Apollo 13
Sega, 1995
Bride of Pinbot 2.0
Dutch Pinball, 2014
Iron Man
Stern, 2010
Iron Man (Pro Vault Edition)
Stern, 2014
Machine: Bride of Pinbot, The
Williams, 1991
Theatre of Magic
Bally, 1995
Twilight Zone
Bally, 1993Question: I'm looking at trying a Pinduino for my TZ
I'd like to replicate some of the Gumball lights that are currently being sold (like the pinbits one) that will flash lights in the Gumball when its ready to be loaded. I'm not sure how they are checking for that state, but have you done that in the pinduino?
Quoted from arcadenerd925:Question: I'm looking at trying a Pinduino for my TZ
I'd like to replicate some of the Gumball lights that are currently being sold (like the pinbits one) that will flash lights in the Gumball when its ready to be loaded. I'm not sure how they are checking for that state, but have you done that in the pinduino?
The Ramp/Gumball setup I made shows how to connect LEDs for the Gumball machine to a pinduino: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ex8cViVcfrn6gj9XRCe_3N8xbNCnuXmDaTqN-ZotmtQ/edit
This video shows the gumball machine, but let me know if it is difficult to really see it in action. I can make another video just highlighting the gumball machine:
It is a pretty simple setup and the code can be used as it stands to only control the gumball lights without the ramp (or the code can be modified to remove the instructions for controlling the ramp LEDs). If you get a DIY WPC pinduino kit, I include enough LEDs and wire for you to build this without needing anything else. If you go the DIY route, I'd be happy to update the code to control just the gumball machine and program the arduino for you. If you want a plug and play kit, PM me.
looks awesome. The reason i was asking about controlling the gumball light is that I am looking to trying it in so that it lights differently when you can load the gumball. From the video, I assume you are triggering the light shows from the switch matrix (from what I understand, is what the pinduino plugs in to?)
I am pretty familiar with arduino programming, so no need for a plug n play, but I like the way your board interfaces in so I'd certainly prefer to not re-create the wheel if i can.
Quoted from arcadenerd925:looks awesome. The reason i was asking about controlling the gumball light is that I am looking to trying it in so that it lights differently when you can load the gumball. From the video, I assume you are triggering the light shows from the switch matrix (from what I understand, is what the pinduino plugs in to?)
I am pretty familiar with arduino programming, so no need for a plug n play, but I like the way your board interfaces in so I'd certainly prefer to not re-create the wheel if i can.
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1025-professor-pinball/00864-pinduino-diy
Quoted from arcadenerd925:looks awesome. The reason i was asking about controlling the gumball light is that I am looking to trying it in so that it lights differently when you can load the gumball. From the video, I assume you are triggering the light shows from the switch matrix (from what I understand, is what the pinduino plugs in to?)
I am pretty familiar with arduino programming, so no need for a plug n play, but I like the way your board interfaces in so I'd certainly prefer to not re-create the wheel if i can.
The Pinduino WPC monitors the activity on J126. The WPC-Ext board has an extra four ports that you can use to monitor another set of direct DC current circuits (e.g., flashers, coils, relays, and some motors). It does not monitor the switch or controlled lamp matrices. The sketch I wrote monitors various flashers on the game driven from J125 to change the colors of the addressable LEDs in the gumball machine. For monitoring the gumball machine only, there are two options -- the gumball motor (J125-9) or the gumball diverter (J130-7). J126 is open on the power driver board of TZ, and the circuits going to J125 pass directly through to it (making it very easy to plug in the pinduino). A custom harness would be needed to tap into J130 and connecting J130-7 to the WPC-Ext board. I also have a generic 12-pin pinduino that could be used to plug into J130 (using a spacer board to accommodate the 9 pin header) if you were interested in only monitoring J130 (which may do the trick).
If you are familiar with arduino programming, you'll have no problem with the pinduino code -- all the source code and libraries are open source, so feel free to clone/download and modify any way you wish.
Core pinduino library: https://github.com/elyons/pinduino
All sketches for games: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches
TZ Ramp/Gumball sketch: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/TZ-Ramp-Gumball
The core pinduino library is also available through the Arduino IDE library manager, making it very easy to install. Hope this helps, but let me know if you have more questions.
