My Star Trek restoration took a little longer (OK a lot longer) than anticipated. This project was conceived last Christmas and is being started a year later

We have room or in reality permission from the boss for one more Pin in our game room, 5 total. My son and I decided that the 5th one would be a full blown wide body virtual pin. We both enjoy playing some of the different tables on a regular monitor PC so it has to be better on a full sized table. Real thing? Absolutely not, but I can't buy and play 50 other games. I know some of you out there also have virtual pins or at least have tried them and I recognize some of the same users on VP Forums which is one of the main sites for virtual pin information. In fact the full build thread will be on VP Forums
http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=30224
I will post some updates and pictures here as things progress. It has already been a fun project and I am guaranteeing it will not take a year

For those not familiar with virtual pinball it is run on a computer with a TV screen as the playfield and a TV screen as the backglass. You can use a real DMD or a 3rd monitor for the DMD or use the backglass monitor for the DMD. The backglass can have flashers or a rotating spider that works as in SS

Our game will use a 46" Samsung TV for the playfield, a 32" Samsung for the Backglass and a 19" Insignia TV for the DMD.

initial test fitting

Checking the playfield monitor fit

we got buttons

She's got legs and she knows how to use them

Working on the back box back glass monitor and DMD monitor

Almost looks like a pinball machine. Both back monitors secured in place.

TV mounting 4.jpg

3 monitors running.jpg

Got the rear doors with exhaust fans finished and the speaker panel. The speaker panel took most of a day or more to do. Full details are in the VP Forums thread.
A few more pictures.

Fans installed.jpg

panel front finished.jpg

panel installed 1.jpg

panel installed 2.jpg

Absolutely. There is a bunch of free artwork that is available with lots of themes especially at VP Forums http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=26497
The OP of that thread has produced a lot of different themes and I think I am going to use one of them with a few modifications. We like the general pinball themes and not the specific game or theme related ones.

Multiball Collage Blue All Artwork.png

Just finished installing the glass side and rear channel molding.

glass in.jpg

Also finished the sound system. We are using Bose Companion 5 computer speakers with 2 satellite modules for the back box and a powered bass unit in the cabinet. I made new mounts for the satellites using 3/8" aircraft ply.

Speakers 1.jpg

Speakers 2.jpg

The fans are inset into the ply. They only stick out the back and front by a little. I wanted to try using a template and a router with a bushing and straight bit setup. I had never done that before and would need to use that to cut out the speaker panel. So this was my "test"

When you say colorize DMD's do you mean change the monotone color which I know or do you mean use the Color DMD files to colorize them? That would be real cool and something I was hoping would be done.

Stuart

Inset fan.jpg

I was hoping you would say you can use the Color DMD files but maybe someday. I will look into the 2 color though thanks.

I have finished most of the wiring. Not as much as in a real pin but still quite a bit. All of the switch lights, contactors for feedback, shaker, knocker and gear motor are hooked up to an LEDWIZ and additional virtual output boards from Zebs Boards. The LEDWIZ acts like a computer controlled switch bank (it has 32 switches) Via software the game tells it to fire different items like the slingshot or flipper contactors whenever they are used in the game. The contactors are solenoids that give you some tactile feedback from anything that uses a solenoid in the real game. Even the bump of loading a ball into the shooter lane. I made a cable management arm out of aluminum angle to keep all of the wires organized when the computer drawer is slid in or out.

All of the buttons are handled through a keyboard emulator. I purchased the Virtua Pin virtual plunger which is just what it says it is but it also handles all of the button presses. So all of the buttons including coin door service switches and flippers are routed through it. Via software you tell the game what each button represents. Pretty cool to finally play the game using the flipper buttons and not a keyboard. Although so far I am not thrilled with the lack of smoothness of the virtual plunger.

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It's a geared motor. Supposed to simulate motorized events in games. Addams family bookcase. Star trek's guns. TOM box. The table writers seem to use the shaker a lot for these items too though.

The shaker works well. The gear motor works but I would like to be able to feel that one a little more. Yes I have a knocker but didn't realize that the one I have without a spring return will need to be mounted vertical so I have to figure out if it can go in the normal position in the head. Issue is that the rear is an opening door and that might be the only place to mount it. Hopefully it will work.

Do a search on Future pinball BAM which is one way of doing 3D. Requires PS3 cameras and head tracking. I don't believe it uses 3D monitors in fact I do not think they would work rotated 90 degrees from normal.

A lot of it depends on how much you spend on the monitors and computer. Probably about 2K for those parts for me. Another 1K to 1.5K on Wood, paint decals and hardware, legs coin door lockdown bar etc. and other electronics, virtual output kit with LEDWIZ, contactors etc.

My guesses would be 2.5K on the low end 4.5K on the high end to do it yourself. Not everyone does the force feedback stuff in fact a good base driver in the cabinet gives some of that tactile feel.

Started playing with the graphics file. Moved some pieces around, thinned out Rod Serling and printed one side on paper to see if there are any issues. A few things I will change but overall it should work.

test side 1.jpg

I have been playing around with the images a bit. I think I am on version 3 or 4. I didn't really notice Uncle Fester but now that you said it...... I'll have to take another look at the full sized image.
Thanks.

