That can easily be done. Do you think it should look like an old TV set? similar to the small model, just larger scale?

Hmmm, I suppose I can ask a woodworking friend what it would cost to whip up something that looks like a vintage tv. or at least a false front.

You can also buy one locally, then I would just need the dimensions to find an appropriate LCD display that would fit decently.

Doesn't look very time/cost effective for me to search every flea market in town for vintage TVs that I can rip the guts out and steal the cases. Unless it was a one-off for myself or decent amount of $.

Anyway, got the back screwed on and ready for placement testing in a machine. (this design is for screwing into the top of the backboard, I will still investigate other existing mounting points)

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Finally got to test the TV in a machine, thanks to PanzerFreak!

The bracket (with backboard screw method) is mocked up, sizing looks good here. It is more then strong enough to hold it up, and no damage to the backboard. The screw hole is not apparent with the mod taken off, and can be filled in (or just painted black) if you don't like the small hole there.

I tried placement to the right and left of the clock, and I definitely prefer the left side (see pictures). With the backboard mount, you can place it where ever you want on the back wall.

I have the mounting done to hold the back panel on. Gluing in a couple wood blocks to screw into. I also put a spacer in between the back panel and the back of the LCD, which holds it in place nicely. It cannot shift around. This is instead of gluing the LCD in and seems to be a good alternative. If there turns out to be a problem with this during testing, I will fall back to gluing the LCD in with epoxy.

The only thing left is to finish the wiring to power the unit from the machine itself. I will be tapping into J117 with a pig-tail connecter. I will also use the same connecter used by this mod: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-wpc-power-tap-power-your-mods-without-cutting-into-your-game

So if anyone has one of these power tap splitters from dkpinball, my mod should hook up to it with no work.

I will be busy this weekend, so I will finish up the power connection next week and do a final test in a machine. Then this batch will be ready to ship out. I will contact the first 9 people on the list when I am ready to start collecting money and shipping out. If you don't like something I am doing in this first batch, you can request to wait for the next batch.

Anyone see any issues or have comments?

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Finished up the stern and WPC power connector. At least I think it is the same configuration as the stern, black ground is at the pointy end, 5v is in the middle. 12v is unused in this mod.

To make it WPC compatible I put together a splitter for the J117 plug on the driver board. Super easy. This will be included with my TZ version of the mod.

Next is to make a connector for Data East (Jurassic Park)... but it is tempting just to source out this power tap: http://www.dkpinball.com/DKWP/?page_id=601

That is a big connector and a lot of wires to make custom splitters for.

I will get this in a TZ machine ASAP to test and make sure it can power it. Will post another update once I do that.

Also, I got in the parts to make the 2nd batch, so once I have the power tested I can start cranking though the first 18 TVs and getting them shipped out!

Please let me know if you have any comments so far!

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I also moved around the planned features in the OP.

Version 1 will only have the mounting option to screw into the backboard, so I can get this first batch finished and shipped ASAP. If you do not want to put a screw into the top of your backboard, wait until the next version and I can custom make some mounts to other locations of your choosing.

Also version 2 will probably not have the interactivity. That will be an expansion board independent of the version. Instead, version 2 is planned to have the smaller cables, allowing it to be used away from the backboard. This means better compatibility with other machines.

Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I will definitely be investigating a lightweight pi image after I am done with the hardware on this mod.

Awesome! I will add you to the list and update you when I am ready to ship.

Sent PM.

I was able to test my wiring in a machine (T2, but same driver board) and it WORKS!

I did find out that the ribbon cables I purchased in bulk DO NOT work (they are slightly smaller wire size apparently...) So I need to find a replacement cable before I can call the hardware finished.

In the mean time, I will set my little elves to work on finishing up all of the current 18 that I have LCDs and boards for.

I also noticed one down-side to this particular LCD I am using. The viewing angle is extremely good from all sides EXCEPT for the right side. It can be seen perfect from every angle except when you are standing on the right side of the machine.

I think this is fine for now, since it is perfect for the player. though I will look into alternate options for the future.

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My elves have been hard at work slaving away putting together the first batch of these TVs. I will post some pictures of the batch almost complete. They just need my wiring for the power (which I just got in).

I also purchased a ribbon cable crimper to make my own custom cables, they are 100x more reliable then the ones I purchased pre-made.

I have been working away at the software side of this mod, I think I have everything how I want it. The configuration is controlled by a file on the USB drive. I will post more details and instructions for this configuration soon.

I will also get the installation instructions/video up ASAP so you can see the final product and how easy (hopefully) the installation is.