Screen Shot 2019-01-18 at 8.52.42 PM (resized).pngI've been working with 
pyro4god54 on using a Pinduino to control a shaker in WPC games. An update has been made to the core pinduino library to support this and a working sketch is up to control a shaker motor in Attack from Mars: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/AFM-Shaker
Details on how to make the circuit for controlling a shaker motor with a pinduino are written up: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-eS_X868_mCS3grKk_Lv4Ed-c0f8PSc_APbFeGwukrQ/edit
Here are some pictures of the circuit using a 12V LED rather than a motor (makes testing a lot easier).
I'll be in Texas for TPF in March. If anyone wants to pick up a kit at the show and save on shipping, I'm willing to bring them.
LMK about a week in advance.
Quoted from zene10:I'll be in Texas for TPF in March. If anyone wants to pick up a kit at the show and save on shipping, I'm willing to bring them.
LMK about a week in advance.
Thanks zene10 for offering to do this. If anyone orders a kit to be delivered to TPF, please PM me for getting a discount as well.
Quoted from lyonsden:I've been working with pyro4god54 on using a Pinduino to control a shaker in WPC games. An update has been made to the core pinduino library to support this and a working sketch is up to control a shaker motor in Attack from Mars: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/AFM-Shaker
Details on how to make the circuit for controlling a shaker motor with a pinduino are written up: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-eS_X868_mCS3grKk_Lv4Ed-c0f8PSc_APbFeGwukrQ/edit
Here are some pictures of the circuit using a 12V LED rather than a motor (makes testing a lot easier).
[quoted image][quoted image]
Now you need to make a sell-able kit for that. I wouldn't mind connecting a programmed shaker to my NASCAR (I know ... not a WPC, but still possible in theory with this)
Quoted from KingBW:Now you need to make a sell-able kit for that. I wouldn't mind connecting a programmed shaker to my NASCAR (I know ... not a WPC, but still possible in theory with this)
What would you like to see in the kit? Pinball life sells a shaker for $99 (https://www.pinballlife.com/spooky-pinball-shaker-motor-kit-for-p-roc-system-machines.html). Would it be an add on board for the pinduino (or a custom pinduino) that does the 12V power distribution to the shaker that can use that shaker? Or are you thinking of a full kit including the shaker?
Quoted from lyonsden:What would you like to see in the kit? Pinball life sells a shaker for $99 (https://www.pinballlife.com/spooky-pinball-shaker-motor-kit-for-p-roc-system-machines.html). Would it be an add on board for the pinduino (or a custom pinduino) that does the 12V power distribution to the shaker that can use that shaker? Or are you thinking of a full kit including the shaker?
FWIW, don't tie a product to a specific thing of which you don't have any control over the inventory. That Spooky shaker may not always be available. Doesn't CoinTaker sell shakers too? Or perhaps they're all the same, I don't know
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:FWIW, don't tie a product to a specific thing of which you don't have any control over the inventory. That Spooky shaker may not always be available. Doesn't CoinTaker sell shakers too? Or perhaps they're all the same, I don't know
Pinball life, Coin Taker, Stern, etc -- they are all similar in the sense that the shakers are 12V motors. I didn't mean to tie it to one distributor (though I'd personally pick Pinball Life over Coin Taker). It was a question of should a pinduino kit include the shaker or should people get/build their own shaker.
Quoted from lyonsden:Pinball life, Coin Taker, Stern, etc -- they are all similar in the sense that the shakers are 12V motors. I didn't mean to tie it to one distributor (though I'd personally pick Pinball Life over Coin Taker). It was a question of should a pinduino kit include the shaker or should people get/build their own shaker.
Gotcha! If it were me, I'd just recommend a shaker, not include one. Extra hassle for building your stuff - and as we've seen with CGC recently... when you have supply issues, you can't send out a thing half built!
Quoted from lyonsden:Pinball life, Coin Taker, Stern, etc -- they are all similar in the sense that the shakers are 12V motors. I didn't mean to tie it to one distributor (though I'd personally pick Pinball Life over Coin Taker). It was a question of should a pinduino kit include the shaker or should people get/build their own shaker.
Ugh! You don’t want to stock shakers.
Quoted from lyonsden:What would you like to see in the kit? Pinball life sells a shaker for $99 (https://www.pinballlife.com/spooky-pinball-shaker-motor-kit-for-p-roc-system-machines.html). Would it be an add on board for the pinduino (or a custom pinduino) that does the 12V power distribution to the shaker that can use that shaker? Or are you thinking of a full kit including the shaker?
Since you are asking (he-he):
Option 1) Maybe a kit with everything needed except for the shaker … or the other 12v "thing" that you want to program to turn on.
Option 2) Make this an "add on" for your normal board so that we can use your product for addressable LEDs and a 12v "thing" with programming capabilities for each individually.
