I have a lot going on, and currently working on my PinSound project for Getaway HS2. I've never really wanted a color DMD, but I've recently seen the PIN2DMD project and it interests me some (but not really enough to buy one right now). I've also noticed that nobody has officially/completely colorized a PIN2DMD for Getaway yet. So, my proposition is this: Are there enough Getaway owners to fund my purchase of a PIN2DMD setup (I'm estimating around $300-$400 depending upon who I buy from)? In exchange I will gladly develop and make available for free the fully colorized DMD coding for the game (I'm sure this will probably be 100+ hours based upon everything I've seen).

I'm happy to always share any updates I do, and solicit opinions/advice from those who contribute. My eventual desire would be to make whatever I develop public, but I would be willing to have a brief period of exclusivity (say 90 or so days from the time the coding is completed) for those who contribute to the project, if that is what is desired by the group.

Please let me know your thoughts and if you are willing to contribute a few bucks (or heck, one lump sum) towards the project. If not, no big deal. Again, I'm not motivated enough to do this for myself right now, but if I could fully fund the purchase of a PIN2DMD by the generosity of others, then that would be enough to move me to purchase along with the needed obligation to others to actually develop the colorization.

UPDATE: Okay guys, I've been thinking about this, and I have decide we are going to proceed for sure. Please PM me with whatever level you are comfortable donating. I will keep a list, and then in a week or so I will contact everyone interested with funding instructions along with my project plan.

Regarding cost, I was looking to purchase a unit ready to go along with registration of the software as opposed to compiling components and building myself. Here is one for example that I would be interested in acquiring from a supplier in Germany (guessing about $300 with shipping to US): https://germangamingsupplies.com/RGBPINDMD-SET-V3-ready-to-go_1

From my research, to do a fully customized colorization of entire animation library it takes closer to my time estimate. I've communicated with some who have actually done it, and some of them have spent up to a couple of months working diligently to produce a professional quality colorization. Here is an example of the quality I am referring to:

No irony intended. I've designed and shared a lot of artwork and mods with the Getaway community here on Pinside, and most are aware of the quality of what I produce. I know there are several Getaway owners who would probably love to have a colorized DMD, but a) don't want to spend the full cost of what it takes for your competitor's product and/or b) don't have the time and/or skill to create a colorized version for themselves. I'm just offering up with a way (if there is a need/market for it) to help these fellow Getaway owners for nothing more than a modest "donation" to the project.

Because it's not just about me. I don't want to buy a ColorDMD just for myself. I would rather buy a PIN2DMD, do the colorization, then share my work with others who in turn can do their own fully functional and complete PIN2DMD project for as low of a cost as possible.

It may appear my motives are purely selfish and manipulative, but this is not the case. I'm still new to the hobby (about a year), and I have learned so much from these forums, in addition to making several pinball friends. I have some technical and design skills, so I like to use them to give back as I can. If I wanted to just buy a ColorDMD, I have the money to do it, but this is really not an immediate desire of mine. However, I'm happy to take on the project if it would benefit others, but if I'm going to invest the time learning and performing the colorization process for everyone else to enjoy, all I'm asking for is a little "skin in the game" so to speak from the early adopters who will benefit.

Literally, if 30 people are willing to donate $10, or 20 $15 bucks, etc. then we are on our way. If there is no demand, then no big deal and everyone goes about their merry business. Just thought I would throw it out there to provide a way for other Getaway owners to take advantage of something they may have been wanting, but knew they either could not afford and/or spend the time on developing themselves.

BTW - I'm not asking for any money yet. Just determining if there is interest before I embark on such a project. Also, I have every intention of carrying this through. If I fail, which I won't, then all money will be refunded. I'm not asking for hundreds of dollars. Just a few bucks each from a group of interested Getaway owners.

I would say that a minimum of $10 donation is a base level, but I will treat a $10 donor the same as a $100 donor regarding their opinions and input to the project when/if we move forward.

Yes, this is what inspired my offer to the Getaway community. You can see what an incredible job can be done with skill and time. Instead of me buying one on my own, doing the work, then selling copies, I thought I would flip the process and see if there was anay interest.

True, but if you spend any time in the Getaway owners forum, you will see that I've delivered a multitude of game specific products to the group, have sold dozens of pieces at extremely fair prices without a single dissatisfied purchase, and I have even made all of my artwork available for free download for DIYers (http://www.thezumwaltfamily.com/getawaypinball). Also, I'm about to release my PinSound nearly fully remastered/reorchestrated customization for Getaway too. I have a proven track record, so if people want to invest in that and trust me that I will deliver or refund their money, then we are good. If others are skeptical and/or don't want to contribute to the project then such is life.

I've seen just a couple of Getaway owners who were willing to spend the money on a ColorDMD. I also imagine there are several who are not willing to drop $400 in a pin for this, but might very well be will to spend up to 1/2 that. I'm just seeing if there is enough interest or not for me to invest my time creating the colorization that will benefit others.