I plan on taking an extra day off of work next monday to finish up this project and get some units shipped out! So I will be contacting people on the list shortly to see if they still want one and collect some money.

Hopefully you won't have to wait much longer!

Attached some more pictures of the final TV setup.
-nut glued into the top for holding on the mounting bracket. Can be moved to the bottom for other potential mounting locations later.
-metal brackets glued into the inside and tapped for screws to hold the back panel on
-black metal shim stock glued in holding the "speaker grill" on
-black paint to stop light from shining though the thin front plastic
-padding on the right side of the LCD panel to keep the panel from shifting left/right
-padding on the back panel to keep the LCD panel pressed up against the front and in place

All this allows for easy installation, easy adjustment, easy removal, and easy access to the LCD panel.

A lot more work went into modifying these plastic TVs then I thought it would..

I will update as soon as I have the installation instructions/video.

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Thanks!

I just put the first one off the line into a local TZ machine, big thanks to mikedetroit here on the forums!

I got some pictures of the installation, I will post the installation directions tomorrow after work.

I also finished the software enough to make it as simple as possible to add your own videos. Simply plug the USB drive into your computer and place video files into a folder. It also allows for custom user configuration if you want to slightly modify how it plays video.

Tomorrow I will also detail the steps and exactly what options are available.

I will be looking for some feedback on anything that does not make sense (or additional features).

Thanks for being patient all.

My next steps are:
-finish installation manual
-add some error handling code to give the user helpful error messages if something is wrong with the USB drive. (missing drive, missing configuration, missing video files, etc)
-add some more TZ episodes. I only have a couple videos currently, which is great for a sample, but I want to cut up a few hours of video.

Installation instructions attached as PDF.

Please let me know if anything is unclear.

Just a reminder, this version of the mod mounts by screwing into the top of the backboard as shown in the instructions.

Also, something we noticed after installing the TV, there is a viewing angle issue for the TV when standing on the RIGHT side of the pinball machine.

If you are starting in front or left of the pinball machine, you can see the LCD perfectly clearly.

This is a downside of using this particular LCD display. I may try and source a different display in the future, but the selection of available displays for this mod is very limited.

CzTV TZ Installation_Instructions.pdf

Just a heads up that I am posting my prototype model on ebay, feel free to bid on it if the price stays low.. but don't worry I think you guys will be getting a better deal on here. This one isn't perfect cosmetically.

ebay.com link: Twilight Zone Pinball Mod Addon TV Prototype with FULL VIDEO playback

And don't worry, I won't be posting any more on ebay until I fulfill all my orders from you guys.

I have been working hard on the wiring for this mod. The first batch of TVs is complete, its just waiting on me to assemble them and test them. I will be doing that this weekend.

I will also be working on more video clips this weekend, and if all goes well, I will be able to start shipping early next week. So keep an eye out for a PM if you are on the list. I will be sending out update PMs to everyone to let them know where they sit on the list, to see if they still want in, and asking for payment.

In the mean time, here are some pictures of the power wiring being assembled. I decided to make the power wire ~4.5 feet long, this should be plenty of length to route the power between the raspberry Pi and the head and leaving plenty of slack to not have issues when lifting up the play field.

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Just a heads up that my auction didn't really move, so if you potentially want a cheap one...

ebay.com link: itm

I guess it didnt help that I had it end on thanksgiving night... or that it did not have a shipping option for the first couple days it was up (said only local pickup).

Oh well, guess I wont be listing anymore for auction on the bay.

Well damn, didn't think it would go up that much in the last hour. Guess I will list some more from my 3rd batch.

I am still here chugging away on this.

This weekend was super busy, but I was able to get 9 of the units tested in a real machine to make sure they run properly.

3 of them have been put to use already in local machines, so I have 6 left that I will be sending out to you guys based on the order you got on the list.

I still need to send out emails to everyone to update where you are on the list and when to expect it.

I will try to do that tomorrow after work... I need to start collecting $ from the first 6 people anyway... I need to start paying off the credit card bills for all these materials!

I will be sure to get a picture of the units I have ready to go before I ship them out.

..Also good news is I have the 2nd batch almost ready to go, got all the parts in and my crew is just finishing up the work on the TV models.

aaaand I got in parts for the 2nd revision that I can start testing this week. This time I am using a Cat6e cable and RJ45 jacks for the data lines between the rasperry pi and the screen, with 18 gauge wires for the voltage/ground lines. Hopefully this will be more stable at longer lengths and more suitable for pinball machines where the TV will fit in the middle of the playfield (rather then at the back)

Thanks Brian,

That is definitely the next step once I finalize my current production processes.

