My first attempt at making some 3D coin reject buttons. I decided to start with my Willy Wonka. I still have lots to learn but it's been fun trying to figure everything out.

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Tagged for interest

I made this over the weekend to hold the manual switch to share the QR reader from Godzilla to my other spike2 games. STL is on thingiverse if anyone else wants to take a shot at it-it'd be interesting to see if the tolerances worked out better on a different printer. I needed to drill/dremel things a bit, but end result was a nice, tight fit. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5275178

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That looks amazing, I’m going to try it today. Nice work!

Very nice.

Just tossing out an idea...instead of printing out a decal (if that's what it is) with the pin titles, any thought just making the print be able to hold removeable individual pin titles? i.e. You get a new pin, slip out the old pin name, slide in in the new pin title. That way you don't have to remake the entire decal each time you get a new pin. Sort of like how they do the marquee letters, but you'd print the title instead.

Wasn't sure if you designed the STL or just printed someone else's STL file.

Seems like a lot of activity in the Insider Connected 3D printing mods! I now have three games with IC and in the process of moving the readers to the coin doors. I didn't like the current available models because they didn't have the raised section to make the insert flush with the front of the coin door the way it is supposed to be or they were missing the mount for the reader on the back. I designed my own panel based on the existing blank and put a hole in it. On the back added a raised mounting brim for the reader to screw into. In order to print with no support material, there is a second model for the raised section. The two models snap together using pegs and holes added to make perfect alignment. A little bit of E6000 glue between the pieces and you would never know it was printed separate. The mounting brim is deep enough to secure a piece of clear lexan or acrylic on the backside with another tiny bit of E6000. This will protect the IC reader from damage to its own clear lens.

I'll put this on Thingiverse soon as I verify it all fits properly and works on all three of my games.

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I created the STL myself, and thought about something like that, but given that the decal sheets are cheap, and I can print a new one whenever I want, it seemed like extra complexity. I did think about trying to do 3d logos as separate parts though-would have to look at how many colours I could get away with.

Good call-I should have done that on my switch mount. I modeled it with the raised bit, but that meant supports. I thought I'd be able to file those off, and did OK, but splitting into 2 pieces might make more sense.

Got to love being able to print some extra drop targets for a machine you are taking to a show just in case
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Hoping to get some advice - My Ender 3 V2 has been consistently good for about 6 weeks, then suddenly I'm getting what I think is under extrusion. I've replaced the nozzle, tightened the spring in the feeder, cleaned the feeder gear, replaced the capricorn bowden tubing, replaced both pneumatic connectors and clips, and tried +5deg head temp and -5 print speed to no avail. Same result. Anything else I should try? I'm printing indoors, so temp and humidity should be ok, and it's been perfect with the default settings until now. So strange.

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Are you using a new spool of filament? Could be that you just got a bad one.

Always check the whole system. I usually start by removing the tubing (even if it's new) to see if the filament is smoothly flowing through the tube. Sometimes the connectors can pinch the tubing. Then heat up the hotend and yank the filament out, and manually feed filament through the hotend while it's hot. I switched all my hotends to all-metal (tube only goes in the very top) which has it's own issues (retraction can become an issue where the soft material wants to bulbus up and get jammed).

Are you still using the stock feed tensioner?

I've had that happened to me. In my case, the thermistor had gone wacky. The normal +212C I print at (PLA +), wasn't really +212C even tho the display read +212C. I could have replaced the thermistor, but an entire hotend is cheap (and mine had some years on it), so I just swapped it out for a new one.

Adding to the other good suggestions above, if you have a gap in the Teflon tube inside the hotend (i.e. the Teflon tube isn't pushed in all the way against the nozzle), that can eventually gunk things ups too (toyotaboy sort of discussed this above). I had that happen, but it was because when I swapped a nozzle, the threaded part was a different length which allowed a gap.

My first layer looks like that when my nozzle was digging in a bit and started to drag the filament it was laying down. It wasn't adhering in all spots. Maybe re-level the bed and try again, just in case the solution is something simple.

Thanks for the feedback guys, going to try a few things. It was a new (noctilent) PLA, maybe it loves a super hot temp or was a bad roll. Just trying an old faithful, see how I go. Cheers for this.

You did most of the stuff I’d recommend - you didn’t mention whether you did a cold pull or not. There’s only a few things it could be - the gear isn’t moving the filament through because it’s dirty or doesn’t have enough grip, the tube or pre-heating element area is clogged, or the nozzle is clogged or too close.

