Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
Ryan McQuaid , 2020Just a quick update, I'm trying to knock out all the other projects cluttering up my shop before I get back to work on sonic. 2/3 are complete, and the last one is waiting on a parts order and then will be done in an afternoon or so. After that I will have NO OTHER PROJECTS for the first time in ages. Expect regular streams and a lot of cabinet progress shortly.
"No Other Projects"... I can't count the number of times I have said that before.
Everything is looking really great, keep up the good work. Can't wait to play it sometime in the future.
Finished almost the entire lower cab tonight. Woooo!
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[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
for an mid 90's feel it should have an buy-in button
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:for an mid 90's feel it should have an buy-in button
hmmmmm maybe use the "pinball sucks " for buy in with a traditional start?
Quoted from McSquid:[quoted image][quoted image]
I hope there’s a manufacturer watching this thread.
Great work!
Live streaming some Sonic development for the first time in a while. Starting around 7pm 
Twitch.tv/thecephalopod
I FINALLY fixed the "random" crashing bug when completing stages! It has been plaguing me for months! The Blue chaos emerald status light was calling for a show that didn't exist. The crash was actually occuring whenever I finished the water zone! If Zone 7 was implemented it would have had the same issue. Fixed! No more crashing! (For now)
Quoted from sparksterz:Those water levels man...such a pain!
and the drowning cuts out the good music in them.
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:and the drowning cuts out the good music in them.
In my version the music resumes instead of restarting. So there is that?
Small update, started a major shop overhaul/expansion. I've had a huge shelving unit full of computer servers I was finally able to get rid of so I'm reclaiming the space. While I was at it, I moved Sonic's mock cabinet to make it stick out into the room less, and came up with a slightly more secure solution for playfield tilt than "just pile it on a few 2x4s it will be fine." Still 2x4s, but now they are actually screwed together, and a few screws hold it in place on the base. Did some better cable management too. No more cables on the floor (including all the streaming stuff)
TWIPY pre-voting starts tomorrow. Make sure to vote for Sonic 
FJIMG_20201130_173157 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201130_173235 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201130_173252 (resized).jpgQuoted from McSquid:Pre-Voting is live! Lets get Sonic Nominated!
https://www.thisweekinpinball.com/twipy-2020-pre-voting/
way ahead of you
lol cute. Such a cool build. Spot welding is definitely something I've not done yet...maybe some day. To be honest though I kinda liked the blue guides holding the wireforms together. Probably not the most robust solution though and might be a bit more distracting on a ramp that cuts across the playfield like that.
Quoted from sparksterz:lol cute. Such a cool build. Spot welding is definitely something I've not done yet...maybe some day. To be honest though I kinda liked the blue guides holding the wireforms together. Probably not the most robust solution though and might be a bit more distracting on a ramp that cuts across the playfield like that.
I actually like them too but they break. =\ While replaceable, The goal is reliability. and yes the ramp cutting across the PF needs to be as discrete as possible. once the entire thing is welded, I plan on cutting off the side rails for the straight across the PF section.
Quoted from SLCpunk2113:Did you move the targets back just widen the orbit shot or was there another reason?
Yes this was the main reason. The targets were originally placed as a guess since i didn't know how much room i needed for the loop. I gave myself a lot of extra room so I wanted to close it up. This will make the left orbit less awkward from the lower flipper. The geometry wasn't really there for a clean hit on the spinner. Also, I want the looping shot to be easy so players can chain high spin-dash numbers.
Redid the entire left side of the PF. Welded proper mounting solution on the loop. Way less wobbly, way more accurate, more speed. Tweaked a bunch of other stuff in the entry way. Way harder to shoot through to the exit lane without dropping into the launcher. VERY happy with the results. Left orbit shot's geometry feels correct now. Patch job is acceptable. No noticable issues with gameplay.
Perfect keychain aquired.
FJIMG_20201203_172558 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201203_180441 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201203_180451 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201203_224345 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201204_012828 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201204_012834 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201204_012853 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201204_012900 (resized).jpgSlow-motion of new rigid loop. Recall the massive amount of flexing it did during previous slow motions (expo video)
Quoted from McSquid:Slow-motion of new rigid loop. Recall the massive amount of flexing it did during previous slow motions (expo video)
Weld a bracket or two to the outside of the loop and screw into the side wall?
Quoted from Malenko:Weld a bracket or two to the outside of the loop and screw into the side wall?
Look closer, I already welded a bracket on and screwed it down. The only shaking in this shot is the camera
Quoted from Malenko:I meant the top part of the lewp
ohhhhhh i see. Doubt it will be necessary. It's pretty solid right now without it.
Adventures in welding! Apparently I'm getting better with the spot welder. I decided to start with the easiest ramp to remake in case I burned the metal and broke it. It turned out quite nice! Used a tip I read somewhere for how to easily make the rings. Worked great. That dowel bit has been a valuable tool for this project.
Physical work continues. Gonna try welding a metal rail support to the loop tomorrow. I REALLY hope I don't screw it up. Those rails took forever to get into the right shape.
FJIMG_20201203_230139 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201203_230406 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201203_230808 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_012807 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_012812 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_012822 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_013028 (resized).jpgBehold the full metal loop! It is glorious! About 5 hours of welding, filing, dremeling, grinding, and sanding and the loop is now complete. I was SUPER scared of burning the metal on the loop rails and breaking them. But the only thing I broke was one of the support wires which was easy enough to replace. The weld strength is good enough. I wouldn't chuck it against a wall and expect no welds to pop (like I did with my test welding structures), but I can bend the nearby wires to proper shapes without breaking the bonds. So what is next? I'm still waiting on more lights from FAST to finish GI, and the flood lighting materials will be here Monday. I don't see a reason to take the other wireforms off and weld them right now. They are super sturdy and have no disadvantages. I guess I'll have to stare at it for a while and figure out what NEEDS to happen before it can go in the cabinet.
FJIMG_20201205_193006 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_193019 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_193622 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_193633 (resized).jpgFJIMG_20201205_193643 (resized).jpgQuoted from SLCpunk2113:Any plans to powder coat some of these rails? I think I’m gunna miss the blue.
I hope there will be enough blue on the cab trim to keep everyone happy. In theory you won't see the stainless here either since it will be dressed up in plastics.
This is incredible. How do you do the wire forms? I want to try and make some to replace sections of a broken plastic ramp. Cant wait to see it all finished!
Hmm...I wonder how well the shaft for the solenoid will do with the ball hitting it from time to time. How do you plan to register the spins?
Quoted from SpyroFTW:This is incredible. How do you do the wire forms? I want to try and make some to replace sections of a broken plastic ramp. Cant wait to see it all finished!
I used 1/8 stainless and a spot welder. I don't recommend this though. If I had to start over I'd use plain mild steel as it's way easier to weld and then I'd just have it powder coated or chromed to prevent rust.
Quoted from sparksterz:Hmm...I wonder how well the shaft for the solenoid will do with the ball hitting it from time to time. How do you plan to register the spins?
I doubt it will be a problem. I can protect the shaft if it ends up being one though. I actually don't intend to register the spins. The right ramp switch is positioned so that it hits at the same time. This will give the illusion of the sign post registering. It's not like you can "rip" a spinner that is on a return ramp.
Prototype Signpost is done. I'm I'm waiting on some parts to make the pull down post part work. My post wasn't nearly long enough. Held on with rubbers right now haha.
I got a TON of parts and stuff in today. Lots more to come.
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Allentown, PA