Hi all For a few weeks now I've building up a collection and making plans for 28" and 50" Virtual Pinballs with 4K playfields with 2 and 3 monitors. (additional monitors backglass score and DMD.) I've got a 4K 28" to get me started with a 10" Lenovo tablet using twomon USB Air for a wireless second screen while I build up my table collection and configure everything. I've also got a Razer Atrox Xbox One fight stick and have proceeded to mod it with extra switches and mercury tilt switches. Using my overkill SLI GTX 1080 water cooled PC with Rampage IV Black, Intel 4960X and I will probably build the tables with external PC connectivity to keep the vpins small and more portable. Got joy to key working to access a couple more buttons on the Atrox which doesn't present all buttons in Windows 10 in game mode. (left and right trigger buttons don't work but everything else does) Anyway enough of the talk here's the test bed and parts ready to go.... Test Bed Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Quick game video Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Timber frame and aluminium for legs Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Panels Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Spades, wiring, heatshrink, buttons, micro switches, mercury switches.. Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Flipper buttons done... lots more to do.. Did I mention how much fun these are! Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball X video (front end table selection) Untitled by Hilton, on Flickr
Here's the progress on the cabinet construction. Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Monitor rails in. Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Test fitting Monitor Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Finished for the day - time for a test of the table angle Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr A quick video Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr
that's pretty cool! how "3D" does it look in person? have you considered hooking up do-nothing solenoids to the side buttons for haptic feedback? any temptation to add a joystick (retractable maybe) so you can play vertical screen shooters too?
Brilliant work. I've wanted to make one of these for a while now. Real pinball machines are awesome, but I've seen the upkeep on them, and it looks pretty full on. Got a video of it in action?
Hi There's a few videos in the flickr album - click on the images below to go to flickr and look at the videos. This is the front end table program called Pinball X Untitled by Hilton, on Flickr Game play before I've put it in the cabinet. Excuse the crap play it was one handed! Pinball Build by Hilton, on Flickr Game play in the cabinet - again one handed but you get the idea. When I've got a bit more done on the cabinet I'll do a video with my go-pro so I can show a proper game with multi-ball action. Pinball construction by Hilton, on Flickr
It has pretty good depth to it for a 2D image, you can actually play in 3D but I'm using a 4K screen that doesn't do 3D. I've tried in 3D on my projector but it's pretty convincing even in 2D. There's a few tricks you can do with mounting the screen about an inch below another piece of glass on the front to give it that extra feeling of depth. I'm not doing that for the mini-pin but when I build the full size one shortly I'll be putting another piece of glass in front. No haptic's for the mini but the full size will have various solenoids and shaker motors. I'm putting an arcade stick on the mini with various buttons for mame games but I'm not sure about the full size. I think I'd rather keep the full size as just a pin and use wireless controller if playing mame.
Here's 11 mins of game play if you can be bothered watching it all. I got some awesome multi-ball action a few times. One of my best ever games on Cirqus Voltaire. Sorry the gopro was strapped to my hat so the video's a bit shaky at times. I'll do some more video's with a tripod another time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4-tLYmwHmM&t=385s
More progress and mame now installed. I'm pulling the HTPC from service out of my equipment rack and one of my GTX1080's from the main PC and putting an old water cooling system in the pinball cabinet because I have the parts around. Pincade by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade by Hilton, on Flickr
Stand offs mounted Pincade PC by Hilton, on Flickr Motherboard mounted, CPU water cooler and PSU location and gee that GTX 1080 only just fits length ways. I should have taken more careful measurements but I got lucky! I still have to fit another combined RAD/pump/res for the GPU so it will be tight. Also need to make a cross bar for the GPU to support it. Pincade PC by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade PC by Hilton, on Flickr
That is far out. Is viewing angle a problem? A little more about the software would be interesting to me.
No viewing angle isn't a problem for the player. The screen is angled 15 degrees and has a viewing angle of around 170 degrees on that axis. As its a TN panel if your to the left as a spectator the picture gets noticeably darker, if your a spectator on the right it gets very slightly brighter. Bottom line - as a player it's perfectly fine. A 4K IPS panel would be better for viewing angles but has more ghosting, lag and IPS bloom, so its a compromise. I made some more slow progress today, even after triple checking some measurements I still had to cut a new back panel and start again. Not that it's a problem, I just used the old panel as a jig to quickly set the table saw and had a new one cut in 5 mins. 121mm hole saw and a bit of hole saw/ dremel for the rectangle cooling vent and bobs your uncle. Pincade fans by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade fans by Hilton, on Flickr Monitor only just clears the GPU water cooling pump/res/fan. I knew it was going to be tight but that's really tight. Pincade fans by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade fans by Hilton, on Flickr Top down you can see the horizontally mounted radiator/pump/res assembly. Pincade fans by Hilton, on Flickr Here you can see the old thermaltake all in one cooling system on the top left that first got me into water cooling. Good enough for a GPU. Pincade fans by Hilton, on Flickr
The software is Pinball X for the front end which allows you to select different games and have a preview of gameplay, instructions and additional info about the games. Pinmame runs the roms and tables which is installed as part of Visual Pinball X which is the table editor. There's also a separate installation of mame 64 for the old arcade games which is again navigated by the pinball x front end. Pinball X also acts as a front end for Pinball Arcade which I have about 60 tables I've paid for. There's a freecam mod installed for Pinball Arcade to allow the 2 screen setup and put the DMD and backglass on the second monitor. Visual Pinball X supports animated backglasses and upto a 3 screen setup with Playfield, Backglass and DMD. I'm currently running 2 screen for both Visual Pinball X and Pinball Arcade with the second screen mod. Pinball X also supports Future Pinball and Pinball FX2. (I have neither of these running at the moment. Visual Pinball X is DX11 and has the best graphics and physics - extremely realistic. Many die hard pinheads that have real machines say they favor VPX now over the real tables for the convenience and lack of maintenance. Pinball Arcade is also very good but not quite upto the quality of VPX. Pinball Arcade only supports 1080p with the camera mod, where I can run full 4K with VPX. (without the camera mod Pinball Arcade will run at 4K but you loose the 2 monitor support. Pinball is the primary focus for me but having mame running old classics is good to change it up.
Last one for today. Cutout done for PSU power and ventilation underneath and magnasave buttons and plunger button mounted and GPU cross brace mounted. Just need to pick up some tubing tomorrow and I'll be good to run a full test. I'll also try finish the arcade control panel, side rails and front rail tomorrow. Pincade buttons and GPU mount by Hilton, on Flickr
Back up and running with watercooled PC installed. Didnt get time to finish the rails and control panel but I'm going to enjoy some pinball while watching the F1. Pincade up and running by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade up and running by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade up and running by Hilton, on Flickr
Front rails and lock bar (if you can all it that!) done. Suitcase corners from Bunnings Hardware provide a nice round corner for your palm with the nice steel angle radius bend on the front bar. (until I get a proper lock bar made) Not as comfy as a real one but pretty good for now! Pincade rails by Hilton, on Flickr Pincade rails by Hilton, on Flickr
