.   


Scott

[swaffar]

^bump

If you check the very first post, you may notice it's heavily updated.  I've included as complete parts list with link as well as a download link to my google sketchup file if anyone wishes to use it for their build.

[Demon-Seed]

Hey
That looks sweet. How much did it cost? Did you put in bumping? or just use buttons to do that?

Thanks
Jim

[swaffar]

Hey
That looks sweet. How much did it cost? Did you put in bumping? or just use buttons to do that?

Thanks
Jim

I would estimate I've spent $1800.  I have bump buttons, but I also have a MS sidewinder that I'll use for tilting.  Or I might buy one of the new digital plunger (http://virtuapin.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=105) that is self-calibrating, motion sensing, and has wiring for controller input.  That would possibly free up my I-PAC for use on a future arcade cabinet.

[swaffar]

I finally got around to trying out PinballX and I've officially converted.  It runs so much better than HyperPin on my system, and I really like the setup and game manager programs that came with it.  Hell, I even donated to them.

[sharpfork]

I might buy one of the new digital plunger (http://virtuapin.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=105) that is self-calibrating, motion sensing, and has wiring for controller input.  That would possibly free up my I-PAC for use on a future arcade cabinet.

That is a pretty cool option.  Your super cool build has me thinking about a smaller sized vPin as a winter project.  I'm wondering what the main expected value of the VirtuaPin Digital Plunger Kit is.  I get the idea that it is encoder, nudge, and plunger all in one but does it make config easier or anything else?

Also, can you tell us a bit more about your PinballX over HyperPin decision.  I'm a total vPin noob and would like to know more.

[spoot]

I'm wondering what the main expected value of the VirtuaPin Digital Plunger Kit is.  I get the idea that it is encoder, nudge, and plunger all in one but does it make config easier or anything else?

Also, can you tell us a bit more about your PinballX over HyperPin decision.  I'm a total vPin noob and would like to know more.

The Vpin plunger kit is easy to setup....go into vp and set the buttons and check the motion sensor checkbox.

IMHO, PinballX wins over Hyperpin as it's faster, easy setup and the author listens to feedback and adds options quickly for the most part.

[swaffar]

I'm wondering what the main expected value of the VirtuaPin Digital Plunger Kit is.  I get the idea that it is encoder, nudge, and plunger all in one but does it make config easier or anything else?

Also, can you tell us a bit more about your PinballX over HyperPin decision.  I'm a total vPin noob and would like to know more.

The Vpin plunger kit is easy to setup....go into vp and set the buttons and check the motion sensor checkbox.

IMHO, PinballX wins over Hyperpin as it's faster, easy setup and the author listens to feedback and adds options quickly for the most part.

Ditto.

HP gets credit for being the first quality frontend that was make for pincabs, but... I agree with everything spoot just said.

[swaffar]

I'm sure all you pin cab owners out there have already seen/donated to this by now, but there's a Timeshock Pro Pinball kickstarter that's almost up.  They've met their goal and let me just say:  It's nice to see such enthusiasm to include cabinet support!  They've posted a video of real DMD support in action (so I assume they'll also support 3 screens), and they've even sent supporters a 1080p cabinet playfield rendering.  Just amazing.



A little something to whet your whistle...

Here's the rendering sent to supporters.  They explained that the aspect is stretched on the top end to compensate for the viewing angle.




And here's my photoshopped mock-up.

[Rick]

That's some sexy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- right there. Quick question. Is it a standalone app they're building? If so, will it work with a standard front end such as Hyperpin?

[swaffar]

That's some sexy ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- right there. Quick question. Is it a standalone app they're building? If so, will it work with a standard front end such as Hyperpin?

I'm not entirely sure... according to their FAQ:

>Will the game be DRM free?
Yes, if the platform you want the game on permits DRM free distribution, you can receive the game without DRM.

>Will the game be available on STEAM?
We hope so. Pro Pinball: The ULTRA Editions is currently on Greenlight, please vote for us.