Example for #1: I would just want to add on a shaker for my NASCAR and be able to program it to trigger for the major things.
Example for #2: (As previously discussed with you but haven't ordered yet) I would want your product to program addressable LEDs for a custom interactive topper, but … now also add your triggered 12v board for lighting up Paul's leg light ups to have an interactive flash. Even better (wishful thinking … I know), have a 4 channel triggered 12v board to be able to light up each leg light up individually 
I know … I (or a group of us) gotta get Paul to have an option to install addressable LED's into his Leg Light Ups. Programming nightmare, but man would that be cool. 
Back to reality. The triggered 12v board should be plug and play without us having to figure out how to put it together with simple instructions - just my opinion. 
Add a program library by machine just for triggering shakers for those pins that don't have that option built in - pinside community contributions of the code, of course (not all on you).
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:Gotcha! If it were me, I'd just recommend a shaker, not include one. Extra hassle for building your stuff - and as we've seen with CGC recently... when you have supply issues, you can't send out a thing half built!
Very well said -- just keeping parts stocked for the Pinduino is a pain. Nothing worse than asking someone to wait yet another week as something is late coming in.
Quoted from zene10:Ugh! You don’t want to stock shakers.
You've seen my parts room. Adding a supply of shakers would be nuts.
Quoted from KingBW:Since you are asking (he-he):
Option 1) Maybe a kit with everything needed except for the shaker … or the other 12v "thing" that you want to program to turn on.
Option 2) Make this an "add on" for your normal board so that we can use your product for addressable LEDs and a 12v "thing" with programming capabilities for each individually.
Example for #1: I would just want to add on a shaker for my NASCAR and be able to program it to trigger for the major things.
Example for #2: (As previously discussed with you but haven't ordered yet) I would want your product to program addressable LEDs for a custom interactive topper, but … now also add your triggered 12v board for lighting up Paul's leg light ups to have an interactive flash. Even better (wishful thinking … I know), have a 4 channel triggered 12v board to be able to light up each leg light up individually I know … I (or a group of us) gotta get Paul to have an option to install addressable LED's into his Leg Light Ups. Programming nightmare, but man would that be cool.
Back to reality. The triggered 12v board should be plug and play without us having to figure out how to put it together with simple instructions - just my opinion. Add a program library by machine just for triggering shakers for those pins that don't have that option built in - pinside community contributions of the code, of course (not all on you).
Excellent feedback. I can make an easy to populate board with the circuit to control a 12V thingy from a pinduino. Controlling 4 things would require two pinduinos, but easily done (this version of the pinduino is designed to be stackable). I'll get to work on making those boards. 
Quoted from tctx02:My daughter thought it would be cool to slo mo video the Getaway supercharger.
The ball and light are a little out of sync, but really not noticeable in real time. I recently had to replace my accelerator board so my SC times are better than they were.
Shout out to zene10 for the install.
That is super cool! Thanks for sharing.
Quoted from lyonsden:Very well said -- just keeping parts stocked for the Pinduino is a pain. Nothing worse than asking someone to wait yet another week as something is late coming in.
You've seen my parts room. Adding a supply of shakers would be nuts.
Excellent feedback. I can make an easy to populate board with the circuit to control a 12V thingy from a pinduino. Controlling 4 things would require two pinduinos, but easily done (this version of the pinduino is designed to be stackable). I'll get to work on making those boards.
How did I not find this thread sooner???? This is AWESOME!! I'm particularly interested in adding shaker motors to my TAF, T2, and TS. Call me crazy, but when the shaker goes off on my AC/DC Premium, it's an adrenaline rush!
To have the shaker rumbling (and maybe even building from mild to strong) when the SHOWTIME sounds on TAF would be INCREDIBLE!!! Same for the DIRECT HIT on T2, and Khan Multiball on TS!! Should I get the WPC Ext boards for those games, or the regular Pinduino?
Are you still working out of Alexandria? I go there all the time. It's 20 minutes from my house.
Quoted from SeaLawyer:How did I not find this thread sooner???? This is AWESOME!! I'm particularly interested in adding shaker motors to my TAF, T2, and TS. Call me crazy, but when the shaker goes off on my AC/DC Premium, it's an adrenaline rush!
To have the shaker rumbling (and maybe even building from mild to strong) when the SHOWTIME sounds on TAF would be INCREDIBLE!!! Same for the DIRECT HIT on T2, and Khan Multiball on TS!! Should I get the WPC Ext boards for those games, or the regular Pinduino?
