Great presentation at CAX, lots of energy and if I wasn't moving in a month's time, I would have ordered on the spot. Can't wait to be moved and set up the shop so I can order and get to work on my first white wood.
(Topic ID: 97763)
Seattle, WA
Having trouble using contact form in website.. Just me? Wondering if the bundle ships with any documentation about connecting wires to the boards, set/up, etc? Also about lighting on top of the pf? Is there any way to run traditional sockets and/or a lamp matrix? I'm assuming flashers would be straight forward?
Quoted from Mbecker:Having trouble using contact form in website.. Just me? Wondering if the bundle ships with any documentation about connecting wires to the boards, set/up, etc? Also about lighting on top of the pf? Is there any way to run traditional sockets and/or a lamp matrix? I'm assuming flashers would be straight forward?
I'll check out the contact form. We are settling back in routine after CAX and finishing the documentation. We have private docs that we have been sharing with early adopters but have been working on cleaned up versions to share publicly.
The docs show how to hook everything up. For top of playfield lights, users are using diffused RGBs but we will producing additional playfield lighting options soon. Yes, traditional flashers are fine, though I have been using RGBs myself.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from Edenecho:Will you be adding some guides/tutorials on how to wire the different components up also? Powersupply to coils and such?
I am not decided yet between FAST and p-roc, so still checking out what would suit me best.
That is the task at hand! The early adopters have been using our Google Docs versions and posting questions and comments. We are digesting all that into "prettier" docs that we can share.
Man, CAX was awesome. Coming home to... documentation... is so much less fun! 
But seriously, we met so many new pinball builders at CAX, a large portion being video game programmers wanting to try pinball. We are going to do our part to make that transition as easy as possible.
We are very stoked to be able to offer the engineering and technical support needed to help get new games off the ground.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
2 weeks later
OK I wanted to try out Twitch and see if I could use it for FAST demos. So tonight, behold the awesome sight of me building some FAST hardware. Enjoy this super nerdy broadcast!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from Edenecho:Have you already streamed it?
Yeah. I was building some FAST Nano Controllers and FAST Servo Controllers while trying out Twitch streaming.
I think the streaming will be a lot of fun for showing how to build stuff.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
I missed it, but I could not see any broadcast under "earlier broadcasts". will it not be saved for later viewing?
Quoted from Edenecho:I missed it, but I could not see any broadcast under "earlier broadcasts". will it not be saved for later viewing?
This must be a setting I didn't do right. I'll need to make sure that happens next time.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Aaron,
Are there specs up on the controller anywhere? I feel like I saw them at one point a while ago but now I can't find them. Curious what the difference is between the regular and nano as well.. and if there's possibility of seeing a stand-alone switch board with no drivers attached at some point or vice-versa?
Hey guys, sorry for the slow reply. I was slammed getting hardware tested, packaged and shipped before getting out of town for a bit. I am taking the wife and 3 boys to visit their grandparents and go to Disneyworld. They have no idea about the Disneyworld part yet!
The downtime at the in-laws will be used to get the documentation moved along.
Pinball Expo is coming! Who is going?
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Wanted to post my initial experience with the FAST hardware.
I had decided to switch to FAST from my own boardset for Spaceballs after talking to Aaron, the owner of FAST for some time now. He is a great guy and I agree with their approach to a lot of the hardware.
I received my order from FAST and got time to start testing today. In just a couple of hours, I've gotten a pretty significant "hello world" test out of the way.
Here are the parts I received from FAST and digi-key. The lower left is the 50 set of FAST RGB leds, the middle is the FAST Nano controller, middle bottom is the FAST fuse block, and the right is one of their driver/switch boards.
To get set up, I just needed a quick power harness to bring 12V and 5V to the Nano controller. This first test will just be some RGB leds.
Here is the whole test setup. There are also a monitor and Raspberry Pi in this pic that will eventually be used to drive the entire machine if all goes to plan.
I wrote a quick program to give me a test bench for the various FAST features, starting with very minimal RGB led control.
It works! Purple Inserts!
Over the next few weeks, I'll be transitioning my Spaceballs codebase to github, which will allow everyone access to things like my FAST Playground code. Should be useful for those that want to get a quick start and tinker with their new hardware, especially once it matures past just RGB led control.
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:I wrote a quick program to give me a test bench for the various FAST features, starting with very minimal RGB led control.