I also had one other issue you may consider - my Ender suddenly was not lifting on the Z axis on the first couple of layers, and it would just grind in like your photo. Eventually it would kind of pop back in place but the prints were predictably ruined.

On my ender 3 when I got under extrusion that I could but figure out why it ended up being the stock feeder. The housing is made of plastic and it had a hard to find hairline fracture on the underside. Read it that it can be a common issue. Replaced/upgraded it and been working when better since then

That's were my head is at, all sorts of problems till I upgraded to metal unit. Been rock solid since.

Had spent too long trying to figure out why. Darn crack was barely noticeable.

Friend that got the same model ran into a similar issue, but for him at some point he hadnt either fully tightened the nozzle or have the bowden tube flush all the way inside to the hotend so he slowly got leaks until it was too late and the whole block was ruined. So thats another thing to look at.

Thanks - I was going to do a cold pull but then replaced nozzle and tubing so figured that covered it anyway. Yesterday I went to a trusted PLA spool, it was going well for the 4 hours before bed. Woke up and it had printed to about 75%, then stopped. Like the nozzle clogged at one point and that was that. So weird.

I think the V2 that I have is a metal feeder, but maybe this is worth replacing with an aftermarket perhaps. I've just bumped the temp up and trying this same print again, see how I go.

So strange that it was working perfectly for so long, then this. But certainly already gotten my money's worth with it so happy to persevere.

If the V2 is stock, the housing is plastic. A slight way to tell is if you manually turn it how slippery it might feel

Please find below a link to a speaker ring adapter.

Designed for Spike 2 Pro/Premium, to fit JBL 4020 superb coax speakers (they really look cool...)
Fusion360 file provided if you want to play around with it and fit other speaker size

You need M3 nuts and screws to assemble the speaker to the adapter, which then slide in place with the existing screws of the original speaker mounting mechanism

Note that there is a groove where you can fit a ledstrip, which is covered by a thin 1mm thick wall, to diffuse light and reduce spot effect of leds

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5318717

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Isn't a slot needed in order to feed the LED strip into the housing?

There are a few opening (not shown on the picture). You'll see better on the 3D model

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You say you replaced the nozzle - are you sure it was the same size as what was on there previously? You may need to adjust the nozzle size in the settings appropriately.

So....the LED strip fits inside the slot?....not around the inside diameter?

That's the best way to do it. Print it in translucent plastic and you get nice properly diffused light.

Do you need a little more clearance for the speaker foam (or rubber) surround? Not nitpicking, it's a very nice design. Just an observation - maybe the pictures are a little deceiving.

It does look like the surround foam is crushed a bit.

Has anyone created the plastic head for the top of a slingshot kicker (specifically Bally Solid State)?

Pictures are deceptive, it does not crush the foam. At least on my print, but I admit it's borderline. You can play around with the fusion file, all diameters can be changed in the parameters section. Just remember to adjust all other diameters accordingly (maybe I should update with a parametric design)

That's correct

Yeah man, all 0.4mm.

As an update, I changed over everything once again (to ensure I'm not going mad); new nozzle, coupling nuts, tube, did the tube preload where you back the nozzle out 3/4 turn, insert the tube, then torque the nozzle up for an exact fit, and the filament isn't feeding nicely. I've put two washers under the spring to increase the tension, and I even pushed the tensioner out (for more tension) whilst the feeder motor was moving, and it just doesn't pull the filament. If you push the filament as it's working to assist, it then takes. So with all the tension in the world, it still won't feed without a push.

I've got a whole new all-metal feeder assembly due here Friday, that's about the last thing left it could be! May be the pinion (is that the correct term?) gear, or the baseplate, either way fingers crossed. I'll be pulling my hair out if this doesn't fix it.

I've heard great things about this type of extruder. I have no personal experience with it yet, but if my stock one ever starts acting up I will get one: https://www.amazon.com/Bowden-Extruder-Universal-Geared-Printer/dp/B08KP189KN

Its where I would have started, I wasted weeks on the particular gremlin.

Just based on my (in)experience, when this happens to me, I think it's because somehow a small gap develops between the top of the nozzle and the PTFE tube that eventually clogs things up. Maybe over time the tube moves up a bit, or if I replace the nozzle - it's just a hair off in length. I always change the nozzle when hot and try to ensure everything is seated properly and feeds OK - but it will eventually catch up w/me and it's just easier to install a new hot-end and move on.

Just posted a cross mod for Metallica I created. Easiest upgrade that looks stock.
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/metallica-pinball-cross-mod

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Well... can you check if your hotend fan is working properly ?

