Spaceballs: The Pin

Quoted from Geomancer:
Humm, that's very interesting. Clearly I'm overthinking it. I had based my design on the older Williams machines having 750VA transformers. When I was shopping I found 800VA and 1000VA transformers, and the 1000VA was only $16 more so I said what the heck?
Seeing this made me think about it more. I haven't done anything analog in nearly 2 decades, but it hit me that with inductors and their transient response, peak current isn't at the start, it's at the end. With solenoids, it may not even hit the peak "steady state" current before the EOS switch is thrown. Plus the power supplies bulk capacitors may handle the surge.
Oh well. Maybe I can just run 4 games off a single power supply One thing is for sure, there is a lot to learn from a project like this.
Thanks again for sharing the details of your build!

You'll never get any grief from me for overdoing a power supply.

The coils are controlled via PWM with modern hardware, and sometimes without EOS. For example, Spaceballs has EOS wired up but doesn't actually use them. It doesn't need them.

#703 5 years ago

GEO

Geomancer

Inactive member

6y 14,150 25

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
You'll never get any grief from me for overdoing a power supply.
The coils are controlled via PWM with modern hardware, and sometimes without EOS. For example, Spaceballs has EOS wired up but doesn't actually use them. It doesn't need them.

Don't you want full power through the stroke, and only PWM to hold?

When held, can't the flippers be "pushed" by a ball smacking into it so you still need the EOS to know if more power is needed? I had been told that in another thread.

#704 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

http://docs.missionpinball.org/en/latest/mechs/flippers/eos_switches.html

Quoted from Geomancer:
Don't you want full power through the stroke, and only PWM to hold?
When held, can't the flippers be "pushed" by a ball smacking into it so you still need the EOS to know if more power is needed? I had been told that in another thread.

It can, but there are compensating controls you can put in place. MPF has a good write up on EOS:

They also have a good write up on pulse power:

http://docs.missionpinball.org/en/latest/mechs/coils/pulse_power.html

#705 5 years ago

VFP

VacFink

Inactive member

8y 60,400 988

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/watch-rick-moranis-unretires-play-spaceballs-character-goldbergs-exclusive-170024349.html

#706 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from VacFink:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/watch-rick-moranis-unretires-play-spaceballs-character-goldbergs-exclusive-170024349.html

I'm so excited for this!

If you aren't a Goldbergs fan already you all should give it a shot! It's good stuff!

2 weeks later

#707 5 years ago

ABE

PinDeLaPin

Pinside member

6y 84,300 3,600

Wolfmarsh I just stumbled on this thread and must say it is awesome. I can quote this movie word for word and to put it into a pinball machine is amazing. Looking forward to following this thread through to the very end. Keep up the amazing hard work and major props for having a vision and seeing it through!

2 weeks later

#708 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

For you Spaceballs assholes, I'll be moderating a panel on homebrew pinball at SFGE in Atlanta this weekend, Friday night from 7-8 pm. Scott Danesi and Wilder Hamm will be joining me to have a cool chat about homebrew and how you can get started.

#709 5 years ago

JJZ

toyotaboy

anyone streaming the chats?

#710 5 years ago

MMR

mmr61184

Pinside+ Frequent

Fairfield, CT

10y 66,300 1,840 5

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
For you Spaceballs assholes, I'll be moderating a panel on homebrew pinball at SFGE in Atlanta this weekend, Friday night from 7-8 pm. Scott Danesi and Wilder Hamm will be joining me to have a cool chat about homebrew and how you can get started.

Are you surrounded by assholes

#711 5 years ago

RCD

Drewscruis

Pinside member

Hamburg Usa, NY

11y 49,300 632 32

Lol

1t5zxr (resized).jpg

#712 5 years ago

DWF

Chalkey

Pinside+ Frequent

Chesterfield, VA

6y 69,550 2,972 18

Damn I canceled my SFGE trip please record this talk!

#713 5 years ago

BRI

PluffMudPinball

Pinside member

12y 32,400 75

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
For you Spaceballs assholes, I'll be moderating a panel on homebrew pinball at SFGE in Atlanta this weekend, Friday night from 7-8 pm. Scott Danesi and Wilder Hamm will be joining me to have a cool chat about homebrew and how you can get started.

As always SFGE was fantastic but the highlight of the show was this session. Such great info, lots of audience participation and very humble/talented panel members.

Fingers crossed that this will be a reoccurring discussion "to be continued" at SFGE2019.

1 month later

#714 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

I think I have the final revisions done, time to cut what is hopefully the final playfield.

image-1 (resized).png

#715 5 years ago

DWF

Chalkey

Pinside+ Frequent

Chesterfield, VA

6y 69,550 2,972 18

Do you cut the playfields yourself? Is it automated or do you transpose all this by hand?

#716 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from Chalkey:
Do you cut the playfields yourself? Is it automated or do you transpose all this by hand?

I cut them on a X-Carve CNC router that I extended to be able to handle the full length of a playfield. I had to go automated, I can't make it through the number of cuts on a playfield by hand and not screw it up at some point.