I want to tie into the lamp matrix to trigger the software on the pi, however I am stuck on what circuitry is required to do this. I am currently looking for someone I can pay to design the circuit. I am confidant on the software side though.

Thanks! I will have to get in touch with him.

I sent out my first ebay sale (for the prototype), though code was not completely finished, it was close enough.

I should have the version 1 operating system code finished tomorrow... I am just adding some error handling code so if the user changes something improperly on the USB drive, it will tell you exactly what is wrong.

Then I want to finish up a couple more episodes of TZ that are part of the pinball theme, so there is no work needed on your end when you receive it, just plug it in and it's ready to go. Unless you want to add more video or change the configuration around.

Speaking of which, here is the video and configuration update instructions PDF:

CzTV Video and Configuration update Instructions.pdf

Alright! done with a big part of the project, finished the operating system code, including a bunch of error handling that displays useful feedback on the LCD screen the user if something is wrong and it cannot play.

I do need to do some more testing with different video resolutions, however for the best playback the video should be pre-processed and scaled down to exactly (or smaller then) 320x240.

I added some code to scale down video larger then that, however it may lag the video playback or not play the video at all.

As far as video format, the best file type I have found is MPEG-2 (.mpg) at 8000kpbs bitrate. Though I do want to test some other formats.

Another change is I ended up formatting the USB drive to NTFS format, which allows for larger hard drives to be connected (and larger files on the drive).

If you attach your own USB drive, it will also need to be formatted as NTFS or it will not be found.

Oh, and I did get audio output to work, it was not previously synced up to the video. HOWEVER the video playback will drop frames if the audio configuration is enabled. So video playback will not be as smooth (though it is hardly noticeable).

Speaking of audio, I would like to point out that my sample videos at this point are not made with audio in mind. Audio should be left disabled with my videos.

In my testing, if you rip full movies/episodes audio works perfectly.

Thanks!

I am using the HY28B for the display, best one that I could find that didn't have a circuit board larger then the display itself. and works super well with the raspberry pi.

For resizing, it is 100x better if you resize the video before hand when you do the encoding. (runs faster, looks better), but the video player I am using has a simple scaling parameter that tries to scale it. Doesn't work very well, and it is a lot easier to scale it with external software.

Yes, I will probably be recommending Handbrake for the encoding, but I need to test some videos with it to make sure they play fine.

Just a heads up that once I ship the first couple batches, I will likely be increasing the price to $190 for this mod. I originally did not factor in the price of the cabling/connectors, and I have had a small failure rate in the LCD displays that is eating up more costs.

For those who have already expressed interest and got on the list will get the $170 price. Get on the list now if you are interested!

PMs will be going out in the next day or two for an update on the status. Keep an eye out.

I got parts in for the smaller/longer cables, and it does indeed work. But I need to ship out what I have done for Version 1 to pay off the credit card bills for all the parts.

I guess I could just sell off any Version 1 models that you guys do not buy on ebay. When I send emails out to everyone, I will give you the option to buy a version 1 now or wait a little longer for version 2.

Attached picture.

Right now I can separate the LCD and raspberry about 2 feet from each other, still testing to try and get it longer.

Just curious why you are waiting for this version, would you like it mounted somewhere other then the backboard on Twilight Zone? I can understand other machines, and I am planning to post about them soon. But for TZ the backboard seems like the perfect place.

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Apparently some of the LCDs are not manufactured to spec and they do not work at the refresh rate which is needed to display near 24FPS video.

There is also another potential issue with the touchscreen. The screens are equipped with touchscreen functionality, and even though it is not used in my mod, it could become an issue and I want to play it safe and not use these... When being touched, the display scrambles the output. Not sure if this is a manufacturing defect or something I did when putting it together.

Fair enough! Keep an eye out for the remote display version coming shortly.

What kind of bracket do mods usually use to connect to mounting points in the middle of the play field?

Such as the TV you currently have in your machine Imeh.

I would be grateful if you can take a picture of the back-side of yours so I can see the bracket and location it is mounted. That would give me a great place to start with testing mine.

Thanks, I will take a look. I am unable to access his gallery right now, seems to be down at the moment.

Cool, so it just looks like the same piece of metal I am using, except instead of attaching it at the top of the TV, it is attached to the bottom.

I can easily do that, I was worried I needed some come up with some fancy bent wire forms or something.

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