Support NeoGAF

[Chairman Tickles]

The gap isn't as big as it looks. In fact LR flipper buttons are 1 inch from bottom of monitor. It's just a 32 inch display, recall.

Unless you configure the tables to crop the sticker area behind them.

Bingo.

But the stickers are a part of the design.

Not when you can't read them. They don't look good enough at 1080p. They actually ruin the illusion the most. All accounted for.

As for why beyond this, so I can put an aluminum bezel there I can lean against with my hands and for ease of button placement and also so people don't stand right over the glass spitting and drooling on it. This is why the monitor angle is more extreme than usual, it accounts for this POV. Also so I can put a beer there.

This one has a thick front bezel:

Also if I had left the front stubby then the whole thing would look too chubby, recall it's a small body on very long legs.

 

[Scopa]

I wish I didn’t have so much going on right now. You’ve inspired me to start my pinball build.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I just realized the photos are misleading in terms of scale, the gap at the front is literally as wide as my hand. I'll put something next to it for scale next time, perhaps myself.

Scopa I hope you do start a build. A jig saw is a must but it takes some effort to learn to use properly, I went from cutting like a child to very straight level cuts.

As is a sheltered work area. You need that. Also a drill of course and some sand paper. I use an electric sander.

Forget about doing it inside I wish somebody had told me to buy a sawdust mask, my lungs are full of wood. Luckily the mess is outside in the shed.

I'm using 16mm and 8mm thick mdf. It has led to a heavy cabinet but a very strong one.

P.S here's the so called 'gap' to scale.

Any smaller and the buttons/encoder would not fit with all the wiring required (doubled in quantity due to using leds).

 

[Scopa]

I just realized the photos are misleading in terms of scale, the gap at the front is literally as wide as my hand. I'll put something next to it for scale next time, perhaps myself.

Scopa I hope you do start a build. A jig saw is a must but it takes some effort to learn to use properly, I went from cutting like a child to very straight level cuts.

As is a sheltered work area. You need that. Also a drill of course and some sand paper. I use an electric sander.

Forget about doing it inside I wish somebody had told me to buy a sawdust mask, my lungs are full of wood. Luckily the mess is outside in the shed.

I’ve got all the tools already. I have built a MAME cabinet previously. I got pretty good with the jigsaw as I had to cut curvatures in my side panels.

I have planned to do a pinball build next for a long time as well as a driving cab build. I just put them on hold because life and busyness. But, you are giving me the itch again something fierce.

PSA: MDF is not wood. It is a combination of glue, formaldehyde and other nasty shit. It is VERY bad to breathe in too much of it. The MDF dust gets everywhere. Make sure you buy yourself a quality mask.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I’ve got all the tools already. I have built a MAME cabinet previously. I got pretty good with the jigsaw as I had to cut curvatures in my side panels.

I have planned to do a pinball build next for a long time as well as a driving cab build. I just put them on hold because life and busyness. But, you are giving me the itch again something fierce.

PSA: MDF is not wood. It is a combination of glue, formaldehyde and other nasty shit. It is VERY bad to breathe in too much of it. The MDF dust gets everywhere. Make sure you buy yourself a quality mask.

Oh I know. I wore a mask all day today. It is mostly comprised of wood pulp. But they do utilize chemicals when compressing them into fibre boards.

Sounds like you know what you're doing. I'd also build a driving cab but I sold my wheel. Maybe it is time to revitalize the old racing enthusiast in me and build that too. I tried a wheel with VR and it just made me sick. A static cabinet with a screen would be nicer. Nah that reminds me I'd rather a flying simulator, specifically for space sims such as elite dangerous. I have an X55 HOTAS maybe it is time it found a home. Also tried that in VR but the resolution is too low and it really shows in flight sims.

 

[Scopa]

Oh I know. I wore a mask all day today.

Sounds like you know what you're doing. I'd also build a driving cab but I sold my wheel. Maybe it is time to revitalize the old racing enthusiast in me and build that too. I tried a wheel with VR and it just made me sick. A static cabinet with a screen would be nicer. Nah that reminds me I'd rather a flying simulator, specifically for space sims such as elite dangerous. I have an X55 HOTAS maybe it is time it found a home. Also tried that in VR but the resolution is too low and it really shows in flight sims.

I can’t wait to build one. Then I’ll work my way up to one of these.