I get so stoked to see people whipping up programs like this so easily. We took our time and worked really hard to make the FAST Pin Protocol as slick as possible to enable quick work on stuff like this. Can't wait to see what you do next!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Very good reading Wolfmarsh,
did you just buy a unch of cables and then crimped them into the connectors that followed from fast?
Quoted from Edenecho:did you just buy a unch of cables and then crimped them into the connectors that followed from fast?
I made that power harness from spools of wire, some banana plugs, and the connectors that fit the FAST board. I crimped then added a dab of solder to secure it permanently.
I tried to keep it simple for this first test, and it turned out easier than I thought. It took longer to put together that power harness and the test LED boxes than it did to write the code to interface to the FAST hardware. I played with a lot of LED fading effects last night as well.
Tonight's plan is to add the FAST driver/switch board into the mix and get that connected up to the software.
I'll also be posting a PDF "Quick Start" guide that I made to help people do the same experiment I did last night with changing some LED colors.
The FAST Nano has only the NET Processor for communicating with the FAST I/O boards (switch/driver) and the RGB Processor for controlling the RGB LEDs.
Features not on the Nano which are included on the FAST Core Controller are the DMD Processor and connector, the Digital Expansion Bus (34 pin connector we can use to talk to WPC driver boards), Beaglebone Black interface which includes: supporting audio codec and line out and safe shutdown circuitry.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from Mbecker:And what were you using previous to fast?
Previous to FAST I had designed my own board set. I've got a lot of hours into that board set, so it wasn't an easy decision to make the switch.
I decided that while it was possible to do Spaceballs from start to finish in my own little silo, that wasn't how I wanted this project to go. I like the way the FAST hardware is designed and I like the way their interfaces work.
On top of that, Aaron has a lot of passion when it comes to pinball. It's not just a front to make sales, he really does love pinball.
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:It's not just a front to make sales, he really does love pinball.
LOL I think I end up in the "sales" role by default. As in, "more of a sales guy than Dave." I kinda cringe at the sales guy label because too many sales/pitch guys can't do the work. Once when Brian Madden visited early on (we were still getting to know each other) we were all over at Roy's building up and testing FAST Core Controllers. He got to see the "sales guy" actually doing the surface mount work. Aww the early days!
I just get so stoked to design/create/build. Doing so shoulder to shoulder with others is so damn inspiring. I use the analogy of pinball designers like bands. You can't go around ripping each other off, the scene is too small. But rocking together, you are that much more inspired to pull off something even cooler on your own. A good healthy one-upmanship is great all around.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
One of my intentions with Spaceballs is to also help build out a toolset that other beginners can use. I want to help FAST continue to lower the barrier of entry to custom pinball design.
My little test playground is compatible with Mono on Linux, and I'm writing my entire Spaceballs codebase to be run from a Pi 2.
Here is a quick shot of the playground code running on a new Pi 2 running Raspbian.
1 month later
Is there anywhere that actually has specifications for the Fast Controllers and I/O boards? I look online but FAST's website seems to just have pictures and the store just says how much. I am trying to decide on a platform for a possible future project but can't seem to find any information other than price 
Apparently my Google-Fu is lacking today.
Quoted from orangestorm87:Is there anywhere that actually has specifications for the Fast Controllers and I/O boards? I look online but FAST's website seems to just have pictures and the store just says how much. I am trying to decide on a platform for a possible future project but can't seem to find any information other than price Apparently my Google-Fu is lacking today.
That's on me. We have been busy getting games ready for expo and more hardware produced and the bootloader done. Phew it's been busy! It's on the task list for the weekend to get a lot of the information that is in the private docs out to the public.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
You know this already, but what you badly need is a page that just lays out a "so you want to build a pinball" page, that breaks down what your hardware is for, what else you need to get it all working, etc. That's what is going to help drive sales.
Toronto, ON
I dunno, neither of the pinball controller sites really lay it out FAQ style for total newbs. The products probably aren't ready for people who have little electronics experience.
Quoted from jwilson:I dunno, neither of the pinball controller sites really lay it out FAQ style for total newbs. The products probably aren't ready for people who have little electronics experience.
That is a lot of the challenge right now, trying to determine what the user's need. We have been working with the early adopters to answer questions and develop details and docs to support them. That doesn't always translate well to the "informative" content where someone looking for details wants a general overview.
For example, here is an doc linked from our Quick Start guide that provides a basic intro to the FAST Core Controller. It also include links to connectors needed (we will be selling those shortly, but this doc was to get people up and running months ago).