Are you still working out of Alexandria? I go there all the time. It's 20 minutes from my house.
Glad you like this stuff!
Using a WPC vs WPC-Ext just depends on what you want to monitor. Both plug into J126 and monitor those circuits, but the WPC-Ext has an extra four input ports (which are normally used to monitor J122/J123). Look at the flasher table of the game you want to use, and that give you an idea of what you need.
I'm finished with my year in Alexandria, but I will still head out to the area about once a month or so. Would be great to meet up.
Quoted from lyonsden:Glad you like this stuff!
Using a WPC vs WPC-Ext just depends on what you want to monitor. Both plug into J126 and monitor those circuits, but the WPC-Ext has an extra four input ports (which are normally used to monitor J122/J123). Look at the flasher table of the game you want to use, and that give you an idea of what you need.
I'm finished with my year in Alexandria, but I will still head out to the area about once a month or so. Would be great to meet up.
I'll PM you my phone number. So other than your WPC/WPC-Ext and the PinballLife shaker, is there anything else I need to buy?
Quoted from SeaLawyer:I'll PM you my phone number. So other than your WPC/WPC-Ext and the PinballLife shaker, is there anything else I need to buy?
You'll need a switch (or transistor) to run the high voltage current to the shaker. Something like this will work: https://smile.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Channel-optocoupler-Support-Trigger/dp/B00LW15A4W (or a TIP122 transistor used on the power driver board).
Quoted from lyonsden:You'll need a switch (or transistor) to run the high voltage current to the shaker. Something like this will work: amazon.com link » (or a TIP122 transistor used on the power driver board).
That's it?? That seems easy enough. And pretty cheap!
Quoted from lyonsden:Excellent feedback. I can make an easy to populate board with the circuit to control a 12V thingy from a pinduino. Controlling 4 things would require two pinduinos, but easily done (this version of the pinduino is designed to be stackable). I'll get to work on making those boards.
Got that done yet? The additional board with the functionality to control some 12v on/off thingys? 
I would probably just control 2 12v thingys. Side thought - do you have pinduino for JJP pins yet? TH in particular?
Quoted from KingBW:Got that done yet? The additional board with the functionality to control some 12v on/off thingys? I would probably just control 2 12v thingys. Side thought - do you have pinduino for JJP pins yet? TH in particular?
Haven’t made a custom one as this:
https://smile.amazon.com/HiLetgo-Channel-optocoupler-Support-Trigger/dp/B00LW15A4W
Takes care of everything. The core library has been updated to support sending signals to it to flip a high voltage circuit. I have a generic 12-pin board that will work in JJP games (I use it to drive side lighting in my DI). What are you thinking of doing with Hobbit?
Quoted from lyonsden:Haven’t made a custom one as this:
amazon.com link »
Takes care of everything. The core library has been updated to support sending signals to it to flip a high voltage circuit.
Okay … says it's out of stock … must be lots of pinheads buying them. I put it on my wish list. Might need to dive into it once they are in stock. Would this run a shaker on my NASCAR that can be programmed from the pinduino for different events? Or when the ACDC lightning bolts light, have a lightening type of light flash pattern go to some leg light ups on each leg (Two channels of program would probably be all that I want - front and back legs).
Quoted from lyonsden:I have a generic 12-pin board that will work in JJP games (I use it to drive side lighting in my DI). What are you thinking of doing with Hobbit?
Don't know if it's possible but wondering if there is a way to run some 12 volt little slow RPM motors to turn the Weta barrel dudes on a custom topper for maybe 5 seconds when the barrel pop bumpers are hit? I already have the Weta barrel dudes.
I know … I got some wild ideas. Thinking outside the box. (see post 166)
Quoted from KingBW:Okay … says it's out of stock … must be lots of pinheads buying them. I put it on my wish list. Might need to dive into it once they are in stock. Would this run a shaker on my NASCAR that can be programmed from the pinduino for different events? Or when the ACDC lightning bolts light, have a lightening type of light flash pattern go to some leg light ups on each leg (Two channels of program would probably be all that I want - front and back legs).
Don't know if it's possible but wondering if there is a way to run some 12 volt little slow RPM motors to turn the Weta barrel dudes on a custom topper for maybe 5 seconds when the barrel pop bumpers are hit? I already have the Weta barrel dudes.
I know … I got some wild ideas. Thinking outside the box. (see post 166)
What are the Weta barrel dudes?
