Good Morning and Happy New Year!
I picked up a CFTBL a couple weeks ago and like so many others I wasn't content with the original Hologram. I set out to make it better and as such I decided I wanted some clips from the original 1954 classic to play in place of the hologram. Below is a short video of what I came up with as well as a couple pictures of the setup.
I am currently using some leftover PCBs from some old Pinshakers boards as a prototype arrangement. If I can get enough people interested in this then I will develop some specific PCBs that will interface with the setup as well as apply for the rights to use the clips in a commercial product. I know there are other kits out there that do something similar, however I do not believe there is an interactive one that plays clips from the original movie.
Pricing for this kit will vary based on the current cost of the Raspberry Pi's but it will be in the $250-$300 range for everything plus shipping. If you happen to already have a Raspberry Pi then it will be a flat $200 plus shipping.
FEATURES
- 8 B/W clips from the 1954 movie that are each 30-60sec long
- The 8 clips play in random order whenever the hologram would be active
- I am using a Raspberry Pi 3B, however it should be compatible with a 2B, 3B+, and 4B as well (I will verify this prior to releasing the product commercially)
- Power is supplied to the Raspberry Pi and LCD display from the machine, much in the same way as my Pinshakers kits supply power
- Single USB-C cable from the backbox interface board to the Pi/Screen that supplies the power as well as the interactive triggers
- Screen is mounted in place of the hologram using existing holes/mounting brackets.. no need to drill any new holes into the bottom of your playfield
- Clips are 1080P and the screen is 1024x600
- Everything is plug-n-play, Install is easy and would take 15-20 minutes
THEORY OF OPERATION
When you turn on your machine, the kit will provide power to the Pi and Screen. The screen will boot up in a silent mode directly to a black screen where it will wait for the creature mode to start. As soon as you find the creature during gameplay, the custom program will begin playing the 8 clips in random order. As soon as you drain one of the two pinballs the video will stop and it will revert back to a black screen where it will wait in standby mode for the next time you find the creature and the entire process will repeat. The 8 clips play in a loop, so if you happen to keep the balls active and all 8 clips play, it will automatically go back to the first chosen clip and play the 8 clips over again in the same random order.
The 8 clips reside in a folder in the /home/pi/Videos/clips directory. The program plays in random order whatever is in that folder so you would be able to go in and remove, change, or add your own clips if you wanted to as long as they are in .MP4 format and rotated to portrait.
I appreciate your time and you are welcome to ask any questions or provide any ideas or criticism.
Best Regards,
Robert Goebel
Pinshakers LLC
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