Lol.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Nah this is the kind of cockpit I want;



But simpler and tailored for space sims such as star citizen or elite. I just want that surround sound display effect inside a cubicle basically with maybe 2 degrees of freedom.

 

[Shmunter]

I can’t wait to build one. Then I’ll work my way up to one of these.



Lol.

Lol, what the F is that?

Is the car pulling wheelies?

 

[Scopa]

Lol, what the F is that?

Is the car pulling wheelies?

It’s to simulate g-forces.

 

[Shmunter]

It’s to simulate g-forces.

Of a Roller Coaster? Needs inbuilt bucket.

 

[Scopa]

Of a Roller Coaster? Needs inbuilt bucket.

When you brake, it goes down in front. Accelerate and it goes up in front. Etc.

Lol, does look pretty gnarly. I’d like to try it though.

 

[Shmunter]

When you brake, it goes down in front. Accelerate and it goes up in front. Etc.

Lol, does look pretty gnarly. I’d like to try it though.

Totally

 

[Chairman Tickles]

A new Mr Tickles innovation of sorts; I've decided to place the playfield monitor and glass on a sponge. Thus a floating playfield in the vertical axis. Sponge keeps its form 100% at any level of compression. The main screen will thus shake (safely without damaging it) when subs or future solenoids / shakers kick in vertically. Horizontally the cabinet will rumble without screwing with the playfield too much.

Yes I know sponge is flammable, but it takes an open flame to set it off. Like, don't even worry man. It also degrades but that takes years. Easy to replace.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Pinbaby Build Day 3:

Finished the detachable back glass canopy.

After 4 bottles of black spray paint, and one bottle of silver. Still very wet:

Still wet but dry enough to install buttons, note that plunger button should be big and yellow, still waiting on that in the mail. Still room for a coin slot - I can cut that space easily later on.

Inside controls compartment; not much room to work with once the wires go in. There will be 4 wires per button leading off to encoder and molex psu, or 32 all up:

Things to improve: it is not possible to get the cabinet edges looking perfect, without some kind of bezel to hide them. I will look into that, perhaps some kind of metallic tape with strong adhesive.

to do on Day 4: Installation of hardware.

 

[Scopa]

Things to improve: it is not possible to get the cabinet edges looking perfect, without some kind of bezel to hide them. I will look into that, perhaps some kind of metallic tape with strong adhesive.

I’ve only built arcade cabs. Can you route a groove and use t-molding on your edges or does that look bork on a pinball? Maybe some stainless steel right angle pieces?

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I’ve only built arcade cabs. Can you route a groove and use t-molding on your edges or does that look bork on a pinball? Maybe some stainless steel right angle pieces?

I used t-molding on my arcade machine too. This is too thin to rout. But it is perfectly square so something like a right angled piece of metal would suffice. I need some think strips of right angled stainless steel or something similar, will hit the hardware store tomorrow. Note sure how to attach it though. Glue....?

 

[Scopa]

I used t-molding on my arcade machine too. This is too thin to rout. But it is perfectly square so something like a right angled piece of metal would suffice. I need some think strips of right angled stainless steel or something similar, will hit the hardware store tomorrow. Note sure how to attach it though. Glue....?

Yeah, something like this from bunnings, but in stainless steel.

Yeah, you could glue it. Or screw it at the ends. You could use double-sided tape, but if it’s too thick, it’ll look poxy.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I'll give it a go. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Day 4:

I integrated the screen and pc into the cabinet, and connected up the buttons. I am going to go out and buy a proper 5.1 sound system, so sound still needs to be integrated.

Day 4 is proving to be the most difficult in terms of progress. I have to get some glass cut, I have to set up the frontend, I have to install sound system and also fix the edges by putting on some nice metal bezels and also need one on front for the hands to rest on.

BUT

I'm too distracted by the cabinet, I spent 2 hours just playing pinball. It's awesome even in its unfinished state. Help, can't stop playing.

Wiring:

Cabinet with screens (no glass or bezels)

 

[Scopa]

Why do you need 5.1 speaker system. Surely 2.1 would suffice?

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Why do you need 5.1 speaker system. Surely 2.1 would suffice?

I thought so too until I tried a 2.1 pc speaker system. I want the cabinet to shake dammit and I want more variation from the ball and bumpers. 100W and 2.1 ain't enough.