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1fRdQ4VruMDs-DBq2pHOn2e56AzLHZElUXiAofzeXWqE/edit?usp=sharing
here is another for the FAST I/O 1616:
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1D3dpr-Tl2ni1OqDigKQn7-mOb1mU52sT-Yr8bRcNLNU/edit?usp=sharing
Quoted from Aurich:You know this already, but what you badly need is a page that just lays out a "so you want to build a pinball" page, that breaks down what your hardware is for, what else you need to get it all working, etc. That's what is going to help drive sales.
Here is a crude doc that we created ages ago to show how you might setup a game using FAST. This worked as a visual aid to support a conversation, but doesn't stand well on it own.
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1B133KD8enBTzWHNaXcxpyvH4aOBEvgPsCYXcR8stRK4/edit?usp=sharing
And then also, with a little more detail:
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/11OI7jUjavzdJufJd3cse9siegH3Jmu9A7wAWr5iL7GA/edit?usp=sharing
Honestly, your feedback and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have blocked out time tonight and this weekend to go through all the content and refine it for the website. But sometimes the questions or suggestions we get are surprising. Sometimes it's, "I never thought people would care about that" or "duh! how could we have not mentioned that!"
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quick update from our blog: http://blog.fastpinball.com/pinball-expo-2015/
We are very excited to be speaking again this year at Pinball Expo 2015. Dave and I will be sharing a stage with Brian Madden and Gabe Knuth of Mission Pinball, as well as Brian Cox, creator of Tattoo Mystique.
Tattoo Mystique was the first complete game created using the FAST Pinball hardware and the Mission Pinball Framework. We thought Pinball Expo would be a great opportunity to share what it took to bring Tattoo Mystique to life. The fun with “beta” hardware. The joys of a rapidly developing software framework. The challenges of turning the game ideas that are in your head, into something that can be enjoyed by others.
But there is also the true joy of seeing it all come together! We hope that those who come to listen to us share the journey leave motivated to give it a try themselves or at least have a new appreciation for all the hard work that goes into making something so fun!
Hope to see you at the talk!
What: “New Hardware, New Software, New Pinball Makers” (Learn about Tattoo Mystique, the first FAST/Mission powered pinball game.)
When: Saturday, October 17th @ 11am
Where: Botanic Room at The Westin Chicago North Shore
Be sure to come by the booth and see what people are creating with FAST Pinball hardware and the Mission Pinball Framework. From completed games & rich whitewoods to “pretty boxes of lights,” there should be plenty to see and talk about. Scheduled to be in the booth…
Tattoo Mystique by Brian Cox
Nightmare Before Christmas by Mark Incitti
Elemental by Chris Dana
Muppets Pinball by Jack Bridges
Peanuts Pinball by Aaron Davis
How many days left?!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from Pdxmonkey:6 but who's counting?
I start the drive out Tuesday so it's even shorter! So far, I have at least a pretty box to put a game in!
Let's see where we get from here!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Peanuts Pinball is a project I started with an artist friend of mine at the beginning of September 2015. Seeing me building pinball got him interested in how he could apply his creative talents into something new and fun like pinball. All the art is hand drawn in the classic Peanuts style. This will be a project introduction at Expo and it will develop more and more in the months to come!
Here are some better pics of the art.
image.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpeg
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from Aurich:Hey Aaron, how are you plunging the ball? No hole for a button or plunger.
Plunger. We will cut it when we determine the correct position with the playfield in place. My mistake was applying the front panel art before making the plunger and start button cuts. But a razor knife and drill will make quick work of it. At least we remembered to cut the flipper buttons!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from Mbecker:Sweet!! Who built the cab? Friend of yours, you, or is there somewhere local I could commission one?
This will be sweet to see getting built up!
My dad built these cabinets by hand. Without the CNC setup yet, it was very laborious. Hoping to get a process in place to do cabinets, whitewood playfields, etc. in the coming months.