Good idea. I have a couple of other priojects i vneed to finish first, but will most likely get to this soon.

First, please point me to the lower priced option, as I may be open to it.

Second, I am not going to copy the other brand, but was just using it as example.

Third, Getaway is currently my only pin, so this is the only machine I care to design for right now.

Good news for everyone, looks like we just need enough interest to get to less than than $240.

If I haven't explained myself well, then let me attempt to again. I'm not looking for people to just give me money. I'm looking for Getaway owners who want to upgrade to a color DMD, believe the current offering, as great as it is, is too expensive for them, and don't have time and/or ability to develop their own colorization.

If I determine enough interest to get to around $240 in the thread, then in a couple of weeks when I have time to start the project I will ask for donations. If not enough have committed then I will make the determination at the right time about moving forward. Even though I will eventually make my work public, those who participate will have a brief period of exclusivity and I will solicited feedback from them.

If you think this is a dumb concept then fine, this is not for you. If you don't mind spending an additional $10-$20 (or whatever you want to give) on a color DMD up front or if that's enough to motivate you to buy one then please contribute.

If you would consider participating in the program, then I would consider your request as having precident for the hitchhiker's hair color. For reference purposes if you should choose not to participate, what is your least favorite hair color?

1) Are you a Getaway owner? 2) Do you not know how to read (i.e. all the other posts in this topic)? 3) if all you have are negative snarky comments to offer then go somewhere else.

I'm going to put probably 100 hours into this project for the benefit of Getaway owners. This is not just for me, but for everyone. If I'm donating that amount of time to a project that benefits the entire community, I don't see an issue with asking for interest up front from those who will benefit. Of course, I could always charge $$$ per person for my work after the fact or just keep it to myself. Just looking for a creative way to fund the hardware portion only of the project in exchange for input on the design and first rights to the project.

Moving forward everyone who contributes will have played a role in having developed PIN2DMD for the Getaway and providing it for FREE to all other owners moving forward.

FYI, any other similar responses in this thread moving forward will be ignored and go unaddressed by me (the rest of you are free to comment).

I definitely agree with the quality. I have zero interest in creating something that looks like 16 color CGA displays from the early 90's. My goal is to have something on par with the recent Simpsons conversion referenced earlier in this thread.

This is also a no risk proposition. While you do have to trust me, I am more than willing to refund everyone'a donation if I do not deliver the quality I am committing to. Also, if many want to participate to the point beyond the amount I am seeking to raise (just covering my hardware costs), I will proportionally refund amounts to the higher level contributors, as this is not a money making venture for me.

Also, while I am not a professional graphic artist, I do have over 20 years experience with Photoshop, web design, both personal and professional general design and marketing as a small part of my job, and a mild case of perfectionism and OCD which lends itself well to projects like this.

Okay guys, I've been thinking about this, and I have decide we are going to proceed for sure. Please PM me with whatever level you are comfortable donating. I will keep a list, and then in a week or so I will contact everyone interested with funding instructions along with my project plan.

FYI, I've already had 2 contributors even though I asked them to wait until I was ready to begin the project in a week or two. I'm definitely going to move forward after just a few more early Getaway adopters, so please PM me if you are interested in signing up.

Yes, mostly.

You buy the system from lucky1 (see his post above and engage as needed), activate with small donation as required, install our custom olorization that I develop and you are good to go. I will be learning with the rest of the group, and we'll have a thread to share ideas and progress. You may want to go ahead and buy yours soon, as my plan will be to release partial colonizations along the way for testing and input.

As a reminder, colorization will initially only be provided to program participants. I will eventually make public to all (we can decide as a group how long we want to keep it to ourselves), and I might possibly charge in the interim if demand is there.

Well, as an update I've already had 3 contributors and another commitment even though I was planning on waiting to ask for money. Therefore, if you do wish join the group please PM me with your amount between $10 and $50, and I will provide payment instructions.

Looks like this is definately going to happen, and I'm excited about it.

I now have 4 contributors, 1 other commitment, and we are well above 1/2 way there. I went ahead and ordered the PIN2DMD from Dom since it is apparent that there is enough interest. So, there is still room for others to join the project with a contribution. I want everyone to participate who wants to, so please let me know your intentions as soon as you can.

I've done all kinds of customer graphic mods for the Getaway, and even a few other pins (http://www.thezumwaltfamily.com/getawaypinball). This is not my job, but my hobby, and I do mostly say no when asked to do one-off stuff given that I have my own projects going. However, I've been known to give in to fellow Getaway owners for non-Getaway projects on occasion (having a pretty involved one going on right now). For myself and the Getaway community, I'm currently working on a custom PinSound orchestration, and the PIN2DMD is my next big thing.

If you are asking specifically about what can be done with the DMD animations, then the answer is nothing can be done to change them or substitute different animations in their place. What can be done is a full colorization instead of the default monochromatic amber (or red in my case with the filter I have installed). Not just making everything all a different color, but multi-colored graphics and animations.