Slight change of plans. I had an old but excellent home theater surround sound system lying around in storage. Complete with optical sound in (my pc has optical connector). It produces over 1200W of good vibes. Alongside the huge subwoofer, receiver box and large speakers, there is no more room in cabinet for PC. Well, no problem whatsoever. The PC can stay out underneath the cabinet.

Dis thing gonna go BOOM in a good way, or catch fire. We'll see.

 

[Scopa]

I had an arcade cab start smoking once and it was a speaker, lol.

 

[nkarafo]

Backglass seems off from that picture. It's vertically stretched and the DMD is slapped on the artwork and covers a part of it. Why not something like this?

Sure, this backglass doesn't have a bezel around the DMD but a generic fake bezel like this is better than stretching the artwork vertically and covering it with the DMD.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Backglass seems off from that picture. It's vertically stretched and the DMD is slapped on the artwork and covers a part of it. Why not something like this?

Sure, this backglass doesn't have a bezel around the DMD but a generic fake bezel like this is better than stretching the artwork vertically and covering it with the DMD.

Sure I had it like that, somewhere during messing about I hid the speaker grill. Every backglass is adjustable, I'll go with that one as you suggest.

I'm not too worried about that yet, I lost my damn speaker wires and now until I find them the whole thing is on hold. No sound no fun.

 

[Scopa]

You’re killing me Tickles. Seriously. I just don’t have the time to commit right now, but this project is making me funny in the pants. I can’t wait to get started now.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Funny in the pants you say...

It's making me frustrated. Have to drill more holes, cut glass, make my own speaker wires (because ebay wants $10 per wire or $4 and 2 months of waiting from China.)

Ugh.

I just want to play pinball.

 

[Scopa]

Funny in the pants you say...

It's making me frustrated. Have to drill more holes, cut glass, make my own speaker wires (because ebay wants $10 per wire or $4 and 2 months of waiting from China.)

Ugh.

I just want to play pinball.

Get speaker wire from Jaycar. Pay a plastics or glass shop to cut it for you if you cbf. I got my plastic cut because I had no experience with it and didn’t want to fuck it up. Especially the control panel overlay.

 

[Shmunter]

Looking at this and digging deeper into such projects elsewhere, I’m beginning to think $4k for a full sized, pre configured ebay machine may not be such a reach. Vinyl itself costs ~300 clams.

Of course there’s the hobbyists satisfaction that one can’t buy.

 

[Scopa]

Of course there’s the hobbyists satisfaction that one can’t buy.

Yup. Building a MAME cab from start to finish was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. And you can tailor it to suit your needs. I don’t blame people for just buying the finished product though.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I just go the glass supplied AND cut for....$15.

I gave the dude $40 because he even cut his wrist. I can't accept such low prices from tradesman. He was being too generous.

I got 20m of dual core speaker wire for $10 and some appropriate plugs for my receiver for $2.

After it is all done and connected, I will work on those pesky bezels. It's looking like day 5 is the point where 99% of work is finished. Custom art and bezels can wait a little while.

Looking at this and digging deeper into such projects elsewhere, I’m beginning to think $4k for a full sized, pre configured ebay machine may not be such a reach. Vinyl itself costs ~300 clams.

Of course there’s the hobbyists satisfaction that one can’t buy.

Yes, I would probably let go of this machine for $3,000. Means I'd pocket around $2,500. Not a bad weeks work. But I'd also be selling a part of my soul, this thing is custom made and one of a kind. I'd be compelled to make a new and improved one the day I sold this one and right now my body is too sore and my muscles too strained to contemplate working on a new cabinet any time soon.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Glass installed, sound system installed. I assume the back glass will survive the speakers, it is 5mm thick and I left an opening at the top for sound waves to escape to. I'm yet to connect speakers to receiver. Fingers crossed it doesn't all go up in flames.

To do in no particular hurry: bezels, art vinyls, download top 100 tables and configure.

 

[Scopa]

Glass installed, sound system installed. I assume the back glass will survive the speakers, it is 5mm thick and I left an opening at the top for sound waves to escape to. I'm yet to connect speakers to receiver. Fingers crossed it doesn't all go up in flames.

To do in no particular hurry: bezels, art vinyls, download top 100 tables and configure.

How does it play now that it’s pretty much finished? In all honesty, is it worth it? Should I continue with my plans to build one eventually?

Also, upload a video of it running, if you don’t mind.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

How does it play now that it’s pretty much finished? In all honesty, is it worth it? Should I continue with my plans to build one eventually?