If you want to see it getting built up in person, come on down to the shop on Saturday!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from swinks:nice work, hoping to use your system in future
The batch of hardware is off to manufacturing. There is a setup in their with your name on it! Can't wait to see what you make!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
http://www.twitch.tv/fastpinball
A super boring live pinball build happening now! Ha!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Aaron, I have been following the progress FAST has been doing and like it. I will be using your hardware in the future. The only thing I am waiting on is the documentation side of things to progress as I feel I will need a little more hand holding on the circuits side of things. (I chose Mechanical Engineering for a reason!) I think some of us (maybe just me) would like some more assurances that we are correct in our setup before hooking up the juice and potentially destroying a new board. I know you guys are busy preparing for Expo, but please keep us updated on some of the more mundane stuff too. Additionally, has there been any thought of starting a community site similar to one of the other controller guy's (P-ROC)?
Quoted from Apex:Aaron, I have been following the progress FAST has been doing and like it. I will be using your hardware in the future. The only thing I am waiting on is the documentation side of things to progress as I feel I will need a little more hand holding on the circuits side of things. (I chose Mechanical Engineering for a reason!) I think some of us (maybe just me) would like some more assurances that we are correct in our setup before hooking up the juice and potentially destroying a new board. I know you guys are busy preparing for Expo, but please keep us updated on some of the more mundane stuff too. Additionally, has there been any thought of starting a community site similar to one of the other controller guy's (P-ROC)?
Right now we have a FAST Slack group where all the hardware owners are hanging out. It has helped to work closely with a group of early adopters and really find out what the needs really are. It's really fun to be in the trenches with users.
From there we see the needs, as you stated, for diagrams and instructions for how to setup power, wire correctly, etc. I have a set of docs that are getting refined and they are shared with the owners so far. The run up to Expo, completing our firmware bootloader and getting more hardware to manufacturing has us spread thin. But we know the need is there.
Thank you for your patience and I would love to have you and many others join the FAST Family. Keep an eye out for what will be on display at Expo.
And if you are interested, check out he live streams today and tomorrow while we get games ready for the show!
twitch.tv/fastpinball
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from fastpinball:A super boring live pinball build happening now! Ha
Just checked in -- up late building pinball.. Love it!! That's coming together great! Hope to see some flipping videos soon.
Your dad did an amazing job on cab freehand!! Was hoping I could get one done but looks like I'll just have to sharpen my wood working skills
Quoted from fastpinball:Right now we have a FAST Slack group where all the hardware owners are hanging out. It has helped to work closely with a group of early adopters and really find out what the needs really are. It's really fun to be in the trenches with users.
I've tried with no success so far to get Heighway to use Slack.
Quoted from Aurich:I've tried with no success so far to get Heighway to use Slack.
It's been pretty fun.
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Looks like some cool pinsiders will be streaming the FAST session at Expo in about 30 minutes if anyone wants to tune in!
Quoted from DeadFlip:Super rad meeting you guys.
Can't wait to play with this system!!
Great to meet you too! Let's recover from this trip and let make some plans!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
I am home safe and sound with the fam after making the 30 hour drive home home from Expo. Phew!
Driving TO Expo had a hint of adventure, but the ride home was just a... long... drive...
I will need a good night's sleep before I can start replying (thoughtfully!) to all the messages following Expo. Thank you for your patience!
Thank you also to everyone who took the time to come by the FAST Booth. We loved sharing what everyone is working on and showing off what can be accomplished with the FAST/Mission combo. Everyone had a great experience and, personally, I loved seeing/hearing the possibilities being share by those using the hardware and software.
I will do a more thorough Expo report but I need to get some sleep now!
Aaron
FAST Pinb...zzzz zzz zz z
1 week later
I had some hardware to build and thought I would try the new streaming gear! What is the most boring stream on Twitch? FAST Pinball building hardware!
twitch.tv/fastpinball
Aaron
FAST Pinball
Quoted from BrianMadden:Man.. so I clicked on this just for yucks, but Aaron's got multiple cameras and a camera microscope thing and he's narrating actually building a SMT board... It's certainly a lot more interesting than most of the garbage on tv! Nice work guys.
Screen_Shot_2015-10-27_at_11.13.23_PM.png Screen_Shot_2015-10-27_at_11.17.45_PM.png
Hey thanks Brian! It's certainly fun to answer questions about the process. I had one guy decide to hang on until the boards came out of the oven because he had never seen the process before.
Pinball has been such a great vehicle for me to learn new things, it is great to pass that opportunity on to others!
Aaron
FAST Pinball
OK! The parts I was missing are back in, let's finish building more FAST Nano Controllers! For those of you looking to be lulled to sleep watching a stream where I build pinball hardware, check out http://twitch.tv/fastpinball
Aaron
FAST Pinball
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