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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : DIY pinball machine in Silicon Chip
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| zeitfest Guru  Joined: 31/07/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 683 |
YESSS !!!! I can see a whole new SIG starting ...  |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5931 |
Nice !! I assume they majority of the hardware is from/for actual pinball machines. Hard to get that operating well and sturdy enough without experience. Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| zeitfest Guru Joined: 31/07/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 683 |
Yes the old machines certainly had to be pretty robust ! Hopefully the DTP is OK. There is an intro on their website. |
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| lucas1298 Newbie  Joined: 15/06/2026 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1 |
I purchased the pcbs and am working through them, hoping to find some other people doing this project! |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5931 |
Hi lucas1298, Looking at the main controller board, I expect plenty of wiring. I have repaired several (Bally) pinball machines, and with individual wiring it is already a maze to find your way. But with the ribbon cables on the SC machine (despite it being a very simple design) prepare for cable spaghetti. Sounds like a nice project, but no, I am not going to build it. But I am very curious about your project, so please publish progress here. Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| zeitfest Guru Joined: 31/07/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 683 |
I wonder if a html display can be used as a baseboard under the pinball play area ? It would be good to use the pinball interface with computer graphics displays.. |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5931 |
zeitfest Yes, that could be done. Problem is all the holes you need through it for the mechanical parts (flipper, bumpers, etc..) Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8911 |
Make the base white (or something) and project the board down onto it? Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| zeitfest Guru Joined: 31/07/2019 Location: AustraliaPosts: 683 |
sounds a good idea  I miss the electro-mechanical side of it - lots of inertia, thuds, noise, sparks, lights flashing, smell of arcs - but that is expensive to build . Somehow sitting and pressing keyboard keys doesn't have the same atmosphere. The wackiest device I saw had a turret [temple god] which would bring back the past few pinballs as it rotated and vomited them back into the current game - fantastic !! Using RC servos and so on could create some new gadgets maybe. To my surprise there is still some slot-car racing hanging on too. I wonder if a small video camera could run in the cars and the driver could see the road FPV ? |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 8911 |
I'm not sure that it has to be *that* expensive. Apart from the cost of a 3D printer to do the clever bits. Mind you, everyone apart from me seems to have one by now. lol You can get cheap solenoids and springs now. Mosfets to drive them are cheaper than relays and a second one can be made to remove current limit during the closing inrush - the control logic to do it is stupidly cheap. Rollovers can be springy wire forming either a traditional contact or a vane switch (so that they are frictionless, last forever and never need adjustment). A SMPS that can handle the solenoids can be tucked away in a corner and you might even spend £10 on it!. I bet you pay more for the programming time to flash the strings of LEDs. :) The most expensive stuff is the case - sheets of acrylic, probably. The base can be the traditional plywood because there's nothing better. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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