I have a 40 inch 1080p lcd just itching to be made into a pinball table!
I've tried, but have had limited success. I think it's time I revisit this project.
(Topic ID: 73334)
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1 week later
So tomorrow I'm looking into an i7 (3.2GHz I think ), 16GB, 256 SSD almost computer from Craigslist.
I'll need a psu, thinking 500w, and a gfx card - gtx 1060, and an OS (windows 10 I'm guessing ).
Any thoughts on my choices?
I was originally going to go for an HP elite 8300 with i5 and 8GB ram, then throw in a gtx 1050 ti. That rig would run me around $500. However, as i understand it, the motherboard and psu are proptietary, so I'm stuck with about 320W.
The i7 with my needed items should run me around $650.
$150 isn't chump change to me, but I'd also rather not invest $500 and get "meh" results.
Am going completely overboard or will I appreciate the upgrade?
Can you run full specs with yours or do things need to be dialed down? I did the math wrong, the i5 would run me around $400, so now there's more incentive to be picky 
OK, picked up a Dell 3010 Tower today. i5 - 3330 with a 450W psu upgrade. Has the Win10 upgrade from Win7.
It is a different machine than the other two I posted, however, as is, this thing was under $100, so it won.
I'll try running with the integrated graphics but I'm guessing a 1050 Ti or 1060 would provide better results.
Looking forward to running some tables!
1 week later
So by "kick ass" I assume you are very happy with the 1050 Ti? 
Looks great! Especially Fathom, holy cow!!!
3 weeks later
Quoted from DEN:My new 1050TI 4gb kicks ass.
I've got a 1050 ti coming tomorrow. Do you run display cables and hdmi?
Now to find a beater EM I can convert.
I bought a display to hdmi as my second monitor cable.
Pretty certain 1050 ti won't work with a second card. This is a rather budget build so the 1 card is going to have to do
Had a crazy idea last night though; use 2 extra wide monitors for the back cabinet. With today's tiny bezels it could make an almost normal sized image if l as yered vertically.
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Quoted from Vader77:If you want to fill the backbox you might consider copying mine. I sunk the bg monitor into the cabinet (wasting a little tv real estate, but worth it). Looks great for em's and dmd games in 2 screen mode.
So what exactly are you using in the BG? Is that a single "square" monitor? I'm confused, because THAT is what I'd like mine to look like!
BorgDog, you have the same set up? They look great!
Ahhhhhh, that makes sense now. Thank you. I'm thinking of running only 2 monitors, no separate DMD, so this should fit the bill.
Great idea, once I find a donor cab I'll probably go this route. Much better, IMHO, that doing the smaller screen backglass.
2 months later
Quoted from jim5six:I finally built my minicab to replace my full size cab. I like the way it turned out and think that it will be much more useful and fun in the smaller compact size. 2 monitors, 21:9 aspect playfield, perfect fit and a 17 sideways for the backglass. Still some final tweaks and some side art but overall I love how this came out.
Thanks,
-Jim
Well done!
I've been caught up in a few pins that came my way so I'm jealous of your completed project!
1 month later
Looks like a new monitor and just for kicks, I'd slap in a new gtx 1050 ti or gtx 1060. Fairly cheap , ,
Computer specs look fine.
Quoted from maffewl:Thanks for the replies. I'll look to upgrade the TV to a 4k. That said, does this video card look like it will do well? (I'm no computer pro and get lost in all the names/numbers of video cards, and what is good for this, and what isn't).
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500372
I'm thinking that's too much, but I'm a novice.
I think this would do. It's cheaper as well.
Prices have really shot up on cards!
1 week later
Quoted from maffewl:Update. All is good. GTX660 doesn't seem to have any troubles. I'm running the playfield and dmd on the GPU, and the backglass on the MOBO onboard GPU.
Great news!
All tables?
Did you have to modify any settings?
Check to see if the tv has a "game mode", this helps my ancient 1080p with flipper lag, might have an effect on your overall performance too.
Quoted from dzorbas:Here's a link to some pics of my build - https://goo.gl/photos/DxLhoosdbwRttZZk6
looks great! I'm hoping to score a cabinet with all the trimmings soon myself.
So what functions did you designate the 3 vertical buttons on the left side of the coin door?
Quoted from dzorbas:Thanks! It's been a lot of fun. Some stuff is McGyvered but it works well. That cabinet was a good deal, at least in my eyes. $200 CDN, in great shape, clean inside, with the coin door, rails, lock down bar all included. I felt bad sanding it down. $80 for the 40" Sony playfield monitor, $60 for the 32" Samsung backbox monitor and a free 17" IBM LCD for the DMD. I'm just using a cheap joystick controller for input but I do have a Pinscape controller board for nudging. I could have done a physical plunger as well but I went the cheaper, easier route.
I'm using PinballX as my front end. Works fantastic for me. I opted to use static images for the backbox and playfield when you are scrolling through the menu. Videos looked nicer but it slowed the menu down considerably.
The three buttons are set as follows:
- Green - select game or option
- Blue - credits (if a game doesn't have free play)
- Red - exit
In PinballX, the flipper buttons allow you to scroll through the tables individually. I didn't realize it when I first set things up but the second set of flipper buttons allow you to jump to the first table name of each letter of the alphabet. Bonus. You hit the green button to start the game. If you want to exit the table at any time, you hit the red button and it will take you back to the scroll for the games. Hit the red button again and a menu comes up asking if you want to exit the emulator. You navigate the yes/no option with the flipper buttons and then hit the green button to select.
I'm doing this from memory but I'm pretty sure that's how I have it set up. Very simple, no need for a crazy number of buttons. I could have probably gotten away with 2 and used the original coin eject button on the door for adding credits. I have yet found a need for any more.
