Finally the TNA shooter meter is ready and the first kits have shipped this weekend. It may have taken longer than expected but the results are well worth the wait. The idea began after hundreds of games while staring at the empty meter cutouts wanting something there. Eventually I cracked and something needed to be done. Most early ideas were too bulky since they used a more traditional gate system. It wasn't until I saw a line following array and ordered one for experimentation, it worked well enough for proof of concept. The design layout of the line followers gave way to the non-invasive board that you see today. Over the past few months of development mistakes were made, lessons learned, and new skills added. The link below displays the final result and exceeds my own expectations. Be sure to check out the video.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nh15TjevN89wyNWr6

As more kits become available I will continue to PM the first batch working down the list in order. The second batch is filling up with fewer than 10 slots left with a hopeful eta of year end. A short break and time to restock components will be needed.

Usage
-Each switch adjustment will require a board reset to activate.
-Auto plunger and ball ready on/off switches.
-2 switches allow 4 levels brightness. Base brightness is 25% and the addition of each switch percentage totals up to 100%
-Sensor sensitivity is applied to meter only operation. Circuit simplifications removed auto launch and ball ready functions at lower sensitivity levels, full sensitivity is required for complete effects. Reducing sensitivity will display the meter only and has the benefit of a lower operating temperature.
-After initial power on a slow green pattern appears. This is the calibration routine and the shooter should not be moved until the display blanks.
-Meter should be operational at this point. The board appears to benefit from a short warmup period and becomes more stable, a power cycle can redo the calibration for increased performance.

Kit contents
-Meter board
-LED bar
-Power supply
-DC 5.5mm extension cable
-A/C splitter cable "figure 8"
-Board mount
-Shooter tip sleeve
-Envelope containing black reflective tape

Installation
-See pictures for correct locations and positions of bracket, board, and led bar.
-Connect one outlet end of figure 8 splitter to provided 5v power supply. Unplug amplifier power supply and splice remaining 2 connections of the figure 8 splitter.
-Remove tape backing from led bar and carefully align bar to meter cutouts, tape will face up and wires routed towards the board. Lightly secure the forward edge before securing the main tape pad, this will ensure accurate alignment length wise.
-Insert meter board into bracket. Minor printing cleanup may be required along the slot opening. Place board and bracket assembly into the all wood flat area under the apron. Bracket placement should be tight and against the adjacent metal playfield support bracket.
-Connect led bar to board via 3 pin connector, secure and hide wires with tape or a twisted loop to take up slack. Connect DC extension cable to board. Route/ziptie cable safely to backside of the playfield and down towards opposite end following existing pathways. Connect extension end to new power supply output cable.
-Tape can be applied directly to tip or to sleeve provided. Sleeve is for easy removal and reinstallation for tip replacement. Two rows of tape are required for either method, sleeve can be used as a template for placement of tape. Cut provided tape in half and apply to plastic black sleeve covering completely and smoothly. Remove rubber tip and slide sleeve over rubber tip, reinstall both together at once and fully seat each on shooter. Sensor #3 is always looking for this ring and should have a clear view of the tape.

Setup
-Turn on auto plunger and ball ready switches, sensor sensitivity to max clockwise.
-Ensure board is slid all the way towards the front of machine, no gap on left of board.
-Lower playfield carefully avoiding the tape on the shooter tip. Apply power and wait for the calibration to complete and place ball in lane to verify green ball ready status. Slide board if needed for better response.
-Optionally secure board to bracket using super glue, hot glue, rtv.... once location of best response is found.
-Trigger auto launch and verify white flash. This effect should work reliably without adjustment.
-Pull the shooter and verify the meter is responding correctly. The display should follow the plunger 1 for 1 if the meter is operating correctly. Shiny rods, springs, and new balls will greatly improve performance.

Tips
-The yellow resistors get warm. Nothing to the point of burning skin but 5-10 seconds can get uncomfortable.
-Be careful with the black reflective tape, it is extremely fragile. I recommend purchasing a 25ft roll on ebay for $10 and continued reliability, https://ebay.us/dMRvfd
-Everything the board is looking at needs to be spotless for optimal performance. Polish the shooter and drop in a new set of balls. As the reflection increases so does the quality of the meter effects.
-The bracket supplied provides a safe clearance at a reduction in performance. Bumping the bracket out towards the rod will improve performance but place the front sensor close to hits from the ball. 1/8"-1/4" of extra spacing makes for a nice display, I used 4 layers of foam tape. An extended bracket may be on the way.
-The ball ready sensor is angled for better view of the ball.
-Usage of the tip sleeve is optional. The intent was for it to be removable if the tip is damaged. Tape directly around the tip has proven to work well if not better.
20191013_122115 (resized).jpg

Anyone interested please reach out. There are only 7 slots left in the second batch waiting list and probably will be all full by the weekend. Each kit is $45 out the door for US shipments and includes everything needed for installation except zipties.

After Fatpanda's posts last night all of the first and second batch preorder slots are full! Several kits are planned to ship again today and many more starting Friday. Stay close to your inbox.

Thanks
Tom

The meter can be a bit tricky to get aligned perfect and seeing the ball 100%. On mine I fine tuned the angle of the first sensor by reflowing the first sensor and adjusting the angle. Also mounting the board as close as you can to the shooter rod will produce best results, playing with a new bracket this week.

