Skee-ball Dimensions? and questions on scoring?

[lamboman]

I have seen the threads on the DIY Skee-ball and have decided to start one for myself...however I was wondering if anyone could send me the dimensions of the cabinet / runway and also some idea on the size / shape of the ramp?. On another note I would like to keep this project on a budget and as such how can I do the scoring on a budget?...Dosent have to be anything special just a basic system to keep score?. Thanks.

[bfauska]

Welcome to the forum.

I don't have any dimensions for you, but I have several ideas as to how you could approach the scoring.

1.  Build a control circuit that takes inputs from switches in each score tube to add the apropriate number of points to a readout.  It would take a reasonable amount of electronics understanding, but the parts would likely only be about $30.

2.  If you have a spare computer sitting around, or look for a free old one on Craigslist or similar places, you could hack a keyboard or joystick/game pad to send inputs to a simple program that added points to a running total and displayed it on a monitor or LED readout.

3.  Same old computer, use an encoder from http://www.GroovyGameGear.com, or http://www.ultimarc.com to do the input and a monitor or led readout to display the score.  Still requires some custom software.

4.  Hunt down an old dead skeeball game and steal the electronics out of it.

All those options would need refinement, and I've not done any of them myself, but none would be too difficult.  The cheapest options depend on what you have laying around, and how resourceful you are.

It sounds like a fun project and has sparked some ideas for myself that I'd forgotten I had.  I don't have room for a skeeball machine (but it would be cool) but I once wanted to make a scoring system for a game (sporting) that my friends had invented and think it may be some fun circuitry to learn how to do.  Thanks for the reminder.

Good luck.

[lamboman]

Thanks bfauska, I like your first idea...do you have any other info that you could help me with to make a system like that work?. What parts / switches would be good for something like that and where can they be bought?. Thanks again,



Anyone with the cabinet dimensions?

[bfauska]

Thanks bfauska, I like your first idea...do you have any other info that you could help me with to make a system like that work?. What parts / switches would be good for something like that and where can they be bought?. Thanks again,



Anyone with the cabinet dimensions?

Switches... we don't need no stinking switches.

Oh, yeah, you were probably hoping for a useful answer...  I would suspect that a switch similar to what the coin mechs use.  It's a momentary switch with a wire, if you rigged it so the ball had to push past the wire on it's return path to the hopper it would trigger an input on the circuit.

As far as the scoring circuit itself, I imagine a hybrid version of some digital readout counter project that counts button presses or something, if you had a series of them that increased the readout by a set quantity (corresponding to the ball switch points) and an input that would reset, based on a timer or number of balls that would basically handle it.  It may be a good project for something like a nutchip that DaOldMan has talked about in another thread, or a programmable micro-controller of some sort.  I'm not too well versed in circuitry, just basic electrics.  The switches make sense to me, but the logic control is something I am just now trying to understand myself.

If I come up with anything I'll try to let you know.  Good luck and happy researching.  A search for nutchips, electronics counter projects, and maybe PLCs is where I'd start.

[lamboman]

Thanks for the info...now I have somewhere to start my research. I appreciate your help and if you do find any more info please forward it to me.

Thanks again,

[lamboman]

I still need to find the dimensions of the skee-ball cabinet?...Does anyone have the file from the DIY skee-ball thread?

[bfauska]

Many of those dimensions were in some of the posts by UncleT.  If I remember from reading them correctly, he'd be the best person to hit up for some of this information, have you dropped him a PM yet? 

I also read through the skeeball posts and anything they linked to.  There is a link to a simple counter circuit that could easily be made into the score system, especially if you wired the switches to be 10 points each and the ball passes multiple switches to accumulate higher scores.

The easiest solution though would be to buy a Key-Wiz from RandyT at Groovygamegear.com and then hit him up for the skeeball software he created.

[Virgil Tracy]

I had the same idea once to build one, but I looked at the cost and time involved and purchased a machine when it came up for sale. I had to wait about 9 months but one came along.

[unclet]

Well, I just found this thread myself now .... a little late.  However, I did recently receive a PM from "lamboman" and thus have placed all the dimensions of my Skeeball machine on my site for him ...... just click the skeeball machine picture and then click on the "Photos" link on the bottom:

http://unclet.arcadecontrols.com/

I updated this thread just to help other's out who want to build a Skeeball machine.   

I would personally wait for a machine to become available either through an arcade auction occurring near you or by calling "Amusement Vendors" in your area (or at least in the surrounding area where you would not mind picking a machine up from) and seeing if they will sell you one.   I drove 3 hours North to pick up my machine.   You can find one cheaper than you can build one at an auction and you probably can find one cheaper than you can build one from a vendor as well.   If the vendor does not have one, then make sure to ask for phone numbers of other people they recommend calling.   A lot of time they will give you number's of people whom are not listed in the yellow pages at all. 

A lot of vendors who keep Skeeball machines are upgrading to the newer type machine and would like to get rid of the older style (like I have).  Of course, building one might be the "fun" part for you, so it is all about what you want to get out of this hobby ......

Also, the holiday season is the worst time to buy a Skeeball machine since people will raise their prices a lot thinking they can get extra cash this time of year.