Just spent 90 minutes trying to make a darn ramp and failing. So much cardboard. So much hot glue.

I never got it to fit right. All my parts are currently held onto the playfield by fun tac so I can adjust and move them around. But they also keep coming undone as I try to fit more stuff. I’m feeling frustrated and taking a break for the day. Think I’ll go to the store and pick up more hot glue sticks.

Luckily, I have an idea to try to get this ramp to work better next time.

Yes. It bonds well. I’m just screwing up on the dimensions. And while the individual pieces are solid, I’m attaching them to the playfield with fun tac which is not a great bond. But, it helps me play around with the exact spacing and fit for now. I have an idea for my ramp which should help. I think a lot of this is just that it’s all new to me, and I’m learning as I’m going.

My second attempt at making a ramp went better. Here's a video of me testing it out. I plan to add a wireform on the end that returns the ball to the left flipper, but for now, it just drops the ball into the orbit.

As you can see, my shot geometry needs some improvement. Lots of cheap drains. But, I can also see this coming together with some nice flow.

Made a second ramp today, and while it worked, I am not that happy with my shot geometry. I also thought there would be space for a saucer / VUK, but it didn't leave enough space. So, I need to adjust.

For those of you who have played around with making homebrew games, how does the process of adjusting and improving usually work? Is it just trial and error? Do you try a ramp out of cardboard or foamboard, find out it doesn't work, tear it up and try again? Are you constantly moving shots around by a few millimeters here and there? I feel like I need to remove most stuff on my playfield, adjust and put back on. I just am wondering if there is an easier way to all this. I'm guessing not, but figured I would ask if there are any tips and tricks.

Thanks. I just realized you’re the home brew Fight Club guy. That thing looks awesome! One of my favorite movies, too. I’ve been following your thread from time to time. I should go back and review it start to finish.

I made some adjustments yesterday, and I now have space for my saucer (possible VUK). It also shoots better.

One thing I’m struggling with is the inconsistency in my shots. For instance, hitting the orbit will return the ball nicely about 60-70% of the time, but I still get quite a lot of cheap drains straight down the middle. I know every machine has some inconsistency, but I’m wondering if things just get worse on the smaller scale I’m dealing with. Less room for adjustments and small changes create larger variability. I also feel my flipper gap is too wide, but that will have to wait for the next playfield. And, I find these mini flippers to be a bit frustrating. They work ok, but they are super strong hitting straight up and lose a lot of strength when hitting to the side.

I seem like I’m full of complaints today. I just need to realize that this is mainly a fun project, and it won’t feel exactly like a real pinball machine when working on the scale I’m dealing with.

I definitely have a lot more respect for pinball designers. Having interesting layouts that actually shoot well I don’t think is as simple as we all take for granted.

I think you’re probably right, which likely means get the general layout done now and save the real fine tuning for later.

Starting making wire forms. It is a slow process. I’m trying a new (to me) kind of solder for repairing jewelry. I can barely get it to melt, let alone stick to anything. I finally got the base together by applying large amounts of flux. I may try regular electrical 60/40 rosin core solder on the next one to see if that is any easier. I give myself a B- on this one, but it is my first attempt so hopefully I’ll get better.

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14 gauge (2mm) stainless steel. Decent size for the size ball I’m using. I can also bend and shape it pretty well by hand. It wouldn’t work for a regular sized ball and table.

Trying the 60/40 rosin core solder was worse. Back to the original. I’m also having a difficult time making the 3D structures that stick up and out around the bends and at the ends. Need some more hands.

This guy makes it seem so easy:

What do you mean by making forms? Thanks.

Got it. I did clip them down to a sheet of wood when I did that wire form just like the guy in the video I posted. Maybe for some of the ones where you have 4 wires connecting to a ramp, I can drill some holes in wood to keep them evenly spaced.

Mine’s about 1/2 size. We’ll see how it goes.

I took a break today. But, I did get a package. A little 24V solenoid from Amazon. This will be my attempt to make a VUK. I want to put a saucer between the left ramp and the middle orbit that returns the ball to the wire form that will be the return from the right ramp. I plan to build something simple first on a scrap board just to see if this will have enough force. I’m thinking it will — I only need to move a small ball a short distance — but I’ll just have to see. If not, . . . well, then I’ll come up with a plan B.

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I’m getting more used to soldering these steel rods together. This works as intended. Just need to make the end piece next and get it more stably mounted.

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I’m making less progress than I hoped to during my end of the year vacation. I blame my wife who was kind enough to get me an Oculus Quest 2 for the holidays. Very distracting!

Not pretty, but functional.

I set it up, and it works. I need to more permanently mount it, but hearing the ball travel down the rail for the first time and end back at the return lane was pretty cool.

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Thanks. Right now, it seems pretty strong. I was worried because I had a few bad joints that failed, but I think I got the hang of it and started doing a better job. You also can't tell from the picture, but the main rails are actually four rails -- two joined end to end. I was especially worried about that joint, but it seems pretty solid.