Okay guys, I feel like I need to disclose something to be fair to everyone. Long story short, I was contacted by a person from Color DMD today, and they requested that I call them for a discussion. My retort was why? After some back and forth, I basically stated that I didn't think we needed to talk and that all that matters to me is that if there is legal judgement that PIN2DMD has violated copyrights (which there is not, thus far). If this were the case then I would stop my customization.

Please don't read this incorrectly. Color DMD has every right to defend their IP and Copyrights, and most of us would do the same in their position. All I am asking for is that if you are going to approach me to call you, then before doing so I want to know on what legitimate grounds, or I really don't see the point of having a conversation.

ColorDMD obviously has a great product, and has added significant value to the pinball community. However, if there is a legitimate DIY/crowd sourced option that achieves a similar result without copyright violation, then I have no issue moving forward with it. Even if my intent is to not distribute hardware, only do a single pin, and even not sell but give away my color renderings, such intent would be irrelevant if copyrights have been shown to be violated.

So, it comes to this. First of all, please do not disparage or post any negative comments about ColorDMD as there are no positive outcomes to doing so (you can, however, say anything bad about me you like). The back and forth between us was cordial enough, and I have respect and appreciation for what they do. I also encourage anyone who appreciates their offerings to buy from them, as they have a great product that is backed by an experienced supportive company.

Even so, I am moving forward with my homebrew PIN2DMD colorization given there are currently no legal grounds not to do so. However, now knowing this information, if you are not comfortable moving forward with me on the project them PM me and I will refund your donation. If you are still good to go, then we will move forward as planned. Also, there is still room for a few more contributors, so please PM me if you are interested.

Guys, please take the conversation to another thread as it is not my intent to carry out such a discussion here. I needed to let those who where joining or considering joining the project know what they were getting into and offer them a way out, that is all.

I believe we have hit the desired goal to fund the cost of the PIN2DMD hardware. I will verify when I get home tonight, and if so I will close the opportunity. If you still have interest, please PM me before 8:00PM Central in order to be included.

Just to clarify, as it has been construed that I am selling my colorization in exchange for contributions, this is not the case. Everyone's contribution will be used exclusively for my cost of purchasing the required hardware for PIN2DMD. I will not be charging anything for my time to develop nor charging anything for the exchange of my colorization at any point. I will be sharing my progress and seeking input for my colorization from those who donate to my PIN2DMD hardware fund, and will be logging my progress and methodology for others to follow in order to create and implement their own version of colorization.

At this point, we have a handful of people who have helped me reach the $200 goal, so I am closing the group. I am a couple of weeks away from getting started, but thanks to everyone for consideration.

To begin with you are not sorry, rather, you are intentional. You cannot be sorry for something you control, yet choose to exercise in a particular manner. Even stating such, you are clearly entitled to enforce whatever and however you please as it relates to ownership of your property, which is something I have never disputed.

Did it ever cross my mind that a group of Getaway owners working together to colorize their pins was in violation of some property rights? Quite honestly, I would have never conceived to even ask myself such a question. A bunch of hobbyist working together on a shared interests to improve their enjoyment of this machine even more seemed like a rather innocuous undertaking. As the saying goes, however, "ignorance is no excuse".

Did you not make yourself clear to me via PM, and after you outlined your restrictions and what was acceptable, was my response of "fair enough" not clear enough of an acknowledgment for you to know that I understand what your requirements are and what is permissible?

Again, when I completely recouched my project just a few posts above along with my intent to now use my experience by "logging my progress and methodology for others to follow in order to create and implement their own version of colorization", was I not clear enough that I would not be sharing my personal recolorization?

When you asked me to take down any files that you believed to be Getaway trademarked content from my download site for Getaway owners, did I not do so immediately and responded to you to please let me know if anything I left up was still in violation so that I can address that content also?

Well, I guess I know the answer to all of my questions based upon the lovely ultimatum I just received to submit or be attacked by lawyers, even though I thought I had already clearly addressed each of your two concerns. Therefore, please allow me to state as plainly as I know how, even though I thought I had already made it clear. Yes, I understand that I must remove all WMS/PPS licensed materials from my download site, and I have made an effort to do so. If you believe other content remaining still falls under your licensing, then by all means please detail which items those are so that I can address them. Secondly, do I understand that I may develop my own colorization but cannot distribute it? Again, the answer to that question is yes. Should that prevent me from sharing my experience with other Getaway owners, taking in there ideas for what I do, and then teaching them how to accomplish there own colorizations, I don't see how such an exercise in any way could be in violation of your copyrights and/or trademarks.

So, are we good now?

Does anyone know how to close a topic on Pinside? As far as I am concerned, nothing positive can come out of any further discussion at this point given that the project as intended is dead.

FYI, I asked the moderators days ago to close this thread, but apparently that has not yet occurred.

Agreed, just didn't want this to turn into a bashing only thread one way or the other.

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And while you're at it, I know . . . two other bosses already told me to put cover sheets on my TPS reports.