If it does not, the metal body temperature of the hotend will slowly increase, resulting into the plastic melting right at the entrance of the hotend. This means that your extruder will never be able to push the plastic any further.

the only place in the hotend where the plastic is supposed to melt is in the nozzle itself.

Which one did you get? This one worked well without having to adjust any other settings:

https://www.amazon.com/Creality-Official-Upgrade-Extruder-Filament/dp/B08F23ZNTG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

But yeah, the way you're describing it (especially where it works fine if you manually push the filament, fairly confident you have a crack on the plastic that holds the extruder thread for the arm. I cant find my original one as I think I threw it away but heres a photo of a severe one. Mine was hard to notice as it was soo thin of a fracture, but it was enough where when the gear would turn, the thread would not stay in place and rotate along with it...thus not applying tension no matter what you do with the spring.

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https://www.seemecnc.com/products/ezrstruder

This one is a fantastic replacement for the ender printers.
I like it a lot better than the Chinese aluminum ones on amazon.

aaaaand there it is. Thanks for the tip, you don't see it until you remove it all. It looked fine from above! Got a standard ebay metal kit coming, nothing flash but at least that bit won't break again with any luck!

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Awesome! And yeah, just double check that the one you get has a standard feed rate to your ender. Some random ones might try to feed too fast and you have to adjust the steps/mm rate. I think thats what its called. Either way, great you'll be back on track!

Hi all I am looking for a 3D printer which one is a good 3D printer that will do most things for pinball

I'll summarize a lot posts in this thread related to your question:

1) Pursa MK3S+ (might not have the right model number). Near or under the $1K (USD) mark. Very loyal following and also a very good printer.

2) Ender 3 (maybe the V2 version). Works decently and has some minor quirks that are easily solved. Good entry level printer to get your feet wet for around $200.

Both are highly supported in the 3D printing community which I consider very important. You'll need advice at some point and the community has likely 'been there, done that' before.

I have an Ender 3 (with some inexpensive upgrades). Other printers have been mentioned, but the ones above seem to be the most popular and mentioned the most.

Excellent recommendations. I have owned an Ender3 and currently own a Prusa. The Ender is perfectly capable but can have some extremely frustrating quirks, and requires a LOT of tweaking and adjusting. The Prusa is significantly more expensive - but after a full year of tweaking the Ender and very few successful prints, I switched. The Prusa worked out of the box and is as close to set-and-forget as possible. I have a lot of hobbies and prioritised my time over saving a couple of bucks. YMMV

I own the MK3S (the + is just a small upgrade that doesn't impact print quality, so I've not purchased the kit yet). Extremely solid printer, and one of the easiest/most reliable to use in my experience. Also, I think that Prusa Slicer (formerly Slic3r) is one of the best out there and the pre-configurations take nearly all of the guesswork out of achieving great prints.

Prusa i3 MK3S+ (https://www.prusa3d.com)

As an entry level printer (and beyond with mods), I know the Ender is also a good printer with lots of community support.

I have an ender 5. After some setup issues it now works flawless. Very nice printer but has some learning curve. But do not be affraid there are a lot of youtube video's and support pages to be found.

I am trying to learn how to print 4 different colored filaments in a single design.

How do I go about setting up the slicing settings? Is the preferred method to stop at a certain layer to switch out filaments or can I sequence print each object so I am not having to go back and forth in filaments.. Or is there another way? Also is there a prefer software that makes this easier to do?

Ender 3 Pro for entry level.

Buy a metal feed kit for $10 or $20 and start printing, I'd not waste any other money on other "upgrades"

Mine has been banging away for months now once the bugs were kinked out with the feed unit. Holds adjustments just fine. Glass plate with PEI optional, been making fine prints with the factory magnetic mat. The glass plate makes them a little smoother on the bottom but can introduce new headaches.

Another vote for the Ender 3 pro - if you're near a Micro Center, they've been running a coupon a couple times a year where you can get an Ender 3 Pro for $99. I bought one last year and have been printing something two or three times a week since. Check your bed level before every print and you'll be set.

I've replaced the magnetic mat once - one day it just stopped adhering, even after being cleaned with alcohol. I've also replaced the tub that carries the filament to the hot end due to a snafu on my end. Other than that, I've printed through two full spools of filament without major issues.

In Prusa Slicer you can easily set layer changes at varying level heights. This allows for multi-color printing by layer but you cannot intermingle colors in a single layer without a system that supports it.