Try moving the board forward a hair, you're right on the edge. One option is to add a thicker washer to the outside shooter spring, just enough so the ball rests on the launcher and not the tip. This gives the ball a more repeatable resting point when it enters the lane. Another option is to adjust the first sensor to the angle your machine needs. Heat the two long exposed leads with an iron and slightly pivot with pliers.

Just a quick update for batch #2. Tracking shows the final components finally arriving this week. This weekend will be a production weekend and I will begin to contact the remaining people on the waiting list. Stay tuned and another 25 meters should be out the door soon.

One workaround the tape is to slide the shooter tip forward until the meter response is correct and trim to fit. Once the spot is found the amount that the tip has moved forward will determine how much to trim from the tip, should be somewhere near 1/4". This can also be used the same way to place the tape if desired.

Wasn't able to get much done last week due to the holiday and yard cleanup, plan to get moving again this week.

The second batch of meter kits are being assembled and tested this weekend. Be on the lookout for pm's from me regarding the next step. Invoices have started to be sent out for the first handful completed, stay tuned next week. Thanks everyone again and especially to those who are helping with pictures and tips.

Tom

Another 14 kits just made it to the post office and are on the way. The remaining 6 for batch 2 are ready to ship but I'm still waiting for responses. Come Monday morning I may have to move down the list and contact the standbys on the waiting list. I'll follow up on Monday and confirm any changes to the remaining kits.

Tom

Out of town so limited access right now. The sensor that is looking for the ball in the shooter lane can be tricky to get a reliable read. A trick I did was to trim the fin sticking up on the sensor looking for the ball, mine is flush to the top of the 2 elements. This increases the viewing angle directly in front.

How far out do you have the board from the edge of the playfield? The first batch of meters had a bracket that set the board back away from the rod farther than it needed to be. I recommended in the instructions to add additional spacing between the bracket and playfield. The updated bracket shifted the board closer to the rod by about 1/8". I'd be happy to provide the stl for anyone with a 3d printer or mail out another.

Thanks Quy. Plans are for a V2 that will address all of these issues. The revised board will be offered as a board only upgrade that will be a drop in replacement. Original kits+upgrade will be cost equivalent to a full V2 kit. No eta yet on the new board.

V2 will have no tape. It will also tie into the beacon and have an under apron light bar between the flippers. I also am working on an idea for a reactor fan mod that will adjust based on the reactor load %.

The tape may be too far forward and overlaps with the auto plunger sensor.

A few details and tips for others from my PM with the other Tom:

"If you look at all of the sensors you will notice that there is a slightly larger gap between two of the sensors. This is where the most forward edge of the tape should be in the resting position, the remaining tape should completely cover the #3/first rod sensor. The rubber does not reflect back to the meter and will cause a dead spot and an unreliable meter display. Thresholds are calculated during the power on calibration for activating each meter segment and disabling when not needed. If the meter sees rubber it sets the threshold to 0 and will not activate. Pull the board and do two power ups, one with nothing in front of the sensors and the second time with all sensors covered. You will be able to see the difference that the calibration does each time. Be sure to cover the autoplunger sensor or else it will constantly flash the white pattern.

Don't be afraid to fine tune the angle of the first sensor if it is causing you trouble, had to do it on mine. A quick reheat with a soldering iron and the angle can be adjusted to match your setup. The sensors are basically leds in a plastic housing so they are nothing you are going to damage when done carefully.

Here is a picture of my rod for example, it's fuzzy but you can see how I applied the tape. Think of the center line of the two rows of tape as the center line for the 3rd sensor. Notice no rubber from the c-clip until after the tape.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/t1zLhvoWhUzKm8rZ6

Here is the final position of my board. The autoplunge sensor will be completely covered when not active and fully exposed with the claw kicked forward.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rkAD8o45A4PehiLv6"

Tom

You should have let me know. I have more sensors than I know what to do with now and could have sent a few out.

Unfortunately the only shooter mod for R&M will likely be a custom launch button, no shooter on that game.

Thanks for the update and glad to see you're back up and running. The little finger on the apron had to be designed around or else it needed to be bent.

The apron light will be tied into the beacon and have a sweeping motion to simulate another beacon. The goal has always been to keep the board as far away from the machines electronics as possible.

The ball ready and autolaunch can always be disabled and have just the meter function. Setup would be much simpler focusing on just the meter. Those two other features were extras that I put in because why not.

Give me some time. I'm working on the reactor fan mod right now. Here's a quick sample using the meter program to give a basic idea. Plans are to make a puck that will have vanes inside to simulate each fan blade on the plastic.

videotogif_2020.01.05_11.43.25.gif

Something on the cabinet wall across from the meter may be giving the meter a bit of reflection causing the missing segment. Each led segment is based on an analog value and not just on or off. Experiment with black electrical tape on the cabinet directly across from the meter to block the reflection. Also, the board seems to need a warm up period for optimal performance. After a game I cycle the power on my machine and the meter responds with a more consistent output.

Doubtful that the lit buttons would have any affect on the meter. Mirror blades on the other hand have been reported to cause trouble. My machine is stock other than the meter and other mods were not considered during design.

V2 is coming along with the first set of test boards ordered this morning and they should be here in a week or so. Installation and alignment will be made easier with the board/sensors embedded into a new bracket. Also, reactor fan boards arrived this week and are waiting for assembly and initial testing. Stay tuned for updates.