As I have mine out right now happy to provide any measurements you need or want.
(Topic ID: 265453)
Man 3D printing has come along way...
A dream would be a skill roll diy that could hang or be pretty thin on the wall. All parts could be 3d printed or sourced from a box store.
Man, I get jealous of everyone that just dives in and does these cool diy projects!! So awesome! So keep it up! Maybe after the kiddos get older I’ll have time for some projects.
Algonquin, IL
Quoted from northvibe:Man 3D printing has come along way...
A dream would be a skill roll diy that could hang or be pretty thin on the wall. All parts could be 3d printed or sourced from a box store.
Man, I get jealous of everyone that just dives in and does these cool diy projects!! So awesome! So keep it up! Maybe after the kiddos get older I’ll have time for some projects.
That's pretty much me! Thanks for the kind words, all!
Redesigned some parts. Mocked up a test flicker setup with the spring.
Spent an hour Sunday just analyzing the stroke of the flicker and how/where it hits the coin.
Marked my holes, drilled them out today!
Cut some sections of the 1/2" aluminum for the shafts to ride in. They cleaned up very nice on the grinder!
Getting them in will require some sanding and elbow grease that I'll reserve for when it's warmer in the garage!
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Dialing in the printer and getting some nice prints! Love the clear filament for testing. Redesigned some dimensions to work better and keep trying different things with each print. Took some 1/2” dremel sanding drums and widened out the holes, then hammered in the metal tube. Has a nice friction fit and the handles look good!
8320499B-8B0E-40FB-A8AE-32CCF946791B (resized).jpegA319AADB-01B1-4AEE-9495-D7D2259691B8 (resized).jpegFinally feel I have the part dimensions dialed in.
Been getting better at the slicing program (Cura).
Been randomly printing random parts to building up the 8 flickers.
Printed a test coin acceptor in about 2 hours, had some adhesion issues on the lower corner but otherwise looks very nice!!
Been experimenting with different print settings for each part.
Got my printer, assembled it in about 2 hours, not bad! Decommissioned the old kit printer.
The Ender 3 V2 is certainly an upgrade from the 3 Pro, basically everything is nicer on it. Much quieter also. But very nice to have both simultaneously!
I have a full flicker setup installed, but am not happy with the snappiness that these small Chinese springs provide.
It can't flick a coin all the way across and the spring tension feels weak.
One thing that's difficult to manage is the extension spring has to push against the top screw post and the flicker post to even out the flicker/knob vertically in the rest position.
I've always been intimidated by McMaster Carr but they're website is nothing but elegant!
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pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).png 1 week later
the tension on those handles is pretty strong. You think the printing will hold up to that? The ones I played, have a lot of torque and a lot of snap on release. Just seems like an abusive area, unless the printed version is just to have them cast in metal.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:the tension on those handles is pretty strong. You think the printing will hold up to that? The ones I played, have a lot of torque and a lot of snap on release. Just seems like an abusive area, unless the printed version is just to have them cast in metal.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/skill-roll-remake#post-5567503
See post above
Quoted from dudah:I have a real old and crappy 3D printer that had a bunch of things wrong with it.
Spent a couple hours today fixing it and tuning it up.
Still have some improvements to make, but I managed to squeeze out this prototype of the flicker knob.
Good for testing, but the final will be CNC'd out of 303 stainless.[quoted image]
Back from a holiday vacation. The McMaster Carr springs came, the extensions springs are perfect! It was way too difficult to get the compression springs inside them, however. I found similar sized ones (but thinner wire) in the Chinese spring kit that I managed to get in there, they feel great!! Plenty of oomph and dare I say very similar to the original.
Updated the flicker for the smaller spring ring and am pumping those out.
Been learning many tricks with the slicer I'm applying to the new parts.
Need to print a few more knobs, rods and covers and I'll be able to populate all the positions!
pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngSome people asked which springs I used:
Extension: https://www.mcmaster.com/9654K127/
Compression: https://www.mcmaster.com/9434K161/
Shipping and tax isn't quoted on checkout. Both were a little over $8 for this little package. Not terrible considering the selection you're getting from McMaster.