So far I have 55 tables installed and I probably have less than 5 that are problematic. And I'm sure if I spent some time tweaking them, they would run fine as well.
Thanks for the info, that makes sense.
I'm bummed, was watching an eBay auction today for a donor cab. Guy dropped the auction 7 minutes before the end stating "item no longer available ".
Quoted from IceyStuntaz:Hey, I'm IceyStuntaz and have been a pinball fan since i can remember!
I just came back from Vegas and i had the chance to renew with some of my favorite machines at the Pinball Hall of Fame.
This also got me looking into building my own Virtual Pinball Cabinet and i'd like to get some tips to get myself started.
- Screen Size - Recommended TV models?
I think LED is probably better and 4K not recommended unless you have a really good Video Card. I have access to a GTX1060 for my build.
Was thinking around 43in?
I'm also thinking of building a Widebody Cabinet with 3 screens.
- Speakers? Sub or no sub? Bass Shaker or not?
Anyone can recommend a good speaker setup and amp? (Is a surround bar worth it?)
Has anyone implemented some sort of Bass shacker for Flipper Feedback?
I don't want to damage the TV.
- TV Glass, Close or Far?
I've read that having the tv near the galls can cause the TV to get really hot?
Any recommendation? Would adequate Fans/Cooling help?
- Plunger and Buttons?
Any recommendations on what kind of buttons i should get? (Keyboard encoder?) And do you know if there are any Plunger with a digital trigger?
I'm also debating if i should add a Dual Fighting stick setup... or maybe i should just make a detachable one somehow?
Any recommendations are appreciated. I've been reading a bit but a lot of the Builds are now 3 or 4 years old and some of the
parts don't exist anymore and the TVs have changed a little.
Thanks!
Icey
Good idea!
I had plans of a standard cab, using PinballX as the front end with an I Pac 2 to control things.
Been checking out tvs at Costco and the like for measurements. Thinking I'll go 4k for playfield, 1080p for backglass.
I already have a gtx 100 3GB so I should be good for a while.
Quoted from maffewl:Hey all. I'm having some issues with my setup. I have a 3 screen system, with the playfield and dmd on the gpu, and the backglass on the mobo gpu. My backglass is screen 1, playfield screen 2 (main display), and dmd screen 3.
Here's the problem, the only way that I've found for VPX to work is to use this setup and move the dmd to screen 3, give it a shake, and it'll stay. However, when I installed Future Pinball, I cannot get the backglass to go to the backglass screen. It keeps splitting it between screen 2 and 3. If I move the screens around in my settings, Future Pinball will work, but the the dmd won't stay on screen 3 in VPX.
In summary, I cannot keep the dmd on screen 3 for both VPX and FP. Any advice?
Sorry, I use 2 screens.
Maybe try running everything through gpu?
2 weeks later
Quoted from G-Bee:My modest setup, with a Philips Virtual Pinball controller!
Plan on a cab or stand in the future?
I'm envisioning a "picture frame" that also serves as your pinball fun.
1 week later
Quoted from maffewl:Does anyone know how I can take a screenshot of the PinballX front-end software? Every time I try I get the backglass and DMD, but the playfield/selection screen is black. Note that I want an image of the front-end software/selection screen, not the actual game playfield. Any thoughts?
Um, use your phone camera?
Sounds like you are trying "print screen " or similar. How about snipping tool?
Could you possibly send your image/output to another running computer somehow? I have no idea how this would be done, just brainstorming.
Maybe play with the pinball code a little to allow access to other programs? Is there a setting for multi-windows or something similar?
1 week later
Hey all, quick tv question :
Given the chance to acquire a 49 inch 1080p for $200. Am I just being silly not getting a 4k?
Quoted from roar:For VP? I wouldn't bother with 4K if you can get a deal on a 1080p. There are 4K tables out there but personally I think it's overkill, I had a 43" 4K in mine a while back (Granted when there wasn't as much 4K table content) and the uptick in detail wasn't a game changer for me. I jumped up to a 46" 1080p when the opportunity presented itself and I'm happy there. 49" is too big of a TV for a bally/williams widebody cab, you'll likely have to go custom cab and custom lockdown bar if you go that large.
I measured length of interior cab at 43.5 strong. The tv has a rated "width" of the same. Figured I could route a little if needed.
Too big?
8 months later
Quoted from boogies:A little off topic...
I just finished a MAME cab and wanted to share
I had never heard of the ultrawide before, now I must have it!
Quoted from dzorbas:I just shake my head at what guys are willing to pay for these. To each his own I guess...
I've been shaking my head at what people are willing to pay for almost ANYTHING these days.
I'm with you on the cheap build. I ended up giving up but got much of the software down. Played a few games of Monster Bash and AFM. Lot's of fun, but didn't have room a pin sized project that "Might" pan out. Easy enough to try though with nearly all components being found cheaply.
11 months later
Quoted from gregh43:You can always check on Craigslist classifieds . Theres always Virtual pinballs for sale. Or for starters you can play the Vp tables right on your desktop computer or laptop. You wont get the cab experience but can check out the pinball tables and play em.
This, plus lay a TV flat on some saw horses, and use an XArcade tank stick or something. Quick and easy, let's you get started and somewhat get the feel.
1 month later
1 week later
Quoted from Nepi23:What do you think - should one make just a VP controller for Oculus Quest or would it be better to make e.g. a 3/4-size cabinet with backbox and make also a connection from VP to Oculus Quest? If there was a separate cabinet also, the guests could see how the playing is going, although the player would keep Oculus Quest and use it as his monitor. Thanks for any input!
The Quest is pretty amazing. I think for just me playing that's all I'd need. You could mirror to a screen for guests.
That said, having to pass the headset and controls around would get old quickly if you like playing with others.
In short, if it's more fun to compete, I'd build a cab.
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