Learning a bit about the printing business and what a PIA it must be for them on a daily basis

Lucian045 has been very helpful and sent me a couple of samples of the artwork printed on the material he uses. Some of the things I really did not know before such as monitors display in RGB, a subtractive process and printers use CYMK, an additive process. That is why printers generally do not print white. You can't mix printing colors to get white. The conversion process from RGB to CYMK is not perfect. Even switching the color palette in Photoshop shows a shift in color and contrast. The main reason I asked for a sample was to look at the faded border on my graphics. I found that when printing test images on my color laser printer that the faded edges were much darker than they appeared on the screen and covered more real estate. Too much so on the back box graphics. My initial concern was if the actual graphics would be closer to my prints or monitor appearance. Learning about the color shifts was a side benefit. Lucian045 sent me two "proofs" the second one (actually the left piece on the picture) had a few adjustments that I made to try to make the CYMK graphic closer to what I saw on my monitor on the RGB image. The graphic uses a Photoshop filter "Cyanotype" to change the colored images to the blue/gray shades. I went a little bluer and then increased the contrast which resulted in the sample on the left. My final images will be just a little less blue.

The decals are really pretty nice looking. They are laminated with clear and have a pretty high gloss finish. Very similar in appearance to the graphics on my WOZ. The material is supposed to have rapid air release technology so hopefully it applies easily with no air bubbles.

sample pieces.jpg

As expected painting is taking a while. More details at http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=30224&page=1 But basically I sealed the wood with 2 coats of sprayed Minwax polyurethane. This sealed the wood and filled a lot of the open grain. I then sprayed lacquer primer , spot filled sanded and re-primed.
Final color is Rustoleum enamel. A mix of 3 parts satin black and 4 parts Royal blue to closer match my graphics as they have a dark blue edge and not black.
So far the back doors and Misc parts are painted and I just did the bottom of the cabinet and back box. They will need to be done in 2 steps. After drying for at least 24 hrs I can flip them over and paint the rest.

Backbox spot putty.jpg

Backbox second prime.jpg

misc pieces painted.jpg

backbox bottom painted.jpg

Glad to hear that I just sent him my files and payment I will try to apply the samples he sent me as a test to see how easily they go down. Just need to cut a piece of wood.

Finished the painting (except one area I hit with my air hose reaching across to the other side.) Sides will be sanded again prior to applying graphics. Hopefully if Lucian045 can get my graphics printed and out early this week I will be assembling the cabinet this weekend

cabinet painted.jpg

Backbox painted.jpg

Now that's service

Graphics have arrived. Just finishing a few details before they get installed.

All graphics.jpg

Cabinet sides.jpg

We applied the graphics last night. The air release technology really works. Any trapped air could e squeegeed out and no pinholes were required. The main concern as with any graphics is good surface preparation and keeping the dust out. A few stray particles found their way under my graphic. The cold weather and forced hot air heat probably didn't help as static charges were obvious. Having a choice between standard vinyl and the air release stuff, no contest. Brad does a nice job with these graphics and I will surely use him in the future if I need more.

A carefully placed black sharpie took care of the white edges on the cut vinyl.

All graphics on.jpg

vinyl edges.jpg

edges after sharpie.jpg

Cabinet on legs 1.jpg

Cabinet on legs 2.jpg

The graphics were modified from a set made by "Stuzza" on VP Forums. He has a bunch of free, not to be used commercially, graphic sets available for download. If you really want the graphics PM me for the files.
Stuart

Not too worried. Lots of people use shakers and WOZ has a shaker and is pretty much run by a standard PC.

I moved the new pin into my game room where we will finish assembly. Sure is light

Glass channel and side rails installed. Coin door, plunger some buttons and lockdown bar mechanism installed.

In place 1.jpg

In place 2.jpg

I have them, they are actually going on top of the back box. I spent a few hours making a panel for them at the back of the playfield but both my son and I thought they were distracting there. So on top they go.

Some final pictures it is pretty much done
Installing all of the parts was sort of like reinstalling all of the parts after restoring a real pin cabinet. Not quite as much work but always takes longer than planned. I did switch from terminal blocks for wiring connections between the cabinet and computer tray to Molex connectors. I spent half a day attaching Molex pins to wires.
I still have a bunch of tables to download but it works
A few cosmetic items that I would still like to do. I think I need a graphic panel at the rear of the playfield and I would like to put some sort of logo under the DMD display.

Cabinet rear.jpg

exit button.jpg

component install 1.jpg

component install 2.jpg

component install 3.jpg

component install 4.jpg

component install 5.jpg

component install 6.jpg

Fan connectors.jpg

light bar.jpg

light bar connector.jpg

Some pictures of it turned on.

Finished 1.jpg

Finished 2.jpg

Finished 3.jpg

Finished 4.jpg

Thank you. Took a while for me to get started, but some of the hardware and Zebs boards were the stuff I bought from you