Quoted from Rdoyle1978:What are the Weta barrel dudes?
https://www.wetanz.com/shop/figures/bilbo-baggins-barrel-rider?ref=brand
There are 3 different ones, and this is one of them - Bilbo
Quoted from KingBW:https://www.wetanz.com/shop/figures/bilbo-baggins-barrel-rider?ref=brand
There are 3 different ones, and this is one of them - Bilbo
I did not know about these - very cool!
Quoted from KingBW:Okay … says it's out of stock … must be lots of pinheads buying them. I put it on my wish list. Might need to dive into it once they are in stock. Would this run a shaker on my NASCAR that can be programmed from the pinduino for different events? Or when the ACDC lightning bolts light, have a lightening type of light flash pattern go to some leg light ups on each leg (Two channels of program would probably be all that I want - front and back legs).
Don't know if it's possible but wondering if there is a way to run some 12 volt little slow RPM motors to turn the Weta barrel dudes on a custom topper for maybe 5 seconds when the barrel pop bumpers are hit? I already have the Weta barrel dudes.
I know … I got some wild ideas. Thinking outside the box. (see post 166)
These are great ideas!
First, here is another amazon link to a relay board: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00LW15D1M/
This will let you drive a high current/voltage circuit such as a shaker on NASCAR or the Weta barrel dudes.
To do a lighting effect on the legs of ACDC, you can just use a pinduino with addressable LEDs. I'd run the LEDs up the inside of the legs and have the wires running along the bottom of the cabinet.
For the pops on hobbit, you'd want to plug a pinduino into J108 on the power driver board. I have a "generic" 12 input kit available on the page for DIY pinduinos: https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1025-professor-pinball/00864-pinduino-diy
Happy to chat by phone to talk about this. Just PM me.
Screen Shot 2019-03-12 at 6.54.18 AM (resized).pngScreen Shot 2019-03-12 at 6.54.25 AM (resized).pngQuoted from lyonsden:Happy to chat by phone to talk about this. Just PM me.
Definitely will and refresh our PM conversations from last year. With all of the DIY components and not knowing what I would need, I would need some advise and a tutorial. Thanks!
Quoted from KingBW:Definitely will and refresh our PM conversations from last year. With all of the DIY components and not knowing what I would need, I would need some advise and a tutorial. Thanks!
I'm always happy to chat by phone (or similar.) A lot of the fun I have with the pinduino is helping people creating something new.
I just wanted to say that I'm loving my Pinduino enhanced Tron Pro and Eric is a super helpful guy. I had a weird situation where my Pinduino stopped working after the first day but I re-flashed the Arduino sketch and I have not had a problem since.
eabundy did some awesome work with a Pinduino and Dr. Who:
Source code: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/Dr_Who_ramps
Awesome work, Eric!! (I now need a Dr. Who.)
Dantesmark did a set of awesome mods to his Getaway, including the Pinduino for the supercharger:
Another great project (and amazing work on the music!)
Quoted from lyonsden:eabundy did some awesome work with a Pinduino and Dr. Who:
Source code: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/Dr_Who_ramps
Awesome work, Eric!! (I now need a Dr. Who.)
Quoted from lyonsden:eabundy did some awesome work with a Pinduino and Dr. Who:
Source code: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/Dr_Who_ramps
Awesome work, Eric!! (I now need a Dr. Who.)
Good lord I’ve been meaning to do this for 2 years!! Great work
Got some time to do up Funhouse!! Another setup that I really like.
Code: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/Funhouse-Ramp
Installation/build: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e0kWf7s69OS23fKkJAoQRolKfgYZT9ljgUUAi473pjY/edit
Plug and play kit (if you don't want to make it yourself): https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1025-professor-pinball/02684-pinduino-funhouse-interactive-lighting-for-the-step-ramp
Quoted from lyonsden:Got some time to do up Funhouse!! Another setup that I really like.
Code: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/Funhouse-Ramp
Installation/build: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e0kWf7s69OS23fKkJAoQRolKfgYZT9ljgUUAi473pjY/edit
Plug and play kit (if you don't want to make it yourself): https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1025-professor-pinball/02684-pinduino-funhouse-interactive-lighting-for-the-step-ramp
Nice one - love it!
FYI, for those who haven't seen it in the owners thread, here is a short video of my customized Pinduino program for the Getaway.