Trizel was kind enough to measure his for me.
Here were his measurements:
Outer Extension spring - Outer Diameter (width) = 0.335"
Total length with end hooks = 1.6225"
Wire thickness = 0.0430"
Inner compression spring - outer diameter = 0.2400"
Total length = 1.5"
Wire thickness = 0.0460"
It seems the model makers who use 3D printers do plenty of sanding, spraying filler primer, sanding, painting.
I was less than pleased how the bezels turned out and hoped painting them would make them look a little more presentable.
Was hoping to enjoy the game a bit and finish building out the code before I go learn the mill/lathe/CNC and make the metal parts.
Painted with a "chrome" spray and a stainless steel spray (second bezel). They turned out OK.
I'm going to tweak the bezel file a bit and see if I can get a better print. Then get a set on to do some testing!
pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngYeah, there's a LOT of finishing work that has to go into a 3D print unless you're OK with it looking like a 3D print. It can be a lot of putty, sand and pray. ABS works better for that sort of finishing work, while PLA can be sanded, it's hard enough that you can wind up generating enough heat trying to aggressively sand that you melt the plastic instead.
Quoted from LynnInDenver:Yeah, there's a LOT of finishing work that has to go into a 3D print unless you're OK with it looking like a 3D print. It can be a lot of putty, sand and pray. ABS works better for that sort of finishing work, while PLA can be sanded, it's hard enough that you can wind up generating enough heat trying to aggressively sand that you melt the plastic instead.
You've got that right. I have a decent 'hobby-grade' 3d printer (Prusa) and printed some wine charms out of bronzefill PLA. They eventually looked good but man, had to sand by hand and work through about a dozen grits to get to the point where it looked like nice, shiny, solid metal. My fingers still ache whenever I think about it!
1 week later
Got the steam to finish putting together some handles.
Broke 2, but got 2 together.
Printing at coarser (0.2mm, faster) resolution makes the threads harder to screw on, the finer one (0.16mm) gives better threads!
Gotta get better a reinforcing high impact areas in the print.
Need to reprint some more pieces, hopefully some more work this weekend!
Got all the lever parts printed and in. Had to adjust some screw/spring locations to get that sweet spot for flicking action.
Went with the compression springs from the Chinese kit. The McMaster Carr ones BARELY fit in the extension springs, I had to get a vice and two sets of needle nose to get them in there. In the end, when you pushed down on the knob, you could feel the turns of the springs rubbing against each other. This didn't feel or sound great. In the end, the Chinese ones were thinner in overall width and wire width but were easier to get in and gave ideal results!
Flicking through the game feels good and very similar to the original.
The track position is pretty important. One piece I glued too high and half the time the coin bounces off of it.
Easy enough to adjust it next time the front is off.
As tacky as the 3D printed flickers are, they are good for testing and I think they will hold up well.
I feel good enough with them to move on to wiring up the game...
pasted_image (resized).pngPulled the playfield for what I hope is the last time.
Pulled the plexi and cleaned up the remants of hot glue on the top side of the track with a plastic razor.
Realigned a few pieces.
Reglued some loose pieces.
Laid in the RGBW LED strip. It's on the sides and bottom, might be too much but might be awesome.
I have the remote control box for the LED strips but also may integrate them into the Arduino over time.
Here's a snapshot of what the mounting on the flicker looks like.
On the front I made a jig to line up the flicker handle perpendicular with the wood sides. I also make sure the flicker is positioned well so it keeps the coin in there. Take the slack out of the spring and screw. Primitive, but it works very well. The 3D printed spacer helps keep the spring vertical. I encountered 2 where the flicker was rubbing the spring/screw while flicking.
It was well worth the effort I put in cleaning up the track.
Quarters now don't risk getting stuck.
Both coins move very nicely as the go through the playfield.
Need to print a few thicker flickers as the coin was slipping out on a couple.
As much as I want to push forward, feels good to be dialing in all the flicking action as that's super important.
Powered up the LED strips before winding down for the evening and loved it!
