Thank you sir...they have been getting a fair amount of play lately

Current line up and room rearranged

image.jpg

My current collection.
50p_redux.jpgllwb_50redux.jpgTT_redux50.png

Funny, you sound like me when I was house shopping last summer. My only needs were a 4 car garage and a big ground floor gameroom with an outside door. Found the perfect house.

(Swapped T2 and Earthshaker for my Super Bowl party last week)
20150129_185453.jpg20141101_223500.jpg20141101_223752.jpg20150129_185250.jpg20150129_185753.jpg

Couple more months for me...

IMG_4928.JPG

IMG_4929.JPG

gameroomlayout2.jpg

Amazing layout!! What no place for a Dance Dance Revolution?

Don't forget about the 10 TVs you are going to need. Not sure if you like Neon signs, but in the gameroom in my last house I put in a row of outlets up high that were on one switch so I could turn on the lights with one switch. You can always put them in just in case.

I have a collection of framed backglasses for that space

You, sir, have excellent taste in pins!

games1.jpggames2.jpg

still a work in progress

My current lineup

11001380_871295265610_1400264467_o.jpg

Hey Gang,

I mostly lurk around these parts. I only have 1 pin, a Rollergames that I picked up last year, but you've gotta start somewhere, right?

Anyway... I host an annual Halloween Party. Each year I try to outdo the previous year's "show." The most recent party featured 5 DJs and several contests with prizes. My sound and lighting system is growing to be quite impressive. Just thought I'd share this video as it shows what will one day be my game room.

Nice vid, looks like fun and you have LOTS! of room for pins.

Yep. With the current design for the finish, including a bar, theater/dancefloor and generous seating area I can comfortably fit about 20 pins, which is way is more pins than I can afford to actually buy.

Oh you dowg you. Most of us would KILL for that much room. Your gonna have fun for years to come. Enjoy the trip.

The decorative lighting in my gameroom has it's own circuit which is switched by a motion sensor. When you enter the room it turns on automatically and switches off 10 minutes after leaving the room.

Has anyone set something like this up? I'm curious what all it would take (equipment wise) to run something like this.

I have 60,000+ mp3's and over 2000 music video's I enjoy playing while down playing my earthshaker. I'd be extremely curious how to set something like this up. As it is, I have to use a remote to change songs and all that, but man would it be cool to set something like this up right by the pinball machine so I could change right there on the fly without struggling to get the remote to be picked up.

Andretti

I don't have time to post all the details right now, but an unRAID server steaming to an NUC running Kodi attached to a touch screen would definitely work. It wouldn't be too expensive either. I have a 12TB server in my basement serving all my media (TV Shows, Movies, Music, Pictures, etc).

I'll try and get some time later to point you in the right direction.

My pin room now that i got TSPP moved inside from the garage where ive had it since i picked it up last month.

20150215_143424.jpg
20150215_130705.jpg

Nice-room for another in that lineup!!!!

Yep if i push them really close together i might get one more in there. But i like them spaced out so i can get in there and clean/work on them. There is a closet with bifold doors on the right of TSPP and as it is you really cant get in there to access the closet very well.

Room is not quite big enough for a couple pins on the opposite wall. They would fit, but you couldnt get glass off. Of either row. Bummer.

When kids (12 and 3) are out of house maybe ill take out a wall and combine this room to the room to the left of TFLE. Could fit 3 more in with the current spacing and 5 if pushed together tight.

I'd really appreciate the insight to what it'd take if you have the time at some point.

Andretti

Hi Andretti. My storage is handled by a box I built running a Linux based distro called unRAID by Lime Technology. It runs off a flash drive and basically acts as a huge file server and includes parity in the case of drive failure. It's a lot different than most storage solutions as the hardware requirements are very light (depending on what else you want to do) and it's very inexpensive.

http://lime-technology.com/registrationkeys/

As you fill up the server, you just add more drives and keep on going. It's a rock solid platform once configured.

The software is free to use for up to 3 drives, and costs $29 for 4 devices, $69 for 8 devices and $119 for up to 25 devices. A device is defined as either a hard drive, cache drive or parity drive. The free (trial) version does not support a parity drive, which is highly recommended.

Hardware is pretty straight forward and doesn't require much depending on what you want it to do. I have mine doing a bunch of other stuff, but if you're just looking for file storage you can get away with building something pretty cheap.

With the file server in place, you'll want to move on to the computer you'll actually be streaming the media to (pictures, TV Shows, Movies, Music, etc). For this, I would recommend something like an Intel NUC or a Gigabyte Brix. They are very small and easy to hide. Here is an example of an Intel NUC:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102053&cm_re=Intel_NUC-_-56-102-053-_-Product

You would purchase the NUC, a SSD for storage and some RAM. That's the device that would connect to whatever display you decided to use.

The actual interface would be handled by software named Kodi (formerly XBMC). It's an open source platform and I've used it for years.

http://kodi.tv/about/

The actual interface can be controlled with either a remote, iPad, Android or iPhone. The only thing I haven't tested, is controlling the Kodi software with a touch screen monitor. It is reported to work, but I can't say that with 100% certainty since I haven't done it myself. You can control it with an iPad, so if you wanted to install an iPad in the wall and use that to control the interface, that would be one option.