I hope it's available on PC standalone as well as steam.  At least that's how I read it.  They seem more than happy to support cabinets and seem to be listening to input from supporters.  I wouldn't be surprised if they supported LEDWiz and force feedback output.  So I suspect they'll design it with frontends in mind.  I can't imagine them going to the trouble of supporting real DMDs... only to not make it frontend compatible.  If/when Pinball Arcade releases a windows version I hope it offers more than just a portrait view.  And I don't play on steam, but I understand you have to be logged in to launch a game???  I wonder if most cabs have internet connectivity... I know I don't.

[swaffar]

Ok so... I tend to update my BYOAC thread, vpforums thread, and (to a lesser extent) facebook in tandem, usually copying and pasting the same update.  I posted a pic of my cab with the Timeshock playfield and a comment about how amazed I am by their eager cab support.  I posted it to the official Pinball Arcade facebook page.  Five minutes later they liked my pic and even replied.  The jpeg you see below was uploaded to my photobucket account as "hope.jpg"

[swaffar]

So I'm in the middle of my move from Germany to Tucson, Arizona.  The movers were scratching their heads when they saw my pinball cabinet.  I told them they could break whatever they wanted, so long as it wasn't this cab.  I should have it back in my hands in the next 6-8 weeks.  We'll see how it survives the move...   

Maybe I can get off ---my bottom--- and come up with a theme I actually like.

[Minions]

Glad to see you are still at it. Can't believe I had not checked this thread in a few months. Good to see some updates!

[yotsuya]

So I'm in the middle of my move from Germany to Tucson, Arizona. 

If you're down in Tucson, you need to come up to Phoenix for ZapCon, the Pinball/Videogame expo, in April.

[blashyrk]

Awsome build, I have finally decided that I want to build a pinball cab. I'm going for a 27"/19"/7" same as yours.
I will be using your cabinet plans, How do you plan on mounting the playfield and backbox plexi/glass?

[Pinfritz]

WOOOW! I'm really impressed....very clean work!!! 

[jacenwon]

Really awesome rig you've got here, man. Have you developed a concept for the cabinet artwork yet?

[swaffar]

Really awesome rig you've got here, man. Have you developed a concept for the cabinet artwork yet?

Thanks!  But to answer your question...

I'm glad you brought that up!  I was going to do an info only update/bump to say that after sleeping on the tentative theme/artwork for over a year, I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger on "DigiPin," and I want something different.  Seriously, who wants a pic of a cab on a cab?!?  And i'm still not 100% happy with the name.  I mean, it's very descriptive, but hell....  The avatar and signature banner have been updated to reflect this decision.  I'm still very much a fan of the artwork for Big Bang Bar.  It's busy (reminds me of your recent sideart) and I like the color palette.



I mainly wanted to throw this project back at the top of the heap because I've noticed pincabs (specifically small ones) have been getting a lot of attention/love/praise lately.  Melon and I were the first to have threads for non-full-sized cabs (I could actually call his a micro) and I'm sure we'll be the last to finish.  It's great to hear all the kind responses to the updates, but inspiring someone to actually build their own is just awesome; especially when it's someone like Martijn.  What an honor.  I think his Street Fighter cab is my favorite on the forum (Mission Control doesn't even count) it's so clean. 

[swaffar]

P.S.  I even started teaching myself AI (Lynda.com) specifically for this project! But life happens and I don't have the time.  I'm a photoshop guy through-n-through.

[Cobrawolf]

Wow. I had been tossing around the idea of doing a pinball unit. I had never thought of doing a full digi-pin setup. I've been focusing my research more on the upright cab as my first build. This changes things a little however, and may call for a parallel build.

I'm literally just catching up on all of the builds here on the site, and just read through all of yours. Awesome, awesome stuff man.

Looking forward to you getting settled in back stateside and re-kindling the work on the unit.

Thanks for serving bud.

-Dave

[Wob]

Hi,

Fantastic work and thread. I am considering kicking off a build myself, since you have been so kind as to supply drawing and so much details I think I'll be using you plans as a starting point. I am not sure my woodworking skills will match up to yours, but going to give it a try. One thing I can't work out is how your lockdown bar is fixed, does it use any underside parts or is it just stuck to the machine?

Thanks,
Beau