Some nice design ideas. I personally own Swink's CFTBL snack bar mod, so I can vouch that he does extremely high quality work. I'm eager to see what comes out of this meeting of the minds. Whatever it is, I'm sure my wallet will be a bit lighter because of it.

I have I think a very simple solution to this and will model up, post and then can give Tim the designs to go for it if he wants them.

not to take credit away from Tim's idea, as the guys at Mezelmods do nice stuff but just trying to help - bounce a few ideas and then you run with the best.

This idea for you is keep the original post to maintain strength and then you can introduce an additional post that adds the custom colour, hides the wires, no de-soldering. It has a 0.35mm gap between the original post and the chute post and then a wall thickness of 1.25mm as strength is not an issue rather looks and wire hiding function is. The customer can dis-assemble their particular post, slide the wire chute post over the wires and then slide the wire chute post over the original metal post and then reassemble.

The wire chute post can have the cut outs for the wires to enter and exit top and bottom. This also means you don't have to tap the 3D printed chute - simply print, pack and send.

Downside is a little bigger than original post, but you can hide wires and colourise the post. Also just while posting realised that the visible groove where you can see the post could be rotated to the next flat so then you the player are not looking at the exposed groove and then post can be flipped 180 degrees as then depending on what ever side you can just see the nice post.

If happy can tweak the design and send you the stl

wire chute 1.png

wire chute 2.png

wire chute 3.png

wire chute 4.png

quickly did the slot on the next flat and now if you assembled this on say the rhs sling it would hide the wires as well as you not see the slot. Then to achieve the same on the other side flip the chute post 180 degrees to achieve the say result.

wire chute post v2.png

I would prefer it to not be very bulky. The smaller the profile the better.

I think we are missing the point of what these are. These can be lite as they are but it will take a diy'er. Any way you shake it a guy will need some know how to make these work as you are still twisting these onto the pf. These are perfect as they are and have the biggest market as they are.

They are a fantastic product, i have used them.

?
They are trying to figure out a way to hide and contain the wires. I don't think a product like that is available yet.

Nope you are correct a product like that is not available yet. I am sure they will figure out a nice solution.

Why do you need the opening on them (Swinks design)? Would take just a tad more time to install but those could slide over the existing post and be solid all the way around. You could then have a smaller profile for the wires and still maintain the strength.

if it is a enclosed design then you need to do soldering and remove wires from lamps and then install and re-install when the blue and yellow design allows no mucking around. The yellow and blue posts are approx 3/8" wide x 5/8" long by the height.

I will tweak the design to make 1mm walls as it is not load being and send it your way to do a print & fit test.

How about this mod of Swinks design? The black line represents an opening that would need to be big enough to slide the wires into the channel. This would not require any soldering and should hold the wires inside.

post_mod.JPG

yeah I will do a quick change to that file and can send to Tim along with the other one.

A lot of great ideas here, but I still want to see them shaped like something cool. Badass flames or boulders or a pile of skulls or my prenup or something. WORK HARDER GUYS *cough* (being sarcastic, forgot this was pinside for a second)

Baby steps, baby steps. Sometimes the best ideas start off simple and small. Your ideas could be next and game specific.

If this product turns out nice and affordable, I am excited to try them on my WOZ and SM.

here is the red post (now green to differentiate between the design changes) with one sort of z slot with the hex incorporated. I made the radii in the slot a little bigger to help Tim print better. The slot is 1.8mm wide to cater for the thick wires.

v4 post with wire chute.png
v4 wire chute 2.png
v4 wire chute 3.png

Nice work. It would definitely be better than exposed zip ties and 100% exposed wires.

I think a little smaller but will change it to 3.8mm

here is a image of the last one with a slightly bigger hole for the thread and the slot changed a little with an angled slot in the centre which looks better visually (your idea DCFAN)

chute post.png

Tim,
I'm relatively new to pins. For those of us who don't know who you are, what is your web site? I think these would look cool on just about any of my games....

Keith

http://mezelmods.com/

Got some cool parts at a good price. These being one of the coolest (hopeless plug ) http://mezelmods.com/collections/under20/products/stern-target-splints

Cool site! Thanks. Will place an order soon.

So are these available on your site? I am about to place an order and I wanted a bunch for my IM

Just happened upon this thread...did these ever materialize? Can't find them on the MM site.
thanks

Yes I wanted to buy some too but I not sure they ever were made

Tim made me some. I swear they were on the site at one point. I dig them!!

I should say the regular posts. But the wire channel version

Well that's a good problem to have

Would you be willing to release the STL file so that those with access to a printer could make their own?

I did the design (with the concealed wire channel) and gave it to Mezelmods to help the cause a while back, but unfortunately I must have deleted it so Mezelmods has the design. Just putting it out there that I am cool to make it publically available if Tim wants to go that direction.

Anodized aluminum would also be really nice. For example look at these Anodized aluminum tubes. Just buy a few feet of tubes and slide them over the hex. However you would need to leave enough gap to get a thin wrench to have access to the hex. The point of the tube was to hide the wires if needed.

tube_(resized).jpg

Very cool of you guys.

I'd love the .stl file. I could use this on Spaceballs.

If you guys don't have any intention of selling these, I could make it a customizable object on thingiverse to let people make whatever length they wanted.

That's what I was thinking as well. If you're not planning to sell them (or maybe even if you are), posting it on Thingiverse would be a good way to share it rather than having to continuously email the file to people.

I am cool with this, bummer that I lost the file. I only designed the initial design as 1" long but totally cool for you to customise it and add to thingiverse for all those that want to use it.

Cool. TMezel, if you decide you guys aren't going to sell these, let me know and I'll be happy to create a SCAD script from it so people can customize them on thingiverse. You and swinks are welcome to take all the credit.

that or I can redesign over the next few nights and add to my shapeways store so people can buy if they don't have a printer but I will also make the stl file free to download via the links - can do in a 1", 1 1/2" and 2" version.

That would be sweet.

Spacers would also be a good idea. They are usually an ugly grey. I'm new to 3d printing and modeling, but spacers seem easy enough.

EDIT: Yup. Even I can make a spacer in Autocad 123D

To anyone interested, here is an 123D design file with a 1" spacer, 3/16" inner diameter and 3/8" outer diameter. This appears to be a standard pinball spacer. Just scale / size and print in whatever color / length you want:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12894/spacer.123dx

spacer_(resized).JPG