Not a lot of coverage in the middle, and the LED's show EVERY little defect on the the plexi (little scratches, dust).
RGBW, each channel is controllable. I set the white to 50%. White off and RGB doing its show is a bit extra but also fun.
The translucent handles look great in the LED light!
Also cut a little hole out for the coins to drop to the coin box.
Quoted from dudah:It was well worth the effort I put in cleaning up the track.
Quarters now don't risk getting stuck.
Both coins move very nicely as the go through the playfield.
Need to print a few thicker flickers as the coin was slipping out on a couple.
As much as I want to push forward, feels good to be dialing in all the flicking action as that's super important.
Powered up the LED strips before winding down for the evening and loved it!
Not a lot of coverage in the middle, and the LED's show EVERY little defect on the the plexi (little scratches, dust).
RGBW, each channel is controllable. I set the white to 50%. White off and RGB doing its show is a bit extra but also fun.
The translucent handles look great in the LED light!
Also cut a little hole out for the coins to drop to the coin box.
[quoted image][quoted image]
The florescent bulb in the original is just as bad about showing every scratch and speck of dust. It took a lot to learn to live with it
Quoted from edward472:The florescent bulb in the original is just as bad about showing every scratch and speck of dust. It took a lot to learn to live with it
^^^^Second this.
The handles look really cool!!
Quoted from edward472:The florescent bulb in the original is just as bad about showing every scratch and speck of dust. It took a lot to learn to live with it
haha, I third this :-p
You know how awsome this rgb would be if you tied colors or reactions to score switches? I mean.... making a "new" age skill roll with this would be so cool.
Looking great!
Quoted from northvibe:haha, I third this :-p
You know how awsome this rgb would be if you tied colors or reactions to score switches? I mean.... making a "new" age skill roll with this would be so cool.
Looking great!
Each score insert will also have an individually controllable RGB LED behind it. Since the software knows which "level" the coin is at, I'm planning on making some cool chasing effects.
Quoted from dudah:Each score insert will also have an individually controllable RGB LED behind it. Since the software knows which "level" the coin is at, I'm planning on making some cool chasing effects.
YEAAAAH!!! I just imagine all the led effects like the new raw thrills games, or tna etc. Can't wait to see more! Glad you decided to take this on. It is awesome seeing people do projects that I can only just dream about at the moment.
4 weeks later
Been kicking myself for not investing any time into this.
Took a new job this month and have been traveling heavily which doesn't help.
The next step was to connect all the sensors which isn't fun - cut, strip, crimp (Molex mini-fit).
Lots of repetitive work, but I'm sure it'll be worth it when I have to service the playfield making it easy to pop off.
Got the signal wires done tonight, next is power and hooking up the Arduino end.
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Reichenau Im Mühlkreis
1 week later
4 weeks later
Put a few hours in here and there this weekend to get the wiring nearly done.
The Molex interconnects were an extra pain but worth it in the long run to be able to easily remove the playfield.
Organizing the sensor wiring loom was a whole pain.
A quick test of the lamp board showed a bunch of spots where the window cling didn't adhere perfect.
Going to switch back to the translite material, also definitely need a masking layer on it.
pasted_image (resized).pngpasted_image (resized).pngQuoted from Blitzburgh99:Did you get the inside plexiglass reproduced? If so, where and can I get one for my restoration?
Mine is custom to my project.
This guy may make one for you - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/bally-skill-roll-interest-in-a-reproduction-inside-plastic-bezel
Sent you a pm......
Quoted from Blitzburgh99:Did you get the inside plexiglass reproduced? If so, where and can I get one for my restoration?
Well done, this is looking so professionally done and coming together very nicely..
just a question for you out of curiousity:
is the surface that coin runs in front of and against - is this vertical or tilted back?
if tilted how many degrees would it be?
I have never played one or seen one in the wild so very curious.
thanks in advance
Quoted from swinks:Well done, this is looking so professionally done and coming together very nicely..
just a question for you out of curiousity:
is the surface that coin runs in front of and against - is this vertical or tilted back?
if tilted how many degrees would it be?
I have never played one or seen one in the wild so very curious.
thanks in advance
Thanks, Swinks!
