Author Topic: BYO...Pinball? (Read 4032 times)

rohan · « **on:** October 09, 2005, 07:04:41 pm »

I didn't know people did this...pretty cool.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AREA-51-WILLIAMS-CUSTOM-PINBALL-MACHINE_W0QQitemZ6215571916QQcategoryZ13725QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Stingray · « **Reply #1 on:** October 10, 2005, 10:46:32 am »

Is it just a Space Mission with custom artwork or is there more to it than that?

-S

ChadTower · « **Reply #2 on:** October 10, 2005, 10:54:58 am »

Looks rethemed. They probably had a trashed Space Mission and decided to give it new artwork rather than part it out.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #3 on:** October 10, 2005, 03:15:01 pm »

I have a Space Mission, but for some reason, this one looks boring compared to the real one.

ChadTower · « **Reply #4 on:** October 10, 2005, 06:42:20 pm »

The art does look kind of lifeless and generic.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #5 on:** October 10, 2005, 08:57:33 pm »

And all the lights are gone

ChadTower · « **Reply #6 on:** October 10, 2005, 09:02:49 pm »

Ooh, yeah, that sucks.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #7 on:** October 21, 2005, 11:59:40 am »

If you were to use a PC to control it and for scoring, I don't think it would be that hard to build your own pinball. The only major problem would be the backglass.

ChadTower · « **Reply #8 on:** October 21, 2005, 12:10:03 pm »

Sure it would be, you'd still have to design a solenoid controller board... there just aren't enough signal lines on a serial/parallel/usb port with much voltage on them.

You'd probably still need a normal solenoid driver board, but rather than having the controls come to the driver from the MPU via a couple of PIA chips, you'd be doing it from your PC via a couple of PIA chips.

(I didn't realize I knew that much, guess I'm learning more than I thought)

AmericanDemon · « **Reply #9 on:** October 21, 2005, 12:20:04 pm »

So Chad, it would be feasible then to take a non working pinball and then interface the solenoid control board from it to a PC? Allowing us to i\open another chapter of BYOAC?

RayB · « **Reply #10 on:** October 21, 2005, 12:29:19 pm »

Chad, couldn't you just rely on solenoids that don't require controlling? For example, a kicker could automatically activate when the ball closes a circuit. Like how bumpers work. The power would go through the switch, closing the circuit, sending power to the solenoid, thus activating it.

Or do those suckers use more power than the switches are rated for?

ChadTower · « **Reply #11 on:** October 21, 2005, 12:39:03 pm »

Quote from: RayB on October 21, 2005, 12:29:19 pm

Chad, couldn't you just rely on solenoids that don't require controlling? For example, a kicker could automatically activate when the ball closes a circuit. Like how bumpers work. The power would go through the switch, closing the circuit, sending power to the solenoid, thus activating it.

Or do those suckers use more power than the switches are rated for?

Switches don't use voltage, they turn it on or off while the switch is closed (for a normally open switch at least, invert that for a normally closed switch).

RayB · « **Reply #12 on:** October 21, 2005, 02:08:09 pm »

OK picture this... 50v going to a NO switch. The NO switch is wired to that when it closes, the 50v reaches the solenoid, thus causing it to activate. No controller necessary. Easy way to make your own pin. Only problem is no scoring awarded for those kinds of circuits.

ChadTower · « **Reply #13 on:** October 21, 2005, 02:16:36 pm »

Like this.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2005, 03:11:54 pm »

I was thinking of hooking up a keywiz or Ipac to all playfield switches and make a little VB prog to keep score

ChadTower · « **Reply #15 on:** October 21, 2005, 03:14:57 pm »

I suspect keeping score through the keyboard isn't a terribly efficient way to do it.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #16 on:** October 21, 2005, 05:13:06 pm »

but easy.

TheOtherBob · « **Reply #17 on:** October 21, 2005, 06:39:41 pm »

As RayB pointed out. You don't actually need the transistor to fire the solenoid. You just wire the 50v (or whatever voltage you use) right into the solenoid and have the switch feed it when it closes. You just need to put your switch in a place where the ball can close it.

A Gottlieb system 1 driver board didn't have very many solenoids it could control. Often, they'd just wire the slings and pop bumpers directly to the 25v and let the switch handle it. Those were tungsten switches. Not the low power gold ones. Then they'd have a regular cpu read switch in a place where it would get closed by the action of the solenoid and that would give you "points".

It seems like you're talking more about cpu controlled solenoids. Where the cpu itself can fire the coil. In that case you'd need transistors and fun stuff like that. You don't actually need this for a simple pin. CPU controlled solenoids do help for troubleshooting purposes and reliability issues.

ChadTower · « **Reply #18 on:** October 22, 2005, 08:18:12 am »

Quote from: TheOtherBob on October 21, 2005, 06:39:41 pm

It seems like you're talking more about cpu controlled solenoids. Where the cpu itself can fire the coil. In that case you'd need transistors and fun stuff like that. You don't actually need this for a simple pin. CPU controlled solenoids do help for troubleshooting purposes and reliability issues.

Well, if you going to go ahead and build your own, why limit it to no scoring and 30 year old technology?

RayB · « **Reply #19 on:** October 22, 2005, 11:29:58 am »

Quote from: ChadTower on October 22, 2005, 08:18:12 am

Well, if you going to go ahead and build your own, why limit it to no scoring and 30 year old technology?

Baby steps.

ChadTower · « **Reply #20 on:** October 22, 2005, 01:28:38 pm »

Ask anyone that knows me IRL, not my style.

TheOtherBob · « **Reply #21 on:** October 22, 2005, 08:43:22 pm »

Quote from: RayB on October 22, 2005, 11:29:58 am

Quote from: ChadTower on October 22, 2005, 08:18:12 am
Well, if you going to go ahead and build your own, why limit it to no scoring and 30 year old technology?

Baby step.

Exactly....


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