I am a little bit afraid of making adjustments though. I would like the entrance to bend at slightly more of an angle, but I worry that I may disturb the joints if I try that. I think it is good enough for now for the prototype. I may eventually redo the rails, if this whole project works out.

Next up: I have to make a second rail. And, I have to test out whether my idea for a VUK will work. I'm just having trouble motivating at the moment as my vacation is coming to an end. . . . I think things are going to move a bit more slowly for the time being. I want to move on to the electronics, but I really need to nail down the layout first.

Been thinking about my VUK. I had a bit of luck over New Years. I was wondering the best way to mount that little solenoid that I bought. Lo and behold, the goat cheese I bought to eat on New Years Eve came in this little wooden box. It seems like a perfect bracket to hold the coil.

I was also wondering how best to create a saucer. I want the hole to be large enough that it captures the ball, but it also needs to center the ball under the plunger of the solenoid. I thought maybe I could find a cheap funnel to do the trick. I found this one. Not only is it the perfect size once I cut the end off, but it also bends. I may not have to make a wireform for the prototype. This actually seems like the perfect size to feed the ball onto the return rail. If it works, I’ll replace with something more permanent, but I’m pretty happy with this idea so far.

Do you guys have any experience making saucers? Ideally, it would have a beveled edge, but I’m not sure how to do that and am wondering if just a hole will do.

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Thanks. I’ve been thinking about that and agree that I’ll probably need a 3D printer. I’ve wanted one for some time. As I move from turning the prototype to something more permanent, I will be looking into this in more detail. I have no experience with them, so that will be a whole other learning process, but likely one that will benefit me a lot in the future.

Thanks for the offer. I may take you up on it. I also want to learn how to make my own models someday. Let me see how far I can get on this initial prototype with just some simple materials and then I’ll look into 3D printing in a lot more detail.

Just watched those Jack Danger clips. That’s really impressive! Part of this project is for me to pick up new skills like 3D printing. It is just that the thought of buying another device and learning how to use it at this point in time is a bit overwhelming. That time will definitely come. I just want to make some progress on these other parts first.

Thanks. I was initially thinking of modeling the VUK off of the ones on my WOZ which hit the ball straight up into a circular wireform. I think for the prototype I’m going to try the funnel / tube idea. For the size ball I’m using, I think it will work, but time will tell. I will replace it with something more permanent down the road and likely turn to 3D printing at that time.

The VUK is supposed to represent the elevator scene in Spirited Away where the protagonist takes an elevator up in the bath house to get a job and gets stuck in the elevator with a Radish Spirit.

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It will go here:

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If the tube works, I can surround it with cardboard to be the sides of the elevator. Again, with the idea of replacing it down the road with a 3D print. And, I will need a hole in the side or to mount it above the playfield to allow space for the ball to get in as you say.

So, my next steps are:

1. Try the VUK on a scrap piece of wood just to see if it works. Right now, I don’t even know if the coil is strong enough, but I imagine it is.

2. Remove left ramp, cut off end, create and add wireform.

3. Mount both wire forms.

4. Add VUK assuming it works.

Once all that is done, I want to move on to switches and electronics. I have ideas for targets and one other mech which I’ll describe later. Before doing that, I may try to move everything to a fresh playfield and mount it all in a more secure fashion, either by still working in cardboard or starting to replace with metal and (possibly) 3D prints.

Agreed. And, nice illustration.

That picture, though, is not current. Take a look at the one above where I adjusted the left orbit. It is better but still needs more adjustment. I plan to move things around again when I take off the left ramp to mount the wire forms. I’m thinking I can solve some of the issues I am having with the consistency of my shots by narrowing the orbit. That said, I still want to keep the entrances a bit wide as it is a little harder to aim with the flippers and ball I’m using.

And, I’m not 100% yet on the design for the left outlane. I kind of like this idea of a wide outlane with a star post in it, but I don’t think I have it quite right yet, and don’t want to have too many frustrating drains.

Perhaps I should think of today as any knowledge gained is making progress. That might make me feel better.

I spent a while trying to make a VUK. Unfortunately, the coil only launches the ball to the top of the bend in the curve. I think this idea of using an undulated tube is not going to work. When I try the coil with just the ball and no tube, it seems like it goes pretty high. (See video below.) I wonder if I got the ball perfectly centered and had a very smooth guide, whether I could get it up and onto the return wireform that I want.

toyotaboy You may be right that I'm going to need some 3D prints to proceed with this project. It might be time to seriously explore getting a printer. Perhaps if I can make a better bracket that has the coil perfectly centered and create a nice guide, it will have enough force to do what I want. I need to figure this out as it will affect the rest of the pin. I would like a nice VUK that sends the ball to the return wireform from the right ramp. Alternatively, if I can't get that, I could just create a scoop type kick-out. I probably have enough force for that at a minimum.

Any thoughts from the experts?

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I should give that a try. toyotaboy has the cut out template in one of his posts above.

You guys were right. I should have listened from the get go rather than try that funnel tube. This got it to work. I still need to make sure I can position it well enough to get the ball onto the wire form, but I think that will just be a matter of final adjustments.

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