I am working on a mod for opening and closing the treasure chest on JJPOTC that I thought I would share my progress on!

I got a prototype working this evening, but it is a REAL prototype (it will break in about 10 more tries lol), as I did a fast print with the 3d printer for sizing and proof of concept.

Here it is in action:

Now it may not look like much movement, because there is not right now. I need to make a slightly longer linkage (it is on order), and I need to make a new bracket for the chest lid. This mod is completely reversible too (no additional drilling, etc reqd).

Similar to how the prototype JJPOTC machines worked, the chest lid is closed when the fork ramp is down. When the fork ramp is raised, the chest lid will slowly open (adjustable in software of course).

The two pictures without the 3d printed bracket I included to show the fork mech screw holes that I plan to use to mount the bracket, as well as the existing slot through the playfield that nothing goes through (maybe that is where the original mech linkage was located at?).

I will do my best to keep progress documented here, but source and design will be available here too:
https://github.com/jfleitz/jjpotc-chest

Rough cost estimate in parts about $25. I am hoping on having this done in the next couple of weeks to where I will make a second one and see if Antz at Zanzabar will let me try it on his CE on location.

I have no clue if this will cause additional ball rejects, but I wouldn't think it would. If it did, I can always adjust the "close height" so that it doesn't close all of the way.
mounted-on-fork1 (resized).jpgmounted-on-fork2 (resized).jpgpf-slot (resized).jpgproto1 (resized).jpgproto2 (resized).jpgscrew-holes (resized).jpg

I was thinking about it, but it will need a lot of testing. It isn't too bad to install except for taking the top of the chest off, and then putting it back on with the hinge.

However, just playing a few games...it is pretty cool with the "chest opening sound playing while the lid opens"

For testing, I talked with the owner of Zanzabar (Antz) who has a CE on location, and he is all in for letting me install it for heavy testing.

I am definitely not in this for money, so the bill of materials, where I bought each part, and the stl files for the 3d printed parts will be published after testing.

I think it was directly linked somehow to the fork mech. If you watch the earlier twitch streams when it was there, the motion of it opening was fast and closing fast. I thought about going down that path myself, but thought if after all of the testing JJP decided it was causing ball rejects, maybe the fork was not lifting all of the way all of the time... to just use a separate motor.

But I guess to answer your question, I honestly don't know LOL.

Well that is an excellent point. Now I kinda want to go back to the drawing board and make a simpler mod

Just fyi the hinge I used is this one:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gatehouse-1-1-2-in-Zinc-Mortise-Door-Hinge-2-Pack/50041808

The holes on the hinge line up perfectly with the threaded posts that stick out of the back of the chest bottom.

I had to make a new metal plate for the actual chest top though. You could probably bend the metal bracket that comes in the game, but I wanted to go back to the original config , if I ever needed to.

I thought it was removed do to inconsistent ball locking , but no clue if that was due to the fork mech not raising or something else. I did the servo method to have something completely separate "powering" the lid. Worst case if there were rejects with the servo, you can just simply unplug it and turn the servo to the location you want the lid to be at in a fixed position

Good job though on getting this working!!

I must say I like this too for the simplicity, but I like the open/close to be less drastic and slower (creepier?). I actually slowed down the servo a bit when it opens, and made it close a little faster on purpose.

Just a quick update on the servo version:
Testing over the weekend (Father's day) went great. The chest never locked up, it open a closed when you expected, no ball rejects, etc.
There is one minor change I am doing to the bracket (moving the micro switch just a little bit) and I think I can call that part finalized, which then I will get that uploaded.
I found a place that can make the metal brackets, and I am just waiting for a quote on what that will cost.

I will upload the plans, Bill of Materials, and a link to the source again when all is done.
Kit-wise: It will prob be a week or so before knowing what this will all cost. I will do a call-to-order when I have all of the info to share.

Last but not least, the spot right behind the treasure chest where I made a temporary cover in white in the video, I am working on a mount that will both hide the hinge better, and allow for the first mate of Davey Jones to guard the chest (using one of those 7" toys you use to replace Tortuga Tom):
https://pirates.fandom.com/wiki/Maccus

I really agree with all of the points being thrown out here, and it is great that someone figured out the original design too. I agree with zaphX too with the servo adding more complexity.

