I know you mentioned time issues. But in terms of difficulty it is a lot easier than a PF swap. I as well probably others would be happy to help guide you with some instructions if you are willing to give it a shot. I think the best part about Vcabs is the fact you built it.

If your computer skills are that low, then building a computer from scratch was probably a huge mistake. Likewise, configuring all the software will be a nightmare for you. Even if someone helps you, how do you plan to update things as new tables come out?

This is how pinballers do things. Shoot first, flip later.

Go to VP Forums.. Alot of good people there.... Maybe someone is local to you.. ???? And could come by.. ?

I see, they had you get a barbone system and now you need to assemble it. That portion would be best helped with youtube videos. Installing the cpu/heat sync is prob the only complicated part as you need cooling compound. The rest, is pretty much plug and play and install os/drivers.

Just to get the ball rolling, some instructables:

You can start with this:

Some instructables for Virtual/Visual Pinball.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Digital-Pinball-Machine/

More instructions on cabinet / Ipac / buttons etc.
http://pinacolada.danielpotter.com/cabinet-parts-guide/step-4-buttons-etc.html

1. Games, you can use Pinball Arcade, Pinball FX and VPForums.org
2. You can use a front end. Many to pick from. One example is Hyperpin
http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/showthread.php?2255-Announcing-HyperPin-Digital-Pinball-Frontend
Another option is Steams Big Picture which is what I use now.
3. You will need a controller board for your buttons. The IPAC, they have released several versions. Ipac3 etc.
http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

Download Unit3D Pinball - Tables are downloadable from the home page, Follow the included instructions.
unit3dpinball.net

This is very easy to install on a Cabinet. It has a GUI that lets you position the screens as it's running, very cool. From the options menu, select cabinet mode then calibrate cabinet. Once you get it the way you like it, press calibrate again (to turn off the mode) and press save at the bottom.

This should have you up and running on a cabinet in about 15 minutes.

Next:

Add Front end and Future Pinball
Download PinballX
pinballx.net

Download Future Pinball (to start, it's easy to get the backglass working)

Download BAM and place in FP folder - Rename BAM EXE to FuturePinball.exe and use this to launch FP (and also as your FP exe in PinballX config).

Once in BAM, Press ~ key to open the config menu, you can tweek the table all sorts of ways, even add head tracking.

FP is little more trickier due to the DMD, but still pretty easy, reply if you get this far and I can explain how to fix/move the DMD. Once you are good with UP and FP we'll work on VP.

This guy has a box of parts. He doesn't know how to assemble them or install an os. All this stuff is a thousand times more complex than he will manage. His best bet is to install steam and use pinball fx and pinball arcade from there. At least no real configuration work. And besides, FP is completely unplayable gabage. Physics really couldn't be any worse.

I agree. Steam Big Picture for front end with pinball FX "has movable DMD and portrait mode" Pinball Arcade at least has Portrait and will have cabinet support someday. I would strongly recommend skipping VP, FP since they are a pain to configure and almost all of them are ugly as sin. As well as front ends like Hyperspin, skip that and use steam. Once you get your barebone system put together "use the video I posted above, its a multiple part video. It will show you how to install everything, it's not that complicated. The last thing to do is install the iPac and your buttons and mount the montors/tv's. By sticking with steam only, you will save yourself some major headaches. Editing a VP table or even installing them for the first time is frustrating as hell. It will overwhelm you.

VP can be difficult for people that know what they're doing.

I say sell off what you have now as a project. Either that or plan on investing some serious time into learning all of this stuff. The digital pinball stuff is cool, but there's a lot to know.

Hindsights 20/20, but there's plenty of virtual pins out there for sale.

Well, you have a nice rig. Just have to put it together. After you build this you could build an arcade cabinet and use the same computer to run the pinball and the arcade. Since from what you will learn from this project the arcade will be a piece of cake

The latest version of VP can be run with off the shelf computers from your local Best Buy or Computer store.
It is nice that you have all that great stuff, but building a PC, which I have done plenty of times, is a very tricky endevour.
You could be up an running VP pretty quick if you did not have to assemble the PC.

I built my own cabinet with very limited knowledge of what the hell I was doing.
Here is a link to my cabinet build thread which will show my limited skills. But I got it done and play it constantly.
I am using it a lot right now to practice for PAPA on games that I am not familiar with.
http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=15486&hl=%2Barcades+%2Bcabinet+%2Bbuild

I can't tell you how many cabinets I have smashed over the years... Why build one when 1,000's are scrapped every year that could be perfectly re-purposed?

Some other things to consider:
Do you have a tilt?
Do you have a plunger?
Where are the flipper buttons, and speakers going to go?
How will you configure/start a game? (Wireless keyboard is a popular solution.)
What device are you going to use to connect the inputs like title, flipper buttons, and plunger actions? USB-ipac perhaps?
Those bare wood sides are going to be hell on your hands. What about side rails and a lockdown bar... You will need some way to attach that stuff... and if you buy new, it's not cheap.