Also, upload a video of it running, if you don’t mind.

It plays like freedom.

And that's with just the three back speakers jerry rigged to the receiver and polarities all over the place. The power is insane, and it sounds so crisp. Can't wait for the total experience. I will look for appropriate connectors tomorrow and properly calibrate the sound system. Will upload video when it's damn finished, i,e bezels are on.

The possibilities, so.many.tables.to.choose.from

 

[Scopa]

It plays like freedom.

And that's with just the three back speakers jerry rigged to the receiver and polarities all over the place. The power is insane, and it sounds so crisp. Can't wait for the total experience. I will look for appropriate connectors tomorrow and properly calibrate the sound system. Will upload video when it's damn finished, i,e bezels are on.

The possibilities, so.many.tables.to.choose.from

Lol! Ok, nuff said. So it will be.

 

[nkarafo]

How does it play now that it’s pretty much finished? In all honesty, is it worth it? Should I continue with my plans to build one eventually?

If you set it up correctly it will be so good that you forget it's virtual.

But remember, the sound is very important. This is something that many people take for granted or don't care as much and just use whatever the motherboard gives them. But with a decent sound card and speakers the experience becomes something else. Whenever the ball travels around the table you can feel like there is a real ball underneath. Sure, the graphics in some VPX tables are very realistic but they can't fool you that you are using a real machine since the 2D screen lacks real depth. The sound however can do that. If you close your eyes you can indeed be fooled that you are playing on a real table. And a subwoofer inside the cab gives you exactly the correct amount of subtle force feedback for when you hit the flippers or when the ball hits any surface.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

I just tried with the subwoofer temporarily connected.

Let me tell you the keys to a successful build:

Good quality monitor for playfield. Well placed arcade buttons, i.e flippers. And most importantly...SOUND. It makes 70% of the experience for me. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMWUBWUBWUBWUB. Optical Audio Connection is so damn crisp. I'm tempted to follow nkarafo's advice and install a sound card. I want that crystalizer effect sound cards have. I have a sound blaster xfi titanium lying around somewhere.

 

[nkarafo]

I'm tempted to follow nkarafo's advice and install a sound card. I want that crystalizer effect sound cards have. I have a sound blaster xfi titanium lying around somewhere.

Do yourself a favor and use it.

I assure you, it's not just an audiophile's thing or anything. I had to remove the sound card for a while (an old Audigy lite, it isn't even the best sound card of the time) because it wasn't stably sited on the motherboard. While it was out, it wasn't only me who noticed the difference but everyone else who played with the table before. The first thing i was getting was "why does it sound like that"? They didn't even know i did any change.

There would be no issue for them if i didn't use a sound card in the first place. But when they heard it the first time it's absence was obvious. Motherboard sound is so bad that even an old, cheap sound card from 2002 has better sound than most modern mobos, unless the mobo is made with a good sound chip in mind but i never had one like that to test.

 

[nkarafo]

If you have a 5.1 system i would recommend placing the 2 front speakers underneath the virtual flippers. This way you can hear the flippers and rubber bands from the correct position. Woofer goes in the middle inside the cab and the two back speakers plus the center go to backglass. I would also recommend turning up the volume on the 2 rear speakers a bit because they are a bit more subtle than they need to be, plus the 2 fronts and center will cover them.

Some tables have their sound setup wrong. So you will hear the left flipper from the back speaker or something. This was an issue in Getaway II. But sometimes you can fix that error by placing an updated script file of that table in the same folder (as i did with this particular table).

 

[Chairman Tickles]

If you have a 5.1 system i would recommend placing the 2 front speakers underneath the virtual flippers. This way you can hear the flippers and rubber bands from the correct position. Woofer goes in the middle inside the cab and the two back speakers plus the center go to backglass. I would also recommend turning up the volume on the 2 rear speakers a bit because they are a bit more subtle than they need to be, plus the 2 fronts and center will cover them.

Some tables have their sound setup wrong. So you will hear the left flipper from the back speaker or something. This was an issue in Getaway II. But sometimes you can fix that error by placing an updated script file of that table in the same folder (as i did with this particular table).

Oh already ahead of ya. I have done just that in terms of placement. And thanks for the advice regarding table tuning, they all need screwing around, took me a while to figure out how the volume was changed rom-side for specific brands. As I understand it some tables even came with manual volume knobs so there is no way to change audio without scripting.