That being said, I just wonder why it was removed in the first place? Was it somehow causing damage to the lid maybe?
Eric mentioned some issues, just wonder what they all were. I do remember at the Louisville show, Keith and a couple others wired the chest open.

I just figured a servo is so cheap, $12 at amazon for the metal gear that I used:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KZKOIZC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

That if the servo ever did go bad, I can easily order another...so the servo going bad is nbd to me.

But to each their own. I should have the final version to share in a couple days. It sounds like people will have choices for adding the mod back, which is awesome to me. Especially for this beautiful game. I am not trying to sell this, but seeing the chest open and close when a ball is ready to lock is so cool.

Yes, Harry totally rocks for doing this! I will be posting a new video and a link to the materials etc. later!

I still need to do the final writeup, but here is a video of the final testing of the servo actuated open/close:

I apologize for the bad audio/video, but I couldn't find my USB audio in adapter. I had an ok game considering there was a mic stand with a phone in front of my face lol.

It is not too bad.
For the DIY:
It takes you longer to cut the metal plate and 3d print the bracket.
Soldering is not too bad.. just 7 connections to solder (3 for servo, 2 for switch, 2 for power).
The rest is wire ties and screws.
Final bracket, plate pattern and source for the arduino will be uploaded and link will be provided in this thread.

For the kit:
harryhoudini is going to make up a kit that is available. Of course the kit needs to be made first, but I would think a person comfortable already with installing a mod in some capacity could handle this in half an hour or so.

Yeah I messed with the speed of the servo to get it to match as close as I could. My brother advised me to make sure the next video showed the animation on the screen at the same time

Sorry, I need to upload the latest. Will do that tonight, and will make sure the latest source code is up there too.

I thought about that, but really wanted to keep this completely isolated from the game itself. Just to avoid any interference with the playfield switch matrix etc. Definitely doable though using two inputs on the arduino to trigger when: strobe is low to the switch and the output of the switch is low. That would require connecting (soldering?) Into the existing switch though.

I don't think it could unless the switch is out of adjustment. Basically if the switch is closed, the chest lid is closed. That is when the fork mech is completely retracted.

Any other position (fork mech raising, fork mech all the way open etc), the chest lid is opened since the micro switch would be open

I am still a noob at 3d printing, but thought ABS made the most sense myself, since it is durable and easy to use. Nylon would be a great choice but my extruders don't support it

Looks great! And yes it is a long print lol.

Good job!
There is nothing like the smell of 3d printing plastic in the morning btw.

Hi everyone, so I took Soulrider911 's advice and thought I would make a 3d printed lid bracket and try it out. It worked but I messed up the alignment on the hinge, so it didn't shut correctly. I am going to update the file and share that out on thingiverse as well, for people that want to take that approach. I didn't get much testing in yet though.

First pic shows the new plate installed. Second pic shows the difference between my hacked metal proto vs the 3d printed one
20190703_075029 (resized).jpg20190703_085152 (resized).jpg

Just noticed that you really can't see the hole and "lever" from the previous pic, where the pushrod goes through. Here is what the top looks like. I put ribs on top to help with strength.

20190703_074647 (resized).jpg

Thanks for posting, but just to clarify, the source has it as D10 (not D12), but that can easily change in software if you want to use D12

https://github.com/jfleitz/jjpotc-chest/blob/609117a48fa64482862a90c043a359e189d8d106/arduino/chest-opener.ino#L13

20190703_082420 (resized).jpg

Sure.. I forgot to call this out too, as I bent the micro actuator on the last bracket to get better contact (see pic). I am traveling right now, but thought instead of bending, you could pivot the switch on the screw toward the center of the bracket until the actuator points to the edge...then screw down. Hope that makes sense.

When I get back I will try that myself and post results. The original bracket has been working perfect, so I haven't messed with it.
Fyi harryhoudini

switch mountedswitch actuator bent

20190703_082420 (resized).jpg

You should be able to power the nano from the 5volt pin (same as where the servo is wired) and not use the mini USB connector at all. I got a Y atx adapter that I am going to use to do this myself.