It's tilted approximately 10 degrees back.
1 week later
Spent a good few solid hours knocking out lots of stuff:
Finished all the 12V wiring, HV and addressable LED's can wait
Made the translite masking layer:
Did a practice run with some cheap black vinyl first.
The black vinyl dramatically changed the colors on the front of the translite, so opted for a light color for the next one
Getting the vinyl perfectly square on there was a challenge, I ended up cutting the perimeter of the translite with the vinyl cutout
Printed some clips to hold the lamp board flush against the glass while also holding the translite
It didn't line up absolutely perfect, but I'm very happy with it.
I think I fried the Arduino by plugging my computer in while it was powered up. Caused my laptop to reset and reset the system. It starts but the lights being displayed is not correct code and very errattic. New one is on order.
Moving onto the coin acceptor - got a nice print of it with the bottom mounting tabs. Need to cut a hole for it in the top. Originally I was going to use a modern coin mech, mostly to have a lockout coil. Since this is likely just going to sit in my basement forever I may just forego the coin mech/coin return.
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Lots of little progress:
Cut a new plexi cover, this is 1/8" and I cut it slower/lower power for cleaner edges
Routed out the top for the coin insert and mounted it
Took the dremel sander to where the coin flickers were hitting the side of the cabinet to give them greater play when flicking
Put on some weather stripping on the metal channel to push the glass more flush with the wood lip, it also fits perfect and looks nicer than the raw aluminum
Received the new Arduino and popped it in and everything works good now!
Designed a bracket/latch to hold a coin mech.
I like the idea of the coin mech from the perspective of hearing the coin go through there. This however would limit me to just nickels or just quarters. Still would need to carve out an area for the coin rejects also.
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Annoyed I haven't been able to give this project attention lately, but spent a few hours at the end of Sunday to get me back to a good spot:
Routed out the coin outholes from the back for a nice rounded edge. Some coins were occasionally getting stuck.
Put on some weatherstripping on the side aluminum channel - this will push the glass 1/4" out to get it more nicely flush with the front wood rails.
Replaced the 1/16" cracked plexi with a new 1/8" - looks much more "crystally"
Replaced the chewed up playfield mounting screw washers (pictured) with some new wider ones
Routed the inside of the cabinet to allow for more flicker travel
Cleaned up the track pieces that fell off and did a better job gluing them down
Cleaned up the excess hot glue, ensuring the track is free of obstructions
Wiped down the plexi and playfield real well with a microfiber dampened with Novus1
Made little calibrations all over the track to make the coin travel better
Removed the bottom angle bracket - it was blocking the playfield from getting nicely flush at the bottom, didn't need it for anything
Mounted everything back in the cabinet
Mounted the coin mech holders
Played a bunch!
It was worth tweaking the track, now both nickels and quarters travel well and the shots are all attainable!
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Quoted from dudah:Some people asked which springs I used:
Extension: https://www.mcmaster.com/9654K127/
Compression: https://www.mcmaster.com/9434K161/
Shipping and tax isn't quoted on checkout. Both were a little over $8 for this little package. Not terrible considering the selection you're getting from McMaster.
Trizel was kind enough to measure his for me.
Here were his measurements:
Outer Extension spring - Outer Diameter (width) = 0.335"
Total length with end hooks = 1.6225"
Wire thickness = 0.0430"
Inner compression spring - outer diameter = 0.2400"
Total length = 1.5"
Wire thickness = 0.0460"
Just a heads up I bought these and the inner spring seems correct but the outer spring is to long see picture. I know it doesn't matter for your project though.
20210506_100227 (resized).jpg
Outer spring length without including the hook ends is .9910". Just wanted to share since I posted the differences above.
1 month later
Seized a rainy day to get back at this!
Designed and printed a nice frame to hold the light board lined up with the translite perfectly
Trimmed off some excess aluminum side rail that was blocking the translite
Printed a new Arduino holder and installed it
Replaced a sensor that went bad
Added some inserts to help keep the coins aligned with the flickers
Printed a new coin reject plunger
Revisited some of the code
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