Program includes the following:
- Idle | full strip white sparkle at around 40% brightness
- Left & Right Sling Flashers | full strip alternating fast between red and blue
- Right Bank Flasher | strip chasing clockwise red then counterclockwise blue
- Left Bank Flasher | alternating between left half flashing red and right half flashing blue
- Supercharger Flasher | red chase around SC as ball goes around (this was part of Eric's original programming)
FYI, the program is available for free download on the Pinduino site.
Quoted from Scoot:Here is funhouse with pinduino ramp and Rudy light mod. Thanks professor pinball!
Glad you enjoy like it! Your game came out great.
Quoted from Mr_Tantrum:FYI, for those who haven't seen it in the owners thread, here is a short video of my customized Pinduino program for the Getaway.
Program includes the following:
- Idle | full strip white sparkle at around 40% brightness
- Left & Right Sling Flashers | full strip alternating fast between red and blue
- Right Bank Flasher | strip chasing clockwise red then counterclockwise blue
- Left Bank Flasher | alternating between left half flashing red and right half flashing blue
- Supercharger Flasher | red chase around SC as ball goes around (this was part of Eric's original programming)
FYI, the program is available for free download on the Pinduino site.
This update from MrT is fantastic! Excellent work and here is a like to the code if anyone is interested: https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/tree/master/Getaway_Supercharger_MrTantrum
I've bought and fitted one of @lyonsden's excellent Pinduino kits to a Funhouse. Everything working as expected, but I'd like to make some tweaks, if I can.
I'm using what I assume is the default sketch for this game - https://github.com/elyons/professor_pinball_pinduino_sketches/blob/master/Funhouse-Ramp/Funhouse-Ramp.ino
What I would like to do, if possible, is introduce some game state logic to it. In other words, I'd like to be able to do different effects depending on whether the game is in multiball mode or not, for example.
I don't have the WP-EXT board (I don't know what this is, but it was mentioned earlier in the thread) so all my board is monitoring is J126 on the Power Driver Board. With the exception of two pins, they are all flashers.
Here's what I know about Funhouse & flashers:
Two of the wires on J126 are for "Mouth Motor" and "Up/Down Driver". Can these wires be monitored? Is it possible for Pinduino/a sketch to know if the mouth is up or down? Or is the wire simply switched on or off?
I think I could get the game to detect that it is 11:45 at least if I could detect that the clock flashers have flashed 3 times (and only three times) within 3 seconds, with no other flashers illuminating during that time. Since 11:45 is triggered by a lock shot in all cases (11:30 can be triggered simply through playing the game) then there should be no reason any other flashers should illuminate during this time. That said I would need to somehow run a loop within the main loop() to detect this...
Assuming it were possible to maintain game states in the sketch, is this feasible? No flashers come on when the ball drains so if it's a a multiplayer game where one person is at 11:45 and another isn't the LEDs would no longer be in the correct state. The default sketch ultimately goes back to attract mode after 2 seconds, so will always be correct whoever is playing and whatever point in the game they're at.
Is what I'm thinking remotely feasible, or would I need WP-EXT and monitoring trough eject solenoids, etc.
First off, great to hear that you are enjoying the Pinduino kit for Funhouse!
These are great ideas and you are definitely thinking correctly about how to use the pinduino to monitor as well as how to program the code to track game state. I've done something similar for games like Tron, where the flashers run in specific combinations to denote modes. The way I tracked those game states would be to have a global flag that is set when the correct set of events happen to know that the game is in a specific mode. For your example, you'd want to have something like "int multiball_mode = 0" and then set it to 1 when the multiball mode is detected.
Now for multiball in funhouse, I recommend going for the simplest thing possible. My guess would be to use the Dummy Hole Eject (J127-9), which is only used when a ball is locked in Rudy's mouth to start multiball. However, monitoring that would require the WPC-Ext board with the extra inputs that you could wire to monitor J127-9. Also, I'm not sure what you'd monitor to idenitfy the end of multiball (I will need to play some more games to see what stands out.)
In terms of monitoring Rudy's mouth movement. I'm not sure what the signals look like for the mouth motor and up/down driver, but I'm going to guess that that will be straight forward to figure out. There is a line in all of my pinduino sketches that will print out the states of what the pinduino is monitoring. Uncomment this line:
// pd.pinState()->print();
And have the arduino connected to a computer and turn the serial monitor on in the Arduino IDE.
Hope this helps!
Quoted from mjruser:Does this use the power from the pinball to power leds, mods and such?
Yes, pinduino taps the existing pinball power to power the arduino and associated leds for the kit. In the case of Sterns, it is the auxiliary 12v/5v/G near the coin door. For Williams it is custom wiring harness that taps the power driver board.
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