 

[Virex]

She's got no clothes, but she's still beautiful. I now have all the parts to get started. Going with 32 inch pc monitor for playfield (ips) and a little 19 inch 4:3 for the backscreen. Is that too small for the back? I don't know.

You posted this on Kiwifarms as well

 

[nkarafo]

Yeah, i would think playing with the volume settings is a simple task but in this project it was a nightmare to me. And it's not only the DMD/backglass sounds like the music and digital sound effects. The hardest part is the physical table sounds like the flippers, the rubbers, etc. For instance, i absolutely love the "whirling" sound the ball does as it travels on the wooden surface. But in some tables you either have no such sound or it's too low. In most cases i had to download a different version of those tables to get those sounds as there was no easy way to increase/decrease specific table sounds. I even tried importing sounds from other tables and that didn't work either.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

You posted this on Kiwifarms as well

Hey fellow kiwi.

Yeah, i would think playing with the volume settings is a simple task but in this project it was a nightmare to me. And it's not only the DMD/backglass sounds like the music and digital sound effects. The hardest part is the physical table sounds like the flippers, the rubbers, etc. For instance, i absolutely love the "whirling" sound the ball does as it travels on the wooden surface. But in some tables you either have no such sound or it's too low. In most cases i had to download a different version of those tables to get those sounds as there was no easy way to increase/decrease specific table sounds. I even tried importing sounds from other tables and that didn't work either.

Yep. It's gonna be a quest finding the perfect table builds that work with the perfect roms that all work properly with current versions of visual pinball, future pinball, etc. Slow and steady keeps frustration at bay.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Actually I signed up to Pinball X gamex program and it just auto installs every table and all possible/compatible artworks, roms, etc.

This was as easy as install, go through wizard and then 'push button'.

I did overlook one thing, I forgot to add a pause game button, which means I can't pause if I'm interrupted in middle of a pinball session. I will have to sneak that button in somewhere.

 

[nkarafo]

Actually I signed up to Pinball X gamex program and it just auto installs every table and all possible/compatible artworks, roms, etc.

This was as easy as install, go through wizard and then 'push button'.

I prefer having one place where i can manually search and test for the best versions available. I don't trust GameX to download whatever version of a table it wants. I also ignore VP9 tables altogether.

This is a good source (Warning: Slow loading)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...WCFge-FLfZDapdqttQ-8l8oX_k/edit#gid=893918012


I too have a paid account on GameX. I used game manager to download assets for PinballX. There are a few issues with that, however:

- 99% of the time the pictures/videos are based on old VP9 tables so they look bad.

- Sometimes you get wrong assets because a name is similar to another table.

- Sometimes you don't get anything. Maybe there is no backglass image for a particular table.

The solution is to use an automated program (google "PBXRecorder") to create your own media assets. The program auto loads all tables in a folder, takes pictures or records videos, closes them and then does the same for the next table automatically. You just sit and watch as it does it's thing. It's slow but much faster than doing it manually yourself.

So i deleted my old assets (except for the wheels and sounds) and re-did all table and backglass assets using this program. But ofc, the tables must be configured and working. Though, even if there are errors, the program closes them and loads the next table. This way you even know what tables have errors before testing them yourself as their table picture has a big error message

I didn't have any issues with the program being stuck in an endless loop as i suspected initially. Works pretty well.

I did overlook one thing, I forgot to add a pause game button, which means I can't pause if I'm interrupted in middle of a pinball session. I will have to sneak that button in somewhere.

Well, you couldn't pause a real machine

 

[Chairman Tickles]

BTW I spoke too soon, PinballX game ex service doesn't actually download roms or do much at all on the emulator side of things. It's just a front end after all. I still have to manually deal with roms and backglasses for each table.

I will download PBX Recorder also. Thanks for that link nkarafo, very handy.

 

[nkarafo]

Yeah, PinballX's game manager is only for downloading the menu assets.

 

[SScorpio]

Pinbaby Build Day 2:

My solution for a detachable back glass. Works better than expected:

Have you thought about using cabinet latches or something else on the sides of the back glass and playfield to help keep it in place?

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Not necessary, it is snug and stable, especially now that I have hung speakers onto it giving it added heft.

I'm in the fun phase of polishing up the front end and testing out tables. I just need those speaker wire receiver connectors. I hate large companies, they make proprietary connectors that are hard to replicate. Cheeky bastards.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Just a minor update, I made a very comfy removable hand rest.