It might sound like a lot to wrap your hear around right out of the gate, but once set up, it's self sufficient. The entire package could probably be done easily for under $1,500 and probably closer to $1,000. The nice thing is that you can then add NUCs other places in the house. I have one at each of my TVs. You can even go so far as to have a SQL database running on the server that remembers watched status for different users. There is also usenet integration if you want to have it automatically download, rename and catalog all your TV shows.....but that's for another day.

Play rollergames while your drone cam hovers above the pf while only looking at the drone cam monitor!!!

Yea man thats how I've done mine (I have pics in here somewhere of my finished basement I think). I actually just cutout the drywall and inserted a used LCD touchscreen right into the wall and have all the computer and stereo components behind the wall all connected to in wall speakers. Just frame around it any way you want to clean up the look and your done. I also installed a color changing LED light strip behind the frame so that the frame is back lit. Works great. Now if your looking to mount it on a wall against the foundation you'd have to take a different route.

Here - this is what the finished product looks like. behind the wall is the computer and stereo receiver on a rack. you can see one of the two in wall speakers and the the sub is on the floor off to the right.

Running Etouch software.

wall juke.jpg

I just use an older computer hooked up to my WD cloud server which hosts all the files. Audio out to the stereo receiver which is wired to the speakers and the sub. I had all this in mind when finishing the basement so running wires and power placements were all planned in advance.

Etouch costs money now I think or there may older versions that are free. I paid for my version

www.freeboxjukebox.com/

I give it 3 months tops before you're rejiggering that closet to just be open shelves and take the doors off so you can fit 4 games.

You are probably right. I just sold one of my guitar amps so there was more room at your feet when playing TSPP. Put my least fav guitar in its case in the closet instead of hanging on the wall...

These pins are like rabbits!

Tenatively the next pin would be sideways on the opposite wall and id would need to loose the file cabinet, treadmill, tv, and my pin tool/storage cabinet...

Its a sickness i recognize and dont want to cure!

Tell me about it.

Hello from Minneapolis! I should have had The Game Show turned on too. My son in his pajamas trying to sneak in one more game before bedtime.

6e83645119ab800a15bfd1239c40089a80183fa3.jpg

Looks like a VERY nice gameroom. I hope you let him get away with it.

Enjoy this while you can. My kids are off in college so I have no time to play with them. My game room gets less use every year.

Here is my tiny gameroom.

Jeff Bridges would be proud.

20150221_170112.jpg

The Dude abides!

Needs an Iron Man for the complete Jeff Bridges collection.

Took the first step to building my game room this weekend. I'm starting with a 2900 sq. ft. basement, 9 ft. ceilings and a mountain view on one end. This weekend, I got serious and started painting the ceiling with "Black Magic" paint, made an incredible mess, but it all swept up nicely. Here are the results of the first 16 gallons of paint (ran out, need about 8 more gallons). Need to add a bath room, two bedrooms and a bar.
img01-1600.jpgimg03-1600.jpgimg09-1600.jpgimg11-1600.jpgimg04-1600.jpg

Wow I think any game room I have from here out will feel inadequate. Thanks!

Good Lord! My ENTIRE HOUSE isn't 2900 sq. ft.

That is a serious basement. Awesome!

your basement is bigger than my house

His basement is twice as big as my living space. That much space could be very dangerous for a collector.

I don't mean to be picky, my ceiling is open and painted black also and I love the look but you really should put a second coat on it especially if you sprayed it, the paint really soaks in. And for the duct work that has to has to have a special primer coat on it for the paint to stick or it will be falling off in sheets because of the galvinized metal expanding and contracting. I hope your gonna go with uv carpet and lights. I'll follow your progress so keep up the great work.

I've got a weird 'L' floorplan in my basement, but here's my area around the bend. Plan is to take over the whole thing as I progressively have kids move on with their college plans. The wife wasn't cool with the collection early on (that is until her friends always wanted to go downstairs for a quick game or two). Now she's all on board like it was her idea.

aaa1.jpg

aaa2.jpg

Does anyone have any rough figures for "sq ft./pin" (for narrow bodies)
For example: 2.6 ft * 8 ft = ~21 sq ft? (to allow for minimal walking distance behind the player)

A guy with 2900 sq. ft "could" hold...
138 pins.
(But that wouldn't account for a workshop area...)
So maybe 135 pins...
=)
-mof

and subtract for a couple of bedrooms, bathroom, storage closets, laundry room, bar, seating area with tv. I'm thinking around 50-60 pins. ONLY 50-60.

I didn't realize how many painted parts I missed until I took pictures! Trying to paint with lights at night didn't really work well...I'll be touching up during daylight hours...

The paint has its own primer so it is supposed to stick to ductwork well. Time will tell. And the floor, it's a toss-up between polished concrete and stained/sealed surface. In the center of the room, I'll be putting my 1958 Gandy pool table, then the perimeter will be lined with slots, arcade games and pins. I plan to surround the posts with a boxed-in structure with 3 or 4 slot machines on each post and should still have enough room for the pool table and perimeter space.

If I end up polishing the floor, it'll be done next. Otherwise, all the construction will go first and the stained floor will go on afterwards. Polishing is a tougher surface but cost is about 50% more than staining.

This is the corner of our game room with our games in it...

image.jpg

I see, well with a concrete floor and a bare ceiling it's gonna get real noisy down there with all the reflective surfaces not to mention cold on the feet too unless you have slab heating.

Why am I the only one freakin' out over the fact that someone has a real live The Big Lebowski sitting in a private collection???