#717 5 years ago

JJZ

toyotaboy

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
X-Carve CNC router that I extended

Is that literally swapping out the baseboard and extending the 80/20 channel, or do you have to add some braces to stiffen everything up since a larger platform means more drooping over a longer distance?

#718 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from toyotaboy:
Is that literally swapping out the baseboard and extending the 80/20 channel, or do you have to add some braces to stiffen everything up since a larger platform means more drooping over a longer distance?

That's basically it. I did print a couple of braces to make sure the longer extrusion didn't droop, but that was minimal.

#719 5 years ago

F X

Coyote

Pinside member

9y 107K 8,987

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
I cut them on a X-Carve CNC router that I extended to be able to handle the full length of a playfield. I had to go automated, I can't make it through the number of cuts on a playfield by hand and not screw it up at some point.

Can...
Can I pay you for one?

#720 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from Coyote:
Can...
Can I pay you for one?

For one what?

#721 5 years ago

HKK

Houkaka

Inactive member

11y 25,300 54 1

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
I cut them on a X-Carve CNC router that I extended to be able to handle the full length of a playfield.

So I'm guessing that it's your own cnc router, can you cut steel with it or it's not rigid enough? I'm interested to see how you've done your extension.
By the way, you may have been able to make it on your machine without extending it. For that, you could have use a simple set of two dowel pin that would have been reference point between operation as shown in the diagram that I've made bellow.
Edit: zero point doesn't change between operation since your references for op 20 are located using the dowel pins, you just need to keep in mind that you've rotated the playfield 180 degrees and need to locate your patterns using the reference holes and not the sides of the playfield.

Quoted from Coyote:
Can...
Can I pay you for one?

I think that he meant: Can you do some custom job? Like, if I give you a vector image of a playfield and pay you for the job, would you do it?
Or maybe he just meant the machine

SET UP FOR PLAYFILED MACHINING IN TWO STEP ON A SMALL MACHINE (resized).png

Post last edited 5 years ago: ““zero point doesn't change between operation...the sides of the playfield.” added.”

#722 5 years ago

F X

Coyote

Pinside member

9y 107K 8,987

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
For one what?

Spaceballs playfield, of course!

Not the whole game. Just the playfield. Y'know. Mount it up on my wall next to my TV, and have it light up as I watch the movie!

Edit, Added after the fact: Apparently I wasn't clear enough that I was being facetious. I realize that at the most, it wouldn't be able to be done because of fear of licensing issues. At least, the time and effort needed to make another. As much as I would fucking love to have one in my light box hanging on the wall, I gotta respect the time and effort put into this.

#723 5 years ago

FJK

bigduke6

Pinside member

Rhinelander, WI

12y 63,050 1,003 1

Playfield question. When your cutting out for inserts what size lip do you leave for them to sit on?

1 week later

#724 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from Houkaka:
So I'm guessing that it's your own cnc router, can you cut steel with it or it's not rigid enough? I'm interested to see how you've done your extension.
By the way, you may have been able to make it on your machine without extending it.

There are other x-carve pinball people that have done what you suggest. I wanted to be able to cut cabinet sides without moving the wood around, so the best option for me was to extend the machine. It really only required the 1800mm rails and two supports to be 3d printed.

Quoted from Coyote:
Spaceballs playfield, of course!

Coyote and I chatted over PM about this. I'd love to make playfield for people, but the current plan is to do the art by hand right on the playfield, versus digitally. That may change, but right now this is definitely a bespoke one-off.

Quoted from bigduke6:
Playfield question. When your cutting out for inserts what size lip do you leave for them to sit on?

1.6mm.

I got what is hopefully the final playfield cut! Now I need to order some inserts and get them all glued in. I made some more changes and added some more inserts.

pasted_image (resized).png

#725 5 years ago

JJZ

toyotaboy

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
the current plan is to do the art by hand right on the playfield, versus digitally

If you do end up hand painting, you should at least scan it before populating it for prosperity.

#726 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from toyotaboy:
If you do end up hand painting, you should at least scan it before populating it for prosperity.

Good idea.

I think my next step is to populate this as a whitewood, once i've put the inserts in and cleared it. I need to work out some more of the software things that might change the art a little.

Then I'll take everything off this playfield and put the art on it, then repopulate it again.

#727 5 years ago

TOM

Tomass

Pinside member

Wasilla, AK

6y 98,350 3,835 17

Quoted from toyotaboy:
If you do end up hand painting, you should at least scan it before populating it for prosperity.

Posterity?

#728 5 years ago

MCB

mcbPalisade

Iron Transfer

Parachute, CO

6y 46,300 771 4

Quoted from Tomass:
...before populating it for prosperity.

Probably going to charge a quarter a game ( - :

#729 5 years ago

TOM

Tomass

Pinside member

Wasilla, AK

6y 98,350 3,835 17

Quoted from mcbPalisade:
Probably going to charge a quarter a game ( - :

Ah, I see. Prosperity it is then. My fault.

