When is it?

That is the raw actual footage shot of an NOS hologram in action. We will take that footage (tweak it some) and display it on the LCD, which is mounted at an angle inside the cab. The creature will be sized to fit in the lagoon window area like the original hologram. He won’t be 3D because he is a 2D video, but he'll always be green and look exactly like the original hologram. I will however eliminate the area around the hologram frame, so you won’t see the inside of the cabinet bordering the hologram on the LCD screen.

Sorry, looks like it won’t be there this weekend. We'll get them out to shows once the boards are finished (FYI – I pester Tony every other day about the boards). I'll also shoot an in depth YouTube video as well once the MOD is available. I can’t give away all my secrets just yet

Will Do.

if anyone is planning on getting this mod and wants to use the TV he recommended, best buy has it on sale this week for $99 (its usually $120).
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia%26%23153%3B+-+19%26%2334%3B+Class+(18-1/2%26%2334%3B+Diag.)+-+LED+-+720p+-+60Hz+-+HDTV/5606251.p?id=1218671114012&skuId=5606251

FYI - The mounting hardware is design specifically for this TV. Here's the stand:

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The MOD's CPU is capable of displaying 1080p graphics, but the monitor we selected only supports 720p. We wanted to keep the total package price of the MOD as low as possible, so the TV we selected was the best bang for the buck. We experimented with 3 different monitors through out the design process and feel the one we selected was the best in terms of price and picture quality.

What is the price?

Quick update: Most of the pricing has been established, but we are still working with Planetary/Universal to determine what the exact royalty fees will be for the use of several additional movie clips. These additional clips would be used for video mode features that we have yet to reveal, but I’m sure some of you can guess as to what we are working on

Tony at GLM has been working on the interface boards and we should have them very soon. The final design/layout of the boards took more time than we anticipated, but I don’t think it will disappoint. In the meantime Rust and I have been working on the hologram option as well as several additional modes.

Here's a pic of the hologram. Sorry, best I could do with my iPhone.

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100% plug and play

You remove the hologram housing bracket from the bottom of the playfield as well as the mirror motor assembly in the bottom of the cabinet. Then you remove the triac board that drives the mirror motor (the one mounted inside the cabinet on the left side wall). Our circuit board assembly then screws into the side of the cabinet; in the exact same holes as the removed triac board. The TV is mounted on a stand that is attached to the bottom of the cabinet using the mirror motor assembly mounting holes. The interface cabling consists of two harnesses (might end up being 3) and an HDMI cable. One harness is used to power the monitor and the other is used to connect all the system trigger inputs to the MOD’s interface board. All of the cabling will be long enough to be routed cleanly throughout.

Too funny – I’m just glad I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This whole thing took much longer than I ever anticipated, but I think it’ll be worth it.

Oh, and I usually just play the acoustic these days

Now that we’ve tallied up the final vendor costs, we’ve come up with the following pricing for our LCD MOD:

MOD - $439.99 plus shipping

Interface Board Update:

Tony at GLM has finished the design (sorry for the delays, but we kept finding ways to improve the overall functionality of the boards – we’d rather get this right the first time) and we are now moving into production. Per Tony, we should be getting the first batch of interface boards in roughly 3 weeks. We’ll begin assembling MODs at that time. I’ll contact people, requesting payment, in the order they were added to the pre-order list. If you did not email me directly at [email protected] then I have not put you on the list.

“So, what will I get if I buy this MOD?”

Good Question, you’ll get the following:

(1) One 18.5” HD TV with remote control
(2) One custom fabricated 1/8” steel TV mounting stand. The stand will be powder coated in a black crinkle finish, like standard Stern Hardware.
(3) One custom pending patented interface board designed to work with up to 8 unique game triggers.
(4) One CPU brain board – This is what drives the MOD, playing various media files based on the triggers registered by the interface board.
(5) All necessary cable harnesses needed to install the MOD.
(6) One HDMI cable
(7) One SD card
(8) All necessary mounting hardware needed to install the MOD

Our MOD is 100% plug and play and doesn’t require any permanent modifications be made to the actual game.

Initial Release Software Features:

(1) Two modes of operation

(1a) Hologram Emulation Mode – When the MOD is setup in this mode it will function exactly like the original hologram. The LCD screen will be black except when the hologram is displayed. Images of the hologram will be flashed when “FILM” letters are awarded and the multiball video will display the hologram in motion. We used an NOS Hologram to create these media files. No, it isn’t 3D, but the Creature displayed is original and he’ll always be green. The only other video played in Hologram Emulation Mode is the “attract” video.

(1b) Our Custom Mode – This mode of operation will feature all of the items listed under items (2) through (6) below

(2) Custom Attract Video – played while game is in attract mode
(3) Custom Screen Saver Image – this is displayed during game play when no video files are running
(4) “FILM” Letter Awards – 4 different creature images are used. As “FILM” letters are awarded an image of the creature is displayed instead of an image of the hologram. The images are displayed in a random order.
(5) Custom Multiball Video – played once the creature is located during multiball. This replaces the hologram video.
(6) Mystery Video Modes – We are developing 4 new videos that will be displayed based on specific game play modes. Two of the 4 videos will definitely be incorporated in the initial release. I’ll have a video up on YouTube in another few weeks showing off these new features.

“How will future software up-dates work?”

Good question, if we can’t incorporate all 4 of the new “Mystery Video Modes” in the initial release then the first update will be free, you simply send us your SD card and pay for postage. As an alternative, we can provide a new SD card with updated software at cost plus postage.

“What are you planning on doing with the MOD in the future?”

We are working on developing the following:

(1) Additional “FILM” award images of the creature
(2) Animated screen saver video instead of static image
(3) A third mode of operation, this is in addition to the Hologram Emulation Mode and our Custom Mode, that will allow you to creature your own version of any video file displayed. In other words, your videos would be played instead of our custom videos. In order to do this we are developing a software package that will enable you to make your own videos. The software would take your video file and format it (rotate, position, and overlay our black bezel) to work with the 18.5” LCD TV.
(4) Integrate audio functionality into videos where applicable
(5) Whatever else we dream up until we are tired of playing CFTBL

I’ll post more updates when we get the boards. Tony did a great job on these; they look fantastic.

Mike

As I mentioned above, I’ll have a video up on YouTube once the finished boards have arrived. The video will showcase: all the video mode features, what the MOD looks like installed, pictures of the harnesses/stand/boards, etc. It will be full disclosure. At that point you can decide if this MOD is for you or not.

Keyboard, mouse, and programmer sold separately

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If you can install a connector yourself, then I don't have an issue with you modifying the cable. Cut the TV's power cable and install a 2 pin connector (like the ones used for WPC ramp micro switches). We'll provide the connector and pins. However, you must get the polarity right for the system to work. I'll cover this in the installation video.

Waiting on some prototype boards form Tony, should have them this week. We spent all day working on the new code, so we'll have an updated video out once the new boards are here. I think you'll be happy with the new features

Here's a sneak peek at the board. I'll have another video up tonight with all the new game features. So close now

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Here's a quick look at the final product video testing (few things to tweak, but 99% complete):

This should give those of you that have been contemplating purchasing this MOD a better idea of what you'll be getting. I'll be contacting folks (in the order they contact me) this weekend in order to verify purchasing commitments. Assuming all goes well, I'll receive the two GLM test boards Monday of next week. We'll run them through the paces and move forward with production.

I'll post another video next week to illustrate how the MOD is actually installed.