There are so many 1000's of possibilities that you will need to provide some more info about what you want the final product to look like before anyone would probably be willing to help.

The only advice I have is don't try to reinvent the wheel. You can pretty much buy all the parts you need (besides possibly the cabinet itself) from 4 sites on the interweb. Companies specialize in building these and use "off the shelf" readily available parts in nearly every one I've seen.

Focus on what you have now. Find the biggest nerd you know and have him build the pc and get it running with a keyboard and mouse for starters. Install the emulator you want to run the games on, then check back here when you have that up and running.

This is less of a pinball task and more of a computer hardware building task.

Go here, get an account and start reading about the dozens of builds and how people did it.
We all learned how and took the plunge. It wasn't easy, but the goal is worth it.

http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?38-HyperPin-Cabinet-Forum

I don't disagree with you, but have you tried it with BAM? It's alot better than it used to be.

Don't even bother with the cabinet until you get it all working, you will just make it harder. Build the PC, connect it up to your monitors on a table or desk to start, Get it all working, then put it into the cabinet.

All the info is out there to do this yourself, just keep posting your progress and questions here and we'll help.

First things first, get the computer put together and get an OS loaded onto it. I'd recommend Windows 7. Search you tube for instructional videos on how to assemble a computer from scratch. Don't rush, take your time and do it right.

I used leaf switches and buttons from pinball life for my cab. Wish you were just a bit closer or I'd offer to help. Just not interested in several 3 hour (each way) turn-around trips. This take several days to get set-up and running thus why I say several trips

Are you going to be running force feedback (recommended)? If not, all you really need is an I-PAC and the buttons outside of setting up the computer and monitor.

Well, I have a hint for you... There is a very good chance they buy from pinballlife.com in bulk and then resell the exact same parts.

Given your level of experience I still recommend holding off on all the extra bits until you get the PC built and working and the simulators configured and working outside the cabinet. Then add one thing at a time, If you are using the virtuapin plunger I don't think you need the I-PAC but if you do, get that working next (I use an old MS Sidewinder gamepad with accelerometers), after that then work on the LEDWiz, that will allow you to add lights and force feedback (using 12V contactors).

BAM is great for appearance and giving a 3d effect but doesn't do anything for physics. The zed physics is about as good as I've seen FP play but even then it's still unplayable trash. I've seen a lot of people focus on shakers, bam, adding a bunch of flashers in all the wrong places just to flash etc. But none of these things do anything to help improve playing the game or interacting with the ball. So far the only playable physics have been pinball fx 2, physmod VP (no release version of VP is playable), and pinball arcade on a few tables like fish tales and a couple older ones. Pinball arcade has several issues for the most part though like floaty physics and no flipper tricks.

Most people build their own because they love the building process. It sounds like you just really want a good working machine and don't care if you build it yourself. That being said I would be glad to take your parts and fit them into one of our machines and or take what doesn't work with ours in on trade.

There are a lot of small details that can really make a difference in how the machine looks and plays. PM me and we can discuss some price options. I will do my best to help you out. Our website is www.VPcabs.com Here's what we make.

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Shakenbake does awesome work. This is a really great option if you still want someone else to finish your project.

I still don't understand the whole leaning of the screen back. It increases your viewing angle and screws up the perspective on objects that are "above" the playfield, like the MM castle for example.

Go read the BAM docs. Zen physics are just a hack to some variables in FP, Bam does this internally, the authors just need to include a XML file with the settings and BAM will read them(or you can adjust them yourself).

I'm not saying it's better than any of the others, but it's totally playable.

I couldn't agree with this more. The back of an LCD monitor will already be difficult to see. But then its angled down into the cabinet to make it 10 times worse. After that, the rear wall is flooded with a bunch of flashers that are out of place (the games being emulated don't have flashers there) and make it even more difficult to see what's going on. I would never build a cabinet this way.

The BAM is not a physics engine. It does allow for ease in patching in things like zed physics without running patched executables or extra processes via XML input files. But even with those FP is not playable. Play a real pinball game and make some ramp shots and up the middle shots. Then try to do the same with FP. You'll see how horrible it is. If the flippers, the only user input into the game, don't work correctly then what good is it? I guess for people that just blindly press the flipper button when the ball gets near the flippers, it might be ok. But that's not playing. You cannot take or aim shots in FP. And the ball reacts way different stopped vs moving on all shot angles. Totally unplayable. VP had similar issues and I considered it unplayable until recently. Solved by physmod.

It would be cool to have a "Video Pinball" subforum.

Correct on all counts. I do play real pinball btw. Some tables are only available in FP. It's all going to be moot once Unit3d gets updated, it's really the best parts of all of them. Rumor is a new release by summers end.