#730 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

LOL, I read it as posterity!

#731 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Starting the process of gluing in the inserts.

pasted_image (resized).png

1 week later

#732 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

I finally decided to go digital with the artwork for the playfield.

I think I got the mode names worked out.

pasted_image (resized).png

#733 5 years ago

JJZ

toyotaboy

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
I think I got the mode names worked out

It's a shame merchandising is such a long word. Wonder if you could arch the font to make it fit without a hyphen?

#734 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from toyotaboy:
It's a shame merchandising is such a long word. Wonder if you could arch the font to make it fit without a hyphen?

Ugh I know. I'm open to suggestions. I tried a bunch of layouts with the word and this was the best looking.

I'd even be open to changing it out for a different mode.

#735 5 years ago

BAD

Diospinball

Inactive member

Joliet, IL

6y 74,300 1,336 9 75

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
Ugh I know. I'm open to suggestions. I tried a bunch of layouts with the word and this was the best looking.
I'd even be open to changing it out for a different mode.

No, I think it looks fine with the hyphen...
If games can make you spell out stuff that is spread across a playfield... Then a hyphen is alright with me.
And you really need the Merchandising mode, as that was not just a funny and true joke, but a joke that they did multiple callbacks to throughout the movie.

#736 5 years ago

DWO

newovad

Pinside+ Frequent

5y 111K 1,811 2

What if you change the hyphenation?

SB (resized).jpg

#737 5 years ago

904

HighProtein

904 Pinball Zine

13y 167K 6,347

Please do not take it to SFGE a 3rd year in a row and it not play at all...
P.s... you're not singled out, that goes for Zelda too.

#738 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Quoted from HighProtein:
Please do not take it to SFGE a 3rd year in a row and it not play at all...
P.s... you're not singled out, that goes for Zelda too.

I didn't even bring it to SFGE this year, life got in the way unfortunately.

I've made it a goal to have it 100% complete by SFGE, so I can move on to a different project.

#739 5 years ago

wildertronix

Pinside member

Charlotte, NC

9y 38,150 42 4

Quoted from HighProtein:
Please do not take it to SFGE a 3rd year in a row and it not play at all...
P.s... you're not singled out, that goes for Zelda too.

It was a shame my power cord got ripped out upon set up for Zelda. It wasnt as simple as just putting 3 wires back unfortunately. Just like with Spaceballs I hope to have a finished product next summer

#740 5 years ago

F X

Coyote

Pinside member

9y 107K 8,987

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
Ugh I know. I'm open to suggestions. I tried a bunch of layouts with the word and this was the best looking.
I'd even be open to changing it out for a different mode.

"Flamethrower".

But that's still long.

"The Doll".

Eeh..
"Kid's Favorite"

eeh..

Unrelated,
Fortune Cookie?

#741 5 years ago

CSC

cscmtp

Pinside member

Newland, NC

12y 74,800 2,875 19 7

Keep Firing @ssholes!!!

#742 5 years ago

RCD

Drewscruis

Pinside member

Hamburg Usa, NY

11y 49,300 632 32

Liquid swartz.

#743 5 years ago

MCB

mcbPalisade

Iron Transfer

Parachute, CO

6y 46,300 771 4

… The kind of combination an idiot would have on his luggage

#744 5 years ago

VFP

VacFink

Inactive member

8y 60,400 988

OP
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:
Ugh I know. I'm open to suggestions. I tried a bunch of layouts with the word and this was the best looking.

I'd even be open to changing it out for a different mode.

Merch n' dyson upgrade megamaid to win

Megamerch

or just

Spaceballs
the merch

2 weeks later

#745 5 years ago

MCB

mcbPalisade

Iron Transfer

Parachute, CO

6y 46,300 771 4

I love this movie!

SkroobAnnotated (resized).jpg

#746 5 years ago

TSS

Tsskinne

Tommy's Pins

11y 138K 6,878 14

Could change the mode to Merchandising, Merchandising, Merchandising! And just have it printed in small font multiple times to fill up the insert.

#747 5 years ago

DOC

drscottsmith

Pinside member

Duncan, SC

10y 44,400 559 7

How about 'Mr. Rental' or 'Instant Cassettes'? From the VCR scene where 'we ain't found $h!t'...

1 month later

#748 5 years ago

BUZ

RobF

RobTune

7y 106K 1,084

Alternate mode ideas:
"Hyper Active" or "Gone to Plaid"
"Escape Pod" (find the open escape pod before self destruct)
"Pizza the Hut" (help Pizza get out of his limo before he eats himself)
"Nose Job" (shooting for the shield combo)

1 week later

#749 5 years ago

JAM

Wolfmarsh

Pinside member

Now that my wife is getting her strength back, I am getting some pinball time. Starting to tear down the current playfield and move it all over to the new (and final) playfield.
fullplayfield_small (resized).jpg

#750 5 years ago

JJZ

toyotaboy