So basically 5volt pin on the nano goes to Servo power and ATX red wire from the power supply. This bypasses the voltage regulator on the nano (which is a good thing imo, since current draw of a servo could be pushing it).

That is a great idea. I know there is the red led already in the trunk, but you could power the rgb strip from the same arduino. Maybe make a red heartbeat like glow while the chest is opening, then a fading a red light when shutting.

Excellent work PinMonk and @harryhoudini!
This seems to be coming together nicely

Btw, it definitely doesn't have to be as thick as the one I sent you harryhoudini . My proto used a steel plate, and I wanted to try out a 3d printed bracket. I just wasnt sure how flimsy it would be, even with an 80% fill. I printed a 3mm thick without the ribs at 100% last night and it is a little flimsy, but not too bad.

Finally got my chest bracket printed and tested. My proto was using a steel plate cutout. The 3d printed version seems just as good. I ended up with a 3mm thickness. I didn't put any slots in the hinge holes, but I did slot the chest cover holes (like the original did) so that you can adjust where the lip closes.

This file is now added to the chest bracket "thing" on thingiverse:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3719361

Oh, one other note... putting washers in between the hinge and the bracket (see pic) allows for the hinge to freely open without getting hung up on the bracket. It works much smoother IMO.
20190710_203341 (resized).jpg20190710_203504 (resized).jpg

20190710_203741 (resized).jpg

FYI, PinMonk pointed out an issue with the open/close mod where the servo makes a buzzing noise and "always stays on". This is the servo actually making little adjustments to hold position of what it was commanded. It "shouldn't" be an issue, but since this drawing power (and really is making the servo motor always do something), I made a change to the source to turn off the servo when it reaches it's destination. New source has been uploaded, and can still be found here:

https://github.com/jfleitz/jjpotc-chest/tree/master/arduino

Thanks for pointing this out @vireland!

Yeah the detach solved it (denouncing was there for the switch inputs).

Nice work!

Yeah sorry about the confusion on the 4 way arm use. It was just the first one I grabbed. Really any of them would work (but I dont have OCD either lol).

On the kwik link, I did end up using the threaded rod end w the clevis to go on the servo instead of the mini connector on mine (either way works), and then using a little ball end that has a set screw on the side for the end to the chest top.

This also allows for you to unscrew the kwik link altogether from the top of the playfield, if you ever wanted to get into the chest. Of course I can't think of why you would want to do that. Maybe have a party. Oooh a disco party with @harryhoudini's light mod!

Nice work on your nano bracket @vireland! I like the labels too!

1565141589486395881561050416345 (resized).jpg

Yeah @Harryhoudini..check to see if you have the attach / detach calls in. From the commits:
https://github.com/jfleitz/jjpotc-chest/commit/2f9159ae7dabb1739699a685a197005ceec405a1#diff-022815730130ab86b39b409e5cb96a18

If you do, and it is still chattering, my thought is that the servo is not able to "home its position". I would recommend:
1. Remove the servo arm from the servo
2. Make sure ramp is down
3. Turn game on and allow for servo to "home position "
4. Put servo arm back on (but not too much tension on the linkage, to allow servo to move).

Just my thoughts/opinions. Btw, excellent work for getting these manufacturered! I am terrible with keeping up with emails, let alone pinside in a timely fashion lol.

-Jeremy

Totally agree with you on this. I assumed that the func would go to the pos and stop, not go to the pos and hold. Sadly I cant remember who called this out to me (and the reason why I added the detach).

Either way, I appreciate the constructive criticism myself lol. I havent had a servo motor burn out yet, but I did put the change in awhile ago too.

No...you're the man for getting this produced and available to the masses!

I voted for it too lol. Honestly though, you and your fam made this mod easily available to all (vs having to DIY everything). The early version had quite a few on this thread helping make tweaks and suggestions to the original coding and bracket too.

TWIPY or not, I am just happy my chest opens and closes!